Since the age of ten, Yun Si had been secluded in the inner chambers, never meeting men from outside. Yet now, in her dreams, she was bathing with a man…
Although no one else knew besides herself, Yun Si couldn’t get past the barrier in her own heart.
Yun Si was so ashamed that she hid in her boudoir all day.
That man… that man clearly knew what would happen next, so why did he have to say such things!
However, Yun Si had to admit that the man had indeed administered a strong dose of medicine. In last night’s dream, Yun Si had left her bedroom for the first time and entered the hot spring bath.
This was truly a significant breakthrough.
A hot spring bath… which family in the capital could build such a bath?
In the bath, the white jade tiles paving the floor weren’t even the most extravagant part. The most extravagant was channeling the hot spring all the way from the mountain into the residence.
The number of skilled craftsmen capable of such a feat could be counted on one hand, and the cost of channeling the hot spring all that distance was immense.
Throughout the entire capital, Yun Si had never heard of anyone’s mansion having a hot spring channeled into it.
There were hot springs on the mountains outside the capital, and indeed some families built villas at the foot of the mountains and channeled the hot springs there.
Yun Si secretly resolved to immediately find a way to inquire clearly about whose hot spring villas were located in the outskirts of the capital.
Yun Si shut herself in her bedroom all day, refusing to come out, which prompted Madam Zheng to come see her: “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Her mother’s hand gently brushed through Yun Si’s hair. Yun Si lowered her head, not daring to meet her mother’s eyes, and nestled her cheek affectionately against her mother’s hand.
“I’m fine…” Yun Si made an excuse, “I just feel a bit weak.”
Madam Zheng calculated the days: “It must be that your monthly cycle is approaching, causing fatigue.”
Lu Ya nodded beside them: “Indeed, the young lady’s cycle should have been two days ago. I wonder why it’s been delayed by a few days this month.”
Hearing Lu Ya’s words, Yun Si’s heart trembled violently. She clenched her hands tightly at her sides, her knuckles turning pale.
Her monthly flow had always been regular, but this month it had already been delayed for several days… Could it be related to her nightly dreams?
.
Which families had hot spring villas in the outskirts of the capital—Yun Si soon found out.
The previously long list had been shortened considerably, with many families removed.
As before, Yun Si wrote down a list, then burned it in the brazier, watching the flames consume the paper entirely.
From early summer to late summer, Yun Si spent her days preparing for marriage and her nights dreaming, passing through the scorching summer in this way.
In the dreams, there were also the changing seasons, but the temperature in the bedroom remained spring-like all year round. In summer, ice mountains were piled up, and as soon as the weather turned cool, underfloor heating was lit.
Such an extravagant style… Yun Si thought about the few families on the list and couldn’t immediately figure out which one it might be.
Could it be not among the families in the capital, but a prominent clan from elsewhere? Yun Si thought, that would be terrible—she didn’t know any of the prominent clans from other regions.
The bedchamber was spring-like all year round, so even thick quilts were unnecessary; it was always thin covers. However, the patterns on the brocade quilts and bed curtains changed with the seasons, turning deep red in autumn.
Yun Si’s snow-white skin was set off by the deep red brocade quilt, making it appear even more jade-like and exceptionally alluring…
She endured her shyness, not daring to look at herself.
The man’s skin was no less remarkable. Yun Si had secretly noted this clue from her dreams long ago. The man must rarely be in the sun, or perhaps he was naturally unable to tan. His skin was actually as fair as Yun Si’s, except Yun Si’s was a warm, glowing white, while the man’s was a cool white.
On the deep red couch, the man’s skin was so pale that Yun Si dared not look.
Suddenly, Yun Si’s gaze froze.
The newly changed bed curtains were made of cloud brocade, an inch of which was worth an inch of gold. Cloud brocade was a tribute item, and unless bestowed by the imperial family, its private use was forbidden.
Not long ago, the Chancellor’s Mansion had received cloud brocade bestowed by the Emperor, with a pattern similar to that of these curtains…
Yun Si’s heart pounded wildly, as if about to leap from her throat—she was one step closer to the truth!
She only needed to inquire which families the Emperor had bestowed cloud brocade upon in recent days…
Combined with which families owned hot spring villas in the outskirts of the capital, the overlap would surely narrow it down to just a handful of households… perhaps even only one!
The truth was on the verge of being revealed. Yun Si’s heart raced so fiercely she could hardly breathe.
After so long, she finally saw hope!
This long, endless nightmare was finally showing a glimmer of dawn… Yun Si couldn’t help but shed tears.
The day after Yun Si dreamed of the cloud brocade happened to be the day Prince Rui’s Mansion came to deliver the betrothal gifts.
Early in the morning, as Yun Si lifted the bed curtains, the bright light from outside the window made her squint. It was a clear, sunny day, with crisp autumn air and not a cloud in the sky.
Yun Si’s mood brightened along with the weather.
She had drawn the most auspicious marriage divination slip at the Great Nation Temple, she had found enough clues in her dreams, the marriage arrangements were progressing smoothly, and her cousin was coming today to deliver the betrothal gifts…
Everything was moving in a favorable direction.
Her troubles were about to vanish like mist, and sweet, blissful days awaited her ahead!
Sitting before the dressing table, Jin Ming asked as she styled Yun Si’s hair, “Miss, what hairstyle would you like today?”
Yun Si thought for a moment. “A falling horse bun.”
As soon as she spoke, the maids in the room exchanged surprised glances. For quite some time, the young lady had shown no interest in dressing up, opting only for the simplest hairstyles each day. Today, she finally had the desire to adorn herself!
Jin Ming replied cheerfully, “Yes! I’ll style a falling horse bun for you.”
Lu Ya said with a smile, “Is the young lady planning to go to the front to see the excitement?”
Yun Si shot Lu Ya a reproachful glance. “You deserve a scolding!”
Today, Prince Rui’s Mansion was delivering the betrothal gifts. As a bride-to-be, Yun Si naturally had to stay discreetly in the rear. What young lady would go herself to see how many betrothal gifts there were? Among the maids, only Lu Ya dared to tease the young lady with such playful jokes.
All the maids burst into laughter, with Lu Ya laughing the brightest. She could tell that the young lady was in an exceptionally good mood today, her voice filled with the charming coyness of a young woman.
Lu Ya said with a smile, “Since the young lady is shy, I’ll go take a look for her!”
“I’ll remember every item in the betrothal gifts and report them back to the young lady one by one!”
With that, Lu Ya dashed off in a flash.
Yun Si chided, “Lu Ya is becoming more and more unruly…”
The maids giggled, all noticing that Yun Si wasn’t truly angry.
By noon, Lu Ya returned with light, brisk steps, standing before Yun Si with a mysterious expression. “Miss, guess what the young prince sent as betrothal gifts?”
Yun Si said to the maids in the room, “Let’s not ask her and see how long she can hold it in!”
Lu Ya lasted less than a quarter of an hour before stomping her foot in frustration. “Ah, if I don’t say it now, I won’t remember everything clearly!”
She poured out the list like beans from a bamboo tube: “The young prince sent a box of gold ingots, a box of jade discs, a box of eastern pearls, and a box of tourmaline.”
“A chest of cloud brocade, a chest of brocade, a chest of rainflower brocade, a chest of flower-washing brocade…”
“A pair of ear cups with the design of a roaming dragon and immortal, a pair of gold plates with hammered pine and deer patterns…”
Lu Ya recited for quite a while, like calling out a menu, with treasures of all kinds tumbling from her lips. “And of course, there are the three sacrificial animals, four flavors, six fruits, and eight sweets.”
As Lu Ya spoke, the maids in the room beamed with joy. The young prince had sent an abundance of betrothal gifts, each one heavy with meaning, overflowing with respect and affection for their young lady.
Along with the betrothal gifts came the three letters—the letter of betrothal, the letter of gifts, and the letter of welcome.
The Rui Prince’s Mansion sent the three letters, and the Chancellor’s Mansion received them. This meant that her marriage to her cousin was truly settled.
For a woman, marriage is the most important event in life.
With the marriage settled, Yun Si’s heart also steadied.
She methodically checked the list, hoping to uncover who exactly it was in her dream.
Yet the result completely took Yun Si by surprise—
The families with hot spring estates in the outskirts of the capital and those who had received cloud-patterned brocade bestowed by the emperor did not overlap at all!
Yun Si’s lead had once again been cut off!