How could she possibly be unwilling?

She was one thousand, one hundred times willing!

Ling Jingshu still retained a thread of reason, and knew that she could not betray any unseemly emotion in front of the Emperor, lest it arouse his suspicion. She revealed, with precisely measured grace, an expression of shy and joyful surprise. “This servant is deeply honored by Her Majesty the Empress’s undeserved generosity in arranging such a wonderful marriage for her. This servant gives her most grateful thanks to Her Majesty!”

With that, she kowtowed three times in respectful reverence.

The gesture conveyed just the right degree of overwhelmed gratitude at receiving such an imperially decreed match, while cleverly concealing the truth that she and Wei Yan were two hearts already joined.

In the Emperor’s eyes, this was exactly how a court lady ought to behave upon receiving such an honor from the Empress.

The last trace of suspicion in the Emperor’s heart dissolved entirely. He said with a smile, “Come to think of it, Lady Ling served at this Emperor’s side for a period of time as well. The residence I just bestowed was given to Wei Yan. Since Lady Ling is to be a bride, I, her master, ought to offer some gesture of my own.”

Empress Wei immediately stepped in with a smile. “Your Majesty need not trouble yourself over such a small matter. Your Majesty and this consort are husband and wife, one united in all things. This consort will certainly prepare a generous dowry for her — it can be considered a joint gift of congratulations from Your Majesty and this consort together.”

The Emperor nodded, well pleased. “The Empress has considered this far more thoughtfully than I. Very well, let it be done as the Empress wishes!”

Ling Jingshu naturally had no choice but to kowtow and express her thanks once more.

She did not dare to lift her eyes toward Wei Yan. She feared that the joy on her face and the tender feeling in her eyes would be plainly visible, and give the Emperor cause to grow suspicious.

Wei Yan was in the same position — he kept his expression held at precisely the right pitch of pleasant contentment.

For two people submerged in breathless, overwhelming happiness, this was nothing short of a peculiar and refined form of torture.

Yet both of them accepted it gladly.

They had waited this long. At last, that day had come!

……

Ling Jingshu could not quite recall how she made her way back to Lingbo Palace, nor how she found herself back in her room.

Her whole person felt light, as though she floated on clouds.

The happiness had come too fast, too sudden — there was an unreal, dreamlike quality to this beautiful, impossible feeling!

Bai Yu had held herself back as long as she could, and at last could hold back no longer. “Miss, what in the world has gotten into you today? You have been sitting by the window ever since you came back, smiling without stopping.”

Ling Jingshu was always measured and reserved, and it was almost unheard of for her emotions to show so plainly on her face.

Qiao Yun also chimed in with a smile. “That is true! This servant finds it strange as well. Did Her Majesty the Empress give Miss some kind of reward?”

Ling Jingshu looked up, the radiance in her eyes outshining even the afternoon sunlight. “Bai Yu, Qiao Yun — Her Majesty the Empress has arranged a marriage for me.”

Bai Yu and Qiao Yun froze for a moment, then the understanding hit them.

“Is it true?” Bai Yu lunged forward in a single step and seized Ling Jingshu’s hand in both of hers, her face alight with ecstatic joy. “Her Majesty the Empress has truly arranged a marriage for Miss? Is it Imperial Physician Wei? Listen to me — I am so happy I can barely think straight. Who else could it be but Imperial Physician Wei.”

Bai Yu was so overjoyed she was nearly speaking in circles.

Over these past two years, though Ling Jingshu had never said so explicitly, what personal maid worthy of the title could fail to perceive the closeness between her mistress and Wei Yan?

The pity of it was that though the two of them had no shortage of opportunities to see each other, finding moments alone together in secret, away from all watching eyes, was extraordinarily difficult to manage. Every time Bai Yu caught sight of Ling Jingshu and Wei Yan exchanging a silent glance from across the room, she felt a faint, aching sorrow in her heart.

And now, at last, Empress Wei had given the decree.

After long endurance, the clouds parted and the moon shone through.

Two hearts bound as one had finally found their way together.

Was there anything more beautiful in the world than this?

In contrast to the overjoyed and barely-contained Bai Yu, Qiao Yun was considerably calmer. She smiled and gave a respectful bow. “Congratulations to Miss, on this auspicious match and this most fitting of husbands. With Her Majesty the Empress having personally given the decree, this marriage will certainly be carried out with grandeur and distinction.”

Most importantly — with Empress Wei having given the decree, there was no longer any possibility of the marriage being altered or undone.

What a pity for the Crown Grandson, who had given his heart so earnestly…

Qiao Yun quietly mourned on the Crown Grandson’s behalf in her heart. But at a moment like this, such mourning was truly not fitting to express aloud.

The commotion stirred by the two maids brought Ling Jingshu’s heart drifting back down to earth from its heights. She composed herself and said with a smile, “Her Majesty has already given her instructions. Starting from today, I will no longer need to attend her. Pack up the clothing and luggage, and in a few days I will leave the palace and return to the Ling residence.”

This, too, was a wonderfully welcome surprise!

Bai Yu smiled at first — then, as she smiled, her eyes turned red. “Miss has endured over two years within these palace walls. At last, the day has come to leave and go home.”

Ling Jingshu gave a soft, quiet laugh tinged with a long sigh. “Indeed. I never imagined this day would come so soon.”

In the blink of an eye, it had already been over two years since she entered the palace. The deep palace stretched on and on without end, locking away the youth and years of every woman within its walls. Day by day, month by month, it left a person gradually numb and hollow.

She had nearly forgotten what those days of waiting at home before entering the palace had been like — how leisurely, how full of ease.

Mistress and maid looked at each other, and overcome with emotion, they held each other and let a few tears fall.

At moments like these, Qiao Yun always found herself standing somewhat at the edges.

In terms of feeling, she could not match the closeness between Bai Yu and Ling Jingshu. And her role as an informant placed yet another invisible barrier between herself and Ling Jingshu that would never fully dissolve.

Qiao Yun hesitated for only a moment, then quietly withdrew and gently pulled the door shut behind her.

Such important news — it must be conveyed to the Crown Grandson as swiftly as possible.

……

The news of Empress Wei personally decreeing a marriage for Ling Jingshu spread rapidly throughout the palace.

In an instant, it drew no small amount of astonished and envious gazes from all directions.

Over these many years, Wei Yan had remained unattached, and the number of palace maids and court ladies who had quietly harbored feelings for him was beyond counting. Because Wei Yan had steadfastly refused to marry, those who admired him could only console themselves with the thought that so long as this exceptional man had not yet become another woman’s husband, they still had a chance.

Now that Empress Wei had become the mistress of the inner palace, Wei Yan was in all propriety the National Uncle, a station even more distinguished than before.

The Emperor was granting him a residence. Empress Wei was personally arranging the marriage decree, and on top of that, personally preparing a generous dowry for the bride. A match like this was enough to make others dizzy with envy, wishing they could take the bride’s place for themselves.

How had all this good fortune landed on Ling Jingshu of all people!

No matter how much they envied her, resented her, or burned with indignation, nothing they felt could change the fact of Ling Jingshu’s impending marriage to Wei Yan. They had no choice but to each pack away their sour feelings and carefully prepare gifts for the occasion, hoping to use the sending of gifts as an excuse to get closer to the future Imperial Noble Consort’s household.

In the span of just three days, the threshold of Ling Jingshu’s room had nearly been worn smooth from the traffic. Acquaintances and strangers alike, familiar faces and faces she had never seen — they came one after another to bring gifts. Unable to decline graciously, Ling Jingshu had no choice but to summon her patience and receive each one in turn.

Gold hairpins, jade ornaments, gemstone bracelets, fine bolts of cloth… two full trunks, filled to the brim.

And that was nothing compared to what followed.

The dowry gifts bestowed directly by Empress Wei filled dozens of trunks. Gold and silver wares, fine jade ornaments, precious jewels, bolts of exquisite cloth, aromatic spices, rouge and powder — and among them, several trunks of precious medicinal tonics and herbs from within the palace itself.

Ling Jingshu’s room could not contain it all. Empress Wei simply ordered that the items be sent ahead to the Ling residence first.

By now, the betrothal between Ling Jingshu and Wei Yan had been spoken of all across the capital.

Wei Yan’s reputation among the common people was extraordinarily fine, and his marriage naturally drew the attention of all. When Empress Wei sent servants to deliver the dowry to the Ling residence, onlookers followed behind in a great stream to watch the spectacle, packing the alleyway outside the Ling residence so tightly that not even water could pass through.