More than ten days passed, and the leaves in the imperial palace were wrapped in autumn hues, falling in great numbers with each gust of wind until they gradually disappeared entirely. The Taiye Lake mirrored the autumn scenery, its once lush green lotus leaves that had covered the water's surface in summer now withered, leaving behind a lake of broken stems and dried foliage.
A handful of fish food scattered into the water, and the koi fish rushed to compete for it, while a few jade spirit beasts poked their heads up, leisurely swallowing the stray bits before sinking back into the depths.
"My lady, that seems to be the Third Prince," Yue Ya said, gazing across the lake and squinting for a moment before confirming.
Yun Wan followed her pointing finger and saw the Third Prince, dressed in dark green brocade robes, standing beneath the willow trees by the lakeside pavilion, speaking to someone with his head slightly raised. The person opposite him was obscured by the tree trunk, making their face impossible to discern.
"Who is the Third Prince speaking to?"
Yue Ya strained her eyes but shook her head. "Judging by the robes, it looks like one of the officials from the previous court. Should this servant go and inquire?"
An official from the previous court? What was he doing here? And conversing with the Third Prince—they didn’t seem like strangers. The color of the official robes didn’t match Lu Yuanduo’s.
It all seemed rather suspicious.
Just as Yun Wan was about to nod, a soft voice suddenly spoke from behind. "That is Lord Cui, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial."
Yun Wan turned, surprised to see who had spoken.
The woman curtsied gracefully. "My apologies, this concubine spoke out of turn and startled Your Highness."
Yun Wan studied the slightly familiar face before her. "You are... Concubine Zhang?"
Concubine Zhang seemed taken aback. "Your Highness recognizes this concubine?"
Yun Wan nodded. "I remember. During the incident with Consort Shen and when Noble Lady Hu gave me trouble, you spoke up for me."
Her voice had been quiet, but her words had always struck true.
Concubine Zhang lowered her head with a shy smile. "This concubine merely spoke the truth. I didn’t expect Your Highness to remember."
"Forgive me for saying this, but when Consort Shen was still here, this concubine suffered no small amount of her bullying and exclusion. Life was far from pleasant. Now that she’s moved elsewhere, I can finally breathe easy."
She exhaled as if relieved, her smile deepening.
Yun Wan asked, "You said that was Lord Cui, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial?"
Concubine Zhang nodded, then added after a moment’s thought, "Your Highness must have heard of the Third Prince’s birth mother, Concubine Cui. Lord Cui is her father."
In other words, the gray-haired man speaking to the Third Prince was his maternal grandfather?
But why had he only appeared now? Yun Wan had never heard of this Lord Cui before.
As if sensing her confusion, Concubine Zhang explained softly, "Your Highness may not know, but Lord Cui was transferred out of the capital years ago and has been serving as an official outside the city. It was only at the beginning of this year that he was reassigned back to the capital and promoted to a fifth-rank position."
"This concubine happened to notice that he has been meeting privately with the Third Prince for several days now. And from the looks of it, His Highness the Third Prince is quite fond of him."
From a distance, Lord Cui even pulled out some children’s snacks from his sleeve.
Who would believe this wasn’t premeditated? What kind of official carried sweets and snacks around? Those were treats meant to coax children.
Yun Wan withdrew her gaze and studied Concubine Zhang with a probing look. "Why are you telling me this? What do you want?"
Concubine Zhang froze for a moment before hurriedly waving her hands. "This concubine merely finds Your Highness kind-hearted and favored by His Majesty. I only wished to establish goodwill."
Afraid Yun Wan might suspect ulterior motives, she added, "If Your Highness is uncomfortable, you may pretend this concubine never appeared today."
Yun Wan’s expression softened slightly. "Though you approached me first, I’ve still benefited from this exchange. Moreover, you helped me twice before. Let’s settle matters clearly—if you want something, you may say it directly."
Seeing her insistence on fairness, Concubine Zhang thought for a moment and said, "This concubine has heard that Your Highness is skilled in making incense. Perhaps you could gift me some calming fragrance?"
Yun Wan agreed. "Very well. I’ll have someone deliver it to you tomorrow."
Knowing when to stop, Concubine Zhang bowed again. "Then this concubine won’t disturb Your Highness’s enjoyment of the scenery any longer. I take my leave."
After she left, the Third Prince and Lord Cui also departed from the opposite shore of Taiye Lake.
Yue Ya couldn’t help but ask, puzzled, "My lady, what does Concubine Zhang intend? Is she trying to win your favor?"
Since entering the palace, she had learned much. The imperial consorts might seem glorious, but in truth, low-ranking concubines who lacked favor often had to rely on the goodwill of higher-ranking consorts or imperial favorites to survive.
In other words—they sought patronage.
Having had little interaction with her, Yun Wan wasn’t sure of her motives.
"Let’s observe for now. Later, discreetly look into what kind of person Concubine Zhang is in the palace."
Glancing once more at the opposite shore, Yun Wan added, "As for what we saw today, forget about it after we return. Don’t speak of it to anyone."
The matters between the Third Prince, Consort Lu, and the Cui family—let them entangle themselves. As long as it didn’t involve her or Sui.
---
Upon returning to Qiyun Palace, Yun Wan found Sui dressed in riding attire, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, his face alight with excitement.
Curious, Yun Wan reached out and touched the small felt hat on his head. "Aren’t you hot? Why are you so happy? Did something good happen?"
Sui’s cheeks were flushed as he beamed. "Mother, His Majesty is giving me a pony! And he’s going to teach me how to ride!"
Yun Wan was stunned. "When did this happen? Why didn’t I know?"
Emperor Jingxuan emerged from the inner hall, hands clasped behind his back. "I promised him this when he was ill. Today, I happen to have time, so I’m taking him to fulfill that promise."
"Would you care to join us, my lady?"
Two pairs of eyes—one large, one small—stared at her expectantly.
Yun Wan sighed in resignation. "Then allow me to change into simpler attire."
"I’ve already prepared it. You need only put it on."
Emperor Jingxuan clapped his hands, and a palace maid presented a set of pomegranate-red riding clothes for women, complete with boots and a belt.
Clearly, he had come prepared. Yun Wan went into the inner chamber to change and emerged to find the emperor’s eyes brightening at the sight.
Her current hairstyle didn’t quite suit the outfit, so she had Yue Jian redo it into a high ponytail, giving her a fresh and lively appearance.
Emperor Jingxuan’s gaze burned with warmth, but when his eyes flickered to her dressing table, they paused.
"My lady, where is that white hairpin of yours?"
Yun Wan removed her earrings and replied casually, "I put it away. I won’t wear it anymore."
"Truly?" The emperor’s face lit up with joy.
"Of course," Yun Wan said, slanting him a glance. "Didn’t Your Majesty dislike seeing me wear it?"
Since the hairpin no longer held any meaning, she might as well store it away and let him have his happiness.
Because he disliked it, she had put it away?
Emperor Jingxuan’s heart pounded. He bent down, wrapping his arms around her waist, and nipped at her earlobe, murmuring in self-defense,
"Now, now—how could you think so little of me? When have I ever interfered with what my lady wears or adorns herself with?"
He hadn’t interfered, but that didn’t stop him from offering unsolicited opinions and cluttering her with accessories, leaving no chance for that white jade hairpin.
Whenever she so much as glanced at it, he took his frustration out on her at night.
Deliberately tormenting her, refusing to yield, insisting on comparisons—utterly vexing.
By the time they finally arrived at the Western Hills riding grounds after much dawdling, a crowd had already been waiting for some time. The most conspicuous among them was Pei Qian, who sat alone on a rocky slope, hands propping up his cheeks as if he were squatting over a chamber pot.
Spotting Sui, he sprang to his feet, waving enthusiastically and bellowing, "Lu Changsui! Over here, my friend!"
Sui jogged over and blinked in surprise. "Oh, so you weren’t answering nature’s call after all?"
Pei Qian’s grin froze, his entire body turning to stone at the remark.
