The palace banquet was halfway through when Emperor Xingwu told his three not-quite-grown sons to take their little sister outside to admire the moon.
There would be fireworks in the palace tonight as well—why make the children sit and watch him and his ministers toasting each other?
After leaving Taiji Hall, Qin Bing was the first to ask his sister, “How could you recite something that long?”
Though Qin Hong and Qin Ren didn’t speak, the looks they gave their sister were just as astonished and admiring.
Qingyang replied, “Tutor Guo made me memorize it.”
Qin Hong sighed, “Homework is one thing, but being able to recite it means you’re gifted. When we were your age, we only knew how to fool around.”
Qin Ren said, “Big Brother and Second Brother got to play for an extra year. I had to get up at the mao hour by the time I was five!”
Qin Bing tried to scare his sister, whose days were far too comfortable: “That’s what you get for liking books. When you turn five, you’ll have to get up before dawn too—no more sleeping in!”
Qin Hong glared at him.
“Nonsense. Even if our sister keeps studying at Chongwen Pavilion, she doesn’t have to follow our schedule. Stop stirring things up.”
He was afraid his sister would believe Second Brother and start resisting her studies.
Qingyang kept her head tilted, looking at whichever brother spoke, and asked in confusion, “Why don’t I have to get up before dawn?”
Qin Bing walked backward, envy in his tone.
“Because you’re a girl. Girls grow up and get married, so you don’t have to study so much. We have to become officials and serve Father Emperor, so we have to study and train hard.”
Qingyang liked studying and was displeased.
“I want to serve Father Emperor too! However many books you read, I’ll read just as many. If you train, I’ll train too!”
Qin Bing clicked his tongue twice.
“What a little fool. You think studying and training is fun? I wish I were a princess so I could sleep in every day.”
Qingyang was angry now.
She stopped in her tracks and glared at her second brother.
“You’re the fool!”
Qin Ren squatted down to coax his sister, while Qin Hong scolded Qin Bing.
Qin Bing liked teasing his sister but had no patience to comfort her.
The more Big Brother scolded him, the more stubborn he became, and he simply took the palace attendants and ran off to play by himself.
Qingyang leaned against Third Brother, still fuming as she spoke to her second brother’s retreating back.
“I don’t like Second Brother. I’m never talking to him again.”
Qin Ren said, “Right, unless he apologizes to you.”
Qingyang replied, “Even if he apologizes, I still won’t talk to him.”
Qin Ren nodded, “That’s right, we’ll ignore him together.”
Qingyang turned to look at her eldest brother.
Qin Hong smiled, “Alright, Big Brother will ignore him too.”
Qingyang was satisfied.
Holding a brother’s hand in each of hers, she walked forward.
After a while, she suddenly asked, “Third Brother, did Zhang Su come?”
Qin Ren replied, “No. Every festival, he gets to leave the palace. He can’t wait to stay home.”
Qingyang asked, “Duke of Wei and Madam have entered the palace, so what’s he doing at home?”
Qin Ren guessed, “Probably out on the streets with the servants? The lantern festival among the commoners is definitely livelier than in the palace.”
Qingyang was unhappy again.
“I want to go to the lantern festival among the people too.”
Qin Ren looked hopefully at his eldest brother, the Crown Prince.
He was only eight, still a child.
If they wanted to leave the palace, Big Brother would have to lead the way.
Qin Hong said, “Well, the outside world is chaotic and mixed. We’d better stay in the palace and not worry Father Emperor and Mother Consort.”
Qingyang asked, “What does ‘chaotic and mixed’ mean?”
Qin Hong and Qin Ren: “……”
The palace fireworks were beautiful.
When they exploded, they could even block out the moon, and when the light faded, the moon slowly emerged again.
Qingyang leaned against her mother’s arms, watching until she fell asleep.
Consort Li wanted to hold her daughter like this forever, but her strength couldn’t keep up with her heart.
When half her shoulder was going numb from her daughter’s weight, she could only hand her over to the nursemaid.
Her eyes gentle as water, she said, “Let’s go back to my place.”
The nursemaid gave a slight curtsey, carrying the little princess and Jie Yu away from the Water Pavilion where they’d admired the moon.
Once they reached the west side room of Xianfu Palace, the nursemaid laid the little princess on the secondary couch and used a warm, damp cloth to wash her face.
Qingyang, who’d slept all the way there, was woken up.
She looked at the nursemaid, then at Jie Yu standing a few steps away, and said, “Tomorrow morning, I want to get up at the mao hour too.”
Jie Yu smiled, “It’s Mid-Autumn, and you have three days off. Tomorrow, Your Highness doesn’t need to get up early to study.”
Qingyang promptly fell back asleep.
When she woke again, it was already daylight.
After getting ready, Qingyang went to the main hall to find her mother, only to discover her father was there too.
Qingyang nestled into her father’s arms, asking expectantly, “Father Emperor, did you bring the waist token?”
Emperor Xingwu tapped his daughter’s cheek.
“All the ones Father has are old. I’ll have the craftsmen make a new waist token for Lin’er. It’ll take four or five days.”
As long as there would be one, Qingyang wasn’t in a hurry.
After breakfast, Emperor Xingwu took his daughter to the racetrack, where Qin Hong, the three brothers, and Yongkang were already waiting.
Qin Hong, Qin Bing, and Yongkang had all learned to ride.
Qin Ren would have to wait until he was ten.
So while Emperor Xingwu took the three older children riding, Qin Ren was responsible for standing in a safe spot and keeping his sister company.
Qingyang went up to the fence at the edge of the racetrack, watching the horses gallop inside, and muttered softly, “I want to ride too.”
Qin Ren patted his sister’s head, not envious in the least.
“Riding is dangerous. I don’t even dare to try.”
Just then, Emperor Xingwu rode over on a glossy black steed to his son and daughter.
Qingyang raised her arms high.
“Father Emperor, pick me up!”
Emperor Xingwu leaned down and, with one hand, lifted his daughter onto the saddle in front of him.
He then asked his youngest son, “Do you want to come? You can sit behind me.”
Qin Ren shook his head repeatedly.
Emperor Xingwu called him useless and rode off with his daughter.
After riding, Emperor Xingwu wanted to test his three sons’ martial skills, sparring with them one by one, starting with the Crown Prince.
While Qin Hong was sweating and trying to attack his father, Qin Bing, waiting at the side, wanted to tease his sister.
Qingyang dove straight into Third Brother’s arms, ignoring him.
Qin Bing said, “You’re really angry, huh?”
Qin Ren whispered, “Hurry and apologize.”
Since it was just a matter of saying a few words, Qin Bing squatted behind Qingyang, grinning as he apologized.
When gifts didn’t work, he brought out his trump card: “How about Second Brother plays ‘riding the great horse’ with you?”
Qingyang finally looked at him.
“I want to ride for fifty steps.”
Qin Bing said, “I’ll give you a hundred steps, but you have to promise me something—when you get your waist token, you have to take me to play in the front court once.”
Qingyang thought it over and refused. “You’ll cause trouble. I’m not taking you.”
Yongkang, who’d only been half-listening, looked over at the three younger ones, curious. “What waist token?”
Qin Bing explained.
Seeing their eldest sister’s face darken, Qin Ren added, “Father Emperor said Sister can only use it until she’s ten.”
Yongkang curled her lips.
After Qin Bing knelt on the ground to let his sister ride, with Qin Ren carefully supporting her shoulders, Yongkang looked toward their father, who was playing cat-and-mouse with the Crown Prince.
Being able to walk freely in the palace—what a privilege!
Not even the Noble Consort had such a right, yet Father Emperor gave it to their little sister!
Yongkang’s first thought was to ask Father Emperor for one too, but he’d said the waist token was only for their sister until she turned ten.
That meant, for a few years, it was fine for her to run wild, but once she grew up, she’d have to behave.
Yongkang was already seventeen—if she asked for a waist token now, wouldn’t that make her seem unreasonable and childish?
Right after, Yongkang remembered the Purple Jade Flute Father Emperor had specially bestowed upon her.
Compared to the Gold Waist Token their little sister could only use for fun, her priceless Purple Jade Flute was far more precious.
Besides, what was so fun about the front court?
It was just a bunch of government offices, full of officials busy with their duties.
The rear palace had rare flowers and exotic plants to admire instead.
As Emperor Xingwu pinned Qin Hong to the ground, Yongkang lost all interest in her sister’s waist token.
Emperor Xingwu admonished his eldest son, “I told you to go all out, yet you’re still holding back. Why so cautious at your age? I’m your father; I won’t use too much force, nor will I be angry if you do your best and land a hit.”
Qin Hong lowered his head, eyes dodging.
“Your son, your son knows his mistake.”
Emperor Xingwu glanced at the second son, still kneeling to play with his sister.
“Come, let’s go again.”
Yongkang silently cheered her brother on, but when he charged at Father Emperor, he started off fierce and then slowed as he got closer.
Father Emperor’s face darkened, and Yongkang grew so anxious she wanted to scold her brother.