The siblings fell into a long silence—more precisely, Xiao Heng was silent on his own end.
At this moment, he no longer seemed like the arrogant, proud heir to the throne. He had become a stone, a block of wood.
After a long while, he finally stirred, his gaze flickering, a hint of awkwardness he couldn't conceal showing on his face.
"Since when did Sister notice?"
Clearly, there was no point in hiding it any longer. Xiao Heng didn't want to make futile attempts to struggle.
Besides, this was his elder sister. If she knew, she knew.
Having reconciled himself to this, Xiao Heng shed his earlier unease, crossed his legs, and regained his composure.
It was as if the person whose ears had nearly caught fire moments ago wasn't him at all.
Princess Changyang admired her younger brother's thick skin and said slowly, "I actually noticed two years ago, but I only knew you had someone in your heart—I just didn't know who. It wasn't until this year that I determined it was Liu Yun."
As the end of May approached, the weather grew increasingly hot. For Xiao Heng, whose secret had just been exposed, a fire burned even more fiercely in his heart.
He picked up the chilled wine beside him and drank it down in one gulp, asking, "How did Sister determine that?"
Princess Changyang looked at the lovely young woman not far away and replied with a smile, "Wasn't that day with Tanchun obvious enough?"
"You gave away something you carry with you—I refuse to believe my brother is that careless."
"For her sake, you even disciplined Rong'an. Though that was well done—she was sorely in need of correction."
"As for that pair of Sese Jade bracelets, my brother moved far too quickly. You left me no chance at all."
Having finally caught hold of her brother's weakness, Princess Changyang couldn't resist teasing him a little.
Xiao Heng lowered his gaze, saying nothing, accepting every word.
"But, Brother, when do you plan to discuss marriage with her?"
This was what Changyang cared about most. She wanted to drink at her brother's wedding feast.
Asked about this, Xiao Heng leaned to the right, propping his head on his right hand so he could see better—his gaze naturally landing on that charming figure in pink.
"Not yet."
Not revealing all his thoughts, Xiao Heng answered vaguely.
But who was Princess Changyang? How could she not guess those secret little thoughts of his?
She leaned in closer, grinning slyly. "Waiting for what? Want to test whether she's willing to be your wife?"
This was the first time Xiao Heng hated his sister's sharpness. He pursed his lips and let out a vague grunt.
On this matter, he had been muddled for two years, and only now could he see things more clearly.
"But what if she's unwilling?"
Princess Changyang laughed mischievously, her face showing undisguised mockery.
Xiao Heng had apparently never considered that possibility. He was stunned for a moment before denying it with sharp certainty: "Impossible."
In this world, there was no more outstanding husband candidate than him.
Xiao Heng thought this with unabashed arrogance, completely convinced nothing could go wrong.
Seeing her brother's confident demeanor, Princess Changyang smiled enigmatically.
"May it be as my brother wishes."
What did it matter if she was unwilling? With her brother's temperament, she'd have to be willing whether she liked it or not!
He truly was her own dear brother, born of the same mother!
Thinking back to her own past with her consort Song Lan, Princess Changyang smiled softly.
After his secret was exposed, Xiao Heng grew even bolder, no longer hiding his gaze from his sister. Changyang found it quite amusing.
"What's the point of just looking from here? Why not call her over?"
Xiao Heng's lips moved, and he asked stiffly, "How do I call her over?"
He could never seem to find a proper excuse.
Shaking her head with a sigh, Princess Changyang felt as if she were meeting her brother for the first time.
"Remember your sister's kindness."
…
Under the willow tree, as they chatted, Chen Wei pulled out a pouch of steaming hot chestnuts and said cheerfully, "Fresh out of the pot not long ago. Come, let's eat together."
Liu Yun was delighted at first, but then frowned. "But chestnuts have shells. Isn't it inconvenient to eat them now?"
Chen Wei opened the pouch for her to see, explaining, "Already shelled. Eat as much as you like!"
"Wonderful!"
The two young women happily ate chestnuts while admiring a cluster of Yao Yellow peonies, not forgetting to whisper to each other.
"Second Miss Qin's zither playing is truly beautiful, and she's so elegant and dignified. No wonder she's the foremost noble lady of Yanjing!"
"Third Miss Fan's painting is wonderful too—so lifelike, the peonies look as if they're pasted right on."
"And Sixth Miss Du—truly worthy of being Yanjing's talented woman. She won first place in poetry again. I wonder how her mind works to compose such gorgeous verses."
…
Today's peony banquet, with the Crown Prince's arrival, had been pushed to its peak of excitement—more lively than ever.
Whatever talents they had, the young ladies spared nothing, seizing this golden opportunity to showcase themselves to the outside world.
Even if they couldn't win the Crown Prince's favor, with so many eligible young men of Yanjing present, they could still secure a good marriage for themselves.
Rather than having their parents arrange a match with a husband they barely knew, it was better to carefully seek out someone they liked themselves.
The young men weren't idle either. Those skilled in letters displayed their learning, those skilled in martial arts showed their strength, and those skilled in neither played amusing games to win the ladies' favor.
Young Marquis Ye, for instance, performed pitch-pot with such consummate skill that he earned thunderous applause from the entire gathering.
Liu Yun unconsciously glanced over. A young man in a bright yellow brocade robe stood at the center of a crowd, his arrows hitting the bullseye every time, drawing rounds of cheers and applause.
Liu Yun's gaze suddenly froze as she stared blankly in that direction.
But it wasn't because she was captivated by Young Marquis Ye—rather, she had just remembered something important she'd been neglecting lately.
Her new book!
One thing after another had been happening recently, keeping Liu Yun so busy she hadn't had a moment to think about her new book.
Fortunately, she'd remembered now. Liu Yun decided she would start on it as soon as she returned home today!
Her thoughts cleared, and a smile spread across Liu Yun's face.
It was at that very moment that Young Marquis Ye, amidst the crowd, seemed to sense something and looked up.
Seeing who it was, he gave a hearty, bright smile, radiant as the morning sun.
Caught off guard and meeting Young Marquis Ye's handsome smiling face, Liu Yun's cheeks flushed red for a brief moment, as expected.
She quickly lowered her head, pretending nothing had happened, and busied herself with fiddling with the tassel at her waist.
The change lasted but a breath, fleeting in an instant—yet Xiao Heng saw it all clearly.
His expression shifted in a flash, and the look he cast at Young Marquis Ye seemed to carry thorns.
Soon, a maid in green robes wove through the crowd and came to stand before Liu Yun, who was idly tugging at willow branches.
"Greetings, Miss Liu. Her Highness the Princess requests your presence. Would you be willing to come?"
Liu Yun, who had only just begun to relax, immediately tensed up all over again.
"Of—of course, I'm willing."
Forcing herself to stay calm, Liu Yun mustered a smile and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
How could she dare to be unwilling!
The green-robed maid respectfully extended her hand to lead the way.
In that instant, Liu Yun felt as though every gaze in the garden had converged upon her, suffocating.
Steeling herself, she made her way through the layers of the crowd and finally arrived before Princess Changyang.
Oh, and the Crown Prince was beside her too.
Liu Yun felt even more uneasy.
"Greetings, Your Highness. May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?"
This was also what Liu Yun couldn't figure out.
What about her could possibly draw Princess Changyang's attention?
Or had she made some mistake?
At the thought of that possibility, unease began to stir in Liu Yun's heart, and the lighthearted ease she'd felt with Zhenzhen earlier was gone entirely.
The siblings watched as the young lady, who had been smiling sweetly and chatting moments before, now had her delicate pink-white face all scrunched up, looking like a little bitter melon.
Afraid of frightening the girl, Princess Changyang glanced at her younger brother beside her and said with a smile, "Miss Liu, don't be nervous. I merely noticed the color of the lip balm on your lips is quite unique and lovely, and I wanted to ask which cosmetics shop you bought it from."
Not just Liu Yun—many of the men and women nearby who had been eavesdropping also broke into knowing smiles.
So it was just a matter of ladies caring about beauty.
Liu Yun let out a relieved breath, her eyes brightening a few shades as she said spiritedly, "To answer Your Highness, this is something I made myself for fun in my spare time. It's nothing precious or refined."
Princess Changyang immediately praised her inwardly for being clever and skillful, and was about to continue speaking when she was interrupted by a burst of crisp, bell-like laughter.
"My apologies, cousin, I'm late today. Do forgive me~"
The voice was bright and cheerful, carrying an innate radiance and pride that instantly drew the attention of everyone present.
Liu Yun turned to look along with everyone else, and upon recognizing the newcomer, a look of understanding crossed her face.
The arrival was a young woman of seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a purple top and yellow skirt, dazzling like a peony in full bloom, swept into the princess's residence as if carried by the wind.
Her features were lovely too—charming and spirited, with the particular pride and haughtiness of noble ladies etched into her brow.
If there were two young ladies in the capital most likely to become the future Crown Princess, they were these two.
One was Second Miss Qin Wan of Grand Secretary Qin's household—dignified, elegant, and possessed of both talent and virtue, a model of gentlewomanly conduct.
The other was the young woman before them—Wen Yuzhu, the fifth daughter of Duke Wen of the Wen clan, the maternal family of Empress Wen.
The legitimate daughter of a first-rank duke, niece of the late Empress Wen, and the Crown Prince's maternal cousin.
Though there were other young ladies with the looks, character, and talents befitting a Crown Princess, they still fell far short of these two.
Every year, people would place bets on who would become the Crown Princess, and these two were the most popular choices.
One year, Liu Yun had also made a small wager, betting on Second Miss Qin.
In her view, a Crown Princess ought to be someone like Second Miss Qin.