The peony courtyard was tucked into a quiet corner of Jiaofang Palace, a secluded and peaceful place. Aside from Ling Jingshu and her maids and Hong Mei, almost no one came here. Today, she had sent Hong Mei off on another errand and brought only Bai Yu along.

These footsteps clearly did not belong to Bai Yu.

Who was it?

Ling Jingshu instinctively rose to her feet and turned around.

When that familiar, refined face came into view, Ling Jingshu was struck with astonishment and blurted out: “What are you doing here?”

The two of them had always maintained a tacit understanding — when they happened to cross paths, they would exchange only a few words of pleasant but inconsequential conversation. It was their way of avoiding Empress Xu’s suspicion and wariness.

She had not expected Wei Yan to suddenly appear in the peony courtyard today…

“Why do you look as though you’ve seen a ghost!” Wei Yan laughed. “Do you dislike seeing me that much?”

There was a trace of playful self-mockery in his words.

Ling Jingshu instinctively rushed to explain: “Of course not. Seeing you — I’m genuinely glad…” — wait, what was she saying?

That sounded far too suggestive.

Ling Jingshu’s cheeks grew faintly warm. She quickly amended: “I simply didn’t expect you to appear here so suddenly. That’s all! I absolutely don’t mean to make you feel unwelcome. Please don’t read too much into it.”

Her pretty face was tinged with a rosy blush, like a peony on the verge of blooming — vivid and captivating.

Wei Yan felt a fierce pang in his heart and very nearly forgot what he had come to say. He simply stood there, quietly watching her.

In these past several months, this was the first time the two of them had been alone together. The first time they could gaze openly and freely at one another.

Wei Yan’s eyes were bright and burning, carrying within them a thread of unspoken feeling he had never given voice to.

Ling Jingshu’s heart began to beat inexplicably fast. She was the first to look away: “You made a point of coming to find me — is there something important?”

“Yes. There is something very important.”

Wei Yan forced himself to press down the tender, yearning thoughts that had surged through him, and quickly murmured in a low voice: “Today is the Crown Grandson’s wedding day. Empress Xu has led all the consorts to Zichen Hall for the banquet and will not return until evening. That is why I seized this opportunity to come and see you.”

“Tian Dong and Bai Yu are both standing watch outside. And this is the most secluded spot in all of Jiaofang Palace — it is unlikely anyone will come by at all. I will only stay for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, then I’ll leave. Even if Empress Xu learns of this afterward, at most she’ll be displeased — she would not pursue the matter. Empress Xu is, after all, the Empress — she must maintain appearances and dignity. She would not make a scene over something so small. If she were to ask about it, you need only say I came to inquire whether your condition had improved.”

Wei Yan had considered everything with considerable care, accounting for every scenario.

Ling Jingshu felt a strange, stirring sensation in her heart: “Wei Yan — you have gone to such lengths to arrange this visit. What is it, truly, that you came here to do?”

Clearly, asking about her condition was only a pretext to offer Empress Xu.

Wei Yan must have had a different purpose altogether.

……

Wei Yan hesitated briefly, then made up his mind and said in a low voice: “A’Shu, there is something important I need to ask of you. It will involve some risk. If you are unwilling, I will not hold it against you.”

Ling Jingshu furrowed her brow. “Why are you speaking in circles today? Whatever it is, just say it directly. Must we be so roundabout with each other?”

The words were out before she could stop herself, and she immediately felt a twinge of exasperation at her own lack of restraint.

What was the matter with her today? She kept speaking without thinking!

It was entirely the fault of this insufferable spring — the fragrance of flowers and grass drifting through the air, everything in bloom, even the very atmosphere tingling with an unsettled, restless energy. She had caught the mood without meaning to.

Wei Yan took in every shade of her flustered embarrassment, and the longing he had been suppressing within him began to stir again, irrepressible. He drew two steps closer, his voice dropping slightly and growing a touch husky: “You are right. Between the two of us, there is no need for any evasion. I will state my purpose plainly.”

“You personally tend to every peony in this courtyard. Following the palace’s usual custom, in mid-April, when the peonies reach their peak, Empress Xu will hold a flower-viewing banquet. The consorts will each bring their finest new varieties to compete, and a flower queen will be selected from among them. Empress Xu savors this kind of prestige, and the consorts are all skilled at reading her preferences and currying her favor. So every year, the flower queen has invariably come from the varieties cultivated in Jiaofang Palace. Empress Xu then keeps the flower queen in her bedchamber to admire. This year will certainly be no different.”

“You tend to the peony courtyard, so you must know well which of the new varieties will bloom most beautifully.”

By this point, Ling Jingshu had already dimly surmised Wei Yan’s intention, and her heart began to beat faster without her bidding: “What is it you want me to do?”

Wei Yan swiftly withdrew a small white porcelain vial from his sleeve, his voice dropping very low: “This is a vial of specially prepared medicinal liquid. One or two drops applied daily into the flower buds will cause the peonies to bloom larger, more brilliantly, and more beautifully than usual. They will also emit a far richer, more intoxicating fragrance.”

“Beyond that, this liquid has certain other… properties…”

At this, a strange glimmer passed through Wei Yan’s eyes — but he offered no further explanation. “This one task is all I am asking of you. If you are willing to accept, I am profoundly grateful. If you are worried Empress Xu might discover it and are afraid to agree — then consider that I was never here today…”

Before he had even finished speaking, Ling Jingshu had already extended her hand. “Give it to me.”

Wei Yan’s hand trembled. He tightened his grip around the vial and looked intently at her calm expression: “Are you not going to ask me why I want you to do this? If something goes wrong afterward, and the blame falls on you — your life could be in danger.”

Ling Jingshu smiled faintly and answered simply: “I trust you.”

Four light, airy words — yet they carried the weight of a thousand gold pieces, pressing heavily upon Wei Yan’s heart. And like a great gust of wind sweeping through him, they set his inner world into turbulent, crashing waves he could not still.

Wei Yan used a joke to veil the tide of feeling that threatened to sweep him away: “A’Shu, are you not afraid I might be setting a trap to harm you?”

Ling Jingshu raised her eyes and smiled back: “And what about you — are you not worried I might turn around and report all of this to Empress Xu?”

Their eyes met, and they both smiled.

A thousand words welled up in his heart. But in the end, Wei Yan said nothing at all.

He placed the porcelain vial gently into Ling Jingshu’s hand.

Ling Jingshu tucked the vial into her embroidered pouch without a moment’s hesitation.

The two of them held each other’s gaze, their innermost thoughts surging and tumbling within them — understood fully only by each of them alone.

“There is not much time. Let me give you a few more instructions before I go.”

Wei Yan pressed down every thought and murmured softly: “Only you and I must know of this matter. It must never reach a third person — not even Bai Yu. And when you apply the liquid to the buds, you must take care to be discreet and thorough. Do not let anyone notice.”

“If someone happens to catch a glimpse by accident, do not panic. Simply say it is a secret formula you specially prepared yourself to make the peonies bloom more magnificently. This liquid was carefully crafted by me — even if the vial were taken away and examined, no one would be able to identify its true nature.”