Princess Jinse fussed over her appearance for quite a while before finally rising from the dressing table. She walked over to the table, picked up a date-paste pastry, and took a bite, narrowing her eyes as she nodded.
“Delicious. The pastries from Young Master Shi’s household are so good.”
After swallowing the pastry, she picked up a piece of almond tofu and used a small spoon to scoop some into her mouth.
Whether it was truly sweet or merely sweetened by her mood, no one could say. In any case, her eyes curved into crescents.
“Third Brother, do you think I should give Young Master Shi a return gift? He sent me something to eat. I can’t just enjoy it without giving him anything in return, can I?”
Princess Jinse set down her spoon, dabbed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and looked up at the Third Prince.
The Third Prince set down his teacup and thought for a moment before nodding. “You should give him something in return. Have someone prepare some pastries from the palace. I’ll take them to him tomorrow.”
Princess Jinse shook her head. She stood up and paced around the room a few more times. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped.
“No, pastries are too ordinary. I’m going to embroider a sachet for him myself. Something made by hand will show much more sincerity.”
At the words “embroider a sachet by hand,” the corner of the Third Prince’s mouth twitched slightly.
He wanted to say, “Can the sachet you embroider even be given to anyone?” But when he saw how excited his little sister was, he swallowed the words before they could leave his mouth.
Princess Jinse did exactly as she said.
She immediately sent a palace maid to the storeroom to find the finest silk and threads. After choosing a piece of pale purple satin and several strands of moon-white thread, she sat by the window and began sketching a pattern.
Princess Jinse worked on the design for a long time. Her eyes grew sore, and a red mark appeared on one of her fingers, but she did not feel tired in the slightest.
She held up the finished design and examined it again and again. The smile at the corners of her lips refused to fade.
The pattern depicted a plum blossom branch—just a few simple blossoms, sparsely arranged. It perfectly captured the mood of the poem Shi Huai had given her.
“Princess, please take a break. Your eyes are all red from staring at it.”
Her personal maid, Xing’er, came over carrying a cup of tea. She set it on the table and gazed worriedly at the princess’s eyes, which had grown bloodshot from staying up so late.
Princess Jinse shook her head. She picked up the teacup and took a sip before setting it down again. Then she picked up the needle and thread and began embroidering on the satin.
Her skill was, to put it mildly, far from impressive. Her very first stitch landed somewhere it shouldn’t have, and the thread quickly tangled into a messy knot resembling a ball of yarn.
Xing’er watched from the side, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. She wanted to say, “Princess, perhaps you should stop embroidering,” but when she saw how utterly serious the princess was, she swallowed those words as well.
All she could do was silently hand over a pair of scissors, snip away the tangled thread, rethread the needle, and return it to the princess.
Princess Jinse accepted the needle and thread, took a deep breath, and began another attempt.
This time, she had learned her lesson. She slowed down and embroidered one stitch at a time. Every stitch was made with such care, as though she were carrying out an incredibly important task.
A fine layer of sweat appeared on Princess Jinse’s forehead. She pricked her fingertips several times, drawing tiny beads of blood.
Yet she remained completely unaware of it, simply lowering her head and continuing to embroider, one stitch at a time.
The Third Prince sat nearby, watching his sister work as though she had forgotten food and sleep. He could not put into words what he was feeling.
“Jinse, why are you embroidering this yourself? If you want a sachet, couldn’t you simply have an embroiderer make one for you? Why go to all this trouble?”
There was a trace of helplessness in the Third Prince’s voice. He knew exactly how poor his sister’s needlework was, and he also knew that whatever she produced was unlikely to be very attractive.
Princess Jinse did not even raise her head. The needle in her hand did not pause as she answered earnestly, “How could it be the same? No matter how well an embroiderer does it, it wouldn’t contain my feelings.”
“Young Master Shi sent me food, so I’m giving him a sachet in return. It has to be embroidered by me for it to show my sincerity.”
Her words about “my feelings” made the Third Prince’s heart ache again.
“Are you sure the sachet you embroider will be presentable? What if it turns out ugly and Shi Huai refuses to accept it?”
The needle in Princess Jinse’s hand paused. She lifted her head and glanced at her third brother. Her eyes held a hint of indignation, along with a trace of anxiety she could not conceal.
“He won’t. Young Master Shi isn’t that kind of person. Besides, my embroidery may not be very good, but I’ll do my best. I can improve with practice.”
She lowered her head and continued embroidering. Her fingers flew over the satin, and although her stitches were still somewhat uneven, they were already much better than when she had begun.
Watching from the side, Xing’er could not help sighing inwardly.
The power of love was truly magnificent. It could turn a princess who did not even know how to sew on a button into an embroidery expert overnight.
The Third Prince said nothing more. He simply sat there in silence, watching his sister embroider the sachet one stitch at a time.
The sky outside gradually darkened. A palace maid came in to light the lamps, and the orange glow bathed the entire room in warmth.
Princess Jinse’s profile looked especially gentle in the candlelight. The smile at the corners of her lips never faded, like a night-blooming flower quietly opening in the darkness.
Early the next morning, the Third Prince took the sachet to the Imperial Academy.
Princess Jinse had placed it inside a brocade box. A pale yellow ribbon was tied around the box in a pretty bow.
Anyone could tell at a glance how much thought had gone into it.
The Third Prince tucked the brocade box into his book satchel. Along the way, he kept one hand pressed against the satchel, afraid the jolting carriage might damage the box.
When he entered the Class A classroom, Shi Huai was already seated by the window, reading.
“Shi Huai.”
The Third Prince stopped beside Shi Huai’s desk, pulled the brocade box from his satchel, and set it down on the desk. His voice was slightly tense.
“This is from Jinse. She embroidered it all night. She pricked her fingers several times.”
Shi Huai set down his book and looked up at the Third Prince’s face, which was filled with complicated emotions. Then he lowered his gaze to the brocade box tied with the pale yellow ribbon.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly. He reached out, untied the ribbon, and opened the box.
Inside lay a pale purple sachet.
A plum blossom branch was embroidered on it. The stitches were not particularly refined, but every one had been made with care. It was obvious that the person who had embroidered it had put a great deal of thought into it.
Shi Huai picked up the sachet and turned it over. On the back, he found two more embroidered characters.
“Jinse.”
The lettering was crooked and wobbly, like the handwriting of a small child who had only just learned to write.
The smile at his lips deepened. He placed the sachet back in the box, then looked up at the Third Prince. His voice carried a trace of gentle amusement.
“Please thank the princess for me. Tell her that I like it very much.”
The Third Prince’s heart felt as though someone had struck it hard with a fist. The pain was so sharp that he nearly lost his balance.
Yet in front of Shi Huai, he could only endure the agony of his bleeding heart and say, “I’m glad you like it.”
