Chapter Forty: Li Jiancheng’s Misunderstanding

Chen Ying was no mind reader and naturally had no idea what Li Jiancheng was thinking. Had he known, he would surely have been so vexed as to cough up blood. It was truly a grave injustice. Li Jiancheng had indeed misunderstood.

The truth was that Li Xiuning had genuinely taken a liking to the pair of sisters, Green Pearl and Red Sleeve. Three women together made for lively company. In no time at all, Red Sleeve and Green Pearl had become close with Li Xiuning, who was soon being shown off Chen Ying’s handiwork by Green Pearl.

Chen Ying, long accustomed to the comforts of modern times, found himself ill at ease even after moving into the grand residence of Xu Shanxin, which sprawled over several acres. For instance, even the simple matter of relieving oneself each day posed a significant challenge, for there was not a single toilet in the entire Chen household—a situation Chen Ying found most difficult to accept.

This had to change.

He hastily sketched some simple diagrams for a shower and a seated toilet system as he remembered from his own time, and gave them to Lan’er to oversee the renovations. At first, he did not give it much thought; he spent most nights in the military camp and had not even seen how the renovations turned out.

During a conversation, Green Pearl happened to tell Li Xiuning about the new toilet and shower at the Chen residence. Though Li Xiuning was known outside as the heroic and capable Princess of Pingyang, beloved by all of Tang, in truth she was only seventeen—a girl who, in modern times, would still be a spoiled high schooler.

Naturally, Li Xiuning wanted to see this fabled bathroom, and found herself delighted by these novel inventions. If Chen Ying had seen the finished bathroom, he might well have fainted from dismay right there.

Lan’er had unceremoniously converted the east wing of the main house into a bathroom. In traditional architecture, the grand main hall was reserved for the master of the house, with the flanking wings in the rear courtyard set aside for the younger generation. In the case of the Chen residence, had Chen Ying’s parents been alive, the main rooms would have been theirs, leaving Chen Ying to reside in the east wing. As master of the house, however, he now occupied the main rooms, and the wings were left unused.

The five large rooms of the east wing, totaling over three hundred pings, had been converted into a bathroom—a luxury only the most extravagant could afford. The wing, already built on a triple-stepped bluestone foundation, was well suited for drainage, and the floors, once paved with blue bricks, now gleamed with tiles. Alone in the vast space stood a single squat toilet, which Li Xiuning found most amusing.

Of course, the bathroom was still quite rudimentary. The showerhead was carved from wood, hollowed bamboo served as water pipes, and, most bizarre of all, the water tank was a massive five-foot-wide, four-foot-deep vat fixed right into the rafters. Hot water had to be heated manually, for there was no way to regulate temperature, and each refill meant lugging buckets up a fourteen-foot ladder—an exhausting endeavor.

Had Chen Ying seen this so-called bathroom, he would have scoffed at it.

Yet to Princess Pingyang, Li Xiuning, who had never seen anything of the sort, it was a source of childlike delight. She would turn the water on and off, watching the steam fill the room until the three women were soon drenched from their playful antics. Noticing her clothes were soaked, Li Xiuning decided she might as well enjoy a proper shower. Thus, when Crown Prince Li Jiancheng arrived at the Chen residence, Li Xiuning was just undressing for her bath and could not possibly receive him at once.

And so, the misunderstanding only deepened.

Chen Ying, at that moment, was utterly perplexed. He was sure he had said nothing wrong. Why had Li Jiancheng’s expression changed so suddenly? Li Jiancheng stared at him so intently that Chen Ying grew uneasy.

“Your Highness…” Chen Ying stammered, at a loss for words.

Li Jiancheng’s face was dark as water, his anger barely contained. “Well done, indeed!”

Chen Ying was all the more bewildered. “Your servant… I do not know what I have done to anger Your Highness.”

“Still you deny it!” Li Jiancheng was already on the verge of erupting.

Just then, Li Xiuning entered, dressed in a light green skirt that Chen Ying vaguely recognized, her hair still damp.

“Third Sister greets Imperial Brother.”

Only then did Chen Ying realize she was wearing Lan’er’s clothes.

At the sight of Li Xiuning, Li Jiancheng exploded like a volcano. He leapt to his feet and roared, “Everyone out! Any man who comes within thirty paces will have his clan executed!”

The guards of the Eastern Palace scattered like startled rabbits.

Chen Ying, sensing the danger, moved to leave with the others, but Li Jiancheng pointed at him. “You stay!”

Now, only Li Xiuning, Li Jiancheng, and Chen Ying remained in the front hall; even Ma Sanbao, Li Xiuning’s confidant, had withdrawn far away.

Li Jiancheng’s eyes were red as he glared at Li Xiuning. “Third Sister, you’ve done well. How will you answer to our mother?”

Li Xiuning was utterly mystified. “Why does Imperial Brother say this?”

Li Jiancheng’s voice rose eightfold in fury. “You’ve brought shame to the Li family!”

At this, Chen Ying could not help but sneer. The Li family’s reputation had indeed suffered, but it had little to do with Li Xiuning. Throughout history, most of the notorious princesses and noblewomen—those famed for their wanton ways—came from the Tang dynasty. Most famous was Princess Gaoyang, who committed adultery while her husband stood guard; then there was Princess Taiping, who offered her lover to her mother so they could both enjoy the “monk,” and her daughter, Princess Anle, who sought to follow in her mother’s footsteps with countless lovers and paramours.

In Chen Ying’s view, being a prince consort in the Li family was a dubious honor—one risked being cuckolded at any moment. Yet Li Xiuning was an exception, a phoenix among women, and could not be grouped with those other scandalous princesses.

As the siblings argued, Chen Ying dared not interject, for that would only stoke the flames.

“Explain yourself,” demanded Li Xiuning, who was never one to be cowed. She met Li Jiancheng’s gaze and retorted angrily, “What do you mean by this?”

“What do I mean?” Li Jiancheng jabbed a finger at Chen Ying and shouted, “What exactly is going on between you and him?”

Only then did Chen Ying realize Li Jiancheng suspected some unspeakable secret between him and Li Xiuning.

At this, a wave of dread washed over Chen Ying.

Li Xiuning’s fiery temper might well drive her to the wall, cornered by Li Jiancheng’s accusations.

Yet, unexpectedly, Li Xiuning replied coolly, “That is my affair.”

“You—!” Li Jiancheng trembled with rage, the veins on his forehead bulging, his outstretched finger quivering as he pointed at her. For a long moment, he was too furious to speak.

Suddenly, he flung his sleeves and stormed out.

After he left, Li Xiuning’s knees gave way and she sank to the floor, her expression desolate, her eyes filled with despair.