Chapter 2: First Encounter with the Fourth Princess
The Eastern Zhou lay to the north of Southern Liang, its eastern border facing the vast sea, and it was ruled by an empress. The empress had four daughters, each presiding over one of the four palaces—East, West, South, and North.
The Western Palace belonged to the fourth princess, Princess Di Luoxi.
Long Chen followed a young eunuch into the Western Palace. The halls here were resplendent, flowers and trees flourished everywhere, and a faint, delicate fragrance lingered in the air. Eastern Zhou was notable for its matriarchal rule; men held little status, and the inner palace was almost entirely populated by women. Eunuchs were kept mainly for menial labor.
Everywhere he looked, there were women of rare beauty, soft laughter echoing, the subtle scent of rouge in the air. It was Long Chen’s first time in such a place.
The young eunuch noticed Long Chen’s distraction and scolded him in a low voice, “Xiao Longzi, don’t let your mind wander. You’re a eunuch now—those thoughts are useless!”
“Remember, when you’re here, never raise your head to look at the fourth princess. Any eunuch who dares look at her is already dead. Understand?”
Long Chen shrank his neck in fear and quickly imitated the young eunuch, fixing his eyes on his own toes.
“Xiao Guizi, why is there only one eunuch? We’re still short four!” A voluptuous palace maid approached. This was Su Yourong, chief steward of the Western Palace.
The young eunuch replied respectfully, “Auntie, most of the eunuchs from the purification chamber are new and still recovering. This one is well enough to serve you.”
Su Yourong glanced at Long Chen and said, “Raise your head.”
Long Chen lifted his head and inadvertently took in Su Yourong’s appearance—about thirty, a round face, not particularly striking, but with an enviable figure.
“What’s your name?”
“Xiao Longzi.”
“Remember this: in the Western Palace, you keep your head down and do your work. This is the last time you’ll raise your head. From now on, your eyes stay on your feet when you walk, understand?”
“Yes, Auntie.”
“The princess is bathing. Go to the kitchen and fetch hot water.”
“Yes!”
Long Chen’s heart pounded with excitement—he’d just entered the palace and was already assigned such a task.
From what he recalled, the Empress of Eastern Zhou and her four princesses were famed for their beauty. Yet curiously, the Empress had never married, though she bore children—a legacy of bloodline inheritance. Likewise, the four princesses, paragons of grace and beauty, took no consorts.
In the kitchen, a palace maid heated two buckets of water for Long Chen to carry to the bathhouse. Though he’d lost his martial prowess, Long Chen was still a former general, his strength intact. He carried the buckets with ease.
Though it was the heart of winter outside, with snow blanketing the world, the bathhouse was warmed by burning charcoal, steam curling in the air, the temperature above thirty degrees.
At the center was a large pool. Eunuchs and maids poured in water, flower petals drifting on the surface. Seated nearby in a pale pink gown, tall and voluptuous, a woman held a scroll—Princess Di Luoxi herself.
Long Chen was a bit disappointed; he’d thought he’d catch a glimpse of the princess bathing, but she was merely reading.
“Princess, your figure is truly enviable. We maids can’t help but admire you.”
A maid with a stunning figure reached out her delicate hands to massage Di Luoxi’s shoulders.
“Xuan Yi, it’s fortunate you’re a woman. If you were a eunuch and dared say such things, I’d have had you executed already.”
Another charming maid took a ladle and tested the water’s warmth. These two were Di Luoxi’s personal attendants: Xuan Yi and Qing Yue.
“If any eunuch dared speak so, or even steal a glance, his eyes would be gouged out.”
Long Chen carefully set down a bucket of water beside the pool, pouring it in quietly.
Di Luoxi sat reading, her elegant figure faintly discernible through the delicate fabric.
“Hmm? You dare steal a glance at your princess? Seize him!” Di Luoxi suddenly turned and snapped at Long Chen.
Long Chen was shocked. How could this woman’s intuition be so sharp? She’d noticed even this?
Xuan Yi and Qing Yue instantly seized Long Chen, pinning him on the spot.
“How bold, to dare steal a look at the princess!”
“Speak! Shall we gouge out your eyes or behead you?”
These two attendants were surprisingly skilled in martial arts, holding Long Chen inescapably.
Indeed, Long Chen hadn’t resisted the urge and had sneaked a look at Di Luoxi. But he could swear it was only a glance.
He hadn’t expected Di Luoxi to be so vigilant. And besides, she was reading, fully clothed. Even if he had looked, what was the crime?
If she’d been bathing, perhaps it would be an offense. But she was reading!
Was this also a crime?
“I didn’t! I wasn’t peeping at the princess—I was looking at the book.”
Long Chen would never admit to peeping. He’d lost his martial skills—an admission would mean certain death. Even if he survived, being blinded would leave him crippled. What would be the point of becoming a blind swordsman in a palace filled with beauties?
He had to save both his life and his eyes.
“The book? A little eunuch like you can read?” The fourth princess, Di Luoxi, rose and approached him, her gaze icy, her presence oppressive.
Di Luoxi was a warrior, exuding an aura of lethal intent.
Long Chen hurried to explain, “I come from a family of scholars. Only after calamity befell my house did I end up as a eunuch.”
Di Luoxi sneered, “A family of scholars? Then tell me—what did you think of the book I was reading?”
Her eyes were cold, her tone colder still. She was clearly ready to kill; Long Chen could feel it.
“It’s nonsense—this author knows nothing of poetry or prose!” Long Chen spoke decisively, staking everything on this response.
“Oh? Do you know whose treatise that is? It’s the work of Yu Shinan, the great poet of Southern Liang. Every scholar in the realm follows his teachings, yet you dare call it nonsense?”
Di Luoxi pressed a slender finger under Long Chen’s chin, lifting his head.
Long Chen slowly raised his head. Looking at the princess before him, he couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Her beautiful eyes brimmed with killing intent—she thought he was mocking her, and his gaze was clearly inappropriate.
“He says poetry must be ornate and balanced—childish tricks. As it’s said: ‘Poetry expresses the will, song prolongs the words. That which is in the heart becomes the will; when uttered, it becomes poetry.’
“The essence of poetry lies in its spirit, not in piling up flowery words. This Yu Shinan knows nothing.”
Long Chen was, in truth, a soul from another world. He barely remembered who Yu Shinan was. The body he now inhabited had been a general, caring nothing for poetry or literature. However, Long Chen had read ‘The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons’ by Liu Xie, which discussed the art of poetry.
His arms were pinned by Xuan Yi and Qing Yue, unable to move, like a prisoner.
Di Luoxi was stunned by his words.
“‘Poetry expresses the will, song prolongs the words. That which is in the heart becomes the will; when uttered, it becomes poetry.’”
She savored this passage; it was indeed superior to Yu Shinan’s theories.
“Then compose a poem for me now. If it’s good, I’ll spare your life.”
She suspected Long Chen had simply repeated what he’d overheard elsewhere and wanted to test his skill on the spot.
Long Chen glanced out the window, where a plum tree bloomed in the snow. He began:
“In the corner, a few branches of plum blossom,
Braving the cold, they bloom alone.
From afar, one knows it isn’t snow,
For a subtle fragrance drifts this way.”
Xuan Yi and Qing Yue were both taken aback, their grip on Long Chen easing slightly.
Di Luoxi repeated the lines, nodding. “Not bad—a fine poem. You truly can compose.”
Long Chen straightened his back. “My family has studied for generations, of course I can write poetry.”
Di Luoxi fixed him with a cold smile. “Very well. Take him away—gouge out his eyes!”
What? They were still going to gouge out his eyes?
“Princess, did you not promise to spare me? Why go back on your word?”
“I promised to spare your life. I never said you’d keep your eyes. Don’t worry, they’re quite skilled at it.”
Long Chen felt like coughing blood. What kind of people populated the Eastern Zhou’s inner palace? Skilled at everything, even gouging eyes?
“If you blind me, I might as well die!”
He sensed Di Luoxi cared about his poetic talent and decided to take a gamble.
She regarded him coldly and said, “Take him away. Leave the dog’s eyes for now.”
The two attendants dragged Long Chen into a small, dark room and locked him inside.
“Princess, you won’t kill him?” Xuan Yi asked.
Di Luoxi replied coldly, “We’ll see tomorrow. We might have a use for him yet.”