“She stayed up for several nights writing this letter. She wrote it over and over again—then tore it up, only to start writing once more. By the time she finally settled on the finished version, her hands were trembling.”
The Third Prince’s voice was slightly hoarse.
“Watching her like that, I felt awful.”
Perhaps he was also hurting for his own sake.
Shi Huai remained silent for a long while. Then he picked up the letter from the table, broke the seal, and drew out the paper.
The handwriting was indeed elegant, every stroke written with painstaking care.
“Young Master Shi,
“Since we last parted, several months have passed in the blink of an eye. Whenever I think of the time you taught me to compose poetry, my heart fills with gratitude.
“Young Master, you are gifted and handsome, with both talent and refinement. Jinse knows that her own learning is shallow and that she is unworthy of you, but there are some things I cannot bear to keep hidden in my heart.
“If you are willing, please meet me at Daxiangguo Temple on the eighth day of next month. There is something important I wish to discuss with you.”
Standing nearby, the Third Prince saw that Shi Huai had finished reading the letter and could not help asking,
“Are you going?”
Shi Huai folded the letter, slipped it back into the envelope, and set it on the table.
“The princess said to meet at Daxiangguo Temple on the eighth of next month. If I happen to have time then, I’ll go.”
“And if you don’t?”
“Then we’ll arrange another day.”
The Third Prince grew anxious at his indifferent response.
“Can’t you give me a definite answer?”
Shi Huai raised his eyes and glanced at him.
“Your Highness, I can’t give you a definite answer because I don’t know whether something else will come up by then.”
The Third Prince’s lips moved several times before he finally forced out,
“Fine. Do as you see fit. I’ve delivered the message, and you’ve read the letter. I’m leaving.”
He turned toward the door. After taking two steps, he stopped and added,
“Shi Huai, Jinse is a good girl. Don’t hurt her.”
The door closed behind him, and his footsteps gradually faded along the stone-paved path.
Shi Huai stood where he was, staring at the closed door in silence for a long time.
Then he walked over and opened it, standing in the doorway as he gazed down the empty corridor.
The snow had stopped. In the deepening dusk, the snow clinging to the pine branches gleamed with a cold, pale light.
He turned and walked back inside. Picking up the letter from the table, he read it once more.
Jinse’s handwriting truly was beautiful. Anyone could see how much effort she had put into practicing it.
But no matter how beautiful the writing, some things still could not be said.
Shi Huai folded the letter, slipped it back into the envelope, and placed it beneath his pillow.
Early the next morning, after finishing his sword practice in the courtyard, Shi Huai returned to the quiet room and found a food container on the table.
Golden lines traced a design of orchids across its lacquered surface. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary item.
He lifted the lid.
Inside was a steaming bowl of soup, a dish of oil-braised dried bamboo shoots, and a dish of stir-fried seasonal vegetables.
Everything was free of meat and rich in nourishment.
At the very bottom of the food container lay a slip of paper bearing several words:
“Third meal.”
He recognized the handwriting.
It was the Crown Prince’s, vigorous and powerful, carrying the calm composure unique to the heir apparent.
The corners of Shi Huai’s lips lifted slightly. He folded the note and tucked it into his sleeve, then picked up the soup and took a sip.
It was warm, neither too hot nor too cool, just right for drinking. The flavor was so fresh that his eyes narrowed in pleasure.
In the days that followed, the Crown Prince came every rest day without fail.
Sometimes he brought a book, sometimes a pot of tea, and sometimes nothing at all. He would simply sit in the quiet room and watch Shi Huai write, often for an entire afternoon.
The Third Prince came too, though he was nowhere near as punctual as the Crown Prince. Sometimes he came on a day off; sometimes he showed up when it wasn’t a day off at all.
Every time, he had a different excuse.
Sometimes he was delivering a letter for Jinse, sometimes bringing something from his mother, and sometimes he was “just passing by and thought he’d stop in.”
Young Master Shen came as well, accompanying the Third Prince.
When the two met outside the mountain gate, they exchanged a look.
Each saw the same disdain in the other’s eyes.
“Your Highness is here too? Aren’t you busy?”
Young Master Shen’s voice had an irritating edge to it.
The Third Prince straightened his collar, tousled by the wind, and replied in an even cooler tone, “And are you not busy, Young Master Shen? Is the Imperial College on break?”
Young Master Shen’s peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly.
“It is. Why else would I dare wander around?”
They entered the mountain gate one after the other.
When the guest monk saw the two of them back again, the corner of his mouth twitched. He joined his palms and bowed.
“Both benefactors, Benefactor Shi is in the quiet room in the rear courtyard.”
The Third Prince pulled a few pieces of silver from his sleeve and pressed them into the monk’s hand.
“Thank you for your trouble, Master. Please use this to buy incense and candles for the Buddha.”
The monk looked at the silver in his hand, and the corner of his mouth twitched even harder.
Every time the Third Prince came, he slipped the monk some money, then said, “Please use it to buy incense and candles for the Buddha.”
The monk pocketed the silver, joined his palms, murmured a prayer, and turned to leave.
Watching how practiced the Third Prince was, Young Master Shen curled his lip slightly.
He said with mock sweetness, “Your Highness certainly knows your way around here. Anyone who didn’t know better might think you were up to something you’d rather keep hidden.”
The Third Prince ignored him and walked straight through the covered corridor toward the rear courtyard.
Young Master Shen followed at an unhurried pace, taking in the scenery as he went.
Several old pine trees grew in the rear courtyard of Dajue Temple, their snow-covered crowns sparkling in the sunlight.
Moss covered the stone lanterns lining the path, showing just how old they were.
The door to the quiet room stood open. Shi Huai was seated at the table, writing.
Tangerine was sprawled on the windowsill, its round eyes fixed on the two people entering the courtyard.
The little cat had once sneaked onto a carriage when someone from the residence came to bring Shi Huai some things.
Cats were carnivores; eating only vegetarian food wasn’t good for them.
So Shi Huai had planned to have someone take it back.
But the moment anyone touched its fur, the little rascal would let out a piercing meow, as if it were being hurt.
At first, Shi Huai really thought it was injured. But as soon as he picked it up, Tangerine began mewing in a pitiful, affected little voice.
In the end, it won a place for itself through sheer acting talent.
The Third Prince tapped twice on the doorframe.
Shi Huai looked up and saw the Third Prince and Young Master Shen standing one behind the other in the doorway.
“What brings you two here together? Did you run into each other at the mountain gate again?”
The Third Prince entered the quiet room and sat down in its only chair.
“Has Young Master Shen come to practice too?”
