Teng Yu’yi’s ears perked up – from Lin Chengyou’s tone, he didn’t seem to be planning to cause her trouble.
Could he have changed his strategy?
It was possible. Looking around, when Lin Chengyou approached, her sister and the palace servants had disappeared – he must have led them away. He had planned to find her.
She had witnessed Lin Chengyou’s relentless determination when investigating cases. Though he appeared free-spirited and unrestrained, once he decided to accomplish something, he wouldn’t give up no matter how difficult.
Ah, this was truly troublesome. Lin Chengyou was her life-saving benefactor – it wouldn’t be worth destroying their relationship over this. If there was no other way, she could only counter his moves as they came.
Of course, she would still make the flower cakes – consider it continuing to repay his kindness.
All these subtle changes in Teng Yu’yi’s expression fell under Lin Chengyou’s gaze. In the past, he would have only thought her guard was too high. But after roughly guessing the truth last night, only pity remained in his heart: she merely wanted to protect the person who had borrowed life for her, so she tried to shoulder everything herself. But for such a matter that defied heaven’s laws, how could she bear it alone?
He wasn’t sure if she knew she wouldn’t live past sixteen, but since he’d known her, he’d never seen her give up in despair or wallow in self-pity. Even now, though she was upset, she still carefully arranged the flower petals.
His heart suddenly ached. He quickly shifted his gaze forward: “As for how to catch this person – I’ve already thought it through. The academy starts in a few days. Since you’ll be studying there and can’t come and go freely, I’ll find you a reliable insider at the academy. Whatever you encounter there in the future, you can tell that person, and they’ll immediately inform me. Also, you’ve been so unlucky lately, that Chi Kuo might come looking for you again. We need to prepare early, so take this first.”
Teng Yu’yi’s hands were busy tying the handkerchief, but her ears were perked. The first part matched Lin Chengyou’s careful investigative style, but the latter part was rather bizarre. He attributed Chi Kuo’s seeking her out to her “bad luck” – this meant he had patched up the small hole he had torn open himself. Was he not going to pursue it, or was he afraid she would be too guarded if he investigated too closely?
Seeming to notice her confusion, Lin Chengyou drawled: “No choice – first I accepted your precious saddle, then you’re making flower cakes for me. This is called ‘being indebted.’ You always say I’m righteous – I can at least help with this small matter.”
Teng Yu’yi felt relieved – this sounded more like something Lin Chengyou would say. She turned to look at him: “Young Master has promised this time – before catching that person, no more turning against me arbitrarily.”
Lin Chengyou was somewhat amused: “Do I seem like someone who arbitrarily turns against people?”
Teng Yu’yi thought to herself, who was it that turned faster than flipping pages last night?
Lin Chengyou tilted his head slightly, pointing to himself, then to her, smiling: “Teng Yu’yi, since we’ve known each other, who’s more likely to turn against the other? When have I ever failed to do what I promised?”
Teng Yu’yi thought, pot calling the kettle black, but she couldn’t maintain her stern expression and finally smiled.
When she smiled, Lin Chengyou’s dark eyes unconsciously rippled with warmth.
This marked their official reconciliation.
Teng Yu’yi wasn’t aware of how sweet her smile was. She put the bundle of roses beside her skirt and took what Lin Chengyou held: “What’s this?”
“Haven’t you noticed the Spirit Sound Bell has failed several times?”
Teng Yu’yi made a surprised sound: “That’s right – when Chi Kuo appeared last night, the bell didn’t ring. I thought it was because Chi Kuo’s nature was different from evil spirits.”
“Not just last night – the bell didn’t ring when Nai Zhong came looking for you in the kitchen. When I asked Master last night, he said this treasure consumes its spiritual power each time it gives a warning. Nai Zhong’s yin energy was so strong that just that one warning in the peach grove consumed most of its power. It needs to be consecrated – dissolve this powder in clean water and wash it thoroughly inside and out.”
“Alright, I’ll wash it when I return.” Teng Yu’yi carefully tucked the powder into her sleeve, then added, “Young Master, there are no evil spirits on the mountain right now – how will we know if the bell has recovered its power?”
Lin Chengyou: “Simple – before you start school, I’ll catch a fierce ghost to test it.”
Teng Yu’yi’s heart stirred, and she couldn’t help looking up at Lin Chengyou, but he had already turned his gaze aside, examining the surrounding rose bushes with great interest, clearly more interested in the roses than in her.
Teng Yu’yi let out a small sigh of relief – she shouldn’t get the wrong idea. Lin Chengyou was afflicted with the Heartbreak Poison. Without curing the poison, how could he suddenly take a fancy to any young lady?
In her previous life, he hadn’t even been betrothed when he died from that arrow. With so many noble ladies in Chang’an, even if he didn’t fancy her, surely there would have been someone who caught his eye. This could only mean he simply couldn’t feel love.
Thinking of her previous life, if she hadn’t been so presumptuous, how would she have received that cold “won’t marry”? Such a mistake – she wouldn’t make it twice.
Thinking this way, she naturally dismissed the doubts that had just arisen.
Lin Chengyou’s eyes were on the roses, but his attention was on Teng Yu’yi. Fortunately, he had looked away quickly earlier, or she would have grown suspicious.
Early this morning, his aunt had called him for a lecture. After leaving the hall, he pondered for a long while. He had to be “patient” and “accommodating,” but for now, he couldn’t let Teng Yu’yi know how much he cared for her. She showed no signs of liking him at all – if she knew he liked her, even if she didn’t avoid him, their meetings would only become awkward.
Well, thick-skinned as he was, he wasn’t afraid of awkwardness, but Teng Yu’yi not only had a belly full of secrets, but she also easily attracted evil spirits. If she avoided him, it would be difficult for him to look after her in certain matters. Today he had finally gotten her to let down her guard – better to take the rest slowly.
A “partridge” called twice in the distance. Lin Chengyou turned to look at her, saying softly: “I’ll go first. I’ll let you know the name of the insider at the academy later.”
“Alright.”
Soon after, a palace servant came to guide her. Teng Yu’yi followed the servant for a short distance before seeing her sister looking around anxiously by the flower bushes. Upon seeing her approach, Du Tinglan’s tense expression finally relaxed.
Du Tinglan smiled and nodded to the palace servant, then pulled Teng Yu’yi aside and said softly: “Where did you go? You disappeared while we were looking at flowers.”
“I went to pick flowers.”
***
Yongjia Hall.
The farmwoman stood in the hall holding a little girl’s hand, stammering as she recounted what happened in the flower field.
The Empress listened with gentle eyes, nodding occasionally. Seeing Lin Chengyou enter from outside, she gestured for the farm woman to stop and beckoned to him: “Come here.”
Lin Chengyou smiled, made a bow, then walked to the east side and lifted his robe to sit beside the Crown Prince.
The Empress said to the farm woman: “Continue.”
The farm woman then related the entire scene from beginning to end.
“So Miss Du and Miss Teng were the first to go back and help you?”
The farmwoman nodded repeatedly: “Yes. These two young ladies pulled me up together. Miss Du spoke so kindly, and shortly after, two more ladies came back.”
The Empress made a sound of acknowledgment: “The ones who came later were Miss Zheng and First Miss Wu.”
The farm woman handed the package of medicine to a nearby palace servant: “This is what Miss Teng gave me. She said ‘This is wound medicine, it will stop the bleeding.'”
The farm woman’s foot injury was fake, so the medicine wasn’t needed. The Empress smiled and instructed the servants: “Reward them. Get some treats for the child, then take the mother and daughter down.”
The servants presented the Empress’s prepared rewards to the pair, gave the child some pastries, and then courteously led them away.
After all the servants had withdrawn from the hall, the Empress leaned forward to look at the medicine package on the tray, smiling: “Good judgment – Miss Teng has a kind heart.”
Lin Chengyou smiled without responding, thinking to himself: Did that even need saying? He knew better than anyone how good Teng Yu’yi was.
The Empress suddenly turned to her son: “Child, what are you daydreaming about?”
The Crown Prince replied bashfully: “Oh, hearing about this incident reminded me of seeing Miss Du at Yuzhennüguan Temple that time.”
The Empress’s heart leaped with joy, but her tone remained calm: “Tell me about it.”
The Crown Prince then related how Du Tinglan had cried until her nose and eyes were red when her sister was kidnapped, how she had hurried to return the medicine pill she found even though she hadn’t received any Ningxin Lotus… He told his mother everything that had happened that day.
The Empress smiled: “That was so long ago, yet you still keep it in your heart?”
The Crown Prince couldn’t withstand his mother’s questioning, growing more reserved, but his eyes shone brightly and his voice remained steady: “I remember when Miss Du proposed the characters ‘Xiang Xiang’ (Fragrant Elephant), she said, ‘Understanding the Way has its depths, as does learning.’ She said naming the academy after the fragrant elephant would remind students to ‘immerse themselves completely’ in their studies. When I heard Miss Du speak then, I felt she must be like you, Mother – kind-hearted, Buddhist-minded, and good at both learning and thinking. Seeing her these two times since, I’ve found she’s not just like this before you – she’s consistent in private as well. So when Mother asked, I immediately remembered.”
As he spoke, his face reddened. There was one thing he didn’t mention – Du Tinglan’s deeply gentle manner had also left a profound impression on him.
The Empress saw this and was overjoyed inside. Her son was kind and attentive, steady in his actions, and even remembered such small details – clearly, he had been paying attention to Du Tinglan for some time.
Thinking of Du Tinglan’s appearance, she truly lived up to her name: like an orchid in the courtyard, standing alone apart from the world, hidden and fragrant, with elegant features.
Actually, before today, she and His Majesty had been considering Zheng Shuangyin and First Miss Wu, Wu Xiang. One was from the Zheng family, one from the Wu family – both girls were accomplished in writing and skilled in calligraphy and painting. Now that her son had his preferences, she as his mother should naturally prioritize his wishes.
Moreover, whether her son married the Wu daughter or the Zheng daughter would involve court politics. Satisfying one faction would inevitably incur dissatisfaction from the other, and having a prestigious father-in-law would mean constant oversight in the future.
Du Tinglan was different. Though the Du family was also a centuries-old noble house, their influence at court had long since declined. Du Yuzhi currently served as Four Gates Scholar at the Imperial Academy and was known for his forthright advice. If her son married Du Yuzhi’s daughter, those nitpicking old ministers would have nothing to say.
Du Tinglan was also promising – earlier when she had used the farmwoman to test these young ladies, Du Tinglan and Teng Yu’yi were the first to return.
With no outsiders in the hall and her heart full of joy, the Empress couldn’t help smiling: “Originally, your aunt and I only worried that you two wouldn’t understand such matters, but unexpectedly – Miss Du and Miss Teng are both good children. It’s fine for Youer to choose his Princess Consort, but the Crown Princess is a matter of state importance. After they enter the academy, we can observe further. You two are the elder brothers – your younger brothers and sisters are watching. In another two years, it will be Alin and Ashuang’s turn to discuss marriage. Of course, Changyi and Azhi should wait a few more years – no marriage before twenty.”
The Empress grew increasingly pleased as she spoke.