During the evening recitation, Daiyu noticed that both the eldest prince and the second prince were nodding off. That was hardly surprising—young boys of barely ten years old had ridden over from the palace, rested for just a little more than an hour, and were then summoned by the Empress Dowager to chant sutras. How could they not be exhausted?
Someone, however, was clearly not drowsy yet just as clearly absent-minded. Daiyu stole a few glances at the Prince of Duan and saw that he was merely moving his lips for show; he was not reciting the scriptures at all.
Ever since the matter of Yongkang’s marriage had been mentioned, the Prince of Duan had been acting strangely. Was it out of sibling affection, or was there some other reason?
Daiyu could not discern the clue. Nor could she grasp the true meaning behind Chu Heng’s inexplicable words—after all, she would never imagine that the Prince of Duan had begun to reconsider their marriage from her perspective.
Unfortunately, no matter how Chu Heng thought about it, he ultimately could not change what had already been decided.
This marriage—he and Daiyu had no choice but to carry it through.
That night, when he practiced calligraphy before bed, Chu Heng dipped his brush in ink and set the tip upon the xuan paper. Yet his heart was unsettled; he hesitated for a long time without writing a single stroke, and the blank sheet was stained instead with a large blot of ink.
Two days earlier, when he could not understand why Daiyu had suddenly grown displeased, he had likewise been unable to concentrate on his writing at night. But then he had quickly devised a plan for the following day. This time, however…
Chu Heng found himself unable to compensate Daiyu in any way.
Thinking back now, perhaps Daiyu’s displeasure had stemmed from his mention of the princely residence, which inevitably touched upon the marriage she disliked. It had nothing to do with the reason she herself had given.
Yet… Daiyu was not a girl who spoke carelessly. She had already been dragged into this by Chu Heng; how could he suspect her further?
Chu Heng crumpled the paper into a ball, tossed it into the wastebasket, and let out a long, gloomy sigh.
Zhao Qing had long noticed that his master seemed out of sorts. Seeing this, he took the opportunity to ask, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Chu Heng took the brush washer, poured in fresh water, and gently swirled the brush inside. “Nothing.”
“Your Highness hasn’t written a single character today—clearly you’re troubled,” Zhao Qing ventured. “Is it because of the Princess, or the Empress Dowager… or perhaps Miss Lin?”
As he replaced the water again, Chu Heng said quietly, “You talk too much.”
Recalling the events of the past two days, Zhao Qing summoned his courage. “It must be Miss Lin…”
Chu Heng lifted his eyes and glanced at him. Zhao Qing immediately knew he had guessed correctly.
He hurried on, “Your Highness, one mind is limited; two minds are better. If you speak of it, though this servant is foolish, perhaps I can inspire Your Highness with a clever idea and ease your worries.”
“Fine.” Chu Heng set the brush aside and asked, “Do you have any way to annul my marriage to Miss Lin?”
Zhao Qing was stunned. “Ah?”
Chu Heng snapped, “If you don’t, then shut up.”
Zhao Qing panicked. “Y-Your Highness, how could you even think such a thing? This was a marriage bestowed by imperial edict, written in the Emperor’s own hand! To defy the imperial decree is treason—punishable by extermination of nine clans!”
Of course, the Emperor would never exterminate Chu Heng’s nine clans, but Chu Heng himself certainly would not survive.
“Yes, extermination of nine clans,” Chu Heng said. “So no matter how unwilling she is, Miss Lin still has to endure this marriage.”
Zhao Qing was rendered speechless. His Highness was thinking of Miss Lin?
This was… had the dead tree finally bloomed?
This was truly—
Oh dear, Zhao Qing simply could not express his feelings. Their princely residence was finally about to welcome a true mistress!
“Your Highness, since you feel Miss Lin has been wronged, then treat her well from now on,” Zhao Qing said eagerly. “Though our residence cannot compare to the palace, we still have some fine things. Miss Lin will surely never suffer again!”
Chu Heng looked at Zhao Qing without a word, waved his hand, and signaled him to stop talking.
Was that what Miss Lin wanted?
What she wanted… was something Chu Heng feared he could not give.
……
The next morning, Chu Heng and Daiyu went together to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. From afar, they saw the second prince reading in the woods.
Daiyu did not speak. The two walked on in silence, and only then did she glance at Chu Heng.
The Prince of Duan’s mood had not yet recovered.
Could it be… Daiyu guessed, that seeing the two princes had reminded him of the open and covert struggles among the imperial sons during the late emperor’s reign?
She silently calculated: before the late emperor passed away, he had served as retired emperor for several years. When he abdicated, Chu Heng had been no more than fourteen or fifteen. By then, the current Emperor had already been crown prince for many years. As a young prince who had not yet left the palace to establish his own residence, what lingering shadow could Chu Heng possibly carry from those events?
Judging from his past words, however, the Prince of Duan had indeed experienced certain things in the palace during his youth—things that had shaped the man he was today.
And those words from yesterday: perhaps he had not personally taken part, yet he had seen and heard enough.
The imperial household truly was rife with trouble.
Daiyu felt a measure of relief instead. Fortunately, the Prince of Duan was now an imperial brother, not a crown prince. Whatever might happen in the future would be a matter for the next generation.
Recalling how the Prince of Duan had tried to make amends when she had been unhappy a few days earlier, Daiyu felt a pang of sympathy seeing him so dejected now.
After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Your Highness, we were delayed yesterday. Shall we still go fishing today?”
Chu Heng lowered his gaze to her. He could not grant Miss Lin her true wish—how could he refuse her in such a small matter?
“Of course we’ll go,” Chu Heng said, then added, “Miss Lin, do you still want… anything else?”
“Hm?” Daiyu was puzzled. Thinking of how dull the Prince of Duan usually was, she smiled. “I wonder if Your Highness has brought a qin? With music, perhaps the fish will bite.”
Her words made Chu Heng smile. He turned to Zhao Qing. “Did you bring a qin?”
“Yes,” Zhao Qing replied quickly. “Your Highness, this afternoon I’ll have it taken over.”
Daiyu glanced at Zhao Qing. He truly was thorough—these things might never be used by the Prince of Duan at all, yet he prepared them all the same.
Zhao Qing was a eunuch, someone from the palace. Judging by his age, had he been bestowed upon the Prince of Duan by the Empress Dowager?
When they arrived at the Empress Dowager’s quarters, they saw that the eldest prince was already there conversing with her. Yongkang had arrived early as well and was now seated, rolling her eyes incessantly.
Chu Heng was about to glare at her when he saw Daiyu smile slightly. Yongkang immediately straightened her expression, rose, and smiled at Daiyu. “Sister Lin is here.” Only then did she bow to Chu Heng. “Fifth Brother.”
Daiyu returned the greeting. “Your Highness.”
Chu Heng and Daiyu paid their respects to the Empress Dowager. The eldest prince then came forward to greet Chu Heng, but Chu Heng sidestepped to avoid receiving the salute.
The Empress Dowager smiled. “We’re all family—no need for such formalities. Sit.”
Yet when the second prince came forward to offer his greetings in turn, the Empress Dowager did not say the same. Seeing this, a trace of smugness appeared on the eldest prince’s face.
No wonder Yongkang had said that once they arrived, peaceful days would be over. Watching such a scene day after day would surely dampen Daiyu’s spirits as well.
Fortunately, Longhua Temple had scriptures to calm the heart. At midday, Daiyu recited sutras alone in her room for a while. By the time she went to the river in the afternoon, her already ethereal presence seemed even more otherworldly.
Seeing her, Chu Heng could not help recalling that when he first met Master Pingyi, the monk had said Daiyu was a fairy.
If only she truly were a fairy—able to escape the mortal world, beyond the reach of worldly rules.
Feeling deeply indebted to Daiyu now, Chu Heng had long instructed Zhao Qing to arrange everything properly. Fishing gear went without saying; in addition to the qin mentioned that morning, there were also brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, a chess set, and a flute.
Daiyu was surprised when she saw all this. But seeing Chu Heng quietly drinking water as though it were all perfectly ordinary, she found it awkward to comment, lest she seem overly startled.
“Your Highness arrived early,” Daiyu said with a smile, bowing.
Chu Heng set down his teacup, rose, and smiled. “Miss Lin, we see each other often. There’s no need to be so formal all the time.”
Daiyu was surprised again, then thought it over. Since they were putting on a show for the Empress Dowager and spent time together daily, such stiffness would indeed be unreasonable.
So she smiled. “Your Highness is right—otherwise it would be hard to explain to the Empress Dowager.”
Chu Heng paused, then smiled as well. “Indeed. Miss Lin, please sit.”
Daiyu inclined her head with a smile. “Your Highness, please.”
Chu Heng did not sit. Just as he was about to speak again, Daiyu said, “We just agreed not to be overly polite. If we keep yielding back and forth like this, we’ll be even more formal than before.”
A smile gradually spread through Chu Heng’s eyes. He looked at Daiyu. “That’s turning cleverness into clumsiness. Perhaps we should sit together.”
Daiyu nodded, and the two of them sat down together.
After drinking half a cup of water mixed with honey, Daiyu said, “I’ll play the qin for Your Highness, and you can fish. How does that sound?”
It was her idea first. Chu Heng shook his head. “I’ll play the qin.”
Daiyu did not argue. She smiled. “All right.”
She just wondered whether the Prince of Duan’s skill with the qin would be more like his calligraphy, or more like his chess.
Hopefully he wouldn’t scare the fish away.
Daiyu sat by the riverbank. A young eunuch handed her a fishing rod already baited; two other eunuchs stood behind her holding parasols for shade, while Ziqi sat beside her fanning her gently.
Daiyu gazed absentmindedly at the water. Fish darted past lightly, none taking the bait. Suddenly, melodious qin music drifted through the air and into her ears, prompting Daiyu to sit up straight and listen intently.
The clear, graceful melody carried a trace of melancholy. Even the flowing river seemed entwined by it, echoing leisurely.
The fishing rod in Daiyu’s hand dipped slightly. Ziqi was about to alert her that a fish had bitten, but seeing Daiyu’s expression, she closed her mouth again.
When the piece ended, the lingering notes still echoed in Daiyu’s heart.
Ziqi whispered, “Miss, a fish just bit.”
Daiyu blinked, still unable to come back to herself. “What?”
“The fish that bit got away,” Xueyan said bluntly.
“…” Daiyu finally reacted and exclaimed, “Ah! My fish!”
Hearing the commotion, Chu Heng hurried over. “What’s wrong?”
Daiyu reeled in the line and looked at the empty hook, her face full of regret. “Your Highness, my fish ran away.”
Seeing her like this, Chu Heng found her utterly adorable and couldn’t help laughing. “I thought something serious had happened…”
Daiyu said regretfully, “That was the first time I almost caught a fish.”
Seeing her disappointment, Chu Heng comforted her. “Even if you’d caught it, we would have released it. So you can think of this as releasing it ahead of time.”
Only then did Daiyu feel a little better.
Chu Heng added, “There’s still some time. Try again.”
Daiyu thought for a moment, then smiled. “Fishing again is easy enough, but I’ll have to trouble Your Highness not to play the qin this time—otherwise I won’t be able to focus.”
Chu Heng’s eyes curved with a smile. “As you wish.”