That day, the Empress hosted a plum blossom banquet in the imperial garden, inviting the scions of various noble houses and young ladies of prominent families to attend.
The social climate of the Daqing Empire was relatively open, allowing unmarried men and women to walk and socialize together in public spaces.
When Gu Ci arrived, the imperial garden was already bustling with handsome youths and fair maidens strolling in twos and threes to admire the blossoms.
Glancing around and finding no familiar faces among the crowd, he independently sought out an empty pavilion and took a seat.
Just as he was listlessly sipping his second pot of tea, a handsome youth clad in moon-white brocade robes appeared before him. The young man’s lips curved in a pleasant smile as he lightly twirled a white jade folding fan, radiating an aura of aristocratic elegance.
Taking in the picturesque sight, Gu Ci found an invasive, bizarre memory flashing unbidden through his mind: the weird dream he had experienced while investigating the case in Kang County. In that dream, Jun Yichen had appeared just like this, matchlessly exquisite, gliding toward him with ethereal grace. The only difference was that the Jun Yichen of his dream had been an extraordinarily breathtaking woman.
Whereas in reality…
Feeling as though he had been struck by a sudden lightning bolt, Gu Ci sprang abruptly to his feet. In his haste, his sleeve clipped the edge of the teacup, sending it tumbling off the table to shatter against the stone floor with a sharp crash.
Noticing that he looked thoroughly startled by something, Jun Yichen hurried forward two steps to steady him, asking with warm concern, “A-Ci, are you alright? Did any hot tea spill on you?” As he spoke, he reached out to examine Gu Ci’s hands.
The commotion instantly drew the curious gazes of nearby onlookers.
Though no one voiced their thoughts aloud, Gu Ci hurriedly pulled his hands free from Jun Yichen’s grip, retreating half a step back with an awkward expression as a faint flush stained his cheeks. “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I’m fine.” Throughout the exchange, he deliberately avoided meeting Jun Yichen’s eyes.
While the prince regarded him simply as a sworn brother, he had been harboring such blasphemous, perverted dreams about the Seventh Prince, he truly was a first-class degenerate.
Staring at his own empty palms and the deliberate distance Gu Ci had just established, Jun Yichen froze for a fraction of a second. A strange premonition flashing through his mind, his gaze darkened as he swept a cold glance over the onlookers.
By then, a palace attendant assigned to the gardens had already stepped forward to sweep away the broken shards.
“Gu Ci, what are you doing here? Goodness, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
The sudden appearance of a blue-robed youth shattered the tension, offering a much-needed escape for Gu Ci, who had been struggling to face Jun Yichen.
Treating the newcomer like a savior dropped from the heavens, Gu Ci didn’t wait for the youth to reach him before stepping forward to slap him familiarly on the shoulder. He flashed a broad smile and asked, “Su Lin’an, what brings you here?”
The youth named Su Lin’an chuckled, playfully returning a light punch to Gu Ci’s chest with mock indignation. “Does your heart have no conscience at all, kid? Didn’t I tell you just two days ago that I was going to introduce someone to you today?” As he spoke, his eyes swept over Gu Ci with a look of skeptical suspicion.
Feeling slightly self-conscious under the scrutiny, Gu Ci forced an unconcerned expression. “I… of course I remember. Wasn’t I just waiting right here for you all this time?”
Watching the two of them interact with such unreserved intimacy, and recalling the abnormal aversion Gu Ci had just shown toward his own touch, Jun Yichen felt as though a feral, ravenous wolf had taken up residence in his chest, ready to snap its leash at any moment.
Yet he possessed no legitimate standing to voice even a shred of open jealousy.
The moment he heard that Gu Ci was lingering here purely to wait for Su Lin’an, the faint trace of amusement in his eyes was instantly locked beneath a sheet of frost.
“A-Ci, who is this?”
Shaking off his prior awkwardness, Gu Ci lifted his chin and introduced them with a smile, “Your Highness, this is Su Lin’an, son of the Prime Minister.” He then turned to the other youth. “Su Lin’an, this is His Highness the Seventh Prince.”
Su Lin’an cupped his fists in a respectful salute. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Jun Yichen offered a slight, perfunctory nod in acknowledgement.
Of course he knew who Su Lin’an was, the legitimate eldest son of the Prime Minister. In fact, he had gathered detailed dossiers on every single noble youth present at the banquet today. What caught him off guard, however, was discovering that Su Lin’an was on such familiar terms with Gu Ci.
The heir to the head of the civil bureaucracy alongside the eldest grandson of the supreme military commander, this made for a fascinating combination.
It seemed Su Lin’an was far from a simple character.
Stepping back in slight discomfort, Su Lin’an felt an inexplicable chill; for reasons beyond him, this Seventh Prince he was meeting for the first time seemed to harbor a remarkably intense, palpable hostility toward him, raising goosebumps along his arms.
Nudging Su Lin’an’s arm, Gu Ci urged, “Didn’t you say you wanted to introduce someone to me? What are you standing around for? Let’s go.”
As if granted amnesty from a death sentence, Su Lin’an nodded repeatedly. “Right, right, let’s hurry.”
Smiling, Gu Ci turned to Jun Yichen. “Your Highness, why don’t you come with us? Su Lin’an here is introducing someone quite interesting. Let’s go meet them together.”
Hearing this, Su Lin’an, who had already taken a step out of the pavilion, jolted to a halt. Wearing a strained, nervous smile, he spun around to intervene, “Ah, well, His Highness is a man of myriad affairs, so perhaps we shouldn’t bother the prince.”
Flicking open his folding fan with a crisp snap, Jun Yichen fixed Gu Ci with a brilliant, smiling gaze. “I have plenty of leisure time today, so I am more than happy to accompany A-Ci. Besides, I am rather curious to see what kind of person Young Master Su has prepared for us to meet.”
Gu Ci cheerfully echoed the sentiment, “See? We’ll all go together; it’ll be much livelier.”
Realizing he had no room to refuse, Su Lin’an could only steel his nerves and lead the way.
Weaving past a jagged rockery, the group headed toward the eastern section of the imperial garden.
As they drew closer, an octagonal pavilion painted in vermilion came into view. Standing inside was a young woman draped in pink silk robes. Her brows resembled distant, misty mountains, and her eyes were as clear and limpid as autumn water. With every subtle glance, her gaze rippled with a captivating, soul-stirring charm. A cascade of dark hair drifted gently on the breeze, adorned with a few understated pearl hairpins. Her complexion bloomed like peach blossoms, the delicate, rose-tinted skin appearing soft enough to puncture. As she moved, her skirts fluttered like the swaying of graceful willows in a spring breeze, exuding an air of effortless elegance.
Gu Ci instinctively shot a sidelong glance at Su Lin’an, utterly baffled by what kind of medicine his friend was trying to sell in this gourd.
Mindful of the Seventh Prince’s looming presence, Su Lin’an dared not offer any whispered hints. Dragging the young woman forward, he forced a smile and stammered through the introductions: “Your Highness, Lord Gu, this is my younger sister, Su Jinyao.” Turning to the maiden, he added, “Sister, this is His Highness the Seventh Prince, and this is Lord Gu Ci.” With that, he frantically pinched the still-dazed Su Jinyao to snap her out of it.
Only then snapping back to reality, Su Jinyao hastily smoothed her skirts and dipped into a graceful curtsy. “Su Jinyao pays her respects to Your Highness the Seventh Prince and Lord Gu.” A delicate flush bloomed across her cheeks as her voice rang out clear, crisp, and charmingly sweet.
Maintaining his composed, aristocratic persona, Jun Yichen offered a faint smile and extended a hand to bid her rise.
“Miss Su need not stand on ceremony.”
A sharp spark of realization flickered behind Gu Ci’s eyes. Su Jinyao? He knew that name intimately, she was the pristine, ethereal female protagonist of this antiquated, dog-blooded web novel. Later in the story, a significant catalyst for the villainous boss’s total descent into darkness stemmed from his agonizing, unrequited obsession with the heroine.
If, if he could successfully bridge the gap between the female lead and the villainous boss, wouldn’t Jun Yichten be redeemed by the heroine’s boundless kindness and beauty, thereby preventing his eventual corruption?
The prolonged stare Gu Ci directed toward Su Jinyao did not escape Jun Yichen’s notice. The prince’s expression grew steadily frostier, his fingers gripping the ribs of his folding fan so tightly that his knuckles bleached white.
So this is the person Su Lin’an brought Gu Ci here to meet.
It turns out to be a woman!