Qin Yao’s own face burned in response. She glanced up at him in a flash and then looked away, saying softly: “You… you’ve been busy all day. Aren’t you tired?”

Lin Xiao smiled. “I am a bit tired, but right now I’m not tired anymore.”

Qin Yao was about to ask why he was no longer tired, but just as she raised her head, she saw Lin Xiao gazing back at her with a smile, the unmistakable tenderness in his eyes laid utterly bare. She understood at once, and turned her head away in flustered embarrassment. After quite a while, her face still red, she said: “Do you not have duty tonight?”

Lin Xiao, looking at Qin Yao, hesitated for a moment, then reached up and brushed aside a lock of hair that had slipped down across her chest, tucking it back behind her shoulder.

Without the hair concealing it, the girl’s face became fully visible in the moonlight — her delicate features still carrying that artless, candid quality, yet because of her shyness, each glance she cast added a few strokes of subtle charm, making his heart itch with a restless longing.

He lingered over her face for a good while. In the end his gaze fell upon Qin Yao’s red lips. Recalling the sweet taste of those lips from that time at the Liuli Residence, his eyes deepened of their own accord, and he said, his mind drifting: “No duty tonight. I’ll return to the Prince’s estate to rest in a while.”

His voice, ordinarily low and pleasant, was now noticeably hoarse. For no reason she could name, Qin Yao’s pulse began to race in alarm. She felt her heart beating faster and faster. Sensing him drawing closer, she had for the first time the impulse to take flight — but the moment she stepped back, a pair of firm arms encircled her waist.

The armor on his body was cold and hard, pressing against her and sending a faint shiver rippling through her. Mortified, not knowing what to do with herself, she instinctively tried to pull away — but before she could struggle, a burning warmth bore down upon her, and Lin Xiao had already lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.

Different from the light, gentle kiss of the time before, this one carried unmistakably the intent of conquest. Qin Yao’s mind buzzed. At first she stiffened, not daring to move, but gradually a tide of warmth spread from the lips and teeth tangled with his, and every bone and limb seemed drained of all vitality. Her body could no longer stand of its own accord; she half-slumped against him, dazed and lightheaded, and could only let him take what he sought.

The night was as cool as water. All the surrounding scenery sank into a prolonged, wordless silence. Even the insects and birds seemed to have fallen quiet. The only sounds that reached either of their ears were each other’s quickened breathing and the deep, heavy beating of their hearts.

His breath grew heavier and heavier; he suddenly left her lips and kissed his way to her neck and behind her ear, murmuring: “Ah Yao, Ah Yao…”

His voice was hoarse beyond measure, and he kissed her without cease, his movements carrying a note of suppressed, aching urgency that set the ears burning and the heart racing.

Qin Yao suddenly felt that this Lin Xiao before her seemed a stranger to her, and a wave of panic washed through her, causing her to struggle against him without thinking.

Sensing Qin Yao’s resistance, Lin Xiao came back to himself as if waking from a dream and stilled his movements. He buried his face in the curve of her neck and drew breath for a moment, then finally loosened his hold on her. His voice came out hoarse as he said gently: “Ah Yao, I can’t wait any longer. I want to be by your side morning and night. Let me ask the Emperor to grant the marriage decree early, and have you marry me soon — will you?”

By now Qin Yao had gradually regained some strength, and at last could steady herself on her feet again. She heard his words and fell silent at first, embarrassed — but raising her eyes and seeing the urgency in his expression, her heart softened, and she nodded shamelessly.

Lin Xiao saw that she was clearly burning with embarrassment, yet still could not bring herself to refuse him. He couldn’t help but smile, and pressing his forehead gently to hers, said in a low voice: “Ah Yao, you are so good. How fortunate I am to have met you in this lifetime.”

Qin Yao, like a child sighing contentedly in sweet slumber, raised her eyes to meet his and said softly: “So am I.”

Prince Lan’s Estate.

Cui Shi removed her hairpins and ornaments and stared into the mirror. A chill crept into her eyes.

So it turned out he was fond of that sort of woman. She couldn’t help raising her gaze to study the pretty face reflected in the mirror, feeling an acid taste in her heart as she compared herself carefully against the young woman she had seen at Yunyin Academy today.

That young woman had a pair of bright, luminous eyes that seemed to carry a faint smile even when she said nothing. At the corners of her mouth, two dimples appeared and disappeared, adding to her natural, artless sweetness. She had been born with snow-white complexion, and even among the well-bred young ladies of the academy who had been pampered all their lives, she had stood out remarkably.

Cui Shi stared into the mirror, losing herself in a daze. The longer she looked, the more she felt that she had already absorbed the torpor and jadedness of Prince Lan, that her looks were growing dimmer and more faded with each passing day, and that even her bearing had taken on an air of weariness and age. She was only two years older than him, yet she could no longer find even a trace of that young woman’s vibrant youthfulness in herself.

The more she thought, the more agitated and oppressive she felt. She glanced through the mirror at Prince Lan sleeping soundly on the bed and set the comb back on the dressing table with barely suppressed vexation.

The most infuriating thing of all was that she had clearly crossed paths with this young woman surnamed Qu several times before, and yet had only recognized her today.

The first time was during the incident with Cui Lingling — this woman had disguised herself as a Daoist to ruin her plans. The second time was at the Dayin Temple — again this woman had inserted herself uninvited, very nearly causing her to expose herself.

Thinking back on it now, this Qu Qin Yao must have made Lin Xiao’s acquaintance long ago. She had no idea what sort of methods she had used to captivate his heart. Word had it her family was merely a minor sixth-rank official — the same rank as her own brother had once held. By rights, she should have had no way whatsoever into Yunyin Academy—

She thought it through for a moment, then it dawned on her with sudden, bitter clarity. She clenched her lower lip, her hatred surging. Who else but the Young Lord would have the power to arrange a place in the academy for her?

She felt as though all her internal organs were contracting with sourness. So it turned out he was not entirely heartless after all — he, too, could be moved, could look at a woman with those eyes, could even scheme and plan ahead for this woman’s future.

She remembered coming to Prince Lan’s estate three years ago to offer condolences, and seeing him for the first time — he had been dressed in mourning and standing at the main gate of the estate to receive and see off the guests. She had never seen such an elegantly beautiful young man before, and from that moment she had been utterly undone, unable to recover herself ever after.

Yet no matter how painstakingly she had found ways to appear before him afterward, how exhaustively she had tried to attract his attention, he had never cast her more than a glance. She had assumed he was simply a cold and indifferent person by nature, but as it turned out, he merely had no regard for her.

She smiled without a sound. For his sake she had sacrificed half her life — was her remaining half to be spent watching him be utterly devoted to another woman?

A faint knock sounded from outside the door. Cui Shi’s expression froze. She glanced swiftly at Prince Lan on the bed, rose, and swiftly stepped out the door.

A maidservant with an oval face was waiting outside. Seeing Cui Shi emerge, she first looked into the room, then lowered her voice: “The Young Lord has returned to the estate. Nurse Wen has just told the kitchen to prepare a late-night meal for him.”

Cui Shi was momentarily startled, and couldn’t help asking: “What have they made?”

“Just a few vegetable dishes and porridge,” the maidservant said. “The Young Lord has never liked sweet things.”

Cui Shi nodded and came back to herself. Then, as if remembering something, she pulled the maidservant by the arm and quickly moved away from the inner chamber to the outer room, where she asked in a tense and urgent voice: “Has there been any word back from Zeng Nanqin?”

The maidservant shook her head. “Word was sent to both the military commissioner’s office and the Zeng family’s home. A servant of the Zeng household said that Master Zeng has been signing in at the commissioner’s office every day of late and had also received the Princess Consort’s message — but Master Zeng has not sent any reply.”

Cui Shi seemed to feel a twinge of regret. She thought it over for a moment, then suddenly made up her mind. She told the maidservant to wait a moment, went back into the room to retrieve something, and came out again, handing it to her. “Have Li Si deliver this to Zeng Nanqin immediately. Tell him he must send me a reply by tomorrow.”

She added: “Make sure Nanny Li doesn’t find out.”

The maidservant received it and saw that it was a gold hairpin that had lost some of its color with age, along with a letter. She nodded. “This servant will see to it at once.”

In the chamber called Siru Study, Lin Xiao had just finished his bath and was speaking with Chang Rong and Nurse Wen. In her spare time these days, Nurse Wen had made a number of shoes, socks, and garments that required painstaking needlework. Her needlework was superb — you couldn’t find anyone in all of Chang’an whose handiwork surpassed hers — but in recent years her eyes had developed a condition that made them water in the wind, and doing needlework caused her eyes to ache, so she had gradually done less and less of it.

In addition to Lin Xiao’s garments and shoes, there was also an embroidered plum-blossom sachet made for a woman. Pale pink petals bloomed across the sachet, the veins on each petal and the individual granules of each flower’s stamens vivid and lifelike, as though a real plum blossom had been set into it.

“This is for Miss Qu,” Nurse Wen said with a warm smile. “Young ladies all love these little trinkets. She can wear it as an ornament; it’s perfect for holding fragrant pills and the like every day. Once she has married into our Prince’s household in the future, Nanny will make her garments too — guaranteed to suit her taste to a tee.”

Lin Xiao gave an uncomfortable cough, took the sachet in his hands, and examined it carefully. Seeing that it was crafted with remarkable delicacy and artistry, something rarely seen elsewhere, and thinking that Qin Yao would most likely love it, he shamelessly accepted it on her behalf.

Nurse Wen’s smile grew even warmer. “I hear this Miss Qu is a wonderful child. What a pity that Nanny stays cooped up in Prince Lan’s estate all day and has yet to meet her even once — I don’t know when Miss Qu will be marrying in.”

Hearing this, Lin Xiao thought of the intimate moments with Qin Yao in the academy a little while ago, and his face grew somewhat warm. He quickly covered it by lifting his teacup to drink.

Nurse Wen observed this and let out a contented sigh. The way the Young Lord looked just now, he clearly adored Miss Qu with his heart. No wonder he had been unwilling to form a union with the Countess Yi Shu. It’s true enough — though being well-matched in social standing certainly matters, being deeply devoted to one’s spouse is more important than anything else. Once Miss Qu has married in, with the Young Lord cherishing her so, would children not come before long? When the Princess Consort — heaven rest her soul — comes to know of this, how very happy she will be.

While master and servants were talking, Wei Bo suddenly came seeking an audience from outside.

Lin Xiao bade him enter.

Wei Bo presented Lin Xiao with a letter and a gold hairpin. “This was the message that side intended to send to Zeng Nanqin. Cui Shi still doesn’t know that Zeng Nanqin is already in our hands.”

Lin Xiao took the letter and unfolded it to read it. He said calmly: “Understood.”