Li Huaiyu shook her head; the room was comfortable, and she didn’t want to move.
“Chijin and Miss Xu have been making some moves lately. I heard Miss Xu was being bullied by her younger sister, and Chijin went straight to her house with a betrothal gift. Don’t you want to go see the excitement?”
“Chijin always has his plans. If he’s bringing a betrothal gift, he’s planning to marry her. We can wait until they get married to visit.”
“Well… at least go visit the old master? Don’t you miss the young master and the young lady?”
“Every day at Shen hour, the old master takes them for a walk and stops by to let me see them.”
Ju Wu and Bai Ai exchanged helpless glances, their expressions heavy.
Huaiyu smiled at them. “What are you worried about? I’m perfectly fine. I just don’t want to go out. What’s the big deal? You both have official duties, so don’t wander around. Be careful, or I’ll accuse you of neglecting your duties and have you whipped!”
“But…” Ju Wu frowned. They were all very uneasy. Her Highness was getting thinner, and her smiles didn’t reach her eyes. It had been over half a month, and she hadn’t left the main building. If she kept this up, she’d break down eventually.
“Alright, go on.” Huaiyu waved her hand. “The new dynasty has just been established. Jiang Jie is supposed to be assisting in governance, but in reality, he’s shouldering a lot of the burden. You need to help him. If he gets exhausted, Northern Wei will be in trouble.”
The young emperor ascended the throne while still in swaddling clothes. Jiang Xuanjin was supposed to assist in governance, but because of her laziness, he took on all the troubles himself, leaving early and returning late every day, working hard. Fortunately, he was always popular, and his work was steady, so the court quickly stabilized. Negotiations with Western Liang were also going smoothly, and now they just needed to intercept Liu Yunlie, who was trying to flee to Western Liang.
Everything would get better, she thought, burying her head.
Ju Wu and the others had no choice but to open the window for some air before bowing and taking their leave. Huaiyu watched them go, and once the door closed, she got up to shut the window and curled up on the soft couch.
It wasn’t so much sadness as it was anger—anger at Huailin and herself. The great fire at He Xi Palace was like a stone lodged in her heart, heavy and oppressive, and she couldn’t shake it off.
In a few days, it would be better, she thought. In a few days, she would forget about it. She couldn’t let those around her worry about her forever.
With a creak, the door opened, and Huaiyu was startled. She looked up to see Jiang Xuanjin lifting the curtain at the partition, his dark eyes fixed on her.
“Why are you back?” She forced a smile. “Weren’t you busy with the official appointments?”
“I was busy.” He walked in, leaning on the edge of the bed, getting close to her. “But something happened, and I wanted to come back and tell you.”
“What?”
His eyes flickered with light, and Jiang Xuanjin pulled her wrist, suddenly lifting her into his arms. “The newly appointed Tai Zhu Ling is quite skilled and can communicate with spirits. He just entered the palace and said that at the ruins of He Xi Palace, there are souls of the deceased trapped, unable to reincarnate.”
Huaiyu was shocked and immediately clutched his shoulder. “How could that be?”
“I couldn’t understand what he meant, so I wanted to take you there.”
“Let’s go!” Without hesitation, Huaiyu jumped out of his embrace and pulled him outside.
The autumn sun was not scorching, and the breeze was cool. Li Huaiyu hadn’t been out for a long time, and her face was pale, but she ran quickly, lifting her skirt with one hand and pulling Jiang Xuanjin with the other, crossing the rainwater accumulated on the ground overnight, and rushing straight to the ruins of He Xi Palace.
Many people were standing in front, and the Tai Zhu Ling, dressed in sacrificial robes, saw them coming from afar and bowed in greeting.
“Don’t bother with formalities.” Huaiyu helped him up, frowning. “What’s going on here?”
The Tai Zhu Ling glanced at Jiang Xuanjin and sighed. “I was born with the ability to see spirits. Today, when I entered the palace to take office, I accidentally saw the spirits bound at these ruins and became suspicious, so I told the Lord.”
“Bound?” Huaiyu was anxious. “Why are they bound?”
Tai Zhu Ling said, “Too many attachments in the mortal world naturally form chains of the soul, binding the deceased to the place of their death, preventing them from reincarnating.”
He turned and pointed to a spot on the ruins. “This person is dressed in luxurious clothes, with a fierce aura but not harmful. If they reincarnate, they might be reborn as a human.”
Huaiyu trembled, looking in the direction he pointed. It was empty, and she couldn’t see anything.
“What… what should I do?” she asked softly. “What should I do to let him reincarnate?”
The Tai Zhu Ling calculated with his fingers and said, “Let go of grudges, restore everything to normal, and do not let the affairs of the deceased hinder the living. The chains will naturally dissolve.”
Li Huaiyu pursed her lips, staring at the ruins in silence for a long time.
Chengxu stood behind, worried that the master wouldn’t be able to fool the lady, but after half an incense stick’s time, she nodded.
“Alright,” she said. “I understand.”
In the following days, Chengxu noticed that the lady seemed to have truly let go. She walked, drank tea, and discussed state affairs with the Lord, her face gradually regaining color, and her smile becoming more frequent.
“The Lord is amazing. No matter how Ju Wu and the others tried to persuade her, it was useless. But as soon as the Lord stepped in, it was resolved immediately,” Yufeng sighed in the corner.
Chengxu watched the two people walking hand in hand in the distance and whispered, “I always feel like the lady knows everything.”
“How could that be? If she knew, she wouldn’t have been fooled.”
“It’s not being fooled… how should I put it,” Chengxu scratched his head. “The Lord cares for her, and she cares for the Lord.”
Yufeng didn’t understand the cryptic words and just shook his head. “As long as they’re happy together.”
And they couldn’t be unhappy. Now, Northern Wei was their world.
At the end of the month, good news came from the border. General Zhenyuan had captured Liu Yunlie, intercepting the forty thousand troops trying to leave the country. However, Liu Yunlie was killed by a volley of arrows during the resistance, and his body could only be transported back to the capital.
It wasn’t exactly good news, but with Liu Yunlie’s death, the rebellious forces across Northern Wei finally settled down. Some accepted the court’s amnesty, while others went silent, causing no further disturbances.
After listening to the report from the newly appointed Wei Wei, Jiang Xuanjin turned to see Li Huaiyu standing by a tree behind him, on tiptoe, reaching for an orange on the tree.
They were in the backyard of the Mo Residence, where an orange tree had been planted long ago. The once bare branches were now lush and full, bearing small oranges like red lanterns.
“Oh, I can’t reach it!” Frustrated, Huaiyu stomped her foot and turned to him. “Come help me!”
The Wei Wei watched, puzzled. How could someone as noble as Ziyang Jun pick oranges…
Before he could finish his thought, the man in the blue-green robe walked over to her, easily reached up, picked the highest one, and handed it to her.
Wei Wei: “…”
Jiang Xuanjin glanced at Huaiyu. “Why do you want the highest one when you’re so short?”
“They say the highest one is the sweetest!” She pouted, peeling the orange and carefully separating the segments before popping one into his mouth.
He bit down, swallowing it without expression.
“How is it?” Huaiyu proudly put her hands on her hips. “Are the oranges I grew sweet?”
Jiang Xuanjin nodded.
Huaiyu beamed and immediately picked another one, handing it to Wei Wei standing nearby. “Try it, sir!”
The Wei Wei was flattered, glancing at Ziyang Jun, who was calmly eating, and quickly peeled the orange, putting a segment in his mouth—
And was immediately hit by a wave of sourness!
His teeth almost ached, and the Wei Wei covered his cheek, grimacing, but when he looked up, he met Ziyang Jun’s gentle gaze. That gaze told him—if you dare say it’s sour, you might as well retire early.
“Isn’t it sweet?” Huaiyu, with her back to Jiang Xuanjin, asked innocently.
“Sweet!” The Wei Wei forced the orange down, exclaiming, “So sweet it’s almost cloying, hahaha!”
Delighted, Huaiyu picked two more and stuffed them into his arms. “Then eat more. You can sit here and finish them before you leave.”
Wei Wei: “…”
Much later, when Wei Wei was older and bolder, he asked Ziyang Jun once, “Were the oranges the princess grew really sweet?”
Ziyang Jun stood with his hands behind his back in front of Feiyun Palace, watching his wife run around with the children in the distance, and smiled. “She’s so sweet; does it matter if the oranges are sweet?”
The Wei Wei closed his mouth, deciding never to discuss the princess with Ziyang Jun again before getting married.
In early November, Lu Jingxing held a banquet to bid farewell.
“I’m taking my business to Eastern Jin. I’ve made so much money I can’t store it all. It’s quite a headache,” Lu Jingxing said nonchalantly, waving his jade-bone fan. “This time, I’m going to bring Eastern Jin’s silver back to Northern Wei!”
Li Huaiyu rolled her eyes at him. “If you just said you were going to chase after Baihua Jun, I’d think you were straightforward. Who did you learn this roundabout way from?”
Everyone laughed, and Lu Jingxing hid his face behind his fan. “Why would I chase her? She went back on her own, not because I drove her away. Going to Eastern Jin is really for the silver.”
Huaiyu sighed. “If you don’t hurry, our childhood betrothal might not happen.”
She paused and added, “By the time Sui Sui has children, you might still be unmarried, and then she can be your matchmaker.”
“Bah!” Lu Jingxing spat at her. “Stop cursing me! Jiang Xuanjin, aren’t you going to do something? Didn’t you say the Jiang family has strict rules, no talking during meals?”
The person next to Huaiyu, holding a teacup, glanced at him and said, “I like listening to her.”
I like it, and I don’t want to stop it, so what?
Lu Jingxing lamented, “Look at what your Highness has done to Ziyang Jun! He used to be so principled, and now he’s as shameless as she is!”
“Her Highness is amazing!” Ju Wu and the others applauded in admiration.
Lu Jingxing: “…”
Li Huaiyu laughed, slapping her thigh. “This is my territory, and you dare to trip me up? How about it, do you admit defeat?”
Placing a wine jar in front of him, Lu Jingxing sneered, “Talking is useless. Let’s see the truth at the bottom of the wine!”
“Bring it on, who’s afraid of you?” Huaiyu slapped the table and stood up. “Back then, when we competed in drinking, you ran off halfway to relieve yourself, so we never settled it. Today, let’s have a showdown!”
Bai Ai and Qing Xian, eager to watch the show, quickly set up two rows of cups and poured wine down.
The room was instantly filled with the aroma of wine, and Jiang Xuanjin frowned slightly.
Li Huaiyu turned her head, knowing what he was worried about, and whispered, “I can hold my liquor much better than you, don’t worry.”
“What if you get drunk?” he asked.
Huaiyu smiled. “You’re here, aren’t you? You can carry me back. I’m very well-behaved when I’m drunk, easy to take care of.”
She paused and added, “Unlike you, who gets all clingy and needs to be coaxed when drunk.”
Jiang Xuanjin paused, memories of their wedding day, the room filled with red and the faint scent of wine, flashing through his mind. He pursed his lips and said nothing.
So Li Huaiyu and Lu Jingxing started their drinking contest. She drank quickly, like it was water, and soon picked up the last cup while Lu Jingxing still had three left, holding his head and watching her.
With a bright smile, Huaiyu raised her cup to him. “A friend across the seas, as close as a neighbor!”
No matter what happened, no matter how far apart they were, Lu Jingxing would always be her loyal friend.
His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and Lu Jingxing smiled. “Not bad, you can even recite poetry now.”
With that, he downed the remaining three cups in one go, then snapped open his jade-bone fan with a “swish,” waving it in front of him. “I’ll be gone for a long time, Your Highness, take care.”
“Alright!”
With laughter and clinking cups, Huaiyu sat back beside Jiang Xuanjin, taking his hand to support her head. “Am I the most beautiful person in the world?”
Jiang Xuanjin glanced at her. “No.”
Her face fell, and Huaiyu pouted. “Then I won’t sleep with you tonight… mmph!”
He covered her mouth firmly, slightly annoyed. “Didn’t you say you’re well-behaved when drunk?”
How is this well-behaved?!
“Hehehe~” She removed his hand and pointed at her face. “Do I look drunk?”
Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were misty. If this wasn’t drunk, what was? Jiang Xuanjin sighed, about to order a maid to bring sobering soup, but she handed him a cup of wine.
“You drink.”
Half his face darkened, Jiang Xuanjin said, “I don’t drink.”
“But you have to drink it because I gave it to you!”
He took it, pretending to drink it while secretly pouring it behind him, and said with a straight face, “Finished.”
Huaiyu was delighted, hugging his neck and acting spoiled. “How did you get so handsome? It’s been almost a year, and while everyone else is getting older, you’re getting more handsome.”
Ju Wu, nearby, spat out his wine, coughing.
Jiang Xuanjin, his ears turning red with embarrassment, stood up and said to Lu Jingxing, “She’s drunk. I’m taking her back.”
Lu Jingxing, also tipsy, waved with a grin. “Go on, go on.”
Lifting her, Jiang Xuanjin started to leave, but the person in his arms was reluctant. “Let me go, I don’t want to go back!”
“Then where do you want to go?”
Her eyes darted around, and she giggled. “Let’s find an inn to stay at, shall we?”