“Oh my, young master, come in~”
“You look unfamiliar… is this your first time here? What do you like?”
Yu Jiao paused. “I heard Chunhua and Qiu Yue—one has the most beautiful makeup, the other the most beautiful clothing?”
The mother froze for a moment, then scolded playfully, “You young master really knows your stuff. So which one do you want?”
“Only children make choices. I want both,” Yu Jiao said, deliberately showing a corner of the silver note in her arms.
The mother was astonished. She held up two fingers: “Both?! Chunhua, Qiu Yue, take this young master upstairs!”
Yu Jiao happily raised an eyebrow, her excitement barely contained. So… this was what it felt like to be surrounded on both sides?
She felt like the little mustache on her chin was about to fly off from giddiness.
Such a wonderful place—next time, she would bring Xiu’er along.
Chunhua swayed her slender waist, holding a handkerchief and Yu Jiao’s arm. “Young master, you’re very refined-looking.”
The two girls led her upstairs while chatting. Yu Jiao pulled a silver note from her pocket, one she had dug up from the Tailor’s Shop, holding it between two fingers and flicking it lightly.
With a folding fan, she lifted Chunhua’s chin: “Can you get a private room for me?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” They took the note from her hands and opened a door.
“Three people is no fun,” Yu Jiao stopped in her tracks and pulled out another silver note. Looking at Qiu Yue, she said, “You go back to the room and wait for me.”
…
Not long after,
Yu Jiao came down the stairs, flicking her fan, and before leaving, she didn’t forget to say, “I’ll be back.”
The mother laughed brightly, grabbing Chunhua and Qiu Yue for questioning.
“Chunhua, how long did that young master stay in your room?”
Chunhua lifted her lips. “Half an hour.”
The mother froze and looked at Qiu Yue.
Qiu Yue pouted. “A quarter of an hour.”
“Not very long?” The mother pursed her lips, as if in thought.
Chunhua and Qiu Yue exchanged glances, then coughed. “Mother, I think that young master is a bit strange.”
“Hm,” the mother agreed. “He is a little strange.”
She patted her thigh, pulled a packet of medicine from her bosom, and murmured quietly, “Next time sell it at a high price, only with extra time can you raise the cost.”
“Exactly,” Qiu Yue said softly. “He actually stared at me and asked why my powder didn’t cake, what brand of rouge I use, and whether there’s a sales channel.”
Chunhua nodded quickly like a little chicken pecking rice: “Yes, yes, he went around me twice asking my thoughts on recent clothing style combinations.”
The mother held the tonic in her hand, a vein of black appearing on her forehead…
…
“He’s back, he’s back! Prince, Princess Consort has returned!” The steward ran in, reporting loudly.
Chu Yin flicked his sleeve hard, and just as he stepped out of the study room, he paused, then turned back inside. Ying Jue stood outside, watching carefully, saying nothing.
Yu Jiao hummed a little tune as she returned home, and upon entering, saw Ying Feng carrying a ceremonial bucket.
This was… a horse stance?
Yu Jiao covered her nose and tiptoed ten steps away. “Eh, Ying Feng, you smell really strong today.”
Ying Feng gave her a weary glance. “Thanks to Princess Consort, Prince is waiting for you in the study room.”
“Waiting for me? For what? Did he eat?”
Ying Feng’s eyes rolled: “Ying Jue said Prince had someone prepare a chicken leg for you in the study room.”
“Prince… Prince, the chicken leg?” Yu Jiao pushed the door open, happily running to the desk.
Chu Yin’s face darkened. He looked up from his book. “Chicken leg?”
“Yes!” Yu Jiao dove into his arms, wrapping around his neck, her eyes sparkling at him.
Chu Yin wanted to scold her. She had made him wait for two hours, not for him, but for a trip to the brothel. Today she went to a brothel; tomorrow, would she go see Nan Wan?
But seeing her so obedient and proactive, his anger eased a little.
Yu Jiao clung to his neck, nodding, while looking around: “Ying Jue said you had someone make a chicken leg waiting for me.”
He glanced at the figure standing outside, his tone casual: “Chicken leg?”
Chu Yin held her hand playfully. Her lashes partially hid the expression in his eyes. Calmly, he said, “Answer a few questions from me first, then you can eat the chicken leg.”
Yu Jiao shifted to a more comfortable position, waiting for him to continue.
“Did you go out today?”
Yu Jiao nodded. “Yes! I went to the Tailor’s Shop.”
Chu Yin’s gaze darkened slightly. His tone grew more casual: “Just the Tailor’s Shop?”
Yu Jiao suddenly grew cautious, a little anxious. “Prince… what do you want to ask?”
“Nothing.”
Yu Jiao breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second Chu Yin’s voice sounded again: “Princess Consort… did you forget something?”
Yu Jiao furrowed her brows, seriously thinking about what she might have forgotten.
Suddenly, her face lit up.
She remembered!
She cupped his face in both hands, closed her eyes, and leaned in to kiss him on the lips for a long time. Only when she ran out of breath did she pull back, giving his cheek a playful peck.
“I forgot to kiss Prince today.”
Chu Yin blanked for a moment. Little Rabbit had really behaved today.
His anger seemed to ease a bit. Well, reminding her wasn’t a bad idea.
He slowly said, “Today there was a mischievous little rabbit, ran out to play, even lied… how do you think it should be punished?”
He raised a hand to her neck.
Yu Jiao shivered and tentatively asked, “Prince… you know?”
Chu Yin lifted his eyelids, looking as if he didn’t understand what she meant, then lowered his head to play with her hair.
Even her hair had a faint scent of orange, sweet and refreshing.
Yu Jiao looked down, hesitating, and whispered, “I was trying to give Prince a surprise.”
Chu Yin paused—surprise?
He suddenly recalled a day in the court, when an old official rushed home, another teasing him that he was in a hurry to see Madam. That old official had said his Madam secretly visited a brothel, learned many things, and gave him a big surprise, making him think of returning home early every day.
Could it be that this little one went there too, just to give him a daily, nightly surprise?
His Adam’s apple moved.
“Prince?” Yu Jiao waved her hand in front of him. Chu Yin snapped back to reality.
Yu Jiao tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and sweet: “Prince, don’t be angry. I’ll tell you, okay? Today I went…”
“Silence!”
Chu Yin suddenly shouted. “I am so busy, when would I have time to hear where you went?”
A surprise spoken aloud was no longer a surprise.
Yu Jiao blinked, stunned. Didn’t he ask? Didn’t he say he would punish a lying little rabbit? Now he said he didn’t have time to hear.
“Prince, you’re really unreasonable,” Yu Jiao complained. Then she suddenly remembered something and reached out: “What about the chicken leg?”
Chu Yin didn’t respond immediately. “What chicken leg?”
The person in his arms immediately frowned, standing upright. “Prince, you’re the lying little rabbit.”
Then he left without looking back, leaving Chu Yin with his back, frowning. Such boldness, daring to scowl—yet… a surprise.
He slightly curved his lips. “Ying Feng, go collect your reward from Uncle Wang.”
In the courtyard, Ying Jue carried a ceremonial bucket in each hand. Half an hour had passed, and he still couldn’t figure out why the punished one had ended up being him.