Chapter Fourteen: The Disturbance at the Racetrack
Chenhe and the little princess were deeply shaken by the chaos at the riding grounds, though unharmed thanks to General Chang’an’s heroic intervention. After returning, they could not stop crying, their sobs wracking their small bodies, trembling uncontrollably as if haunted by the ordeal. It was clear trauma had taken root.
Such a commotion at the riding grounds soon reached the emperor’s ears. He hurried to the gardens of the Noble Consort Shu. By this time, Chenhe and the little princess had exhausted themselves into sleep, but their tiny bodies still shuddered, little fists clenched tightly, faces pale and pitiable.
The Noble Consort Shu, seeing her beloved daughter so afflicted, knelt by the bedside, sobbing with a heartbroken face, tears streaming like pear blossoms in the rain.
The emperor’s expression was grim as he stepped out from the inner chambers and unleashed his wrath upon the gathered nurses and maidservants tending the princesses: “What use are you wretches? You can’t even care for a five-year-old child! Truly, you deserve punishment!”
He understood well the Noble Consort Shu’s indulgence toward her youngest daughter; letting a child of only five visit the riding grounds would never have happened without her encouragement. Still, seeing the consort’s grief, he could hardly reprimand her, a mother in pain, and instead vented his anger on the servants for their negligence.
The emperor’s fury sent terror through the servants; their faces turned ashen as they knelt in supplication, begging for mercy.
Gu Li entered to find a scene of servants prostrating themselves in fear, immediately realizing her father had been deeply angered. Though the emperor of Li Dynasty was revered for his benevolence, rarely punishing servants unless their offenses were unforgivable, his rare bursts of rage could easily strike terror in the heart.
Gu Li knew she too bore some responsibility for today’s events. At the riding grounds, she had been the only elder present besides her imperial sister, yet failed to properly watch over her young sibling. Upon returning to the garden, she immediately had Jasmine bring forth precious medicines, gifts from her father and the empress dowager, offerings from foreign envoys rarely bestowed upon other consorts—such treasures reserved for her alone, the beloved Princess Danqing.
Intent on making amends, and mindful that the little princess’s mother was the Noble Consort Shu, Gu Li wished to spare her own mother from entanglement in this matter, avoiding further distress. She hurried to offer her apologies.
Upon seeing Gu Li arrive, the emperor recalled she too had been at the riding grounds, and hastened to ask, “Gu Li, are you hurt? Have you seen the imperial physician?”
Gu Li bowed respectfully and replied with a gentle smile, “Father, I am unharmed—just a minor scrape. I’ve already applied medicine.”
The emperor took her hand, inspecting it carefully, and upon confirming the injury was slight, relaxed, though his heart still ached. “No more reckless behavior! From now on, rest in the garden—no more visits to the riding grounds!”
Gu Li, understanding propriety and having already indulged her desire to ride in recent days, obediently agreed.
From within the inner chambers, the Noble Consort Shu heard that Princess Danqing had arrived and immediately emerged. Before Gu Li could pay her respects, the consort, her noble and cold face barely concealing her anger, fixed her gaze upon Gu Li. “Gu Li, how did you care for your sister? Both of you were at the riding grounds—how could you, as her elder sister, let her suffer such a fright? She’s only five—if anything had happened, how would you answer for it?”