“So fragrant, so sweet.”
Having tasted the flavor, Hua Chun reached for another, asking He Chang’an with a smile, “What’s this pastry called?”
“Its name?” He Chang’an paused, then turned to the servant beside him. “Right, what is it called? I’ve been eating this for ages and no one’s ever told me its name.”
The servant gave an awkward smile and bowed. “This humble one will go fetch the cook who made it.”
Did finding out a name really require all that trouble? Hua Chun had almost waved him off to say it wasn’t necessary, but then thought better of it — this was someone else’s household, and one ought to mind one’s manners as a guest, not go dictating things.
So after a while, the cook who’d made the pastries came hurrying in, bent low, hands fidgeting endlessly on his apron, grinning obsequiously. “My lord Marquis, did you enjoy that pastry just now?”
“Mm.” He Chang’an nodded and asked, “What’s it called?”
Hua Chun, still savoring the last bite, watched the man with wide, expectant eyes.
“Reporting to my lord Marquis, these are called ‘Jade Peak Buns.'” The cook said with a smile. “Named for their shape.”
Hua Chun: “……”
It wasn’t that her mind was in the gutter — she’d simply read too many period romance novels, and to her ears, this name sounded anything but proper. Why on earth would they name it that? It left her stuck with half a bun in her mouth, unable to swallow it or spit it out.
He Chang’an fell silent for a moment, glanced at the cook, then waved him away.
As for the name, well — he too had been to places of pleasure before, and had certainly heard his share of bawdy jokes, so he found it a bit awkward as well. But he thought to himself that someone as pure as Jinghua surely wouldn’t understand the implication — so he decided to play along and pretend not to understand either.
The two of them exchanged a glance, each privately understanding, each playing dumb.
Hua Chun forced herself to swallow the rest of the bun, thinking that no matter how delicious it was, she never wanted to eat this particular treat again.
He Chang’an cleared his throat lightly, noticing that Hua Jinghua’s ears had gone rather pink and delicate, and couldn’t resist teasing, “What, blushing over a pastry?”
“No, it’s just hot in here.” Hua Chun laughed awkwardly, fanning herself with her hand, and looked away.
He Chang’an was about to say more when the Hua family servant standing guard outside came in. “My lord, an imperial favor has arrived at the residence. The Master asks that you return quickly.”
An imperial favor? Hua Chun blinked, utterly baffled. What reason would the Emperor have to grant her any kind of favor out of the blue? Not being punished was already a blessing.
“What are you standing there for?” He Chang’an said, half-laughing, half-exasperated, and pulled her up by the arm. “Let’s go — go see what favor it is at the Hua residence. It’s rare enough for the Emperor to grant anyone a favor; you should be happy about it.”
“Ah…” Hua Chun nodded and hurriedly stood to follow him out.
Perhaps she’d simply grown too accustomed to being mistreated by Yuwen Jie, because now that she was suddenly on the receiving end of a favor, she couldn’t bring herself to feel happy about it at all — it only felt like some kind of scheme.
He Chang’an chuckled softly as they walked, and once they were in the carriage, he looked over at her. “Perhaps the Emperor doesn’t dislike you quite as much as I thought.”
Hua Chun pouted. “What makes you say that?”
“Even if you’re getting married, the Emperor had no obligation to send a reward at all.” He Chang’an said. “Unless it’s because of what happened at court today — he wants to make a statement, to show he’s not deliberately targeting you, and to warn the other officials not to take you lightly either.”
Her mouth twitched, and Hua Chun stared at him in astonishment.
How could he possibly read so much into it? She’d simply assumed that if the Emperor was being nice to her, there had to be some ulterior motive — and yet He Chang’an could spin out this whole elaborate theory from it?
Going by the Emperor’s usual temperament, he ought to be delighted that people were freezing her out — so why would he go out of his way to help instead?
Shaking her head, Hua Chun said, “Let’s just go back and see for ourselves.”
But this time, she really had been the one misjudging a gentleman’s heart with a petty one’s measure — just as He Chang’an had guessed, the Emperor really had only sent a wedding gift, nothing more, no strings attached at all.
“How strange.” Hua Chun murmured. “The sun’s rising in the west today, huh.”
He Chang’an laughed and patted her shoulder. “He’s still your elder brother, after all — he’ll always look out for you.”
“So should I go into the palace to give thanks?” Hua Chun asked.
“Of course.” He Chang’an said. “And you should make a proper show of it, too. Isn’t there a gathering this afternoon? Come along with me — I’ll back you up.”
Hua Chun blinked, then cupped her hands. “Thank you, Second Brother!”
What a brother to have — truly one in a million! Once she made something of herself, she absolutely had to repay He Chang’an properly! They couldn’t be husband and wife in this life, but in the next, she’d cling to him no matter what!
Having secretly made this resolution, Hua Chun saw He Chang’an off from the Hua residence with great gratitude, and watching his retreating figure, she suddenly felt a flutter in her heart.
Where else could she find such a gentle, wonderful man? Handsome enough on his own, but his temperament was good too. And on top of a good temperament, he took such great care of her as well — in all her time here, He Chang’an had turned out to be one of the truly fortunate encounters in her life.
On something of an impulse, she almost wanted to rush up and ask him — hey, brother, wanna play for the other team?
But after considering the consequences, she decided against it. Better to behave herself and be his “man,” and go through with her own wedding. No need to drag this innocent man into more trouble.
With a long sigh, Hua Chun prepared to head back to the courtyard for lunch, then return to the palace afterward.
But before she’d even reached the courtyard gate, Madam Wan pushed her straight toward Master Hua’s study.
“Father has something to say.” Hua Zhengrong said, expression grave, looking at her.
Hua Chun frowned. “Please go ahead, Father.”
“Your second sister has been demoted to Huo Pin.” Master Hua said. “The Hua family can no longer rely on her. Your father has thought it over carefully, and intends to send your third sister into the palace.”
What? Hua Chun was dumbfounded. “Third sister?”
“Xunyue.” Hua Zhengrong said. “She’s considerably more sensible than your second sister, and clever too. I believe the Emperor will be fond of her.”
The image of Hua Xunyue’s face surfaced in her mind, and Hua Chun instinctively shook her head. “The Emperor won’t like Third Sister.”
Yuwen Jie was famously particular about looks, and Hua Xunyue was quite plain — nowhere close to as pretty as Hua Liuying. How could she possibly gain entry to the palace?
“Whether he likes her or not can only be known once the Emperor has seen her.” Hua Zhengrong said. “Your marriage is coming up soon — if possible, your father hopes you can find an opportunity to arrange for the Emperor to meet Xunyue.”
Hua Chun: “……”
Being the eldest son was truly exhausting — now she even had to play matchmaker for her sisters? If it were some ordinary family she was arranging a match with, she wouldn’t say anything, but this was the Emperor, the most exalted person in the realm — even a sneeze from him could scare her half to death. How was she supposed to arrange for the Emperor to meet Hua Xunyue?
And yet her father sat there so calmly, asking her, “This shouldn’t be too much trouble, should it?”
Not much trouble, my foot! Go try it yourself and see!
Hua Chun very much wanted to shout this out loud, but after thinking it over, she still forced herself to stay patient and explain: “The Emperor won’t easily leave the palace.”
“If he won’t leave the palace, then you can go into the palace.” Hua Zhengrong said. “And take your sister in with you when the opportunity arises.”
Hua Chun fell silent.
She finally understood why some children ended up being driven by their parents to jump off buildings. With filial piety weighing over everything, any resistance from the children was automatically wrong — yet so many parents never spared a single thought for how their children felt, only assuming that because you had connections, you ought to go use them for your siblings’ sake, and if you didn’t, you were being petty and small-minded, piling on endless nagging.
Just thinking about it was enough to drive her mad.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke up again: “Officials entering the palace go to the front court — they’re not permitted to bring any attendants or female family members. That’s the rule of the palace.”
Master Hua’s brow furrowed as expected, and after looking her over for a moment, he said, “You mustn’t take it out on your third sister just because Concubine Wu and your mother don’t get along.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Hua Chun rolled her eyes.
No one in this household got along with Madam Wan anyway — if she really wanted to hold a grudge, what was the point of explaining anything at all? She could just move out of the Hua residence entirely, and then who could do anything to her?
Seeing the look on Hua Chun’s face, Master Hua’s expression changed. “What is that look for?”
“Nothing.” Hua Chun shrugged helplessly. “If Father truly insists on sending Third Sister into the palace, why not do it in Second Sister’s name instead? Second Sister has just been demoted and is surely grieving — wouldn’t it only make sense for you to send Third Sister to comfort her?”
“But…” Master Hua frowned. “Liuying has been sent to the cold palace — even if Xunyue goes to see her, she likely won’t get to meet the Emperor at all, will she?”
Hua Chun no longer felt like talking at all, and simply stood there in silence. Whatever happens, happens — she wasn’t about to gamble with her own life. Whoever wanted to go play matchmaker for the Emperor could go do it themselves.
After a moment, Master Hua looked at her with clear displeasure. “Is this the attitude you take with your own father?”
“What does Father want your son to do?” Hua Chun looked up at him. “Risk losing my official position just to bring Second Sister in to see the Emperor once? Or risk my head, trying to lure the Emperor out of the palace?”
Master Hua fell silent, then softened his tone. “Just… think of some way…”
“Fine.” Hua Chun nodded. “Understood.”
Respect and care ought to flow both ways, even between parent and child. If Master Hua had shown even a little consideration for Hua Jinghua today, she wouldn’t have grown so upset, and might even have given real thought to finding a solution. Not every act of filial devotion needed to be blind, and not every act of resistance was unfilial.
But at this moment, she had no wish to say another word to her father, and turned to walk away without a backward glance.
Master Hua was furious too, but since Hua Jinghua held an official position, he couldn’t very well scold or strike her — he could only summon Madam Wan and give her a good scolding instead, telling her to pressure Hua Jinghua on his behalf.
Hua Chun skipped lunch entirely, and with a stomach full of frustration, went straight to the palace by palanquin. Looking up at the blazing sun, she only then remembered — going in this early, the Emperor was probably still having his midday meal, and He Chang’an hadn’t arrived yet either. Where could she possibly go, all on her own?
Wanbao Hall.
Yuwen Jie was indeed having his midday meal. Huo Zhaoyi’s expression wasn’t particularly pleasant, though she forced a smile as she attended to the sovereign’s meal.
“Your Majesty.” Eunuch Qin came in to report. “The Prime Minister has entered the palace.”
“At this hour?” The Emperor paused briefly, glancing at the water clock. A bit too early, wasn’t it?
Eunuch Qin bowed and said nothing further. After a moment’s thought, the Emperor said, “Bring him in, then.”
“Yes.”
Hua Chun was walking cheerfully along the paved stone path when, out of nowhere, a eunuch approached and said, “This way, Prime Minister, please.”
Was there some kind of surveillance camera in this palace? Hua Chun looked around, puzzled, sighed, and followed the eunuch onward.