Upon hearing that the Princess Royal’s carriage had arrived, Wei Nian hurried out to greet it.
Seeing that only Gu Jingyu had alighted from the carriage, Wei Nian stepped forward and said, “Cousin Jingyu, why are you the only one in the Princess Royal’s carriage? Where is Yun?”
Gu Jingyu curtsied to Wei Nian and the Duchess of Wei before her, saying, “Aunt, Cousin, my mother is too busy with year-end affairs to attend the banquet. My sister-in-law has fallen seriously ill with a cold and is resting these days, so Jingru stayed behind to play with Nuonuo. I’m the only one free to come.”
Wei Nian frowned slightly. “Why did she fall ill at this particular time? Is she very sick?”
Gu Jingyu replied, “Thank you for your concern for my sister-in-law. She should recover after a few days of rest.”
Wei Nian clenched her fists. She had gone to such great lengths to organize this plum blossom viewing banquet precisely to humiliate Yun Xiangye in front of the noble ladies and esteemed wives. Yet Yun had fallen ill—wasn’t this banquet all for nothing?
Wei Nian couldn’t help feeling resentful.
Among the ladies and young misses of Chang’an gathered in the plum garden, many had hoped to catch a glimpse of Yun Xiangye today. They wanted to see what kind of peerless beauty could make the heir of Prince Ning forsake five noble ladies of Chang’an and marry her instead.
When they learned that Yun Xiangye was seriously ill and unable to attend the plum blossom viewing at the Duke of Wei’s estate, murmurs and discussions arose in small groups.
“Who knows if this consort is truly ill, or if she’s just too timid as a merchant’s daughter from a small town to attend a high-society plum blossom banquet?”
“A consort must also be granted a title by His Majesty. How can that woman be considered a consort? After all, there were no formal betrothal rites. Perhaps the Princess Royal doesn’t recognize this daughter-in-law and didn’t allow her to attend the banquet at the Duke’s estate, fearing she would disgrace the Princess Royal’s household.”
Inside the Eastern Palace.
After concluding official matters with the Crown Prince, Gu Yan turned to Zhao Jing beside him and asked, “Cousin Jing, do you happen to have any mountain walnuts commonly eaten in Jiangnan?”
Zhao Jing asked Gu Yan, “I still have about two catties. Why do you ask?”
Gu Yan replied, “My wife is ill and has no appetite. She only craves the unique mountain walnuts from Jiangnan. I’ve searched all the dried fruit shops in Chang’an but couldn’t find any.”
Zhao Jing chuckled softly. “So that’s it. Those mountain walnuts are mostly eaten by people in Jiangnan; they’re rare in Chang’an. I’ll bring them to you this afternoon.”
Gu Yan said, “Thank you, Cousin Jing. No need to trouble yourself to make the trip—I’ll go with you to Prince Chu’s residence to fetch them.”
Zhao Jing smiled. “I still have some business matters to attend to. I’ll deliver them to the Princess Royal’s residence this afternoon.”
Zhao Cheng, who had been reviewing official documents, looked up and said to Zhao Jing, “Bring some mountain walnuts to the Eastern Palace tomorrow as well.”
Zhao Jing promptly replied, “Yes.”
Inside Qingfeng Garden.
Yun Xiangye, who was drinking her medicine, sneezed twice in a row as a gust of wind blew in with Gu Yan’s return to the room. She rubbed her nose with a handkerchief and coughed twice.
Hearing Yun Xiangye sneeze and cough, Gu Yan fetched a blanket woven from wool imported from the Western Regions and draped it over her. “You must be careful not to catch another chill.”
“And who made me catch a chill in the first place?”
After two days of taking medicine, Yun Xiangye had regained some strength and could now argue with Gu Yan.
Gu Yan took the medicine bowl from Yun Xiangye’s hands, wrapped her entire body in a blanket, leaving only her head exposed, and fed her medicine with a spoon, saying, “It’s not like we haven’t fooled around in the hot springs in Jiangnan before. Who knew you’d catch a cold this time?”
Yun Xiangye’s face flushed red as she shot a glare at Gu Yan, coughing, “What about the hickory nuts? Why haven’t they arrived yet?”
Gu Yan replied, “Hickory nuts aren’t popular in Chang’an City. I searched through many dried fruit shops but couldn’t find any. I just asked Cousin Jing at the Eastern Palace, and what a coincidence—he happens to have some. He said he’d send them over this afternoon.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Xiangye choked on the medicine she had just swallowed, coughing uncontrollably. “Cough, cough, did you say Cousin Jing is coming this afternoon?”
Gu Yan said, “Why are you so flustered about Cousin Jing coming? He’s your own cousin, gentle and tolerant. There’s no need to be afraid of him.”
Yun Xiangye coughed for a while. Three days ago, she had encountered Princess Nan’an, who must have already informed Chu Jing of her identity.
If Chu Jing was still willing to come, it likely meant he wasn’t angry with her anymore.
Besides, so many years had passed. She already had a two-year-old daughter, and Chu Jing must have long since married and had children of his own. He probably wouldn’t hold it against her for breaking her oath after swearing it.
Yun Xiangye leaned forward to drink the medicine Gu Yan was feeding her. “Will Cousin Jing be coming with his wife later? If there are female guests, should I entertain them?”
Gu Yan chuckled. “Cousin Jing hasn’t married yet.”
Yun Xiangye looked up. “Isn’t he over a year older than you? How is he still unmarried?”
Gu Yan lowered his gaze to Yun Xiangye. “How do you know Cousin Jing is over a year older than me?”
Yun Xiangye didn’t know how to explain her past with Chu Jing to Gu Yan.
Back when she met Chu Jing, she truly had no intention of marrying.
After all, with both parents gone, her younger sister still young four years ago, and the family embroidery workshop to manage, Yun Xiangye simply had no extra energy to consider marrying Chu Jing…
Yun Xiangye thought it would be difficult to explain everything to Gu Yan in such a short time. Besides, Chu Jing must have already learned her identity from Princess Nan’an, and since he hadn’t explicitly told Gu Yan, it seemed he didn’t want to bring up the past. Yun Xiangye decided not to explain the relationship.
Yun Xiangye smiled lightly. “I met Princess Nan’an recently and heard her mention that Cousin Jing is a year older than you. Why hasn’t he married at this age? Is it like the Crown Prince, delayed by his fiancée’s mourning period?”
Gu Yan said, “Not exactly. It’s just that the girl Cousin Jing likes doesn’t want to marry him. That girl must be blind, unwilling to marry such a good husband. It’s been over four years now, and Cousin Jing still can’t forget her, insisting on marrying no one else.”
Hearing “four years,” Yun Xiangye clenched the hem of her clothes tightly under the blanket.
Gu Yan continued, “That ungrateful girl—Cousin Jing still protects her fiercely and won’t let me say his future wife is blind.”
As soon as Gu Yan finished speaking, Yun Xiangye sneezed twice in a row, her gaze fixed on him. “She really is quite blind.”
After all, how did she end up marrying him?
Seeing Yun Xiangye sneeze repeatedly, Gu Yan climbed onto the small couch and held her in his arms. “Are you still cold?”
Yun Xiangye shook her head. “No…”
Gu Yan asked, “Then why are you sneezing again?”
Yun Xiangye replied absentmindedly, “Probably some scoundrel is cursing me.”
Inside the Chu Jing Pavilion.
Zhao Jing looked down at his subordinate kneeling below from the second-floor private room, his face dark with anger as he said, “What did you say? Where has A Xiang gone?”
The middle-aged man kneeling before Zhao Jing trembled as he replied, “Miss Yun… Miss Yun left Fangqiao Town with her husband, saying she was returning to Chang’an with him…”
Zhao Jing clenched his fist and struck the small table beside him, his face filled with fury: “Husband? How could A Xiang possibly have a husband?”
Shopkeeper Tang, kneeling on the ground, said, “Miss Yun… she has been married for three years.”
“Three years?” Zhao Jing frowned deeply. “How is that possible? How could she have been married for three years?”
Shopkeeper Tang explained, “Over these years, following your instructions, I had my subordinates go to the Five Colors Embroidery Workshop every three months to order a garment personally embroidered by Miss Yun. The subordinates only knew to place the orders for the garments and did not report that Miss Yun had married…
This time, when my subordinate went to pick up the pomegranate-red skirt, Miss Yun said she would no longer take on work because she was returning to her husband’s family home in Chang’an…”
Zhao Jing’s face turned ashen. He gripped the teacup in his hand so tightly that he shattered the porcelain cup. Shards cut into his palm, drawing blood, but he felt no pain.
Zhao Jing said coldly, “Find out who her husband is. Once you do, force her husband to divorce her and bring her to the Chu Prince’s residence!”
Shopkeeper Tang looked up at Zhao Jing and said, “Young Master, isn’t this forcibly seizing a commoner’s wife? The Prince and Princess Consort might…”
Zhao Jing said with suppressed anger, “A Xiang should have been my consort all along.”
Zhao Jing had originally planned to wait until Yun Xiangye’s sister reached marriageable age before approaching Yun Xiangye again, thinking she would no longer be so resolutely opposed to marriage. He never expected that four years ago, Yun Xiangye had sworn not to marry, only to wed the very next year.
Zhao Jing had assumed his subordinates understood the meaning behind his orders to have garments made at the Five Colors Embroidery Workshop every three months and sent to Chang’an. Who would have thought they were so foolish as to neglect reporting such a significant matter?
Seething with rage, Zhao Jing returned to the prince’s residence and only then remembered Gu Yan’s request for him to procure some mountain walnuts.
After retrieving the mountain walnuts, Zhao Jing said to a nearby servant, “Prepare the carriage. We are going to the Princess Royal’s residence.”