Only after leaving Princess Changyang's residence did Liu Yun truly breathe a sigh of relief.
The day had passed without incident—a stroke of good fortune indeed.
After returning home, Liu Yun rested for a day, then set to work making a plush fox doll for County Princess Kangning.
She first sketched a draft, but no matter how she looked at it, she felt the white fox on the paper was far too ordinary.
The color was too plain.
After racking her brains for a while, Liu Yun caught sight of her pink skirt hem and was struck by a new inspiration.
She hastily picked up her brush, dipped it in paint, and colored the fox.
In a moment, a pink fox sprang to life on the paper—adorably charming and eye-catching.
Clearly, this was not a fox in the conventional sense—neither white nor red, but entirely soft pink, with a fluffy tail, floppy ears, and wearing a pretty little dress.
So what if it wasn't a conventional fox? Liu Yun felt that such an adorable pink fox would surely win the affection of County Princess Kangning and many other young ladies.
The more she looked at it, the more she loved it. After finalizing the design, Liu Yun immediately began cutting the fabric.
After dinner, surrounded by the warm glow of lamplight, Liu Yun was leisurely sewing the fox doll when her mother came over.
"Shanshan."
She had brought freshly baked Golden Milk Pastries from the kitchen. The moment the lid was lifted, the whole room filled with a fragrant aroma.
"Mother, what brings you here so late?"
Taking a big bite of the warm Golden Milk Pastry, Liu Yun spoke with her cheeks puffed out, her words somewhat muffled.
Zhang Yuhua found her adorable and reached out to pinch her daughter's little face, saying with a beaming smile, "Something important—your lifelong matter."
Hearing this, Liu Yun dared not take another bite of the pastry. She stared at her mother with wide, round apricot eyes, looking nervous.
With her mother's reminder, Liu Yun finally recalled the palace examination she had been neglecting for days.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she tentatively asked, "Mother, how did Brother Xiuyuan do?"
Liu Yun still remembered her parents' plan—if Brother Xiuyuan passed the examination and became a jinshi, they would go to the Yang family to discuss the marriage.
She had been rather confused, but upon seeing the faint smile on her mother's face, Liu Yun suddenly understood.
It seemed Brother Xiuyuan had passed with distinction!
"He passed—twenty-fourth in the second rank, a jinshi!"
Zhang Yuhua said with a delighted smile, her tone filled with satisfaction toward Yang Sanlang.
Their fathers were close friends, the families were well-matched in status, he was of good character and appearance, and now a jinshi scholar.
The more she considered it, the more satisfied she felt. Zhang Yuhua wished she could settle the young couple's marriage this very moment.
After an earnest discussion with her husband, Zhang Yuhua had been urged to come and sound out her daughter.
"Then I must congratulate Brother Xiuyuan."
Feigning calm as she offered her congratulations, Liu Yun's fingers unconsciously picked at the cotton on the table meant for the doll, her expression tense.
Zhang Yuhua could naturally see her daughter's agitation, but matters of great importance in life must eventually be faced—there was no avoiding them.
"Do you remember what your father and I told you before? As long as Shanshan gives her consent, your father and I will go to the Yang family to propose the match and do our utmost to bring this marriage to fruition."
The pressure fell on Liu Yun. Flustered and embarrassed, she stammered, "B-but… how do Mother and Father know this marriage is a good one? How do you know Brother Xiuyuan is the right husband for me?"
Everything was uncertain, and Liu Yun's heart was filled with confusion and unease.
Zhang Yuhua lovingly pulled her daughter into her embrace and gently shared the wisdom of her own experience.
"Shanshan is right—no one can say for certain whether this marriage will be good, or whether this person is truly the one destined for you. But…"
Zhang Yuhua paused, thinking of her husband, and smiled softly before continuing, "You must try. If you never try, how will you ever know if he's the right one?"
"When I married your father, I was also anxious and uneasy. But your maternal grandfather said your father was a man of good character—known throughout the villages for his integrity and honesty—and that I would never suffer injustice marrying him."
"Your mother gritted her teeth and took the chance, and found that your grandfather hadn't deceived me. Your father truly is a good man."
Though this wasn't the first time she'd heard her mother recount the old stories of their youth, every time Liu Yun listened, she still felt her heart fill with warmth.
"Then Mother and Father—do you both truly believe Brother Xiuyuan is a good man?"
Her parents were the people who loved her most in the world. She trusted that they would always make decisions for her benefit.
Zhang Yuhua sensed the shift in the young girl's attitude in her arms and said gently, "Your father and I have watched that boy Yang Sanlang for many years. He is kind-hearted and magnanimous, treats you well, and what's even more precious is that our two families share a good friendship. You will never suffer injustice in the future. And now that he's passed the examination and become a jinshi, by any measure this counts as a fine marriage."
"Otherwise, aside from Yang Sanlang, your father and I truly cannot find a better son-in-law than him."
Wanting her daughter to understand the value of this marriage, Zhang Yuhua spoke at length, earnestly and sincerely.
Under her mother's gentle words, much of Liu Yun's confusion and trepidation melted away.
She nestled into her mother's warm embrace, and finally spoke, her voice soft and quiet: "I leave everything to Mother and Father's discretion."
Zhang Yuhua finally received a definitive answer, and a smile rose in her eyes.
That night, Zhang Yuhua told her husband about the matter. Liu Shiwen was overjoyed and clapped his hands, saying, "Good, good, good! As long as Shanshan is willing, that's what matters. Tomorrow after work, I'll invite Brother Yang for a drink and sound him out."
Although he couldn't be entirely certain of the Yang family's intentions, Liu Shiwen felt the chances were high and his heart surged with excitement.
Zhang Yuhua nodded, not forgetting to remind him, "Remember to drink less, don't get drunk. You're not young anymore, mind your health."
"I know, I know~"
Though his tone seemed impatient with his wife's nagging, his expression showed he was quite pleased, wearing a look of happiness and contentment.
In the dead of night, when all households had peacefully drifted into dreams, only Liu Yun lay awake with wild thoughts until the hour of Zi, finally sinking into slumber.
She dreamed again.
In the dream, she married Brother Xiuyuan. In a daze, she followed the matchmaker through the wedding ceremony and waited in the bridal chamber for Xiuyuan, the groom.
But what was startling was that the bridal chamber door opened, and Liu Yun saw two grooms.
One was naturally Yang Sanlang, whom her parents favored.
The other…
Liu Yun stood frozen, lowering her round fan, and met a pair of narrow, handsome phoenix eyes—sharp and piercing as they opened and closed.
The next morning, Liu Yun woke up in a cold sweat.
Sitting on the bed, she was puzzled for a long time.
If she dreamed of Brother Xiuyuan, that could be explained—after all, her parents wanted to discuss marriage with the Yang family, and it wasn't strange that she'd dream after overthinking.
But what about the Crown Prince?
It was utterly baffling!
Liu Yun figured that the Crown Prince's face had been appearing before her too often lately, so much so that she'd started having nonsensical dreams.
It was definitely not because she had any thoughts about the Crown Prince!
Having settled that, Liu Yun stopped dwelling on it and continued sewing the pink fox doll for County Princess Kangning.
After making the outer mold, the rest was much simpler. In just one day, a pink fox wearing a pretty little dress was finished.
She wrapped it in a layer of fine silk, placed it in a brocade box, and handed it to Jin He, saying, "I'll trouble you to personally deliver this to Princess Changyang's residence."
She didn't want to go to Princess Changyang's residence again, afraid of running into something she shouldn't see.
Jin He accepted the order and left, quickly arriving at Princess Changyang's residence.
Inside the residence, Princess Changyang smiled as she watched her younger brother lounging with his feet propped up on her soft couch, knowing exactly what was going on.
"I suppose my dear brother has been quite idle lately, always coming to my place. Anyone who didn't know would think I had some treasure here."
Changyang wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to tease, speaking without restraint.
Having been through this many times, Xiao Heng had developed a calm and composed demeanor. Without a blush or a racing heart, he said, "I'll always remember sister's kindness. Isn't sister fond of that hot spring palace at Wushan? How about I go and get it for you?"
Princess Changyang's eyes lit up, joy flooding her face as she chuckled, "Excellent! Excellent!"
The atmosphere in the room was warm, and it reached its peak after a maidservant announced a visitor.
"Your Highness, someone from the Liu family has arrived."
Changyang glanced sideways and, sure enough, saw her previously languid brother straighten his back, staring fixedly at the door.
Changyang secretly smiled, her lips curving upward.
But unfortunately, only a maidservant carrying a brocade box walked in—no second person.
Visibly, Xiao Heng's expression changed. His gaze quickly dimmed, and he leaned back against the couch.
"Why hasn't your mistress come herself?"
As his elder sister, Changyang still wanted her brother to get what he wished for.
Jin He respectfully replied, "To answer Your Highness, my mistress said she didn't want to trouble you too often, and because of the heat, she's feeling a bit unwell, so she sent only this maidservant."
Changyang was about to ask what was wrong and express her concern, but someone beat her to it.
"What's wrong with your mistress?"
The voice was indifferent and haughty, every syllable carrying an air of superiority—hard to mistake.
Fortunately, the mistress and servant had agreed on their excuse beforehand. Facing the Crown Prince's unexpected question, Jin He answered, "The weather is too hot, causing my mistress to feel dizzy and nauseous, so she's not fit to go out."
As the heat grew more intense, the ladies of the capital had also become much more sluggish at gatherings, holding the mindset of not leaving home if they could avoid it.
Liu Yun feared the heat. Even if it weren't Princess Changyang's residence, she wouldn't want to go out much.
Hearing this, the siblings fell silent for a few breaths, then let the matter go and had someone see Jin He out.
Once the door closed, Xiao Heng glanced at the brocade box by his sister Princess Changyang's hand and said casually, "Shouldn't sister send a gift in return to express gratitude?"
Princess Changyang pretended not to understand, putting on a troubled look and saying, "That's true, but I can't think of what to send."
Seeing this, Xiao Heng didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Then that Ivory Gold-Thread Jade Mat."
Changyang's face showed difficulty upon hearing this. She said, "Persia only tributed three of them in total. I barely managed to get one, and besides, it's already been used by me and your niece. How could I give it away?"
Changyang's thoughts were a bit slow, but when she saw the certainty and calm on her brother's face, she suddenly understood something. She let out an "oh" and laughed, saying, "I was being foolish. I forgot you still have one in your possession."
Seeing that his sister had caught on, Xiao Heng naturally needed no further explanation. He feigned restraint with a soft "mm" and reminded her, "Then return the favor with this gift."
Changyang laughed helplessly. "We're not even married yet, and you're already rushing to send things meant for the bedchamber. Have you no shame…"
Xiao Heng turned a deaf ear, his skin growing thicker by the day, utterly unbothered by the jab. He replied calmly, "It's only a matter of time. What's the harm?"
"I'll have the items sent over right away. Just don't forget, sister."
With that, Xiao Heng lingered no longer at the princess's residence and returned to the Eastern Palace, his interest waning.