Gu Youning's face burned. She lowered her eyes and stammered softly, "Your Highness, this servant, this servant…"
Liu Kanyuan's gaze swept over the patch of red by her ear, already covered with a thin layer of pale yellow ointment, which only made the skin look redder by contrast.
"What is it you want to say?" he asked in a low voice.
Gu Youning froze. She—what did she want to say? She had no idea…
But Liu Kanyuan took a step forward.
Flustered, Gu Youning instinctively backed away, but her back hit the cold, hard wall, and there was nowhere left to retreat.
Her heart pounded wildly. Not daring to look up, she bit her lip and kept her head bowed for all she was worth.
Yet his frame was far too tall, his chest broader than she had imagined, enough to completely envelop her—so much so that she felt she was covered entirely.
The crisp scent of bamboo from the morning, mixed with a faint dampness, swirled around her nose, impossible to escape.
Gu Youning was on the verge of tears. "Your Highness…" she said, her voice trembling.
Liu Kanyuan's voice was very low. "Raise your head. Look at me when you speak."
Gu Youning's fingertips trembled. She wanted to say she didn't dare, but she couldn't defy his command.
He seemed accustomed to giving orders in that calm, indifferent tone. Last night, when he had ordered Old Woman Feng slapped and Concubine Chen severely punished, his voice had been just as devoid of emotion.
Unable to tell whether he was pleased or angry, Gu Youning had no choice but to obey.
And so she met his gaze.
The color of his eyes was lighter than most people's. At first glance they seemed utterly still, but when their eyes met, she sensed that his gaze was a net, one that could ensnare a person without leaving a trace.
Gu Youning's heart beat faster and faster, her breath growing ragged. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out at all.
At last, Liu Kanyuan spoke, his voice light and cool. "You were a cleaning maid in this residence?"
Gu Youning froze, then suddenly remembered the panic she'd shown when he had roughly pulled at her clothes. Her little scheme had been easily seen through by the master of this residence. Right—back then, she had merely gambled that he wouldn't investigate.
One casual question from him, and her clumsy lie couldn't hold up at all—let alone now that she had so brazenly appeared before him.
Gu Youning held back her tears and stammered, "This servant, this servant—"
Guilty at heart, she said very quietly, "Last year, this servant… was indeed a cleaning maid in the residence."
At this, Liu Kanyuan's expression tightened almost imperceptibly. A maid last year—and now she was already married.
He pressed his lips together slightly and looked at her coolly. "That, at least, is the truth."
Gu Youning grew even more terrified. "Spare me, Your Highness!" she pleaded, her voice thick with tears. "This servant was wrong. This servant deserves ten thousand deaths."
She was afraid of ending up like Old Woman Feng—especially with him standing so close to her now.
Though she was a married woman, she had been wed for less than a year and had not yet learned, like some of the household servants, to banter freely with men. She instinctively felt shy and wanted to shrink away.
Liu Kanyuan asked, word by word, "You say you deserve ten thousand deaths… Then tell me—how should you be punished?"
What?
Gu Youning was at a complete loss. Eyes brimming with tears, she murmured, "I beg Your Highness to be merciful, to let me off this once."
"Let you off how?" Liu Kanyuan asked, his voice hoarse.
They were standing far, far too close. The man's breath washed over her, and with nowhere to hide, Gu Youning could only press herself helplessly against the wall, tilting her face up to plead, "Your Highness…"
That soft, silken "Your Highness" left Liu Kanyuan with an indescribable feeling.
He too would think of it—of that night.
It was a strange thing. They were two utterly unrelated people, as different as cloud and mud, and she was the wife of a servant in his household, nothing more than a married woman. In the past, he would never have deigned to give her a second glance.
What kind of beauty had he not seen? Why would he covet the wife of a mere house slave?
And yet, by some twist of fate, they had become entangled.
At first it was only a lingering aftertaste, a certain preoccupation. He could restrain himself—it was not that he could not do without her—and so he paid it no mind.
But that day at the estate gates, as he dismounted and she stood to one side with her neck bowed, the longing in his heart was suddenly set ablaze.
He was born a favored son of heaven. If he wanted something, why should he not have it?
And yet he was a favored son of heaven—why would he want someone as lowly as her?
She was only the wife of a house slave, after all.
Liu Kanyuan pressed his lips tightly together, his pale eyes darkening by degrees.
He stared at this woman, stared at this small creature who made his heart waver, and gazed at her for a long while.
Gu Youning sensed the change in his eyes—desire and craving, distance and coldness, and a scrutiny from on high.
That look made her uncomfortable. She felt keenly that it was the gaze of one who held power over her.
Someone who could take her life.
Her fear grew. Trembling, she tried to speak, but no words came; tears simply streamed down her face.
In truth, what use was begging anyway…
Just then, his voice rang out: "You actually dared to deceive this prince."
His voice was pitched very low, like wind drifting over moonlit white sand.
Gu Youning closed her eyes and said resignedly, "Yes."
Liu Kanyuan gritted his teeth lightly. "You are Sun Feng'an's wife."
In that moment, he suddenly remembered that day. He had been busy with pressing official documents when Sun Feng'an, while serving tea, had carefully broached the matter, hoping for his gracious approval—he wished to marry the daughter of Old Madame Gu, who did odd jobs in the back courtyard.
At the time, he had hardly paid attention. After all, before matters as grave as disaster relief for tens of thousands of people, a servant's request to marry a household maid was far too trivial. He had not truly taken it in, and had agreed with an offhand word.
In fact, he had not even said anything superfluous—merely given a slight nod, a glance, and those below had seen to it.
That was how, with careless ease, he had decided a marriage between a maid and a servant in his household. And so now, a year later, staring fixedly at Sun Feng'an's wife before him, his heart churned with bitterness.
He even recalled that later, he had actually rewarded Sun Feng'an with thirty taels of silver—for his wedding trousseau, no less!
So what had Sun Feng'an bought with those thirty taels? A lavish betrothal gift to win her? Or the bridal sedan that carried her through his gates?
Liu Kanyuan lowered his eyes, suppressing the barely containable violence surging in his heart.
He pressed his lips briefly, then abruptly took two steps back.
Gu Youning held her breath, fists clenched, staring unblinkingly at the man before her.
She felt like a helpless little creature facing a temperamental tiger. Even though he seemed to have released her, she grew all the more cautious, terrified that in the next moment he would suddenly bare his claws.
Liu Kanyuan finally spoke, his voice soft, almost weary. "Go."
Yet even after he said this, Gu Youning still stared at him with wide-open eyes, wary and watchful.
He lifted his gaze and sneered. "What, unwilling to go?"
At these words, Gu Youning was startled and, grabbing up her skirts, bolted.
After only a few steps, something suddenly occurred to her. Her feet stopped short, her body frozen for a moment, before she awkwardly turned back and dropped a curtsy to Liu Kanyuan.
Liu Kanyuan raised an eyebrow.
Gu Youning said in a tiny voice: "This servant takes her leave."
Liu Kanyuan: …
His face was cold as ice, and he squeezed a single silent word out through his teeth: Get out.
Gu Youning ran in terror for quite a distance before stopping. Afraid that others might notice something was wrong with her, she hid among the flowering shrubs, leaning weakly against a peach tree as she gulped in air.
After a good while, her breathing gradually steadied, but inside she only grew more frightened and uneasy.
What exactly did his behavior today mean? He had long known she was Sun Feng'an's wife—why had he suddenly turned on her?
Gu Youning recalled the way he had looked at her just now. It was like a pool of still water, yet beneath the surface there seemed to lurk something she could not fathom, something coiled and ready to strike, something that could swallow her whole.
She couldn't help but shudder.
She could only force herself to calm down, telling herself that perhaps he simply disliked the lie she had told.
After all, he was a prince of the first rank, and she, a mere lowly servant, had deceived him so brazenly.
But at least he hadn't taken her life, at least he hadn't humiliated her—he had even let her go.
He couldn't possibly lust after her looks. He was in mourning for a parent, and he already had a secondary consort and three concubines. If he wished, countless beautiful, unmarried maids could climb into his bed. He truly had no lack of female companionship.
By the time Gu Youning returned, she had calmed down. She had even tidied her clothing somewhat so as not to look too disheveled.
But as soon as she reached the side gate, several old women and servant girls were already peeking out at her curiously, and once she left the prince's residence compound, a busybody of an old woman came over to ask: "Feng'an's wife, you were on night patrol last night—did something big happen?"
Word traveled fast in the residence. It seemed everyone already knew.
Gu Youning didn't want to talk about it. She brushed them off with a few vague words and hurried home—but the moment she stepped through the door, she found the household in an uproar.
Sun Feng'an's Mother rushed over first, anxiously demanding details, and Gu Youning had no choice but to tell them.
Sun Feng'an's Mother stamped her foot in fury: "Useless at success, expert at ruin! I got you that shift on night duty thinking you'd use the chance to get close and curry favor, to fish out an opportunity to rise—and look at you! Not three days in, and you've already offended Concubine Chen!"
Sun Feng'an, however, genuinely cared for his wife and hurried to take her hands: "What happened? It's already swelling a bit—does it hurt badly?"
Gu Youning shook her head: "It's all right. I've already applied some ointment."
She kept the ointment and the prescription to herself. Those were valuable things—she meant to save them for her own mother, not let Sun Yue profit from them.
Sun Yue, however, was full of eager curiosity, tugging at her with endless questions: "You actually met His Highness! What did His Highness say? Does His Highness know you're a daughter-in-law of our Sun family? This must be His Highness lending our family a hand!"
She dreamed day and night of becoming a concubine in the prince's residence, so much so that even the smallest news of Prince Duan made her eyes light up. She could always wring some possible opportunity out of the most ordinary little things—let alone this time, when Prince Duan had acted with such swift decisiveness, directly crushing the matron at Concubine Chen's side. Naturally, this set her imagination running wild again.
Gu Youning had no wish to let her indulge in wild speculation, so she said, "Yu'e, don't be silly. The fact that His Highness punished Mama Feng so severely is only because the rules of the residence are strict—it has nothing to do with our family."
Beside her, Sun Feng'an quickly added, "Your sister-in-law is quite right. What standing do we have? Before His Highness, we're hardly worth mentioning. When it comes to favor, Concubine Chen's standing is far greater than ours—even she can't say a single word against the rules of the prince's residence, let alone the likes of you and me."
Gu Youning said, "That's right. His Highness is impartial and acts with perfect fairness."
Hearing this, Sun Yu'e could not help feeling somewhat disappointed. Looking crestfallen, she lowered her head and said nothing.
Sun Feng'an's Mother pulled a long face. "We should be thankful His Highness didn't play favorites—otherwise, how do you think this matter would have ended? As it is, you've offended Concubine Chen and cost her a capable mama right at her side. Tell me, what are we supposed to do from now on? Your father and Feng'an both work at the residence—how are they supposed to face her and make conversation?"
Just as she was speaking, Sun Feng'an's father, Sun Futang, said, "That's enough."
At his words, Sun Feng'an's Mother shot Sun Futang a resentful glare.
Sun Futang set down his teacup and said, "Since His Highness has taken charge of this matter, who are we to gossip about it behind his back?"
With a stern face, he lectured them: "From now on, whenever you go about the prince's residence, keep your wits about you at all times. Hold back in everything—don't push forward. Steering clear of trouble is the only proper course!"
Gu Youning naturally hastened to agree, and Sun Feng'an quickly chimed in as well. Sun Feng'an's Mother wanted to say more, but seeing her husband deliver the final word, she had to let it go—though in the end, she had taken a dislike to Gu Youning.
Presently, Sun Futang brought up another important matter. It turned out that His Highness had summoned him earlier that day and mentioned that, at the Qingming Festival, he would speak to the Emperor: the Old Prince had been gone for two years now, and his tomb ought to have fresh earth added and the mound sealed. Materials such as bricks, stone, and timber would need to be procured. His Highness had also recalled that the Old Prince had served as army supervisor in Huzhou for several years and had acquired some property there—something he could not forget even on his deathbed. So it was decided that bricks and stone from Huzhou should be used in the construction of the tomb, to comfort the Old Prince's spirit in the heavens.
Though Sun Futang was only in his forties, he spoke in a slow, unhurried manner. When he finished, everyone was stunned.
Sun Feng'an said, "What does this have to do with Father?"
Sun Futang replied, "His Highness means for me to make a trip to Huzhou—to dispose of the old private property, and to purchase all the building materials on the spot and have them transported back for the construction of the tomb."
Everyone was immediately surprised—and surprise quickly turned to delight. Sun Feng'an's Mother said, "What a lucrative assignment!"
But Sun Feng'an was puzzled. "A trip like that—I'm afraid it will take quite some time, won't it?"