“You’re afraid you’ll miss. Let me do it.”
At the clear, ringing voice, the crowd watching all turned their heads to look. When they saw it was Si Huahuan, they naturally stepped aside to make way for her.
Xie Yun loosened the fully drawn bow. After thinking for a moment, he handed the bow and arrow to her.
The bow was large and felt heavy in her hands. Si Huahuan nearly dropped it when she took hold of it, her body sinking downward slightly before she quickly steadied herself, putting on a calm front.
She had watched Xie Yun handle it so easily and thought the bow wasn’t heavy. Only when she held it did she realize it was far heavier than she had imagined.
She struggled to prop the bow upright and hooked her slender fingers around the bowstring. Then a new problem arose —
She couldn’t draw the string.
It moved only by the tiniest fraction, so small it was almost unnoticeable. It made her look like a child playing with an adult’s weapon.
She was secretly feeling embarrassed when she suddenly felt warmth against her back. A firm chest had pressed close behind her at some point, and an arm reached over her shoulder, drawing her partly into an embrace.
His palm covered her hand holding the bow, while his other hand wrapped around the fingertips that grasped the string.
Warm body heat instantly enveloped her, and she froze.
“I’ll teach you.”
A low voice sounded by her ear, warm breath brushing against her earlobe. It felt ticklish and sent a faint tingle through her.
It was the first time she had felt such a strange sensation, and she couldn’t help but twitch her ear slightly.
“Don’t move.”
His breath washed over her ear again, and her back grew even stiffer.
She could clearly feel the warmth of his chest seeping through their clothes. She could even feel the beat of his heart against her back — one beat, then another, slowly falling into rhythm with her own flustered heartbeat.
She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself down.
He guided her arms to draw the bowstring slowly. She could feel the tension building in the bowstring as it stretched between their hands.
The tip of the arrow pointed straight at the red fruit above the Crown Prince’s head.
Whoosh —
The arrow left the string, cutting sharply through the air. The red fruit split apart at once, fragments scattering in all directions.
The Crown Prince had long turned ashen-faced. His legs turned to jelly, and he nearly fell to his knees.
But he was surrounded on all sides by a dense wall of arrows. He couldn’t kneel even if he wanted to. All he could do was stand there, his legs shaking, gritting his teeth to hold himself up.
The warmth behind her faded, and Si Huahuan realized she had been holding her breath for a long time.
Xie Yun had stepped back half a pace, as if that moment of closeness had never happened. Only the lingering warmth on her fingertips proved it hadn’t been an illusion.
She didn’t even glance at the living target in the distance, completely unconcerned whether that man lived or died. She just stared straight at Xie Yun with eyes still wide with surprise, lost in thought for a moment.
Why had he suddenly changed his ways and stepped in to help her? Normally, if he saw her making a fool of herself, he would be the first one to enjoy the sight.
Ah… right. There were so many people watching right now. Naturally, he had to put on a good show and maintain that image of a refined, noble gentleman.
Pretentious. Acting one way in front of others and another behind their backs — that was always his specialty.
The onlookers were also confused.
Rumors said that the Marquis of Ming’an had been forced into this marriage by imperial decree, and was only becoming the consort against his will.
So what was he doing right now…?
But having said that, the sight of the two of them standing quietly side by side was truly a pleasing one.
Princess Kangle was stunningly beautiful. Her features were as delicate as a painting, with slightly upturned eyes that held a natural charm whenever she looked about, yet also carried a sharp, imposing air that kept others from approaching casually.
The Marquis of Ming’an stood tall and straight like a bamboo swaying in the wind. There was a pure, clear brightness in his features, like fresh snow just settled after a storm. Every movement he made held the poise and grace of a noble family heir.
She was brilliant and striking; he was elegant and composed. She was sharp and bold; he was reserved and steady. They seemed like a perfect match made for each other.
Xie Yun leaned closer, a teasing smile playing on his lips. He spoke in a low voice only the two of them could hear: “Nice to look at, isn’t it?”
Si Huahuan snapped out of her daze. Coming back to her senses, she felt secretly annoyed. What on earth was she doing? How could she get lost staring at Xie Yun?
Maybe her spirit really wasn’t whole today, and a piece of her soul had drifted back to her past life and gotten left behind.
Perhaps the afternoon sun was too bright and dazzling. She felt a little lightheaded, and a flush rose on her cheeks.
She simply let go and dropped the bow to the ground, huffing softly. “Boring.” She didn’t glance at anyone around her, just lowered her head and walked quickly out of the archery range.
She could still faintly feel a lingering warmth against her back. The scent of white magnolia that clung to Xie Yun hadn’t entirely faded from her clothes. As she walked, she said to Wei Zi, “I’m going back to my courtyard to bathe and change my clothes.”
Wei Zi saw that her face was flushed and she was breathing slightly fast. She asked hurriedly, “Is something wrong, Your Highness? Should I summon Imperial Physician Jiang?”
Si Huahuan shook her head.
It must be Xie Yun bringing her bad luck. That was why she felt out of sorts.
That was definitely it.
For several days afterward, whenever Si Huahuan caught sight of Xie Yun, she would immediately turn and walk the other way.
If she saw his figure from a distance on a winding corridor or narrow path, she would instantly turn onto a side path. If she was scattering food for fish at the lake pavilion and saw him approaching, she would toss all the feed into the water and walk quickly away from the other side.
She was convinced that Xie Yun was nothing but bad luck for her. Whenever she got too close to him, trouble was sure to follow. If that was the case, it was better just to stay out of his sight.
He had upset her with all this talk about their marriage. She needed to find a way to get back at him.
For several days straight, Xie Yun didn’t see Si Huahuan at all.
It wasn’t just that they didn’t meet face to face. He didn’t even catch a glimpse of her back as she hurried away from him.
His mood darkened slightly. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he went looking for the Imperial Medical Office.
He walked into the courtyard. There, a figure dressed in cyan stood with his back to him, sorting and drying medicinal herbs. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a lean, muscular forearm.
He and Jiang Heshu had known each other since childhood and were quite good friends. Still, it was rare for Xie Yun to visit him at the Imperial Medical Office. He had always been in excellent health, so his sudden arrival did surprise Jiang Heshu a little.
“What brings you here?” Jiang Heshu didn’t stop moving as he spoke, still sorting through the herbs in his hands.
Xie Yun went straight to the point. “Has the Princess been unwell lately?”
Jiang Heshu looked confused. “She hasn’t called for me to examine her. Is she sick?”
Xie Yun said, “If you don’t know, how would I?”
Jiang Heshu paused in his work. He looked him up and down with a puzzled expression. “Then why are you asking…?”
Xie Yun coughed lightly. “Have you seen her these past few days?”
Jiang Heshu brushed the herb dust off his palms, understanding dawning on him. “Ah, that’s what you mean. The Princess has been busy these days gathering rare treasures from the Crown Prince’s private storehouse. She says they’re to add to her dowry.”
“Add to her dowry?”
Jiang Heshu nodded.
Xie Yun’s expression turned strange.
Was she short of money?
Her dowry had already been prepared long ago, filling over a hundred chests. It far exceeded the standard set for a princess. Even Emperor Jiaping still thought it wasn’t enough. He kept adding new things day after day, sending rare and precious treasures from the imperial stores to the Princess’s residence in an endless stream.
Such extraordinary favor was unheard of. It wasn’t just a lavish dowry fit for a noble wedding — it was enough to fill miles and miles of procession.
Besides, the last thing the Marquis of Ming’an’s residence lacked was wealth.
The Xie family had served as military commanders for generations. Their ancestors had followed the founding emperor to expand the empire’s borders and achieved deeds of unmatched merit. The rewards piled up in their family vault were so vast that they wouldn’t be exhausted even in this lifetime, or even if passed down through ten generations of descendants.
She was the most favored princess in the empire. Why would she personally go through Si Huarong’s private stores searching for treasures?
Unless…
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. Xie Yun snapped a medicinal herb he had picked up at some point, tossing it back into the tray without hesitation, and turned to leave.
All that was left was Jiang Heshu’s heart-wrenching shout from behind: “Hey! That’s my cordyceps!”
The next day, after the court assembly, Xie Yun went straight to Yong’an Palace. He happened to meet Si Huahuan just as she was stepping out through the threshold.
Xie Yun said, “…Why do you keep going to Ziwen’s place these days?”
Si Huahuan stopped in her tracks. She turned sideways and looked back at him with a strange expression. “What business is it of yours if I go to my brother’s place?”
Xie Yun pressed his lips together. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. Finally, he voiced the suspicion that had been lingering in his mind. “You’re gathering all these treasures… You aren’t thinking of running away from the marriage, are you?”
At those words, Si Huahuan lifted her eyes. Her gaze was as if she were looking at something incredibly foolish. “Have I lost my mind? Why would I give up being a princess of the Great Yue Empire just to run away from a marriage? Do you think I’d flee for my life with gold, silver, and valuables in tow?”
She scoffed. “Xie Yun, you really think far too highly of yourself.”
Most people, if ridiculed to their face like that, would have been furious. Yet inexplicably, Xie Yun felt a weight lift from his chest, and the gloomy mood that had plagued him all night quietly faded away.
That strange shift in feeling passed in an instant, so quickly he couldn’t even grasp it himself.
“I see,” he replied softly, his tone much gentler than before.
Si Huahuan said, “Did you come all this way just to ask me that?”
Xie Yun twitched the corner of his mouth. “Haha, of course not. I was just… just passing by.”
He stood tall and proud in his deep purple official robes, yet his words sounded completely unconvincing.
Si Huahuan let her eyes sweep slowly over his official uniform. She looked at him with an expression that clearly said, Do you really expect me to believe that? and pure disdain in her eyes.
They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, yet he was becoming more and more bizarre.
She didn’t want to get tangled up in conversation with him any longer and was about to sweep past him and leave. Suddenly, she felt a cool drop on her cheek. She touched it lightly with her fingertip — it was damp.
She looked up in surprise. The sun was blazing bright, and the sky was a clear, cloudless blue. There wasn’t the slightest sign of rain.
Before she could think much about it, the rain began pouring down suddenly. In the blink of an eye, large, heavy drops were falling in a torrential downpour.
She looked at Xie Yun in disbelief. It really was true — whenever she ran into this man, nothing good ever came of it. She even had to run into such a strange thing as rain falling from a clear blue sky.
She lifted her skirts and hurried back toward Yong’an Palace. When she reached the shelter of the corridor eaves, she heard footsteps following close behind her. She turned her head and saw Xie Yun strolling casually in after her.
“What are you doing following me into my private chambers?” Si Huahuan demanded, her eyes flashing with anger.
Xie Yun brushed lightly at his slightly damp sleeves, completely unhurried and unconcerned. “Taking shelter from the rain, naturally.”
With that, he went and sat down on the pear-wood chair in the main hall, making himself as comfortable as if he were in his own home.
Outside the windows, the patter of rain grew louder, making Si Huahuan feel inexplicably more irritable.
She sat down stiffly on the chair opposite him and signaled a palace maid to serve tea. Her tone was sharp and cold. “This sunshower won’t last long. Leave as soon as it stops.”
Xie Yun smiled softly at her words. “What’s the hurry? Rain like this is rare. Shouldn’t we enjoy the view properly?”
Si Huahuan couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him and didn’t respond. She lowered her eyes and sipped her tea, hoping only that the rain would end quickly so she could get rid of this nuisance.
But just as troubles never come singly, no sooner did the rain begin to ease up than officials from the Ministry of Imperial Household arrived.
The official in charge of the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, who led the group, paused when he saw Xie Yun was there. He quickly composed himself and bowed respectfully to both of them. “Greetings to Princess Kangle and the Marquis of Ming’an.”
“You may rise,” Si Huahuan said coolly.
Behind the official, two assistants each carried an ornate brocade box. They stepped forward and presented one each to Si Huahuan and Xie Yun.
When the lid of the box was opened, the wedding gown before Si Huahuan gleamed with dazzling luster. It had been personally commissioned by the Empress and embroidered by a thousand of the palace’s most skilled needlewomen working together.
On deep cyan brocade, threads of gold had been woven into patterns of pheasants, layered one over another across the entire garment, vivid and lifelike. Along the wide cuffs and neckline, raised gold embroidery formed designs of swirling clouds and phoenixes, adding to its magnificent and noble air.
The wedding gown presented to Xie Yun was no ordinary piece either. It was a robe of deep red gauze, the color of ripe jujube fruit, dignified and stately. Along the collar, cuffs, and hem, golden threads were woven into patterns of winding dragons. Their powerful forms were subtly visible beneath the red gauze, carrying an awe-inspiring grandeur.
The official said, “These are the ceremonial robes you two are to wear at the auspicious ceremony next month. We ask that you examine them carefully. If there are any flaws, I shall have them corrected immediately.”
Next, the official presented another brocade box he had been holding to Xie Yun. Inside was a garment patterned in deep cyan and red.
Compared to their wedding robes, this piece was much smaller, looking like something a child would wear.
Si Huahuan said, “…Do you have a child this old already?”
Xie Yun glanced sideways at her. “Where would I get a child this big from?”
Seeing her misunderstanding, the official quickly spoke up. “Marquis, this is the ceremonial robe you ordered custom-made for your beloved hound. We ask that you try it on him to see how it fits. If you are dissatisfied with the size or patterns, I will have it remade at once.”
Si Huahuan was left speechless.
Who on earth would have a special ceremonial robe made just for their dog?