22 The Spinning Top

During the southern inspection, the Emperor brought along his sons from the eldest to the eighth. Taking this opportunity, Yinzhen met Cao Yin, the current Imperial Textile Commissioner of Jiangnan, and his brother-in-law, Li Xu.

Both the Cao and Li families had risen to prominence because their matriarch had been the Emperor’s wet nurse. Although they were technically "milk brothers" to the Emperor, Yinzhen observed with a cold eye that Cao Yin was far more favored than Li Xu.

While Cao Yin was also of bondservant origin, his conduct resembled that of a scholar-official, which, by Yinzhen’s exacting standards, was barely passable. Li Xu was different; Yinzhen found him to be a sycophant, not only showering the princes with flattery but also frequently offering gold, jewels, and graceful young women.

The current favorite in the inner palace, Concubine Wang, had been scouted by Li Xu during the Emperor’s previous southern inspection. Now, he had privately gifted the older princes beauties from Jiangnan, a gesture that thoroughly disgusted Yinzhen.

Both men were close confidants of the Emperor and were currently riding a wave of immense power. Yet, as Yinzhen listened to the music today, he felt that the opulence of Jiangnan was like a fire fed by oil—the mansion would surely collapse one day.

Lost in thoughts of what he had seen and heard during his time in the south, he beckoned his daughter over. "Today is not only your mother’s birthday but yours as well. Shall I grant you one wish?"

Yu Yan shuffled toward Yinzhen, whispering in a voice softer than a mosquito’s, "Father... those thirty pages of calligraphy practice..."

Could they be waived?

Seeing the murderous glint gradually appearing in Yinzhen’s eyes, she shut her mouth and quickly pivoted, "I will definitely hand them in very soon!"

Yinzhen looked at his daughter, momentarily at a loss for words. Yu Yan’s mind raced, and she quickly added, "I want to go out of the palace to play!"

Children always yearned to go out. Moreover, Yu Yan had spent two years confined to the Forbidden City without stepping foot outside. Every day, she opened and closed her eyes to the same sky and saw the same people; it was incredibly dull. If she could use this opportunity to go out and explore, that would be wonderful!

Yinzhen did not speak at first, instead looking her up and down before slowly saying, "You want to leave the palace?"

Yu Yan nodded.

"The moment you hand in those thirty pages, I will take you out for a stroll," Yinzhen said, a slight smirk touching his lips.

Yu Yan felt rather awkward. She had originally hoped that since Yinzhen hadn't specified a deadline for the homework, she could talk her way out of it. She hadn't expected him to be one step ahead, holding the homework over her head.

Since it was a birthday celebration, there were longevity noodles. Yinzhen had checked with Lady Li to ensure they followed her family’s customs: one must eat the noodle in a single continuous strand without breaking it. Yu Yan’s noodles were slightly thinner than Lady Li’s, but the length was the same. The broth, simmered by the small kitchen with an old hen and dried scallops, was rich and fragrant. After finishing the noodles, she drank all the soup as well.

On stage, the actor sang with delicate, winding melodies. Hearing the line about "wishing for eternal love," Lady Li nearly burst into tears, and it was only with Yinzhen’s hushed coaxing that she managed to hold them back.

Yu Yan subconsciously glanced at the Primary Wife, who sat upright at the front of the stage holding Honghui. The Primary Wife wore a smile, calm and composed, occasionally instructing her maid, Baisu, to offer rewards when she heard a particularly good verse, appearing entirely indifferent to the scene between Yinzhen and Lady Li.

Lady Song also rested her head on her hand, listening to the opera, while only Lady Wu glanced over at Yinzhen and Lady Li from time to time, her eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

"Cousin, do you understand what they are singing?"

Yu Yan cracked a melon seed, her eyes returning to the beautifully dressed actor on stage. "They were just singing the pledge of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Lady Yang Guifei at the Hall of Eternal Longevity; now they are singing about the An Lushan Rebellion."

Xingde had not studied history as quickly as she had. He understood the mention of the Emperor and his consort, but the rest was confusing. "What is the An Lushan Rebellion?"

"During the Tianbao era, the court was corrupt and lived in extreme extravagance. The Tang generals An Lushan and Shi Siming betrayed the court and launched a war. It was essentially a civil war for the throne of the Tang Dynasty," Yu Yan said with a grin, teasing him, "Did you understand the first half?"

"The love story of Emperor Xuanzong and Lady Yang Guifei is widely circulated among the common people, so I know a little," Xingde said, sounding disgruntled. "Cousin, you always treat me like a child, even though I am older than you."

"I don't treat you like a child," Yu Yan pouted. "And it’s hardly a love story; it’s more of a horror story. Which girl would leave a perfectly good life as the Princess of Shou to become a nun, only to end up with an old man? With such an age gap, how could there be any true love?"

Not many people paid attention to the children talking nearby. Seeing this, Xingde quietly pulled his stool closer, asking curiously, "Then what is true love? Is it like Aunt and Uncle?"

Yu Yan was holding a mouthful of rose nectar and nearly choked. She swallowed, her face contorted, and struggled to catch her breath. She looked at Xingde and shook her head. "That is 'treating each other with the respect due to a guest.'"

"Is treating each other with respect not true love?"

Yu Yan’s gaze toward Xingde grew complex. Her personal views on love were somewhat radical for this era, so she searched through everything she had learned so far, trying to explain what "true love" actually was.

"Have you read the poems of Nalan Rongruo?" Seeing him nod hesitantly, she continued, "There is a poem called 'Spring in the Painted Hall,' which contains the line, 'One life, one lifetime, a single pair.' That is what you call true love."

Xingde said naively, "Many Jiangnan clans have a rule that one can only take a concubine if they have no sons after the age of forty."

"No, no, no." Seeing that the adults were still watching the opera, Yu Yan pulled her small stool to face him. "Rules are rules, but true love transcends them. Let me give you an example: take Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty and Empress Zhang. The inner palace remained empty for years with only Empress Zhang. That could barely be called true love. Or Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Wu Zetian—they were known as the 'Two Sages,' sharing power equally with their beloved. That is true love."

Yu Yan didn't truly understand love herself; she had never been in a relationship, having at best read quite a bit of "Mary Sue" literature. But she felt she had some understanding of what love was—at the very least, it wasn't the kind of affection Yinzhen showed Lady Li, which was like liking a kitten or a puppy.

In a feudal era, talking about love was a hollow and ethereal thing, but perhaps because she was sitting across from a soul not yet deeply compromised by feudal society, Yu Yan felt, for the first time, a desire to express her own views.

"What kind of man would Cousin like?" Xingde blinked. He only half-understood, but it was rare for his cousin to be willing to talk to him at such length, so he tried hard to find topics they could discuss together.

Yu Yan rested her chin in her hands. "Hmm... someone who understands me, respects me, and supports me."

She continued enthusiastically, "Someone who can accompany me in whatever I do, someone who can cover for me when I make a mistake, and well—he’d better be good-looking, and in his heart, I must be the most important!"

She spoke with great fervor, but once she finished, she deflated like a punctured ball, collapsing onto the table. Even in modern times, let alone ancient ones, it was hard to find such a man. In other words, the imagination was beautiful, but reality was cruel.

Seeing her suddenly dejected, Xingde hesitated and pulled a stack of paper from his robe.

"Hmm?" Yu Yan straightened up, flipped through one, and couldn't help but say, "Why are you copying books for me again?"

"Last time, it was because I didn't notice the difference in handwriting, which led to Uncle finding out and you being punished as well. Don't worry, Cousin—these were all copied with my left hand, mimicking your style. It definitely looks different from my usual handwriting. You always use a swirling stroke, so I imitated that, and the pen pressure and ink depth are similar. Anyone who isn't an expert in forgery wouldn't be able to tell."

Yu Yan looked at Xingde with mixed feelings. The boy sat obediently in his place, flashing a faint smile that made him look both well-behaved and adorable.

She rubbed her face and eventually accepted the thirty pages. Although she had planned to copy them herself, this was, after all, a kind gesture from someone else, and she would feel guilty if she didn't accept.

*Why do I feel like I’m corrupting this child?* she wondered.

On stage, the performance of *The Hall of Eternal Longevity* had finished, and the next piece was *The Mulian Opera*, which Lady Li had requested.

Honghui, in the Primary Wife's arms, and Hongpan, in Lady Li’s, could no longer sit still. At two or three years old, they were at an age where they loved to play and had just learned to walk. The two children wriggled out of their mothers' arms. A young eunuch nearby presented the prepared tumbler toys, Lu Ban locks, and spinning tops.

The tumblers and Lu Ban locks were common toys, but neither Honghui nor Hongpan had played with a spinning top before. Yinzhen, seeing the two toddlers huddled together, felt it looked fun and couldn't help but take a few steps forward.

Honghui was physically weaker than Hongpan and also more timid; although he saw Yinzhen more often, he remained shy.

Hongpan, who watched every day how his sister was allowed to be impudent before their father, mimicked her and shouted, "Father! Play!"

When Yinzhen was a child, he often spun tops in the open space in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Back then, there weren't many children in the palace; his eldest and third brothers were outside the palace walls, and his fifth brother was still an infant. Only he and the Crown Prince were old enough to play together. The Crown Prince had taught him how to spin the top hand-in-hand.

He vaguely remembered that the whip the Crown Prince used had been specially made by the Imperial Household Department upon the Emperor’s order, inlaid with gold and jade—the finest warm jade that shimmered in the sunlight.

That whip had followed the Crown Prince since he was a child, but now that he was grown, its purpose had changed.

Thinking of this, Yinzhen couldn't help but sigh. As the Crown Prince grew older, his temper—the fiery nature of the Manchu nobility—became more apparent. The gentleness and refinement he had shown before he was involved in court politics seemed like a dream.

Now, that whip was used to lash officials below and strike members of the imperial clan above. Earlier this year, for reasons unknown, he had gotten into a huge argument with Yierjiang'a, the heir to the Iron-Cap Prince's mansion, and had whipped him directly. The incident had caused a massive stir among the clan, and in the end, it was the Emperor who had to clean up the mess.

He shook his head, putting thoughts of the Crown Prince aside, and beckoned to Yu Yan and Xingde, who were whispering in the distance. "You two come over and play as well."