Chapter 12: New Year

After receiving the One Night Seven Times Pill, the Crown Princess returned to the Eastern Palace and hid it beneath her pillow.

Alone in bed, she had been secretly retrieving it each night lately to examine it closely, wondering: Could this thing truly work?

Several days later, under the pretense of breeding, the Crown Princess ordered Xiao Zhen to fetch a female cat and mate it with the palace’s Persian cat, “A Jing.”

Following the Crane Sage’s instructions, the Crown Princess ground one pill into powder, dissolved it in broth, and made A Jing drink it. Within less than a quarter-hour, A Jing became frenzied with lust—its eyes glowed brightly, its ears stood erect, and it scanned its surroundings with alertness.

Suddenly, it began sprinting wildly, urinating everywhere to mark its territory, while emitting “meow meow” cries as if declaring something, dousing every surface with urine.

Half an hour later, A Jing’s condition grew even stranger: it rubbed against anyone it encountered, clinging to their sleeves with its front paws like a child begging for affection.

Then it started rubbing against everything—carpets, walls, chair legs—leaving no surface untouched, emitting low “woo woo” sounds as if seeking pleasure and comfort through friction.

Next, the Crown Princess had Xiao Zhen lock A Jing inside a cage and place the female cat inside with it.

The moment both cats were released into the cage, they immediately tangled together. A Jing, overexcited, clawed and bit wildly, forcing the female cat to dodge and flee.

The female cat, stirred by A Jing’s advances, began fighting back, kicking and chasing it in playful struggle.

One attacked, the other yielded; they chased, bit, fled, and pursued again!

The Crown Princess had Xiao Zhen stand guard outside, listening to the cries and scratching within, her face flushed and heart pounding, utterly ashamed.

Fortunately, the cage was sturdy; otherwise, the cats’ battle would have shattered the ceiling.

After countless rounds of combat, long hours passed, and finally, silence fell within.

The Crown Princess ordered Xiao Zhen to check: A Jing lay exhausted, resting to one side; the female cat’s fur was matted, lying motionless on the floor, barely breathing, as if pushed beyond its limit.

“This is truly a tiger-and-wolf potion!”

The Crown Princess sighed mournfully, gazing at the nearly lifeless female cat.

“Even a cat, after taking this, ends up like this—what would happen if a human took it?”

Xiao Zhen said, still shaken.

“To the Crane Sage, I’m nothing but a pawn!”

The Crown Princess continued: “If not to help His Majesty secure a grandchild, I would never have resorted to such extreme measures!”

When the Kingdom of Shule fulfilled its marriage alliance policy by sending a princess to marry the Great Feng court, the king was deeply unwilling; his minister, “Ba Luo,” then devised a plan: select a young girl to impersonate the princess and go in her stead!

In his youth, Ba Luo had studied in the Great Feng court, and after returning to serve in Shule, he had made multiple diplomatic missions there—he knew the Great Feng court’s knowledge of Shule’s royal family was limited.

As he put it: “With royal edicts, proper procession, dowry, and attendants complete—who would dare say this princess… is fake?”

The king ultimately decided to take the risk and adopted the plan.

But to prevent leaks or exposure, Ba Luo also suggested selecting daughters from loyal ministers and generals—girls of exceptional beauty, refined manners, and cultural attainments equal to royalty—to impersonate the princess.

Ye Hena’s father, “Dali Batu,” had originally been Shule’s chief financial minister, but was dismissed after opposing the king’s plans to expand both the palace and the royal tombs.

After being stripped of his office, Dali Batu was abandoned by all; former political rivals framed him, leading to imprisonment and eventual exile to the Gobi Desert.

Filial and devoted, Ye Hena stepped forward to join the imperial selection to rescue her aging, frail father from the Gobi.

After preliminary, secondary, and final screenings, she emerged victorious from over a hundred candidates, becoming the youngest and lowest-ranked of the royal princesses—the Thirteenth Princess.

The king chose Ye Hena not only for her beauty, grace, talent, and poise, but most crucially, because of Ba Luo’s assessment: she was the daughter of a disgraced minister, marrying under a stain—her silence could be guaranteed.

Moreover, the title “Thirteenth Princess” had been specially crafted for Ye Hena.

In truth, the King of Shule had only five sons and seven daughters—twelve children total—and had never borne a Thirteenth Princess.

The imperial envoy sent to Shule to escort Ye Hena back as the Crown Prince’s bride had been the Crane Sage.

Yet neither the King of Shule nor Ba Luo ever imagined the Crane Sage had long since learned from his intelligence network that Ye Hena was an impostor.

The cunning Crane Sage chose to pretend ignorance; instead, he seized this secret as leverage, turning Ye Hena into his puppet and planting her beside the Crown Prince as a hidden agent.

On New Year’s Eve, as per custom, the Crown Princess did not spend the night at Lingtai Temple but remained in the palace to celebrate.

After dining with the imperial family, the Crown Princess returned to the Eastern Palace ahead of schedule, carrying the imperial wine granted by His Majesty, and ordered Xiao Zhen to grind the One Night Seven Times Pill into powder and dissolve it in the wine.

Later, when the Crown Prince returned, the Crown Princess brought the wine to his chambers, hoping to invite him to share a drink together under the guise of New Year’s Eve.

The Crown Prince had drunk wine all evening before the Emperor and was now thoroughly intoxicated; even upon returning to his chambers, he had to be carried in by eunuchs—he could not walk on his own.

Seizing the moment while he was still half-awake, the Crown Princess quickly shed her heavy ceremonial robes, leaving only a thin, gauzy silk undergarment.

With her bosom half-exposed, the Crown Princess sat on the edge of the bed, back to the Crown Prince, her hands trembling slightly as she carefully filled a cup with the imperial wine.

But when she turned around with the cup, she found the Crown Prince already fast asleep on the bed.

No matter how she shook him, he would not wake.

The Crown Princess gazed at him with sorrow, sighed heavily in defeat, set down the cup, put on her ceremonial robes again, picked up the wine flask, and quietly exited the Crown Prince’s chambers.

“Didn’t the Crown Prince drink?” Xiao Zhen asked, eyeing the wine flask in the Crown Princess’s hand.

“No…” the Crown Princess shook her head. “I’d just poured the wine, turned around—and he was already asleep!”

“Then what do we do with this wine?” Xiao Zhen hinted. “We… put something in it, didn’t we?”

“Pour it out.”

The Crown Princess handed the flask to Xiao Zhen. “The substance dissolved in the wine—by morning, we don’t even know if its effect remains.

We still have some left. There’s plenty of time. We’ll find another chance.”

The next day, the Crown Prince awoke at noon.

After a night of drunkenness, he awoke with a splitting headache and parched throat.

He noticed a cup of wine on the table beside his bed; curious, he lifted it and sniffed.

“This… this is the imperial wine from last night?”

He recognized the taste at once, puzzled: “Why is there still a cup left here?” He had blacked out during the banquet and remembered nothing after.

Before the eunuch could bring tea, the Crown Prince downed the cup in one gulp.

Soon after, the young eunuch “Xiao Chengzi” hurried in with a bowl of tea.

He found the Crown Prince half-naked on the bed, face flushed, shivering violently.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong? Are you unwell? Shall I summon the physician?” Xiao Chengzi asked anxiously.

“I don’t know, but… I feel…”

The Crown Prince gasped for breath. “Quick—send for ‘Ling Er’! I suddenly need to see him.”

Confused, Xiao Chengzi obeyed instinctively and brought the Crown Prince’s private male attendant, “Ling Er.”

On the morning of the first day of the New Year, Ling Er had not left the Crown Prince’s chambers since entering; even Xiao Chengzi and other eunuchs and maids were ordered not to enter without summons—not even the Crown Princess.

Only at the third hour of the afternoon did Xiao Chengzi hear the Crown Prince’s call and hurried inside.

He skillfully passed through the front hall and study, finally reaching the Crown Prince’s bedroom.

But the sight before him filled him with horror.

The room was in utter chaos: furniture and decorations lay overturned, chairs and tables broken, shards of vases scattered everywhere.

The red curtains and gauzy canopies on the bed, once neatly arranged, were torn and shredded, fabric scattered as if violently ripped apart.

On some of the fallen wooden furniture, claw marks from fingernails remained visible on the lacquer.

The Crown Prince lay deep in the bed, raising his hand to beckon Xiao Chengzi closer.

The body of Ling Er on the floor sent a chill through Xiao Chengzi—he rushed to the bedside.

Ling Er lay crookedly on the ground, pale-faced, foam dripping from his mouth, utterly silent.

Most horrifying of all: a large pool of blood flowed from his lower body, soaking the floor for several feet—bright red, unmistakable, horrifying.

Xiao Chengzi gently felt Ling Er’s nose—only a faint breath remained.

“P-P-P-Your Highness, w-what… what happened?!” Xiao Chengzi stammered in terror.

The Crown Prince’s face was ashen, his expression filled with hatred: “Ling Er went mad last night, charging around wildly! I called for help, but he attacked me—bit me! When I fought back, this happened.”

The Crown Prince’s explanation was a transparent lie; Xiao Chengzi sensed the falsehood and concealment, but dared not press further.

He quickly said: “Your Highness, calm down—I’ll summon the physician to tend to your injuries.”

“No need for a physician—I’m fine. Quick, get him out of here and bury him!”

The Crown Prince whispered weakly: “It’s the first day of the New Year—don’t let word get out… do you hear me?!”

“Y-Y-Yes, Your Highness!”

Xiao Chengzi obeyed, immediately summoning a few trusted senior eunuchs, bringing bedding and sheets to wrap Ling Er’s body—regardless of whether he was dead or alive—and hurriedly smuggled him out of the palace.

Later, Xiao Chengzi and others restored the Crown Prince’s chambers to their original state, as if nothing had happened all morning.