"Yuhua~"
"Shanshan~"
From a distance, Liu Yun heard her father step through the gate, bellowing their names in his booming voice.
He sounded more like someone returning from a pleasant outing, cheerful and full of spirits.
"Father!"
A young lady ought to be lively and sweet. Liu Yun immediately lifted her skirts and ran over, throwing herself into her father's arms.
"Ouch…"
Reaching out to catch his daughter as she barreled into him like a little calf, Liu Shiwen let out a good-natured ouch and chuckled: "A grown young lady now, and still so reckless. You nearly shattered these old bones of mine."
Only then did Liu Yun realize how hard she had charged into him. She quickly let go of her father and patted his chest to soothe him.
"It's just that I was so excited to see you back, Father. Are you alright?"
Liu Shiwen waved his hand and chuckled, indicating he was fine.
Once the family of three gathered together, they exchanged a warm string of heartfelt words.
"Oh, right—we should send word to the Imperial Academy for our Ying'er."
With that said, Zhang Yuhua immediately dispatched Guanqi to the Imperial Academy.
Before entering the house, Zhang Yuhua specially dipped pomelo leaves in water and brushed her husband with them to ward off bad luck.
Upon learning that the master of the house had returned, the kitchen began preparing a meal—a large table full of delicious dishes, with everyone beaming with joy.
After all, it wasn't easy to come by a kind and generous master. If the master had truly met with misfortune, they would have lost their livelihoods too.
Now that the master had returned safely, they were full of energy, and the dishes they cooked tasted even better than usual.
At dusk, Liu Ying also returned on leave from the Imperial Academy, and the family of four gathered happily around the table for a meal.
"So the Dali Temple prison isn't as terrifying as the rumors say. Not only did they serve meat and vegetables for all three meals, but the cell even had a bed and a table. Aside from the lack of sunlight, it was actually quite clean and tidy."
"They even sent roast goose!"
At the mention of roast goose, the mother and her three children all laughed. Father had a sweet tooth for roast goose—without fail, he'd have one every day.
Who would have thought he could even enjoy that in prison?
The mother and children had been worried that Father would suffer in the Court of Judicial Review prison, but hearing this at the dinner table, they were left speechless.
All that worrying had been for nothing.
With the crisis resolved, the Liu household returned to its usual lightheartedness, filled with laughter and joy.
As the lanterns dimmed, everyone retired to their own courtyards. The husband and wife—one combing through her hair, the other sprawled out on the bed—couldn't help but sigh: "There's no place like home~"
Zhang Yuhua chuckled at that and teased: "Just now at the dinner table, you were saying how good life was in the Court of Judicial Review prison, with roast goose every day." Now it's not so good anymore?"
In response to his wife's ribbing, Liu Shiwen grinned and said: "I was just joking. Nowhere is better than home, especially with you by my side." After a few more playful exchanges, Liu Shiwen turned to more serious matters.
"With the Crown Prince stepping in, the Chen family will be in trouble by tomorrow~"
That remark reminded Zhang Yuhua. She quickly finished combing her hair, climbed onto the bed, and pulled at her husband who was just about to doze off. "Don't sleep just yet—I have something important to tell you."
"What is it?"
Even though they were in their own room, since it involved that person, Zhang Yuhua still lowered her voice and laid out the whole story from beginning to end.
From the polo match to the visit begging for leniency today.
As his wife spoke in soft, hushed tones, Liu Shiwen's brows gradually knitted together. Finally, the couple locked eyes, and he asked, trembling slightly, a question he had asked before.
"Do you think the Crown Prince has taken a liking to our daughter…"
This time, Zhang Yuhua was not as decisive as before. Instead, she hesitated and said: "Probably not."
The couple stared at each other for a long moment, until finally Zhang Yuhua made the call: "Whether he has or not, our Shanshan isn't suited for that place. After her birthday this year, let's start looking for a suitable husband for her."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
Liu Shiwen agreed without hesitation, already beginning to mull over candidates in his mind.
Yang's third son seemed like a good choice.
…
Just as Liu Shiwen had said, the day after he was released from the Court of Judicial Review prison, the Chen family was convicted.
With the Crown Prince personally overseeing the investigation, the little schemes the Chen uncle and nephew had pulled during the construction of the Wanshou Pavilion were exposed for all to see.
In truth, if that Chen official had simply built the Wanshou Pavilion honestly and not dipped his hands into the funds, things wouldn't have come to this.
But karma works in cycles, and heaven finally opened its eyes.
This matter touched upon the royal family's dignity, enraging His Majesty. Even with Grand Scholar Chen pleading on their behalf, the Chen uncle and nephew still met with a grim fate.
One was executed on the spot; the other, for failing to govern his household, was demoted and exiled to a local post—likely never to return to Yanjing in his lifetime.
Minister Wei, who had shielded the Chen uncle and nephew, was also reprimanded by His Majesty and fined six months' salary.
What surprised the Liu family even more was that the vacated position of Vice Minister of Works landed squarely on Liu Shiwen's head.
The decree praised Liu Shiwen as loyal and diligent, exceptionally talented, virtuous and upright—worthy of great responsibility.
When the imperial edict was read aloud in the Liu family courtyard, the whole family stood stunned for several breaths. It was only when the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial chuckled and reminded them that they respectfully accepted the decree and offered tea money.
After seeing the envoy off, the entire family was overjoyed, tears welling in their eyes.
"Congratulations, Father, on your promotion!"
Liu Yun's face was wreathed in smiles as she spoke, her voice sweet and lively.
She was genuinely happy for her father. Only their family knew how difficult it had been for him to serve as an official.
Because he came from a humble background with no powerful connections, no matter what position he held, the good assignments never came his way. What was left for him was always the heavy, tedious, and trivial government work.
Yet her father remained diligent, silently burying his head in the tasks that the sons of noble families and high-ranking officials were unwilling to do.
Not only that, he completed every single one of them properly.
Liu Yun often felt a pang of regret for her father whenever she saw this.
Now the Emperor had finally taken notice—it was truly as if Heaven had opened its eyes.
That night, not only was Liu Yun too excited to sleep, but Liu Shiwen and his wife were the same.
With his official rank elevated, propriety dictated that a "burnt-tail banquet" should be held to celebrate. But Liu Shiwen had always kept a low profile, and since he had only obtained this fourth-rank position by picking up what the Chen family had left behind, after much deliberation, the family decided simply to have a nice meal together to celebrate.
And because of this happy occasion, Liu Yun's birthday was also being celebrated with greater fanfare than usual.
Originally, she had only planned to invite two or three close friends for a small gathering. But her father waved his hand grandly and declared they would host a modest feast at home, telling Liu Yun to invite all the young ladies she was on good terms with throughout the entire capital to come and make merry.
This kept Liu Yun terribly busy, as she began sending out invitations to the various ladies of the households she was friendly with.
Liu Yun had a gentle, kind disposition and treated others with sincerity. Though she couldn't claim to be close with every official's daughter in the capital, she could certainly guarantee that she had never made an enemy of any of them. She could even exchange pleasantries with Seventh Miss of the Shen General's household, who had the prickliest temper of them all.
Without a doubt, she would be inviting quite a few ladies to this year's birthday celebration.
When they tallied it up that evening, she would need to send out thirty-seven invitations in total!
Her seventeenth birthday was going to be extraordinarily lively.
…
A few days before the birthday feast, Liu Yun took Jin He with her to Baoyue Studio.
Since she had invited so many ladies, she needed to offer them something good, and Baoyue Studio's pastries were the most fitting choice.
Her father had generously given her a sum of money to buy snacks the ladies would enjoy for entertaining the guests.
Liu Yun also quietly supplemented it with some of her own money—after all, her storybooks had earned her a fair amount over the years, so she could afford it.
She planned to add more money and buy several extra boxes of Baoyue Studio's Translucent Flower Rice Cakes to make sure her guests were thoroughly entertained.
The Liu family was frugal, and Liu Yun was not the extravagant type either. She normally couldn't bear to spend on these Translucent Flower Rice Cakes, only allowing herself a box on her birthday or during festivals to satisfy her craving.
Even now, she felt a twinge of reluctance.
But soon, that twinge of reluctance was replaced by an unexpected surprise.
"Really? You're not just saying that to fool me?"
Inside Baoyue Studio, the air was thick with the sweet fragrance of pastries. Liu Yun stood amidst it all, and upon hearing the manager's words, her heart felt like it was floating.
The manager was a young woman with delicate, pretty features, surnamed Xu, with a gentle and amiable temperament. She smiled brightly and said, "Of course it's true. Our master and his wife are deeply devoted to each other. Tomorrow is the mistress's birthday, but unfortunately, she has been plagued by illness these past few months with no sign of recovery. The master wishes to accumulate merit for her, to pray for blessings and ward off misfortune, so he promised that if any young lady born on the same day and month as his wife comes to buy pastries, her purchase will be free of charge."
"What a coincidence—Miss Liu, you are exactly that person. Whatever pastries you desire, just say the word, and they will be delivered straight to your door tomorrow."
Liu Yun's heart raced with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she tentatively asked, "Then… could I have ten boxes of Translucent Flower Rice Cakes?"
With that many Translucent Flower Rice Cakes, she could certainly entertain all her young lady friends well.
Manager Xu smiled warmly and said, "Of course you may. But this opportunity comes once in a thousand years—are you certain you only want ten boxes of Translucent Flower Rice Cakes, Miss Liu?"
With that, Manager Xu gave a playful wink, the hint unmistakable.
Liu Yun's heart began to pound again, her mouth going dry as she said, "Th-then… add ten boxes of Jade Dew Dumplings as well?"
Manager Xu beamed a brilliant smile and said in a light, cheerful tone, "Coming right up!"
Then, she added with a smile, "Why not also add ten boxes of Crystal Dragon and Phoenix Cake?"
Translucent Flower Rice Cake, Jade Dew Dumpling, and Crystal Dragon and Phoenix Cake were the three signature items of Baoyue Studio.
In the end, Liu Yun couldn't resist the temptation, her cheeks flushing red as she accepted.
As she walked out of Baoyue Studio, her heart was still pounding.
"This year has truly been blessed with good fortune. To think I could stumble upon such a wonderful thing—how wonderful!"
She had thought that getting thirty boxes of Baoyue Studio pastries for free was already luck enough, but who would have guessed that something even better was still to come.
On the carriage ride to the Eastern Market, an elderly woman dressed in rich clothing but clearly confused and disoriented stumbled and fell in front of her carriage.
No one recognized her. She seemed dazed and simple-minded, only muttering repeatedly that she wanted to go home.
Liu Yun asked a question, and when she heard the old woman say her son was Wan Changxing, the owner of Huazhen Tower, Liu Yun, out of kindness, had the woman taken to Huazhen Tower.
When Squire Wan saw that his mother, who suffered from dementia, had been safely returned, he was deeply grateful to Liu Yun and declared that whatever hairpin or jewelry she fancied in his Huazhen Tower that day, he would give it to her as a gift.
Liu Yun had only considered the matter a simple act of kindness and declined repeatedly. But Squire Wan insisted again and again, and unable to refuse his earnest hospitality, Liu Yun very tactfully chose a single silver hairpin.
However, Squire Wan was not pleased with that.
"Madam Liu, are you looking down on my old mother's life? Picking such a cheap item—change it at once!"
Liu Yun swapped out five or six hairpins in a row, but every single one was rejected by Squire Wan.
"No, no, all of these are inferior goods, not fit to compare with my old mother~"
Liu Yun had never met such a strange person before—someone who actually wanted to give away something more expensive.
Annoyed, she pointed at the Sese Jade bracelet sealed under a glass case at the very center of the hall and said deliberately, "Then I want that one. Would Squire Wan be willing to part with it?"
Everyone in Yanjing knew that Huazhen Tower had recently acquired a piece of top-grade Sese Jade, meticulously carved into a bracelet that had captured the hearts of countless noble ladies.
But its price was exorbitant—a full fifty thousand taels of silver—sending many wealthy ladies home empty-handed.
Even wealthy merchants and officials with vast fortunes could not bring themselves to purchase it.
The national law favored agriculture over commerce and imposed strict restrictions on merchants' accessories.
Merchants' wives were forbidden from using gold, silver, pearls, jade, or brocade for ornaments, and were prohibited from wearing elaborate hairstyles, bold makeup, or excessive gold and silver adornments.
Hairpins, floral ornaments, and combs could not be made of precious materials like gold, silver, jade, jadeite, pearls, or glass—only copper, iron, bamboo, wood, bone, or horn were permitted.
For weddings, gilded gold, silver, or glass was temporarily allowed, but true gold and silver were forbidden.
As for official households, even those with abundant wealth would not spend ten thousand taels on a pair of bracelets for their wives or daughters.
If someone were foolish enough to do so, being impeached by the censors for extravagance would be the least of their worries—the greater fear was the emperor suspecting them of corruption or bribery.
Thus, this pair of Sese Jade bracelets had sat in Huazhen Tower for three months without a single buyer, becoming the establishment's prized centerpiece.
Liu Yun had assumed that asking for this would make Squire Wan refuse outright.
Yet not only did she see no hesitation on Squire Wan's face, she saw satisfaction on his usually shrewd countenance.
"That's more like it~"
Liu Yun was baffled once again.
A cup of tea later, Liu Yun was helped out of Huazhen Tower by Jin He, feeling as though her wrist weighed a thousand catties.
She looked down and saw the Sese Jade gleaming with a verdant luster in the sunlight, dazzling to the eye.
It was really hers now?
The entire way home, Liu Yun mulled over this in a daze.
At the threshold of Huazhen Tower, Wan Changxing watched the Liu family carriage depart and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"This birthday gift should surely satisfy the noble one."
"This Madam Liu has great fortune ahead~"
Wan Changxing murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement at having glimpsed the workings of fate.