At midnight, the rustling tree shadows blotted out the last trace of light. Outside, all was pitch black, with only the bright moonlight tentatively probing through the window inch by inch.Inside the room, it was quiet—only the sound of their breathing.Ye Nanyuan propped herself up, curled into a ball on the soft couch, dozing off. She was so petite that the loose outer robe draped over her entire frame, leaving only a fair, delicate face exposed.Across a low table, Yinzhen sat with his head bowed, reading a Buddhist sutra. He had been on the same page for nearly half an hour without turning it.Since helping Ye Nanyuan apply the medicine, he had not spoken a word. The young woman beside him was unusually well-behaved—no crying, no fussing, not making a single sound, only occasionally glancing over at him.Her movements were cautious, as if afraid of being caught.When those eyes looked over once more, he finally broke his long silence and asked her, "What are you thinking?"Her gaze drifted away as she lowered her head, revealing a slender neck. "I was wondering if you regret it, Master." In the moonlight, that neck was as white as snow—dazzlingly, piercingly white.Yinzhen actually gave it some serious thought."Regret what?"Regret helping her apply the medicine? Or regret seeing those feet, unable to restrain himself, unable to suppress the urge, breaking out in a sweat down his back instead?Ye Nanyuan, however, tugged at the corner of her lips. Her luscious, tempting lips were beautiful, yet they could not hide the awkwardness in her smile. "I'm afraid you regret saving me, Master." Her long, upturned lashes trembled slightly, veiling the light in her eyes."In the dead of night, I'm afraid it will be hard for you to explain later."She clenched her palms, the hand resting on her knee gripping the hem of his dark robe. The jade-green Buddha-Lotus Jade Beads wound around her wrist, so pale they seemed almost translucent."What's hard to explain?" His slender fingers gently stroked the top of her head. Under her astonished gaze, Yinzhen asked, "Then when you saved me before, did you ever regret it?"The person on the soft couch froze, then quickly shook her head."Mas—Master, no, I have not a shred of regret…" She hurriedly straightened up, afraid he might misunderstand, her whole body radiating urgency. "Master…"Her eyes reddened, the red mole at the corner of her eye strikingly beautiful beneath the glistening tears.Yinzhen lowered his head, gazing at her for a long while, before finally letting out a low chuckle.The hand resting on her head moved down, suddenly clasping her wrist. "Since you didn't consider the consequences when you saved me, why do you assume I would regret it?"She looked up, meeting the smile at the corners of his eyes.This man, usually so cold and stern, now had upturned eyes full of warmth. "Don't go making wild guesses about me." His burning palm firmly gripped her wrist as he murmured from his throat, "Nanyuan."It was the first time he had called her name.Ye Nanyuan lowered her head, and where he could not see, her expression slowly began to shift into fear. Having maneuvered step by step to this point, she could no longer turn back.Fourth Prince was not as easy to deal with as she had imagined, and she was not as unbreakable as she had told herself she was.Had it not been for Jiang Zhiwei, she would never have provoked this man even to her dying breath. But times had changed, and she could no longer run away.Closing her eyes, what surfaced in her mind were those letters.The sound of horse hooves as her elder sister rode from the capital to Jiangnan every March, treading upon peach blossoms. The earnest teachings, the care for every matter. The slender, gentle figure standing beneath the pear tree.And that voice, soft as water, when she saw her: "Ayuan."Jiang Zhiwei… her elder sister! The mere thought of that name felt like knives twisting through her organs, seeping into every fiber, sending pain through every limb and bone.She clutched her heart, which felt pierced by needles, forcing herself to lift her head.The agony and despair on her face needed no acting at all. She curved her lips into a smile, her eyes burning with pain. She wanted to ask, How exactly did my elder sister die?But what came out was: "Master, do you have a family?"Her reddened eyes still held tears, hanging at the rims like pearls, spinning round and round yet never falling. She did not look at his expression, nor did she wait for his answer.Pulling her wrist free from his grasp, she threw her arms around his waist, clinging to him like a last piece of driftwood. "Master, I think I might be drunk."As the words fell, the tears at the corners of her eyes no longer needed to be hidden. Like scalding hot water, they seeped through his clothes and into his skin.His heart tightened, as if branded by fire.
When Ye Nanyuan woke again, it was already the next day.Muffled voices drifted in from outside."The young lady's wet nurse went down the mountain three days ago—her grandson at home fell ill.""The young lady has been going down the mountain quite frequently lately. As for who exactly has been watching her from the shadows and sending people to follow her, this servant hasn't been able to find out just yet."She had known all along that Fourth Prince would not trust anyone so easily. She just hadn't expected him to investigate so quickly—in just one night, he had already uncovered most of it.She did not move at all, only letting her opened eyelids close once more.Once the voices in the outer room gradually faded, someone walked out, then walked back in, until those steady footsteps crossed the outer room and slowly approached the side of her bed.They stopped beside her bed.Warm fingers probed her cheek. Ye Nanyuan turned her face away: "Master, I'm awake." The fingers at her cheek stiffened, and Yinzhen withdrew them without changing his expression.He looked at the person on the soft couch.Her face was full of smiles, her clear black-and-white eyes still sincere. After a night's sleep, she seemed much better, her vitality restored. A faint pink even tinged her cheeks.As if the person who had clung to him and cried last night was not her."Much better," he said."Thank you, Master, for taking me in." She stepped lightly off the bed, her tone as lively as a spring magpie, chattering away: "It seems you and I are truly destined.""Before, I saved you on the back mountain, and now you've saved me."Yinzhen turned his face to look. Ye Nanyuan sat on the soft couch putting on her silk socks. Her feet were injured, and the moment the socks went on, a fine, dense pain shot through them. Her brows furrowed involuntarily.Her expression was clearly pained, yet the words she spoke were still trying to relax, turning light and airy: "Besides, my pear garden is really quite close to this bamboo grove."She struggled to put on her shoes and socks, her soles pressing against the ground. In that instant, he saw her face turn pale, yet the corners of her mouth still curved in a smile."If I hadn't stumbled in here by accident, I probably still wouldn't know."She spoke briskly and lightly, stepping forward as she talked. Behind her, the Fourth Prince stared at her feet, his brows tightly knit together.By the time the night had passed, the Fourth Prince had gained two maidservants.Their bearing and manner were not like those trained in ordinary households—every move was steeped in propriety. Ye Nanyuan was attended to as she washed up and changed into a fresh set of clothes.The dress on the tray was newly bought, the Han-style clothing she usually wore. The two maidservants helped her change into a soft silver, light gauze Ruyi long skirt. The skirt was plain in color, but the flowers embroidered on it were extremely vivid.Silver thread had been used to embroider over a hundred kinds of flowers, each about the size of a finger, winding around the hem, the collar, and the cuffs.Everywhere else was plain, with only the waist cinched finely.Not gaudy, but exceedingly charming.Ye Nanyuan glanced at herself in the bronze mirror. She knew that beyond a folding screen, that person was watching her.She tilted her head slightly, and the pearls beneath the red-gold crabapple hairpin swayed gently against her cheek. She let out a soft laugh and removed the red-gold crabapple hairpin."Miss, what's wrong?""Is it that Miss doesn't like this one? This servant will change it for you." Seeing her do this, the maidservants immediately grew anxious.Behind the screen, Yinzhen, who had been reading a Buddhist sutra, also turned his head to look.Ye Nanyuan gently placed the precious red-gold crabapple hairpin on the dressing table and casually picked out a jade hairpin to slip into her hair: "It's nothing." Her voice was soft and gentle, her emotions unreadable."It's just that I am still an unmarried young lady, not suited to wearing this."The two maidservants exchanged glances and dared not speak. This young lady was so beautiful, and she had stayed here for a night—they had assumed… she was with their master.By the soft couch, the Fourth Prince's hand slowly clenched, then abruptly released a moment later.After a while, Ye Nanyuan emerged from behind the screen. She was naturally ethereal and fair; even last night in one of his outer robes her beauty was hard to conceal, and now, dressed up so carefully, she was radiant beyond compare.Seeing him look over, a faint smile curved at the corners of her lips.She stood there, small and delicate, frail and stirring pity.Yinzhen glanced at her, then his gaze fell on her hairpin—in her jet-black hair, only a single jade hairpin was tucked. His eyes lingered on it for a long moment, then he lowered his lashes and looked away.He straightened up and did not look at her again: "Let's eat."
The breakfast at his place was extremely lavish.It must have been to avoid any taboos—though it was all vegetarian, it was clearly not the plain fare of a Taoist temple. Scattered across the table were many pastries that young ladies liked to eat.Things like lotus leaf cakes, yam porridge, sugar-steamed custard, and sweet jujube soup.There were also braised vegetarian three-delight meatballs, eight-treasure rice, and green radish soup. Mushroom buns, greens with nuts, plum-blossom tofu. Two-colored bean cakes. A motley assortment, as if specially bought from down the mountain.Ye Nanyuan recognized a few: "Are these pastries from Ruyi Tower?"That pastry shop was thriving in the capital. Early in the morning, maidservants and servants from every household would line up. Since coming to the capital, Ye Nanyuan had eaten quite a few of their goods, but to have bought half a table at this hour—whoever went out to purchase must have endured quite a bit of hardship.The Fourth Prince cared nothing for Ruyi Tower. His mood had been sour ever since Ye Nanyuan had pulled her fingers away from his that morning.He lowered his head and casually picked up a piece of lotus leaf glutinous rice cake: "Let's eat.""Maidservants and Ruyi Tower pastries first thing in the morning." Ye Nanyuan, however, was in no hurry to eat, and suddenly murmured: "Master doesn't seem like an ordinary merchant?"Earlier, when she had saved him at the pear garden, he had said he was in business.Su Peisheng, standing at the side attending to them, felt his eyelids twitch and his heart tremble. He lifted his head to look toward the Fourth Prince, only to see his master straighten up.He set down the chopsticks in his hand, raised his eyelids, and fixed Ye Nanyuan with a cold, clear stare.What was unexpected, however, was that those eyes held neither joy nor excitement—only a clean, pure look containing nothing but fear, and a faint trace of anticipation.For some reason, he could read the expression in her eyes.She was hoping he was an ordinary merchant.At that thought, he lowered his eyelids. In that instant, a dark look flickered across his face with a hint of inner struggle, but it was suppressed just as quickly. When he opened his eyes again, he gave her a reassuring smile. "You're mistaken. I'm just an ordinary merchant."He saw it clearly—in that moment, the young woman's eyes seemed to let out a breath of relief, followed immediately by overwhelming joy.There was not the slightest hint of disappointment or dejection. Her delight was so great that she could not suppress it from the corners of her brows or eyes.Only he began to find it hard to swallow his food. Suddenly, the memory of last night surfaced in his mind—her cautious question: "Sir, do you have a wife or family?"The emotion in her eyes had been so obvious.Throughout the entire morning meal, he barely ate anything. But since he was usually cold and reserved by nature, and his appetite was always poor in the summer, even Su Peisheng, who attended him closely, noticed nothing.Just after breakfast, a light drizzle began to fall outside.The muggy weather turned cool, accompanied by the sound of rain. The headache that had plagued him since morning eased considerably. He tugged at his tightly fastened collar and felt a sense of relief wash over him.Yet, as he rubbed his fingers together, his heart remained unsettled.The person who should have been sitting beside him was now in the outer room. Ye Nanyuan had been avoiding him since she woke up that morning, and after finishing breakfast, she said she wanted to practice calligraphy.A curtain separated the study from the outer room, and even the smallest sounds could be heard through it.The rain outside grew heavier and heavier. Su Peisheng could only watch as his master's expression grew worse and worse. Thunder rumbled occasionally from outside, and the tea had been changed more than a dozen times.The Fourth Prince's face grew colder and colder.Finally, a small, pained sound came from behind the curtain. The next moment, that tall, slender figure could no longer bear it and strode over in large steps.By the writing desk, Ye Nanyuan saw him and immediately hid her hands behind her back.His brow twitched upward. "Show me your hands," he said bluntly, his icy voice enough to inspire fear. Before she could react, he reached directly behind her back.Palm facing up—she had been practicing calligraphy since after breakfast, and in nearly an hour, her palm had already begun to seep blood.The anger in the Fourth Prince's brow surged and could no longer be suppressed. He snatched up the brush from her hand and hurled it outward. "What exactly are you making a fuss about so early in the morning?"She stood before him, lowering her head to blow on her injured palm.A tear rolled down without warning, landing on the back of his hand, burning him so much that he instinctively drew his hand back.Her voice, choked with tears, was filled with grievance: "Sir, I thought I was hiding it well."