On the bamboo path of the Imperial Academy, Liu Ying led the way quietly, eyes straight ahead, carrying himself with the solemn composure of a mature adult.
Only the box of cherry pilaf clutched tightly in his arms betrayed a hint of youthful nature.
The sweet fragrance of cherries wafted out from time to time, causing Xiao Heng to occasionally glance over.
"Is that the cherry pilaf from Xu Family in Fengle Ward?"
Xiao Heng spoke up, seemingly quite interested in this cherry pilaf.
Hearing that the Crown Prince also knew of this shop, Liu Ying was inwardly surprised and replied respectfully, "Your Highness has keen eyes. It is indeed from Xu Family in Fengle Ward."
With that, Liu Ying fell silent again, not uttering another word.
The siblings were truly alike in their quietness—Xiao Heng found it both exasperating and amusing.
When others met him, they wished they could speak with silver tongues and say all the sweetest words in the world, hoping to earn even a hint of his favor.
But this pair of siblings—one more unambitious than the other.
One was a mute, the other a quail.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Xiao Heng let out a cold laugh inwardly, yet his mouth involuntarily opened a new topic.
"Another spring examination season. Speaking of which, Young Master Liu passed the county examination last year. Minister Liu certainly knows how to teach his children well."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ying remained unperturbed and replied with a composed expression, "Your Highness flatters me. I merely got lucky."
Watching Liu Ying's humble and steady demeanor despite his young age, a glint of approval flashed in Xiao Heng's eyes.
This lad had good aptitude; given time, he would surely achieve great things.
That was good.
"There is no such thing as luck in examinations. With such talent, wouldn't staying at the Taixue be a waste? Why not transfer to the Guozixue?"
The Imperial Academy was not comprised solely of the Guozixue—it was divided into four levels of study.
They were the Guozixue, the Taixue, the Simenxue, and the Law, Calligraphy, and Mathematics School.
The first three all studied the Nine Classics of Confucianism, the difference being the lecturers assigned to each.
The Law, Calligraphy, and Mathematics School focused on law, writing, and arithmetic.
Each school had different requirements.
First was the Guozixue, with the highest requirements—its admission criteria were stringent, accepting only descendants of civil and military officials of the third rank and above.
The Taixue had lower requirements, accepting descendants of officials of the fifth rank and above.
The Simenxue accepted descendants of officials of the seventh rank and above, as well as outstanding scholars from among commoners.
Finally, the Law, Calligraphy, and Mathematics School accepted descendants of officials of the eighth rank and below, as well as commoner scholars.
The Liu family held the position of a fifth-rank minister, so naturally Liu Ying could only attend the Taixue.
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Liu Ying raised a face that bore six or seven parts resemblance to his elder sister and replied with neither humility nor arrogance, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I am quite content at the Taixue."
Though young, Liu Ying vaguely sensed something amiss and felt a strange unease, so he answered cautiously.
The gap between the different schools could only be bridged by the official rank of one's elders—or alternatively, by special promotion from those in power.
As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, it would naturally cost him no effort at all.
But why would the Crown Prince do such a thing?
And why should he owe the Crown Prince such a favor?
It was truly strange.
Liu Ying hadn't said anything insincere, though. He didn't feel there was anything wrong with staying at the Taixue. Because he had passed the county examination at a young age, his teachers valued his talent and were willing to teach him principles and knowledge—he was already content with that.
Having hit a soft, yielding nail, Xiao Heng's expression tightened and he tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Very well, this is far enough. I know the way. Young Master Liu, go back and enjoy your cherry pilaf."
With obvious irritation, Xiao Heng finished speaking and swept away with his sleeves, leaving Liu Ying standing there dumbfounded, clutching the cherry pilaf.
Watching the Crown Prince's figure disappear at the end of the bamboo path, Liu Ying wore a puzzled expression.
"Could it be that I said something wrong?"
"I just hope I haven't brought trouble to the family."
Liu Ying muttered to himself, then left with the cherry pilaf in his arms.
…
Having seen her younger brother off, Liu Yun and her mother also boarded the carriage to return home.
On the way, Liu Yun complained to her mother without restraint, her expression gloomy.
"It's all the Crown Prince's fault. I wanted to talk more with my brother. How annoying!"
She already harbored a grudge from being harmed by that Jade Disc of the Crown Prince's some days ago, and now he had ruined their family reunion—Liu Yun couldn't help but feel resentful.
"Mind your tongue. It's fine to say such things privately at home, but don't let slip any careless words outside."
Zhang Yuhua patted her daughter's shoulder, chiding her gently with a soft voice.
Liu Yun took the opportunity to burrow into her mother's arms, her features pretty and charming, her voice soft as she coquettishly said, "I know, I'm not that foolish. I only say such things in front of Mother."
Her father was a respectful and proper official; if he heard her complaining about the Crown Prince, he would surely lecture her a few words—unlike her mother, who was gentle and kind.
With that topic concluded, mother and daughter warmly turned to discussing family matters, the carriage filled with harmonious cheer.
Passing through Chongye Ward, Liu Yun, who was dozing off in the carriage, suddenly remembered something important. She lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, and confirming they hadn't yet passed Yumo Studio, she pleaded with her mother, "I suddenly want to buy a few books at Yumo Studio. Mother, please wait for me a moment."
Zhang Yuhua readily agreed, and even smiled, saying, "Shall I come with you, along with Shanshan?"
Liu Yun's expression flickered with panic for a moment, and she shook her head like a rattle-drum. Zhang Yuhua saw through her clearly but didn't expose her, saying with a faint smile, "Go on, then."
When the carriage arrived at Yumo Studio, Liu Yun couldn't wait to jump out, her skirts fluttering like butterfly wings in flight.
It was nearing noon, and there were few customers in the studio. When Liu Yun arrived with Jin He, Yu He was at the front counter going over the accounts.
Hearing the sound of people approaching, she immediately looked up.
"So it's the young mistress who's come. Please, do come in~"
Liu Yun originally had two maidservants—one was Jin He, and the other was Yu He, who had been married off last year.
Yu He's marriage to her husband had been arranged since childhood. The two shared a good relationship, and once they came of age, Liu Yun had provided a generous dowry and married her off in grand style.
Yu He's husband, Zhou Yan, ran a bookshop business, and after marrying him, Yu He became the mistress of the shop. Zhou Yan was also a gentle and honest man, and the two lived a comfortable life together.
She had come this time for an important matter of hers.
After paying his respects to Liu Yun, Zhou Yan tactfully left the space to the women and went to the backyard to air out books.
Although both Yu He and her husband knew her little secret, Liu Yun always felt embarrassed when there was another man present.
Once Zhou Yan had left, Liu Yun broke into a smile and said, "Quick, let me see—how did my storybook turn out?"
Throughout the entire Yanjing City, besides Jin He and Yu He, no one else knew that she—a seemingly proper and well-behaved daughter of an official—was actually a storybook author.
And a famous one at that!
In the year she came of age, she didn't know what divine inspiration had struck her, but she developed an immense passion for writing storybooks. She spent three months and, in one burst of creative energy, wrote the first storybook of her life, The Flower Moon Almanac.
At first, she hadn't thought of having it printed and sold in the market—she only kept it for her own enjoyment.
It was only later that Yu He suggested they could quietly have the storybook printed through her fiancé Zhou Yan's connections.
Initially, Liu Yun was reluctant—not only because she was wary of her status as an official's daughter and feared being discovered would stir up trouble.
She was also ashamed of having her private little stories exposed to the light of day for others to judge.
But later, she grew increasingly unsatisfied with keeping her storybooks to herself and wanted more people to read them.
And so, in the autumn of the year she came of age, Liu Yun's first storybook was printed and began circulating quietly in the Yanjing market.
At first, it made little splash. But within half a month, at a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, the ladies were discussing it with great fervor, and The Flower Moon Almanac rose to fame from that point on.
Soon after, her second book received an equally enthusiastic response, earning the adoration of countless women in Yanjing. Not only did the name Feiyun grow increasingly renowned among the ladies, but it also brought Liu Yun considerable wealth.
Now, the second volume of her third book had been bound and finished, awaiting only her review before going on sale.
The exquisite book in her hands, with its satisfying weight, immediately filled Liu Yun with a sense of deep reassurance.
Just as Liu Yun had expected, the cover was exquisite—patterned paper, osmanthus-scented ink, as refined and elegant as always.
The words "Peach Blossom Dream" in three delicate, graceful characters met her eyes—clear and beautiful, alluring and captivating.
"Good. Yu He, you're as thorough as always. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll put it on sale in three days. Same as before—first release fifty copies, and the rest can come out gradually."
"Profit split as usual—sixty-forty."
Although she was the one holding the pen, printing the story into book form required costs for paper, ink, and craftsmanship, and the business of selling and managing it took considerable effort as well.
Initially, Liu Yun had wanted to split the profits fifty-fifty with Yu He and her husband, but the couple firmly refused, saying they had only contributed a small effort, and pushed the split to sixty-forty.
Yu He nodded in agreement. Before Liu Yun left, she took two copies for her.
One for Liu Yun to keep for herself, and one prepared for Zhenzhen, who might not be able to get her hands on a copy otherwise.
As she was leaving, Yu He smiled and urged her, "The young mistress has rested for two months now—shouldn't you start thinking about what the next book will be?"
Facing Yu He's teasing prodding, Liu Yun pretended to be annoyed and pinched the soft flesh at Yu He's waist, scolding playfully, "Do you take me for a donkey? It can't be that fast!"
"I'll wait until inspiration strikes."
Writing stories always came down to inspiration—if it didn't come, there was nothing Liu Yun could do.
Laughing as she left Yumo Studio, Liu Yun casually picked up a few miscellaneous books as a cover and returned home with her mother.
That night, taking advantage of the quiet hours when no one would disturb her, Liu Yun gently turned open the pages, and the first thing that met her eyes was the elegant name "Feiyun."
When apricot blossoms bloom, they are dense as clouds, their color a deep crimson—just like rosy clouds in the sky.
Liu Yun loved spring apricots, so she chose the name Feiyun.
Perhaps because she was the author herself, Liu Yun read very quickly. In just one hour, she had finished the entire book and went to sleep contentedly.
As for inspiration—it couldn't be forced. She could only wait for the right moment.
But over a month passed, and Liu Yun still hadn't found her inspiration.
However, other lively matters had come up, so Liu Yun wasn't in a hurry.
For instance, the Bathing Buddha Festival in two days, and also her birthday approaching.
Although Liu Yun was a young lady who enjoyed staying at home, she still needed to go out and breathe some fresh air.
She just hoped she wouldn't run into any unpleasantness like the last time she encountered Tanchun.
On the eighth day of the fourth month—the Bathing Buddha Festival.
This day, every temple in Yanjing was unusually bustling, especially Cien Temple, which boasted the strongest incense offerings in the city.
Of course, Liu Yun was also there to join in the excitement.
The day before, she had arranged with Zhenzhen to meet beneath the fate-binding tree at Cien Temple.
Stepping into Cien Temple, the square before the Grand Buddha Hall was a cacophony of voices—monks were conducting the Buddha-bathing ceremony, reverently washing the statue of Sakyamuni with five-colored fragrant water.
After partaking of the rice porridge and fate-knot beans offered by the young novices along the way, Liu Yun spotted Zhenzhen amidst the surging crowd near the fate-binding tree.
"Shanshan, over here!"
To catch her attention, the other girl waved a goose-yellow silk handkerchief with great vigor, which immediately made Liu Yun laugh.
"Coming, coming~"
The two met up and began discussing where to go for some fun.
"How about the Release Pond? His Majesty and the Crown Prince are both there—lots of people are going to watch!"
Chen Wei said with a smile, but Liu Yun immediately shot it down.
"No, what's there to see? I'd rather not court any more bad luck."
After that unpleasant incident last time, Liu Yun couldn't help but harbor a psychological shadow, and she had no favorable impression of the Crown Prince whatsoever. Now, at the mere mention of him, she instinctively shied away.
Otherwise, with her easygoing and agreeable nature, she would have simply gone wherever Zhenzhen suggested.
Chen Wei had also witnessed the whole affair that day with her own eyes, so naturally she understood her friend's feelings. Hearing this, she promptly offered another suggestion: "Then let's head to the East Field and watch some polo?"
Cien Temple had both an East and West Field—the West Field was for merchants to trade and performers to put on shows, while the East Field was for polo and cuju, and it was quite convenient.
"Alright, let's go!"
For Liu Yun, anything was better than joining the crowd around the Crown Prince.