The sun rose higher in the sky as noon approached. The sunlight was exceptionally brilliant.
Judging that she had stayed long enough, Concubine Yi took her leave of Li Wanran and returned to her own courtyard with Jinxing. Shortly after she left, Xiao Yuzi, whom Li Wanran had sent out to gather information, returned. After paying his respects, he stood respectfully by the daybed to report.
“This time, I’ve found the truth. That boy from the kitchen who sold us information last time was a complete fraud!” Xiao Yuzi said. “Because his master is Lin Bao, the chef specifically in charge of the Fourth Prince’s meals, he has the chance to see which dishes the Master orders more often or eats more of. He uses that to sell information. But every time he tells someone something, it’s about dishes the Master ate a few extra bites of a long time ago.”
Dishes eaten a long time ago, and only “a few extra bites” at that. It wasn’t even certain if the Fourth Prince actually liked them.
Hearing this, Banxia was half-furious and half-confused. “How does he dare to do such a thing? Isn’t he afraid of retaliation from the people he tricks?”
Li Wanran gave a cold laugh. “Why wouldn’t he dare? Even if the people who buy the information realize something is wrong, they can’t do anything to him for the time being. Who would dare to bring such a matter out into the open?”
Gathering information about a superior’s preferences was something everyone knew about, but it had to be done in secret. No one dared to make it public. If a fuss was made, the one who sold the information would be dead, but how could the one who bought it escape unscathed?
Those three taels of silver are down the drain, Li Wanran lamented inwardly.
Banxia nodded as if she understood, but a second later, another question occurred to her. She looked at Xiao Yuzi with suspicion. “How did you find all this out?”
Don’t tell me we were tricked again, her eyes clearly signaled. Li Wanran wanted to know the same; she couldn’t afford to trip in the same place twice.
“I got it from Liucheng in the kitchen.”
The kitchen again… Hearing this, Li Wanran and Banxia grew even more skeptical.
Seeing their reaction, Xiao Yuzi hurriedly bowed and promised, “Mistress, rest assured, there is absolutely no mistake this time!” After wasting three taels of her silver last time, if he failed again, he wouldn’t have the face to return. He had ensured everything was correct before coming back.
He continued to explain, “Liucheng’s master is Zhang Ru, the deputy head eunuch of the kitchen. He is an excellent cook. But because the Fourth Prince prefers Lin Bao’s skills, Zhang Ru is ranked a step below Lin Bao. Consequently, the relationship between those two is terrible.”
Because of this rivalry, Xiao Yuzi had been able to coax the truth out of Liucheng after much persistence.
Li Wanran nodded after listening, then suddenly asked, “How much silver did it cost this time?” She didn’t believe anyone would tell him such things for nothing. It was almost always for profit.
Xiao Yuzi rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. “Five taels.”
Banxia gasped. “That’s nearly two months of your allowance! Those people are far too greedy!”
“As long as it helps the Mistress, what does a little silver matter?” Xiao Yuzi quickly seized the opportunity to show his loyalty, partly to make up for his previous blunder.
Li Wanran, however, didn’t have the habit of letting her subordinates pay out of their own pockets for tasks she assigned. In the modern world, any boss who did that would be dragged through the mud online. She had Banxia fetch some silver for Xiao Yuzi.
When Xiao Yuzi looked terrified and didn’t dare to accept it, Li Wanran said gently with a smile, “Of these, five taels are to reimburse your expenses for this matter. The remaining few taels are a reward for a job well done.” Then, she shifted her tone, knitting her brows in feigned dissatisfaction. “If you don’t take it, I won’t dare ask you for help next time.”
At those words, Xiao Yuzi hurriedly took the silver and knelt to give thanks. “Thank you, Mistress! Serving the Mistress is this servant’s blessing; how could I ask for more?”
The flattery made Banxia’s skin crawl. She joked with a laugh, “Glib-tongued as always, knowing exactly what to say to please the Mistress.”
Xiao Yuzi made a move to argue back, but Li Wanran waved them both out. She wanted to rest. Spring brings sleepiness, and the sunlight outside was perfect. If it weren’t so much trouble, she would have liked to put a lounge chair in the courtyard and nap in the sun.
Hearing this, Banxia and Xiao Yuzi immediately fell silent. After helping Li Wanran lie down, Banxia quietly withdrew.
Now that the issue regarding the Prince’s diet was clear, Li Wanran naturally couldn’t follow her original plan. She modified it, deciding she would no longer rely on others to find out about Yinzhen’s preferences. The next time he came, she would observe him herself; that would be much safer.
However, she didn’t expect that Yinzhen wouldn’t show his face for several days. Xiao Yuzi’s inquiries only revealed that the Fourth Prince had been staying in his study. If he asked anything else, the mouths of the people in the front court were zipped tight. Since they wouldn’t talk, Li Wanran had no choice but to set it aside and make other plans later.
One day, seeing that the weather was breezy and sunny, Li Wanran had Banxia help her hop over to wash her hair. It had been three days since she last washed it, which was her limit. If she waited any longer, she was afraid she’d start growing lice. That was something she absolutely could not accept.
After washing and drying it halfway, Banxia stood behind her, combing her hair while sighing in admiration. “Mistress, your hair is so wonderful—so smooth, black, and shiny.”
Hearing the praise, Li Wanran couldn’t help but tilt her chin up with a touch of pride. “Of course. I’ve been taking care of my hair since I was a child.”
People of this era went a long time between hair washings. Li Wanran respected and understood the culture but refused to join it. Thus, from childhood, she had insisted on washing her hair at least once every three days. After a decade, her family had been influenced by her; they too felt itchy scalp if they didn’t wash for three days. Beyond that, she had even scoured medical books to concoct an ancient version of shampoo and conditioner.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t brought anything with her into the palace except some clothes and silver. However, she would have the chance to make those things again later. It wasn’t a big deal.
Li Wanran sat before the dressing table with her head down, slightly missing her conditioner from home. Suddenly, a cool voice tinged with concern spoke in her ear.
“What is the matter? Have you been wronged in some way?”
Li Wanran instinctively turned her head and saw Yinzhen standing in the outer room, wearing a dark green spring robe patterned with butterflies and peonies, looking at her from a distance. With his hands behind his back, he strode to her side, his deep eyes fixed on her. It was as if he would immediately avenge her if she spoke up.
“Fourth Prince…” Banxia was startled and hurriedly set down the wooden comb to curtsy. Before she could finish, Yinzhen waved her away. Banxia nodded quickly, giving Li Wanran an encouraging look before cheerfully withdrawing.
Yinzhen casually adjusted his robes and sat on the daybed across from the dressing table. Li Wanran toyed with a few strands of her hair, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as she asked softly, “Why would the Master say that?”
What “wrong”? She hadn’t even left her door for days; who could have wronged her from a distance?
“When I came in just now, you looked unhappy,” Yinzhen said, thinking he’d seen a pitiful little thing who had been bullied and didn’t dare speak up, only hiding away to be sad alone.
At his words, Li Wanran realized what he had misunderstood. But she didn’t explain; instead, she lowered her head to gather her emotions. She turned slightly and looked at him with a reproachful glance. “Your servant belongs to the Master; who would dare to wrong me?”
Yinzhen was confused. “Then why the melancholy expression just now?”
Could I have seen wrongly? he wondered.
Li Wanran glanced at him, pouting in accusation. “That day, the Master said he would come to see me next time. I’ve been looking forward to it every day, but your shadow never appeared at the courtyard gate.” After saying this, she gave him a flirtatious, resentful look. “It seems the Master’s words are just to coax people, and I was the only fool who took them seriously.”
The joy and anger of a beauty are full of charm. Seeing Li Wanran’s charming act, Yinzhen was not angry; he even found it endearing. He made no effort to hide his amusement, letting out a few light laughs as he stood up and moved to her side. He bent down to coax her, only stopping once he had turned her frown into a radiant smile.
After a moment of sweet interaction, Li Wanran called Banxia to bring in tea and pastries. Since she didn’t know Yinzhen’s specific tastes, Banxia brought the ones Li Wanran liked. Thus, the low table was covered with Peach Blossom Crisps, Pea Flour Cakes, and Honey Cakes—all sweet-leaning snacks. The tea was brewed with ordinary leaves, nothing spectacular.
Although Yinzhen didn’t say the tea was bad, he only took one sip and didn’t touch it again. Li Wanran pretended not to notice. She had no better tea to offer him right now anyway. In fact, even this tea had only been sent by the tea room after Yinzhen had carried her back the other day. For the two months prior, the tea she received was all old, stale stock.
But none of that mattered now. What was important was that through her sharp observation, she noticed Yinzhen’s taste in snacks seemed to match her own. He preferred sweets. For example, that plate of Honey Cakes—she had only eaten a few, yet in the blink of an eye, only two or three were left. Looking at the other plates, though the difference wasn’t as obvious as the honey cakes, she could still tell.
However, Li Wanran was curious about one thing: he was eating but not drinking. Wasn’t he thirsty?
While she was silently pondering this, Yinzhen suddenly became curious about her daily life. “With your foot injury, it’s inconvenient to go out. What do you do for fun?”
Li Wanran was delighted. This was a perfect opportunity to build her persona. Furthermore, when someone becomes curious about you, it’s the beginning of affection. She couldn’t let this chance slip away. Looking at Yinzhen with glowing eyes and a bright, cheerful smile, she spoke with a lively tone, as if happy to share her life with him.
“When I’m bored, I look at landscape paintings, or sit by the window to look at the courtyard scenery. Otherwise, I have Banxia get some sweets from the kitchen to fill my stomach. However, back when I was at home, I often went to my old family home in the countryside with my younger siblings. We’d go up the mountains to pick fruit and wild flowers. Sometimes, if we were lucky, we’d even catch a wild rabbit or two.”
Yinzhen was surprised. “Up the mountains? Your family was that relaxed with you?”
Li Wanran shook her head and explained, “They weren’t very large mountains. The villagers went there year-round to pick wild vegetables or herbs. Besides, we were always accompanied by adults.”
“No wonder then,” Yinzhen said with realization. “You said you enjoy landscape paintings when you’re bored? By which master?” His tone suggested a genuine interest in art.
Li Wanran replied with some embarrassment, “They aren’t by any famous masters. They are just ordinary Jiangnan landscapes sent by Mistress Song a few days ago. I can’t see the artistic ‘conception’ in them; I just think they look very nice.”
At those words, the interest in Yinzhen’s eyes instantly faded. Mistress Song did not love paintings and had no good ones. After seeing them a few times at her place, he had lost interest.
Li Wanran then lowered her head, looking a bit sorrowful. “When I was young, I wanted to learn how to paint, but my family wasn’t very wealthy then and couldn’t afford the tuition for a good teacher, so I had to give it up. Later, although our circumstances improved a lot, the matter was never brought up again.”
Li Wanran said this not to act pitiful, but because she was afraid Yinzhen might ask her deep, scholarly questions about painting later. She was laying the groundwork. This way, she had an excuse if she couldn’t answer. After all, she had never learned.
Yinzhen, however, didn’t think that far. He took her hand to comfort her. “Whether you can see the artistic conception doesn’t matter. Such things are for both refined and common tastes; everyone has their own interpretation.”
“Fourth Prince, do you like women who understand these things—women with great talent?” Li Wanran looked at Yinzhen and asked suddenly, her eyes full of trepidation.
Confusion flickered in Yinzhen’s eyes. He didn’t understand why the topic had suddenly shifted to what kind of women he liked. He didn’t admit it, nor did he directly deny it. Instead, he advised her, “As a girl, you shouldn’t keep phrases like ‘like or dislike’ on your lips, especially when you are outside. You absolutely must not do that!”
Although Yinzhen personally enjoyed this directness, he knew what kind of gossip Li Wanran would face if such words were overheard by others. He didn’t want that day to come. Of course, even if it did, he could resolve it for her. But he hoped she could avoid such things herself.
Hearing this, Li Wanran pouted so hard her lip could hang a lantern. She turned her head away in a huff, pretending to be annoyed. “I only act this way when I’m with the Master.”
I’m not stupid, okay? This kind of bedroom flirtation was not something she would ever do outside. She really wanted to roll her eyes at him!
Seeing this, Yinzhen rose with a playful smile and walked around to face her, making a gesture of apology with his hands. “Fine, fine, I was wrong to say that.”
He knew she wasn’t truly angry, and since he was currently in a state of high favor toward her, he didn’t mind making a small show of seeking forgiveness. In fact, he found it quite interesting. After all, no one had ever dared to show him a cold face before.
Seeing this, Li Wanran took the hint and stopped pretending to be angry. She turned with a smile and pulled on Yinzhen’s arm, her voice becoming sweet as honey. “Fourth Prince, could you teach me how to paint?”
As she spoke, she shook his arm, acting spoiled. “Please? Teach me.”
Yinzhen considered his own painting skills more than sufficient to teach her. After thinking for a few seconds, he nodded in agreement.
Li Wanran internally cheered. Another reason to meet and interact in the future! Beaming with joy and ignoring her status as an injured person, she stood up and threw herself into Yinzhen’s arms.
Startled, Yinzhen hurriedly caught her. “Do you want your foot to heal or not?”
Through their interactions, Li Wanran had discovered that Yinzhen was no different from any ordinary young man when it came to emotions. She became a bit more composed around him and was no longer constantly tensed—except for being mindful of his status. She reached out to hook her arms around his neck, saying flirtatiously, “If the Master could keep holding me like this, I’d rather my foot heal a little slower.”
“Don’t speak such nonsense.” Yinzhen looked dissatisfied, but the irrepressible smile on his face betrayed his true feelings. He sat back on the daybed with her in his lap and asked casually, “Why the sudden desire for me to teach you to paint?”
Li Wanran sat on his lap, her forehead resting against his jaw. She said softly, “I actually know that most people in the world love women who are both talented and beautiful. I didn’t care much about these things before, thinking that having beauty alone was enough.” She continued in a voice a few degrees lower, but still clear enough for him to hear, “But I don’t think that way anymore. I have beauty, but if I also have talent, then the Master will surely like me a few degrees more.”