A carriage slowly rolled out of the palace gates, marked by red walls and yellow tiles, without attracting any significant attention. The guards responsible for monitoring the entrance and exit glanced at the identification token presented by the person sitting outside the carriage and immediately allowed them to pass.
Once they were clear of the gates, Li Wanran eagerly lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, her eyes wide as if she were afraid to blink. She still found it hard to believe. “We… we actually made it out?”
No interrogation, no inspection—they had simply left, just like that?
“What did you expect?” Yinzhen watched Li Wanran’s astonished expression and chuckled, slowly fingering the eighteen-bead Kynam agarwood prayer bracelet on his wrist.
Li Wanran thought about it for a moment and realized she was being silly. The man sitting opposite her was a prince; for him, leaving the palace was a simple matter. Interrogations and inspections would only occur if he had committed some grave offense.
Delighted by the day’s many surprises, Li Wanran fixed her clear, sparkling eyes on Yinzhen. First, there was the letter from home, and now he was taking her out to play. Before today, she wouldn’t have dared to dream of leaving the palace before the prince officially moved into his own manor.
Her eyes darted playfully, and like a swallow returning to its nest, she threw herself into Yinzhen’s arms, hugging him tightly. “Master Fourth, you are so good to me,” she murmured softly.
“Sit properly,” Yinzhen said, steadying himself after nearly being knocked over, and helped her sit back down beside him. He lowered his eyes and picked up a book kept in the carriage for leisure to hide his true emotions. His cool voice carried a hint of a smile. “You’ve only just noticed my kindness?”
Li Wanran, undeterred, clung to Yinzhen’s arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. “That’s not true. I noticed your kindness long ago.” She looked up at him with a touch of pride. “I just wanted to say it out loud.”
The young woman’s delicate features were full of life, and his reflection was clearly visible in the depths of her clear eyes. She was dressed in a green garment with butterfly patterns; to Yinzhen, she looked like a spirit of the mountains. No, a “butterfly sprite,” he thought, his lips curling into a slight smile as he looked at the patterns on her clothes.
Li Wanran’s outfit today, from head to toe, was Yinzhen’s handiwork. Even the shade of lip rouge she wore had been chosen by him. While Yinzhen couldn’t quite explain why he had been struck by the sudden impulse to do this, he found the sensation quite pleasant—personally dressing someone until they matched his vision perfectly. This is something I could do more often, he thought to himself.
He let out a light laugh and tapped Li Wanran on the head with his book.
Rubbing the spot where she was hit, Li Wanran wrinkled her nose at him with a mutter. she hopped up and sat on the left side of the carriage, lifting a corner of the curtain to joyfully peek at the world outside.
The carriage fell silent. Without the accompaniment of Li Wanran’s bright, crisp voice in his ear, Yinzhen felt a strange sense of loss. Like a bird that just hatched, he thought, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
In truth, the stretch of road immediately outside the palace gates wasn’t much to look at. The roadsides were lined with either trees or tall compound walls. They were currently in the Inner City, where there wasn’t much entertainment; facilities like theaters were not permitted there. Most residents of the Inner City were bannermen or families of officials. Commoners lived in the Outer City, which had fewer restrictions and was much livelier. However, some commoners managed to live in the Inner City by purchasing property.
The carriage traveled leisurely past Zhengyang Gate for some distance before Yinzhen and Li Wanran finally disembarked. Here, the atmosphere was completely different from the quiet Inner City. The air was filled with the clear shouts and cries of various street vendors.
Li Wanran felt like a bird recently released from its cage; everything looked fresh and new to her. “Master Fourth, let’s go look over there!” she pleaded, tugging gently on his sleeve and swaying it back and forth to coax him.
Passersby glanced at them curiously, but many quickly looked away as if startled by Yinzhen’s presence.
Yinzhen frowned slightly. Ignoring the gazes from all directions, he looked toward where Li Wanran was pointing and saw nothing more than a common jewelry stall. “What good things could be there? It’s mostly just poorly made trinkets.”
His eyes were full of disdain as he looked at the stall. He didn’t understand how Li Wanran, whom he had pampered with all sorts of treasures, could still be interested in such low-brow trifles. He was already thinking about which famous jewelry shop in Beijing he should take her to—somewhere she could buy quality items and broaden her horizons, so she wouldn’t feel the need to stop at every roadside stall.
Seeing the confusion nearly overflowing from Yinzhen’s eyes, Li Wanran repeatedly reminded herself that this was her “Golden Benefactor” and managed to suppress the urge to roll her eyes at him. Of course she knew the stall didn’t have high-end goods; she just wanted the experience of browsing.
However, it was clear that Yinzhen, a prince who had used only the finest items since childhood, could not comprehend her perspective. Li Wanran wasn’t insistent, though. Since Yinzhen thought it was beneath them, she wouldn’t go.
Her immediate compliance surprised Yinzhen, and he glanced at her several times. Given her usual temperament, he expected her to pester him for a while to get her way. He had already prepared his arguments for refusal, but they were now entirely unnecessary.
At that moment, Su Peisheng, who had been following behind like an invisible man, timely presented a list of the most famous jewelry shops in the city for them to choose from. Yinzhen turned to Li Wanran, signaling for her to decide. After a moment of thought, Li Wanran picked one at random.
In the past, due to her thin purse, she wouldn’t even have dreamed of stepping into places that looked like they would cost a fortune. But now… Li Wanran glanced at Yinzhen’s handsome profile and smiled to herself. Everything went unsaid.
On the way to the jewelry shop, she happily fantasized about a shopping spree where she wouldn’t even look at the prices. But once she arrived and saw the tags—often ranging from dozens to hundreds of taels—her frugal nature and embarrassment kicked in.
Li Wanran wept inwardly at the prices. She picked out two decent-looking items and then, using a random excuse, dragged a bewildered Yinzhen back outside. I’m just too kind-hearted, she lamented to herself, mentally patting her own back.
“You dragged me out so quickly. Do you think I can’t afford your bill?” Yinzhen suddenly stared at Li Wanran, his expression as cold as frost and his voice chilling.
Li Wanran swallowed hard and feigned shock. “Master, how could you think that?” Before he could respond, she added, “I looked around, and none of the things in there could compare to the gifts you’ve given me. Since that’s the case, why waste money for nothing?”
Yinzhen stared at her for a long time before saying with a half-smile, “There is some truth to that. They indeed cannot compare.” Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, he smirked and added meaningfully, “However, as for the small amount of silver spent on my own woman, I can certainly afford to waste it.”
Though he was currently only a prince without a formal title, he had many manors and shops under his name, bringing in a significant annual income. He would never fall so low that he couldn’t afford a few items for his own Gege.
“Of course! Our Master is the grand Fourth Prince, after all,” Li Wanran said with a playful smile, leaning in and whispering while covering her mouth.
Yinzhen raised an eyebrow to speak, but Li Wanran pulled him along to explore other areas. Su Peisheng and the others followed closely, terrified of losing them in the crowd.
The two wandered through the Outer City, buying many amusing little trinkets, and didn’t stop until the sun began to sink in the west.
Stomach growl…
Li Wanran covered her stomach and gave Yinzhen an embarrassed smile. “I’ve walked so much, I’m a bit hungry.” She was certain that if she were in the modern world, her step count today would have dominated the top of the WeChat leaderboard.
Yinzhen frowned and looked around. The street was lined with stalls, but no proper restaurants were in sight.
In her past, Li Wanran had often snuck out with friends to eat at street stalls near her home, so she saw nothing wrong with it. She looked around and quickly sat down at a wonton stall just a few paces away, waving for Yinzhen to join her.
“I remember there is a restaurant if we turn left up ahead. Why don’t we…” Yinzhen hesitated as he looked at the crude tables and chairs, suggesting a change of venue.
With her stomach growling like thunder and her legs aching, Li Wanran didn’t want to move another inch. “Let’s just eat here. I can’t walk anymore, my legs are sore. Think of it as a rest stop.” She looked up at Yinzhen with a pitiful expression.
Yinzhen looked down in silence for a moment before finally nodding.
Seeing this, Su Peisheng hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve. Like a devoted servant, he wiped the table and chairs several times over before respectfully inviting Yinzhen to sit. Once finished, he thoughtfully asked what flavors they wanted.
Li Wanran rubbed her chin and asked for pork filling. Yinzhen hesitated for a moment and then ordered the same.
A moment later, Su Peisheng brought over two steaming bowls of wontons. Smelling the appetizing aroma, Li Wanran looked at Su Peisheng and smiled. “You should order a bowl and sit down to eat, too.”
Su Peisheng had been following them and handling the payments for as long as they had been walking. Since she was hungry, he surely was too.
Surprised to be included, Su Peisheng looked tentatively at Yinzhen. Seeing Yinzhen nod, he ordered a bowl from the owner and sat to one side to eat.
Finally, I can sit and rest for a bit. Li Gege is truly a kind person; I knew I wasn’t mistaken about her, Su Peisheng thought gratefully as he ate heartily.
It had to be said, the wontons at this stall were delicious. Observing Yinzhen, who had been hesitant before but was now eating several in a row, Li Wanran raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t any worse than a restaurant, is it?”
Before Yinzhen could say anything, the stall owner’s wife, who had been secretly watching them, couldn’t help but speak up, her voice brimming with pride. “This lady truly has a keen eye. Our stall may be small, but the taste is definitely not lacking.”
“It’s only because there aren’t many people right now. In a little while, this place will be packed.”
She wasn’t boasting; their stall had the most repeat customers for miles around. Every customer said that even the restaurants couldn’t replicate their flavor.
The couple who ran the stall had initially been a bit offended when they saw Yinzhen looking down on their business. They had been ready to step forward and argue, but once their eyes landed on Yinzhen’s luxurious attire and his extraordinary noble aura, their courage vanished. They stayed busy nearby, pretending to look for things. They figured that if these nobles didn’t want to eat, that was fine, as long as they didn’t suddenly throw a tantrum and wreck the stall.
Hearing Li Wanran praise them, the wife couldn’t resist speaking up for their business. Although the husband didn’t say anything, the proud expression on his face spoke volumes.
As if to prove the wife’s words, several customers arrived at the stall just as she finished speaking. The landlady no longer paid attention to Li Wanran and her party, busying herself with making money. From the familiar way they interacted, it was clear these were regular customers.
Li Wanran burst out laughing, nearly losing her grip on her soup spoon. Yinzhen’s mouth twitched as he handed her a handkerchief to wipe her lips. He wanted to say something but decided against it, simply supporting his forehead in resignation. “Stop laughing and hurry up and eat.”