Rewind the timeline to the present.
Right now, on the bustling street, with guards clearing the way, the Eldest Princess’s carriage was heading toward the palace.
“Mingzhe, come in.”
“Yes!”
The maidservant Mingzhe entered the carriage. Her Highness the Eldest Princess, who had just been inadvertently touched by Du Heng, was lounging sideways on her seat, as if she had not fully woken up yet. She cast a faint glance at Mingzhe.
“Where are the walnut pastries this princess asked for?”
“Yes, right here.” Mingzhe handed the wooden box in her hands to the Eldest Princess.
The Eldest Princess opened the wooden box, and a fresh fragrance of walnut kernels drifted out.
She reached out a delicate hand, took one out, sniffed it lightly, and then began to eat in small bites.
Halfway through, the Eldest Princess suddenly remembered something and frowned slightly.
“Mingzhe, did this princess lose composure just now?”
“Uh… in this servant’s opinion, Your Highness’s words to the Young Lord were no different from usual.”
The Eldest Princess nodded.
So that meant it was normal. She had not lost face?
But what that person had done inside the carriage earlier, Mingzhe did not know about.
The Eldest Princess also did not know whether she had shown any weakness in front of Du Heng. She probably had not, right?
After all, she had not even opened her eyes…
Mingzhe hesitated and asked, “Your Highness, just now the Young Lord inside the carriage…”
The Eldest Princess’s gaze suddenly turned cold.
“Mingzhe, watch your words!”
Mingzhe immediately dropped to her knees with a thud.
“This servant overstepped. Please punish me, Your Highness.”
“Forget it. You may go out.”
“Yes.”
After Mingzhe went out, the Eldest Princess adjusted her sitting posture slightly, resting her head against the carriage wall. After a moment, she suddenly stiffened and moved to the other side of the seat.
She turned her head to look at the place where she had just been sitting, as if the warmth of someone still lingered there.
The Eldest Princess sighed.
Perhaps she should not have indulged in sleep, nor… looked at the portrait sent from Ruo Xian Pavilion.
She had recognized him, but then in her daze she had not stopped him, and had let him barge in like that.
In all her years, this was the first time she had been so flustered in front of someone else.
Du Heng had tumbled in so brazenly. Seeing that the situation was already set, the Eldest Princess could not very well use force to drive him out.
Their first meeting should not have been like this, so her subconscious reaction had been to continue pretending to be asleep.
At this moment, a faint flush crept onto the Eldest Princess’s cheeks. She bit into the walnut pastry, then bit her lower lip.
Whatever. Anyway, he did not know she was actually awake.
He had acted with propriety, not only choosing to protect her safety first but also not taking the opportunity to do anything inappropriate.
But that was still not enough…
Du Heng?
The son of the Marquis Zhenyuan family, the lazy and indifferent Eldest Senior Brother of Ruo Xian Pavilion?
Hmph!
Let’s hope you can satisfy me, as the Imperial Uncle said.
Otherwise…
On the other side, Du Heng and Mingzhu, along with a group of guards, were walking on the road back to the Marquis Zhenyuan Residence.
At this moment, Du Heng felt a bit fortunate in his heart.
This disaster had come out of nowhere. Du Heng had only been thinking about breaking off the engagement. He had stayed on the mountain for years but had forgotten what era this was.
This world was a bizarre realm. Although it was not a certain dynasty from Blue Star’s history, many things were similar. Women had to follow all kinds of cumbersome etiquette, and reputation was of the utmost importance for women, especially unmarried maidens.
That is, if the noble girl was not the Eldest Princess.
If he had successfully broken off the engagement with the Eldest Princess, the girl he had accidentally offended might instead have been forced by public opinion to become his next fiancée.
Zhuque Avenue was crowded with people. No one knew how many spies from various estates were planted along the street. With so many eyes watching, Du Heng had so brazenly charged into an unmarried young lady’s carriage.
Regardless of whether Du Heng had done anything to the girl, it was like mud falling into one’s trousers — even with a hundred mouths he could not have explained it away.
The girl’s reputation would probably be ruined no matter what, and he would certainly have to take responsibility for it.
Thinking about this, Du Heng ground his teeth in anger. He hoped that the Criminal Investigation Department would thoroughly investigate the identity of that criminal.
On his very first day back in Luodu, someone had set him up.
Did they really think he was someone to be bullied?
Du Heng’s expression darkened.
Mingzhu kept looking up at him, as if he wanted to say something but did not dare to.
Du Heng noticed. “Junior brother, you want to ask something? Go ahead.”
“Senior Brother, what did you do with the princess inside? Why were you in there so long?”
“Cough, cough!”
“What does a little kid need to ask so much for?”
“I’m not a little kid anymore. In a few years, I’ll be the same age as Senior Brother.”
“Uh… you figured that right. Indeed!”
Du Heng was amused and did not bother correcting Mingzhu.
“Thank you for the compliment, Senior Brother.”
“You’re welcome!”
Seeing that Du Heng was unwilling to say, Mingzhu did not ask further.
He had watched the entire scene from the side.
Although he was not clear on what Senior Brother had done to the person, the Eldest Princess seemed to be letting bygones be bygones about what his Senior Brother had done, and even appeared somewhat protective.
This reminded Mingzhu of his conversation with Ye Mingshan before coming down the mountain.
The day before Du Heng and Mingzhu left the mountain, Mingzhu had played several games of chess with Ye Mingshan and lost every one.
Ye Mingshan had not won that comfortably in a long time, and his face was beaming with joy. Naturally, he was more than happy to answer whatever Mingzhu asked.
“Master, is it because you always lose to Senior Brother Du at chess that you want to send him away?”
Mingzhu packed up the chessboard and asked bluntly with a serious expression.
Ye Mingshan had just taken a sip of tea, but he sprayed it all out before it even reached his throat. Whether because his thoughts had been seen through or for some other reason, he said impatiently,
“What nonsense are you talking about? Do I look like that kind of person?”
If Du Heng had been there, he would definitely have said “yes,” but the straightforward Mingzhu would not needle him. He simply continued asking what he did not understand.
“Master, Senior Brother Du’s cultivation is so low. Won’t it anger Her Highness the Eldest Princess?”
The boy Mingzhu hesitated briefly before still asking.
It was true that he had come down the mountain with Du Heng for training, but not to go looking for trouble. If Du Heng fared badly, he would fare badly too.
“It’s fine. He’s the one Her Highness the Eldest Princess wants.”
Mingzhu did not understand. Had the Eldest Princess specifically named Du Heng in her letter?
“Did Her Highness the Eldest Princess specifically request Senior Brother Du?”
“No. Her Highness the Eldest Princess simply told me she wanted a shield to silence the talk of the court officials.”
“A shield? So it’s a marriage pact in name only?”
“Uh… as long as you do not tell and I do not tell, then it is real.”
“Master, aren’t you worried this will harm Senior Brother Du?”
“Nephew Du, as the legitimate son of Marquis Zhenyuan and my senior brother’s disciple, has ties upon ties. He is the most suitable person to go.”
Ye Mingshan was naturally confident in pushing Du Heng out. He did not think the Eldest Princess would return Du Heng.
Mingzhu’s young face was furrowed in thought. He could not figure out for a moment what this had to do with former Sect Leader Yun Tianyi, and where the “ties upon ties” part came from.
Mingzhu suddenly remembered hearing from his master that the surname Yun was the surname of the Great Luo royal family.
Could it be?
Before Mingzhu could sort out his thoughts, a slight smile flickered in Ye Mingshan’s eyes, and he added, “And don’t underestimate your Senior Brother Du. That kid is very shrewd, hiding his true abilities.”
“Let me ask you this: why do you think your senior uncle and I never forced your Senior Brother Du to cultivate?”
“Uh… isn’t it because he’s the Young Lord of Marquis Zhenyuan’s family? It’s easier to invite a god than to send one away. Didn’t our Ruo Xian Pavilion want to avoid a conflict with him?”
“Cough, cough, nonsense!”
Ye Mingshan coughed as if struck in a vital spot.
Then he shook his head and glared at the boy Mingzhu.
This kid was really too straightforward!
“You should not only look at the surface of things. After going down the mountain, listen more to your Senior Brother Du. Watch and learn well.”
Mingzhu let out an “oh” of half-understanding.
Ye Mingshan had one more thing he did not tell Mingzhu, afraid Mingzhu would let it slip.
He had been troubled by Du Heng for a long time and truly wanted to send him away, but the timing his senior brother had spoken of had really arrived.
Yun Tianyi had once instructed him, “No need to worry about that kid Du Heng’s cultivation. When the Heavenly Purple Redbud Star shines, send him back to Great Luo.”
Back to the present, Mingzhu did not bring up the matter of Yun Tianyi and the Eldest Princess.
Both his master and Senior Brother Du had told him that after going down the mountain, he should listen to Senior Brother Du in everything.
Since Senior Brother Du did not ask, he would keep his mouth shut.
As for the false marriage pact, his master had also told him not to bring it up. But the matter of the royal surname was not a secret, and Mingzhu assumed Du Heng knew, so he did not say anything more.
But Du Heng really did not know.
He had only been in this world for a little over a decade and had left Great Luo for Ruo Xian Pavilion very early on. For Great Luo, he only cared about his own marquis residence. He knew nothing about court politics, let alone trivial matters like what the royal family’s surname was.
Du Heng, who had been said to be shrewd, had been hit by an information gap, completely unaware that he had been schemed against by his so-called uncle again.
Du Heng walked ahead, one hand stroking his chin, utterly baffled.
The Eldest Princess had not noticed when she was asleep… that was understandable. But after waking up, she must have seen his cultivation, right? She must have realized he was at the Qi Condensation stage, right?
Why no reaction at all?
Not only that, but she had turned around and called him Lord Consort right in front of her trusted subordinate. Although her voice was not loud and others could not hear.
But it seemed as if she really did not intend to return Du Heng.
Was she not afraid of disgracing the royal family?
No way… Could she really want to marry him?