Chapter 21: Peeping

That night, servants from Princess Changyang's residence arrived to express their gratitude, bearing thank-you gifts.

One was an exceptionally cool and luxurious mat, and the other was an openwork gold ball with a tiny glowing pearl inside.

These two gifts were opened in Liu Yun's private chamber, and she could only tell they were exquisite and valuable items, unaware of their true worth.

She felt hesitant to accept them, thinking that since it was just a plush doll, it wasn't worth such lavish gifts in return.

But Wei Zi, who had come to thank her, refused to take them back, saying, "Lady Liu need not be so modest. Our County Princess loves the little fox you made, so no gift is too much for you."

As Princess Changyang's personal maidservant, Wei Zi and the others knew Lady Liu had a bright future ahead, and even greater blessings were in store, so they smiled and reassured her.

When she heard that County Princess Kangning liked it, Liu Yun immediately beamed with joy and asked, "The County Princess truly likes it?"

What made Liu Yun happiest was getting that confirmation.

Wei Zi cheerfully replied, "Of course! The moment our County Princess saw it, she hugged it to her chest. Not only does she sleep with it at night, but she also plans to bring it to the palace tomorrow to show His Majesty, bragging about it to everyone she meets..."

Under Wei Zi's endless chatter, Liu Yun's face turned red and she couldn't listen anymore, waving her hands nervously and saying, "It's just a small trinket, hardly worth showing to His Majesty. Please, miss, go back and talk her out of it."

Although Liu Yun also thought the fox doll she had made was pretty and adorable, she couldn't bear the thought of it being shown off to the Emperor.

Seeing Liu Yun's embarrassment, Wei Zi laughed inwardly, but only said aloud, "Lady Liu, don't be so self-deprecating. Just relax and don't worry about it."

After the people from Princess Changyang's residence left, Liu Yun hadn't even calmed down yet when her mother came bustling in.

Her face was full of smiles, clearly carrying some great news.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Yun guessed what this great news was.

After pouring her mother a cup of honey water, Liu Yun felt shy and fidgeted as she asked, "Mother, you look so happy—has the marriage with the Yang family been settled?"

Liu Yun couldn't think of anything else it could be.

Zhang Yuhua first drank the honey water, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Not only is it settled, but also..."

She deliberately left the sentence hanging, which indeed made her daughter lean in and ask what.

"But what?"

Hearing that the marriage was settled, Liu Yun's anxious heart finally settled.

Though she wasn't sure if it was the best outcome, at least it was settled.

"But, it was your Uncle Yang's family who brought it up first!"

Speaking of this, Zhang Yuhua was even more delighted, and a bit proud too.

She had always known there were families with good judgment who could see that her Shanshan was a great catch.

In matters of marriage, it was only proper for the man's side to take the initiative—now everything was perfect!

Liu Yun also looked surprised.

And she felt a secret joy.

So Uncle Yang's family thought she was good enough too.

Zhang Yuhua chattered on excitedly about the affairs of the two families, while Liu Yun listened quietly, occasionally adding a word or two, feeling very shy.

"Mother, did Uncle Yang say when they'll come to ask for my hand?"

She was figuring out how much longer she could stay at home.

Asked this, Zhang Yuhua paused, then explained what the elders from both families had discussed.

"Your father and I have our own reasons. We didn't rush to finalize things with Sanlang. Most jinshi scholars are sent out to local prefectures and counties as magistrates to gain experience for a few years—your father did the same back then."

"But your father and I couldn't bear to see you be miserable far from home, so we thought the two families could work together to secure a position in the capital for Sanlang, even if it's just a low-ranking eighth or ninth-rank post."

"So we've agreed with your Uncle Yang that once the job assignments come out in June, and we're certain Sanlang can stay in Yanjing, the Yang family will come immediately to propose."

Liu Yun blinked and asked her mother, "Won't Uncle Yang and Aunt Yang think our family is being sneaky?"

Zhang Yuhua sighed and said with a smile, "Don't worry about that. Your father and Uncle Yang have years of friendship, and they're both honest people. We've talked it all out openly."

"Besides, with our family's full backing, Sanlang's chances of staying in Yanjing are quite high, so your marriage won't face many obstacles."

"For the Yang family, this is a win-win situation, so they won't have any objections. On the contrary, we should be the ones worrying that the Yang family might back out of the marriage once they get an official post in the capital."

By the end, Zhang Yuhua was even joking, which made Liu Yun laugh and shoot back, "That shouldn't happen. Uncle Yang is a good man, and Brother Xiuyuan is a man of honor too."

After saying this, Liu Yun saw her mother looking at her teasingly, teasing her. "Look at you, already defending your future in-laws. It seems our Shanshan isn't completely uninterested in Sanlang after all?"

Liu Yun was flushed red from the teasing, pounding her mother several times, but it only made her mother laugh even harder.

After her mother left, Jin He and several other maidservants who attended her rushed in with beaming faces to offer congratulations.

"Congratulations, miss, on finding a fine husband. May you and your husband enjoy harmony and joy through the years!"

The maidservants showered her with auspicious words, as if the marriage were already settled and she were about to be wed.

One wave after another, Liu Yun's face, which had barely cooled, flushed again. Flustered and embarrassed, she jumped up and chased the maidservants around the room, filling it with laughter and play.

...

Entering the fifth month, nearing the Dragon Boat Festival, the heat reached its peak.

Liu Yun spent her days cooped up at home, using a fan cart, sipping iced drinks, and sleeping on an ivory mat to cool off.

Indeed, the mat Princess Changyang had given her was exceptionally useful—cooler and more refreshing than any other mat in the house.

Lying on it, most of the heat on her body faded away, and every inch of skin on her back felt cool and soothing, utterly comfortable.

Liu Yun could only lament not having encountered this mat sooner.

As a result, she spent most of each day glued to her bed, unwilling to part with it.

Lying there, she passed the Dragon Boat Festival.

This year, Liu Yun didn't go to Jinming Lake to watch the dragon boat races, simply staying home to escape the heat.

The fifth day of the fifth month was the hottest, and even moving around at home made one break a sweat—she wasn't about to go out and suffer that.

Time slipped by as she stayed home day after day, and before she knew it, it was the end of the fifth month—the birthday banquet of County Princess Jinning.

Liu Yun had originally planned not to attend, but she noticed the banquet location on the invitation was Mount Qingliang.

That was a relatively low hill, atop which stood Prince Xi's summer estate.

And County Princess Jinning, being Prince Xi's youngest daughter, was deeply cherished.

Unlike County Princess Rong'an, County Princess Jinning was a bona fide member of the royal family. With her frank and sincere nature, she had plenty of close female friends in the capital.

Liu Yun was just one of the unremarkable ones among them.

Not flashy, but not someone you could do without either.

She'd always seemed to play that kind of role in the ladies' circle.

Figuring it couldn't be that hot up in the mountains, and since she hadn't seen Zhen Zhen in ages and really missed her, she said yes.

To beat the blazing sun, Liu Yun set out early, showing up at County Princess Jinning's Lotus Garden before the heat got truly brutal.

Just like its name promised, the garden was filled with lotus flowers, with over a dozen ponds that rippled beautifully in the breeze.

Liu Yun and Zhen Zhen had agreed on a time, so they arrived almost simultaneously.

Though Prince Xi wasn't the emperor's full-blooded brother, they'd been tight since they were kids, which made him the most respected of all the princes.

So County Princess Jinning, as Prince Xi's favorite daughter, had a lot of clout in the capital—basically the top-ranking lady of the imperial clan.

Thus, hardly any of the ladies skipped her birthday banquet.

Even Qin Wan, Secretary Qin's second daughter, showed up.

In Liu Yun's eyes, Miss Qin the Second was basically already the Crown Princess.

But one thing nobody saw coming—today, an uninvited guest showed up.

Crown Prince Xiao Hang.

Around noon, the Crown Prince's servants came knocking at the garden gate, catching even County Princess Jinning off guard.

"I just happened to be hunting in the mountains today and heard Cousin Jinning was throwing a birthday banquet here, so I figured I'd come by and congratulate you."

"I've got a birthday gift ready, plus some fresh game I bagged today to add to Cousin Jinning's spread. Mind if I grab a few extra seats?"

Besides the imperial guards tagging along, the Crown Prince brought two young men, both big names in the capital.

Duke Wen's heir, Wen Junlan, who was his cousin on his mother's side.

And Li Yan, the Grand General of Cavalry's son, who'd made a name for himself on the battlefield last year and been given the title General Ningwei.

The moment these three impressive guys showed up, most of the ladies' eyes lit up and their hearts started pounding.

Even County Princess Jinning froze for a second before answering warmly, "Cousin Crown Prince, you're too kind. Of course I'm thrilled to have you here, and with all this game too—looks like us sisters are in for a real feast!"

The game didn't matter—what mattered was that the Crown Prince had shown up to her birthday party.

The Crown Prince was known for his weird temper and unreadable mind—if he wasn't in the mood, he wouldn't even give the emperor the time of day, let alone anyone else.

So for him to show up at her banquet out of nowhere was, no exaggeration, a huge honor.

Even as the birthday girl, County Princess Jinning didn't dare slack off with the Crown Prince, and she hurried over to welcome him in.

She was so overjoyed she didn't stop to think about something weird.

How come he just happened to be hunting and just happened to bring her a gift?

County Princess Jinning totally missed that. As she walked past Li Yan, she shot the smirking guy a cold glare.

Li Yan, for his part, lifted his chin and gave her a look of pure disdain, not backing down an inch.

The ladies around them traded knowing smiles.

Everyone in the capital knew County Princess Jinning and Young General Li didn't get along, always going at each other whenever they crossed paths.

But with the Crown Prince around today, the two had toned it down a bit.

Nine out of ten guests were women, so the Crown Prince and his two buddies stuck out like sore thumbs, and the ladies kept sneaking glances at them.

Liu Yun felt on edge.

She didn't know why, but every time she got near Crown Prince Xiao Hang, this feeling of dread crept up on her.

She just felt like something bad was about to go down.

Chatting with the other ladies half-heartedly, Liu Yun only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.

Words like "bandits," "capture," and "execution" drifted by.

Curious, she asked around and was told the court had recently taken down a serious bandit hideout, caught the ringleader, and he was set to be executed right away.

Liu Yun didn't care much about that—she stayed home all the time anyway, so it wasn't like she'd run into any bandits.

Before long, the banquet started. Liu Yun dragged Zhen Zhen to a seat in the back where they wouldn't stand out, and watched the maids bring out dish after dish of gorgeous, mouth-watering food.

Thanks to County Princess Jinning, they even got to eat fresh roe deer today—tender, juicy, and seriously delicious.

While Liu Yun was going on and on about how good the food was, she got this weird feeling.

It felt like someone's eyes were on her, like thin threads coiling around her.

After feeling it a few more times, Liu Yun was sure it wasn't her imagination. She picked her moment and suddenly lifted her head, following the gaze.

But the next second, Liu Yun was stunned speechless.

She was staring straight at the Crown Prince in his purple robe and jade belt. Facing her sudden look, he didn't even blink, his phoenix eyes locked right on her without a hint of flinch.

Liu Yun's heart clenched, and she caved first, dropping her head in a hurry.

No way!

Absolutely no way!

She had to be overthinking this.

Right, Miss Qin the Second was sitting in front of her—there was no way he was looking at her.

With how picky the Crown Prince was, only a famous beauty like Miss Qin could catch his eye.

Yeah, she was just being silly.

She talked herself into it in a few sentences. When she finally dared to sneak another peek, the Crown Prince had already looked away, his face blank, like it had all been in her head.

Author's note: New chapter.

Every night, all I can think about is the young couple being all lovey-dovey, lost in their own world—it's so exciting.

Any time! Any place! Super spicy scenes.