Imperial Sister, My Name Is Di Chenzhe

The Mid-Autumn palace banquet was only three days away.

Yet early that morning, the first, second, third, and fifth princes were setting out again to escort disaster relief grain to Yulu City.

Once the emperor issued his decree, the four had to leave immediately. Even the empress had no time to give them a few words of instruction, so she could only see them off at the city gate.

Di Qingyu stood atop the city wall, watching the departing procession with a calm expression. Although the flooding in Yulu City had been fierce in her previous life, it had been confined to the lower reaches of the Xi Canal, and the situation had gradually stabilized with the imperial court's aid. It had been nothing like the torrential rain a few years later, which had lasted two months and submerged more than half of Xiling. That had been a true disaster on earth.

"Are you Sixth Imperial Sister...?"

Suddenly, a young voice rang out.

Di Qingyu felt a tug at the hem of her robe and lowered her head slightly. A frail little child in ill-fitting finery was looking timidly at her. The boy was about eight or nine and bore some resemblance to Di Yunqian.

"Eighth Prince, please don't run around! Be careful you don't bump into someone. Greetings to Sixth Princess!"

Suddenly, an elderly palace attendant rushed over and hastily pulled the boy's hand away, afraid he might offend Di Qingyu. Holding him in her arms, she paid her respects to Di Qingyu.

Di Qingyu lowered her eyes to look at the little fellow, a smile curving her lips as she bent down slightly.

"You're my eighth imperial brother. What's your name?" She raised a hand and gently stroked the boy.

Seeing how beautiful she was and how gently she smiled, the child broke into a grin. He was not afraid of Di Qingyu at all.

"Imperial Sister, my name is Di Chenzhe."

"Di Chenzhe. What a good name..."

Di Qingyu's gaze darkened slightly. The hand on his head gradually moved down along his face, her fingertips settling on his neck. It was a vulnerable spot; she could snap it with a hard squeeze.

Perhaps her fingertips were too cold, for the boy shivered a little. But he was not afraid of her. Instead, he beamed, broke free of the attendant's hold, and wrapped his arms around Di Qingyu's waist.

"Thank you, Imperial Sister! You're the first person to say my name sounds nice. What's your name, Imperial Sister?"

Seeing him like this, Di Qingyu smiled meaningfully and lowered her hand.

"My name is Di Qingyu." The ungrateful little brat was just as scheming as he had been in her previous life, knowing exactly whom to curry favor with.

After a pause, Di Qingyu looked up at the attendant.

"Didn't Eighth Brother always live in the Cold Palace? Why has he come out now?"

Like Di Chenzhe, she had once been an imperial child born to a disgraced consort in the Cold Palace. Unfavored by the emperor, she had grown up there, enduring endless cold looks and neglect. Even children of the imperial blood had only a little more freedom than palace maids and eunuchs without the emperor's favor.

The attendant feared Di Qingyu and hurried to answer. "With Mid-Autumn approaching, Her Majesty the Empress said it was a day for family reunions, so she had this servant bring the Eighth Prince out to join everyone."

Di Qingyu raised a brow. The empress.

"Mm, it is time for the family to reunite..."

Her lips curving slightly, she cast a gentle glance at the shrinking Di Chenzhe, then walked down from the city wall to the empress, who was secretly wiping away tears as she saw the princes off.

"Your daughter pays her respects to Mother Empress."

Empress Zhang hastily wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, then composed herself and turned to Di Qingyu.

"Qingyu, you came too."

Di Qingyu nodded. "Mm. I was worried about my four imperial brothers and wanted to see them off."

The corner of the empress's mouth twitched. She knew Di Qingyu had tricked the four out of their money that day. It was probably their purses she was worried about.

She curved her lips and said softly, "With you concerned for them, their journey is sure to be safe and smooth. It's cold, and your health is poor, so let's go back. I recently received some fine silks. Come pick some out when we return and have a few new outfits made."

As she spoke, she raised a hand and patted Di Qingyu's arm.

Di Qingyu smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, I'll do as Mother Empress says."

It was a picture of a loving mother and a dutiful daughter, and a trace of envy appeared in the eyes of Di Chenzhe, whom the attendant had brought down. Sixth Imperial Sister was not the empress's own daughter, yet the empress doted on her so much.

Seeing the two about to leave, Di Chenzhe could not help calling out.

"Imperial Sister!"

The attendant jumped in fright, but seeing that the empress had already looked over, she did not dare cover the prince's mouth in front of her.

When the empress saw it was Di Chenzhe, her expression grew even gentler and more kind. "It's the Eighth Prince. Come here quickly. We're going back to the palace."

She held out a hand to Di Chenzhe.

At the empress's invitation, Di Chenzhe glanced timidly at the attendant beside him. But then he saw Di Qingyu at the empress's side looking at him too. His courage surged, and he immediately broke into a run toward the empress.

But he did not dare take her hand. Instead, he first knelt and paid his respects with the utmost courtesy.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Eighth Prince, you're also a child of His Majesty and me. You should call me 'Mother Empress,' just as your imperial sister does."

Seeing this, the empress paused with her hand outstretched. Then she smiled as though it did not matter, stepped forward to help him up herself, and gently brushed the dust from his knees.

"Mother Empress..." Di Chenzhe's round eyes were clear and innocent, and he was overwhelmed by the favor. "Can I call you Mother Empress too?"

"Mm, of course you can."

Seeing how timid he was, yet how he yearned for a mother's love, the empress looked at him with pity and raised a hand to stroke his face.

As she spoke, she noticed that his clothes were still rather thin. She untied the fur coat she was wearing and draped it over Di Chenzhe.

"When we get back to the palace, I'll have someone make you a few warm outfits too. Your hands have turned purple from the cold."

Di Chenzhe's eyes widened. He stared blankly at the gentle, dignified, and splendidly dressed woman before him, forgetting to react for a moment.

"All right, why are you standing there like a fool? Come back to the palace with Mother Empress." Like a mother fussing over her child, the empress took Di Chenzhe's little hand, with Di Qingyu and several guards following behind, and they returned by carriage.

The empress rode in the same carriage as Di Chenzhe, while Di Qingyu had one to herself.

Even Chunzhi, who accompanied Di Qingyu, sensed that something was amiss.

"Mistress, why did Her Majesty suddenly bring the Eighth Prince out of the Cold Palace?" The second prince had barely left when she took the eighth prince under her wing.

"She's probably finding Second Brother a helper. The four imperial brothers are going to provide disaster relief together, but they might not share the credit equally. If someone gets more, someone else is bound to get less. Imperial Father has delayed naming a crown prince, and Xiling abandoned the rule of choosing the eldest over the most capable several generations ago. The crown prince's position goes to whoever is capable. The empress was probably shaken by the earlier robbery of the relief supplies and feared something might happen to her only legitimate son, so she couldn't resist making the first move."

Di Qingyu reclined against a soft cushion in the carriage, holding a hot water bottle in her hands. Her lips curved slightly, and a hint of mockery showed in her eyes.

Unfortunately for her, she had invited a wolf into the house. That boy Di Chenzhe was no fool. Who could say whether the empress would use him to pave the way for her son, or he would use the empress to grow stronger?

Chunzhi frowned slightly. "Then should we..." A murderous glint flashed in her eyes.

Di Qingyu raised her eyes and looked at her, half exasperated and half amused. She lifted a hand and rapped Chunzhi on the forehead. "You're getting bolder and bolder. You even dare set your sights on a prince. Is this what I've been teaching you day after day?"

"Hiss..." Chunzhi covered her head, wincing at the slight pain. "Isn't it?" she muttered.

Since they had begun following Di Qingyu, murder and arson counted among the lesser things they had done. It was not as though they had never laid hands on royalty and nobles.

"..." Di Qingyu thought about it carefully. That did seem to be true.

She was not far from taking that step herself.

"Even so, we can't be too blatant about it, can we? We should always leave the killing until last." She sighed leisurely and shook her head. "There's no rush. Let's wait until they fight to the death, until the fish dies and the net splits."

With that, she leaned against the soft cushion, closed her eyes, and took a short nap.

Seeing this, Chunzhi and Xialin exchanged a glance, then shrugged helplessly.

In any case, whatever their mistress said was right.