Xie Yun was about to speak, but Si Huahuan had already turned away. “Yao Huang, see the guest out!”
She walked toward the inner chambers without glancing back, leaving behind only a faint, fragrant breeze mixed with the subtle scent of wine.
Xie Yun stood rooted to the spot, his fingers unconsciously curling into fists.
He was Heaven’s favored child, born to be surrounded by admirers. When had he ever been treated with such disdain time and time again?
Those peach‑blossom eyes, usually so casual and unconcerned, were now dark as ink, and the line of his jaw was drawn tight with tension.
Si Huahuan was being attended to as she removed her hair ornaments before her dressing table, when Yao Huang entered the room and asked softly, “Your Highness, what shall we do with the pastries the Marquis of Ming’an brought?”
Huahuan lifted her gaze from the bronze mirror. “What pastries?”
“The Jade Dew Dumplings and Translucent Rice Cakes from the Full Moon Workshop.”
The Full Moon Workshop was the most renowned pastry shop in the capital. Their confections were innovative in design, unique in flavor, and rather expensive, yet greatly favored by high officials and nobility. People lined up there every single day.
She had a sweet tooth and was especially fond of those two treats.
“As if I’d care,” Huahuan scoffed, turning her head away and waving her hand dismissively. “Give them to you all as a reward.”
Early the next morning, Si Huahuan was selecting new fabrics presented by the Imperial Workshop when a maid announced that the Crown Prince had arrived.
There was a rare sternness on Si Huarong’s usually gentle and warm face. Upon entering the hall, he immediately dismissed everyone. “You may leave us for a while.”
Once the great doors were gently closed, Huahuan ran her fingers over a piece of brocade patterned with cloud designs and asked in puzzlement, “What is the matter, Brother?”
“Where did you go yesterday?”
Huahuan pinched the fabric between her fingertips, speaking with deliberate lightness. “I went out of the palace to wander about a bit.”
“Zhenzhen.” Huarong’s voice deepened, the lengthened tone carrying a distinct warning.
Her expression shifted slightly. “Who has been gossiping nonsense to you, Brother?”
Seeing her reaction, Huarong frowned deeply. “How could you go to that kind of place?”
“I just went to have a little fun, that’s all,” she said, twining a lock of hair around her finger, utterly unrepentant.
“Even if you were dissatisfied with the candidates Father selected for you, you cannot act so recklessly and visit such establishments.” He paused briefly. “Those places are not where an unmarried princess should be seen.”
“Oh?” Huahuan’s eyes swirled with mischief. “So once I am married, will it be acceptable?”
“You—” Huarong nearly choked on his words. He raised a hand to rub his throbbing temples, his tone softening. “Zhenzhen, do not follow Qingyang’s example and cause trouble. We can take our time finding a suitable consort. Why must you…?”
“Who exactly told on you Brother?”
She suddenly took a step closer, her cat‑like eyes fixed intently upon his face.
Huarong’s gaze wavered, avoiding hers. “You do not need to know who told me. But there is no wall under Heaven that does not let wind through. If you do something, it will eventually come to light.”
“It was Xie Jingchu, wasn’t it?” Huahuan stated firmly.
She watched his expression without blinking. He had never been good at lying; after knowing him for so many years, she could read him at a glance.
As she saw his features shift minutely, she knew the truth.
Sure enough, it was that persistent, inescapable Xie Yun again!
Yesterday she had thought he had spies everywhere in the capital, and clearly she had not wronged him.
He simply could not bear to see her have even a moment of peace and comfort. He had schemed day and night to gather information, then rushed first thing in the morning to tattle to her brother.
Despicable! Contemptible!
Huahuan’s chest heaved rapidly with rage. She had already gone out of her way to keep her distance from him and stop opposing him. Yet this scoundrel grew more and more arrogant, going so far as to try to control her every move.
Who did Xie Yun think he was? By what right did he think he could manage her life?
Huarong exhorted her earnestly at length, then departed. Once he was gone, Huahuan narrowed her eyes, smiling with amusement. “Wei Zi, prepare the carriage. We are going to the Plum Blossom Garden.”
He forbade her from going? She absolutely would go.
Mistress Qian, the owner, opened the door. Upon seeing that noble, elegant figure, her smile stretched from ear to ear. “Oh my, the young miss has returned!”
This honored guest might have a temper, but she spent money with great generosity!
“What kind of men would you like today, and how many?”
Without needing a signal from Huahuan, Yao Huang handed Mistress Qian another gold ingot. Huahuan simply said, “Still, only those who are handsome.”
“Understood!” Mistress Qian tucked the gold away. “Please follow me, young miss.”
They walked a short distance before Huahuan asked casually, “When ordinary guests come here, what sort of things do they usually do for amusement?”
Mistress Qian froze for a split second, her eyes rolling quickly as she covered her mouth with her fan and giggled. “Does the young miss wish to try something new? How about finger games and wine forfeits?”
Seeing the look of interest dawn on Huahuan’s face, Mistress Qian beamed and explained, “It is a guessing game. If you lose, you must drink a cup of wine as a penalty.”
When they reached the private room, Huahuan noticed that the chamber she was led to this time was far more spacious. At the back, a large bed draped with red silk curtains stood out prominently.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Ah…” Mistress Qian was caught off guard by the question and stiffened momentarily before rushing to clarify. “You misunderstand, young miss! This is our finest private chamber, prepared exclusively for the most honored guests.”
She stole a glance at Huahuan’s expression, and seeing that she was not going to press the matter further, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Soon after, the pearl‑beaded curtain was lifted, and ten handsome young men, dressed in various styles and carefully made up, entered one by one.
“Young miss~” purred a youth wearing a deep red robe as he stepped closer. Seeing no sign of rejection, he gathered his courage and knelt respectfully beside her.
“I heard you did not wish to listen to music today, but wanted to play finger games and drink wine?” His voice was clear and smooth as he patiently demonstrated the rules.
“It is very simple. You call out any number from one to ten, and hold up any number of fingers from one to five. If the sum of both players’ fingers matches the number you called, you win.”
“This is one… and this is five…” The young man moved his slender fingers through the air to illustrate.
Huahuan found it novel and learned the rules very quickly.
“Let’s begin!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation as she held up her hand in readiness. Her emerald jade bracelet slid down her forearm as she moved, making the skin appear even fairer and whiter by contrast.
They both played at the same time.
“Seven beauties!” “Six sixes!”
Huahuan showed five fingers; the youth showed two. Huahuan won.
She lifted her chin proudly. The young man smiled and tilted his head back to drain his cup. As his Adam’s apple bobbed, a few drops of wine trickled down his neck and disappeared beneath his collar.
After winning three rounds in a row, her spirits soared. She was basking in her triumph and completely failed to notice the men behind her exchanging meaningful glances.
“Four blessings!” “Eight horses!”
Huahuan showed three fingers; the opponent showed five. She finally lost a round.
“Young miss, it is your turn,” the young man said with a smile, holding out the wine cup.
Huahuan had always been one to accept defeat gracefully. She huffed softly, then tilted her head back and drained the cup without hesitation.
The slightly sharp taste of the wine burned pleasantly warm in her throat. But as she was immersed in this new amusement, she failed to notice that this wine was far stronger than the one she had drunk previously.
As the game went on, things gradually got out of hand. Huahuan won two rounds, then lost three in a row. After several turns, the alcohol began to rise to her head, painting her cheeks a deep rosy red. Still, she refused to concede. “Again!”
Another cup was poured and presented. Wei Zi reached out to stop them. “Young miss, you must not drink any more.”
Huahuan’s eyes were already glazed and unfocused. She brushed Wei Zi’s hand away crossly, pointing at the man in blue and puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. “Get out of the way! I refuse to believe I cannot beat you today!”
She swayed forward unsteadily, grabbing the young man’s wrist and glaring at him. “You are not allowed to cheat this time! You called eight but only showed two fingers! Do not think I have forgotten!”
The man in blue smiled placatingly. “Yes, yes. It was my fault just now. I shall punish myself with a cup.”
Yet even though he did not cheat this round, Huahuan still lost.
Seeing that her hand was already growing weak as she played, the man in blue thoughtfully brought the cup right to her lips. “Please drink, young miss~”
Having lost several times in a row, Huahuan was thoroughly vexed. She leaned forward and drank from the cup held to her lips.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud *bang*.
The man in blue’s hand jerked, spilling wine all over Huahuan’s chin. She wiped it away casually with her sleeve, her mind hazy and displeased as she looked toward the noise.
Her movements were sluggish. Her long, thick lashes fluttered up and down as she blinked slowly. Then she broke into a bright, beaming smile and called out to the newcomer, “Oh, it’s you~! Come join us now that you’re here!”
Xie Yun’s face was dark as storm clouds. He looked at the girl, who was swaying dizzily behind the table, surrounded by ten handsome men of every description, all feeding her wine. His lips pressed into a thin, rigid line.
Carousing, drinking to excess, letting herself get dead drunk… and now she had even mistaken him for someone else!
Xie Yun took a deep breath and commanded in a powerful, resonant voice, “Rectify conduct! Take them all away!”
No sooner had he spoken than more than a dozen men appeared from behind him, filing into the room and swiftly dragging the ten handsome young men out.
Huahuan, suddenly finding herself completely alone: “?”
She shook her muddled head, managing to focus her eyes enough to recognize who had come. Leaning on the table to stand up unsteadily, she pointed at Xie Yun. “You… are you insane, Xie Yun!”
*Rectify conduct?* She had never heard that the High Court was responsible for policing such matters!
And why was there no noise coming from the other rooms? Why was he only rectifying *her* room? It was obvious he was doing this specifically to spite her!
She stumbled forward, intending to argue with him, but stepped on some spilled wine on the floor. Her foot slipped, and she pitched forward head‑on.
The expected pain never came. Instead, she found herself caught in an embrace scented with white orchid.
Huahuan tried to curse, but everything went black before her eyes. She only managed to mumble softly, “You bastard Xie…”
Then her head lolled to the side, and she lost all consciousness.
Xie Yun felt as if he were catching not a person, but an entire wine jar.
How could she let herself get this drunk? She had practically soaked herself in alcohol!
He looked down. The girl in his arms had flushed cheeks, and even in her sleep her expression was marked by displeasure. Her pink lips were pouted slightly in an unconscious pout, and her lashes cast two soft, pale shadows beneath her eyes.
Her delicate little face had lost the arrogance she usually wore, revealing instead a soft, childlike innocence. She looked so well‑behaved and sweet, it was hard to believe she had been shouting insults at him only moments ago.
Xie Yun sighed. He slipped his other arm beneath her knees and lifted her fully into his arms, pulling her closer against his chest. He turned to the stunned Wei Zi and asked, “Where is the carriage?”
Wei Zi snapped out of her daze, not daring to say a word in protest. She could only hurry forward to lead the way.
She clenched her sleeves in frustration. When the Princess woke up and realized she had been carried back by the Marquis of Ming’an, she would no doubt declare herself cursed and demand to be bathed and purified a dozen times over.
It seemed that craving excitement was part of human nature. With such a commotion happening in this room, the music and singing in all the other chambers had stopped simultaneously. Doors were quietly opened with just a crack.
Some guests peered through the gaps, catching sight of the figure standing out so prominently amidst the chaos. Their eyes widened, and they gasped in shock.
Good heavens! Was that not the Marquis of Ming’an?
And the one he was holding in his arms…
Oh Heaven! It was Princess Kangle!