The newcomer wore an ink-colored traditional robe and a white jade crown. Noticing someone emerging from the building, he stepped back first. “Lady Teng.”

Teng Yu Yi glanced at him.

This man possessed elegant features and refined manners.

Wu Yuan Luo?

Several servants followed behind Wu Yuan Luo.

Just then, a group of young nobles passed by behind Wu Yuan Luo, examining the direction of the arched bridge as they walked. “We weren’t mistaken – that was indeed the Crown Prince of Cheng, but who was that young lady beside him?”

“My sister said she’s the granddaughter of Imperial Attendant Deng.”

“Ah, isn’t she one of the Crown Princess candidates? Is the Crown Prince of Cheng trying to steal his brother’s prospective bride? Won’t this cause friction between the brothers?”

Another laughed, “A beauty is like a precious flower – found by chance, not sought. That young lady on the bridge was breathtakingly beautiful. I too would be moved if I were him.”

As they spoke and turned their heads, they spotted Teng Yu Yi at the entrance and froze. The weather was growing warmer, and the veil of the lady’s headdress was quite thin. When the night breeze blew, one could faintly make out her silhouette – the elegant line of her jaw and the fair, delicate neck revealed she was undoubtedly a great beauty.

What luck tonight, to encounter two exceptional beauties in succession. The young men couldn’t take their eyes off her. A hint of mockery flashed in Wu Yuan Luo’s eyes as he moved aside unprompted. “Please, Lady Teng.”

He subtly blocked the gazes of the young men behind him.

Teng Yu Yi had no time to deal with others at the moment. She returned the courtesy and was about to descend the steps when two younger ladies rushed out and caught hold of her sash, timidly saying, “Lady Teng, could you buy us some sugar figurines too?”

One was Liu Fourth Lady’s sister, only ten years old, while the other was the Chen family’s distant cousin, barely eleven.

Teng Yu Yi smiled, “Alright, wait by the door. I’ll buy the sugar figurines and you can help take them back to your sisters.”

“Okay!”

Teng Yu Yi turned to look for the vendor, but in that brief moment, a crowd had already gathered around the sugar figurine seller – men and women, young and old, all packed together. Going there would mean inevitable jostling. Teng Yu Yi hesitated; she was, after all, a young lady. Usually, she could have sent Dun Fu to buy them, but tonight she needed to catch a thief. In Wu Yuan Luo’s presence, she couldn’t expose Dun Fu and the others.

Wu Yuan Luo looked at Teng Yu Yi, then at the sugar figurine vendor. He walked back to the crowd and said something – the crowd immediately parted. Wu Yuan Luo strode casually to the stall and bought ten sugar figurines at once.

He returned to the building entrance and handed the largest sugar figurine to Teng Yu Yi, smiling, “I didn’t expect Lady Teng, at your age, to still enjoy these. My eldest sister loves them too, especially the ones coated with sesame seeds.”

Teng Yu Yi glanced over – sure enough, Wu Yuan Luo held a sugar figurine thoroughly coated with sesame seeds. Looking at the others, they were all identical in style.

This reminded her of something. That time when she visited the Wu sisters’ chambers, it happened to be the end of the month when various households sent treats for the children. When she and her elder sister entered the room, the Wu sisters were having their maids sort through the gift boxes.

Wu Yuan Luo’s gifts for his second sister Wu Qi were mostly just snacks, but for his eldest sister Wu Xiang, they were rare ancient texts and musical scores.

It was crystal clear which gift showed more thoughtfulness. At the time, Teng Yu Yi had thought to herself that Wu Yuan Luo seemed to favor his eldest sister Wu Xiang more.

Now, looking at this sesame-covered sugar figurine, further proved her speculation wasn’t wrong. Wu Yuan Luo had prepared only one unique piece for Wu Xiang, while Wu Qi’s was nothing special. If he hadn’t held his eldest sister’s preferences closer to heart, he wouldn’t have remembered such a minor detail.

She had come out under the pretense of buying sugar figurines – refusing would seem suspicious. She had no choice but to accept it, saying, “Thank you.”

Wu Yuan Luo naturally handed the remaining bunch to the two little girls. “Take these inside to eat.”

He seemed eager to enter the building to find someone, and after saying this, he led the two children inside.

Teng Yu Yi took this opportunity to exchange a glance with Huo Qiu in the crowd. Huo Qiu understood that his lady wanted him to stay and protect the Du siblings, and gave a subtle nod.

Teng Yu Yi walked into the crowd holding the sugar figurine. The young nobles on the street pushed each other forward, blushing as they followed.

Teng Yu Yi recalled the scene on the bridge. Earlier, while observing the bridge, she had inadvertently noticed two ruffians standing by the river.

While everyone else was busy bending down to release wishing lanterns, those two ruffians pretended to chat while staring at Lin Chengyou.

At the time, Lin Chengyou seemed somewhat distracted and hadn’t noticed the “tails” behind him.

Remembering the poisoned arrow from her previous life, Teng Yu Yi decided to warn Lin Chengyou. Moreover, she had planned to pretend to be alone tonight to lure out the academy’s perpetrator, so she used buying sugar figurines as an excuse to come out. She had already informed her elder sister about this plan in the afternoon.

After walking a few steps, she noticed the young men following her. Teng Yu Yi found them annoying and regretted that the crowded area wasn’t suitable for action. Looking around, she spotted a quiet alley to the right. An idea struck her, and she hurried toward the alley entrance.

Unexpectedly, after just a few steps, she encountered Deng Wei Li and her servants coming out.

Deng Wei Li and her servants kept looking back as they walked, thus failing to notice Teng Yu Yi in the crowd.

Though Deng Wei Li wore a veiled hat, the night breeze occasionally lifted the thin gauze before her face. Her lips were bright red, her cheeks flushed with color, appearing quite happy. One of her maids carried a brocade box with three characters engraved: Plucking Stars Tower.

Teng Yu Yi quietly withdrew her gaze. Deng Wei Li had just appeared on the bridge earlier, and now she had this. It was said that Lin Chengyou had visited the Plucking Stars Tower some days ago – apparently, this jewelry was his gift. This seemed incredible – could his poison curse have been lifted?

On second thought, many things in this life didn’t match her memories. This time, Daoist Master Qing Xu had returned early – perhaps it was because he had found a way to break the poison curse.

Thinking further about how the jewelry from Plucking Stars Tower was exceptionally precious, Deng Wei Li’s acceptance of such a gift indicated she also favored Lin Chengyou. She wondered if the Deng family knew about this.

Soon reaching the alley, Teng Yu Yi turned right. As expected, the young men could no longer contain themselves and swarmed forward to block her path. “Young lady, please wait! You dropped something – we kindly picked it up for you.”

Dun Fu and the others had been restraining themselves all this time, their knuckles cracking from tension. Taking advantage of the alley’s seclusion, they were about to jump down and throw these presumptuous youths out unconscious.

However, someone else had followed – moving incredibly fast, they grabbed the lead youth’s collar without a word. It was Wu Yuan Luo’s servant.

“Young Master Wu?” The lead youth struggled a few times but couldn’t break free. He glared at Wu Yuan Luo. “What are you doing?”

Wu Yuan Luo replied, “I thought you were acting suspiciously earlier. Good thing I followed to take a look. What were you planning to do? Isn’t this behavior a bit too despicable? Well, no need to say more – though I’m a scholar when action is called for, I prefer it to words. Beat them.”

With a wave of his hand, he ordered his servants to drag the nobles away.

“Wu Yuan Luo! This is none of your business!” The nobles’ servants were also present, and both sides immediately began fighting.

Wu Yuan Luo walked directly to Teng Yu Yi. “Lady Teng, this place is crowded with prying eyes. If you wish to wander tonight, it’s best to go with your classmates.”

Teng Yu Yi looked at him with interest, wondering how long in advance he would have needed to prepare if this scene was his arrangement.

Wu Yuan Luo gazed intently at Teng Yu Yi, realizing she was also observing him through her veil. His face suddenly reddened, and he bowed awkwardly, “Please don’t misunderstand, Lady Teng. That time on Li Mountain, I was too forward due to my admiration for you. I later realized my rashness and have been seeking an opportunity to apologize. Though tonight was by chance, fundamentally it’s because I’ve been particularly mindful of you, fearing these people might offend you, that I followed. Lady Teng, I only wish to protect you, absolutely not to be presumptuous. Where are you headed? I can escort you – or I could take you back to Chrysanthemum Frost Chamber if you prefer.”

His speech was refined, his manner exceptionally forthright. When speaking, he maintained a distance of several feet from Teng Yu Yi – as respectful as one could be.

Teng Yu Yi lowered her gaze to look at the sugar figurine in her hand, smiled slightly, and said, “Young Master Wu-“

Suddenly, a black shadow darted over from the side, moving at lightning speed, its form leaping through the air and pouncing toward the alley entrance.

Wu Yuan Luo’s expression changed, and those nobles were so frightened they forgot their brawl.

“L-leopard!”

The black creature had a sleek, shining coat and eerily green eyes. It moved silently but emanated an inherently terrifying air of majesty.

Everyone felt fear, so scared they forgot about their fight.

Teng Yu Yi brightened – Jun Nu?! Since parting at the Rainbow Phoenix Tower, she hadn’t seen this little black leopard in ages.

Looking over, a young lord in a jade hairpin and green robe had appeared at some point. This color was traditionally difficult to pull off, but on this young lord, it looked exceptionally handsome. As he moved, the jade pendant at his waist made subtle sounds, his dark rhinoceros belt accentuating his fine waist.

Wu Yuan Luo was startled: “Lin Chengyou.”

Lin Chengyou smiled, “Quite lively here. I was passing by while pursuing a criminal, didn’t expect to run into so many familiar faces.”

The black leopard leaped forward, blocking those nobles who had tried to harass Teng Yu Yi, and began tearing at them viciously.

Everyone cried out in shock: “Your Highness!”

This pounce was a real attack.

The lead noble screamed in agony, struggling for a while before desperately freeing his leg. The others were also clawed several times, leaving bloody marks as they fled in panic.

Only then did Lin Chengyou call out perfunctorily, “Ah, Jun Nu, mind your manners!”

Wu Yuan Luo, fearing Teng Yu Yi might be frightened, hurried to lead her away, but in that brief moment of distraction, Teng Yu Yi had vanished.

Wu Yuan Luo was puzzled. Seeing the black leopard turn its attention toward him, he – who feared nothing in heaven or earth except fierce beasts – paled. After enduring for a moment, he smiled wryly, “With tourists everywhere tonight, isn’t Your Highness worried about having this fierce beast around? What if it harms innocent people?”

Lin Chengyou smiled, “This spirit beast of mine is naturally intelligent. It only bites evil and wicked people, never the good and virtuous. No need to fear, Young Master Wu – it won’t bite you. Jun Nu, go greet, Young Master Wu.”

Jun Nu slowly stalked toward Wu Yuan Luo, who stared at Lin Chengyou while unconsciously stepping backward. He smiled faintly and nodded, “What a fine spirit beast. I won’t disturb Your Highness’s investigation then. Farewell.”

Taking advantage of the chaos, Teng Yu’yi ran to the end of the alley and hid her body behind the wall, poking her head out to watch Lin Chengyou discipline those young nobles. Just as she was thoroughly enjoying the scene, she suddenly heard someone behind her say: “Lady Teng.”

Turning around, she saw Kuan’nu holding a stack of items waiting in the corner, with Duan Fu and Chang Geng also dropping to the ground.

“Lady Teng, His Highness has matters to discuss with you. Please wait here for a moment,” Kuan’nu said with a smile. “Don’t worry, His Highness won’t let Jun’nou be too rough.”

Teng Yu’yi thought to herself that she wasn’t afraid of them being rough – in all her years, this was the first time she’d encountered ruffians who dared to harass her. Even if Lin Chengyou didn’t act, once her grandfather learned of this, he would find ways to settle the score.

Looking behind Kuan’nu, Deng Weili and her servants had come out of this very alley earlier, and then Lin Chengyou suddenly appeared here – presumably they had been meeting here privately, which explained Deng Weili’s blushing face.

She nodded and said: “Very well, I needed to warn His Highness about something.”

Soon footsteps approached, and Lin Chengyou arrived with Jun’nou. Teng Yu’yi bent down to pat Jun’nou’s head, smiling: “Jun’nou, thank you for helping me vent my anger.”

Jun’nou snorted and disdainfully turned its head to the side. Teng Yu’yi was delighted and insisted on patting it again: “Hey, we’re friends now, aren’t we? Don’t friends greet each other?”

However, as she drew near, she caught a whiff of a subtle fragrance from Lin Chengyou – a rich, feminine scent that was a lady’s perfume. She curiously sniffed again; it wasn’t his usual soapberry scent. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember what perfume Deng Weili usually wore, otherwise she might have been able to match it.

Lin Chengyou looked Teng Yu’yi up and down, confirming she was unharmed, then his gaze shifted to the sugar figurine in her hand: “Did Wu Yuanluo buy this?”

Teng Yu’yi only then realized she was still holding the sugar figurine. She simply took a small bite: “It’s quite tasty.”

Lin Chengyou stared at the sugar figurine. Earlier, Wu Yuanluo had been lavishly attentive, and Teng Yu’yi hadn’t seemed to mind. Adding that “heroic rescue,” could she have been fooled by this fellow?

“What’s so good about this?” he snorted. “There are plenty of better things to eat around here. If you’re hungry, you should buy something else. This – just throw it away.”

“Why throw it away?” Teng Yu’yi ignored his words but then remembered she hadn’t mentioned the important matter yet. It seemed inappropriate to focus only on eating the sugar figurine, so she took just one bite before handing it to Duan Fu behind her. “There’s something I need to warn Your Highness about. Earlier at the arched bridge, I saw two people following you. Your Highness must be careful.”

Unable to simply snatch and throw away the sugar figurine, Lin Chengyou could only grunt in acknowledgment: “I know. If it weren’t for dealing with these fellows, I wouldn’t have waited until now to find you.”

Teng Yu’yi felt relieved: “It’s good that Your Highness is aware. Did you see the letter I sent to Azure Cloud Temple this afternoon? I still need to catch a thief, so I’ll take my leave now.”

With these words, she made to bid farewell.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she moved, Lin Chengyou extended his arm to block her: “Wait, I have something else to tell you.”

Teng Yu’yi rose on her tiptoes to look at the alley entrance: “Next time, perhaps. Although I informed my elder sister before coming out, I shouldn’t delay too long. Moreover, there are many of my classmates around here – it wouldn’t be good if any misunderstandings arose.”

For instance, just now many people had seen Lin Chengyou with Deng Weili.

Lin Chengyou had Kuan’nu hand the items he was holding to Teng Yu’yi: “This matter is quite important and must be discussed tonight. Put this on first, and I’ll take you somewhere.”

It was a dull gray cloak, when unfolded it was long enough to cover half a person, able to conceal from head to toe when worn.

Teng Yu’yi thought about how he had just met privately with Deng Weili here, and this cloak might have been worn by her, so she refused to accept it: “This place is quite secluded – can’t we discuss it here?”

“You’ll understand once we get there. Don’t worry, I’ll have someone cover for you in front of your classmates.”

***

The place Lin Chengyou mentioned was also by the river, but downstream, located at the northwest corner behind Qinglong Temple. There were few visitors to begin with, and with the temple abbot’s help in clearing the area, the riverbank was almost deserted.

Kuan’nu laid out a mat, and Teng Yu’yi sat down at his invitation. Lin Chengyou stood beside her with his arms crossed, occasionally glancing at her. Wrapped in the gray cloak, sitting there she looked like a short tree stump, but beneath the cloak was another world entirely – elaborate hairpins and rainbow-colored clothes, a jade-like countenance. Sitting thus by the water, she was like a dew-laden, fragrant rose.

Only that sugar figurine in her hand was quite bothersome – along the way here, he had bought her many other snacks, yet she still wouldn’t throw them away.

Jun’nou circled them both before lying down at Lin Chengyou’s feet. Teng Yu’yi leaned forward to grab Jun’nou’s paw, playing with it enthusiastically.

The river surface was covered with various wishing lanterns, and looking up one could just see a corner of the wooden bridge. After playing for a while, Teng Yu’yi asked idly: “Your Highness, didn’t you have something important to tell me?”

Lin Chengyou tossed a small piece of dried meat to Jun’nou and sat down, lifting his robes: “Has anyone at the academy been discussing the Crown Prince’s consort candidates lately?”

Teng Yu’yi was startled – of course, they had. While few discussed it openly, quite several people were concerned about this matter in private.

“Yes.”

Lin Chengyou turned to look at her: “Are you familiar with Imperial Attendant Deng’s granddaughter?”

After all this roundabout conversation, so he wanted to inquire about his sweetheart.

“We’re quite familiar. Our dormitories are very close, and we interact often. Deng Weili is witty and open-minded, quite well-liked,” Teng Yu’yi felt this assessment was fair. “I quite like her.”

Lin Chengyou: “Have you noticed anyone following her at the academy, or heard her mention losing anything?”

Teng Yu’yi was taken aback: “I haven’t heard anything. Could someone wish her harm?”

Lin Chengyou said: “When you return to the academy, keep an eye out. If you discover anyone following her or notice anything unusual around her, have Lady Jian inform me.”

Teng Yu’yi was silent for a moment: “Alright.”

After pondering for a while, she couldn’t help but ask: “Your Highness, why don’t you ask Lady Deng directly?”

Lin Chengyou was puzzled: “Ask her directly?”

Teng Yu’yi raised her hand to point at the distant bridge: “Earlier when you were admiring the view together on the bridge, many people saw you. Since you’ve gone on outings together, why not ask her yourself?”

Lin Chengyou felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his head: “What?”

Teng Yu’yi was bewildered: “Your Highness didn’t think anyone saw? My classmates were all sitting in the Chrysanthemum Frost Chamber, with a clear view of the bridge opposite. Oh right, my classmates all say you have a sweetheart now. They say this sweetheart of yours is delicate and beautiful, and that you specially bought expensive jewelry from Plucking Stars Tower to please her. The rumors have spread far and wide, and quite a few people know about it. What a coincidence – right after hearing this, we saw you together with Deng Weili.”

A delicate and beautiful young lady? Expensive jewelry from Plucking Stars Tower? The more Lin Chengyou heard, the more bizarre it seemed. He had indeed done all these things, but not for some Deng Weili – it was for you, Teng Yu’yi.

Fine, so this was the trap that had been waiting for him after digging such a big hole. Tonight, to lure out those tails, he had deliberately gone to crowded places, not paying attention to who was around him at the time. Though he had successfully caught some alive afterward, he hadn’t expected to be set up in another way.

Thinking about recent events, first Wu Qi, then Deng Weili – they were determined to match him with the predetermined Crown Prince consort candidates.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. It was precisely because he feared Teng Yu’yi would believe these rumors that he had insisted on meeting her tonight. While he could temporarily refrain from telling her of his feelings, he couldn’t let her mistakenly believe he had feelings for someone else.

The words were already on the tip of his tongue, but as he listened to Teng Yu’yi meticulously listing everything, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He smiled and asked: “Besides this, what else did you hear?”

Seeing his unconcerned manner, Teng Yu’yi calmly pointed to her own eyes: “I didn’t just hear things. I saw them too. After you and Lady Deng came down from the bridge, didn’t you go into the alley with her? First Lady Deng emerged from the alley carrying a jewelry box from Plucking Stars Tower, then you appeared right after.”

She even remembered details like “carrying a jewelry box”…

Lin Chengyou stared unblinkingly at Teng Yu’yi’s expression. If he had heard such things about her with someone else, his chest would probably feel ready to explode with jealousy. Teng Yu’yi had only just come of age – she might not understand her feelings yet. If she showed even the slightest hint of jealousy, he would give her the hair ornament tonight, and tomorrow – tomorrow he would ask the Madam for permission to marry.

He asked casually: “Then… how do you feel about hearing all this?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his throat felt parched as if on fire, and his heart began to pound.

With how much attention she was paying to this matter, he refused to believe she wasn’t at least a little jealous.