At dawn the next day, Di Yue rushed over to see Nan Rao.
He had barely slept half the night. When he arrived, it was not yet the hour of Chen, but he had forgotten that Nan Rao was frail and needed more rest—she would not rise early.
Lu Ying stopped him outside the door. "My lady has not yet risen. What business does the General have? I can relay a message to her on your behalf."
Di Yue scratched his head, hemming and hawing.
Lu Ying looked at him with a strange expression. A grown man, why was he being so bashful?
She said impatiently, "What exactly has the General come for?"
Di Yue wanted to see the princess once more to confirm he hadn't mistaken her identity.
Too embarrassed to say so, he rubbed his head and said, "I… I'll come back later…" With that, he scurried off and vanished from sight.
By the hour of Xu, Di Yue came again.
Nan Rao still had not risen.
At noon, Di Yue sneaked over for the third time. This time, he was too embarrassed even to knock, so he crouched by the wall and quietly asked Lu Ying, "Um, I…"
Lu Ying had already grown tired of dealing with him. Without letting him finish, she opened the door and gestured for him to enter.
Di Yue was overjoyed and vaulted straight over the wall into the courtyard.
But as luck would have it, the moment his feet touched the ground, he met a pair of clear, bright eyes.
In the dead of winter, a day without snow or wind was a blessing. That day, the noon sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, bringing great warmth.
Nan Rao was sitting in the courtyard, drinking her medicine while basking in the sun.
Seeing Di Yue standing there clutching a hairpin, at a loss for what to do, she showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, she smiled sweetly at him and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Thank you, General, for making this trip. May I ask how you are called?"
Di Yue was flattered and cupped his hands in salute. "This humble one is Di Yue."
"Is General Di a retainer of the Chancellor?"
"Well…" Not exactly. Di Yue was a Captain of the Imperial Guard. Though close to Chancellor Pei, he served in the palace. But saying that might make it seem like he had ulterior motives for coming, so he hedged, "I… I suppose so…"
Nan Rao didn't press further. Everyone had their own secrets; there was no need to dig to the bottom of things.
"Hot tea has been prepared here. Would General Di care to sit down and have a few cups to warm himself?" Seeing that he still lingered, she spoke up again at the right moment.
Di Yue grinned foolishly and scratched his head in embarrassment, thinking: How wonderful—the princess is now so kind and gentle. He agreed without hesitation.
In the days that followed, whenever Di Yue finished his duties, he would run over to the courtyard where Nan Rao stayed.
Even without the Chancellor's explicit instruction, he was willing to spend time keeping the princess company.
At first, he had thought the princess had merely been living abroad. He hadn't expected her to have grown so frail, nor her temperament to have become so gentle. Every time she guessed he was coming, she would have Lu Ying prepare hot tea in advance to warm him up.
Di Yue was overwhelmed by the kindness. "Prin—… My lady need not go to such trouble."
Nan Rao smiled. "It's no trouble at all. I should be the one grateful that General Di is willing to come and keep me company."
"You… you needn't refer to yourself as 'this humble woman'… It sounds rather awkward."
He truly couldn't bear to see the princess in such a humble manner.
Nan Rao did not reply, perhaps sensing that Di Yue's concern for her had gone beyond what was ordinary. Di Yue didn't notice her unusual expression and hesitantly asked, "These past years… have you suffered much?"
She shook her head.
"My husband treated me very well."
When Di Yue heard her mention her husband, he froze in embarrassment, thinking: No wonder the Chancellor had trouble bringing it up. This really is quite troublesome.
He coughed dryly and changed the subject. "Oh, right—let me tell you about the good places in Luoyang! The wine at Wenxian Pavilion is unmatched in all the world! And the crispy pastries at Lailou Tower are especially delicious! These past few days the Luo River has frozen over—I fished out several big fish a few days ago and made a huge pot of fish soup. Unfortunately, I brought it to the Chancellor all excited, but he wouldn't eat it. I'll bring you some to try later!"
Whenever Di Yue brought up these inconsequential topics, she would listen patiently with a smile, occasionally offering a few words in response.
Aside from these, Di Yue also made a point of singing the Chancellor's praises repeatedly in front of her—how he was fair in his dealings, how he cared for his subordinates—and he would emphasize how deeply the Chancellor loved his late wife, all while observing the princess's expression.
Though she was listening, he could sense… she had no interest in the Chancellor's affairs.
Di Yue felt quite defeated.
At noon, the heavy snow let up slightly. Hazy sunlight filtered through the thick clouds, reflecting off the snow-covered cobblestone path in a blinding white glare.
Servants had long since cleared the snow from the steps below, and from time to time, two or three would enter the study to bring tea, attend to the inkstone, or add incense to the Boshan burner.
Pei Ling held his brush suspended from his elbow, reviewing official documents at the desk by the window.
Yan Zhan trod through the snow and entered, reporting from the side: "Chancellor, word has just come from the palace. This morning, Wang Che identified the one who orchestrated the poisoning and reported it to His Majesty. Shortly after, His Majesty ordered the Empress's seal returned to Changqiu Palace."
Pei Ling's brush flew across the page without lifting his head. "And Noble Lady Yang?"
"Noble Lady Yang has been requesting an audience outside the hall, but His Majesty has not received her."
Pei Ling let out a mocking laugh, set down his brush and looked up. "A little bluff was all it took to make them trip over their own schemes. Quite amusing, really."
Yan Zhan smiled.
No one had any idea what Pei Ling was planning, so naturally they had been thrown into disarray from the very start. None of them knew that the Grand Chancellor had orchestrated all of this for one purpose—to welcome the Princess back.
Just then, Di Yue walked in, looking dejected.
"Grand Chancellor."
Pei Ling glanced at him. "How is she?"
Di Yue thought to himself, The Princess speaks of her husband every day and hasn't mentioned the Chancellor once. But he wouldn't dare say that to the Chancellor's face, so he only hedged, "She's… alright. The Princess has been very quiet each day."
Pei Ling lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on the embroidered pattern at the hem of Di Yue's robes.
"Who sewed that?"
This? Di Yue reached down and flicked at the hem, unable to suppress a smile. "My clothes got torn on a branch yesterday, and Her Highness helped me mend them."
The moment the words left his mouth, Pei Ling's expression turned icy cold. Without a word, he rose and swept out, sleeves billowing behind him.
Yan Zhan smacked Di Yue on the head from behind, shaking his head in exasperation. "Still grinning like a fool?! Did a donkey kick your brain loose? You had Her Highness lower herself to sew your clothes?! Next time, mend them yourself!"
Di Yue: "…"
Di Yue looked utterly bewildered, thinking, She offered on her own when she saw it. I even said there was no need, but Her Highness said it was no trouble at all—just her way of thanking me for coming to keep her company each day. She told me not to give it another thought.
It was just mending a piece of clothing. What was the big deal?