Tie Ci couldn’t sleep all night. Just before dawn, she was awakened by the commotion outside.
“Hurry, hurry, everyone get up! Clean and tidy everything—not a speck of dirt allowed! Everyone out of your quarters, line up for steward inspection!”
“Steward, steward, why is there no meat at all in today’s breakfast?”
“Slaughtering pigs and ducks creates strong odors that might offend the noble guest. You can only eat meat after the Crown Princess arrives today!”
“Then I’ll order takeout!”
“The side gates are locked. No takeout is permitted in the academy today to prevent assassins from infiltrating!”
“Bah! Is this any way to live!”
The cacophony of voices created chaos as stewards rushed in like herding ducks, driving people outside. Usually these people weren’t bullying or overbearing and were quite polite, but now they all had the arrogant look of dogs relying on their master’s power, determined to carry their hatred-generating mission to the end.
Faintly, one could hear the entire academy in uproar.
Almost everyone had gotten up, except for Tie Ci and Tong Rushi, who remained still.
When a steward came in to drag people out, he approached aggressively. Seeing Tie Ci, his steps paused, his heels turned, and he changed direction to grab Fat Tiger instead.
Afterward he left, not even glancing at Tong Rushi’s bed with its hanging curtains.
Tie Ci glanced at those lowered curtains, thinking that though Tong Rushi said little, he seemed to enjoy considerable special treatment at the academy. During the archery competition last time, he had easily obtained recommendation.
Tong Rushi didn’t get up until the normal time, then went out. Tie Ci lay still. There were no classes today—everyone had been dragged up early to rehearse reception duties. But Tie Ci could guess they would definitely be tormented until afternoon, waiting until everyone’s irritation and impatience peaked before certain people would announce that the Crown Princess “wasn’t coming after all.”
So there was no need to get up early.
She had checked the almanac—today was suitable for lounging like Ge You.
A bird call came from the roof. She lifted her eyelids slightly.
Lazy, unmotivated, in a foul mood, melancholy at a forty-five-degree angle—menopause had arrived.
The academy inside and out was cleaned spotlessly. Teachers and students lined up outside the main gate waiting. The weather was hot, formal attire was required, and they sweated profusely under the blazing sun. Finally, around noon, figures appeared on the mountain path ahead. Everyone’s spirits lifted, but the arrivals turned out to be local officials: the Haiyou Regional Military Commissioner, Penglai Prefecture Governor, Qingyang County Magistrate, Penglai Guard Commander, and Qingyang Patrol Inspector, all clustering around a man in his thirties. Everyone looked around thinking that though they’d heard the Crown Princess dressed as a man at court, surely she wouldn’t be this old? Wasn’t she supposed to be a sixteen-year-old beauty?
The supervising Xiao family steward went forward to greet him as “Fourth Young Master.” Only then did everyone realize he was from the Xiao family—Xiao Chang, Central Military Commissioner, claiming to be escorting and protecting Her Highness the Crown Princess on her inspection, arriving a step ahead to arrange security.
When someone asked where Her Highness currently was and whether people should go to welcome her, Xiao Chang smiled without answering. His subordinates immediately bristled angrily, rebuking: How dare commoners presume to spy on the Crown Princess’s whereabouts! Did they harbor ill intentions?!
They immediately had the person dragged out while the entire academy watched sideways.
The academy had already prepared pavilions with tea and refreshments, clustering the officials inside to rest while teachers and students still had to wait outside. Soon vague news filtered out saying the Crown Princess’s progress was slow because Her Highness disliked the jolting of carriages and horses. Having encountered a beautiful lake, she had taken her attendants to play in the water.
Upon hearing this, the teachers and students nearly sunburned to peeling instantly exploded.
Immediately people began stripping off clothes, throwing down caps, and leaving in anger.
This included some instructors. Tie Ci saw Teacher Ying and Assistant Teacher Xia among them.
However, Teacher Yao, usually ill-tempered, showed surprising patience today, still trying to persuade those old colleagues, though every sentence jabbed at the Crown Princess’s frivolous lack of virtue.
When Tie Ci wandered over, she heard several instructors gathered together discussing uniting with scholars and students to submit memorials to the court criticizing the Crown Princess’s dissolute behavior.
A crowd of people waited with parched mouths and dry tongues while that group of officials leisurely drank tea and chatted.
Among them, only Xiao Chang seemed somewhat distracted, occasionally casting glances outside.
Outside, curses surged like a tide with group discussions of impeachment. If the Crown Princess were actually at the academy and remained unmoved hearing all this, she would truly have remarkable composure.
Thinking of the Crown Princess, thinking of that day in Ruixiang Hall when she spread her arms and spun around before him—slender waist, long legs, robes flying, with warm and dazzling grace.
Xiao Chang unconsciously felt his mouth go dry and picked up his tea for a sip.
Tie Ci lay in the tree shade, looking at the crowd over there, and chuckled.
A bowl of sour plum soup was handed over—iced, with water droplets condensed on the bowl’s surface, emitting cool vapor.
Tie Ci followed those fingers upward and unsurprisingly saw Rong Pu.
She took the sour plum soup and drank a sip.
She hadn’t seen Rong Pu all day. This person had a weak constitution and disliked moving in hot weather—where had he gone?
Before she could ask, Rong Pu proactively said: “Rong Wei had family matters and left overnight. I went to see him off.” He then produced a box and handed it over, saying, “I saw him to Pingchang Town. He bought local specialties and asked me to bring this to you.”
Going from Pingchang Town was the direction toward Liaodong, already nearly a hundred li from Qingyang. Tie Ci still had no real sense of Rong Wei’s sudden farewell, always feeling as if he might return immediately. Now hearing he had already reached a hundred li away, her heart couldn’t help but sink.
That fellow spoke nicely but ran away both quickly and eagerly.
For a moment she found the box in her hands extremely displeasing, wanting nothing more than to throw it in a stinking ditch. But in front of Rong Pu she controlled herself well, examining the box and smiling: “Oh, it’s even sealed—was he afraid you’d steal some?”
Rong Pu smiled faintly.
It wasn’t fear of stealing food, but rather fear of him peeking or throwing it away. When giving him the item, Rong Wei had specifically said that Ye Shiba’s maid had come to drive him away, leaving him disheartened and bidding farewell. This box contained a letter breaking ties with Ye Shiba—he could throw it away if he didn’t believe it.
That fellow was calculating against him, knowing that even if he didn’t believe it, just for those three words “letter breaking ties,” he would definitely bring the item back to her.
What if it really was a letter breaking ties?
However, Tie Ci had no intention of opening the box in front of him. She casually tucked it into her sleeve and turned to watch the commotion outside.
Rong Pu didn’t leave either, standing beside her holding an umbrella. After a long while he said: “I see Your Highness looking anxious and thought Your Highness might lose composure.”
Tie Ci thought: I’m not anxious about these curses—of course I can’t tell you that.
“Has Your Highness considered how today will end?”
“Naturally it will end with everyone happy.”
Rong Pu sighed and said: “If Your Highness intends to leave, I cannot follow this time. With the academy in turbulent times, there will definitely be high-level changes afterward. I must stay to help Your Highness guard this academy.”
Tie Ci said: “That’s not really necessary…”
Rong Pu interrupted her: “What I promised Your Highness, regardless of whether Your Highness needs it, I must accomplish.”
Tie Ci said slowly: “I naturally need it, but what you want, I cannot give, so I’d rather not have it.”
Those who achieve great things don’t worry about small details. For survival and her great cause, she could scheme and deceive without too much burden on her conscience or sense of justice. Only in matters of emotion did she not want to be a scoundrel.
Feigning love to trick resources, using men’s feelings to advance—the Crown Princess’s pride wouldn’t allow it.
Rong Pu fell into long silence. Tie Ci finished her sour plum soup, wiped the bowl’s edge, placed it on a stone, smiled, and left.
She heard Rong Pu suddenly say behind her: “Whether I give or not is my business. Whether you want it or not is yours. I only know that if I don’t give because you don’t want it, then there truly will be no chance of obtaining it.”
Tie Ci’s steps paused slightly, but she didn’t turn back, waving her hand casually as she walked away.
Rong Pu stood in the bamboo umbrella’s shadow with a gentle sigh.
…