In the twenty-seventh year of Yongchang, during the early spring of the second lunar month.
After taking a brief nap at noon and before resuming his review of the afternoon's memorials, Emperor Yongchang took a stroll in the Imperial Garden. He saw the plum blossoms blooming like rosy clouds, and a faint layer of light green had appeared on the branches of the willow trees.
Emperor Yongchang then ordered his attendants to move the memorials from the Imperial Study to a pavilion. After reviewing about a dozen of them, a thought struck him, and he sent someone to summon his eldest son, Prince Kang.
The twenty-three-year-old Prince Kang revered and feared his imperial father no less than any court official. Terrified of making his father wait, he practically jogged all the way from the Ministry of Revenue to the Imperial Garden. Seeing his father's figure reviewing memorials in the pavilion from afar, Prince Kang took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He took a few deep breaths, then approached the outside of the pavilion with quickened steps and a lowered head, respectfully saying, Your son greets Imperial Father.
Emperor Yongchang gave a grunt of acknowledgment and called Prince Kang closer. He asked him about a task he had recently been in charge of, then brought up the spring scenery, The weather is nice, have you thought about going out of the city for a spring outing?
Prince Kang was not one to enjoy idle wandering, but since his father mentioned it, he replied, Your son does indeed want to go horse riding.
Emperor Yongchang said, Do not just go by yourself, take your second brother with you. He has always liked to coop himself up in the study since he was a child. Since he was granted his title and established his own estate, I heard he rarely leaves his home even on his days off. You established your estate earlier than him and are familiar with the ins and outs of the capital, so take him out more.
Princes and princesses who grew up in the palace, no matter how quiet their dispositions, were usually full of curiosity about the world outside. Back when Emperor Yongchang first ascended the throne and could make his own decisions, he would take advantage of his days off to leave the palace in disguise. His second son, however, was a different story. It had been so long since he became a prince, yet apart from his official duties, he remained a recluse in his estate. Emperor Yongchang was worried that if he continued this solitary lifestyle, something might go wrong with his mind.
With his father's command, Prince Kang agreed without hesitation. However, as soon as he left the Imperial Garden, his feigned relaxed expression vanished, and he let out a helpless sigh.
He also felt that his second brother's way of living did not suit a twenty-year-old young man. But he had tried to take his brother out to play many times in their youth, and every time it left him mentally and physically exhausted, wasting his breath without seeing any results. Now that his father had assigned him this task again, Prince Kang would truly rather calculate accounts for a whole day than spend half an hour talking to his second brother.
At least flicking an abacus produced a few crisp sounds. With his second brother, he had to speak a long paragraph just to elicit a faint response, accompanied by an expression that clearly said, I do not know what to say, but since you insist on talking to me, I can only respond like this, a perfunctory look without even the slightest attempt to hide it.
On the way back to the Ministry of Revenue, Prince Kang lost count of how many times he sighed.
At dusk, when his shift ended, Prince Kang uncharacteristically left the Ministry of Revenue on time and waited early on the palace path leading to the exit. After about two quarters of an hour, he finally saw his second brother, Prince Hui, coming over from the Ministry of War.
The gentle setting sun illuminated the entire broad palace path, adding a bit of warmth and lively human energy to the officials of all ranks walking on it. However, in Prince Kang's eyes, although his second brother possessed an unparalleled handsome appearance, those long, narrow phoenix eyes and pale, thin lips seemed to have been set into a shape incapable of smiling since birth. He was solitary, aloof, and free from worldly desires, making no one dare to approach him rashly.
All the civil and military officials in the court also knew the temperament of His Highness Prince Hui. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to go and listen to his one or two grunts of agreement.
Apart from Qingai, who followed respectfully behind Prince Hui, the other officials all cautiously maintained their distance from him.
Prince Kang forced a smile and, like a fish swimming upstream, took the initiative to greet Prince Hui, Second Brother, why did you come out so late today?
Zhao Sui, ...Eldest Brother was waiting for me?
Prince Kang, Yes, look how blue the sky and warm the wind have been these past few days. How about you come out of the city with me tomorrow morning to ride horses?
Zhao Sui, Alright.
Prince Kang continued to sigh in his heart. Although his second brother did not like to converse, he had always been easy to talk to. Even though he clearly did not enjoy hanging out with his eldest brother, he would never refuse any of his invitations.
After agreeing on a departure time, the two brothers returned to their respective estates.
Both brothers were accustomed to waking up early. When they left the city the next day, there were only a few merchant caravans lined up at the city gates, and not many young noblemen heading out for leisure yet. By the time the two brothers had spent half an hour riding in silence, the sunlight was just starting to warm up. Prince Kang, remembering their father's expectations, pointed in the direction of Plum Ridge in the east of the city and said, The plum blossoms are blooming beautifully right now. Will Second Brother accompany me to admire them?
Zhao Sui, ...Alright.
On the way to Plum Ridge, the brothers did not ride at a fast gallop. They walked slowly, also giving their mounts time to rest.
Prince Kang chatted about a few matters discussed during the court assemblies this month. His second brother's responses finally consisted of a few more words, but they were all serious critiques, not involving any personal preferences for specific officials.
Just as Prince Kang was secretly searching for the next topic, the rapid sound of hooves suddenly came from behind.
Prince Kang turned his head.
Zhao Sui also looked back.
There were three fast riders behind them. From a distance, one could only make out that there were two males and one female on the mounts. One of the males and the female were riding almost side by side in the front, while the other mount was lagging slightly behind by about two... mule lengths.
Zhao Sui first looked at the mounts of the three people. Only the young man in the front, wearing a blue silk brocade robe, was riding a horse. The young woman in the red dress next to him and the young man in the gray robe behind them were both riding mules.
Zhao Sui was about to turn his head back after a quick glance, but he saw the young man in the blue robe force his horse closer to the young woman beside him. This action was somewhat dangerous, so Zhao Sui instinctively took a few more looks. By this time, the distance was close enough for him to see their faces clearly. The young man in the blue robe had handsome features, the young man in the gray robe had a sturdy build, and the young woman in the red dress...
The young woman in the red dress suddenly cracked her riding crop to the side, glaring with round black eyes as she scolded, I know your horse runs fast, so go run ahead! Why are you following me?
Li Tingwang leaned his upper body back to avoid Yao Huang's whip. As he slightly widened the distance between his horse and her, he smiled at her, I am afraid that if I run too fast, you will cry from anger.
Yao Huang could not be bothered to pay attention to this person anymore. She only hated that her family was not wealthy enough; even if they could afford it, they were reluctant to buy two unnecessary fine horses. Otherwise, she would have definitely left Li Tingwang in the dust.
Ignoring Li Tingwang, Yao Huang looked up and first noticed the six figures riding ahead. Judging from their clothes, the four lagging behind were likely attendants. The two in the front were both wearing brocade robes. The man with a long, square face was still observing them, while the other had turned away, preventing her from seeing his appearance clearly. But these two were obviously wealthy young lords, and their mounts were truly magnificent, well-fed, sturdy, and with glossy coats!
At this moment, Yao Huang's fondness and envy for these two fine steeds surpassed her envy for the silks worn by wealthy young ladies. As her mule passed the two men, Yao Huang kept her head tilted, naturally looking toward the young lord riding the black steed and wearing a sky-blue brocade robe, whose back appeared even more upright.
The moment their eyes met, the other party lowered his eyelids.
Yao Huang, however, widened her eyes slightly. It was not until the mule beneath her carried her far away, and not until her neck would ache if she kept looking back, that she withdrew her gaze with a sense of inexplicable regret.
Li Tingwang scoffed, That person is obviously either rich or noble. It is best if you do not think about him.
Yao Huang swung her whip at him again. Li Tingwang could have dodged, but because he felt uncomfortable seeing Yao Huang staring at another man, in a moment of impulse, he only turned his head and took the hit on his shoulder.
Yao Huang, ...
She could be angry at Li Tingwang's foul mouth, but when he foolishly didn't dodge and took the full brunt of her whip, Yao Huang couldn't bring herself to stay mad anymore, though she continued to ignore him.
The two princes hadn't heard the exchange between the young boy and girl ahead of them, but they had witnessed everything that transpired after the pair passed by.
Prince Kang turned to his second brother beside him and said, "The young lady is quite beautiful, but it's a pity she's so fierce, whipping people at the drop of a hat."
Zhao Sui thought to himself that the blue-robed youth must have provoked her first for her to lash out like that.
Prince Kang then began to tease his brother. "That girl stared at you quite a few times. It seems you've struck romantic luck today, Second Brother. Who knows, maybe you'll encounter another fateful match when we reach Plum Ridge."
"Brother, please watch your words," Zhao Sui replied.
"You are already twenty," Prince Kang said. "I married my princess consort at twenty. Father will definitely choose a primary consort and two secondary consorts for you this year. If you can't even handle a little teasing, how will you face your new bride in the future?"
Zhao Sui turned his head away. He had never considered the matter; when that day came, he would simply act in accordance with etiquette and propriety.
Looking at his second brother's profile, Prince Kang suddenly thought of their cousin from their aunt's family. Their cousin would reach the hairpin age of fifteen this year. Seeing how their aunt frequently praised his second brother in front of their father, it was highly likely she wanted to marry her daughter to him. This way, his second brother wouldn't be marrying a total stranger... However, his second brother wasn't even close to him or their third brother, let alone their cousin. Aside from recognizing her face, wouldn't their cousin be no different from a stranger to him?
While Prince Kang could casually joke about a passing stranger, he wouldn't use their cousin to tease his brother, so he dropped the topic of marriage.
They arrived at Plum Ridge. Carriages and mules were parked all over the foot of the mountain, belonging to sightseers who had traveled from the capital and surrounding towns to admire the spring scenery.
Since he was already here, Zhao Sui didn't want to waste the beautiful spring view. However, his older brother was always trying to strike up a conversation, and Zhao Sui didn't want to force his brother or himself into awkward chatter.
After dismounting, Zhao Sui said to Prince Kang, "It's crowded on the mountain, and I'd like to find a quiet place to admire the plum blossoms. Why don't we part ways here and meet at the summit in an hour?"
Prince Kang was secretly delighted but feigned concern. "This is your first time here, Second Brother. You might easily get lost if you take the small paths."
"I'll stay close to the main road by following the sound of people's voices," Zhao Sui replied.
Prince Kang had no choice but to agree.
Zhao Sui didn't even bring his two guards, Zhang Yue and Wang Dong, choosing a narrow trail up the mountain alone. Knowing their prince's martial prowess, the two guards weren't particularly worried about him running into danger in the mountains.
Famous for its plum trees, Plum Ridge was one of the premier destinations for the young men and women of the capital to enjoy their spring outings.
The gardens of Prince Hui's manor also boasted a dozen or so plum trees, and just two days prior, Zhao Sui had painted a portrait of plum blossoms. Now, surrounded by an endless expanse of plum groves and listening to the distant laughter of sightseers, Zhao Sui felt that even if he wasn't overly enthusiastic about the excursion, the trip wasn't entirely without merit. Step by step, he climbed the rustic trail toward the summit.
As he walked, Zhao Sui suddenly heard a somewhat familiar laugh. "Li Tingwang, there's a bee on your head!"
The image of the girl in the red dress he had encountered on the way here flashed in Zhao Sui's mind, along with the bright, clear eyes that had glanced back at him.
Would the bee sting someone?
Zhao Sui altered his course.
"Yaoyao, be careful! The bee is heading your way!"
Zhao Sui quickened his pace, only to see the girl in the red dress dart around a plum tree and run straight toward him. Upon seeing him, surprise flashed in her eyes. Zhao Sui instinctively averted his gaze, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the red hem of her skirt veer off in another direction. Before the two youths could catch up to her, Zhao Sui quickly slipped behind a nearby cluster of plum trees.
Unfamiliar with the mountain paths, he deliberately maintained a distance from the three young people who were also heading up the mountain—close enough to hear their laughter and banter, but far enough that they absolutely could not see him.
"Yaoyao, we've arranged to play polo at the martial academy on our next day off. We'll be playing three matches back-to-back in the morning. Do you want to come watch?"
"Of course. My brother already told me."
"Exactly, you just had to open your big mouth."
"I was just worried you'd forget to tell Yaoyao."
Yao Huang listened silently as her brother and Li Tingwang began bickering again over such a trivial matter. She glanced back several times, but even by the time they descended the mountain, she never caught another glimpse of that unearthly handsome gentleman.
The capital was vast, and there were far too many people one might pass by in a hurry and never see again. Yao Huang soon forgot all about the encounter.
