Chapter 1: Exploring Spring

Chapter 1: Spring Outing

On the third day of the third lunar month—the Spring Outing festival.

As the morning mist faded, a pale golden sun draped its light like a gossamer veil over the delicate and fragrant little courtyard below.

On the spring apricot blossoms that had bloomed just a few days prior, dew drops grew increasingly sparse under the morning light, leaving the petals damp. A casual brush of the hand would send the lingering droplets splashing onto the back of one's hand.

It was cool and refreshing.

Take the young maid sweeping the grounds, for instance. She giggled as she shook off the cool droplets from her hand, sniffed the dew-laden apricot blossoms, her eyes sparkling with joy.

At the open doorway, several maids in green skirts emerged carrying washing utensils, having finished attending to the lady of the house.

The pale golden sunlight streamed through the latticed window, falling upon the soft pink petals in the white porcelain vase, gilding the delicate apricot blossoms with a radiant halo, the spring light warm and serene.

Her gaze drifted to the young lady's exquisite dressing table, where a polished bronze mirror was set into the yellow rosewood stand, reflecting the face of a maiden fresh from sleep, still free of makeup.

An oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and round, bright apricot eyes.

Beneath a dainty, rounded nose was a soft pink mouth, with a delicate cupid's bow and a slightly fuller lower lip.

To be fair, her features could only be called pleasant-looking—nothing remarkable among the many beauties of Yanjing.

Only her skin, white and luminous, might stand out a little more in the sunlight.

Other than that, there was nothing special.

"Today is the Spring Outing, Jin He, do my hair in something light and simple!"

Her voice matched her looks—sweet and soft, tinged with a crisp brightness from her excitement, a pleasure to hear.

Behind her, a maid in blue attire replied with a smile, "Got it, miss. I'll do a double bun today, and how about pinning in the new apricot blossom hairpin you got?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Nothing could be more perfect than that. Liu Yun nodded happily, her silky black hair bouncing as she nodded, making her skin look snow-white and jade-lustrous.

Jin He was skilled, having learned the art of hairstyling as a child. Whatever the style, she could master it after just a few glances—truly quick and nimble-fingered.

In no time, she had finished a playful, neat double bun, and adorned it with a one-of-a-kind apricot blossom hairpin.

The pin was made of warm, smooth white jade, crowned with a spring apricot carved from rose quartz.

The stone was soft pink and lustrous, translucent and dreamy under the sunlight—so beautiful no young lady could resist it.

This was a new hairpin Liu Yun had just had made, delivered by Baofu Studio just yesterday at dusk. She had even slept with it in her arms that night.

Her eyes sparkling as she gazed at her reflection, she reached out happily to touch the translucent apricot blossom pin, held her face in her hands, and looked left and right, her smile never fading.

Once she'd had her fill of admiring herself, Liu Yun sat up straight and said to Jin He, who was behind her, "We'll be out playing today, since the sun will be strong and we'll be sweating, so skip the powder. Just do my brows and apply some lip tint, sis."

Unlike the more formal demeanor she maintained in public, Liu Yun was much more affectionate with those close to her when alone with them.

For instance, she addressed Jin He and Yu He, her childhood attendants, as "sis."

Last year, Yu He had come of age and found a sweetheart, so Liu Yun had given her a dowry and married her off.

Jin He had no one she fancied and was unwilling to leave, so she stayed on to continue serving.

Unlike Yu He's quiet reserve, Jin He was lively, loved to laugh, and was more talkative.

At this moment, hearing Liu Yun's request, she said with a smile, "Don't worry, miss, I've got it covered. Besides, your skin is so fair, skipping powder won't make a difference."

Indeed, if one had to pick a single trait, the one thing that set Liu Yun apart from most others was her dazzlingly white skin.

At this moment, her fair, snow-white cheeks were flushed with a rosy glow from a full night's sleep.

It looked as if rouge had been applied, saving Jin He the trouble of applying makeup.

She simply drew a crescent-moon brow as usual, applied a thin layer of vermilion lip tint, and finished with a pearl floral decal on her forehead—done.

Looking at the lively young lady in the mirror, Jin He smiled a satisfied smile.

In Jin He's eyes, her mistress was the prettiest girl in all of Yanjing.

Since they were going out for a spring stroll, Liu Yun set aside her chest-high wrap skirt and chose a light, narrow-sleeved short-sleeved top instead.

A pale yellow short-sleeved gauze robe, layered with a grass-green V-neck half-sleeve jacket, paired with a lotus-pink high-waisted skirt.

Finally, an apricot-pink silk scarf draped over her shoulders.

Stepping out of Wuchun Courtyard, Liu Yun saw her mother approaching, pressing a bundle of things into her hands to take along.

"Take it all—drink and eat when you're thirsty or hungry, don't skip meals just to play. And these medicines, apply them right away if you get bitten by a bug."

Zhang Yuhua held her daughter's soft hands and reminded her, her face full of maternal care and affection.

Inside were several of Liu Yun's favorite pastries and a chilled lychee drink kept cold with ice.

Though called a lychee drink, it wasn't made from actual lychees.

Lychees were precious; whether from Lingnan or Sichuan, transporting them to Yanjing was no small task.

Thus, the lychees sent each year at great expense were distributed by the emperor to the nobility and imperial relatives, and a minor official's family like the Lius, ranked fifth grade, wasn't lucky enough to enjoy them.

It was only at age fifteen that Liu Yun was lucky enough to taste one at Princess Changyang's birthday banquet, and she had been craving it ever since.

The lychee drink was made from smoked plums, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and rock sugar. Though not true lychee, it captured a hint of the flavor, and Liu Yun adored it.

Joyfully, she had the maids behind her take the pastries and drinks, along with the insect-repellent medicines, and said in her soft, sweet voice, "Thank you, Mother, I know."

Her mother was the gentlest and kindest in the world, and Liu Yun wished to be her daughter in the next life, and the one after, in every life to come.

Zhang Yuhua patted her daughter's bun, which looked like a little rabbit's ears, and said with a tender smile, "Alright, be careful, and have fun on your outing."

Liu Yun nodded and hummed in agreement, bid her mother farewell, and stepped out of the house.

The Liu residence sat in Yong'an Ward, southwest of the city, three blocks away from the bustling Western Market. Though not a prime location, the capital was vast, and living there wasn't easy.

To secure a decent home in the city where land was worth its weight in gold, her father had spent eight hundred strings of cash on a house with two courtyards, wiping out most of the savings from his ten years as a county magistrate.

Thus, the family had lived frugally for the first two years, but fortunately, officials in the capital were paid better, and the Lius quickly got on their feet in Yanjing, becoming one of countless minor official families in the city.

Much like Liu Yun's standing among the young ladies of Yanjing.

Stepping out of the gate, Liu Yun climbed into a small carriage using a footstool and, with a few servants and maids, set off for the Wei River outside the city.

To uphold the family's standing, her father, after purchasing the house, had gritted his teeth and bought two more carriages.

One big, one small—the big one cost eighty strings of cash, the small one sixty.

Mom and Dad took the big one, and Liu Yun and her little brother got the small one.

As the carriage rolled along, the two lanterns with the character "Liu" on them swayed in a steady rhythm under the eaves.

Yong'an Ward was a long way from the imperial city, and Dad had to get up early every morning for roll call, but it was a lot closer when you were heading out of the capital.

You only had to pass through Xuanyi and Yongda Wards to get to Xuanwu Avenue, which led out to the suburbs.

In the third month of spring, people wore thin clothes, and the carriage got stuffy. Liu Yun kept lifting the curtain to let some air in.

In the distance, she spotted Xuanwu Avenue—wide and spotless.

It was wide enough for ten carriages to ride side by side, with green willows lining both sides, their branches swaying in the breeze.

Just as Liu Yun's carriage was about to leave the lane and the horse's hooves were about to hit the bluestone of Xuanwu Avenue, a crisp jingle of bells rang out, followed by the heavy, rhythmic stomp of marching troops.

"It's the Crown Prince's entourage!"

Someone said, and every carriage coming out of the side lanes screeched to a halt.

Not only that, but the carriages that had already gone ahead quickly pulled over to the side, clearing the wide road.

Liu Yun's carriage naturally stopped at the entrance of the lane, waiting for the Crown Prince to go first.

Quietly lifting the curtain, Liu Yun noticed that a lot of daughters from official families in the capital were there.

Daughters of the Left and Right Ministers, the Censor-in-Chief, the Zhongshu Ling, and all sorts of dukes and marquises—way too many to list.

But the most eye-catching thing was a golden chariot in the middle, surrounded by the Imperial Guard.

That was the highest-grade carriage for the Crown Prince, usually only used for his investiture, wedding, or major court assemblies.

But today...

After thinking it over, Liu Yun couldn't think of any big event that would call for the Crown Prince's golden chariot.

As she waited quietly, she suddenly saw the Crown Prince's golden chariot stop too, not moving anymore.

At that, no one dared to go ahead of the Crown Prince. All the carriages stayed put, staring at him in confusion.

After a moment, a young eunuch ran out from the Imperial Guard and bowed to the carriages in all directions, saying, "His Highness asks the ladies to go first."

Everyone was shocked by this.

Since when was the Crown Prince so polite?

It really was a miracle!

Though confused, the carriages went back to moving, each going their own way.

Only Liu Yun hesitated for a second.

She was right at the entrance of the lane—should she go forward or back up?

Seeing the Imperial Guard still waiting there without moving, Liu Yun decided to be bold.

"Let's go."

She told the driver, then lowered the curtain, leaned against Jin He beside her, and giggled. "I never thought I'd get to go ahead of the Crown Prince one day~"

Jin He smiled back. "Well, now you've had the experience, miss."

Xuanwu Avenue was wide and long. After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the city gate still looked far away. Just as Liu Yun was about to sigh at how slow it was, a commotion broke out behind them.

It sounded like a group of riders was galloping toward them, hooves pounding wildly.

At this moment, it was definitely unusual. Liu Yun wanted to see who was so bold as to ride recklessly in front of the Crown Prince, so she lifted the curtain.

At that exact moment, a jet-black horse's head suddenly filled her view, like a heavy stroke of ink on the beautiful spring day.

Then came the horse's body, shining black in the sunlight.

Of course, the most striking thing was the rider.

A purple-gold crown, a red tassel ribbon, a young man in purple robes with a jade belt—so noble and refined, so incredibly handsome.

Sensing Liu Yun's gaze, even in that brief moment on the galloping horse, he looked straight at her.

Phoenix eyes full of authority, sharp and piercing, with an arrogance that looked down on everyone—eyes full of control and aggression.

That one glance made Liu Yun's heart stop, and she quickly pulled her head back in.

That scared me half to death—I shouldn't have been so nosy.

Even though her father was only a fifth-rank official, Liu Yun had seen the Crown Prince at all sorts of banquets.

But this time was a bit too close, and she couldn't handle it.

She was gentle and kind by nature, liked to hang out with people like that, and was most afraid of people who were sharp and fierce.

The Crown Prince, Xiao Hang, was the worst of them all.

Arrogant and proud, with a sharp and cutting personality, the young heir soaked in imperial power gave off an air of lofty authority in everything he did.

Not to be questioned, not to be challenged.

Liu Yun instinctively feared people like that.

That one glance took her a long time to recover from. She didn't finally relax until they reached the Wei River and met up with Zhen Zhen.

Author's Note:

We're starting the story! We're starting the story!

I don't have many saved drafts, but it's time, and I really can't hold onto drafts, so I'm just diving right in!

This book is unexpected—I didn't think I'd write it this fast, since it's from my latest batch of ideas. According to my original plan, new ideas without pre-orders would have to wait in line to build up enough pre-orders before I could start. But luckily, I met some angel readers who promoted it, and the organic support got me enough pre-orders to start. So I'm happily starting this book—thank you, little angels!

Finally, a brief introduction to the story:

A very Mary Sue, sweet and down-to-earth romance—a top-tier elite falling for an ordinary girl like me.

Simple writing style; if you don't like it, just click away.

Focuses on romance, almost no political intrigue.

Characters have flaws, not perfect.

Respect the fruits of labor, support the original.