Severing the Tail

"Your Highness, the crown prince must be hungry."

Zhao Huiluan came to her senses and handed her young brother to his wet nurse, then withdrew to sit on a long couch by the window.

A Go board lay at hand. Bored, Zhao Huiluan picked up a black stone and placed it on the board. She played by herself for amusement, and before long, large areas of the board were covered with stones.

No longer playing as casually as she had at first, she held a white stone between her fingertips for a long time without placing it.

"Your style of play is rather like your mother's."

Chapter 5: Severing the Tail

"Your Highness, Consort Jing."

Zhao Huiluan rose and greeted the newcomer.

Consort Jing nodded slightly, her attention on the game.

"Your Highness, you were born into a family of great scholars. Your skill at Go must be excellent as well. Might you give Huiluan a few pointers?"

Consort Jing said, "My skill is not as good as your mother's. Besides, your mother was born into a military family, so her style of play was different from that of ladies like us. There was a hint of clashing weapons and slaughter in every stone she placed. I admired her greatly."

"In this game of yours, every move by black holds a deadly threat, and black occupies the greater part of the board. White has fought desperately to hold back the collapse, but for now it can barely protect itself, and its prospects are bleak."

Wasn't that exactly the situation she and Marquis Jingwu's Residence were in?

Now that the Wen Faction had drawn its sword, it would not easily stop. Imperial Father had already intended to move against the Zhang Family, and with the Wen Faction stirring things up, his resolve would surely waver again. For all she knew, one day he might side with the Wen Faction.

She still needed to add more weight to the scales.

"Your Highness, if you were my mother, what would you do now?"

As she spoke, Zhao Huiluan offered her the white stone.

Consort Jing glanced at her and took the stone. After a moment's thought, she calmly placed it on the board.

"Sacrifice the chariot to save the general; sever the tail to survive."

Their gazes followed the stone down to the board.

Zhao Huiluan was startled at first, then delighted. Indeed, those caught in the game could not see it clearly. She had been too greedy.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Huiluan has learned much!"

Consort Jing did not understand why she was so excited, but her smile was so adorable that she was delighted too.

The two of them went together to see the little crown prince, who was fast asleep.

In just over a month, the wrinkled little baby had grown fair and tender, all soft and cuddly. The sight nearly melted Zhao Huiluan's heart.

A little while later, she took her leave of Consort Jing.

After leaving Celestial Jade Palace, Zhao Huiluan gave Xichun a look. Xichun dismissed the attendants. Seeing the princess clasping her hands together as she walked, she knew she was thinking, so she silently followed behind.

"Your Highness..."

After they had walked for a long time, Xichun could not help calling out.

Zhao Huiluan's mind was full of Consort Jing's words, "Sacrifice the chariot to save the general; sever the tail to survive." Hearing Xichun call her, she stopped and looked up. All the color instantly drained from her face.

This was the side hall where the new emperor had imprisoned her brother in her previous life. How had she come here?

Unpleasant memories came flooding back.

An icy corpse, scorching blood...

Zhao Huiluan turned to leave. Startled by her reaction, Xichun hurried to support her.

Just then, a disturbance came from inside.

Several palace attendants had surrounded a youth, punching and kicking him while cursing him.

"Still think you're the Xiao Family's young master? Pah!"

"Damn you, putting on airs in front of me! Don't forget, you're just like me—a rootless creature after one cut of the knife!"

"You lowborn son of a bitch! Cry! Why aren't you crying out in pain?"

The youth's hat had been knocked off. Curled up in a corner, he desperately protected his head. He was stubborn. No matter how the punches rained down on him, he gritted his teeth and made no sound.

But the more he did that, the more worked up the men became.

At last, they could beat him no longer.

One of the attendants spat, crouched down, and seized the youth by the hair, yanking him over.

"Well? Do you submit?"

The youth's face was black and blue. He kept his lips tightly pressed together and his eyes lowered, still saying nothing.

An attendant beside him could stand it no longer and kicked him.

"Gone mute? Eunuch Huang asked you a question!"

The youth strained to lift his eyes, shot a sidelong glance at the attendant who had kicked him, and gave a cold snort.

"He's got a hard set of bones."

Eunuch Huang patted the youth's face and sneered. "I can't stand young masters like you. You always looked down your noses at people. Didn't expect this, did you? Now you've become one of the eunuch slaves you used to despise most. Hahahahaha!"

"Eunuch Huang, he's worse off than us! His Xiao Family offended Grand Secretary Wen, and his whole family died, leaving only this brat. Now that he's in our hands, he lives if we want him to live and dies if we want him to die. We'd be venting Grand Secretary Wen's anger for him!"

"That's right! There are plenty of torture instruments we servants have never seen used. Why don't we try them out on him?"

Eunuch Huang was tempted. Just as he was about to agree, a woman's voice came from behind him.

"What a pack of vicious servants!"

Xichun stepped out and looked at them, her gaze slightly cold.

The attendants jumped in fright, but when they saw that the newcomer was young and dressed as a palace maid, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"How shameless! You call me a servant, but what are you?"

"Which palace are you from, little girl? Tired of living, are you, meddling in Grand Secretary Wen's affairs?"

"Jade Balance Palace."

Zhao Huiluan's voice reached them before she appeared.

Xichun stepped aside and respectfully curtsied to her.

The sight frightened the attendants into silence.

They looked toward the entrance and saw a small girl of seven or eight. Black silk and gold thread intertwined across her plain robes, embroidered in intricate patterns. Her eyes were large and round, and when she looked at people, they held an inborn nobility and pride.

Jade Balance Palace. Princess Zhenning. The emperor's most beloved eldest princess.

"Forgive us, Your Highness."

The attendants' legs went weak with fright, and they dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.

Zhao Huiluan did not look at them. Her gaze drifted to the corner. Where the youth lay, barely clinging to life, a simple cot had stood in her previous life. It was where she had seen her young brother off.

She withdrew her gaze and said to Eunuch Huang and the others with a smile, "You have some nerve, you dogs, daring to commit violence and abuse people here in Grand Secretary Wen's name."

"This servant is guilty!" The perceptive Eunuch Huang immediately confessed his wrongdoing.