The Empress Dowager planned to worship at Longhua Temple for half a month. Now that five days had passed, Daiyu had come to understand some of Prince Duan’s temperament. As long as certain matters were not touched upon, he would not have much of a reaction.
Thus, the next day, Daiyu chose a small mountain stream as the setting for their afternoon performance.
After spending several days in the forest pavilion, the scenery there had already been thoroughly enjoyed.
As expected, Chu Heng raised no objection. When Daiyu mentioned it in the morning, Zhao Qing had already led people to prepare the resting place by the time they arrived in the afternoon.
Cushions had been laid on the wooden chairs, and a tea set was placed on the wooden table. Daiyu glanced at it casually and did not give it much thought—until a cup of plain water was handed to her.
According to Prince Duan, the tea she drank each day was prepared by Zhao Qing. Had he forgotten today?
At that moment, Zhao Qing smiled and said, “Miss Lin, yesterday His Highness mentioned that you have been taking medicine for many years, so it is probably not good for you to drink tea often. Today, we did not brew any tea. If you would like some, this servant has brought tea leaves—please choose.”
Daiyu was startled. Yesterday, during casual conversation, Prince Duan had indeed asked once about her health, and she had answered honestly. She had not expected there to be a follow-up today.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Daiyu said, looking at Chu Heng. “The physician did indeed say I should drink less tea. It’s just that I… have a greedy mouth.”
Such were the rules in the Jia household—everyone drank tea after meals. As a junior living under their roof, Daiyu could hardly establish a rule of her own.
Chu Heng was selecting candies from a dish. Hearing this, he smiled. “Tea counteracts medicine—that’s what the imperial physicians say. Once you no longer need to take medicine, Miss Lin, you’ll be able to drink tea whenever you like.”
Daiyu smiled. “I’ll borrow Your Highness’s auspicious words.”
“That day will come,” Chu Heng raised his eyes to her. “Perhaps… Miss Lin will encounter some fortuitous connection as well.”
Daiyu smiled and looked toward the faintly visible pagoda in the distance. “The Buddha is compassionate. Perhaps… he will bless me too.”
Chu Heng picked a piece of candy and dropped it into his cup, then asked Daiyu, “Would you like a piece of candy?”
Seeing this, Daiyu frowned slightly. “It’s too sweet.”
“There are ones that aren’t so sweet…” Chu Heng beckoned Zhao Qing over.
Zhao Qing quickly said, “Miss Lin, honey is not very sweet. There are also syrups made from various flower petals, and flower essences as well. Please take a look and choose.”
As he spoke, more than a dozen palace maids and eunuchs stood to the side, holding small bottles made of porcelain and glass, allowing Daiyu to choose freely.
Daiyu selected only a bottle of flower essence, mixed it into water, and drank half a cup, feeling her mouth fill with fragrance and sweetness.
Just as Daiyu was about to rise and walk toward the stream, she saw that Prince Duan was still waiting for his candy to dissolve. Without thinking, she spoke, “Your Highness, would you like to get up and walk a bit?”
“Hm?” Chu Heng looked up at her, puzzled. “Walk where?”
Daiyu had spoken on impulse, but once the words were out, she could not take them back. She had no choice but to continue. “Sitting around is dull. Why not take a walk? Look, Your Highness—there are fish in the stream.”
Chu Heng looked at Daiyu somewhat blankly, as if something he could not quite understand had happened. “Walk… walk. Mm, let’s walk.”
Chu Heng slowly stood up, his stiff neck turning as he looked toward the quietly flowing stream.
Daiyu waited a moment. Seeing him begin to move his feet slowly, she also started walking. Chu Heng walked very slowly; after only a few steps, Daiyu had already passed him. Together with Zijuan and Xueyan, the three of them walked arm in arm along the stream, their eyes following the fish that occasionally swam by.
“Miss, look there—that fish is black…” Zijuan said with a smile, pointing it out to Daiyu.
Daiyu followed her gesture, her eyes curving with curiosity. “Where? Where is it? What kind of fish is that?”
“It swam too fast—it’s gone already,” Xueyan laughed. “Sister Zijuan, it was just a fish. You misspoke.”
Listening to the cheerful voices of the mistress and maids, Chu Heng also looked for the black fish. The fish kept in the palace and princely residences were all carefully selected; he naturally did not recognize wild ones.
But… it was rather interesting.
Chu Heng’s gaze shifted from the water to Daiyu. This was the first time she had shown such a lively side, completely different from the refined elegance she displayed while writing poetry yesterday.
Chu Heng understood her a little more, yet at the same time found her even more elusive.
Compared to the dull Chu Heng, Miss Lin was truly an interesting person.
Chu Heng wanted to be a bit closer to her.
After watching for a while, Daiyu could not help sighing. “Although there are fish in Qin Fang Stream, they’re not as interesting as those in the mountains.”
Chu Heng slowly walked up beside her and asked, “What is Qin Fang Stream?”
“When the Grand View Garden—the imperial consort’s visiting residence—was built, a living stream was diverted into it. That is Qin Fang Stream,” Daiyu glanced at him.
Chu Heng nodded. Grand View Garden—this was the second time she had mentioned it. The poetry society had also been established there.
“If you find these fish interesting, have someone catch them and bring them home to raise,” Chu Heng said.
“Ah?” Daiyu was momentarily surprised, then shook her head with a smile. “Thank you for Your Highness’s kindness, but I have no place to raise them.”
Chu Heng smiled. “It doesn’t matter if you have no place. They can be kept at the princely residence for now.”
Kept at the princely residence for now—once they married and Daiyu became the mistress of the residence, these fish would naturally be hers.
Daiyu was taken aback. The implication of his words first made her blush, then left her with complicated feelings. Toward this unavoidable marriage, unease still lingered in her heart.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Daiyu said with a smile, though compared to her earlier radiant smile, this one carried a trace of forced cheer.
Chu Heng looked at her hesitantly, unable to understand how her mood had changed so suddenly after just a sentence or two.
Daiyu lowered her eyes, appearing nonchalant as she held Zijuan’s hand and turned away, once again walking slowly along the stream.
Speaking of the engagement in a formal, businesslike manner was one thing—Daiyu could face that calmly.
But bringing it up in such an almost intimate tone, as if they truly were a pair of affectionate betrothed…
Daiyu knew that was not the case. They were merely bound together by circumstance, destined to play the role of a respectful couple for a lifetime.
Such intimate words went too far.
Until they left the stream, Chu Heng did not mention catching fish again, and Daiyu returned to her usual demeanor.
As if nothing had happened.
The next day, they came to the same stream again.
Daiyu set down her book. After a moment of silence, she raised her eyes, about to speak—only to see that another table had been placed beside Chu Heng, upon which lay more than ten long cases.
She wondered what this was for. They looked like scroll cases for calligraphy or paintings. Prince Duan usually only liked to daydream—why had he brought calligraphy and paintings today to pass the time?
“Miss Lin,” Chu Heng smiled at her. “Take a look at this.”
Prince Duan had already opened one case and taken out the scroll inside, handing it to Daiyu.
Full of doubt, Daiyu accepted it. After opening it only two inches, her eyes widened. “This is Wang… Wang Youjun’s…”
“The original,” Chu Heng smiled and finished the sentence.
The Lin family had once held hereditary marquis titles and possessed many rare ancient texts and famous artworks. Before Lin Ruhai passed away, he had passed them down to Daiyu. Even so, among them were only two copies of Wang Youjun’s calligraphy—none were originals.
Daiyu could hardly believe it. “But… hasn’t Wang Youjun’s original work long been lost?”
Chu Heng explained, “This piece has always been kept in the palace. Our dynasty’s founding ancestor recovered it from the private treasury of a deposed former emperor. A few years ago, on my birthday, His Majesty bestowed it upon me.”
Daiyu nodded in a daze. “So it truly is an original…”
These items had been fetched from the princely residence at great speed by Chu Heng’s order. He had originally felt a twinge of reluctance, but seeing Daiyu like this, that bit of reluctance vanished completely.
“Miss Lin, I give this piece to you,” Chu Heng said solemnly. “As an apology gift.”
Daiyu was startled. “An apology? Why does Your Highness need to apologize to me?”
Chu Heng replied, “Yesterday I offended Miss Lin, leaving you in low spirits the entire time. Naturally, I should offer an apology.”
Yesterday…
Daiyu opened her mouth. She had not expected him to care so much about that fleeting moment. For a moment, she did not know what to say.
“Only…” Chu Heng smiled a little awkwardly. “I truly don’t know where I went wrong, so I ask Miss Lin to choose another piece of calligraphy, and I’ll apologize once more.”
“I only wish for Miss Lin to feel at ease.”
In matters of love and affection, Chu Heng understood nothing. He merely acted according to his heart. He was not as delicate in thought as Daiyu, and since they were not of one mind, he could not grasp what truly troubled her.
However, not wanting to see Daiyu unhappy was a feeling that came straight from Chu Heng’s heart.
Chu Heng wanted to see the smile she had worn yesterday bloom on her face once more.
Daiyu stood stunned for a moment. In Prince Duan’s eyes, she saw sincerity—he genuinely wanted her to be happy.
They had not known each other long, and had been bound together against their will, but for Prince Duan, who rarely interacted closely with others, Daiyu perhaps already counted as a friend.
To be fair, Daiyu felt that her interactions with Prince Duan had been quite pleasant all along. Consciously or not, they had indeed come to know many things about each other, inevitably gaining greater understanding.
A human heart is not made of stone. When one spends time with another, feelings of concern naturally arise.
If Daiyu truly did not care about Prince Duan’s words and actions, she would not have been so affected by an offhand remark of his.
Her original plan—he would be his Prince Duan, she would be her Princess Consort, mutually uninvolved—seemed somewhat unworkable.
In the end, Daiyu and Chu Heng might become like many couples in the world—not good, not bad. Even without love, over time, some measure of care would inevitably grow. Such a bond was nothing more than an ordinary human condition.
“I…” When Daiyu spoke, her voice was slightly hoarse. She cleared her throat and continued. “I was a bit unhappy, and it did have something to do with Your Highness.”
Chu Heng, seeing her willing to speak, hurriedly said, “Please tell me.”
Daiyu smiled. “I was just thinking that in the future, if there are any big or small matters, Your Highness might let me know first before making a decision—whether it’s raising a fish, or… raising something else.”
Chu Heng suddenly understood. “So that’s it.”
Yesterday, she had only said she found the fish interesting; she had not said she wanted to claim them as her own. Indeed, Chu Heng had spoken rashly.
Chu Heng believed he had sorted out the logic.