Lin Chengyou stared fixedly at the flower pastries in the lacquer box, or rather, at the pear blossom petals adorning them.
He remembered that night when Teng Yuyi was practicing lightness skills and jumped down from the beam, accidentally dropping something wrapped in a water-colored kerchief from her sleeve.
The moonlight that night was as bright as day, and he could see the kerchief contained pear blossom petals, presumably fallen from the pear tree in her courtyard, which she had carefully collected.
He had wondered why she collected so many petals, but later recalled her telling Jiantian and Jianxian that the best pastries in all of Jiangnan were her flower pastries, so he guessed they were for making those.
The flower pastries before him were indeed decorated with pear blossom petals, each petal perfectly intact, clearly carefully selected.
With the naked eye, he couldn’t tell if they were from the same batch of petals, but since Leibai Pavilion was named for its beautiful pear tree, he supposed the petals from that tree would be just as white and full as those on these pastries.
He stared at the petals again and again, taking great effort to finally shift his gaze, only to begin examining the brocade box containing the pastries.
While noble families in Chang’an and Luoyang often used embroidered brocade to wrap lacquer boxes to display their status, this box was different. Both the mother-of-pearl inlay on the lacquer box and the embroidered brocade featured cornus patterns – not unique, but extremely rare.
Though he couldn’t confirm if the petals were from the same batch, he was certain this box was almost identical to the one sent to Qingyun Temple that day.
Next, his gaze shifted to the courtyard, where each maidservant carried different items – brocade boxes, scroll paintings, and even shoes and socks…
The steward said these items were all from young ladies who admired Imperial Uncle, and looking at them, most appeared to be handmade to better express their affection.
Yes, they were all handmade.
Including that box of flower pastries.
He withdrew his gaze sluggishly, absently lifting his teacup for a sip, though he couldn’t taste the tea at all.
It must be a coincidence, he told himself.
But reason told him, even for a coincidence, could it be this precise?
First Teng Yuyi collected pear blossoms, then these pear blossom pastries arrived. Flower pastries weren’t common to begin with, and using pear blossoms as decoration was unheard of. This went beyond coincidence.
And the brocade box matched too.
Moreover, back at Ledao Manor, when Teng Yuyi couldn’t arrange his bath water, she immediately had her uncle request it from Imperial Uncle.
She must have inquired about Imperial Uncle’s temperament beforehand – of this he was certain.
If she wasn’t curious about Imperial Uncle, why would she ask about him?
He knew Imperial Uncle had always been popular with young ladies – just look at the endless gifts arriving at the Prince’s mansion. Perhaps someone like Teng Yuyi also preferred gentlemen like Imperial Uncle.
So these pastries could very well be from her. If not, there was no explaining so many coincidences.
But what did this mean? Had she already changed her heart after liking him for such a short time?
And while she only sent him two bottles of wine, she gave Imperial Uncle handmade pear blossom pastries. The weight of these two gifts was clear as day.
The tea suddenly turned bitter and heavy, impossible to drink.
Should he go to the Teng mansion immediately and ask her directly?
But how should he phrase the question?
Confront her about secretly sending gifts to Imperial Uncle, then ask why she would do so while claiming to like him.
What if she admitted it? How should he respond?
“I was just asking. Well, since you like Imperial Uncle, I wish you both—”
Impossible!
This was too infuriating.
“Go ahead and like Imperial Uncle! Don’t come bothering me anymore.”
Yes! That’s what he should tell her.
The thought nearly made him stand up, but thankfully the last shred of reason held him back. What if it was a coincidence? If he questioned her without understanding the truth, wouldn’t that greatly anger Teng Yuyi? With her temperament, she might break ties with him on the spot.
No, he couldn’t go. No matter the answer, questioning her would do him no good.
Besides, he simply couldn’t believe Teng Yuyi would be so fickle.
So there were only two possibilities now: Either these flower pastries weren’t from Teng Yuyi, and such coincidences existed.
Or they were indeed her gift to Imperial Uncle.
If that were true, then it would mean… she had only ever liked Imperial Uncle. Then what was her behavior toward him about?
Lin Chengyou rubbed his teacup, maintaining outward calm while his heart was in chaos – no, beyond chaos, it felt like it would explode from jealousy.
No, he had to get to the bottom of this. Perhaps he should return to Qingyun Temple first, at least to compare the two boxes side by side. If they only looked similar on the surface but differed in details, it would prove the box wasn’t from the Teng mansion at all.
This thought improved his expression slightly, but though reason remained, his heart was still in turmoil. He could hear Imperial Uncle and the Crown Prince talking, but their words passed like wind through his ears, not registering at all.
***
Teng Yuyi handed the wine cup to Little Ya: “You’ve met this person too – Li Sanniang. Her father was once my father’s deputy commander, so she often came to play at our mansion when we were young. I remember she was much more shy then, but seeing her now, her knowledge and experience far exceeded before. That aside, at Yuzhen Daoist Temple, her flute skills impressed me – judging by her technique, she must have at least ten years of practice. Little Ya, don’t you think it’s strange when someone changes so dramatically?”
Little Ya gulped down plenty of wine in one go, then smacked his lips contentedly: “It does sound odd, but perhaps she always knew these things, and you just didn’t have much contact with her after growing up in your previous life, so you never had the chance to learn about these abilities.”
Teng Yuyi pondered – that was true, she hadn’t had much chance to interact with Li Huigu after coming to Chang’an in her previous life, unlike their frequent meetings in this life.
After thinking for a while, she waved her hand: “No, no, that’s not all I find strange. I’m more curious about her father’s situation. I remember in my previous life, until the year I died, General Li was still just the Governor of Suzhou under my father’s Huainan Circuit. But this year, I found General Li not only promoted to Governor of Hangzhou but also serving as Military Commissioner of Eastern Zhejiang. Program Bei mentioned the other day that the court intends to promote General Li to Military Governor of Jiangnan East Circuit – this is completely different from my memories.”
Little Ya blinked his bean-sized eyes: “There’s such a thing?”
Teng Yuyi nodded: “They say General Li received these consecutive promotions because he successfully managed floods and locust plagues in Eastern Zhejiang. These natural disasters, once they strike, typically devastate thousands of miles, but General Li seemed to anticipate them, successfully preventing disaster each time. Combined with his excellent administration, he’s governed Jiangnan so well these years that the people are prosperous and at peace. Some say this is because Li Sanniang can foresee disasters, allowing her to warn her father to prepare early. Of course—”
Her gaze drifted to Little Ya opposite her: “In my opinion, this could also be rumors spread by those jealous of General Li’s rapid promotion, trying to discredit his abilities. But what if it’s true?”
Little Ya stroked his beard: “Eh, now that you mention it, it does seem suspicious.”
“That’s why I called you out to ask today. Besides Li Sanniang, several other things seem strange to me. For instance, in my previous life, my sister was strangled in the bamboo grove, but in this life, it was a tree demon that harmed her. Then there’s the black-robed person – when Naizhong first appeared, the black-robed person deliberately appeared before Duan Fu as if knowing they could lure Duan Fu away. Little Ya, could others besides me know about the previous life?”
Little Ya crossed his arms and analyzed boldly: “About the black-robed person, it might just be a coincidence. We didn’t know before that Abbess Jingchen was with that group. Looking back now, perhaps they weren’t targeting you that day, but rather, having suddenly learned that Naizhong had escaped, they feared Abbess Jingchen might be exposed before you, so they rushed to the temple to warn her, only to be spotted by Duan Fu. As for this Li Sanniang… that might indeed be unusual. By the way, had you heard about her prophecies in your previous life?”
“No.” Teng Yuyi was certain about this.
Little Ya showed a thoughtful expression: “Now that is strange.”
“Think about it, what kind of person can foresee disasters? If she’s also living on borrowed time, why haven’t we seen demons and spirits seeking her out?”
Little Ya spoke in a muffled voice: “She might not be living on borrowed time; perhaps she just happened to learn some heavenly secrets by chance. I’ve told you before, your situation is different from others. The grievances surrounding you are too heavy, even changing your fate. Originally, according to your fate, you wouldn’t have lived past sixteen, but someone forcefully extended your life. This was already against heaven’s will, so of course it would attract evil spirits.”
“Heavy grievances?” Teng Yuyi said with surprise, “You never mentioned this before.”
Little Ya suddenly realized he had let something slip, and did a quick flip, trying to jump back into the sword: “Ah ah, heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed! Don’t ask anymore, I’m just a spirit weapon with limited knowledge.”
Teng Yuyi covered the sword with her hand: “No, finish what you were saying before you go. I’ve never done anything terrible, where would these grievances come from?”
“You’ll know when the time is right. If you keep asking, this old man might perish along with the sword. I’m not threatening you.” Little Ya spoke while seizing the opportunity to enter the sword, and afterward, no matter how Teng Yuyi tried to tempt him with wine or provoke him with words, he stubbornly remained inside.
Soon after, Chunrong and Biluo entered, each carrying a stack of newly tailored clothes from the seamstress, happily telling Teng Yuyi: “The new clothes look beautiful, young miss, come take a look.”
Teng Yuyi was in no mood to choose clothes, casually saying: “Put them there, I’ll look later.”
Chunrong said: “Young miss should look now. The Crown Prince’s mansion will be so lively tomorrow – rather than picking old clothes, why not wear something new? Choosing in advance will make tomorrow’s departure more relaxed.”
Biluo added: “That’s right, once the clothes are chosen, we servants can help young Miss match the accessories earlier.”
The two pushed Teng Yuyi to the couch as they spoke. Teng Yuyi gave a casual glance – they were all light, soft fabrics like moonlight brocade, bone-awakening gauze, and rain-thread silk, layered delicately, light as clouds, in bright colors like lake blue, silver red, and peach pink.
Though initially feeling listless, when Chunrong lifted the fabric to reveal several gauze skirts beneath, it truly caught her eye. Teng Yuyi finally showed interest, sitting down to enthusiastically make her selections.
***
The next day, after Teng Yuyi was dressed, she went to the Crown Prince’s mansion with her aunt and sister. Outside the mansion, precious carriages lined up densely, nearly blocking the entire street.
After dismounting, servants led them inside. The mansion was filled with the sounds of music and drums, brilliantly lit everywhere. Lady Du smiled and nodded: “It seems every one of note in Chang’an has come. Look, there are even Hu people over there, probably princes from some foreign kingdom.”
Teng Yuyi thought to herself, seeing the grand scene at the Crown Prince’s mansion, countless precious treasures would surely be presented tonight. If she hadn’t arranged with Juesheng and Qizhi beforehand, she wouldn’t have been able to personally deliver her purple jade saddle to Lin Chengyou.
Fortunately, she had prepared in advance.
However, after searching through the crowd for a while, she didn’t see Juesheng and Qizhi but unexpectedly spotted tonight’s birthday celebrant, Lin Chengyou.
Lin Chengyou was surrounded by sons of powerful families, laughing and talking as they crossed the front courtyard. When passing by, he caught sight of Teng Yuyi and couldn’t help but pause his gaze for a moment, but considering the people around him, he turned his head away.