The fourth page of “Notes on Gazing at the Moon” reads: “Walking, I think of you; sitting, I think of you.”

Recently, the Princess had lost her appetite. The thing she did most often each day was sit by the latticed window, gazing at the crabapple blossoms outside and sighing.

This was because the Prince Consort had been sent to Wu Province to preside over the regional examinations of the Jiangnan Circuit.

This trip would take a whole month.

The Princess still remembered the evening before the Prince Consort’s departure. They had lit candles and reclined on a low rosewood couch, talking for a long time. She nestled in the Prince Consort’s embrace, reluctant to part: “Can’t I go too?”

“No.” The Prince Consort rejected her mercilessly: “I’m going as an examiner. How can an examiner bring family members?”

The examiners sent by the Ministry of Rites to the Guannei, Henan, and Hedong Circuits hadn’t brought their families either. Besides, the Jiangnan Circuit was the most prosperous region of the Great Zhou, teeming with talent. The Prince Consort estimated he would be so busy that his feet wouldn’t touch the ground. He would even have to stay in the examination compound and wouldn’t have time to look after the Princess.

The Princess was still reasonable. She said reluctantly: “If I can’t go, then I won’t.”

Her reluctant appearance was both pitiful and adorable. The Prince Consort was moved. He lowered his head and kissed the Princess’s forehead: “It’s just one month. After a month, I’ll be back.”

“One month. Thirty days.” The Princess counted on her fingers: “I won’t see you for thirty days.”

The more she thought about it, the longer thirty days seemed. The Princess hugged the Prince Consort’s slender waist. She leaned into his embrace and said reluctantly, “Thirty days is so long. Except for when you went to take the palace examination, we’ve never been apart for so long.”

The Prince Consort smiled: “Mingyuezhu, don’t you get tired of being with me all the time?”

“Not at all.” The Princess hugged the Prince Consort even tighter: “Not the slightest bit.”

She suddenly realized something and raised her head with a pout: “Could it be that you’re tired of me?”

The Prince Consort was startled. He lowered his head and gently kissed the Princess’s lips. He kissed her very tenderly, as if handling the most precious treasure. He raised his head, his voice soft: “Mingyuezhu, how could I ever tire of you?”

He sighed: “I’m afraid you’ll tire of me.”

“Why would you think that?”

The Prince Consort found it difficult to explain, but he spoke anyway: “I was thinking that before, you might not have met many excellent young men, so you liked me. But now it’s different. You’ve opened a medical clinic and hired many famous doctors to provide free medical care for the poor. You’re no longer a secluded maiden who never leaves home. You’ll gradually discover that I’m not that special.”

This was the first time the Prince Consort had expressed such insecurities to the Princess. After listening, the Princess burst into laughter: “Do you think so?”

The Prince Consort nodded: “Since you opened the clinic and met more people, I’ve thought this. But I can’t make you stay at home all day just waiting for me to return. You have your dreams, and I won’t stop you.”

The Princess’s dream had always been to alleviate the many hardships of the common people, wishing for everyone to be well-fed and warm. In addition to the clinic, she was also planning to establish a free school to educate children who couldn’t afford to study. The money and silk she received annually from her fief were too much to spend, so she wanted to take from the people and use it for the people.

The Princess looked up at the Prince Consort and indeed saw some unease in his eyes. He was truly afraid that after she had seen a broader world, she would no longer like him. The Princess sighed. She cupped the Prince Consort’s face in her hands, kissed him on the lips, and then said: “Who says I haven’t seen excellent young men? I’ve seen many handsome and outstanding young men of the Great Zhou.”

She looked into the Prince Consort’s eyes and said: “But in my heart, you are the best. No matter how many years pass, no matter how many people I meet, Seventeenth Lord, you will always be the best.”

The Prince Consort’s heart warmed. He carefully asked: “Really?”

The Princess nodded firmly: “I’m not like you, always breaking your promises. Saying you’ll come back, and then…”

Her voice lowered, and she cast her eyes down. She blinked and shrank into his embrace, as if afraid of losing him again. She reached out and hugged him tightly: “And then not doing so, only placating me with a thousand grasshoppers… I’m different from you. When I say you’re the best in my heart, you are the best. When I say I’ll love you forever, I will love you forever. I keep my word better than you.”

The Prince Consort felt a strong ache in his eyes. He pretended to rub them, wiping away the glistening tears that had seeped out. He hugged the Princess in return and kissed her hair: “Yes, the Princess keeps her word better than I do.”

The Princess smiled. She leaned in the Prince Consort’s embrace, took his hand, and played with his fingers. Suddenly remembering something, she said: “By the way, I heard that when you officials from the capital go down to the provinces, local officials often arrange for famous courtesans to accompany you. Is that true?”

The Prince Consort was stunned: “I think so…”

Especially in Wu Province, which was a place of sensual indulgence and extravagant revelry. When officials from the capital went to Wu Province on official business, having famous courtesans as companions had become a refined practice.

The Princess frowned: “Actually, I think those famous courtesans might not want to accompany them either, but they have no choice due to power dynamics. When you go to Wu Province this time, those self-proclaimed refined local officials will surely try to curry favor with you. At that time, you mustn’t agree to their arrangements.”

Thinking of this, she felt a pang of jealousy and raised the Prince Consort’s hand to bite the back of it.

Her bite wasn’t hard, only leaving a shallow tooth mark. The Prince Consort sighed: “What’s the use of biting there?”

“Hmm?”

The Prince Consort said, “With the sleeve covering it, no one can see it. You should bite somewhere visible.”

The Princess was stunned and looked at the Prince Consort’s neck, as white as jade.

She said: “You don’t mean… But last time when I kissed there, didn’t you say you were teased by the people of the Ministry of Rites for a full ten days, and it spread throughout Chang’an?”

The Prince Consort replied with a straight face: “Being teased is better than being curried favor with by those oblivious local officials.”

The Princess understood: “Are you serious? No regrets later.”

“No regrets.”

This time, the Prince Consort didn’t struggle but rather assumed a posture of letting her do as she pleased. The Princess’s eyes darted mischievously, and she suddenly said: “This time, no kissing.”

“Hmm?”

“Last time I left so many marks, it was exhausting for me.” The Princess looked up: “This time, just one will do.”

She bared her teeth and bit the Prince Consort’s neck, leaving a tooth mark.

The Prince Consort didn’t even frown. After the Princess finished biting, she examined her work with satisfaction: “Now those oblivious local officials will know exactly whose person you are!”

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt the world spin. When she came to her senses, she had been pinned beneath the Prince Consort. He murmured: “I am yours. Seventeenth Lord will always be Mingyuezhu’s person.”

As he finished speaking, his eyes reddened. The Princess asked curiously: “Seventeenth Lord, what’s wrong?”

“I’ll miss you…” The Prince Consort buried his face in her neck, lightly inhaling her fragrance, murmuring: “I’ll miss being away from Mingyuezhu…”

The Princess was both moved and slightly annoyed: “Then, when I said I’d go with you to Wu Province, you still refused.”

“Missing you is one thing, and official duties are another.” The Prince Consort lightly kissed the Princess’s forehead: “Mingyuezhu, I wouldn’t have time to accompany you then.”

“I know.” The Princess put her arms around the Prince Consort’s neck and said shyly: “I just can’t bear to part with you, so I’m being a bit unreasonable… I wouldn’t go.”

As she spoke, her eyes were bright and clear like glass. The Prince Consort’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and a thousand words were transformed into a deep kiss on the Princess’s lips.

The candle in the latticed window had gone out at some unknown time. Behind the red curtains, the young couple, reluctant to part, confessed their deepest feelings to each other, continuing until late into the night without stopping.

The next day, the Prince Consort boarded a carriage with the clerks from the Ministry of Rites and headed for Wu Province.

When the ministry clerk saw the Prince Consort, his eyes widened. It turned out that in addition to the numerous red marks on his neck from last time, the Prince Consort’s neck, as white as jade, now bore a deep tooth mark.

Ministry clerk: “…”

But unlike last time, when the Prince Consort had been so embarrassed that he tried to cover it with a book and ended up red-faced, this time he showed no embarrassment or attempt to conceal it. Instead, he was perfectly at ease, as if wanting to display it for everyone to see.

Ministry clerk: He’s mainly showing it to the local officials in Wu Province, right?

However, the Princess’s tactic was indeed effective. Moreover, the Princess had been determined this time, biting quite hard. The tooth mark on the Prince Consort’s neck hadn’t faded even by the time they reached Wu Province. Seeing this, the local officials of Wu Province were tactful enough not to arrange for famous courtesans to accompany them.

There wasn’t even a need for the Prince Consort to refuse.

Half a month after the Prince Consort left, the Princess lost her appetite. Upon learning this, Emperor Yanxi invited the Princess to the palace for a gathering.

Although Emperor Yanxi and the Princess weren’t blood relatives, he felt a strangely close affinity to the Princess, even closer than he felt to members of the Li imperial clan.

Emperor Yanxi played chess with the Princess. The Princess was distracted and lost within the time it took an incense stick to burn. Emperor Yanxi smiled: “Since the Princess misses the Prince Consort so much, why not go to Wu Province? I will issue an imperial decree instructing the Prince Consort to accompany the Princess well in Wu Province.”

The Princess was momentarily delighted but then shook her head: “I won’t go.”

Emperor Yanxi asked curiously: “Why not?”

The Princess replied: “He’s gone to select talents for the Great Zhou. Besides, how important is the Jiangnan Circuit’s provincial examination? How could he be distracted because of me?”

Emperor Yanxi was stunned, then smiled: “I hadn’t thought of that.”

His previous impression of the Princess had been limited to her being the Prince Consort’s wife and the adopted daughter of his grandmother before her death, nothing more. But the more he interacted with the Princess, the more he found her surprising. Despite having a fief of three thousand households, she didn’t squander wealth like other nobles. Her household had no official staff and didn’t keep hundreds of servants; instead, she had only a few maids. Moreover, the Princess often distributed porridge and provided free medical care in Chang’an, doing her best to help the common people. Such behavior was truly admirable.

Emperor Yanxi sincerely said, “That the Princess can be so concerned about the state is truly the Great Zhou’s fortune.”

The Princess lowered her head modestly. She said to Emperor Yanxi, “A Princess of the Great Zhou is sustained by the people, so she should return to the people. This is my mother’s teaching, and Zhenyue dares not forget it.”

Emperor Yanxi nodded and sighed: “Madam Du truly understands righteousness.”

Hearing this, the Princess didn’t say anything more but just smiled and then said: “Zhenyue also wishes to establish a school in Chang’an. I hope Your Majesty will grant this permission.”

Emperor Yanxi had no reason to refuse. So for the next half-month, the Princess was busy establishing the school. During the day, she was kept busy with numerous affairs, but in the quiet of the night, she would again think of the Prince Consort.

She thought of the Prince Consort while pacing under the crabapple tree, and while sitting by the latticed window, gazing at the bright moon. Truly, walking, she thought of him; sitting, she thought of him.

On this particular evening, as the Princess sat by the latticed window, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the bright moon outside, she suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves. The swallows in the crabapple tree were startled awake and flew around in the air, chirping.

The Princess rose to look, but the carved wooden door was pushed open first. Then, a pair of strong arms embraced her.

The young man, covered in dust from travel, kissed her hair and murmured: “Mingyuezhu…”

The Princess was stunned: “Weren’t you supposed to return in three days? Why are you back now?”

“Mingyuezhu, I missed you.” The Prince Consort held her, greedily inhaling the jasmine scent of her hair: “I couldn’t wait, so I rode ahead on horseback.”

The Princess was both delighted and concerned: “Will there be any problems with you leaving the other Ministry of Rites officials and returning first?”

“No problem.” The Prince Consort said, “They all have families, so they naturally understand.”

The Prince Consort didn’t tell the Princess that while in Wu Province, although he had been fully devoted to the provincial examination, during his free time at night, he would stare at the bright moon in a daze. Once he started looking, an hour would pass.

The ministry clerks didn’t understand what was so fascinating about the moon. Only he knew that on the moon, he could see that elegant, otherworldly face, see that slender figure that had rescued him from the path of asuras.

This was what it meant to gaze at the moon and think of someone.

So “walking, I think of you; sitting, I think of you” seemed to describe the Princess, but in fact, wasn’t it also describing the Prince Consort?

Later, the ministry clerks also became accustomed to this. When official duties ended, they would actively urge him to return to Chang’an first to reunite with the Princess.

The Princess asked: “Did they say that?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t they tease you for being henpecked?”

“Who would dare?”

The Princess smiled. She stood on tiptoe to look at the Prince Consort’s neck. The tooth mark had completely disappeared. The Prince Consort said: “If you want to leave one, you can leave another.”

The Princess smiled sweetly: “You’re not going to Wu Province anymore, so why would I need to?” She paused and said softly: “Besides, I couldn’t bear to…”

As she spoke, she leaned into the Prince Consort’s embrace, her face flushed. The Prince Consort’s heart skipped a beat. He cupped her face and gently kissed her.

By the latticed window, the awakened spring swallows hopped back and forth. But at some point, the swallows were chased away, and the latticed window was closed. In the bedroom, the atmosphere was filled with enchantment.

Page after page of “Notes on Gazing at the Moon” was filled with the tender affection between the Princess and Prince Consort. For instance, “Harmonious music, two hearts in accord” described how the Princess was skilled at playing the jade zither, so the Prince Consort personally crafted a jade zither and gave it to the Princess as a birthday gift.

After receiving the jade zither, the Princess was overjoyed. From then on, the sound of the zither and flute playing together often came from their mansion.

Another example, “Phoenix roaming on Phoenix Terrace,” described how the Princess and Prince Consort went to Phoenix Mountain. Since climbing in a skirt was troublesome, the Princess changed into a Hu-style men’s outfit and climbed the mountain with the Prince Consort.

Halfway up the mountain, the Princess couldn’t climb anymore, so the Prince Consort bent down and carried her on his back up the stone steps.

The Princess lay on the Prince Consort’s back, occasionally wiping his sweat and asking if he was tired. The Prince Consort would always smile and say he wasn’t tired. When the couple was being intimate, they encountered a pedantic scholar on the way. The scholar shook his head and said: “Two men, what kind of propriety is this!”

Hearing this, the Princess smiled mischievously at the pedantic scholar: “Who says we’re two men? Sir, haven’t you noticed that before you stand a female phoenix and a male phoenix?”

This made the pedantic scholar’s face flush red with embarrassment.

Another example, “Rowing in the middle of the current, a small boat floating through the lotus pond,” described how on a summer day, the Princess and Prince Consort sat in a small boat surrounded by emerald green lotus leaves. Pink lotus flowers bloomed in layers, vying to display their beauty. The Princess plucked a lotus flower and held it next to the Prince Consort’s jade-like face, smiling: “Although the lotus is beautiful, it doesn’t compare to the Prince Consort.”

The Prince Consort didn’t mind but took the lotus flower and inserted it into the Princess’s hair, smiling: “Neither compares to the Princess.”

On the last page of “Notes on Gazing at the Moon,” was written: “Fortunate to know you, accompanying each other through eternal reincarnations.”

Li Ying closed “Notes on Gazing at the Moon” with embarrassment and anger. She threw the thread-bound book into Cui Xun’s arms: “Take a look.”

Cui Xun said, “I’ve already seen it.”

“This notebook has spread not only throughout Chang’an but to the Western Regions.” Li Ying said angrily: “Hateful thief.”

Recently, the Cui mansion had been burglarized. At the time, Li Ying and Cui Xun had gone to release sky lanterns and weren’t at home. The thief had snuck into their bedroom, was discovered by a servant, and fled in panic. Before leaving, he had taken a notebook written by Li Ying.

Yes, this “Notes on Gazing at the Moon” was written by Li Ying.

Li Ying’s original intention was merely to record the worldly details of her and Cui Xun. Everything about them was too beautiful, and she couldn’t bear to forget, so she recorded it daily and named it “Notes on Gazing at the Moon.”

“Wang” referred to Cui Wangshu, and “Yue” referred to Mingyuezhu. So the two characters “Wang Yue” actually concealed their names.

But who would have thought that this hateful thief would steal nothing but this notebook!

Stealing it was one thing, but this thief happened to be semi-literate. He flipped through the notebook and felt that the emotions within were genuine, with marital affection overflowing from between the lines. So he sold the notebook to a bookstore merchant for a high price.

After reading it, the bookstore merchant also saw profit in it. Besides, Princess Wan’an and her husband were known throughout the Great Zhou for their deep affection, like paired mandarin ducks. The common people were very interested in the life of this young couple. The bookseller made some deletions and edits, then published and sold it widely as an unofficial history.

Later, although the thief and bookseller were caught, the printing blocks were already everywhere and couldn’t be destroyed.

Li Ying covered her face: “I don’t care, you get this book back! It’s so embarrassing!”

Cui Xun sighed helplessly: “Originally, the people thought this book was just unofficial history. If we make a big show of destroying it, the people might think it’s all true.”

Li Ying was on the verge of tears: “Then what do we do?”

When “Notes on Gazing at the Moon” first began circulating in Chang’an, Li Ying was so embarrassed that she didn’t leave the house for a full seven days, afraid of being mocked. She said with a gloomy face: “Now the entire Great Zhou knows.”

But Cui Xun smiled gently. Li Ying said, “How can you still smile?”

Cui Xun said, “I see that from the court to the common people, no one thinks this is a laughing matter. Instead, they see it as a beautiful story.”

Li Ying wasn’t quite convinced: “Really?”

“Really.” Cui Xun nodded: “If you go out now, you’ll hear it.”

Li Ying was hesitant. Cui Xun smiled again: “Mingyuezhu, what’s shameful about a husband and wife being affectionate and deeply in love? In the past, you kept this notebook hidden and wouldn’t even let me see it. If you had let me see it, I could have added several more interesting stories.”

Li Ying’s cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head and said nothing. Cui Xun took her hand and said, “Keep writing, Mingyuezhu. Let’s write together. We have a lifetime to write.”

Li Ying raised her head slightly, her eyes bright and clear, looking at Cui Xun. The corners of her mouth curved into a smile as she said, “Yes!”

By the banks of the Naihe River, “Notes on Gazing at the Moon” was turned to its last page.

A voice like jade and gold rang out: “Why do I feel that this Cui Wangshu has been bullying our Mingyuezhu all along?”

“Is that so? But it seems like Mingyuezhu bullies him more.”

“Are you still Mingyuezhu’s father? Why do you always speak for Cui Wangshu?”

“Lingye, haven’t you heard a saying: ‘Not deaf, not blind, not a good father-in-law’? When a couple is so sweet together, don’t interfere.”

“No, I still think…”

Whispers in the mortal world, whispers by the banks of the Naihe River.

Seasons came and went, with reincarnations spanning a thousand years.

In a quiet library, a girl wearing a white dress stood in front of a tall bookshelf.

The girl in the white dress was a freshman, her face bearing the characteristic confusion and innocence of a new student. She pulled out a book titled “History of Zhou” and opened it, reading intently.

She was quite familiar with Zhou history, but she was still drawn to that brilliant, glorious period when all nations came to pay tribute.

Princess Yong’an Li Ying, Sage Emperor Li Ji, the female Emperor Jiang Lingye, Prince Consort Pei Heng, Princess Wan’an Du Zhenyue—one by one, these magnificent historical figures from the golden age unfolded before her in the history book.

And there was also her most fascinating historical figure, that loyal minister who walked alone through wind and snow—the Lotus Gentleman, Cui Xun.

She read through Cui Xun’s life story once more before sighing and putting “History of Zhou” back on the shelf.

As she looked at the bookshelf, her eyes were suddenly drawn to an ancient, yellowed book.

She murmured: “Notes on Gazing at the Moon?”

What kind of book was this?

Though she didn’t know, she felt a strangely familiar sensation in her heart. She reached out to pull the ancient book from the shelf.

At the same time, a male student’s hand also reached for the same book.

Their fingertips touched, and both were startled.

The girl in the white dress looked up. What met her eyes was a pair of soul-stirring peach blossom eyes and a lotus-like face of extraordinary beauty.

Scenes from the past flashed before them—the beast mask at the Lantern Festival, the red plum blossoms in white snow at Ximing Temple, the amber sugar frost at Fuman Hall, the flute playing on a night boat in the Gui River—all appearing simultaneously before the two of them.

“With you, I am a pair of mandarin ducks; no need to seek return to the mortal world.”

She looked at him and smiled: “You’ve come?”

He looked at her and smiled: “Yes, I’ve come.”