During the absence of Huáng Hòu, the Imperial Palace went through a few changes; many eunuchs were reassigned and the Emperor, unable to forget the loveliness of his two eldest sons, decided to take Male concubines into his harem. Feng Chun found that he was the one in charge of these changes rather than You Zhi. The little eunuch, who thought he had the Emperor's ear, found the old adage of when keeping tigers, always face them, counted for him. The Emperor was using him to feed matters to his Empress and did not trust him at all!

As the Emperor wished to have Male concubines, Feng Chun placed Rong Xing Fu in charge of the harem. Xing Fu was notorious within the ranks of eunuchs for accepting many lovers within the ranks of Palace Guards. As all eunuchs had no option than to lie beneath a man if they wished to have relations and Xing Fu was known to be particularly seductive, Feng Chun wished for him to teach the Male concubines ways to please the Emperor and protect themselves. He doubted the Emperor would learn to make a clear path for his sword! Rong Xing Fu was not displeased with this promotion, even offered to share his teachings with Feng Chun. The eunuch graciously declined.

The White Orchid Palace was filled with new servants as well as Xiao Ping, who held his Princes in embrace for several minutes as they reunited, even found they had to wipe away the eunuch's tears and mucus tainted face! Bo Ju Ting was moved into The Water Lotus Palace with the fifth Prince. The Emperor had found that the boy, renamed Wáng Laquan, resembled a china doll with the largest, doe eyes he had come to know. He was most pleased with the child's appearance. Many members of the Harem looked on in jealousy, especially as most had tainted their wombs in order to not be thrown out of the Palace and now the mother of his son was rewarded? They had to be reminded that the woman had suffered two years in the cold palace and only there as a son was born. What would happen if it were a daughter?  In addition, Bo Ju Ting was not allowed to use the title of Concubine and was no higher respected that a nurse maid. The Palace was for his son, not for the boy's mother.

The Emperor did wish to move one of the two older Princes into the Red Autumn Palace, but the boys refused to be separated and begged leniency of the Emperor. Wáng Yi Jun allowed them this one indulgence as he had been most impressed with the levels of education and martial arts each boy displayed. He especially enjoyed Yu Long's poetry. "Much better than the poems sent by that nameless man," he expressed. "The Emperor is a Cloud, while I am the Ground. I can only look up... this nonsense lyric!"

He even thought to reward Lâoshi Huang on his return, not aware that the boys talents were from their own hard work nor that he'd just ridiculed same man for his bad prose.

In contrast, the Emperor had found that the Crown Prince was not one for the eye. His doughy flesh, tiny eyes and piggy nose was truly a face only his mother could love. He had also been clearly over indulged, for this little dumpling was unrefined, throwing tantrums over the smallest of things and unable to suffer not getting his own way. The Emperor handed this little problem to Feng Chun, who had the boy moved into the Summer Blossom Palace and surrounded by new servants and teachers. None of Huáng Hòu's servants were permitted to see him. They howled and sobbed, prostrating before Feng Chun as they pleaded for his decision to be revoked.

"How is it the Crown Prince is so spoiled?" Feng Chun asked. "Was this impart not your own doing? Sow melons, reap melons. Sow beans, reap beans." He dismissed them but not without warning them that should they continue to fuss, he could have them ejected from the Imperial Grounds without trial.

These days held contentment for the two Princes. They were once again allowed to practice Martial Arts beneath the tutelage of a new Shifu, who was strict when he needed to be strict and gave praise when he needed to give praise. They also could study the Four Books and Five Classics, though Jie Long was naturally less pleased about this, he did not complain as it was better than what they had 'learnt' over the past four years. Both needed to work on their calligraphy, which unpracticed became uncouth, but Yu Long soon surpassed his brother once more in this and poetry and Jie Long could not be more happy for him.

But there is no person that has one thousand good days in a row and no flower that stays red for one hundred days; Huang Jia had resolved some issues, thus Huáng Hòu was returning to the Twin Moon Imperial Palace. The woman screeched blue bloodied murder as she came to find that her son had been taken from her care and more so not left to the servants she had groomed herself. She tore at her hair and her clothes in front of the Emperor and visiting Ministers, but the Emperor calmly request You Zhi and a couple of guards return her to the Yin Palace and ask the doctors to make her a calming draught.

He later came to see her to inform her that his decisions were not to be challenged and as she had made such a spectacle of herself, she would remain in the Yin Palace to reflect. He ordered that she not be able to leave and the Palace Guards received his instructions with a bow. Wáng Yi Jun then turned to catch sight of his daughters. They could only hope to catch a glimpse of the beauty of his garden, with their doughy, greasy flesh and thin, beady eyes, what poems would be written in their names?

Knowing that she had her father's attention for possibly the first time in her life, Huang Jing Yi sought to inform the man of her own personal grievances; "Father, Huang Jia plan to have me wed a Prince of the Southern Islands. But he is old and grey, please Father, stop them! This Princess does not wish to marry a grandfather!"

The Emperor turned to glance at Huang Kong, who had entered the Palace to soothe his sister and had not yet returned to the White Orchid Palace. "Explain."

Huang Kong humbly told the Emperor of the arrangement and the benefits of such. There would be an injection of wealth into Huang Jia over time with exclusive trade benefits thanks to the marriage of the Imperial Princess. As both girls held the name of Huang and not Wáng, they had not considered that the Emperor might oppose. As it happened, the Emperor did not oppose, but added his own conditions to the arrangement. After all, these girls were still Princesses and the Empire should benefit first from their marriages. As he left the Yin Palace, he mentioned he would have Feng Chun arrange Huang Jing Yi's dowry. The eldest princess sank to her chubby knees and wept in tantrum. Huang Kong slapped the girl about the face and scolded her.

"Stop your blubbering, girl!" Huang Kong snapped. "What sort of bride is this? You were blessed with the role of Emperor's daughter, now comes the time you must perform the duties that come with it." She wailed louder and Huang Kong went to slap her again, but the Empress grabbed his arm and cursed him. "Your daughter shows such manners!" Huang Kong complained. "Better re-educate her sister, less she is returned like unwanted goods and Huang Jia falls in shame!"

"You are right, brother," the Empress showed humility due to shock, not due to nature. "I will take this task in hand."

"Good," Huang Kong nodded, but arrogantly, did not bow to her. "Then I will return to my own duties less those boys think of rising from the gutters we have cast them into."

But Huang Kong found not only had they risen, the entire White Palace Orchid seemed renewed. He was greeted, respectably by servants new and old, for though the latter now found themselves displaced, they had not yet been told what else to do. Huang Kong promised his servants that he would resolve issues soon and on that note entered the Palace Courtyard to view two boys at leisure, one practicing the sword, jian in hand and the other sitting upon a wall, reading poetry. Lâoshi Huang felt incensed. How dare these gutter rats!

The faces of the boys fell upon seeing him. They had been unprepared and defences down since Feng Chun had taken matters in hand. Now Huang Kong wished some sort of recompense. They followed him to his room in silence and knelt as he took his bamboo cane to their backs and feet in unrestrained cruelty, each switch representing the humiliation felt as he grovelled before the Emperor, the disgust as he had followed his sister's orders on their journey, his hatred that these Concubine born boys retained a higher authority than he! Not one sound passed through their lips, not with the beatings nor when they near crawled out of his room.

Yu Long emptied his stomach in the pisspot within his room, as Jie Long gently rubbed an untouched place upon his back. "Why must we suffer him again?" Jie Long asked his brother.

"Not for much longer," Yu Long promised. He wasn't sure that their position was yet strong enough to make complaints.

*****

The first discrepancy was discovered as one of the maids tampered with the Princes meals. She was immediately detained as the food was tested and found to contain poison! It was not only in food meant for the three Princes, for the fifth Prince had become an immediate target now no longer in the cold palace, but there was a deadlier one in a meal meant for fifth Prince's mother! The woman was questioned and eventually broke under torture, but claimed she was paid by an outside influence who had threatened her family. She was not believed, but was beheaded and her family put to death as they could get no more information from her.

The second discrepancy was found by the Xiao Ping, who ran to doctors asking what sort of illness makes the base of the feet redden and bleed! Neither of his Princes could walk! Baffled, the doctors came and inspected. Jie Long was also found also to have a blistering fever! There were unanswered questions, but first need must save First Prince! As Jie Long was bed bound for several days, only Yu Long could attend 'lessons' and afterwards hobbled towards Shifu, who was waiting for them. Deciding to no longer abide the pain, Yu Long collapsed in front of the man, who promptly called for assistance. While waiting, he examined the boy, startled by the muffled yelps when he touched his back and found not yet healed marks upon the boy's fair back and bloodied feet hidden in silk shoes.

"Who did this, boy?" The gruff voice asked.

"No, it was my fault, I got it wrong," the Prince murmured. "Lâoshi had to punish this one."

The Emperor was furious, his large face reddening to the point of being near purple. He ordered that Huang Kong be beaten until death with his own cane. The man begged and wept for the Emperor's mercy, thrusting the blame onto his sister the Empress, who could only retort that she had placed Huang Kong in charge of their education, not to beat them black and blue. Of course, although this was true, many other things came to light, such as the poisoning's, which meant to cripple the Princes minds and was suspected to have caused the death of Fourth Prince. You Zhi was a mine of information, a gold treasure kept close for such an occasion. The Empress found herself moved to the Cold Palace and lost her status. Huang Jia was ruined with Minister Huang beheaded with his son and others in the main house and branch families came to be exiled. The Crown Prince became just Third Prince. The two Princesses were renamed Wáng, but if Jing Yi thought she might get out of her marriage, she thought wrong.

Translations;

when keeping tigers, always face them ah one of mine again, basically meaning when there is danger around, face it or get stabbed in the back sort of thing.  Wanted a stronger saying than keeping friends close and enemies closer.

would learn to make a clear path for his sword Er.. cough, cough.  This is one of my creations...

Sow melons, reap melons. Sow beans, reap beans actual saying, means same as you reap what you sow.

there is no person that has one thousand good days in a row and no flower that stays red for one hundred days actual saying, means all good things must come to an end.