Chapter 12

The morning light was faint, and the vast blue sky was cloudless. The summer heat had slowly begun to fade, and these past few days, the mornings and evenings had gradually carried the coolness of early autumn. On such a slightly chilly morning, in Misty Rain Pavilion within the peach garden in front of the sleeping palace, maidservants had already begun going in and out to serve just after the mao hour passed.

This garden was where Princess Jin’an usually painted and played the qin in her leisure time. The garden was filled with peach blossoms. During the third and fourth months, they often clustered together like rosy clouds, with fallen petals drifting like rain. Thus, the pavilion in the garden was named Misty Rain Pavilion.

Now, in this season, even the fruit on the peach trees had already been picked. Only the lush greenery of the garden remained, swaying slowly in the morning breeze. The maidservants rolled up the curtains beneath the corridor, then lowered their heads and withdrew outside to wait quietly. The pavilion was silent. Only one woman stood before the bookshelf. She wore a pale orchid-colored palace dress, with gauze and silk draped around her arms. She looked elegant and ethereal, like an immortal untouched by worldly smoke and fire.

She took down a scroll and unfolded it, revealing exquisitely drawn brushstrokes. In the somewhat aged painting, a person in green stood holding a sword. Beneath the bamboo hat, however, was a childish face, looking down with a smile at the corners of the mouth.

Chu Qingning looked at it for a long time. A strange emotion spread through her deep phoenix eyes, yet it was as faint as mist and difficult to distinguish. A breeze blew in from outside the window, striking the jade pendants at her waist and making a crisp, tinkling sound.

Very soon, she returned to her usual brightness and put away the scroll in her hand. A yellow-robed maidservant walked in and stood behind her with lowered head. “Princess, Lord Hao from Prince Ding’s Manor is already waiting in the front hall.”

“Bring him here,” she said, curving her lips.

“Yes.”

…

At the same time, in another courtyard, someone else was also busy.

Pink-clad maidservants lowered their heads as they organized the luggage to be loaded into carriages for the journey the day after tomorrow. They arranged boxes of all sizes, checked every item inside one by one, and after another half hour, they finished compiling the accounts.

“Lady Hua, please look this over.” A young maidservant came forward holding a thin booklet.

“All right.” I set down my teacup and reached out to take it. “You girls have worked hard.”

The little girl before me smiled until her brows and eyes curved. Her bright, watery eyes shone, making her very likable. She was Steward He’s youngest daughter, named He Lan. Her personality was obedient, yet she was also clever and quick-witted. Since childhood, she had been taught by her father and had long understood bookkeeping and arithmetic. She often helped manage some affairs. This time, it was also thanks to her that I was spared a lot of trouble.

Returning her smile, I opened the account book. But when I saw the densely packed words inside, I felt a headache coming on. There were far too many things to prepare for this trip. Putting aside the offerings, incense, and tea, the ingredients alone for those several days would require quite a lot. Moreover, this time, two cooks had to be specially chosen to go along and serve Dowager Consort Shu and her son. Although the princess would not be copying scriptures, she would still shut herself away to quietly pray, so several types of calming incense and light meals had to be prepared for her. Her clothing and accessories for those few days also needed to be plainer…

Why did I have to manage so much? I was like some worrying old nanny!

Still, the princess was going to shut herself away and chant scriptures… Sigh, if there were a way to lure Dafang away, it would be easier to make a move. After completing this mission, perhaps I should also find a quiet temple to eat vegetarian meals and chant Buddhist scriptures for a month or two, then go travel freely through mountains and rivers…

“Lady Hua seems very happy?” Xiao Lan sat to the side, propping up her face as she smiled.

Eh, had my mood been exposed again? I quickly restrained the excitement on my face. “Mm, I heard the scenery at Maple Leaf Mountain is very nice. I’ve wanted to go see it for a long time.”

Perhaps because this girl liked being close to people, I felt more relaxed when I was with her, and I was a little less polite. I lifted my chin toward the back and signaled to her. “Xiao Lan, help me pass that brush over.”

“Here.” She obediently turned around, took it, and handed it to me.

“Remove these few items. When the time comes, replace them with pumpkin, purple sweet potatoes, spinach, grapes, and pomegranates.” I used the brush to mark the booklet, modifying several of the ingredients, fruits, and vegetables that were originally planned to be freshly purchased down the mountain during the temple stay. “The weather is getting cooler these days. Eating the original items too much would easily make the stomach uncomfortable. It’s better to switch to something that warms and nourishes the stomach.”

“Lady Hua, you know so much. As expected of someone from a medical family.” Xiao Lan smiled and leaned over. Then, thinking of something, she excitedly rolled up her sleeve and stretched her arm toward me. “Oh right, the ointment you gave me the night before last was very effective. Look, there isn’t even a trace left from that burn. It works much better than the medicine Doctor Zhang prescribed.”

“Is that so? That’s good.” I looked at the fair, delicate arm in front of me and secretly thought, So tender and smooth. A girl who knew how to love and care for her own skin truly was a good girl. But this girl was also easy to win over. Had a single bottle of ointment been enough to make her like me?

“Xiao Lan, help me check the list of accompanying personnel again. I need to go out for a bit.” Since she could help, of course I had to slip out and get some air. Sitting here had already made me bored and stuffy. So I stuffed the booklet into her hands and smiled. “I’ll be back soon.”

The girl before me first froze, then quickly nodded like a chick pecking rice. “Mm, all right.”

Too obedient… I could not help patting her head, then smilingly walked out of ​read the original at bailiantales.com​Tang Courtyard and turned into the garden at the side.

This place was relatively open. Apart from the nearby rockery, pavilion, corridor, and two pine and cypress trees, only a tall, lush old tree remained near the far wall. That’s right, this was the corner where I had originally snuck into the prince’s manor. Although more hidden guards had been assigned here now, compared with the other courtyards, it was still the weakest spot. That was because this place’s structure and layout itself turned anyone who climbed in from outside into a turtle trapped in a jar. There was simply no way to walk out of this courtyard gate unharmed and sneak into the other courtyards.

Thinking about it now still scared me. Fortunately, I had not rushed toward the other courtyards back then. Although this courtyard was a trap, I had also found a gap in it. Outside that high wall was a deserted dark alley. After avoiding eyes and ears, it was the most suitable place for secret transactions, such as buying and selling information.

I was just about to walk toward that old tree when, as I turned, I saw a figure appear not far away through the moon gate. The person seemed to have come from the peach garden and was wandering around along the way, heading in the direction of this courtyard.

Only when the figure came closer did I see clearly that it was a tall young woman dressed in a green guard’s fitted outfit.

What a handsome young lady! I could not help sighing. That young lady’s facial features were extremely fine, and her figure was slender and tall. At a glance, she seemed to be a head taller than me… Gah, but her chest was too flat.

My gaze shifted downward, and I immediately froze. Hehe, how could a young lady’s chest be this flat? But for some reason, I seemed to feel very favorably toward her. Still, she looked unfamiliar, and judging by her outfit, she was not from the prince’s manor. Then who was she? Why had she appeared here?

Seeing her looking around in confusion, I guessed she was probably lost, so I took the initiative to walk over and deliberately asked, “Miss, are you looking for something?”

When she realized I was calling out to her, she first froze. Then a blush quickly spread over that pretty face, and she waved her hand. “No… I…”

Her voice was a little deeper than an average girl’s. I had not expected this tall young lady to be quite shy and easily embarrassed. Without waiting for her to finish, I continued, “You are not from the prince’s manor, right? Why are you here?”

“Oh, I am Hao Shanzhong, a personal guard of Prince Ding.” She actually raised her hands and bowed to me. Only then did she show a bit of the heroic bearing of a martial artist.

“From Prince Ding’s Manor…” Oh— I had heard that Prince Ding’s Manor had sent someone ahead to make arrangements, and that person would arrive today. So it was her. I could not help smiling. “So it is Lord Hao. When I heard about you yesterday, I thought you would be a dashing man. I did not expect you to be such a handsome young lady.”

After I said this, however, the person before me blushed even more fiercely. She hurriedly waved her hands, seeming at a loss. “Miss, you misunderstand. I… I am actually a man.”

Eh? I was stunned. Without showing it, I glanced at his neck, shoulders, waist, and a few other places… Heh! Looking carefully, he really was a man! Being this beautiful was simply against the heavens. Fortunately, with Master as a previous example, I was not too surprised now.

Speaking of which, Master was also this type of beautiful man. But his personality was so troublesome that no young lady liked him. This person could not possibly be like Master too, could he…

The beautiful man before me felt somewhat awkward under my gaze and quickly changed the subject. “Oh, right. After I finished reporting matters to the princess, I came out wanting to find Lady Fang. But it has been too long since I last came here, and I am unfamiliar with the roads. As I walked, I ended up turning into the wrong place.”

“Looking for Dafang?” I looked at the small bag he was carrying. Was it a gift? A gift for Dafang? So their relationship was very good? Hmph, hmph, I kept feeling there was something suspicious going on~

Eh, wait. Dafang was not by the princess’s side right now? My eyes lit up. How rare. Should I take the chance to go over and take a look?

“Shanzhong~~” Suddenly, a male voice rang out, interrupting my little excitement. In comparison, this voice was much rougher, a very masculine tone. But I did not know whether it was my imagination—there seemed to be a strange rippling stolen content quality in that call. We turned our heads together and saw a young man walk through the moon gate.

He was Chu Qingning’s younger brother, Chu Qingshan. The year before last, he had just inherited the title of commandery prince, and he had only recently returned from the Southern Territory. After the old prince passed away, the army under his command had also been reorganized. Half of the military authority returned to the imperial family, while the other half was nominally under his control. In reality, however, it was managed by his elder sister, Princess Jin’an.

So now, this young prince had ended up wealthy, noble, and idle. But from what I had observed, he was quite happy with this carefree life.

“Shanzhong, I’ve been looking for you for ages. Why did you run here?” The young prince ran over with a face full of smiles. But when he saw me behind the beautiful man, the expression on his handsome face immediately changed. His thick brows furrowed, and he pointed at me. “Dahua, my sister is looking for you.”

What a huge difference in attitude. And did the envy and jealousy in his eyes when he said that have to be so obvious?!

I curled my lips. In truth, ever since this man learned of my existence, he had not been stingy about giving me unpleasant looks. Although it was only making a stinky face or rolling his eyes, it was still exhausting. He made me seem like a new favorite in a palace drama who had earned the resentment of vicious consorts.

But when it came down to the reason, was it not simply because he felt I had monopolized his elder sister, greatly reducing the time he could spend with her? Heh, what a joke. The one who truly monopolized your sister is Dafang, all right? If you have the ability, go roll your eyes at Dafang!

Loving his elder sister like his life or something—how annoying.