The tall steed blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow over Liu Yun’s head as a rustling sound reached her ears.
A pair of black brocade boots landed first, crushing the tender grass beneath, then stepped forward and stopped beside the hem of the young woman’s pink skirt.
“Are you injured?”
Another shadow fell close by. Through the haze of pain, Liu Yun vaguely saw the Crown Prince crouch down beside her, his voice gentle.
Xiao Heng pursed his lips, a flicker of regret flashing in his slightly lowered eyes.
Before she could muster a vague acknowledgment, she felt two long arms press toward her—one wrapping around her shoulder, the other hooking behind her knees, as if preparing to lift her into his arms.
Remembering who this man was, Liu Yun felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her mind. The pain in her foot was forgotten, and all sense of propriety vanished as she pushed forcefully against the person about to embrace her.
“This won’t do! This won’t do!”
In broad daylight, with so many people on the polo field, what would happen if she were truly held in the Crown Prince’s arms? Her reputation must not be ruined, especially not by the Crown Prince.
Has the Crown Prince gone mad?
The thought sent her heart racing.
She had used all her strength in that push, but it only caused the Crown Prince to sway slightly, with no further effect.
Perhaps the Crown Prince had regained some of his senses, as he quietly released her.
Noticing that some people had begun to take notice, Liu Yun ignored everything else. Leaning on Jin He, she struggled to stand, hastily uttering a few words before limping away in a panic.
“This humble girl is fine. Your Highness need not trouble yourself.”
Master and servant fled with lightning speed, leaving behind only the brooding Crown Prince, Xiao Heng, and the colorful ball on the ground, which had rolled slightly after being brushed by her skirt.
“Do I look that terrifying?”
Clenching his fist, he asked Su Lin behind him with a gloomy expression.
The question nearly made Su Lin break out in a cold sweat, unsure how to respond. At that moment, he wished he could flee to the ends of the earth.
But as the Crown Prince’s close attendant, Su Lin had no escape. He carefully chose his words: “Your Highness, perhaps Lady Liu is naturally timid, and Your Highness’s imposing presence is simply too overwhelming for her to bear.”
In truth, Su Lin knew that Lady Liu’s timidity was secondary. Her rejection of His Highness likely stemmed from a genuine lack of improper thoughts toward him. If she had been interested, she would have shyly acquiesced and waited for His Highness to grant her a title.
Not only did His Highness fail to understand, but Su Lin also found it puzzling.
Was there truly a young lady who did not wish to be associated with His Highness?
But he dared not say this directly to His Highness, instead racking his brains for a plausible explanation.
His Highness, likely not believing that Lady Liu would look down on him, naturally accepted this reasoning, his expression brightening.
“It’s fine. She’ll grow accustomed to it in time.”
Watching Liu Yun’s fleeing figure, Xiao Heng spoke calmly.
Su Lin forced a smile, about to offer a few words of agreement, when His Highness added, “Find a young monk. I have some matters to arrange.”
Su Lin assented, guessing it was likely related to Lady Liu.
…
Inside the meditation room of Ci’en Temple, Liu Yun sat on the couch with Jin He’s support, patiently waiting for the elderly physician to examine her injured foot.
Her mind began to wander, and she couldn’t help but think that the Crown Prince might be bad luck for her.
Otherwise, why did she always suffer misfortune whenever she encountered him?
Last time, she was scolded by County Princess Rong’an; this time, she sprained her foot. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
In the future, she should avoid the Crown Prince as much as possible.
“Do not worry, madam. The sprain is minor. Apply some medicinal oil and rest for a day or two, and it should heal.”
The old physician’s steady, firm voice put both mistress and maid at ease. They hurriedly expressed their gratitude: “Thank you, doctor. Here is the consultation fee and medicine money.”
The physician had been summoned by a young novice monk from the temple, but the payment naturally had to come from them.
However, the old physician waved his hand in refusal, chuckling as he said, “Madam may not know, but someone has already paid the fee. This old man certainly cannot accept another payment.”
The mistress and maid wanted to ask more, but the old physician simply chuckled and left, giving them no opportunity.
“Madam, could it be…”
Jin He’s expression was subtle as she tentatively began to speak, but Liu Yun cut her off before she could finish.
“It shouldn’t be. Who is that person?”
Was he someone so easy to deal with?
Jin He fell silent, seemingly in agreement.
Inside the meditation room, after Jin He finished applying the medicinal oil for her mistress, another young novice monk entered.
“Benefactor, someone has entrusted this humble monk to deliver an item to you, along with a few words.”
“What?”
One thing after another today—Liu Yun was caught completely off guard.
The young novice monk pulled an object from his robe and said earnestly, “That person said: ‘Today’s incident was my fault, and I should make amends. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you may take this item to Tianqin Tower to find me.'”
At first, Liu Yun felt somewhat bewildered, but as soon as she clearly saw what the young novice held in his hand, her pupils trembled violently.
That damned White Jade Dragon Jue!
How had it come back again?
“I… I don’t want this. I won’t have any difficulties in the future either. Little master, please… please return it.”
It was clearly the Crown Prince.
A shadow of fear rose within her, and Liu Yun’s teeth even began to chatter faintly. She pushed the jade jue away as if facing a ferocious beast.
But this clearly put the young novice in a difficult position. He insisted on placing the jade jue into Liu Yun’s hand.
“Benefactor, please accept it. Otherwise, this humble monk will have trouble fulfilling his duty.”
“Please, have pity on this humble monk.”
Remembering the cold, stern words of the nobleman, the young novice felt uneasy.
“You must make her accept it, otherwise…”
The nobleman’s words were left unfinished, but the young novice sensed the authority behind them.
Seeing the young novice’s fear, Liu Yun felt a surge of compassion.
He was just a child of eleven or twelve—she couldn’t possibly bring harm upon him.
And so, Liu Yun mustered her courage and kept the jade jue.
“How annoying!”
If only she hadn’t come to this Bathing of the Buddha Festival.
Liu Yun felt like crying but had no tears. She secretly punched the White Jade Dragon Jue a few times to vent her frustration.
Jin He watched from the side, hesitating to speak.
She couldn’t help feeling that the Crown Prince was acting somewhat strangely, but she didn’t dare speculate in that direction.
After all, he was no ordinary gentleman—it seemed highly unlikely.
…
After returning from the Bathing of the Buddha Festival, Liu Yun rested at home for a few days, and her foot injury healed completely.
It hadn’t been a serious injury to begin with.
However, after her return, when her parents learned the whole story, they both fell silent for a few moments, exchanging glances.
Liu Yun had pressed them with a few questions at the time, but her parents, as if by prior agreement, said it was nothing and distracted her with Cherry Biluo.
Liu Yun was carefree by nature and didn’t dwell on the matter. Besides, her birthday was only a few days away, and her heart was filled with anticipation.
She looked forward to what gifts her parents and younger brother would give her for this year’s birthday celebration.
She really wanted the Flower Goddess Mohele from Tianqiao Zhai, and also a new dress made from a bolt of jade gauze…
Unlike the imperial relatives and nobility who enjoyed the finest of everything, although Liu Yun never lacked food or clothing, she rarely had access to the best things in Yanjing.
While the daughters of imperial relatives, nobles, and high-ranking officials could stroll through spring outings wearing the Floating Light Brocade bestowed by the emperor, she would have been perfectly content with just a beautiful dress made of jade gauze.
Time passed little by little in Liu Yun’s anticipation, until Yanjing was suddenly hit by rain—and not a light drizzle at that.
Rainy days were inherently vexing, permeated with dampness and a musty odor; stepping outside would inevitably soak one’s shoes.
Liu Yun disliked rainy days and spent several consecutive days holed up in her boudoir, crafting little trinkets she enjoyed.
Unlike the outstanding young ladies of Yanjing, who excelled in elegant pursuits like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, flower arranging, tea preparation, and incense blending—earning widespread praise—Liu Yun only knew how to make small trinkets, things that outsiders might consider unrefined or unfit for proper society.
Aside from the unspeakable Huaben, there were other things.
Such as making lip rouge, rosewater, pastries, and sewing cloth dolls.
These were not the skills a virtuous and accomplished young lady of good breeding ought to excel in, but Liu Yun simply loved them.
During her leisure hours each day, staying in her boudoir to create these little things brought Liu Yun immense happiness and joy.
If others didn’t understand, so be it; if they thought her unimpressive, let them think so—she was no noblewoman from a prestigious family anyway.
She was merely the ordinary daughter of a minor fifth-rank official.
As long as she was happy living this way, it was enough.
The rain lasted for two days and a night, and Liu Yun spent the same time in her boudoir sewing cloth dolls, completing two in total.
One was a rabbit, the other a kitten.
She had planned that once the weather cleared, she would go find Zhenzhen and let her choose one of the dolls.
But what arrived instead was news that her father had been imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison.
The servant who had accompanied him rushed back, pale-faced and frantic. Though he stammered incoherently in his panic, he managed to convey the gist of the matter.
The reason was the collapse of the Longevity Pavilion, which had been constructed by the Ministry of Works six months earlier, inciting the emperor’s wrath and leading to an investigation.
The Longevity Pavilion, as its name implied, was built to pray for longevity and blessings—a structure the emperor had commissioned for the empress dowager to demonstrate his profound filial piety to the world.
Yet it had suddenly collapsed. After an investigation, it was discovered that during its construction, materials had been skimped on and substandard substitutes used, causing it to fail under just a few days of rain and ultimately rot and collapse.
The Ministry of Works pinned the blame on Liu Yun’s father, who served as Director of the Bureau of Construction.
Indeed, the Bureau of Construction was the division responsible for building projects, and as its director, her father should, in principle, have been accountable for the Longevity Pavilion incident.
However, this project had not actually been under her father’s direct supervision.
The Liu family had no strong connections in Yanjing; her father’s position as a fifth-rank director had been attained through a mix of seniority and sheer luck.
Constructing a pavilion for the emperor was a prestigious and lucrative assignment, inevitably attracting covetous eyes.
Her father’s subordinate, the Vice Director of the Bureau of Construction, shared the same Chen lineage as the Vice Minister of Works—they were uncle and nephew.
With just a word from Vice Minister Chen, this lucrative task bypassed her father, the director, and was handed to his nephew.
Thus, from start to finish, her father had naturally been excluded from involvement, as the task was seized by Vice Minister Chen’s nephew.
And now that disaster had struck, they suddenly remembered that this assignment originally belonged to her father?
With only three days left until her birthday, such a calamity had befallen the Liu family. How could Liu Yun still have the heart to look forward to her birthday?
She set aside the sewn cloth dolls and, like her mother, began desperately brainstorming ideas and rushing about everywhere.
Her younger brother was deeply engrossed in his studies. Mother and daughter had intended to keep the matter from him, but he learned of it from the Imperial College and pleaded with its officials and administrators, though he received no definitive assurances.
The situation was much the same for the mother and daughter—some were powerless to help, while others were unwilling to offend the Chen family for the sake of the Lius.
After all, the Chen family still had an elder serving as a Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy.
The rain had stopped for a day and a night, but Liu Yun couldn’t find any joy in it.
Even though her mother kept comforting her, her mother’s persistently furrowed brow told her that things were far more serious than they seemed.
Liu Yun felt she had to do something, or her father would truly be in trouble.
Although Minister Wei of the Ministry of Works and Vice Minister Chen were not relatives, they had been colleagues for many years and shared a close relationship. As long as Minister Wei refused to relent, everyone in the Ministry of Works would maintain a unified stance.
And since His Majesty was unaware of the truth, there was a real possibility he might impose severe punishment.
Even dismissal from office.
Years of hard work would be wasted, all efforts coming to nothing.
Liu Yun lay awake for half the night, slept fitfully for a mere two hours, and finally gritted her teeth to make a risky decision.
After a quick wash, Liu Yun, to conceal her haggard appearance, had Jin He apply some powder and changed into a proper dress. She solemnly retrieved the White Jade Dragon Jue and carried it with her.
Her mother was not at home, likely out again seeking help for her father, so Liu Yun’s sudden departure went unquestioned.
“To Tianqin Tower.”
The coachman said nothing more, driving the carriage toward the largest restaurant in the eastern part of the city.
Author’s Note:
Update.
Next chapter on Wednesday.
By the way, Shanbao’s skill of making “A Beibei” will lead to some amusing scenes, like the male lead begging his wife to make one for him too. What kind of “plastic” do you think the male lead resembles? We can arrange an animal “A Beibei” for him later.