Chapter Two: Whose Prey Will the Deer Become? (Part Five)

Section Five: Who Is Xishi

July 23rd, the height of summer.

Word had it that the lotuses in Lady Yun’s garden were in full bloom—graceful and elegant, a breathtaking sight. A maid from Yun’s residence came to invite Xiangbao, saying Lady Yun was hosting a banquet in the garden for the ladies to admire the flowers.

Xiangbao was somewhat surprised but still brought Ziru to the gathering.

Although she had steeled herself mentally, Xiangbao was still startled by the unprecedented splendor of the garden when she entered. It was hard to tell whether the people were admiring the flowers or the flowers were admiring the people. Amid a sea of graceful beauties, the few lotuses in the pond seemed to pale in comparison, almost wilting from shame.

“Xishi.” Huamei had arrived early and was sitting idly in a corner. When she saw Xiangbao, she hurried over with delight. Though Huamei did not call out loudly, all the women in the garden were keenly aware—everyone had heard that Xishi was favored, so they busied themselves sizing up their rival. For a moment, all eyes turned to Xiangbao, who shrank back, feeling she could barely withstand such scrutiny.

The smile on Xiangbao’s lips froze abruptly when she saw the veiled woman in white beside Lady Yun. She was here too?

Lady Yun watched Xiangbao with a faint, inscrutable smile that sent shivers down Xiangbao’s spine.

What surprised Xiangbao even more was that Zheng Dan was sitting beside Lady Yun. When had she switched allegiances? Hadn’t she arrived with the burden of restoring her homeland, and hadn’t she once reprimanded Xiangbao with righteous indignation?

When the other ladies noticed Ziru standing behind Xiangbao, they all withdrew their slightly hostile gazes. After all, no one dared to truly offend the currently favored woman—no one wanted to end up as the next Ziru.

Ziru had originally thought Xiangbao brought her here to humiliate her, but seeing the reactions of the others, she realized she was actually being used to make a show of power. Retracting her impudent gaze, she was secretly alarmed. She had always believed this woman to be deeply scheming, and now she saw it was true.

Glancing at the smiling Zheng Dan beside Lady Yun, Huamei frowned subtly and took Xiangbao’s arm. “Xishi, sit with me.”

Xiangbao nodded and followed Huamei, but when they reached Huamei’s original seat, it was already occupied. The women there chatted and laughed among themselves, treating Huamei and Xiangbao as if they were invisible.

Looking back, Xiangbao saw a scene of harmonious merriment among the other ladies. Only she and Huamei remained awkwardly standing.

“Well, Lady Xishi, why don’t you sit? Or is my garden too small for your taste?” Lady Yun’s voice rang out, lightly mocking, as if she had only just noticed their predicament.

Xiangbao looked at her quietly, saying nothing.

Lady Yun’s smile stiffened for a moment, then she waved her hand. “Someone, bring two more seats.”

A servant responded and swiftly brought over two soft cushions.

Lady Yun pointed at the cushions, beaming. “Sorry to trouble you, ladies.”

Huamei frowned at the cushions, but Xiangbao calmly sat down on one. Ziru could only stand beside her.

Under the blazing sun, while others sat in the shade, chatting and admiring the lotuses, only Xiangbao and her companions were left in the full glare of the sunlight. The scorching heat made them dizzy; sweat soaked Ziru’s back and dripped from her brow, while Huamei’s face was already flushed red.

“Ziru.” Xiangbao suddenly spoke.

The garden fell silent. Xiangbao, unconcerned, looked at Ziru. “Lady Huamei isn’t feeling well. Take her back to Lan Yue Pavilion, and then check on what I left drying at the door. There’s no need to return; I’ll come back myself later.”

Ziru hesitated, then nodded quietly.

Huamei gave Xiangbao a worried glance, but Xiangbao gently supported her, smiling and shaking her head. Strangely enough, despite sitting in the sun just as long, not a trace of sweat appeared on Xiangbao’s face; her complexion remained calm, her fingertips even carrying a hint of coolness.

“The Yue woman told me I should get more sun,” Xiangbao whispered with a smile.

Huamei was taken aback but could only get up and leave, supported by Ziru.

As Ziru led Huamei away, she looked back at Xiangbao, sitting alone under the blazing sun—calm, sweatless, her expression serene, like a painting.

In truth, she hadn’t left anything out to dry. Had Xiangbao said that just to give her a way to leave? Ziru lowered her gaze and led Huamei out of the garden. She had always tried her best to please Lady Yun, but in the end, the one who truly stood up for her was the person she had always been at odds with.

Watching Huamei and Ziru depart, Xiangbao continued to sit in silence. Since Lady Yun aimed her malice at her, there was no need for Huamei to suffer alongside her. She only wondered how long Lady Yun intended to keep her here. Because of her aversion to the cold, Xiangbao actually liked summer, especially such sweltering days—they made her feel alive.

Yes, basking in the summer sun—this feeling was not bad at all.

When Fuchai entered the garden, he saw his Xiangbao sitting alone on a cushion under the scorching sun, eyes closed in restful contentment, while Lady Yun, in the shade, was grinding her teeth in anger.

“Sire,” came the charming call.

All the beauties saw Fuchai at the gate and hurried to their feet to greet him. Only Xiangbao remained seated.

Raising his brow, Fuchai walked over and tapped her forehead. Xiangbao’s body slumped, and she fell sideways. Fuchai, startled, quickly caught her.

A faint sound of breathing made Fuchai both amused and exasperated—she had fallen asleep.

Xiangbao had held out for a long time, always watching the veiled woman by Lady Yun’s side. But as Lady Yun made no move, Xiangbao waited and waited, her eyelids growing heavier, until, at last, she drifted off.

Fuchai lifted his hand and patted her sunburned cheek. Xiangbao muttered, snuggling closer to him, rubbing her head in his embrace.

“There’s lotus seed soup,” Fuchai whispered in her ear.

“Where?” Xiangbao woke at once, her eyes bright and eager like a puppy’s.

Fuchai burst into hearty laughter.

What a treasure she was.

Beside him, Lady Yun nearly ground her silver teeth to dust. Taking a breath, she smiled. “Sire, my uncle asked me to present you with a gift.”

At these words, Xiangbao jerked awake, instantly alert.

“Oh?” Fuchai was intrigued—straight-laced Wu Zixu giving him a gift? Rising, he looked at Lady Yun. “What has the Chancellor sent?”

“A peerless beauty,” Lady Yun replied with a smile.

“Wu Zixu sending a beauty?” Fuchai was astonished. That stalwart opponent of ‘femme fatales’ was sending him a woman? How odd.

Was he perhaps sending him an eyesore to ruin his appetite?

Very likely.

“Why don’t you greet the King?” Lady Yun glanced at the veiled woman beside her.

“Sire.” The woman in white bowed gracefully, frail and delicate, stirring pity in all who saw her.

Fuchai looked at the veiled woman, feeling Xiangbao tense in his arms. He pondered—was there something unusual about this woman’s background?

“Come now, why keep your face covered? Let the King have a look,” Lady Yun laughed, giving her a gentle push.

The woman in white hesitated, then slowly lifted her hand to remove her veil. As the cloth fell, a wave of astonishment swept the garden—her beauty was undeniable.

She was indeed a peerless beauty.

Xiangbao’s face turned ashen. Despite the July heat, she felt as if she had plunged into icy water.

It was her.

Xishi.

“Xishi!” Zheng Dan cried, unable to conceal her shock. She hurried to Xishi’s side. “Xishi, how are you here?”

“It’s a long story,” Xishi replied softly.

Whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

“She’s Xishi? Then who is she?” someone whispered, pointing at Xiangbao.

“Yes, what is going on here...?”

Xiangbao stared at Xishi, stunned. Hadn’t she already returned to Zhuluo Village? Why was she now in the Wu Palace?

“She truly is a beauty,” Fuchai said, as if he hadn’t heard the murmurs.

“And she shares the same name as Lady Xishi,” Lady Yun added with a smile. “Her surname is Shi, her given name Yiguang, from Yue, living at the foot of Zhuluo Mountain in Zhuji. Since there are two Shi families in the east and west villages, and she’s from the west, she’s called Xishi.”

“Oh?” Fuchai grew interested and looked down at the woman in his arms. “And you, Lady—where are you from?”

“Zhuluo, Zhuji,” Xiangbao replied coolly.

“What a coincidence. And your given name?” Fuchai asked, feigning casualness.

Xiangbao looked at Xishi and smiled faintly. “Yiguang.”

A gasp swept the crowd.

Xishi stared at Xiangbao, hatred burning in her eyes.

“Then, one of you must be an impostor?” Lady Yun interjected, her gaze fixed on Xiangbao.

“How did the Chancellor find this beauty?” Fuchai asked, ignoring Lady Yun.

“Sire, I was originally a gift from Yue to you, but was waylaid by bandits and sold to Wu. Luckily, the Chancellor rescued me and brought me to the palace. But…” Xishi glanced at Xiangbao, her meaning left purposely unfinished.

Such a carefully crafted half-truth, and at once, all suspicion fell on Xiangbao.

“Is that so?” Fuchai said with interest. “What an extraordinary affair.”

“Sire, it’s easy to resolve this—Lady Zheng Dan is also from Zhuluo Mountain and has met Xishi before,” Lady Yun suggested.

Xiangbao’s face was expressionless, though she felt frozen inside—Lady Yun had set a perfect trap for her, and she had walked straight into it.

“Hmm, I hear Minister Fan is closely connected to Xishi. Why not invite him to judge?” Fuchai said with a sudden smile, completely ignoring Lady Yun.

At this, Xishi turned pale. Xiangbao lowered her gaze to her toes, a faint, ephemeral smile flickering on her lips, unreadable.

Into everyone’s view stepped a man in white, who bowed. “Fan Li greets the King.”

“Minister Fan, I have a perplexing matter for you to judge.”

“I am at your service.”

“These two beauties both claim to be Xishi. Which is the true one, and which the impostor?” Fuchai said, then smiled and sat down to watch.

Fan Li looked up at Xiangbao.

“Speak freely, Minister Fan,” Fuchai said, at his ease.

“How could the King ask such a question? Is not Lady Xishi standing right by your side?” the white-robed man replied gently. “Lady Xishi is none other than Lady Xishi—how could there be another?”

Xishi froze, all color draining from her face. That gentle man, so warm as always, delivered his verdict with merciless calm. Not once had he looked at her.

Xiangbao smiled faintly. “Thank you, Minister Fan, for upholding justice and clearing my name.”

The moment Fan Li appeared, Xiangbao knew she was safe. His answer had been obvious to her from the start. Benefactor or not, when it came to the fate of the nation, he could abandon anything. Since she had entered Wu bearing the name of Xishi, how could Fan Li acknowledge Xishi’s true identity before the King of Wu? Besides, Xishi had been delivered into Wu by Wu Zixu himself—how could they risk exposing the truth?

Back then, for the sake of Yue, he had allowed her to take Xishi’s name and enter Wu; now, for the same cause, he could just as easily deny Xishi’s existence. For one whose very existence had been erased, Xiangbao looked at Xishi’s ashen face and a faint, bitter smile played on her lips, her eyes dark as night.

Xiangbao did not notice the emotion in Fan Li’s eyes, but Xishi did. That one glance stripped the last trace of color from her cheeks. He had chosen Xiangbao—would he truly risk her life for the sake of Yue?

“What does the King wish to do with this impostor?” someone asked.

“What punishment, Lady, does this imposter deserve?” Fuchai said, turning to Xiangbao with a fond smile, as if she truly were the treasure in his palm.

“In honor of our shared home, I beg the King to forgive her,” Xiangbao said coolly, meeting Xishi’s eyes.

“As you wish,” Fuchai replied, looking down at the kneeling Xishi. “Since my Lady has pleaded for you, your life is spared. Since you are from Yue, I leave your fate to Minister Fan.”

Looking at the king, Xishi seemed to understand something at last. She gave a wretched smile and kowtowed in thanks.

So ended the chaos, as farcical as it had begun.

Fan Li led Xishi out of the Wu Palace in silence.

“I will send you back to Yue,” Fan Li said, his voice gentle as ever, as if the ruthless man from before had never existed.

“Be careful of Zheng Dan,” Xishi finally said.

Fan Li looked at her at last. “So it was her?”

“Zheng Dan told Lady Yun about me, and that’s why Wu Zixu’s men found me in Zhuluo Village.” She paused, then added, “My family is in their hands.”

Fan Li nodded. “I will make arrangements. They will not trouble you again.”

Xishi tried to smile, but could not. “Even if I died, it wouldn’t matter to you, would it?” she whispered after a long silence.

Fan Li did not answer.

“Just now, before the King of Wu, you acknowledged Xiangbao as Xishi and denied my existence. Even if I died because of it, you wouldn’t care, would you?” she pressed, her voice bitter.

“Everyone must pay the price for their choices. When you were gravely ill, I allowed Lady Jun to send Xiangbao to Wu in your stead. Now that things have come to this, they must continue as they are.”

Xishi stared at him, feeling he had become a stranger.

“So what you said just now… was only for Yue?” she asked cautiously.

The man in white turned to her and answered honestly, “Partly for myself, too.”

So blunt, so cruelly honest. Yet Fan Li still regretted that his ruthlessness had come so late. If only he had known his own heart from the start, things would not have come to this. Unable to bear hurting either, he had ended up wounding both.

Xishi laughed, both weeping and smiling. “Indeed, indeed… but what a pity…”

“A pity?” he asked.

“A pity she’s no longer yours,” Xishi replied, her voice trembling between laughter and tears.

“I will take her away from here,” he said, his gentle voice carrying an unyielding resolve.

“When that day comes, are you sure she will be willing to go with you?” Xishi looked up at Fan Li, her eyes bright and strange with tears.

Fan Li frowned.

“King Wu likes her far more than you imagine,” Xishi said quietly. “Xishi is just a name; to him, it means nothing. All of Wu Zixu’s efforts to bring me from Yue were wasted.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Why do you think King Wu turned away from Zheng Dan and let you decide who was Xishi? He knew from the start that you would never harm Xiangbao—he merely used your hand to save her. And Xiangbao will never be grateful for it, because she believes… you did it all for Yue.”

For the first time, a crack appeared in Fan Li’s calm expression. He clenched his fist.