Chapter 34: The First Day as a Princess

Tianbao, Second Year, ninth month, nineteenth day. Night fell, and fireflies glimmered in the darkness.

Wu Yueling attended a banquet in Xingqing Palace, held by her godfather, Li Longji, to welcome her and cleanse away the dust of travel. Only Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan were present at the table, a private feast given in gratitude to the Protector Princess for saving His Majesty’s life.

Gao Lishi waited upon them, his heart tinged with envy. He had only just learned that Wu Yueling hailed from a remote village in Jingzhou—a mere peasant woman, who, by a twist of fate, had rescued the Emperor and been elevated to the rank of princess overnight. Compared to his own rise, this was a windfall from the heavens. Yet, her shattering of the Tubo conspiracy and saving the sacred personage was indeed a feat worthy of reward.

Back in the day, Gao Lishi had devoted himself to serving Li Longji, choosing not to serve the Crown Prince because he saw in Li Longji a keen and decisive ruler. Later, he had offered strategy before the Emperor, purged traitors, and assisted Li Longji’s ascent to the throne. His merits were great, and now he stood just beneath one man, above all others.

He refilled the Protector Princess’s goblet with grape wine, bowed respectfully, and withdrew, narrowing his eyes as he appraised this princess whose beauty rivaled the immortals—though she still could not surpass the true immortal who sat beside His Majesty. In his heart, he judged: too young, much too young.

Gao Lishi discreetly averted his gaze, just as a firefly floated into view and landed upon Wu Yueling’s hair. He looked away once more.

Wu Yueling picked up the luminous cup, curiosity shining in her eyes as she examined the transparent, glowing vessel. It was an enchanting thing. Moreover, the grape wine within was exquisite, far superior to the cheap bottles she had once bought online for sixty yuan. This wine was not only fragrant and sweet but also possessed a subtle, harmonious flavor.

Since arriving in this world, the finest wine she had tasted was the amber vintage at Duke Qin’s banquet, but this grape wine surpassed even that.

Soon, several eunuchs brought forth a roasted whole sheep. Wu Yueling was astonished—could three people possibly eat such a large animal? She eyed her godfather’s portly figure; perhaps it was not impossible after all.

But the surprise was only beginning. The eunuchs skillfully sliced open the roast lamb, revealing within its belly a whole goose.

Wu Yueling was dumbfounded—a goose inside the lamb’s stomach?

Li Longji had the eunuchs divide the goose into three equal portions, then cut slices of the lamb, placing a bowl before Wu Yueling. What peculiar custom was this?

Inside the goose’s belly was rice, steaming and fragrant. She took a bite; the flavor was delightful. Wu Yueling marveled at the experience.

During the meal, Wu Yueling toasted her hosts, praising Li Longji for ushering in a golden age and blessing the realm with wise rule.

Her words brought hearty laughter from Li Longji, who praised her eloquence and bade her formally recognize Yang Yuhuan as her godmother.

Wu Yueling looked at the beauty before her, bowed respectfully, and called her godmother with obedient sweetness.

Yang Yuhuan smiled in delight, and Li Longji, seeing her radiant happiness, felt ever more satisfied with his choice of goddaughter.

Night deepened. Led by palace maids, Wu Yueling returned to her temporary quarters in the Sixteenth Residence, which had once housed the Crown Prince Li Heng.

The previous day’s ennoblement banquet had been overwhelming—every official had come forward to toast her, their titles a blur: this Minster, that Counselor, some Great General; it left her head spinning.

Back at the residence, Li Wan’er guided a slightly tipsy Wu Yueling to her bedchamber and helped her settle in. Before long, Wu Yueling drifted off to sleep.

The moon hung full and bright in the sky, casting rooftops in silver. Hua Chuer lay on her back, hands tucked under her head, gazing up at the vast night.

“Master, master, your disciple has returned to Chang’an once again,” Hua Chuer murmured, taking out her Feihua token and letting it dangle in the moonlight, her eyes lingering on the engraved character for ‘flower.’ She sighed.

“Master, should Chuer remain a wandering thief, or stay by the princess’s side? At first, I meant only to escort the young lady to Chang’an, then return to the underworld life as the carefree Flying Flower Thief…” She tucked away the token, contemplating the bright moon, quietly counting the stars beyond the Milky Way.

Sitting up, bathed in silver moonbeams, she watched the dance of fireflies among the rocks of the garden. With a swift leap, she alighted near the artificial hill, reaching out to catch a firefly. She released it, watching as its glow faded into the night.

After this playful interlude, Hua Chuer stood atop the rockery, the summer breeze stirring the fine hair on her shoulders and billowing her light sleeves. She threaded a red ribbon through the round hole of the Feihua token, tying it at her waist, then glanced toward the pavilion where Wu Yueling rested and slipped silently away.

Entering Wu Yueling’s chamber, she saw the young lady fast asleep. Hua Chuer waved a woven fan gently to cool her, and after a while, she departed, melting into the moonlit shadows.

The next morning, Hua Chuer rose even before Li Wan’er, preparing water for Wu Yueling to wash and rinse her mouth.

The heat was oppressive. Prince Shou, Li Mao, residing in the Sixteenth Residence, sent over a chilled watermelon—soaked overnight in well water. It was a specialty brought by foreign traders from the Western Regions, and a few were cultivated at the Prince’s estate, though they were not especially rare.

They thanked the prince for his kindness and enjoyed the watermelon. Wu Yueling wandered the residence, occasionally picking flowers and catching insects in the garden, exploring every corner of the mansion. Truly, this was a residence fit for royalty; just the three-story pavilions were numerous.

Gardens, rockeries, balconies, corridors—everything was novel and wondrous.

After a rest, Wu Yueling cradled a little tiger in her arms and perched a young lynx on her shoulder as she entered the garden. Her purpose? To find the big cow.

The cow grazed contentedly, occasionally letting out a low moo. The grass here was lush, the wildflowers abundant—a veritable feast. But as soon as she saw Wu Yueling approach with a pail, she tried to flee, only to be thwarted by the rope that tethered her.

Wu Yueling set down the wooden bucket and deftly milked the cow. When the animal grew restive and threatened to kick, Hua Chuer pinned it against a tree until it resigned itself to standing still.

After feeding the little tiger some milk, she let it and the lynx play together.

The two small creatures—one black and white, the other tawny—darted through the flowers and grass, chasing and tumbling in play.

Wu Yueling sat on the stone steps, quietly watching the little white tiger and the lynx pursue butterflies among the grass, feeling utterly at peace. After so long wandering, she was finally at ease.

She gazed up at the blue sky, squinting against the sunlight, her slender white hand emerging from a green sleeve as she shielded her eyes. Flexing her wrist, she realized she had grown fully accustomed to this new body. Closing her eyes, she exhaled softly and thought, "Perhaps being a princess isn’t so bad after all."

“Princess, these are rice candies. I found them among the gifts from His Majesty—they’re sweet. I once tasted them at Lianxiang Pavilion. Please try some.” Li Wan’er approached, holding a wooden box with several yellow cubes.

Hua Chuer quickly snatched one and popped it into her mouth.

Li Wan’er stamped her foot, raising her delicate brows in protest. “The young lady is now a princess, Chuer, how could you? The princess should taste them first!”

Wu Yueling turned to look at Hua Chuer, who seemed utterly unconcerned as she chewed the candy. Wu Yueling noticed something different today: the Feihua token was now hanging at Chuer’s waist.

Perplexed, Wu Yueling took a piece of candy and chewed it. It was soft and mildly sweet.

“Yes, yes, our great princess, our little lady, little lady and great princess, great princess and little lady…”

“Enough, enough—can’t you give it a rest?” Wu Yueling feigned annoyance.

“I’m not wrong! Our young lady is a princess now; we must serve her well, right, Wan’er?” Hua Chuer winked mischievously at Wan’er.

“Oh, fine, you win, you and your big mouth!” Wu Yueling teased her back.

“Eh?” Hua Chuer glanced down at her own hips, suddenly realizing they were indeed rather ample. She flushed red as a cherry.

Li Wan’er covered her mouth, giggling and praising Wu Yueling’s remark, provoking Hua Chuer to give chase.

Wu Yueling picked up the box of candies from the stone steps. Candy, was it? She put another piece in her mouth—it wasn’t as sweet as she remembered, and she recalled the old-fashioned method her grandmother had used to make candy in the countryside.

Smiling, she watched Hua Chuer and Li Wan’er playfully chasing each other. “You two should just keep calling me ‘young lady.’ I’m used to it. Don’t bother with all this ‘princess’ and ‘young lady’ business—it sounds awkward.”

“No way!” Hua Chuer cried, tackling Li Wan’er and tickling her, then sticking out her tongue playfully at Wu Yueling.