The setting sun streamed in from the west, bathing the entire courtyard in a brilliant orange-red glow.
The parrot beneath the veranda saw Shi Youlan and flapped its wings, calling out, “Second Miss!”
Shi Youlan ignored the noisy bird. She walked straight into the room, closed the door, leaned against it, and buried her face in her hands.
Her younger brother had told her to ask the princess directly.
It was easy for him to say, but how could she possibly bring herself to ask?
Shi Youlan stood by the door for quite a while. Only when her legs had gone numb did she straighten up and walk over to the dressing table.
The face in the bronze mirror was still flushed, and her eyes were red as well. She looked utterly disheveled.
She reached up and touched the green peony in her hair.
The flower had already begun to wilt. Its petals had curled at the edges, and its color had faded from emerald green to a dull, dark green. It looked like a crumpled ball of paper.
She removed the wilted flower from her hair and placed it on the table. After staring at it for a long while, she let out a sigh.
Forget it. There was no point thinking about it. She would never figure it out anyway.
Shi Youlan rose and walked to the window, pushing it open to let in the evening breeze.
The wind carried the faint fragrance of flowers from the garden, mingled with the scent of damp earth. It made her feel drowsy.
She leaned against the windowsill, resting her chin on the back of her hand as she watched the clouds on the horizon, scorched red by the setting sun. Before long, her thoughts drifted back to the princess.
Was the princess asking her to prepare a birthday gift because she wanted to help her, or was she simply ordering her around?
Shi Youlan racked her brain but could not come up with an answer. In the end, she simply stopped thinking about it.
There was still more than half a month before the Empress’s birthday. She could take her time. There was no need to rush.
What she did not know was that someone else was even more anxious than she was.
Madam Liu learned of the matter that very night.
The news had come from one of Shi Youlan’s maids.
The maid described in vivid detail how the princess had spoken to Second Miss alone and how mysterious she had been, refusing to let anyone else overhear their conversation.
After listening, Madam Liu nearly lost her grip on the teacup in her hand. She could not suppress the smile spreading across her face.
“Wonderful, wonderful! The princess truly thinks highly of Youlan.”
She set down her teacup and paced around the room several times. The red-gold hairpin with dangling beads in her hair jingled with every step.
“Our Youlan has been lovable since she was a child. It’s only natural that the princess would think highly of her.”
Nanny Zhou stood to one side. Watching Madam Liu’s smug, triumphant expression, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. She lowered her head and pretended to straighten the tea things on the table.
She sighed inwardly.
The princess thought highly of Second Miss?
The princess valued the young master. Second Miss was merely benefiting from her brother’s favor.
But she could not say that. Madam Liu would not believe her and would only think she was being envious.
Madam Liu paced several more rounds before finally sitting down on the couch. The light in her eyes was impossible to suppress.
“We must prepare a proper birthday gift. It can’t be too shabby, but it mustn’t be too ostentatious either. It has to be just right—something the Empress will like without making her think the marquis’s household is trying to curry favor.”
Nanny Zhou nodded. “You’re right, Madam. Have you decided what to give?”
Madam Liu thought for a moment, then counted off several possibilities on her fingers.
A jade ruyi, a strand of golden-thread nanmu Buddhist prayer beads, a double-sided embroidered screen…
But the more she considered them, the less suitable they seemed.
Some were too vulgar, others too ordinary, and a few were simply too expensive. The marquis’s household could not afford to squander its remaining wealth.
“Forget it. We’ll discuss it tomorrow. There’s still more than half a month left.”
Madam Liu waved her hand and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes with a faint smile still lingering at the corners of her mouth.
The sky outside had gone completely dark. The moon emerged from behind the clouds and cast a silvery glow across the ground.
At Shou’an Hall, Shi Huai had not gone to bed either.
He sat by the study window with the book he had been reading halfway through in his hands, but his gaze had fallen upon the moon outside.
Moonlight streamed through the window and settled on his face, coating his almost translucently pale features in a layer of silver.
Tangerine crouched on the windowsill, its round eyes fixed on the moon in the sky as well.
“Tangerine, do you think Second Sister will be able to ask?”
Shi Huai reached out and flicked Tangerine lightly on the head.
Tangerine narrowed its eyes at the tap.
“I doubt it.”
Shi Huai spoke to himself as he gently scratched beneath Tangerine’s chin.
“She’s been timid since she was little. Asking the princess something like that would be harder for her than going onto a battlefield.”
Tangerine let out a soft meow, as though agreeing with him.
Shi Huai flicked it again. “You’re certainly good at joining in.”
The next morning, Shi Youlan appeared in the dining room with dark circles beneath her eyes.
Madam Liu was startled when she saw her. The chopsticks in her hand nearly slipped.
“Youlan, did you sleep badly last night? Why are your eyes so dark?”
“It’s nothing. I just had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep soundly afterward.”
Shi Youlan sat down at the table and took a sip of porridge.
It was warm—not too hot or too cold, just right.
She set down the bowl, picked up a steamed bun, and took a bite. After chewing twice, she swallowed, barely tasting it.
Madam Liu watched her daughter sitting there distractedly. She frowned, set down her chopsticks, and leaned forward slightly.
“Youlan, is something troubling you? Tell your mother.”
“No. The dream was just frightening, and I haven’t quite recovered from it yet.”
Shi Youlan took another bite of the bun. This time, she chewed more slowly, but she still could not taste anything.
After breakfast, Madam Liu called out to Shi Youlan just as she was about to leave.
She led her into the inner room, where several items had been laid out on the table.
There was a white jade statue of Guanyin, a calligraphy painting by a renowned master from the previous dynasty, a set of gold jewelry, and a bolt of cloud brocade.
“Youlan, come take a look. Choose one of these to give the Empress as a birthday gift.”
Madam Liu beckoned her daughter over.
Shi Youlan walked up and stood before the objects, examining them one by one.
The white jade Guanyin was exquisitely carved, and the quality of the jade was warm and lustrous. It was a fine piece.
The calligraphy painting by the famous master of the previous dynasty was a rare treasure as well, but the Empress might not necessarily like it.
The gold jewelry was too vulgar. Giving it as a gift would make the marquis’s household seem uncultured.
The cloud brocade was indeed a rarity, but what rare fabrics had the Empress not seen before?
“Mother, none of these seems quite suitable.”
Shi Youlan shook her head and sat down in the chair opposite Madam Liu.
“Then what do you suggest we give her?” Madam Liu asked, her brow furrowing.
Shi Youlan thought for a moment, then hesitantly began, “I think that rather than giving her something so ordinary, we should offer something more heartfelt.”
“Heartfelt? What do you mean?”
