Chapter 36 Birthday Banquet.

October 28th is Princess Yongkang's thirteenth birthday.

Early in the morning, Daiyu got up, washed and dressed. After she had breakfast and paid her respects to Grandmother Jia, the carriage from Prince Duan's mansion was already waiting inside the west corner gate.

Daiyu couldn't help but smile, because Prince Duan was used to entering the Jia family through this gate, and the people of Prince Duan's mansion, imitating their master, always used only this one gate.

After bidding farewell to Grandmother Jia, Daiyu, supported by Zijuan, went to the gate of the hanging flower to sit in her sedan chair. Since she was going to the palace and could not bring her maids, Daiyu only asked them to accompany her here.

When the carriage curtain was lifted, Daiyu exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness?"

Chu Heng reached out his hand to her and said with a smile, "I can't avoid Yongkang's birthday."

Daiyu, still somewhat dazed, helped Chu Heng onto the carriage. After a long while, she said, "It's so cold. How long has Your Highness been waiting?"

"I'm not cold." Chu Heng stared intently at her. "Miss Lin, are you cold?"

"I've been holding a hand warmer the whole way, so I'm not cold," Daiyu said, her eyes already scanning the interior of the carriage.

The walls and ceiling were covered with fur, the curtains were thick and tight, and there was a foot warmer at the foot of the feet. Although it was not as warm as the room, it was certainly not cold.

"If it gets cold, ask Eunuch Zhao to change the charcoal for you," Chu Heng instructed worriedly, glancing at Daiyu's hands, though he couldn't quite tell if they were cold.

I'm afraid I'll have to shake hands to find out... As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Chu Heng couldn't help but blush. Afraid that Daiyu would notice, he quickly covered his face with his sleeve and coughed twice to hide it.

Daiyu asked with concern, "Has Your Highness caught a chill?"

Chu Heng said in a muffled voice, "Perhaps I caught a chill early in the morning, it's nothing to worry about."

"Have a cup of hot water." Seeing that there was a thermos in the carriage, Daiyu poured a cup of water and handed it to her.

Chu Heng had no choice but to put his hand down and take the water glass: "Thank you."

Seeing that his complexion was rosy, Daiyu smiled and said, "You seem to be fine."

Chu Heng felt both embarrassed and guilty, and dared not speak, so he could only lower his head and drink water.

Daiyu turned and took the gift she had prepared: "Princess, you surely have everything you need. I don't have anything of value myself, so I can only offer this as a token of my appreciation. Among the things the Prince had brought from the south was a set of wood carvings, which I found quite nice. I just don't know if the Princess would like them. Your Highness, please take a look..."

Chu Heng looked over and saw that the brocade box Daiyu had opened contained a set of twelve wooden zodiac animals. The wood was of good quality, but the craftsmanship was even more remarkable. The twelve small and exquisite animals were so lifelike that they could be mistaken for real animals.

"You asked me what Yongkang liked before, and even made a list to give her. Did you finally decide on this? I think she'll absolutely love it," Chu Heng said with a smile.

Daiyu closed the box and smiled, "It's good that the princess likes it."

Chu Heng looked at her and asked, "Do you like it? I'll find you a few more sets. What kind do you like?"

Daiyu was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "It's the princess's birthday, and the prince asked me what I like... I wonder what gift the prince has prepared for the princess?"

Seeing that she had changed the subject, Chu Heng didn't press the matter further, but simply made a mental note of it.

He casually picked up a box and opened it. Daiyu glanced at it and saw a delicate gold hairpin. She was speechless for a moment; this gift seemed somewhat perfunctory.

Chu Heng sensed disapproval in her silence and explained, "She lacks nothing."

Daiyu shook her head and smiled, deciding not to interfere in the affairs between the siblings.

“I’m sure the princess will appreciate the prince’s gift.” Daiyu smiled and then immediately added, “There’s something else I need to trouble the prince with. I wonder who the princess invited today? I’d appreciate it if the prince could tell me.”

Chu Heng was somewhat disappointed, but he also knew that Daiyu was nervous because it was her first time attending such an occasion. So he gently told her what he knew and softly comforted her, "When you get to the palace, let Zhao Qing accompany you first. Then I have informed Yongkang. When you arrive, she will have her maid accompany you. You met her at Longhua Temple. She is the one named Luhua."

Daiyu nodded. Zhao Qing was Chu Heng's man and had been in the palace for many years. Lu Hua was older and more composed, and was very familiar with all the members of the imperial family and relatives, which made her feel very at ease.

Yongkang wasn't such a meticulous person. Daiyu looked at Chuheng and asked, "Did the Prince ask the Princess to arrange it this way?"

Chu Heng chuckled: "If Miss Lin said this to Yongkang's face, I would laugh at her and see how she tries to curry favor with you."

Daiyu smiled, somewhat disapprovingly, "The princess is young and inevitably has incomplete thoughts, but her heart is good. She is willing to listen to the prince because she cares about me, so I naturally appreciate her good intentions."

“Miss Lin, you’re only two years older than her, you don’t have to always treat her like a child,” Chu Heng said earnestly. “If there’s anything wrong with her, just tell me.”

Daiyu smiled and said, "Your Highness's words show that you are treating the princess like a child."

Chu Heng was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, I really spoiled her too much. I need to correct that in the future."

"Your Highness, Miss Lin, we've arrived at the palace gates," Zhao Qing's voice came from outside.

Daiyu remembered that Chu Heng had warned her that walls have ears, so she quickly swallowed the words she was about to say.

Chu Heng smiled reassuringly at her, leaned closer, and whispered, "The Empress Dowager brought up Yongkang's marriage again the other day. She and the Emperor have a disagreement on this matter, and Yongkang can't make the decision. He's very agitated and might complain to you."

Daiyu nodded, indicating that she understood.

In their correspondence, Chu Heng mentioned this matter: the emperor had chosen a son-in-law for Yongkang who was a direct descendant of the Empress Dowager's family. Given that sons-in-law in this dynasty were not allowed to hold substantive positions, the emperor's intentions were self-evident. Although one person's influence was small, the emperor's gradual erosion of the Fang family was already quite evident.

The Empress Dowager, on the other hand, wanted to marry Yongkang into the Empress's family. The Empress's uncles, brothers, nephews and nieces wanted promotions, but the Emperor was unwilling, and the Empress Dowager might not be so willing either. Otherwise, she would have already had the Fang family petition for their promotion. By marrying Yongkang into the family, the Empress Dowager was confident that she could add a Duke and a Marquis to the Li family, which would not be bad for the eldest prince.

Daiyu felt that this showed that Chu Heng's previous words were correct. The Empress Dowager did not genuinely support the eldest prince. She wanted to oppose the emperor more, or rather, she wanted to prove something through the selection of an heir: that she was stronger than the emperor, or that she could still control the emperor.

Daiyu still couldn't understand it, but the Empress Dowager was definitely not the kind and benevolent elder she appeared to be; inside, she was sharp and extremely controlling.

Yongkang's fate will likely be the same as her twin sister and Princess Jiachang, destined to become a tool for the Empress Dowager or the Emperor to achieve their own goals.

Chu Heng was not much different from them. Daiyu remembered that he did not care about his own life or death. It was the Empress Dowager who needed Chu Heng to live so that she could show her maternal love.

Now, Daiyu is about to step into the vortex of the royal family. The Empress Dowager is still thinking about the matter of giving her a tutor, and her surroundings will be filled with the Empress Dowager's spies.

After getting off the carriage, Chu Heng and Daiyu each boarded a sedan chair and traveled all the way to Renshou Palace, where they first paid their respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was talking to the Empress when she asked Daiyu a few questions with a smile before letting her go to Yongkang with the palace maid.

"There are only girls there, so Heng'er can stay with me." The Empress Dowager smiled and waved. "It's cold, and you haven't been to the palace for quite some time."

Chu Heng had no choice but to stay. Fortunately, he had anticipated this situation and had instructed Zhao Qing to follow Daiyu, saying he could only return after Daiyu was delivered to Yongkang.

When the Empress Dowager saw this, she smiled and said, "It's no good for Lin girl to be without a proper person by her side. Take two governesses with you when you go back this time. Shuangyun, the two I met the other day."

Shuangyun smiled and said, "Yes, this servant will give the order right away."

Daiyu had already left Renshou Palace by then and was unable to hear the devastating news in time.

Chu Heng smiled and said, "Your son thanks Miss Lin on her behalf."

The Empress smiled and said, "They're not even married yet, but they're already of one mind. Mother has such a keen eye to find such a good match for my fifth brother."

The Empress Dowager stroked the hand warmer and sighed, "My children, if I don't love them, who will? But the Emperor is so stubborn. He thinks the consort I chose for Yongkang is not good enough, so he chooses a son-in-law for his daughter. Can he be as good at judging people as I am?"

The Empress smiled awkwardly. She didn't know how to respond to this matter. She couldn't afford to offend either the Emperor or the Empress Dowager. Although she secretly agreed with the Empress Dowager, she didn't dare to offend the Emperor.

Chu Heng laughed and said, "My maternal cousin and my sister-in-law's brother-in-law are both quite good. I would like them to be my brother-in-laws. Unfortunately, we only have Yongkang, a girl of marriageable age, and we can't marry one girl to two families."

Yongkang also has two younger sisters, but the eldest one is only ten years old, and their arranged marriage will have to wait a few more years.

The Empress Dowager patted his hand and laughed, "This child speaks without thinking. Why are you interrupting? The betrothal ceremony is next month, and the wedding is next year. Do you see if there are any problems with the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs? After all, it's your marriage, so you should pay attention."

Hearing the Empress Dowager shift the topic to Prince Duan's marriage, the Empress finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the Empress felt it was unfair to say that Prince Duan was not interested in the marriage. She had heard that Prince Duan had already consulted the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs about the betrothal gifts in February next year. In addition to what the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs had prepared, Prince Duan had also made a long list of gifts, all of which would come from his private treasury. He would send people to deliver the gifts to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs in advance as betrothal gifts for Miss Lin.

After listening to the Empress Dowager's rambling for a while, Chu Heng suddenly realized and said, "I forgot to give Yongkang the gift. Mother, I'll send the gift to her first, otherwise she'll make a fuss about me again."

The Empress Dowager knew that the siblings often bickered for fun, and she was too old to stand the noise, so the thought of it gave her a headache.

"Go then," the Empress Dowager waved her hand.

The Empress took the opportunity to bow and take her leave. As she put on her fox fur cloak and went out, she noticed that Chu Heng was not wearing any outer clothes, so she reminded him, "It's very cold today, Fifth Brother, don't forget to put on another layer of clothing."

With Zhao Qing not around, Chu Heng originally wanted to save himself some trouble, but after the Empress said that, several palace maids came to serve him, so he had to stop.

Just as he stepped over the threshold to go out, Zhao Qing returned: "Your Highness."

"Hmm." Chu Heng walked out onto the corridor before asking, "How is Miss Lin?"

Zhao Qing replied, "I saw that Lu Hua followed Miss Lin closely before we came back."

Chu Heng nodded and said, "Take the birthday gift I gave to Yongkang, and then secretly take another look at Miss Lin."

"Hey," Zhao Qing said, "It's cold outside, Your Highness, don't catch a cold."

Chu Heng nodded casually: "I know."