Shen Yuetang drew a deep breath, turned around, and walked off in another direction.
Her carriage was waiting outside the palace gates. The moment Shen Yuetang climbed aboard and the curtain fell, her expression darkened completely.
There was nothing strange about the princess asking Shi Youlan to prepare a birthday gift for the Empress. What was strange was that the princess had spoken to Shi Youlan about it privately.
Why?
Shen Yuetang thought about it for a while but could not come up with an answer. Irritated, she lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside.
The carriage happened to be passing the street where the Yongning Marquis's Residence stood.
The vermilion gates were especially eye-catching beneath the afternoon sun. Two stone lions crouched on either side, their mouths open to reveal sharp teeth.
Shen Yuetang's gaze lingered on the gates for a moment before moving away. She let the curtain fall, leaned against the carriage wall, and closed her eyes.
In another carriage, Fang Ruoyun was pondering the same question.
She leaned against the carriage wall, playing with a jade pendant in her hand. The tassel wound round and round her fingers, becoming hopelessly tangled, yet she did not seem to notice.
There was nothing strange about the princess asking Shi Youlan to prepare a birthday gift. What was strange was the expression on the princess's face when she spoke.
Fang Ruoyun had not heard what the princess said at the time, but she had seen her expression.
It had not been the expression one used when speaking to an ordinary friend. It was more like she was entrusting someone with something important.
Fang Ruoyun set down the jade pendant and lifted the curtain to look outside.
The carriage happened to be passing through a bustling marketplace. Vendors called out one after another, and crowds streamed along the streets.
She let the curtain fall, leaned back against the carriage wall, and closed her eyes.
Lin Wanqing sat in her family's carriage, holding a letter she had rewritten three times. The four words “To Shi Huai” on the envelope flickered between light and shadow beneath the sunlight filtering through the carriage curtain.
She held the envelope up before her eyes and stared at it for a long while. In the end, she tucked it back into her sleeve, leaned against the carriage wall, and sighed.
She thought of the expression on the princess's face when she had said, “Well, now that's interesting.”
The curve of her lips, the way she had waved her round fan, the look in her eyes as they swept over the others—every detail seemed carved into Lin Wanqing's mind.
Lin Wanqing reached up and rubbed her temples. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, like a swarm of bees buzzing inside her head.
She drew a deep breath, driving away most of the bees, and reorganized her thoughts.
The princess's feelings for Shi Huai were probably more than just “liking him a little.”
Fang Ruoyun's mention of “choosing a consort for the princess” today had not been casual.
She had done it deliberately, deliberately watching for the princess's reaction.
And the princess's response had been quite intriguing as well.
“Then I'll have to take a good look.”
The words had neither admitted nor denied anything. They were like a half-open door, tempting people to look inside while revealing nothing clearly.
Lin Wanqing sighed again. Leaning against the carriage wall, she stared blankly at the crossbeam overhead.
The carriage rolled along Chang'an Street with a steady clatter.
The wheels passed over the bluestone road, producing a rhythmic sound like a lullaby, but Lin Wanqing felt not the slightest hint of sleepiness.
By the time she returned to the marquis's residence, Shi Youlan's legs had gone somewhat weak.
When she jumped down from the carriage, she nearly twisted her ankle. She caught hold of the carriage shaft and steadied herself.
The maid behind her hurried forward to support her, but Shi Youlan pushed her away.
“I'm fine. You don't need to follow me.”
After saying this, Shi Youlan gathered up her skirts and hurried through the gates of the marquis's residence.
She crossed the front courtyard, passed through the garden, and made her way along the long corridor. Her steps grew faster and faster until, in the end, she practically ran into Shou'an Hall.
Shi Huai was sitting by the window in his study, reading. The book in his hands gleamed in the sunlight streaming in from outside.
Hearing the hurried footsteps, he lowered the book and looked up. Shi Youlan stood in the doorway, panting, her face flushed bright red and beads of sweat dotting her forehead.
Shi Huai could not resist teasing her. “Second Sister? What happened? Was a dog chasing you?”
He rose, walked to the door, pulled Shi Youlan into the study, and pressed her down into a chair. Then he turned, poured her a cup of cool tea, and handed it to her.
Shi Youlan took the cup and gulped down half of it in one go. Even after setting it down, her hands were still trembling.
Ripples spread across the tea.
“Little Brother, something huge has happened.”
“What huge thing? Did the sky fall?”
Shi Huai sat down across from her, picked up his book, and turned a page. His tone was as casual as if they were merely making small talk.
“It’s even bigger than the sky falling.”
Shi Youlan drew a deep breath and held it in her chest for a long while before finally letting it out. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“The princess said that the Empress’s birthday is next month and told me to prepare a birthday gift.”
Shi Huai’s fingers paused as he turned the page. He looked up at Shi Youlan, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
“The Empress’s birthday is next month, and the princess asked you to prepare a gift. How is that a major matter?”
“You don’t understand.”
Shi Youlan leaned forward, lowering her voice even further.
“The princess told me privately. She singled me out and spoke to me in front of all those people. Do you know what that means?”
Shi Huai thought about it, then honestly shook his head. “No.”
Shi Youlan was so exasperated by his unhurried manner that she nearly choked.
She reached out and slapped his arm. The blow was not hard, but it carried all the urgency of someone frustrated by a hopelessly slow-witted person.
“It means the princess is paving the way for me, giving me a chance to make an impression on the Empress!”
“Think about it. The Empress’s birthday banquet will be attended by so many wives of court officials and daughters of noble families. If I can make the Empress take notice of me in a setting like that, then when the time comes to discuss my marriage…”
Her words suddenly stopped.
She realized that the more she spoke, the more she sounded like her elder sister, Shi Lingyi.
Scheming, calculating, advancing step by step—every word reeked of profit and advantage.
Shi Huai watched as the urgency on Shi Youlan’s face shifted into confusion, then into a shame she could not quite put into words.
“Second Sister, why did you stop?”
“I’m not saying anything else. If I go on, I’ll turn into Sister.”
Shi Youlan leaned back against the chair and covered her face with her hands. Her muffled voice seeped through the gaps between her fingers.
“I don’t want to become like her. I don’t want to calculate everything or use everyone around me.”
Shi Huai set down the book in his hands.
He rose, walked over to Shi Youlan, and gently patted the top of her head twice.
“Second Sister, you could never become like Eldest Sister. You have a sense of right and wrong in your heart. You know what you should do and what you shouldn’t.”
Shi Youlan lowered her hands and looked up at Shi Huai. Her eyes and the tip of her nose were both red, making her look utterly pitiful.
“Little Brother, what do you think the princess means? Does she want to help me, or does she have some other motive?”
Shi Huai withdrew his hand and returned to his chair. Picking up his book, he continued reading without raising his head.
“Why don’t you just ask the princess directly? Guessing like this must be exhausting.”
Shi Youlan was so struck by his words that she nearly choked again. She reached out as if to hit him, but halfway there, her hand shrank back.
Because she realized she could not actually argue with him.
Asking the princess directly sounded absurd, but when she thought about it carefully, perhaps it was not so absurd after all.
Rather than racking her brains guessing here, she might as well ask directly and get a clear answer.
“But…how am I supposed to ask? I can’t exactly come right out and say, ‘Princess, are you trying to make me the Crown Princess?’”
Shi Huai turned a page, his tone as even as ever.
“You could phrase it differently. For example, ‘Princess, you’ve been treating me so well. Is there something you need my help with?’ That way, you won’t be too direct, but you can still test her true intentions.”
