He actually spoke?
Yun Qiya had assumed he was naturally taciturn.
She paused in her tracks. “If you are referring to the Left Vice Minister of Rites, then yes, he is indeed my uncle.”
The man’s gaze swept over her damp hem, and he gave a slight nod. “You may go.”
Yun Qiya wasn’t sure of his identity. If he wasn’t someone of high status, his attendants wouldn’t be wearing the black boots forbidden to commoners; yet if he was truly noble, why was he fishing alone by the lake while ill, with no one to wait on him?
Regardless of his rank, anyone allowed to fish in Princess Rongshan’s villa was certainly no ordinary person.
Yun Qiya didn’t wish to pry. Often, being too curious led to no good. “Farewell.”
Even though she had washed her hands, she still felt a faint scent of fish on her palms. She decided to find a place to wash them twice more.
She began retracing her steps. Just as she passed through the rockery, someone crashed into her. The girl was covered in pearls and emeralds, and even through her clothes, the ornaments poked Yun Qiya’s chest, causing a sharp sting.
“Why don’t you look where you’re going?” The young lady who had bumped into her pushed her away, her face flushed with anger. Behind her, several maidservants scrambled to straighten her hem and head ornaments.
“Young lady, you cannot twist the truth just because you are beautiful,” Yun Qiya said, rubbing the spot where the ornaments had poked her. She bent down to pick up a gold hairpin that had fallen to the ground and held it out to the girl.
Upon hearing the words “beautiful,” the anger on the girl’s face froze. The corners of her mouth twitched upward repeatedly, and it took a long moment for her to force her expression back into a stern mask. She snatched the gold hairpin from Yun Qiya’s palm, her tone unconsciously softening. “I am in a good mood today, so I won’t hold it against you.”
She seemed about to say more when she noticed the hairpin in Yun Qiya’s hair. “Why are you here alone? Why aren’t you playing with the other young ladies?”
“I have only recently returned to the capital, so I am not yet well-acquainted with the other girls,” Yun Qiya replied. Hearing the girl refer to the others as “guests,” she had a rough idea of her identity.
Princess Rongshan had only one daughter, whom she cherished like a precious pearl, naming her Lu Mingzhu.
“You came to the villa alone?” Lu Mingzhu asked curiously.
“I came with Sister Song, Song Daohuan.” Yun Qiya noticed that Lu Mingzhu’s expression became even friendlier at the mention of Cousin Song.
“So you are Daohuan’s friend.” Lu Mingzhu broke into a smile. “Daohuan told me yesterday that she wanted to introduce a friend to me. I didn’t expect it to be you.”
*Daohuan’s friend might not look where she’s walking, but her taste is certainly good.*
*No one is perfect, after all. I can overlook such a small flaw.*
By the time Song Daohuan finished discussing cultivation insights with Princess Rongshan and emerged, Yun Qiya and Lu Mingzhu were already sitting in a warm pavilion, drinking tea and playing chess. However, both were terrible at the game; they had their heads huddled together, sliding pieces back and forth across the board without any clear strategy.
“You just retracted a move!”
“You retracted one too!”
“I only did it three times! You’ve done it more than me!”
Song Daohuan was bewildered. She hadn’t even introduced them yet; how had they ended up together?
When the maidservants in the pavilion saw Song Daohuan, their faces lit up as if they had been rescued. “Miss Song, you’ve arrived.”
With Miss Song here, their mistress and Miss Yun would hopefully stop bickering.
“Hmph!” Lu Mingzhu tossed a chess piece into the box. “If you weren’t Sister Song’s friend, I wouldn’t play with you.”
“And if you weren’t so beautiful, I wouldn’t play with you either,” Yun Qiya retorted, tossing her own piece back and turning her head away from Lu Mingzhu.
Lu Mingzhu’s lips twitched upward again, unable to help herself.
Song Daohuan watched as Lu Mingzhu bickered with Yun Qiya, essentially pouting herself into a good mood. She silently swallowed the words of mediation she had prepared. Judging by the look of it, Lu Mingzhu would have herself calmed down in less time than it took to finish a cup of tea.
“Fine. I am half a year older than you, so I won’t argue with you.” Lu Mingzhu signaled for the maidservants to take the chessboard away and invited Song Daohuan to sit with them.
Song Daohuan remained silent, noting that it hadn’t even taken half a cup of tea.
As the eldest of the three, she spent another hour playing with them before rising to take her leave with Yun Qiya.
Lu Mingzhu did something unprecedented and walked them to the gate. She said to Yun Qiya, “Yun Qiya, there is a new dance performance at the Music House tomorrow. Are you coming?”
“I am,” Yun Qiya nodded. “Remember to send someone to the Chengping Marquisate Manor to call for me.”
“Fine, since you want to go so badly.” Lu Mingzhu pursed her lips. “You’ve just returned to the capital and don’t know anything. I’ll take you to broaden your horizons so people don’t call you a country bumpkin.”
Yun Qiya climbed into the carriage and poked her head out to smile at Lu Mingzhu. “Thank you for thinking of me, Sister Lu.”
Before Lu Mingzhu could react, she pulled her head back inside.
Watching the carriage depart, Lu Mingzhu finally couldn’t hold back her grin. She lifted her chin toward her maidservants. “At least she’s sensible enough to call me ‘Sister’.”
A maidservant behind her said flatteringly, “Miss, you are the Princess’s darling. She is merely the granddaughter of a Marquis; it is only natural she shows you respect.”
“She certainly didn’t show me any respect while we were playing chess.” Lu Mingzhu glanced back at the maidservant, her smile fading. “Take her away. She is no longer needed in my service.”
As darkness fell, attendants carrying lanterns approached the lakeside. Not daring to get too close, they whispered a reminder: “Your Highness, the night wind is cold. The Princess has invited you to join her for dinner.”
The Prince did not like people serving him closely, so they usually kept their distance.
The man sitting quietly by the lake shifted.
Relieved, the attendants hurried forward to meet him.
They were surprised to find fish in the bucket. The Prince had been fishing here for three days, and this was the first time they had seen a catch—two fish, no less.
“Your Highness, shall we release these two?” one attendant asked, holding the bucket and preparing to pour them back into the lake. He waited, but the command never came.
“Braise the large one and steam the small one.”
The man set down his fishing rod and stood up. The night wind was chilling; even in his thick black cloaks, he could feel the cold seeping through.
He pulled his cloak tighter, took a lantern from an attendant, and began walking slowly. On a large rock, he spotted a goose-yellow scarf.
Half of the scarf hung off the rock while the other half trailed in the water, swaying like willow branches in spring, carrying a trace of its owner’s lively spirit.
Seeing the Prince staring at the scarf, an attendant moved to pick it up.
He raised a hand to stop the attendant. His gaze swept over the men before settling on a palace maid. “You, do it.”
The palace maid picked up the scarf, wiped away the mud and water, and presented it to the Prince.
“Just keep it safe.”
He stepped past her, moving further away from the scarf.
Its color was too bright.
Why let such a brilliant thing be tainted by the ill omen of a dying person like him?
“Princess, Prince Ruining has sent word. He has already returned to his room to rest and asks that you do not wait for him.”
Hearing the servant’s report, Princess Rongshan sighed softly. She feared she would be unable to fulfill the Empress’s request.
If even such a lively gathering couldn’t spark a hint of curiosity in her nephew, what else could she possibly do?
It wasn’t until Yun Qiya returned to the Marquis’s residence that she realized her scarf was missing.
However, a scarf was merely an accessory for a young lady’s outfit; if it was lost, it was lost.
“You went to Princess Rongshan’s villa with the Song girl today?” Wen Yuxiu poured a cup of warm milk for Yun Qiya. “How was it?”
“A hundred flowers in bloom, each with its own charm.” Yun Qiya took a sip of the milk. “The young ladies were all very proper in their speech and conduct.”
“It’s good that you can see that.” Wen Yuxiu smiled. “You will slowly adapt to life in the capital.”
“The capital is wonderful. It has the most fashionable jewelry and the finest fabrics.” Yun Qiya drained the milk in one go. “Mother, I like the capital very much.”
She didn’t think there was any shame in liking beautiful things or preferring more prosperous places.
“If you like it, you must become familiar with it. Learn to master its rules and find the most comfortable path for yourself within them.” Wen Yuxiu took out a handkerchief to wipe her daughter’s mouth. “Go to sleep early tonight. Don’t hide under the covers and secretly read storybooks.”
“It’s because the storybooks in the capital are just too good.” Yun Qiya gave a guilty grin. “I will definitely sleep early tonight.”
In any case, she wasn’t the one at fault; the fault lay with the things that tempted her.
“I hope you keep your word.” Wen Yuxiu had only fifty percent trust in her daughter’s promise. Any more would be a lie to her own conscience.
After seeing her mother out, Yun Qiya dove into her cozy bed and fished out the unfinished storybook from under her pillow. Helu brought her a plate of shelled sunflower seeds.
“Helu, come here.” Yun Qiya scooted over to make room for her.
“Miss, the Madam just told me that if you stay up late reading storybooks again, she’ll dock my wages.” Helu sounded pitiful, but her head was already leaning toward Yun Qiya.
“It’s fine. Your wages are already docked until two years from now anyway; no need to worry about more debt.” Yun Qiya patted her purse. “I have money now. I’ll take care of you.”
“Alright, Miss.” Helu didn’t even struggle. She happily joined her mistress in reading.
The master and servant were disappointed after finishing the book; they weren’t satisfied with the ending.
“Miss, let’s sleep.” Helu tucked Yun Qiya in and lowered the bed curtains.
There was one thing in the storybook that wasn’t written well: why didn’t the beautiful girl who wanted to live a good life get a happy ending?
She opened the lantern cover, blew out the candle, and lay down on her own bed in the outer room. Under her pillow was a hard purse, filled to the brim with silver.
The Miss must have prepared it for her in secret. Her mistress was truly wonderful.
Helu clutched the purse under her covers and smiled secretly. She hoped her mistress would always live a good life and never have to suffer a single hardship.
“Ugh!”
Early the next morning, Yun Qiya painfully climbed into Lu Mingzhu’s carriage. “My dear Sister Mingzhu, this is far too early.”
“What were you doing last night?” Seeing Yun Qiya looking half-dead, Lu Mingzhu handed her a pastry.
“Reading a storybook. I stayed up a bit late.” Yun Qiya nudged closer to Lu Mingzhu, huddling against her for warmth.
Lu Mingzhu noticed her pale face was free of any makeup; she clearly hadn’t slept enough to even have time to get ready.
“I told you I was taking you to see the world today, yet you still stayed up late. Did you not take my words to heart at all?” Lu Mingzhu pinched her cheek.
*It’s just a storybook, yet she’s so obsessed. Truly a clueless little country bumpkin.*
*Hmm?*
*The little country bumpkin’s cheeks are quite soft and smooth. They feel nice to touch. Let me pinch them again.*
Yun Qiya covered her face to dodge Lu Mingzhu’s hand, her eyes half-closed as she refused to move. Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a stop. Lu Mingzhu nearly fell, but Yun Qiya caught her just in time.
Outside the carriage, a man dressed in plain white clothes had fainted in their path.
At this sight, Yun Qiya’s sleepiness vanished instantly.
Even in a faint, he had managed to let his black hair flutter across his face just so, leaving his handsome features half-hidden.
His waist was slender, his legs were long, and his fingers were well-defined.
She glanced sideways at Lu Mingzhu. What a perfectly tailored beauty trap.
“Move him out of the way,” Lu Mingzhu said impatiently, waving a hand for the servants to clear the path.
So early in the morning, and already such bad luck.
No one was going to stop her from taking the little country bumpkin to see the world.