Chapter 7: Jealousy

Chapter 7: Green-Eyed

As her thoughts churned, Liu Yun stopped watching the polo match and began pacing back and forth by herself.

"Hey, Shanshan, where are you going?"

Chen Wei noticed Liu Yun's distracted demeanor and pulled her attention away from Second Young Master Ling, calling out softly to Liu Yun, who had already walked several steps away.

Liu Yun made an excuse: "My stomach's a bit off. I'm gonna hit the ladies' room."

"I'll be fine with Jin He. Just wait for me here."

She figured she'd take a quick walk, sort out the ideas buzzing in her head, and then come back.

But just as she got going, she heard the thunderous sound of galloping hooves beside her.

Startled, Liu Yun whipped her head around and caught a flash of vivid red.

It was Young Marquis Ye, galloping over to cut off the colored ball that had rocketed out of bounds.

The ball came at a nasty angle—any ordinary player wouldn't have stood a chance of catching it.

But Young Marquis Ye was a different breed. He launched off his horse, did a full spin in midair, and smacked the ball right back with pinpoint accuracy.

His polo mallet ripped through the air with a sharp whistle, making Liu Yun's heart skip a beat.

Lost in her daze, something tumbled down toward her.

Liu Yun instinctively stuck out her hand and caught it.

It was a little embroidered pouch, still warm from its owner.

It must've been shaken loose by all that motion—nobody saw it coming.

Liu Yun stood there, clutching the pouch, completely frozen.

Young Marquis Ye looked just as stunned for a second, reaching out a hand, but then, as if remembering he still had a game to play, he shot Liu Yun a quick look and rode off.

The whole thing was over in a flash, and hardly anyone noticed. The field dove right back into the fierce scramble for the ball.

No one paid Liu Yun any mind as she stood there, dazed.

After all, she was never one to stand out.

Only the Crown Prince shot her a cool, lingering look, one hand absently calming his restless black horse.

When he looked up again, his phoenix eyes blazed with fierce battle intent.

In an instant, the whole crowd saw the game flip on its head.

The Crown Prince's calm, steady style suddenly turned razor-sharp and aggressive, his attacks so fierce and piercing that even the usually dominant Young Marquis Ye struggled to keep up. The red team started to fall apart.

On top of that, Ye Qingliu got the feeling the Crown Prince was acting weird, like he was gunning for him specifically.

He hadn't scored a single goal the whole match—it was just too weird.

Young Marquis Ye's easy grin faded fast, his face turning dead serious as he started giving it his all.

But in the end, he still lost to the Crown Prince, who'd been holding back all along.

The gong rang out, sealing the win, and cheers and applause erupted all around.

At this point, praising the Crown Prince wasn't just flattery anymore—commoners, court officials, and young nobles alike were all buzzing with genuine excitement.

The glossy black horse snorted hard, its hooves prancing happily on the grass, like it knew it had just won its master the game and was puffing with pride.

But Xiao Hang wasn't basking in the glory of some little polo match. Instead, he quietly turned his horse and let his gaze drift toward a certain slender figure.

She was still there, but now she had a glaring splash of bright color beside her.

Outside the enclosure, Liu Yun clutched the pouch nervously, waiting for Young Marquis Ye to come over.

She didn't dare budge an inch while holding someone else's stuff—especially Young Marquis Ye's—her heart in a total knot as she waited.

She couldn't care less who won or lost; all she wanted was to get rid of the hot potato in her hands.

Women's reputations weren't held to crazy strict standards these days, but taking a strange man's personal item was still a no-go. If someone with bad intentions caught wind of it, it could be a real problem.

She noticed that even though Young Marquis Ye had lost, he didn't look defeated or down at all. He was still glowing, bright as a blazing sun.

He hopped off his horse, wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, and strolled over to her with a dazzling smile.

Liu Yun's heart shot up to her throat. She barely dared to look at him before shoving the pouch that wasn't hers into his hands, stammering, "Y-Young Marquis Ye, y-your thing."

Liu Yun hardly ever talked to men outside her family, let alone someone like Young Marquis Ye.

After just one sentence, her face was already burning, and even that short phrase came out all jumbled—so embarrassing.

But he didn't seem to notice, keeping that easy, cheerful vibe with a light, natural tone.

"I got a little carried away with my swing there. Thanks for holding onto it, miss."

His fingers were long and slender, and he took the pouch from Liu Yun's palm with perfect manners.

"No, no, it was nothing. Just glad to help."

Liu Yun's voice came out barely a whisper. As she shook her head, the emerald ribbon in her hair fluttered, making her pale skin and rosy lips stand out even more.

Ye Qingliu was caught off guard for a second, then broke into a grin and asked, "Which family are you from, miss? I don't recall ever seeing you around."

"I'm from the Liu family. My father's a Director in the Ministry of Works."

Liu Yun was caught off guard but answered honestly, even though her mind was somewhere else entirely.

Of course he wouldn't remember her. She was just the daughter of a low-ranking official, plain in looks and talent, easily lost in the dazzling crowd of Yanjing.

Only someone like the Duke of Weiguo's fourth daughter would even register in his mind.

Everyone in Yanjing knew Young Marquis Ye had a thing for Wei Shu, the Duke of Weiguo's fourth daughter, always trailing her carriage and trying to win her over. But Wei Shu thought he was just a spoiled playboy with a good name and a pretty face, and she looked down on him.

Every young lady from an official family in Yanjing, if she had even a shred of ambition, dreamed of becoming Crown Princess.

Even though the Crown Prince had once been brutally blunt about it, that hadn't stopped their hopes.

Just like her mother always said—the Crown Prince might be picky, but he'd have to marry and pick a Crown Princess eventually, and when he did, he'd naturally go for the best.

So in the minds of Yanjing's young ladies, as long as you stood out enough, you still had a shot at being Crown Princess.

Take Secretary Qin's eldest daughter, the Censor-in-Chief's ninth daughter from the Fan family, and a few daughters of the Left and Right Vice Directors of the Department of State Affairs—they were all strong contenders for the Crown Princess spot.

Wei Shu was naturally one of them, and a strikingly outstanding one at that.

The fourth daughter of the Wei family, born into a ducal household, was stunningly beautiful and skilled in song and dance. Countless young men in the capital had been captivated by her and come seeking her hand in marriage.

Now that she had reached eighteen without yet choosing a husband, it was clear who she was waiting for.

"So you are Miss Liu. A pleasure to meet you."

Upon hearing Liu Yun announce her family name, Young Marquis Ye immediately clasped his hands in greeting, looking dashing and full of energy, enough to make your heart flutter.

Liu Yun was nothing more than an ordinary young woman, and speaking with such a handsome and elegant young lord naturally made her heart race. She hastily curtsied.

"Greetings, Young Marquis."

"Since I've returned the item, I won't stay any longer. Farewell."

Flustered by the encounter and not daring to meet Young Marquis Ye's eyes sparkling with laughter, Liu Yun caught a glimpse of Fourth Miss Wei in a red dress approaching nearby and hurried to take her leave.

Though Fourth Miss Wei had never accepted Young Marquis Ye's affections, bumping into them together was never a good thing. If she also ran into County Princess Rong'an, she'd definitely be in for trouble.

It was best to get away from this mess as quickly as possible.

With that, Liu Yun lifted her skirt and left, her fair neck gleaming in the sunlight. Ye Qingliu was taken aback again.

He rarely came across a young woman who caught his eye, and he had wanted to speak with her a while longer, but this Miss Liu was way too shy and reserved.

"...She sure can run."

He had barely muttered this to himself when a flash of bright silk caught his peripheral vision, and a sweet, coquettish voice reached him before she did.

"Well, if it isn't Young Marquis Ye? You said you were excellent at polo and invited me to watch, but look how badly you lost. So embarrassing~"

The young woman approaching was dressed to the nines—a fiery pomegranate-red skirt beneath an apricot-yellow top, with a sapphire-blue shawl hanging over her arm. The gems sewn onto her outfit sparkled in the sunlight.

A world apart from the plain, simple dress of the young woman from earlier.

Gazing at Wei Shu's lovely face, Ye Qingliu said with a grin, "What's so embarrassing about losing to the Crown Prince? I'm not ashamed at all. Instead of bothering with me, shouldn't Fourth Miss Wei be clinging to the Crown Prince's side? Why'd you bother coming all the way over here?"

Ye Qingliu was the type to do whatever he wanted, try anything that interested him—and people were no different.

He found Fourth Miss Wei's face beautiful, so he decided to see if he could marry her. Though he could hardly bring himself to flatter her arrogant, stuck-up attitude, as long as he hadn't grown tired of her, he'd stick around and joke around with her.

But after over a year of this, Ye Qingliu found that her face didn't wow him like it used to. Besides, nobody likes being looked down on and brushed off all the time. He was starting to lose interest.

Now, looking at her again, she wasn't even as nice to look at as that Miss Liu from earlier.

Bored, he let his gaze drift past Wei Shu and spoke lazily.

Faced with Ye Qingliu's brush-off, Wei Shu got annoyed for no reason. She shot him a dirty look before saying, "I was going to the Crown Prince's side anyway. I just happened to see you talking to someone as I passed by."

"Just now—who was that girl? What were you two talking about?"

Liu Yun was already out of sight, so Wei Shu could only ask, her expression slightly unnatural.

Even though she looked down on him, seeing him strike up a conversation with another woman made Wei Shu feel a little uneasy.

Facing Wei Shu's barely hidden questioning, Ye Qingliu frowned.

Who he talked to and what he said were his own business, and since he was getting bored, he wasn't about to cater to her.

"What does this have to do with Fourth Miss Wei? This is my own business. It would be best if Fourth Miss Wei refrained from prying."

Ye Qingliu gave a faint, unreadable smile, his tone as cheerful as ever, but the patience and tolerance he'd once shown her were gone. This displeased Wei Shu greatly.

"What kind of attitude is this!"

Wasn't he supposed to admire her and want to marry her?

This was utterly disgraceful!

Seeing Wei Shu's furious expression, Ye Qingliu completely lost his patience. With a light chuckle and a slight bow, he said, "My apologies."

With that, he departed leisurely, paying no further heed to Wei Shu.

Having long since left the scene of conflict, Liu Yun made her way to the other side of the polo field.

The reason was that she had spotted Zhen Zhen from afar, somehow striking up a conversation with Second Young Master Ling, and the two seemed to be chatting merrily. She decided not to interrupt.

The polo match resumed, and the thunderous sound of galloping hooves filled the field once more, but Liu Yun paid it no mind.

Accompanied only by Jin He, Liu Yun strolled along the edge of the polo field, continuing to mull over the story for her next chapbook.

She wanted to craft a male protagonist similar to Young Marquis Ye.

A young general in resplendent attire, riding high on a fine horse.

As for the female lead...

She would need to think it over carefully, to develop the character more deeply.

Just as her mind was racing with ideas, she heard the rustling of grass at her feet, as if something had come rolling over at great speed.

The sound came from the ground.

Liu Yun had barely looked down when she saw a painted ball roll right under her skirt and disappear without a trace.

She could even feel the ball brush against the tip of her shoe.

What was going on? How did the polo ball end up under her skirt?

Dazed, she lifted her head and saw the Crown Prince in black-and-gold robes galloping toward her.

So similar to that day at Tanchun.

The memory of the past jolted Liu Yun, and she immediately wanted to flee. But in her haste, she tripped over the polo ball at her feet and fell hard to the ground.

Pitiful and disheveled.

The sound of hooves drew near, and Liu Yun tried to scramble to her feet, but the fall had twisted her ankle—the moment she moved, pain shot through her.

Author's note:

Update

Next chapter on Monday.