Liu Jie received the news that Ye Nanyuan was willing to marry him.A beauty like a fairy—Liu Jie had been unable to forget her from the very first glance, and afterward, the more he looked, the more he delighted in her, sinking deeper and deeper.Day and night he thought of nothing but claiming her for himself.But the men he had sent to track her whereabouts had vanished without a trace, which infuriated him. He flew into a tremendous rage on the spot, lashing his servants several times with his whip.Yet he never expected the matter to take a turn for the better.The servant who brought the message said that their young lady insisted on being the principal wife, not a concubine. She demanded a grand sedan chair carried by eight bearers and a dowry stretching ten li in red.Liu Jie nodded frantically, agreeing to everything. Ridiculous—with that glimpse of beauty he had caught that day, calling her celestial and peerless would hardly be an exaggeration. He had never seen a girl more beautiful than Ye Nanyuan; even the ladies of the palace could not compare.For such a beauty, he would agree to any demand.The servant also said that their young lady had lost her parents young and had grown up alone in Jiangnan, with no relatives by her side. All conventional formalities could be dispensed with—one only needed to select an auspicious day and go to the rear mountain of Sanqing Temple to receive her.Liu Jie, utterly bewitched by Ye Nanyuan, naturally agreed to whatever she said.When the servant left, he even generously pressed silver into his hand, dreaming at home of welcoming his beautiful bride.
When news of Liu Jie's wholehearted preparations arrived, Ye Nanyuan was examining wedding garments.The shopkeepers beneath the imperial city truly had sharp eyes; one glance told them Ye Nanyuan was a client of means. Seeing that she had come down the mountain several times without choosing anything, the shopkeeper personally brought people to the Pear Garden.From style to measurements, from embroidery to fabric.Everything was arranged for Ye Nanyuan in meticulous detail. The matron who came was also a woman of experience, but ever since entering the Pear Garden, her eyes had not strayed from the room.The room was decorated with exquisite taste from within to without, yet when one took a proper look, every single item was no ordinary thing.A cloud-patterned crabapple incense stand, a large lotus-leaf shaped pastel flower pot, and further in, a nanmu screen with silk tapestry. The matron held the tea that Banxia had offered her, accepting the blue-and-white jade teacup.She felt her own hands trembling slightly.She carefully lifted the lid and smelled it—a wave of tea fragrance rushed to meet her. Though she did not know what tea this was, one whiff told her it was no ordinary brew.Her heart began to grow a little uneasy. This one was clearly a client who did not lack money.A few days ago in the shop, she had examined countless pieces without choosing any. She wondered whether this visit would satisfy this formidable young lady.The matron was nervous, speaking with great caution, yet she discovered that Ye Nanyuan was surprisingly easy to deal with today. In the blink of an eye, she had selected her wedding garment."Matron, whichever piece in your shop is the finest—that is the one I shall take."On the soft couch of golden nanmu, Ye Nanyuan reclined languidly, her jade-like hand propping up her chin. Her fair, luminous face turned toward the matron, her bearing both alluring and captivating.How could the matron have ever seen such a beautiful girl? For a moment she forgot to speak.The person on the couch cast a sidelong glance, rippling light flowing through her lustrous eyes: "Matron?"Only then did the matron hurriedly lower her head, wiped the sweat from her brow, and gave a dry laugh: "Miss, you don't seem to be from the capital?"Ye Nanyuan's voice was sweet and coquettish, her trailing tones carrying a hook: "I grew up in Jiangnan." The matron secretly marveled—the watery south nurtured people well; this girl had a fine figure, a soft accent, and looks fit to become a lady of the palace.The room was even decorated like a palace. She just wondered… "Which young master has such fortune as to marry a celestial beauty like you?"The person on the soft couch suddenly dimmed between her brows and eyes.She had been smiling just now, but now she lowered her head slightly, her drooping eyes innocent and guileless.It was the maidservant standing at her side who answered—Banxia, with a stiff expression: "Young Master Liu of Vice Minister Liu's household." The matron then looked at Ye Nanyuan's features with a measure of sympathy.That young master of the Liu family bullied men and violated women—a lecher through and through. Who in the entire capital did not know?Looking again at Ye Nanyuan's face, she understood why she was marrying that Young Master Liu. He must have coveted the girl's beauty and forced her into this marriage; the girl had no choice but to comply.The matron still wore a look of pity even as she left.But she had not expected that upon stepping out the door, she would find it was already shen shi san ke (5:45 PM), and the sky was nearly dark. Even by carriage, Sanqing Temple was a half-hour's journey from the city gate.And walking the mountain path from the Pear Garden would also take quite a while.Perhaps sensing the difficulty on her face, a voice suddenly came from behind: "If the matron fears she won't make it in time, there is a small path ahead that can shorten the journey."Ye Nanyuan, who should have been inside the room, had somehow come out. She stood behind the matron, a smile on her face: "That small path will reach Sanqing Temple in just a quarter of an hour. From there, the matron can descend directly from the temple—it will be much faster."Upon hearing this, the old matron's eyes lit up instantly. "Thank you so much, miss."Ye Nanyuan squinted slightly, casting her a strange look—one that seemed both pleased and smug, as if she had achieved her goal.The matron felt something was off, but the look passed in a flash.Ye Nanyuan turned her head. "Banxia, take the matron over. See her to the pavilion, then come back." Banxia bowed and acknowledged the order before leading the matron down the small path."Miss," the matron said, growing bored along the way, and tried to pry information from Banxia. "How did your young lady come to know Young Master Liu?"Banxia appeared cold but was actually quite easygoing. "Our miss met him when she came down from the mountain.""This… how did she end up marrying Young Master Liu?" The matron still wanted to persuade her—such a fine young lady, beautiful and clearly not short on money, how could she marry that scoundrel Young Master Liu?"Matron, whether she marries or not isn't for our miss to decide." Banxia was also deeply dissatisfied with her miss marrying Young Master Liu, but she simply repeated what her miss had told her."If the one in her heart cannot be wed, then it matters not whose bride she becomes."Banxia stood by the pavilion and smiled at the matron. "Follow this path out, and once you pass the bamboo grove, you'll reach Sanqing Temple. Hurry along, matron."The matron was left puzzled by these words, and with a dazed expression, she led her people forward.Su Peisheng had long been waiting at the entrance. The young lady practiced her zither every day, but today she hadn't, and he could see the one inside was about to lose his temper. So he had stationed himself at the door early.When he saw the matron approaching, he was momentarily taken aback.This path was secluded. He had been following his master to Sanqing Temple for over a month now, and aside from encountering the young lady in the bamboo grove that one day, he had never seen anyone else emerge from here.So when he encountered this group, Su Peisheng froze on the spot. Only after a moment did he manage to raise his hand and block them."Who are you? How did you come from this way?"He had long served by the Fourth Prince's side—though a servant, his bearing was nonetheless imposing when he summoned it. The matron was so frightened she quickly confessed everything. "This old woman is from Huashang Pavilion. I make clothes for the young lady at the pear garden."Anything concerning that young lady, Su Peisheng dared not decide on his own.He hurried back to report to his master. Inside the room, the Fourth Prince was playing chess with Master Liao Kong, though half his mind was elsewhere. Hearing Su Peisheng's report, he thought for a moment. "Didn't the servant following her say she went down the mountain two or three times to look at clothes as well?"Su Peisheng considered this and nodded. "Yes."The Fourth Prince placed his piece on the board. "Bring the matron in."The matron had seen many nobles in her time. One look at the bearing of the gentleman in the room told her he was no ordinary person—after all, wasn't even Master Liao Kong sitting beside him as company?"Your… your excellency summons me?" She quickly knelt down.The Fourth Prince tossed his piece back into the box, took up a teacup beside him, and took a sip. "You say the young lady at the pear garden asked you to make clothes?""Yes, yes, yes…" The matron looked up with a face full of delight. "A wedding dress! That young lady is getting married and asked this old woman to make her wedding dress."With a crack, the hand holding the teacup tightened, and scalding hot tea suddenly spilled over his palm."Master!" Su Peisheng's heart nearly leaped from his chest. He quickly knelt to look. On the soft couch, the Fourth Prince seemed utterly unaware of the condition of his own hand.His expressionless face was steeped in gloom. He lifted his eyelids and stared unblinkingly at the person on the ground. "What did you say?"The matron looked at the nobleman's still-bleeding hand, then at the murderous gaze above her. The legs kneeling on the floor began to tremble. "Wed… wed…"Her teeth chattered against her lips, unable to form a complete sentence. "Wed… wedding dress."With a clink, the shard of porcelain in the Fourth Prince's palm fell to the ground, and his tall figure rose from the chair. "She's getting married?" His dark gaze was like a pool of water, deep and unfathomable."To whom?""The… the eldest son of Vice Minister Liu's household." Even if the matron's judgment was poor, she knew this was someone she must not offend. Trembling, she spilled everything."That young lady is as beautiful as a celestial being—surely she doesn't want this. The eldest son of the Liu family is a lecherous brute. The young lady must have no choice but to marry him."First she had broken with him forever, saying she never wished to see him again.And now, in the blink of an eye, she was to marry another.A fire burned in Yinzhen's heart, consuming him utterly. The cold fury on his face could no longer be suppressed, and a cold laugh escaped him. "How do you know she doesn't want to?""I… I… I…"The governess felt that smile made her scalp tingle. "A… a person in her heart whom she cannot marry…" The governess racked her brains and could only come up with this one line, quickly adding, "The maidservant by the young lady's side said it—she said their young lady's beloved was someone she could not marry. This… this surely means she is unwilling."She finished speaking in a trembling voice, and only after kneeling for a long while did she realize that the nobleman's furious aura had gradually calmed.Fourth Prince turned his head, his voice cold as if devoid of any warmth: "Get out. Do not speak of today's matter to anyone." The governess felt she never wanted to recall this matter for the rest of her life, and without daring to linger even a moment, she scrambled out.Su Peisheng, standing to the side, had long since gone weak in the knees.After the woman had left, Master Liao Kong finally spoke, still playing chess with a smile on his face: "Is the Beile still unable to forget that young lady from the opera troupe?"The man across from him said nothing, which was an admission."A person in her heart whom she cannot marry." Master Liao Kong suddenly let out a chuckle: "Does the Beile know that you cannot marry that young lady?"Fourth Prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "I know."He had long since taken a primary Consort, and over the years, there were also seven or eight Side Consorts and Geges in the residence."That young lady has no fate with the Beile." Master Liao Kong sighed: "Since there is no fate, why force it? Deep affection and a thin thread of destiny—it is but a dream in the southern branch.""If in the end you discover it was all an empty dream, would mutual torment not become a karmic entanglement of ill fate?"Fourth Prince casually wiped the bloodstains on his palm with a handkerchief as he stepped forward: "You say why force it, she says there is fate but no destiny…"As he spoke, only then did he raise his head that had been lowered all along, his suppressed gaze sweeping over, a faint hint of a smile curling at his thin lips: "But don't forget, if I want it, what does forcing it matter?""Fate or no fate, I've set my heart on having her!"