Lin Hong walked alone toward the Lizheng Gate. Zhenzhen thought about it and ultimately felt uneasy, so after he re-entered the Jinyan Gallery, she quietly followed behind him, wanting to escort him to the palace gates. As they approached the end of the Jinyan Gallery, they suddenly saw Zhao Ai and Yin Rui coming toward them. Both wore narrow-sleeved riding attire and carried bows and arrows on their backs, apparently returning from hunting somewhere. Zhao Ai held a porcupine in his hand, laughing heartily as he brandished it toward Yin Rui, while Yin Rui held up a gray wild rabbit with both hands, dodging left and right to avoid the porcupine’s quills touching him. The two chased and played in the gallery like mischievous children of seven or eight years old.

Seeing this, Lin Hong stopped and waited quietly for them to approach while playing. Zhenzhen covered her forehead with her hand, turned her head away with closed eyes and sighed silently, feeling that those two were extremely childish. In comparison, Lin Hong before her seemed even more like a jade tree among orchids, elegant and refined.

Yin Rui was the first to notice Lin Hong. Having previously been ordered to escort Lin Hong to survey the Jujing Garden, he recognized him and immediately approached with a smile to pay his respects, introducing him to Zhao Ai: “Second Prince, this is Xuanyi Lang, the cousin of Consort Liu.”

Lin Hong returned Yin Rui’s greeting, then turned to bow to Zhao Ai. However, Zhao Ai noticed Zhenzhen behind him, and his smile immediately faded. His gaze swept between Lin Hong and Zhenzhen, finally settling on their shoes, causing his brow to furrow slightly.

Zhao Ai knew that the Emperor and Consort Liu were hosting Lin Hong at the Furong Pavilion today. Seeing Zhenzhen accompanying Lin Hong, he guessed that His Majesty had ordered Zhenzhen to escort him out. But both Lin Hong and Zhenzhen had soft mud on the edges of their shoes, indicating that they hadn’t traveled entirely on the palace’s main paths. From the Furong Pavilion to here, the main roads were all brick and stone steps or wooden floors—one wouldn’t get mud on their feet unless they deviated from the steps and galleries to go to the flower gardens and dense forests.

Zhao Ai held his breath and looked up, carefully observing Lin Hong. He found him indeed dignified and graceful, with an extraordinary bearing as rumored. Then he noticed a speck of locust blossom attached to one side of his three-beam crown. The locust blossom grove was far from the Jinyan Gallery, and this time of day was rarely frequented by people. Thinking of this, Zhao Ai became even more puzzled. Looking at Zhenzhen again, he saw her silently gazing at Lin Hong’s back, lost in thought, apparently even forgetting to greet him.

His heart inevitably felt sour, but Zhao Ai tried hard to suppress it, not letting his emotions show. With a change of thought, he approached Lin Hong with a smile, cupping his hands: “So this is Uncle Lin! I’ve long admired your great reputation—what an honor to meet you!”

This address of “Uncle” surprised all three others. Lin Hong lowered his eyes and said “I dare not accept such honor,” but Zhao Ai stepped forward warmly to take Lin Hong’s hand, turning him toward Zhenzhen with a smile: “Zhenzhen, Uncle Lin is our elder. You must show him extra respect and not forget proper etiquette. When escorting uncle out of the palace, how can you walk behind him? You should walk ahead and guide his way.”

Who’s this “our”?! And he’s forcing Teacher Lin to be my “uncle”? Zhenzhen thought angrily, silently cursing Zhao Ai in her heart. However, constrained by etiquette and unable to openly refute him in public, she could only respond coldly and vaguely, then moved to walk in front of Lin Hong.

Seeing the situation between the two, Lin Hong understood somewhat and bowed to Zhao Ai: “The palace gate is just ahead—no need to trouble Food Preparation Manager Wu to escort me further.”

Zhao Ai nodded: “In that case, Uncle Lin, please return early to rest.”

Lin Hong bid farewell to Zhao Ai, Yin Rui, and Zhenzhen one by one.

After Lin Hong left, Zhao Ai smiled at Zhenzhen: “Let me escort you back to the Royal Kitchen.”

Zhenzhen replied coldly: “There are distinctions of rank and status—I dare not trouble the Second Prince with escorting me.” She gave him a slight bow and turned to leave.

Zhao Ai chuckled and continued along the Jinyan Gallery back to his quarters. Yin Rui hurried to catch up, asking curiously: “Consort Liu is merely the prince’s concubine mother with a low rank. The prince is His Majesty’s legitimate son—why would you call her cousin ‘uncle’?”

Zhao Ai said indifferently: “Our dynasty values propriety and ritual. As a member of the imperial clan, I should naturally set an example and show extra respect to elder relatives. What’s wrong with calling him ‘uncle’? Excessive courtesy never offends.”

“I see…” Yin Rui seemed to understand suddenly, scratching his head and laughing: “Speaking of which, I’m also the prince’s elder. Should the prince start calling me uncle in the future? How embarrassing…”

“What did you say? I didn’t hear you.” Zhao Ai raised the porcupine again as if to swing it toward Yin Rui’s buttocks. “Let’s go, Yin Rui!”

Lin Hong soon requested an audience with the Emperor to ask permission to return to his hometown. The Emperor naturally refused, repeatedly trying to persuade him to stay. But Lin Hong was determined to leave. He actually left his official robes and the drawings he had made for the Jujing Garden in his quarters, changed into commoner’s clothes, and departed the capital on horseback.

The Emperor was quite angry and somewhat anxious. The Empress Dowager had never liked Consort Liu. His acceptance of the consort’s recommendation to let Lin Hong participate in the Jujing Garden design was also in hope that his work would satisfy the Empress Dowager, thus improving relations between the Empress Dowager and the consort. Initially, he dared not tell the Empress Dowager that Lin Hong was Consort Liu’s cousin, but first presented Lin Hong’s proposal. After the Empress Dowager approved it, he summoned Lin Hong to meet her and discuss details. The Empress Dowager was full of praise upon seeing him, repeatedly praising Lin Hong as a fine talent. Only then did the Emperor carefully tell her about Lin Hong’s relationship with Consort Liu. Though the Empress Dowager was somewhat displeased, she accepted this fact because she truly appreciated Lin Hong’s abilities. But Lin Hong, unaware of this hidden situation, rashly resigned his position and returned home—how could this be explained to the Empress Dowager? The Empress Dowager might think the siblings had conspired to make a fool of her, and would detest the consort even more in the future.

When the Emperor discussed this with Consort Liu, she was also terrified, falling to her knees in tears: “Brother Ning has long lived in the mountains like a free cloud or wild crane, used to acting as he pleases. He doesn’t understand rules or priorities. It’s because I failed to properly guide my cousin. I beg His Majesty to punish me. I’m willing to accept all responsibility and personally go to Wuyi Mountain to bring my cousin back.”

“Nonsense!” the Emperor scolded. “You are an imperial consort—how could you leave the palace to travel to distant prefectures? If your cousin doesn’t understand propriety, that’s one thing, but you’ve lived in the palace for years, yet you speak so inappropriately!”

Consort Liu wept profusely, prostrating herself on the ground and removing her hairpins in contrition.

Zhenzhen observed from the side and understood the Emperor’s difficulty. She found an opportunity when the two were alone to request: “Your Majesty, if you would permit it, this servant might be able to go to Wuyi Mountain to persuade Xuanyi Lang to return to the capital.”

“You?” the Emperor asked in surprise. “You’ve only met him once—what confidence do you have in persuading him?”

Zhenzhen gently presented a bowl of Soup Blooming Plum before the Emperor: “Before this servant entered the palace, Xuanyi Lang once taught me culinary arts. This Soup Blooming Plum, the previous Crab-Stuffed Orange, and Rosy Cloud Offering… he taught me to make all of these. We have a teacher-student relationship. I understand his temperament and nature—with proper guidance, he might listen.”

The Emperor studied her, pondering for a long time before finally saying: “Very well, you may try. Wuyi Mountain is far away—I’ll send two eunuchs to escort you there. You must return as soon as possible. As for the Empress Dowager, I’ll temporarily say that Lin Hong has family matters to handle and must leave the capital for a few days. Once everything is settled, he’ll return soon.”

Zhenzhen, escorted by two eunuchs, came to Wuyi Mountain. At the gate of the Wenqiao Inn, she saw Xin Sanniang feeding cranes in the garden, but Lin Hong was nowhere to be seen. Zhenzhen called out to Sanniang. Xin Sanniang looked up and saw her, momentarily forgetting her previous displeasure before Zhenzhen’s departure, and joyfully called out: “Zhenzhen, you’re back? Come in quickly!”

Zhenzhen told Xin Sanniang about being ordered to find Lin Hong. Sanniang said: “The young master bought a garden in Suzhou last year. He sent a letter a few days ago saying he wanted to stay in Suzhou for several days. If you’re looking for him, I’ll give you the address later—you can go there to find him.”

After dinner, having settled the lodging for the two eunuchs, Xin Sanniang led Zhenzhen to her former room: “After you left, the young master didn’t let me change anything inside. It’s kept exactly as it was when you were here. I regularly wash the bedding—he must be waiting for you to return.”

Zhenzhen looked around. The room was as elegant and clean as before—one bed, one chair, one cup, one bowl, exactly the same as before, as if she had never left.

“Last year on Mid-Autumn Festival, the young master came to this room at night, opened the doors and windows to look at the moon, and sat alone all night,” Sanniang said. “A’Che and I both guessed he was thinking of you.”

Obviously, he had been waiting for her to keep their Mid-Autumn appointment. Hearing this suddenly, Zhenzhen didn’t know whether to feel joy or sorrow. Following Sanniang’s description, she looked at where Lin Hong had sat that night, imagining his lonely vigil through the night, and her eyes immediately reddened. Under Sanniang’s questioning, she told of her original necessity to enter the palace to find her mother and the news of her mother’s death.

Sanniang sighed with feeling, then holding Zhenzhen’s hand, advised: “Since your mother is gone, you have no need to remain in the palace. You and the young master care for each other—why not be together? Though you entered the palace, you’re only a female official, so you still have opportunities to leave. When His Majesty wants to release palace women, you can make the request. I hear His Majesty is most benevolent to people—he would surely agree.”

Zhenzhen remained silent, then after a moment smiled sadly: “I saw the ‘Luo Shen’ in the palace.”

Sanniang was startled. Zhenzhen explained further: “The Luo Shen that A’Che mentioned, the fertility goddess you spoke of… the painting that Teacher Lin guards every day.”

“You saw Liu Luo Wei?” Sanniang asked.

Zhenzhen said despondently: “The person Teacher Lin truly loves is her, isn’t it?”

“Ah, that’s all from so many years ago.” Sanniang sighed and decided to tell her this old story. “After the young master’s father died in Lin’an, his mother brought him back to live on Wuyi Mountain. When the young master was five, a young woman came with an eight-year-old girl to find his mother. She said her surname was Yu, that she was the girl’s wet nurse, and that the girl’s surname was Liu—she was the young master’s cousin. They came from Lingnan because plague ravaged that region that year. The little girl’s parents both died from the disease, so the wet nurse had to bring her to seek refuge with the Lin family. She then produced various documents proving their identity. The young master’s father indeed had a cousin who married into Lingnan, but they lived far apart and hadn’t contacted each other for many years. His mother saw that the little girl was adorable as jade and snow, and very well-behaved, so she liked her very much and took in both her and her wet nurse. This little girl was Luo Wei.”

Zhenzhen nodded: “I heard His Majesty and Consort Liu mention this. Later, Lady Lin also passed away, and from then on the two children grew up depending on each other.”

“Exactly—they were the only relatives in the house, so they were especially close.” Sanniang continued: “The young master was very attached to Luo Wei, following her around every day… Strangely, though that Lady Yu was supposedly a wet nurse, she was beautiful with snow-white skin, not like a Lingnan person. Moreover, she could not only cook but also play the zither and dance, and spoke like someone from a wealthy family who had seen the world. She taught Luo Wei music, dance, and culinary arts from childhood, and had her study with the young master from morning till night. If Luo Wei showed any sign of fatigue or tried to rest, she would scold her…”

Zhenzhen asked in surprise: “She was just a wet nurse, yet dared to scold the young lady of the house?”

Sanniang said: “Yes, we found it strange too. She was very strict in disciplining Luo Wei, scolding her in front of us and sometimes even beating her in private. Once the young master discovered this, he protected Luo Wei and angrily rebuked Lady Yu, and only then did she restrain herself somewhat. We thought her behavior excessive and advised her repeatedly. She said Luo Wei’s parents hoped she would grow up to be a virtuous woman who understood music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as cooking, so she could support her husband and educate her children in the future. She was supervising the girl to fulfill her parents’ dying wishes. We couldn’t say much more, but the young master really disliked her and stayed even closer to Luo Wei, protecting her from Lady Yu’s scolding and beating… Later, as they grew older, everyone in the Lin family hoped the young master and Luo Wei would naturally marry, but Lady Yu was unwilling. She controlled Luo Wei even more strictly, absolutely forbidding the young master and Luo Wei to be alone together. When Luo Wei was eighteen, His Majesty was selecting women from among the people to enter the palace. Lady Yu secretly took Luo Wei to the selection without telling us, and only informed us after she was chosen and about to leave. The young master wept bitterly, begging Luo Wei to stay. Though Luo Wei was reluctant, under Lady Yu’s watchful eye, she said nothing and only sighed. On the day of departure, Lady Yu and Luo Wei went down the mountain before dawn, trying to avoid the young master’s attempts to persuade and stop them. But shortly after they left, the young master discovered this. It was a very cold autumn dawn, and the young master ran out chasing after Luo Wei wearing only a thin shirt. He ran to the river and finally caught up with them. The young master even grabbed Luo Wei’s hand, but Luo Wei still pulled her hand away and resolutely boarded the boat and left. The young master stood motionless, staring blankly at the river as he watched her leave, until noon when we forcibly dragged him back. He fell seriously ill afterward. During this time, I quietly disposed of all the belongings Luo Wei had left behind, fearing he would be heartbroken seeing them, and I forbade A’Che and the others from mentioning Luo Wei again. After he recovered, he never asked about her again, but he painted that picture himself and hung it in his room, looking at it all day…”

She paused here, patted Zhenzhen’s hand, and smiled at her: “Then you came, and the young master finally showed some vitality again and would smile. I thought that after all these years, he would gradually forget those who were vain and ambitious. Luo Wei has become His Majesty’s consort—this fact cannot be changed, and he surely understands this truth. So, as long as you put in some effort and treat him well, he will definitely forget Luo Wei and accept you.”

The next morning, Xin Sanniang saw Zhenzhen off at the ferry, holding her hand and repeatedly instructing: “When you get to Suzhou, play with the young master for a few more days—don’t rush back to the palace… The young master’s garden is very large, plenty of room for you to stay. Don’t go looking for an inn outside.”