Hostage

The Yongzhao Emperor poked her on the forehead.

"Mind your temper, or the censors' brushes won't spare you."

Zhao Huiluan gave a halfhearted "Oh."

She knew perfectly well that acting spoiled alone couldn't make her imperial father decide to send Marquis Jingwu back to the northern frontier.

Her imperial father merely thought she was a little girl throwing an unreasonable tantrum.

"Ah—that hurts."

In Jade Balance Palace, Zhao Huiluan rolled up her trouser leg, exposing her fair, tender calf. Her knee, dusted with medicinal powder, burned with pain.

She was terribly afraid of pain.

"Your Highness, it's my fault. I didn't take proper care of you." Xichun's eyes reddened with guilt.

Zhao Huiluan waved her hand, intending to say it wasn't her fault, but it hurt too much. Her eyes brimming with tears, she roared:

"Zhang Yunchi! You'd better keep your tail between your legs, or I..."

"Or what will you do?"

The Yongzhao Emperor had just entered Jade Balance Palace when he heard his daughter spouting wild threats.

"Look. What did I tell you? This is all your doing."

He threw down a memorial.

Zhao Huiluan picked it up and read it, then gave a dry chuckle.

A censor really had come to impeach her.

Zhao Huiluan tugged at the Yongzhao Emperor's sleeve. "Imperial Father, are you going to punish me?"

Seeing her shamelessly smiling and begging for mercy, the Yongzhao Emperor couldn't help laughing.

"You, honestly! I only just punished a few little eunuchs for fighting, and you turned right around and got into a fight with that Zhang boy. Tell me, what am I supposed to do with you?"

The Yongzhao Emperor paused, then said, "Go to Marquis Jingwu's Residence."

"I won't."

Zhao Huiluan flung aside the Yongzhao Emperor's sleeve and turned her head away, thoroughly unwilling.

"Hmph! The censor isn't being fair. It takes two to fight, so why did he impeach only me and say nothing about Zhang Yunchi?"

"That Zhang boy had it worse than you."

"Hm?"

Zhao Huiluan rolled her eyes around and looked at the Yongzhao Emperor.

"When he returned home yesterday, he was first made to kneel for two hours. Afterward, the heir gave him ten strokes of the board. He's lying on his bed now."

Zhao Huiluan opened her mouth and said haltingly, "Ten strokes... that's so harsh..."

"Scared?"

Zhao Huiluan fell silent.

The Yongzhao Emperor knew she felt guilty.

After a long while, he saw her reach out a few fingers, looking uncomfortable again, and pinch his sleeve.

"Then I suppose I can make myself go see him."

"...To see how badly he's doing."

Zhao Huiluan continued to put up a stubborn front.

"You!"

The Yongzhao Emperor couldn't help laughing and affectionately brushed his daughter's nose with a finger.

He turned to Xichun. "Take good care of the princess."

"Yes."

Marquis Jingwu's Residence.

Zhang Yunchi lay facedown on his bed, stubbornness written all over his face.

"Grandfather, Father, I really didn't start it. It was Zhao... it was Her Highness the princess. She hit me first!"

His mouth had gone dry from saying it, so why wouldn't they believe him?

As the steward applied medicine to him, he signaled to him with his eyes and urged in a low voice, "Young Master, please say no more."

Zhang Yunchi felt so wronged he could die.

"She hit you, so you hit her back?"

Zhang Yong had just taken a sip of tea. Hearing him still trying to argue, he slammed his teacup down in anger. A bundle of bamboo switches about as thick as a baby's arm lay on the tea table.

"Don't think I didn't hear you say you wanted to beat up Her Highness last time!"

Zhang Tai also reproached him. "How strong is Jianjian'er, and how strong are you? Did it hurt when she hit you?"

He sighed again, his heart aching. "Who knows what state you've left my Jianjian'er in? Is she hurting...?"

"No! No! I didn't hit her. She fell on her own. It wasn't me."

"My Jianjian'er has just lost her mother, and you, her older cousin, still bullied her."

"No, I must go into the palace and see Jianjian'er."

Zhang Yunchi gazed speechlessly at the heavens.

Why would no one listen to him?

Chapter 7: Hostage

Zhang Tai was in a hurry to enter the palace when the gatekeeper came in to report, "My lord marquis, Heir, Princess Zhenning's carriage has arrived."

Zhang Tai was startled and hurriedly summoned the steward to go with him to the front courtyard.

"What's she doing here?"

Zhang Yunchi's sudden agitation pulled at his wound, making him bare his teeth in pain.

Zhang Yong glared at him, the warning in his look plain.

"Ahhh!"

After his father left, Zhang Yunchi thumped his pillow to vent. Unexpectedly, he heard movement outside again.

Sensing trouble, he listened closely. Sure enough, his grandfather and the others were bringing Zhao Huiluan into his courtyard.

Zhang Yunchi looked around frantically for something to hide himself behind.

He absolutely refused to let Zhao Huiluan see him in such a sorry state!

"What are you fussing about now?"

Hearing his father's voice, Zhang Yunchi stopped moving and lay facedown on the bed, resigned to his fate.

Whatever. He had no face left anyway.

"Hurry and pay your respects to Her Highness."

Zhang Yong's brows knitted into the shape of the character "川" as he apologized to Zhao Huiluan.

"My son has no manners. Please forgive him, Your Highness."

Zhang Yunchi pointed at himself in disbelief. In his condition, how was he supposed to pay his respects?

He looked to his grandfather for help, but his grandfather's face also plainly said, "You don't know how to behave."

"You're too harsh, Uncle. Jianjian'er is the reason Cousin suffered such a heavy punishment. It isn't his fault. Cousin needn't pay his respects to Jianjian'er; the most important thing is for him to recover."

"Rather, Jianjian'er should apologize to Cousin."

Zhang Yunchi thought he must be hearing things. Since when had the overbearing, unreasonable Zhao Huiluan become so well-behaved?

Then he watched, dumbstruck, as Zhao Huiluan, looking utterly well-behaved, obediently cupped her hands and bowed to apologize to him.

"Brother Yanli, Jianjian'er was wrong. I shouldn't have hit you."

Zhang Yunchi: "..."

"You mustn't, you mustn't."

Zhang Yong immediately stepped back and returned the salute on his son's behalf.

Zhang Tai was delighted. That was his Jianjian'er, all right: she owned up to what she had done. She was a good girl.