Liu Jue woke early and couldn’t help glancing at the wall, seeing the empty space there, and couldn’t help a wry laugh. The painting had been sent to the Fourth Prince’s residence days ago. His heart stirred. On the day of Zili’s wedding, Zili had told him not to mistake what he was seeing. That night, his pigeon corps had reported that Zili had gone late at night to the back courtyard of the Chancellor’s residence. Could it be? Liu Jue began to ponder. He picked up his brush and wrote a letter, sealed it with wax, pulled open a hidden compartment on his bookshelf, and placed it inside. He plucked a single hair and pressed it gently across the compartment’s seam. After examining it carefully several times, he smiled with satisfaction.
Sishi came in to help Liu Jue dress. Liu Jue looked at her with a light smile: “I’ve suddenly noticed Sishi has grown into quite the young lady. Do you have anyone in mind? I’ll arrange it for you.”
Sishi’s face flushed red, her hands never stopping their work, and she lowered her head: “My lord always jokes around. Sishi will just stay at Songfeng Hall forever.”
Liu Jue teased: “Not denying it means there is someone? Who is it?”
Sishi, still red-faced, finished arranging his collar, said nothing more, and turned and ran out.
Liu Jue watched her departing figure thoughtfully. Just as she stepped out the door, he called out with a smile: “Go tell them to prepare two horses. Today I’m going out riding with my future princess consort.”
Cheng Shiyue was set to marry Qingfei on the fifth day of the eighth month. The entire Chancellor’s residence was thrown into a bustle of preparation. During the day, the First Wife led the other wives, along with Qingfei and A’Luo, gathering daily in the garden pavilion to work on embroidery. A’Luo hadn’t learned to embroider. It wasn’t that she couldn’t at all—she simply couldn’t produce those exquisitely refined patterns. Sitting with the others, she could only help with minor tasks, sewing on buttons and the like. Women of this era truly had no entertainment, she thought—with nothing to do, embroidering things at least passed the time. A’Luo, watched over as she sewed, was secretly anxious. At this rate, how would she ever manage to prepare in time? Just then, a maid came to report that the young lord of Prince Anqing’s household had come to call.
Chancellor Li had gone to the palace for court business. The First Wife took charge: “A’Luo, be sure to get along well with the young lord. Remember what your father said.”
A’Luo glanced at the Seventh Wife, then smiled and tossed aside the needlework in her hands, dashing away from the stifling garden. She thought to herself—if she went out and ditched Liu Jue, wouldn’t that give her more time? She decided to invite Liu Jue to the residence more often—if only there were a phone, she could just send a message and he’d come whenever needed, if for no other reason than that his company was more comfortable than sitting with Chancellor Li’s wives and concubines.
So when Liu Jue saw A’Luo, her face was still glowing with excitement. Liu Jue couldn’t help but smile: “How strange—since when does the Third Miss get this happy seeing the young lord?”
A’Luo had much business to attend to outside the residence and didn’t take offense, smiling brightly instead: “What, would you rather I frown and ignore you?”
Liu Jue smiled slightly: “Since you’re happy, then how about coming out with me?”
“What do you want to do?”
“Ride horses!”
An idea struck A’Luo: “I haven’t been to the Duning River area yet. What’s it like there? Shall we go take a look today?”
Liu Jue agreed with a smile. Leaving the residence, an attendant brought the horses over, and Liu Jue instructed: “Today I’ll accompany the Third Miss across the river to look around. You needn’t follow.”
The two rode out through the south city gate and soon reached the banks of the Duning River. A’Luo saw a pontoon bridge made of connected wooden boats spanning the river and hesitated: “Ride horses across a pontoon bridge?”
Liu Jue answered by demonstration, cracking his whip and charging onto the bridge. A’Luo followed slowly on her horse. She examined the bridge carefully—beneath it were boats roughly ten meters long, linked together by iron chains, with wooden planks laid across the top. The chains between groups of boats had locking clasps that could be released at any time, allowing the boats to separate into individual vessels during flood season so the water could pass through. The whole pontoon bridge stretched about two hundred meters. After crossing and reaching the far bank, she asked, “If the bridge were destroyed, wouldn’t that cut off the road?”
Liu Jue smiled: “There are two boat docks built outside the south city gate, with trained soldiers stationed there. Even if the entire bridge were destroyed, it could be rebuilt within two hours. Quite convenient. In case of enemy attack, it would actually become a natural barrier.”
A’Luo studied the terrain near the south city gate very carefully. Without showing it, she continued riding forward with Liu Jue. After riding for a while, her spirits lifted; the world felt so vast, and being confined within the city walls truly was stifling. Though it was already deep summer, the wind stirred up by the galloping horses felt wonderfully refreshing.
Liu Jue stopped and dismounted, smiling at A’Luo: “It’s peaceful here, the scenery is lovely. Come down and sit a while, let the horses drink from the stream. It’s cool in the shade.”
A’Luo looked at him without moving, speaking unhurriedly: “The scenery here is indeed lovely, a fine place for romance too. But, young lord, I have no intention of marrying you. Thank you for bringing me out here, and thank you for your horse—lend it to me to ride back, and you can rest and enjoy the view alone.”
Liu Jue laughed: “If you obediently acted as though you wanted to marry me, that would actually surprise me. No matter, there’s still over a year’s time. I’m patient—my future princess consort!”
A’Luo smiled and turned her horse to leave. Just as she turned around, she felt a weight settle behind her—Liu Jue had already leapt onto her horse, his body pressed against hers, whispering by her ear: “Used and discarded—how very direct of you. Where are you off to, casting me aside like this?”
Furious, A’Luo jabbed backward with her elbow, but Liu Jue caught her hand with ease, his arms already wrapping around her like an octopus, holding her tight, chuckling: “Keep misbehaving and I’ll seal your acupoints. Want to try that feeling of being unable to move or speak again?”
A’Luo immediately stopped struggling, muttering sarcastically, “Is this fun for you? Marrying someone who doesn’t want to marry you?”
Liu Jue kept laughing: “Of course it’s fun. Marrying an obedient, docile little princess would be boring.”
The two were pressed close together, the posture rather intimate. Liu Jue nearly lost himself in the faint fragrance drifting from A’Luo. Holding her like this felt genuinely pleasant. His warm breath brushed against her neck. Unable to bear it any longer, she snapped, “It’s blazing hot and you’re baking me like a sesame cake—are you sick? Let me down!”
Liu Jue laughed, “Don’t feel that way at all—this feels quite comfortable!”
A’Luo’s eyes rolled and she said, “You’re winning unfairly! Dare you get off the horse and duel with me properly? Don’t forget how I dealt with that pervert in the peach grove!”
The moment she finished speaking, her body suddenly felt light—Liu Jue had leapt them both to the ground while still holding her. His finely chiseled face was full of heroic spirit, his eyes brimming with amusement. Liu Jue raised an eyebrow: “You reminded me just now—you’ve got some strange fighting skills. Where did you learn them?”
A’Luo lifted her chin and raised her own eyebrows: “My master, well, you wouldn’t know the name even if I told you. But lightness skill, I don’t have that, and acupoint sealing either—if you’re going to use those, then there’s no point competing, since I don’t know them, and even if you won I wouldn’t accept it!”
Liu Jue looked at A’Luo meaningfully, thinking that if he didn’t tame this girl now, she’d walk all over him once they were married. He readily agreed: “Fine, I’ll only fight you with fists and feet, no lightness skill, no acupoint sealing. If you lose, obediently wait to marry me.”
A’Luo answered with a grin, “Fine, that’s fine, but what if I hurt you?”
Liu Jue looked at her disdainfully: “Even if I just stood here without moving, you landing ten or eight punches on me wouldn’t hurt at all. Just an itch scratch.”
“Is that so? Then last time I just bumped into you once, chopped you twice, and you collapsed like a dead pig, how do you explain that?”
Mentioning it only irritated Liu Jue further: “That time I wasn’t prepared! You nearly ended my bloodline, and you dare bring it up! Hmph, let’s start fresh today, let’s see how young master here teaches you a lesson!”
A’Luo said with mock fear: “It’s that serious? Then I don’t dare. If it happens again, Prince Anqing’s household might lose its heir, and my own little life would be in danger.”
“You think you’ll get another chance? Last time I saw a little girl and let my guard down carelessly, but this time, heh heh!”
“Let’s just forget it, how about we duel with words instead?”
“With words?”
A’Luo remembered the scene from Legend of the Condor Heroes where Huang Rong toyed with Ouyang Xiu. Looking around, she picked up a tree branch and drew a large circle on the ground: “You stand inside this circle. If I push, hit, kick, or otherwise force you out of this circle by any means, you lose! Of course, if you step out yourself, that counts as losing too. How about it?”
“Fine!”
“Will you cheat?”
“I, Liu Jue, keep my word and never cheat!”
“Alright then, once you lose, you can’t make things difficult for me anymore, agreed?”
“Agreed!”
Liu Jue walked into the circle with a smile, saying lazily: “Even if young master here stood perfectly still, you couldn’t push me, hit me, or kick me out of here.”
A’Luo circled around the ring a couple of times. Her face lit up with a grin: “Then you just stand there and wait, girl’s leaving now. Remember, if you step out of the circle, you lose! And once you lose, you can’t make things difficult for me. Farewell! Young lord!”
Liu Jue, hearing this, stammered with anger: “You, how could you cheat like this?”
A’Luo swung up onto her horse. Circling the ring a few more times, she laughed, “Is this cheating? I suppose a little. But I never said I couldn’t cheat—but you, you said,” and here her expression turned serious as she mimicked Liu Jue’s tone from before: “‘I, Liu Jue, keep my word and never cheat!'” She burst out laughing and rode off.
Liu Jue stood in the circle, caught between laughter and tears, watching A’Luo’s retreating figure and couldn’t help but break into a smile himself. He slowly stepped out of the circle, checking the time—A’Luo had left at just the right moment; had she stayed any longer, he might have escorted her back to the city.
Liu Jue rode swiftly back to his residence, but slipped secretly in through the back courtyard. Skillfully avoiding the hidden watchmen of the Azure Corps, he quietly returned to Songfeng Hall. Walking to the hidden compartment, he checked—the hair was still in its place, only slightly more exposed than when he’d left. Liu Jue couldn’t help but smile. Opening the compartment, he found the letter still there. His hands moved quickly indeed.
Liu Ying entered silently and knelt: “My lord!”
Liu Jue looked at him coldly: “Liu Ying, how long have you served me?”
“Reporting to my lord—this servant was orphaned and destitute at six years old. My lord took me in. It has now been eighteen years!”
“What were my instructions regarding that painting last time?”
“Destroy the original, have a new copy made identically mounted, and send it to the Fourth Prince’s residence!” Liu Ying answered fluently, though cold sweat had already broken out on his brow. “This servant deserves death. Just as I was about to burn it, Miss Sishi came in and asked to see the Fourth Prince’s future consort’s beauty once more. In a moment of weakness, this servant gave it to her, saying she should burn it after looking. She stared at it, her eyes fixed, and then tears fell as she said—such radiance, no wonder my lord gazes at it day and night. She has a deep devotion to my lord, and wept until she could barely speak. This servant turned away, unable to bear watching. A moment later, once the crying stopped, this servant turned back around. She took the painting herself, insisting on burning it personally. This servant stayed and watched until she had burned it completely.”
“And then?”
“This servant had the new painting mounted and had Steward Lin’s people deliver it to the Fourth Prince’s residence! Could it have been switched?”
Liu Jue scoffed: “Since when has my subordinate become so soft-hearted?”
Liu Ying knocked his head to the ground: “This servant awaits my lord’s punishment!”
Liu Jue said nothing for a long moment, a sharp, cold aura emanating from him. This young lord usually seemed no different from any other noble scion; Liu Ying had grown up alongside him since childhood and still couldn’t fully read him, but he knew—Liu Jue was now furious beyond measure. Liu Ying felt as though a great mountain pressed down upon his body, waves of icy air surging over him, crushing the breath from his lungs, chilling him to the bone. A murderous aura coiled around him like a venomous snake.
Liu Jue closed his eyes, and the pressure withdrew: “Go take thirty lashes yourself, and keep close watch on Sishi and everyone in the household. Since when has Songfeng Hall become a garden where anyone can come and go as they please!”
Liu Ying, having just relaxed, was startled again: “This servant deserves death! The entire Azure Corps will take ten lashes each, this servant will take ten extra!” Liu Ying knocked his head heavily against the ground, then turned to leave.
“Wait! This is best for treating whip wounds!”
Liu Ying accepted the object Liu Jue tossed to him, his eyes reddening: “Thank you, my lord, for your consideration!”
“Enough. A wounded soldier can’t stand proper watch.”