Filled with confusion, Yun Wan followed the young eunuch guiding her through numerous twists and turns, arriving at the familiar Huichang Gate she had passed through earlier.
The palace gates stood imposing with their vermilion walls and dark tiles. On the narrow paved path of bluestone bricks, only a single ebony carriage stood waiting silently.
Upon boarding the carriage, she unexpectedly met three pairs of curious eyes.
Yun Wan apologized, “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting so long.”
These words were mainly directed at Lu Yuanduo and his son. Originally, they could have returned first, but because of her, they had waited for over two hours in vain.
Lu Yuanduo shook his head, “It’s no trouble.”
His thoughts shifting, he carefully worded his question, “What did The Emperor… want with you?”
His brows carried a trace of bewilderment.
Sitting beside A Sui, Yun Wan reached out to pat his head. Hearing Lu Yuanduo’s question, she simply said, “His Majesty heard I’m skilled with fragrances, so he had me identify a particular scent and ordered me to recreate it.”
Lu Yuanduo was surprised, “Create a fragrance?”
Yun Wan hummed in affirmation but offered no further explanation.
As a trusted confidant of the Son of Heaven, Lu Yuanduo had heard rumors that in recent years, His Majesty seemed to be searching for something related to fragrances.
As for what exactly it was, he didn’t know. Presuming to pry into the Emperor’s actions was a grave taboo.
Noticing the worry in her eyes from his peripheral vision, Lu Yuanduo paused before saying, “Do your best. If it truly proves impossible, I’ll find an opportunity to explain to His Majesty on your behalf.”
Lost in her own thoughts, Yun Wan responded half-heartedly, “Thank you, Duke.”
………
After a day filled with too many events, returning to Cuiwei Courtyard left Yun Wan utterly exhausted.
A Sui, however, was fine. Being an energetic child, after the afternoon’s ordeal and returning to his familiar home, he became lively again.
As soon as he entered the room, he sought out tea and personally poured a cup for Yun Wan, handing it to her, “Mother, have some tea.”
Yue Jian, standing nearby, covered her mouth and laughed, “Madam, since attending school, our young master has become even more filial than before.”
A cup of hot tea eased some of her weariness. Yun Wan patted A Sui and instructed Yue Jian, “Go retrieve A Sui’s book box. He won’t be attending for the next few days.”
Yue Jian nodded and left.
Hearing ‘book box,’ A Sui visibly drooped with disappointment.
Seeing this, Yun Wan waved him over, “A Sui, come here to Mother.”
Taking off his shoes, A Sui climbed onto the daybed and knelt sitting before her, “Mother.”
No matter how good Hongwen Academy was, it couldn’t compare to home. After ten days there, A Sui looked noticeably thinner.
Pinching his cheeks, which weren’t as soft as before, Yun Wan asked gently, “Why do you look so downcast? Were you frightened by what happened in the palace this afternoon?”
With so many people present at the time, and A Sui being so young, where would he have seen such a scene before? Yun Wan thought he might be experiencing lingering fear.
Unexpectedly, A Sui shook his head, pouting and mumbling, “Mother, I’m not a good student anymore. Can I still become Scholar Xu’s student in the future?”
The thought of being seen as an unprincipled bad student by others made A Sui sad, afraid that Yun Wan would be disappointed in him.
For a moment, his eyebrows drooped, his small face filled with unease.
Her heart aching as if pricked by needles, Yun Wan bent down, cupped his little face, and asked softly, “Why would you say that? How are you not a good student?”
“I’ve been at school for less than ten days, and I’m already punished to reflect at home. It’s terrible… And what about my studies? What should I do?”
A Sui scratched his cheek, puffing up in frustration.
So that’s what this was about, Yun Wan thought with amusement.
Growing even more disgruntled, A Sui wrinkled his dumpling-like face and asked, “Mother, why are you laughing? Aren’t you angry?”
Rubbing his doughy cheek, Yun Wan couldn’t hold back her laughter. “What is there to be angry about?”
“The one at fault isn’t you, A Sui. You were merely caught up in the aftermath. Besides, you performed so well in the main hall today—by rights, you should have been rewarded.”
But under those circumstances, with both princes being punished, rewarding A Sui alone would only invite resentment.
Yun Wan was actually quite satisfied with the outcome.
Worried he might dwell on it too much, she changed the subject: “Moreover, I’ve already asked The Emperor to exempt you from copying texts, and His Majesty has granted it. That proves you did nothing wrong.”
Seeing how lenient his mother was being, A Sui sighed. “It just doesn’t feel right.”
Chuckling softly, Yun Wan feigned distress. “Then what can we do? What’s done is done. Worrying won’t change anything.”
“Since you were supposed to return home tomorrow anyway, and the Cold Food Festival break is coming up soon, let’s consider this an early vacation.”
A Sui furrowed his brow. “Alright then…”
Yun Wan hugged him, her tone full of tenderness. “No matter what others think, you will always be the best child in your mother’s eyes, understand?”
“Regret and remorse are useless emotions—they only torment oneself. The matter is settled, and we can just as well review your studies at home.”
Yun Wan understood his turmoil. People had always praised A Sui; this was the first time he’d ever been punished, and it weighed on him.
A Sui’s eyes suddenly brightened. “I understand, Mother.”
A child’s emotions come and go quickly. After their heart-to-heart, A Sui’s mood lifted entirely.
His eyes darting, he suddenly remembered something, a guilty look flashing across his little face.
“Mother, I have a secret to tell you.” A Sui smiled shyly, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Curious, Yun Wan tilted her head closer and heard—
“The injury on the Crown Prince’s left cheek… I was the one who kicked him.”
Yun Wan stared, dumbfounded. “A Sui, you…”
A Sui tugged at his sleeve, grumbling unhappily, “He smashed my bowl during the fight!”
It was his favorite rice bowl, shattered for no reason.
Seeing the porcelain pieces scattered across the floor, A Sui had snapped.
In a fit of anger, he took advantage of the chaos to stick his leg out and delivered a solid kick—unexpectedly landing right on the Crown Prince’s left cheek.
Fortunately, the scene was so chaotic that no one noticed, nor would anyone suspect the youngest of them all, A Sui, had thrown that kick.
After her shock subsided, Yun Wan said sternly, “Let this remain our secret. You must never tell anyone, understand?”
It was just as well the Crown Prince still believed the Third Prince had been the one to kick him.
Yun Wan was surprised—her little A Sui had a temper. In a way, it reassured her.
Better to repay a grievance than suffer injustice in silence.
A Sui nodded.
………
For the next half-month, aside from resting his injuries and reading, A Sui spent half an hour each day in reflection facing the wall.
Yun Wan, meanwhile, spent most of her time in the incense room, diligently blending scents in hopes of completing the task assigned by the Jing Xuan Emperor as soon as possible. Yet progress was slow.
Over time, the carefully prepared Incense Powder turned out even less satisfactory than the first batch, leaving her deeply frustrated.
Thus, the Cold Food Festival arrived.
On this day, A Sui and Lu Changze’s period of facing the wall in reflection happened to conclude.
As a scion of the Lu Family, Lu Changze had followed Lu Yuanduo and other clan members early in the morning to pay respects to their ancestors, while the rest of the womenfolk gathered merrily within the estate.
Such occasions had always been unfavorable for Yun Wan. Everyone was wary of her status as a widow. Though none voiced it aloud, their actions deliberately avoided her, as if unwilling to be tainted by misfortune.
Over time, Yun Wan grew reluctant to appear, finding it rather liberating instead.
Seeing that she had stayed in the incense room all morning without any progress to show, Yue Zhi thoughtfully suggested, “Madam, the weather is splendid today. Why don’t we go out for a stroll?”
Yun Wan understood the folly of working behind closed doors. She set down the incense tools in her hands.
“Very well, let’s go take a look at the incense workshop.”