Lin Chengyou wore a moon-white brocade robe this evening, adorned with golden sea dragons in flight. The sleeves and chest were subtly embellished with dark silver floral patterns, the needlework so exquisite it seemed heaven-sent, emanating a lustrous radiance.
As he walked through the crowd with a smile, even the flowering trees in the courtyard seemed to dim in comparison.
Passing guests paused to look back, and several ladies beneath the flowered shade couldn’t help but remark while observing him, “It’s fortunate this young man has such fine features. Few men can carry off such intricate garments—even that light blue base color is challenging enough to wear.”
“I wonder if it was made by the Imperial Textile Bureau or the embroiderers of the Prince of Cheng’s mansion.”
Madam Du gazed from afar and said, “Yuyi, weren’t you worried about the embroidery patterns for your father’s clothes? Look—if you move the patterns to the sleeves, even elaborate designs won’t seem excessive.”
Teng Yuyi silently agreed.
She had recently spent a fortune at the Western Market on a piece of fine Buddhist-blue fabric, intending to personally make a garment for her father. After leaving the Great Seclusion Temple a few days ago, she had borrowed Gui Mama from her aunt. Gui Mama’s needlework was legendary, but they had been unable to decide on a pattern.
Seeing Lin Chengyou’s attire tonight gave her several creative ideas, though her father would never wear anything as flamboyant—she would need to reduce the subtle patterns on the robe.
Madam Du continued, “Speaking of which, it’s only right for the Prince of Cheng’s mansion to be so lively tonight. I heard from my husband that Daoist Master Qingxu has returned. Though the Prince and Princess of Cheng couldn’t make it back for their son’s birthday, they’re on their way back to Chang’an.”
Du Tinglan asked puzzled, “Mother, I understand about the Crown Prince, but Princess Azhi is so young—why didn’t the Prince and Princess take her along on their travels?”
The three walked along the paved path where willows grew along the sides. As a willow branch brushed their faces, Madam Du casually pushed it aside. “I heard they used to take the Princess with them every year. Last year, she reached the age to begin her education, so they probably left her behind to avoid disrupting her studies. However, regardless of circumstances, the Prince and Princess always leave at least one child in Chang’an when they travel.”
Teng Yuyi had long found this strange and couldn’t help asking, “Why not take all the children along?”
Madam Du shook her head, “Perhaps because the children are still young, and the journey is rough—they might worry about managing too many children on the road.”
Teng Yuyi recalled what her father had said that night about His Majesty’s secret.
His Majesty’s strange illness manifested every three years, requiring the Prince of Cheng’s assistance with formation arrays. When the Prince’s family left the capital, even if His Majesty and the Empress harbored no suspicions, the high officials who knew this secret would be deeply anxious.
Perhaps for this reason, while the Prince and Princess traveled freely, they always left one child in the palace to accompany His Majesty and the Empress. This subtly dispelled all suspicions while avoiding excessive indulgence of their children.
Since Princess Azhi traveled with her parents every year, those left in Chang’an in previous years must have been either Lin Chengyou or his second brother. Now that Lin Chengyou could manage the household independently, besides him, another child was left in Chang’an this year.
Her sister then said, “I’ve long heard of Daoist Master Qingxu’s reputation—I wonder if we’ll see him tonight.”
Madam Du replied, “Probably not. I heard the Master is rather solitary—with tonight’s festivities being so boisterous, he might avoid appearing due to the noise… Oh, Yuyi, you’ve been looking around since we arrived—what are you so busy searching for?”
“Oh, looking for the two young Daoist priests,” Teng Yuyi answered casually.
Du Tinglan worried her sister might have urgent business, quickly helped search with her gaze.
Though they couldn’t find them, they encountered many familiar noble ladies along the way. As it wasn’t yet time for the banquet, the various madams either strolled among the flowers in groups or leaned against the painted railings, chatting softly. Someone mentioned “Xiangxiang Academy,” and several ladies by the jade hairpin flowers began discussing it. Seeing Madam Du, they quickly invited her over to join the conversation.
Madam Du nodded to them, then turned to the two girls with loving concern: “Those ladies are all wives of Ritual Bureau officials. I’ll ask them when Xiangxiang Academy begins classes—you sisters can attend together when it opens in a few days.”
Du Tinglan sighed internally at these words.
Although His Majesty and the Empress hadn’t restricted student admissions by fathers’ ranks as they had with Cloud Concealment Academy years ago, the school’s new location and limited enrollment had everyone scrambling for spots.
With competition so fierce, given her father’s current rank and temperament, she shouldn’t have qualified for the first batch of students. However, the character “Xiangxiang” she had proposed while helping Yuyi obtain the Jade Appearance Pill had coincidentally pleased the Empress, who had written her name down first.
Though the list hadn’t been published yet, barring any changes, she and her sister were certain to enter the academy.
When they discussed this in the carriage earlier, Yuyi had been even more reluctant than her.
She naturally knew why her sister was unwilling to enter the academy. Though His Majesty and the Empress wouldn’t force marriages, once a name appeared on the student list, marriage arrangements couldn’t be as casual as before.
After the incident with Young General Duan, Yuyi had hoped to maintain complete control over her future marriage.
Everyone knew her uncle was the powerful regional commander of the Southeast, and Yuyi was his only daughter. Given her uncle’s military authority alone, countless families sought alliance through marriage with the Teng family.
If marriage arrangements were left to the court, even with her uncle’s careful screening, it would be difficult to determine whether suitors were motivated by benefits or genuine affection for her sister.
What young lady would want such considerations mixed into her marriage?
Fortunately, Yuyi had just turned fifteen in the twelfth month, so they likely wouldn’t arrange her marriage immediately. As for herself though… Du Tinglan’s thoughts were in turmoil. She was about to speak while holding Teng Yuyi’s hand when someone called out, “Miss Teng, Miss Du, come join us over here!”
It was Wu Qi, Zheng Shuangyin, and other young ladies.
The group sat in a flower pavilion, smiling and waving to Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan. The girls’ dresses tonight were exceptionally magnificent, their faces radiant with makeup.
Everyone couldn’t help but examine Teng Yuyi’s attire. Though all wore fine gauze and silk, Yuyi’s color combinations were always unique.
She wore a dark green upper garment and half-sleeve, with a light jade-colored skirt decorated with scattered floral patterns that swept the ground. One green was rich and intense, while the other was crystal clear. Over the light jade skirt floated a water-colored single-layer silk skirt as ethereal as clouds and mist, adorned with large white peonies.
With such elaborate clothing, her hair was simply adorned—each of her twin buns held only a small jade-bone comb with fine teeth, specifically chosen for their water-clear jade material that complemented her attire.
Maids lifted Persian white glass bottles from the table, pouring sugarcane juice for Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan.
Liu Siniang smiled, “We were just saying how striking Li Sanniang’s five-colored tie-dyed floral silk skirt is tonight, but Miss Teng, since you’ve arrived, I can’t take my eyes off your ensemble.”
Since the escape from Peach Grove, Zheng Shuangyin had recognized something special about the Teng and Du girls. She smiled in response, “The flowers and trees of Jiangnan are exquisite. The embroiderers there, living amidst such picturesque scenery, naturally develop ingenious ideas for needlework and color combinations. This isn’t something mere money can buy.”
Peng Huayue said, “Speaking of which, Miss Teng, last time we all agreed to ask you for patterns. Since everyone’s here tonight, why don’t we set a date to visit your mansion?”
Teng Yuyi smiled in agreement, “Well, why wait? Are you all free tomorrow?”
The ladies laughed, “Yes, yes! Quick, someone get paper and brush—don’t let her change her mind. Miss Teng, write us invitation cards right now.”
Du Tinglan laughingly asked servants for writing materials on her sister’s behalf. They obligingly brought a stack of green-gold paper. As Teng Yuyi rolled up her sleeves and took up the brush, she noticed Wu Qi had been lost in thought.
Wu Qi was usually bright and talkative; such silence was rare. This reminded Teng Yuyi of what Steward Cheng had mentioned yesterday: The eldest son of Minister Zheng, Zheng Yanrang, and the eldest daughter of Vice Minister Wu, Wu Xiang, were supposed to be engaged this month. Steward Cheng had prepared engagement gifts for both families early on, but yesterday when he sent them out, both families returned the gift boxes.
Steward Cheng was frightened and sent people to inquire about the reason, only to learn that both families were breaking off the engagement. Young Master Zheng suddenly wanted to break it off. It was said that Minister Zheng had fallen ill from anger, while Vice Minister Wu hadn’t even attended court. Every family who heard about this privately condemned Young Master Zheng.
Wu Xiang was Wu Qi’s elder sister—with such turmoil at home, Wu Qi was understandably troubled.
Li Huaigu gently nudged Wu Qi’s arm. “Second Miss.”
Wu Qi came to her senses and apologetically said to Teng Yuyi, “Yuyi, you needn’t write an invitation for me. I’m afraid I won’t be free tomorrow.”
Everyone nodded sympathetically—with the Wu household in such chaos, how could Wu Qi have the heart to think about clothes?
Liu Siniang asked, “I heard the academy will open on the twentieth. Do you know which female instructors will be teaching? What subjects will be covered?”
Though the list hadn’t been published, it was largely settled—this wasn’t a secret among Chang’an’s influential families, so everyone discussed it openly.
Zheng Shuangyin said, “I heard it’s the same as the Imperial Academy, divided into Major Classics, Middle Classics, and Minor Classics.”
Peng Jinxiu showed an expression of distress, “I’m most afraid of these classics and poems. I managed to avoid them at home these past few years, only to face them again in Chang’an—”
Peng Huayue coughed to interrupt her sister, while fanning herself with a small firefly fan, and smiled, “When we came over earlier, we happened to see Princess Azhi leaving her seat. I thought I heard the Princess saying she was looking for someone—I wonder who?”
Someone replied, “Oh, not anyone here. The Princess said she was helping her brother find a benefactor. She said her brother has turned eighteen, and they haven’t found any trace of this benefactor for years. The Princess said if she could find this person without her brother knowing, it would be her birthday gift to him.”
Another person said, “I’ve heard about this too. The Crown Prince of Cheng almost drowned while playing around years ago, and was saved by a young lady. The Prince of Cheng’s mansion has been searching openly and secretly for that person ever since. Now that the Crown Prince works at the Court of Judicial Review, it should be easier to find people, but they still haven’t found her. After all these years, could that young benefactor have…”
“Young ladies come to the Prince’s mansion every year claiming to be the one, but there must have been some identifying mark from back then because the Crown Prince can tell right away they’re not genuine.”
Wu Qi, who had been listening silently, said listlessly, “I wonder what these young ladies are thinking. Even if they successfully claimed to be the benefactor, a young lady couldn’t leverage that favor for an official position or title. At most, they’d get some silver—is it worth going to such lengths?”
“Oh, you don’t know?”
This piqued everyone’s curiosity at the table. “What?”
The person lowered their voice, “The Crown Prince of Cheng has been afflicted by a poison of emotional detachment since childhood and hasn’t had any involvement with any young ladies. His marriage has been delayed indefinitely. Think about it—perhaps only by claiming to be his benefactor would one have a chance to marry him. Even if he doesn’t marry them, being a life-saving benefactor would mean special consideration. The Crown Prince can’t remain unmarried forever, and if that person is willing to marry him, the Prince and Princess of Cheng might arrange the marriage in a few years. Even if the Crown Prince can’t feel emotions, there would still be the debt of saving his life—the couple wouldn’t become resentful after marriage.”
Everyone had a sudden realization: “That’s true. As long as the poison isn’t cured, the Crown Prince can’t fall in love with anyone else. No wonder people are willing to claim that identity. If they’re pursuing the Crown Prince, this method could work.”
“There’s another theory—even Daoist Master Qingxu doesn’t know how to cure the poison of emotional detachment. Perhaps it needs to be cured through the power of gratitude. Maybe the poison would be cured as soon as that person appears. These things are unpredictable. Think about it—even the Prince and Princess of Cheng and Daoist Master Qingxu are helping to search, so they’ve probably considered this possibility.”
Teng Yuyi shook her head privately. The poison afflicting Lin Chengyou wasn’t so easily cured. In her previous life, she had never heard of him having feelings for any young lady. No—if that dream was real, he remained alone until he was ambushed in Fu Prefecture. Unless something extraordinary happened, this terrible poison would likely accompany Lin Chengyou for life.
Thinking about this, she felt some sympathy for Lin Chengyou. For someone to never know the taste of love throughout their life—it seemed quite pitiful.
Peng Huayue couldn’t help asking, “Has Princess Azhi found that person?”
Another person shook their head, “They say she started searching a while ago, but there’s been no news.”
Li Huaigu smiled faintly, set down her chopsticks, gave a slight bow to everyone, and left with her maid, apparently going to freshen up.
Teng Yuyi lowered her eyes to take a sip of tea. When she looked up, she saw Peng Jinxiu across from her suddenly brighten as if she had spotted someone unexpected, her face quickly flushing red.
Hmm, what could make Peng Jinxiu so bashful… Sure enough, the Prince of Chun’an was passing by from the garden. He wore a jade crown and a crow-black brocade robe, accompanied by a group of courtiers. The Prince had a calm temperament and always maintained a certain distance in public, yet his bearing was elegant and truly outstanding.
Teng Yuyi glanced back at Peng Jinxiu, but before she could observe more, Peng Huayue had already pulled her sister to her feet.
Finding it boring now, Teng Yuyi rested her chin on her hand, idly playing with the white glass cup in her other hand. After some time, she finally saw Chunrong and Biluo standing outside the pavilion, signaling to her.
Juesheng and Qizhi must have been located.
Teng Yuyi quietly told Du Tinglan she needed to freshen up, then left the pavilion. When she reached a less crowded area, she whispered, “How is it? Did you deliver the items?”
Chunrong wiped her sweat and said, “Duan Fu said the two young Daoist priests have been accompanying Daoist Master Qingxu in the back courtyard all evening. Duan Fu didn’t dare approach for fear of disturbing the Master. Later, he overheard Master Qingxu instructing the young priests to fetch something from Zhixu Pavilion, so he quickly sent a maid to ask if you want to intercept them when they go there.”
“Yes, intercept them!” Teng Yuyi said.
She had intended to send the purple jade saddle to Qingyun Temple yesterday, but Juesheng and Qizhi had already come to the Prince of Cheng’s mansion. Although she had sent them a message in advance, she hadn’t had a chance to meet them. Tonight, she hadn’t registered the item with the mansion’s steward, instead having Duan Fu hold onto it.
She didn’t want such a fine item gathering dust in the Prince’s storehouse. She wouldn’t be at ease until she handed the precious saddle to Juesheng and Qizhi.
Moreover, Xiaoya’s words yesterday had made her uneasy. The array that had allowed His Majesty’s birth mother, Concubine Hui, to exchange fate patterns with Concubine Yi had been presided over by Daoist Master Qingxu. Since Juesheng and Qizhi were disciples of Qingyun Temple, they might know something about how this “borrowed fate” technique worked.
Tonight, taking advantage of the opportunity to meet them, she had to inquire about this matter no matter what.
Following Teng Yuyi’s instructions, Chunrong went to notify Duan Fu, who soon arrived. Teng Yuyi then had Chunrong return to inform her cousin of her whereabouts, while she took Duan Fu and Biluo to Zhixu Pavilion.
The Prince of Cheng’s mansion grounds were vast, occupying nearly half a ward, with gardens divided into east and west. Zhixu Pavilion was located in the northeast corner of the West Garden.
While the East Garden was full of guests, the West Garden was much quieter. The further they went, the fewer people they encountered. After passing through a peony grove and around a man-high rockery, they finally reached Zhixu Pavilion but saw no sign of Juesheng and Qizhi.
Duan Fu said, “When this old servant left, the young priests were busy preparing water for the Master to wash his feet. It will probably be a while before they come out.”
Teng Yuyi looked at the moonlight in surprise—it was only the beginning of the xu hour (7-9 PM). The Master was retiring quite early.
“Then we’ll wait. We’ll intercept them as soon as they appear.” Teng Yuyi looked at the lotus pond below the pavilion railings, then at Shoujing Chamber across the way. Zhixu (Achieving Emptiness), Shoujing (Maintaining Stillness)… these place names were probably chosen by Daoist Master Qingxu. It was incredibly quiet, without a single person in sight.
After waiting a while without seeing Juesheng and Qizhi, she lowered her head to admire the red lotuses in the moonlit pond. Soon after, she turned to observe her surroundings and unexpectedly discovered several peonies planted by the moon gate at the edge of the pond, with many bi-colored buds more enchanting than the peonies elsewhere.
Teng Yuyi was captivated and walked to the moon gate to examine them closely. Just as she bent down to touch one of the flowers, footsteps sounded from behind the moon gate. Teng Yuyi became instantly alert and quickly stepped aside. Duan Fu moved like a ghost, instantly positioning himself in front of her.
When the person emerged from behind the moon gate, Teng Yuyi and her servants were startled—it was the Prince of Chun’an, with his handsome features and dignified bearing.
The Prince of Chun’an seemed to be waiting for someone and came out upon hearing footsteps. He appeared surprised to see Teng Yuyi.
After examining Teng Yuyi and her servants, the confusion in his eyes gradually subsided. He nodded to her and moved to pass by, but his foot seemed to catch on something. He stopped, looked down, and though initially silent, after taking a few steps and noticing that Teng Yuyi and her servants hadn’t noticed what was on the ground, he had to go back to pick it up. He handed it to her, saying gently, “You dropped something.”
Teng Yuyi looked—it was the small sachet attached to her silk sash. How strange—she never lost such personal items when out, but perhaps she had been too focused on being cautious to notice.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” She gave a slight bow and had Biluo receive it from the Prince of Chun’an.
The Prince of Chun’an looked at Teng Yuyi with what seemed like puzzlement, but in the end, only nodded and departed with his hands behind his back.
Biluo patted her chest, blushing, “His Highness is truly considerate. Earlier he probably didn’t want to help us pick it up to avoid suspicion, until he saw we hadn’t noticed dropping it, then he came back to pick it up and return it.”
Teng Yuyi only found it strange that the Prince of Chun’an would appear here alone. However, she was more concerned about why Juesheng and Qizhi still hadn’t appeared—even if the old Master hadn’t washed his feet in a year, it shouldn’t take this long. Just as she was pondering this, she heard footsteps behind her again, boot steps—another man.
Looking back, it was Lin Chengyou.
“Your Highness?” Teng Yuyi was very surprised. Instead of finding Juesheng and Qizhi, she encountered Lin Chengyou. Then she thought happily that this wasn’t bad—she could give the purple jade saddle directly to Lin Chengyou.
Lin Chengyou looked at Teng Yuyi, then at the quiet surroundings. His face still bore that carefree expression, but his mood had already soured completely. Tonight he was both the birthday celebrant and the host of the Prince of Cheng’s mansion, originally unable to leave the banquet. If he hadn’t heard Kuan Nu mention that Duan Fu was here, he wouldn’t have found a way to come out.
He had managed to see Teng Yuyi as desired, but had also seen his royal uncle with her. This place was so secluded and not meant for tonight’s guests—who would come here specifically unless meeting privately?
Thinking back to yesterday, when he left the Prince’s mansion, he had taken the gift box and compared the two boxes, unfortunately finding that all the details matched perfectly.
He could no longer deceive himself that it wasn’t the same box, nor convince himself that such a coincidence could exist in the world.
Having confirmed that the box of pear blossom cakes was from Teng Yuyi, and now encountering her here with his royal uncle, perhaps he should just give a casual greeting and leave.
But he stubbornly refused to accept it, and his feet moved, inexplicably walking toward Teng Yuyi again.
Author’s Note: During the Tang Dynasty, Confucian classics were divided into zheng jing (main classics) and jian jing (secondary classics).
There were nine main classics: The Book of Rites and Zuo Commentary were the Major Classics; the Book of Songs, Rites of Zhou, and Etiquette and Ceremonies were the Middle Classics; the Book of Changes, Book of Documents, Gongyang Commentary, and Guliang Commentary were the Minor Classics.
The secondary classics referred to the Classic of Filial Piety and the Analects.
The Tang Dynasty had various examination subjects. For the Ming Jing examination, candidates would be tested on one Major and one Minor Classic, or two Middle Classics.
For more details about the imperial examination system, please refer to “Tang Dynasty Imperial Examinations and Literature” by Mr. Fu Xuancong.