When the Fourth Prince returned, he was reeking of alcohol from head to toe.Su Peisheng was genuinely startled and hurried forward to greet him: "Master, what happened to you? How much did you drink?" He quickly reached out to support him, but the Fourth Prince shoved his hand away.Staring at his own empty hand, Su Peisheng was stunned."What's wrong with Master?" He turned and silently asked the young eunuch behind him, "What about the young lady? Didn't he go to listen to her play the konghou?"The young eunuch shook his head with an innocent look, and Su Peisheng was about to press further when a loud crash suddenly came from behind.With a thunderous bang, the Fourth Prince raised his hand and overturned the table in front of him. The pearwood octagonal low table toppled over, and the teacups on it shattered across the floor."Master?" Su Peisheng's heart nearly leaped out of his chest with fright. He quickly knelt down: "Master, what is the matter?"Just this morning everything had been fine—the man had gone out with a smile on his face. How could he return in such a fury?And so angry at that?Su Peisheng knelt on the ground, feeling cold sweat break out across his forehead. The young eunuch beside him was also trembling like a leaf, his body shaking as if sifting grain, not daring to utter a single word."Get out."Yinzhen raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, his tone icy with not a trace of warmth.Su Peisheng didn't dare say a word. Cold sweat soaked his back, and he didn't even dare lift his head as he retreated.Only when the room had fallen completely silent did the Fourth Prince lower his hand from his nose and let out a deep, turbid breath. His lowered hands unconsciously rubbed the jade thumb ring on his thumb.But the suppressed rage in his heart refused to subside no matter what."What happened?"As soon as he was out the door, Su Peisheng immediately asked the young eunuch beside him. Today he hadn't accompanied the Fourth Prince—he'd casually sent a young eunuch instead. How was he to know the prince would return in such a fury?"I don't know either, sir."The young eunuch clutched his head, looking utterly wronged: "The young lady offered Master three cups of wine, and his expression turned sour right away.""What three cups of wine?"Su Peisheng truly hated this blockhead. He rolled his eyes and pressed on urgently: "What exactly was said? Spit it out for me, every last detail!"He jabbed his curled finger at the young eunuch's forehead, pushing hard: "Don't you dare leave out a single word."The young eunuch stammered, repeating the words one by one. Su Peisheng was already rolling his eyes when he heard "destined to have no fate," and then when he heard about how she wanted never to see his master again—His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground."Dear heavens." Su Peisheng's legs turned to noodles. He had to lean on the young eunuch to stand upright, his face twisted in anguish as if he might burst into tears at any moment.When Master had left this morning, he'd been beaming with joy. He'd carefully picked out a new set of clothes for Master, and Master had gone out with a smile on his lips—he'd thought the matter was settled.Who could have known that in the blink of an eye, the young lady would declare they'd never see each other again?Su Peisheng now regretted it so much he wanted to slap himself. Just this morning when Master went out, he'd showered him with compliments, sending him out with a heart full of joy.How was he to know the young lady wouldn't agree? She'd seemed so clearly fond of his master.Su Peisheng's face was wrinkled with worry. He stood nervously at the door, waiting for his master's summons, but the room remained eerily calm—not a single word from within.But the longer the silence stretched, the more anxious Su Peisheng became. He would have preferred Master to vent his anger like he just had, rather than this deathly quiet.Su Peisheng leaned against the door and waited, nearly dozing off before a sound finally came from inside."Get in here."Su Peisheng scrambled in on hands and knees. The moment he knelt down, a calm, almost detached voice came from above: "Send someone to follow her. See what she does these next few days."He lifted his eyes to look up and saw his master seated on the soft couch playing chess. A black stone landed on the board as he added in a flat, indifferent tone: "Truly childish. Spoiled so thoroughly she dares say anything to anyone."The voice carried not a trace of coldness, yet it made Su Peisheng's entire body tremble.In broad daylight, he broke out in a cold sweat for no reason at all. He quickly kowtowed to the ground and scrambled out, stuttering: "This servant obeys."
After getting drunk, Ye Nanyuan seemed to have a dream.In the dream, she was fourteen years old. Her elder sister had brought Jiang Zhihan to Jiangnan to celebrate her birthday. Her birthday was in the third month, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom.She was afraid of the cold and hated winter more than anything. But every year when winter arrived and the snow began to melt, her sister and Jiang Zhihan would come. She waited and waited, every single year.From New Year's Eve she'd wait until the Lantern Festival, from the first snowfall until it melted away.She was always alone, waiting for that carriage from the capital, waiting for its curtain to be lifted and two figures to emerge from within. They would fly paper kites together on the grass, climb onto rooftops together to watch the stars.Of course, when they were together, it wasn't all mischief and play.They could also do the more refined things—composing poetry, painting, raising their cups to the moon and singing. Jiang Zhiwei would play the zither, Jiang Zhihan would practice calligraphy, and she would drink on the side, and when the mood struck, she'd tap the rim of her bowl and hum a few tunes.Once, she even went to the Spring Breeze Pavilion.The south of the Yangtze had two marvels: the ladies of the Spring Breeze Pavilion, and the wine of the Bright Moon Pavilion.As the owner of the Bright Moon Pavilion, Ye Nanyuan naturally had to go check it out.But how could that old stick-in-the-mud Jiang Zhihan ever agree to let her go? Ye Nanyuan was frantic—she threw tantrums, sulked, wheedled, and in the end even resorted to coaxing before Jiang Zhihan finally agreed to accompany her there.That day happened to be her birthday, so she deliberately changed into men's clothing.But Jiang Zhihan was acting strange that day. He stayed silent the whole way, not uttering a single word, only the tips of his ears quietly turning red. When Ye Nanyuan noticed, she teased him: "We haven't even reached the Spring Breeze Pavilion yet, and you're already blushing before you've even seen the ladies."Jiang Zhihan really couldn't take a joke—she'd barely said one thing before he flew into a flustered rage.After that, he ignored her all the way back. The birthday gift he'd originally prepared was never given. Ye Nanyuan was so angry she didn't write to him for three months, until finally he sent someone from the capital to deliver the gift to her, which was the only thing that soothed her temper.When she opened the gift, inside was a hairpin, made by the finest jewelry shop in the capital. Amidst brilliant peach blossoms, a water-blue paper kite danced gracefully.That hairpin was so beautiful that Ye Nanyuan hid it away in her jewelry box, unable to bear wearing it.It wasn't until later that Ye Nanyuan learned the hairpin had been designed by Jiang Zhihan himself, made to his own drawings.Thinking of that dancing paper kite, she suddenly smiled. She pressed a hand to her heart, and as she smiled, the dream faded.Before her eyes was a strange scene—no misty spring in the south of the Yangtze, no peach blossoms covering the hills.And no water-blue paper kite dancing in the air.She raised a hand to wipe her face, lowering her head in helplessness, and only then realized she was already drenched in tears.The dream had shattered, and the wine had worn off.Ye Nanyuan closed her eyes and murmured softly: "Banxia, tomorrow come down the mountain with me.""Huh?"Ye Nanyuan took a handkerchief and carefully wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot, but her voice was eerily calm: "I'm getting married."She tugged at the corners of her mouth and said with a smile: "A bride always needs her wedding dress."