Chapter 14: As if Deliberately Drawing a Line with Him

Chapter 14: As If Deliberately Drawing a Line Between Them

Not having been physically exhausted, Pei Yun slept quite comfortably. However, shortly after the Crown Prince left, she was woken up by Shu Yan and Shu Mo.

Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year. In addition to the civil and military officials attending the grand court celebration, consorts, noble ladies, princes, and imperial family members were all required to participate in the formal greetings.

Pei Yun sat on a chair, allowing Shu Yan to do her hair. From time to time, Shu Yan glanced at her mistress and, noticing her cheerful mood, couldn’t help but remark, "Your Highness, I noticed His Highness the Crown Prince seemed rather displeased this morning..."

Pei Yun smirked dismissively.

Good—his displeasure was exactly what she wanted.

After last night’s incident, the Crown Prince would likely have little interest in touching her again.

It had been the same in her past life. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was a bit of a gentleman and did not retaliate by neglecting her. He still stayed over at Linglong Palace two or three nights a month—though merely to sleep.

Pei Yun supposed it was because the Crown Prince cared about appearances. Even if he harbored resentment toward her, he wouldn’t want rumors of discord between the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to spread.

Once she was dressed and ready, Li Jin, now neatly groomed, arrived.

Chen'er was still too little to participate in such ceremonies, so Pei Yun could only take her eldest son to Noble Consort Gao’s Yong'an Palace.

With no empress in the palace and the Empress Dowager practicing and praying at the Zhaolian Mountain Temple far away, all matters had to be overseen by Noble Consort Gao. After Emperor Qingzhen received the court officials’ greetings at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he would proceed to the Palace of Heavenly Purity for the inner court celebrations.

Consorts, noble ladies, princes, and imperial family members took turns stepping forward to pay their respects in a long and tedious ceremony.

It was not until the hour of the Monkey (around 3–5 p.m.) that Pei Yun finally had some free time.

The Crown Prince still had to accompany Emperor Qingzhen at the Palace of Heavenly Purity to feast with the court officials, so Pei Yun had dinner with her son, Li Jin.

After the meal, Jin Er played with his little brother for a while before rising to take his leave, saying he still had his calligraphy exercises to complete and would return first.

It was only the first day of the new year—what kid wouldn’t rather play? Pei Yun tried to persuade him to stay, saying the calligraphy could wait, but Jin Er insisted on returning to the Inkstone Palace.

Pei Yun just said 'Yes'.

She knew Jin Er’s diligence was part of why he wanted to leave, but also partly out of fear—fear that she might one day revert to being that strict, unfeeling mother again, leaving him no room for carelessness.

Pei Yun’s heart ached bitterly. Chen'er was easier to make amends to, but Jin Er—she had truly turned him into this overly cautious boy, destroying what should have been his most carefree childhood.

She had thought they had grown much closer than before, but now it seemed the road ahead was still long.

On the second day of the new year, shortly after breakfast, Shu Mo handed her a letter delivered from outside the palace.

Pei Yun opened it, skimmed the contents, and couldn’t help but smile.

Shu Yan asked curiously, "What good news has made Your Highness so happy?"

"Good news indeed," Pei Yun replied, putting the letter aside. She rose and walked to the writing desk, swiftly penning a few lines before sealing them in an envelope and handing it to Shu Mo. "Send this out."

Shu Mo just said 'Yes', tucked the letter into her sleeve, and hurried out of the Linglong Palace.

Pei Yun then turned to Shu Yan. "Go to the Chenghua Palace and ask Eunuch Sheng Xi to inform His Highness that I will be returning to the Duke’s residence the day after tomorrow."

Shu Yan hesitated for a moment.

In the past, her mistress would have personally gone to inform him.

But she held her tongue, just said 'Yes,' and departed to carry out the order.

Though Shu Yan said nothing, Pei Yun could read her thoughts from her face.

Though Emperor Qingzhen had granted the officials a few days of leave, the Crown Prince wasn't one to sit idle. At this moment, he was surely handling state affairs in the study of Chenghua Palace.

She didn't need to bother him with what he'd consider trivial. He wouldn’t refuse her request anyway.

And after last night’s incident, the Crown Prince might not even wish to see her. She'd do well to stay out of his sight.

Meanwhile, in the study of Chenghua Palace.

Sheng Xi rushed in and, seeing the Crown Prince buried in documents, hesitated to interrupt.

He cast a pleading glance at his mentor, Chang Lu, who immediately understood. Quietly replacing the cooled tea by the Crown Prince’s side, Chang Lu said worriedly, "Your Highness, you've been at this for over an hour. You'll strain your eyes—rest a moment."

Li Zhangye lifted his gaze slightly and quickly noticed Sheng Xi waiting nearby.

"What is it?"

Sheng Xi hurried forward. "Your Highness, Her Highness the Crown Princess has sent word that she wishes to return to her family's estate the day after tomorrow, likely to visit her mother and grandmother."

Li Zhangye’s brow furrowed, and he glanced toward the partition door, puzzled as to why she hadn’t come in person.

But then he remembered—his wife was still giving him the cold shoulder.

After a pause, he said to Sheng Xi, "For this trip, help her pick out the finest items from the treasury. Tell her to spare no expense—jewelry, fabrics, medicinal herbs, antiques, and paintings—everything must be of the highest quality."

Sheng Xi blinked in surprise. His Highness had never been so particular before.

It seemed he was taking the Crown Princess’s visit seriously.

But upon closer consideration, Sheng Xi sensed a misunderstanding in his master’s words.

Hesitantly, he ventured, "Your Highness, Her Highness has never taken anything from the Eastern Palace treasury for her previous visits to her family's estate..."

Li Zhangye’s brush froze mid-air. His eyes cut to Sheng Xi, his voice icy. "Then where did her gifts come from?"

Knowing Pei Shi, he doubted she would return empty-handed. A thought struck him, and sure enough, Sheng Xi answered truthfully.

"They were all from Her Highness’s private collection."

Sheng Xi shot a nervous look at his master and continued, "Except for the last time, when Her Highness urgently needed a century-old ginseng. Perhaps her private stores lacked it, so she sent Shu Mo to request one. Though it was more of an exchange—I had no choice but to accept the lingzhi mushroom gifted by the Duke in return... along with a pair of ruby earrings..."

As Sheng Xi's words faltered, Li Zhangye’s expression darkened. His grip on the brush tightened slightly. "Why was this never reported to me?"

Sheng Xi knew his master’s temper well. Though the Crown Prince appeared calm and composed, his tone and face showed he was furious.

He hastily knelt and kowtowed. "Your Highness, forgive my oversight."

Chang Lu, standing nearby, understood that Sheng Xi couldn’t be entirely blamed. Protective of his disciple, he offered carefully, "Your Highness, Her Highness has always minded her manners. Perhaps she refrained from using the palace treasury to avoid gossip."

Li Zhangye set down his brush, deep in thought.

As Chang Lu said, Pei Shi always minded her manners—this did align with her usual behavior.

Yet... that uneasy feeling nagged at Li Zhangye again.

Pei Shi was being too proper by half.

Like she was deliberately keeping her husband at arm's length.

After a moment of contemplation, his stern expression eased slightly as he addressed Sheng Xi, who was kneeling below. "Get up and bring the inventory list from the treasury."

Linglang Palace.

Pei Yun repeatedly examined the list detailing her private collection. Her personal items were not extensive, consisting mostly of pieces expressly given to her by Emperor Qingzhen, the Crown Prince, the late Empress, and various palace consorts.

Earlier, she had already given the best-quality deer antler to her grandmother. This time, upon returning, she feared she would no longer have medicinal ingredients of such high quality. After much deliberation, her finger hovered over a lesser-quality ginseng root when a palace attendant entered to announce that Eunuch Sheng had arrived.

Pei Yun set down the list and saw Sheng Xi stride in briskly, bowing deeply before her.

"This servant greets Your Highness."

Pei Yun wondered if the Crown Prince had any instructions for her. Before she could inquire, seven or eight young eunuchs followed behind, carrying heavy red-lacquered chests and placing them before her until the inner chamber was nearly filled.

Shu Mo and Shu Yan exchanged surprised glances, while Pei Yun frowned slightly. "Sheng, what is this...?"

"Your Highness, His Highness learned of your upcoming visit to the Duke's mansion and personally selected these gifts from the treasury for you to take back." Sheng Xi gestured for the chests to be opened. "His Highness also instructed that you examine them carefully. If anything is lacking, just let me know, and I shall replenish it immediately."

Pei Yun stared at the vast assortment of items before her, taken aback and couldn't guess what the Crown Prince was up to.

In the past, whenever she wished to return to the Duke's household and reported to him, he would just say 'approved' and instruct Chang Lu to arrange proper escort—never saying much else. Why this sudden change...?

She pursed her lips slightly as she gave the gifts a quick glance before smiling. "This is more than enough. Please convey my gratitude to His Highness."

"As you wish."

Before leaving, Sheng Xi added, "Your Highness, His Highness specifically instructed me to inform you that from now on, whenever you return to the Duke's mansion, you may freely take items from the main treasury without hesitation."

Pei Yun was momentarily speechless at these words before nodding and instructing Shu Mo to see Sheng Xi out. Only then did she rise to examine the gifts bestowed by the Crown Prince in detail.

Among them were several familiar items, all of considerable value.

After much thought, Pei Yun could only conclude that, since it's the new year, the Crown Prince did not wish for her to lose face and had thus provided these items so she could save face—as proper decorum demanded.

As for his final remark...

The Crown Prince valued his reputation above all. If the Crown Princess repeatedly returned to her family with only her own belongings, it would inevitably invite gossip.

Regardless of the Crown Prince's intentions, the high-quality deer antler among the gifts resolved one of Pei Yun's greatest worries.

After reviewing the items, she picked up an embroidered red brocade box from one of the chests, running her fingers over the exquisitely carved, lifelike white jade rabbit inside. A faint smile touched her lips.

Such a charming little thing—Yan Yan would surely adore it.

On the day of her return to the Duke's mansion, Pei Yun rose before dawn—not due to sleeplessness, but because Chen'er had woken early, crying for his feeding. Pei Yun had no choice but to rise as well, instructing Shu Mo to summon the wet nurse to feed him.

She took the opportunity to get dressed and ready. By the time she finished, breakfast was ready, and Chen'er, now full, showed no signs of sleepiness. Instead, he was full of energy, reaching and fussing for his mother to hold him.

Pei Yun could only take the child into her arms, clasping his tiny hand as she smiled. "Chen'er is so clingy—how can your mother bear to leave you behind?"

Yet, though the new year had passed, the outdoors remained freezing cold. It was unwise to take the child out, and furthermore, today's visit to the Duke's mansion was not the right occasion for bringing Chen'er along.

After eating a light breakfast to settle her stomach and coaxing the child back to sleep, Pei Yun finally left Linglang Palace and boarded the sedan chair bound for the palace gates.

The sedan chair jolted for a while before coming to a steady halt. Pei Yun knew they had exited the palace and would now switch to a carriage.

Soon, the sedan chair curtain was lifted, and a hand reached in from outside. Pei Yun naturally placed her hand atop it—at first, she noticed nothing amiss.

Until that hand closed around hers, enveloping it completely. The rough texture of calloused palms made her pause slightly.

The daylight outside the sedan chair streamed in as Pei Yun squinted and looked up, meeting the man's deep, abyss-like eyes—dark and unfathomable.

His thin lips parted, and he spoke by her ear.

"I'll go with you."