Taming

Princess Baozhu was the Empress Dowager's youngest daughter. Only ten years old, she still lived at her mother's side, bringing her joy.

The Qi Emperor had done all he could for this younger sister, granting her a fief in advance. All that remained was to find her a husband of equal standing once she came of age.

With a fief of her own, she could live a carefree life, without anything to worry about.

There were few children in the palace. The Eldest Prince and Princess Baozhu were close in age, and the Empress Dowager favored the Eldest Prince. Since Princess Baozhu was also raised at her side, the two gradually grew close.

Every few days, the Eldest Prince visited Princess Baozhu's Splendid Radiance Palace. On his last visit, he had taken a fancy to one of her sachets.

The sachet was made of dragon-patterned fabric her imperial brother had left at her palace that summer. How could she dare give it away?

After she refused, the Eldest Prince stayed away for a month. Thinking he was angry, Princess Baozhu embroidered another one for him.

When the matter involving Xi Ming came to light, Princess Baozhu worried about the Eldest Prince and came to see him that day. They met on the way.

The Eldest Prince was heading to the Hall of Inherited Blessing, so Princess Baozhu simply went along.

The little crown prince had given her mother a headache with anger last time. She wanted to see just how clever he was.

The Eldest Prince kept his distance, leaving a large gap between them. Whenever Princess Baozhu moved closer, he dodged away.

"Why are you being so distant today?"

The Eldest Prince's face was wooden. "Boys and girls must not share a seat after the age of seven. I was discourteous before. Please forgive me, Aunt."

Princess Baozhu covered her mouth and laughed, gentle as a lily.

"Look at you. Just two days of studying, and you've become a learned gentleman."

When her laughter faded, a trace of melancholy appeared. "But that is indeed true."

The palace was lonely. Princes could leave and establish their own residences when they grew up, while most princesses only received residences after becoming engaged. Leaving the palace meant marrying.

In his previous life, the Eldest Prince had loved his aunt with desperate abandon. Looking back in this life, it seemed like an absurd dream. He could not even say what he had liked about her.

Princess Baozhu looked gentle, but rebellion ran deep in her bones. She had been the one to propose their incestuous affair.

It had begun because her husband was impotent, and Princess Baozhu had no desire to live as a widow with a husband still alive.

As though bewitched, he had agreed.

Only in the end had he discovered that Princess Baozhu loved someone else. He was merely a substitute.

He had died without ever learning whom he had replaced. Thinking about it was deeply galling.

The Eldest Prince's determination to keep her at arm's length bored Princess Baozhu, but the sight of the sachet she had embroidered hanging at his waist offered some comfort.

True affection was hard to come by in the palace.

She still did not want to watch them drift apart.

They entered the Hall of Inherited Blessing in silence and saw a eunuch kneeling at the entrance.

The Eldest Prince took another look.

He recognized Bolao.

In his previous life, this man had been a pawn the fourth prince planted beside the crown prince. Later, he had also passed information to the rebels.

When the crown prince was isolated and helpless, this very cur had led a group of eunuchs in exploiting his fear of darkness and enclosed spaces to lock him inside the hall.

They had forged an imperial decree and opened the palace gates to welcome the rebels inside!

If Qi Yuanzuo had lost because of his character or ability, the Eldest Prince would not have felt such bitter resentment.

But he had treated his subordinates with compassion and his people with benevolence. He had lost because his heart was not ruthless enough!

Those bastards had been certain Qi Yuanzuo could not abandon the countless people of the north to die beneath foreign cavalry. That was why they had dared so brazenly to follow that vile couple into mutiny and treason for their own selfish desires, hoping to earn merit by helping a new ruler ascend!

Disgust flickered through the Eldest Prince's eyes.

He strode over and delivered two thudding kicks.

The first struck Bolao's waist. Bolao fell to the ground and cradled his head, only for the second kick to land on it.

He moved so quickly that he had finished before anyone could react. Catching sight of the little crown prince approaching from the corner of his eye, he cursed.

"Filthy cur. You're blocking the way."

Bolao curled up with his arms around his head, looking utterly pitiful.

Qi Yuanzuo merely frowned slightly, but said nothing about it.

"Since it was my eldest brother who punished you, bear it."

"When you understand your mistake and repent, get up on your own."

Qi Yuanzuo smiled at the Eldest Prince.

"I'm late. I didn't expect you and Little Aunt to come together."

Princess Baozhu rarely saw the crown prince.

She had nowhere to go except the Empress Dowager's side, while the crown prince disliked the Empress Dowager. The emperor guarded him like the apple of his eye, and the New Year palace banquet was their only chance all year to gather.

She had not expected the crown prince to recognize her.

Then she reconsidered. Even if he did not know her, a servant could remind him.

The sight of the Eldest Prince beating someone had startled her, and the crown prince's indifferent response startled her again.

Qi Yuanzuo led them into the main hall.

Without waiting for instructions, Simiao and Fat Eunuch served tea and refreshments.

Princess Baozhu could not help asking, "What did that little eunuch outside do wrong? He looks so pitiful."

The Eldest Prince was unconcerned. "He's only a servant, Little Aunt. There's no need to mind him."

He warned, "That servant is no good. Crown Prince, remember not to employ him."

Qi Yuanzuo looked at the Eldest Prince for a while. "I have my own plans. Rest easy, Eldest Brother."

The Eldest Prince could not rest easy.

"You're young. Don't let servants deceive you."

"That man is best dismissed as soon as possible."

This was precisely what Qi Yuanzuo did not want to see. He had no wish to raise another control freak of a father for himself.

With so many people present, certain things were inconvenient to say. He changed the subject.

"Little Aunt, did you need something from me?"

Princess Baozhu sat there demurely. Qi Yuanzuo kept feeling that she looked familiar, yet could not tell where that familiarity came from.

Princess Baozhu shook her head. Realizing that her presence prevented the Eldest Prince and crown prince from speaking freely, she offered to leave.

"I only heard about Xi Ming and worried that Chengyou would be upset. I met him on the way, so we came together."

"Now that everything is all right, I'll take my leave."

Qi Yuanzuo nodded. The Eldest Prince politely thanked her for her concern, and the two watched Princess Baozhu leave.

The Eldest Prince asked, "What did you tell Father that day?"

"I only said that Junior Tutor Xi had a very distinctive scent."

The Eldest Prince suspected their father had driven the matter involving Xi Ming. The crown prince must have said something that prompted him to investigate what went on in Xi Ming's bedroom.

A veteran of romantic affairs, the Eldest Prince understood immediately at that hint. He asked no further questions and instead said,

"Junior Tutor Xi committed an offense and was exiled by Father. Children shouldn't pry into the details."

The little crown prince nodded as though only half understanding.

The Eldest Prince brought up Bolao again, warning him earnestly, "Listen to your brother. Don't employ that eunuch outside."

This time, Qi Yuanzuo dropped the act and spoke seriously.

"Eldest Brother, Father said that I'm the crown prince and can do whatever I wish. If I can't even keep one servant under control, what business do I have being crown prince?"

"I want to employ him, and I'm confident I can control him."

"I understand your concerns, Eldest Brother, but I have my own ideas."

Finally, he added, "Besides, with you and Father here, could he possibly overturn the heavens?"

Every objection the Eldest Prince had sank beneath that final sentence.

He managed to say,

"As you wish."

Before leaving, he invited Qi Yuanzuo to visit the Condensing Dew Pavilion when he had time.

"Mother keeps a cat. If you come, have someone tell me beforehand so the little beast doesn't frighten you."

Qi Yuanzuo grew interested. "A cat? What does it look like? Is it pretty?"

The Eldest Prince said, "Cats can be pretty or ugly? Don't they all look the same?"

The Eldest Prince's heart lurched. Hesitantly, he asked, "You... aren't afraid of cats?"

Qi Yuanzuo said, "No. Cats are adorable. Why would I be afraid of them?"

If the crown prince wasn't afraid of cats now, why had he become afraid of them later?

"Then are you afraid of the dark?"

Qi Yuanzuo shook his head. "No."

The crown prince had feared the dark as a child. His candles had been kept burning every night, all year round.

Now that he had another chance at life, the little crown prince was healthy and feared nothing.

The only difference from the previous life was his severe injury a month ago.

The Eldest Prince realized that everything had changed from his previous life.

The crown prince feared neither darkness nor cats, and he would no longer bear the accusation of murdering his tutor.

Thinking of the claim that he could no longer practice martial arts, the Eldest Prince was filled with conflicting emotions.

If this was the price, who could say whether it was good or bad?

Was a crown prince like this still the crown prince of his previous life?

The Eldest Prince left, weighed down by worries.

Qi Yuanzuo pushed open the window and looked at the servants standing outside the hall, as well as Bolao, trembling on his knees.

He took a bronze mirror from a drawer and studied his reflection.

At last, he understood why Princess Baozhu looked familiar.

He, his father, and Princess Baozhu had all inherited the Empress Dowager's lip shape.

Their lips were naturally vermilion, thin and sharp when they were not smiling. With his current baby fat rounding out his face, and Princess Baozhu also having a round face, they bore a certain resemblance.

Once they grew older, that resemblance might fade.

Both his father and Little Aunt had inherited the Empress Dowager's lip shape, which meant it was a dominant trait. His father had then passed it down to him.

His eldest brother had not inherited it. Perhaps he took after Consort Xian.

Wait...

Qi Yuanzuo thought hard.

Eldest Brother didn't look much like Father. Could he take entirely after his mother's family?

He studied his features, then recalled his father's appearance. His father was handsome, Little Aunt was beautiful, and his mother's portrait also showed a beauty. He certainly would not grow up ugly.

He was reassured.

Just as he was enjoying that thought,

a thud sounded in the courtyard.

Fat Eunuch came in to report.

"Your Highness, Bolao has fainted."

Qi Yuanzuo said calmly, "Bring him in."

Fat Eunuch dared not delay and hurriedly dragged him inside.

Bolao was in a wretched state. His lips were cracked, his whole body trembled, and he appeared to have developed a fever.

Qi Yuanzuo poured a cup of warm water. Fat Eunuch tried to take over, but the little crown prince stopped him.

Qi Yuanzuo crouched, supported Bolao's head, and tilted the cup, personally feeding him water.

Bolao swallowed eagerly.

Gradually, he came around.

Qi Yuanzuo stood and said coldly, "Do you understand your mistake?"

Bolao lay on the ground, seemingly too weak to kneel, and cried miserably,

"This servant does not know what he did wrong. Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

"You know."

Bolao's heart tightened, and he cautiously glanced up.

On that cool, pale face tinged with pink, slightly elongated, wild-goose-shaped eyes were both indifferent and perceptive. His irises were lacquer-black with traces of gold, and composure and intelligence beyond his years tempered the childishness of his chubby cheeks.

Bolao's heart pounded erratically. He knew the little crown prince was clever, but surely this was intelligence bordering on the uncanny?

"If you were serving Father, would you dare approach and warm his feet without first asking permission?"

"I had already eaten my fill, yet you urged me to eat more under the pretense of doing what was best for me."

"I didn't want malt candy with my medicine, but you said the medicine was bitter and you felt sorry for me, insisting that I eat it."

"What were you thinking? Was it truly for my sake?"

Hearing his "crimes" laid out, Bolao involuntarily swallowed. As he stared at the golden dragon-patterned embroidered shoes before him, a trace of venom seeped from the corners of his eyes.

The next instant, a heavy slap landed on his face.

The blow knocked Bolao's face to one side.

He stared at the little crown prince in bewilderment.

Qi Yuanzuo bent down, his eyes and lips curving. His fingers brushed the corner of Bolao's eye, light as a feather.

"I saw that."

Bolao felt like a turtle with its shell pried open, nowhere left to hide. His self-important sense of being special, his arrogance rooted in inferiority, his sick calculations-the little crown prince had seen them all.

He had let him perform, then slapped him awake while he was lost in his own play, telling him:

Stop fucking getting yourself off.

As he tried to deny it, the prince had seized his fox's tail and told him:

I saw that.

Bolao gazed up at the little crown prince as though stupefied. For the first time, he was lowly as dust without having chosen it himself.

The little crown prince waited for him. Bolao's heart hammered, his mind utterly blank. He simply could not think of anything to say.

His Highness the Crown Prince grew impatient, but as he turned and lifted his foot, Bolao seized it in both arms.

"Your Highness!"

His voice cracked as he shouted, ugly to the ear, and his arms tightened in shame.

"This servant knows his guilt! This servant truly wishes to serve at Your Highness's side!"

There was nothing fawning, lilting, or meek about his voice now.

That honey-tongued mouth was as clumsy as a dead clam's shell.

All he could do was cling tightly to him.

He was not one of his kind, but a strand of spider silk in the abyss.

Bolao held on with a desperate, deathly grip.

I'll obey.

I'll surely obey.

Bolao opened his mouth in vain, only breathy sounds escaping his throat.

At this moment, the crown prince was exceedingly patient.

"Let go of me."

Bolao hesitated for a moment, then slowly loosened his grip. Once he was certain Qi Yuanzuo would not walk away, he withdrew his encircling arms little by little.

"Kneel properly."

Bolao instinctively obeyed, laboriously bowing his head to the floor and prostrating himself.

"Raise your head."

Bolao immediately raised his head, his body still bent in prostration.

Qi Yuanzuo leaned forward slightly. He made even this movement exquisitely elegant, like a crane lowering its head, and it set a thousand miles between his station and Bolao's.

"What do you wish to say to me?"

Bolao's body went taut as a drawn bow.

He clenched his fists, kneeling as though being seared in burning oil, ashamed to voice a defeated rebel's submission.

His lips opened and closed several times. He bowed and knocked his forehead against the floor again, hoping this would convey his answer to the crown prince.

Would he understand?

Qi Yuanzuo smiled. "Very well."

"I've heard you."

"Go and get some proper rest. Once you've recovered, everything will carry on as usual."

All strength drained from Bolao's body. Only belatedly did he realize that the crown prince had been toying with his emotions in the palm of his hand.

Qi Yuanzuo stretched, then rolled onto the couch.

"Fat Eunuch, is Father still coming to sleep beside me tonight?"

Fat Eunuch's smile was more cautious than ever.

"Your Highness, this servant has learned that His Majesty will be spending tonight at Lady Yin's."

Qi Yuanzuo asked another question.

"Simiao, will Father still be eating with me today?"

Simiao replied respectfully, "His Majesty will certainly dine with Your Highness."

Qi Yuanzuo was very pleased that the two knew how to behave.

Previously, neither of them had ever answered questions about his father's whereabouts.

In the past, Fat Eunuch and Simiao would have said:

"This servant does not know. Does Your Highness wish to visit His Majesty?"

Fat Eunuch and Simiao exchanged a glance, each seeing a rueful smile in the other's eyes.

Though they were His Majesty's people, they were the crown prince's people too, were they not?