Chapter 20

Chang Lu’s words were as clear as they could be, so how could Pei Yun fail to understand?

It was not just she who understood; Shu Yan and Shu Mo caught on immediately. No sooner had Chang Lu finished speaking than Shu Yan triumphantly remarked, "It is naturally the Crown Princess’s own handiwork. Which embroidery maid could possibly be more exquisite than Her Highness?"

Pei Yun nearly dropped her spoon. She sighed inwardly, wondering why this girl was only adding to her troubles. Lifting her eyes languidly, she saw the Crown Prince watching her quietly. She realized at once that he must have spotted the sachet she had tossed into the corner of the daybed. He assumed that since the children had received theirs, one must have been prepared for him as well. Yet, given the Crown Prince’s temperament, he would never ask her for one directly, so Chang Lu had "cleverly" spoken on his behalf, incidentally providing her with an "opportunity."

Pei Yun truly appreciated the kind gesture, but the problem was that she had not embroidered a sachet for the Crown Prince at all—the thought had never even crossed her mind. The one in her basket with the green bamboo pattern was intended for her older brother, Pei Xu’an.

However, she was now trapped by these two "thoughtful" maids. She could hardly admit that she hadn’t prepared anything for the Crown Prince. After a moment’s thought, she smiled and said, "I am clumsy, but I have embroidered one for Your Highness as well. I only fear it may not be worthy of your eyes."

Li Changye’s expression softened. "The Crown Princess is too modest. Looking at Chen’er’s, one can see the Crown Princess’s needlework is exquisite."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yun looked toward Shu Yan, who immediately brought the sachet out from the inner chamber, brimming with joy. Pei Yun took it and was about to present it to the Crown Prince when she saw him stand up, holding Li Chen, and turn slightly. "I must trouble the Crown Princess to tie it for me."

What a nuisance.

Suppressing her impatience, Pei Yun smiled and said, "As you wish," then leaned forward slightly to fasten the sachet to the Crown Prince’s waist.

In truth, Pei Yun was not entirely satisfied with this sachet; a few of the bamboo leaves were embroidered crookedly. She had intended to make do with it, being too lazy to start over, and it would have been a pity to discard it. Now, it worked out perfectly—she would give this to the Crown Prince and embroider a new, more beautiful one for her brother.

As Pei Yun straightened up, she met the man’s dark gaze. Unlike his usual coldness, his eyes were now tinged with a hint of gentleness. She knew the Crown Prince was in an excellent mood. However, she suspected it wasn't solely because of the sachet. She dimly recalled that when she had first married into the Eastern Palace, she had given him a sachet, and he had worn it at his waist for a period after accepting it. She had been overjoyed at the time, but as her feelings for him changed with the passage of time, she eventually realized the sachet had vanished from his belt. Back then, she hadn't cared, assuming he simply disliked it and had discarded it somewhere.

Regardless of why he was pleased, it was a good opportunity for Pei Yun. She seized the moment and said, "Your Highness, there is a lantern festival on South Street during the Lantern Festival. I have been in the capital for many years but have never seen it; I would love to go."

Li Changye pulled away the cloth tiger that Chen’er was trying to stuff into his mouth and looked at her. "I happen to be leaving the palace that day; I will accompany you to see it."

Ordinarily, if a husband were so considerate, a wife would be overjoyed, but Pei Yun was not. He had his own affairs to attend to; there was really no need for him to concern himself with her. "If Your Highness has important matters, please attend to them. Besides, I will not be alone that day. My younger sister always enjoys this festival, and there is also..." Pei Yun paused, testing the waters, "...the Second Princess and Jin’er..."

Li Changye nodded without hesitation. "Very well. I will have Chang Lu arrange everything. A carriage will be waiting outside the palace to take you all to the festival."

Overjoyed, Pei Yun beamed, her eyes sparkling. She curtsied and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Changye seemed momentarily stunned, but in the end, he only gave a low "Hmm," lowered his head to gaze at the sachet at his waist, and pressed his thin lips together subtly.

The Crown Prince stayed at Linlang Palace for lunch before departing. For over an hour, he had held Chen’er in his arms the entire time. When he left, Li Chen clutched his robes, refusing to let go, until Pei Yun stepped forward to take the child.

She stood inside the palace gate, watching the Crown Prince’s retreating figure. Only then did she tap Chen’er lightly on the bottom, complaining with a smile, "You spineless little thing. You spent just a little time with him and you’re already so attached to your father."

Pei Yun carried the child back into the palace, but a moment later, she frowned and turned back to look. The Crown Prince’s figure had already disappeared. She had forgotten to ask in the end: what had the Crown Prince actually come for today?

By the day of the Lantern Festival, Pei Yun had already invited Jin’er and Li Shutang to Linlang Palace to eat tangyuan. Originally, there were supposed to be grand banquets in the palace on this day, but when her late mother-in-law, the Empress, was alive, she had practiced strict frugality. During a year of severe drought in the south, she had petitioned Emperor Qingzhen to cancel the extravagant feasts to provide disaster relief, a tradition that had continued ever since.

After dinner, Sheng Xi arrived, stating that the Crown Prince had ordered him to escort them to the lantern festival.

Once they left the palace gates and boarded the carriage, the journey was smooth until they reached South Street, where the festival was held. Pei Yun had sent word to the Duke’s mansion in advance to invite her younger sister, Pei Wei, so as soon as they stepped out of the carriage, she saw the young girl waiting under a weeping willow by the river, running toward her with a smile.

"Sister!" Pei Wei took Pei Yun’s arm and complained, "Why were you so slow? You kept Yan’er and Second Sister waiting."

Hearing the mention of "Second Sister," Pei Yun looked up to see Pei Qian walking over slowly. Pei Qian bowed to her, "Greetings, Eldest Sister."

Pei Yun nodded, the smile on her lips fading slightly.

Li Jin also stepped out of the carriage and bowed, calling out, "Second Aunt, Third Aunt."

Pei Wei responded with a smile, then, noticing her sister’s subtle displeasure, stood on tiptoe and whispered into Pei Yun’s ear, "Second Sister came today because she has something she wants to say to you. Sister, Second Sister is not like the Second Aunt..."

Pei Yun had already guessed Pei Qian’s intentions but only smiled and pulled Li Shutang over. "How rude of you. Why haven't you greeted the Second Princess?"

The sky was dim, and Pei Wei had only vaguely seen another girl getting out of the carriage. Hearing this, she hurriedly stepped forward to bow, "This subject greets Your Highness, the Second Princess."

Pei Qian followed suit.

Li Shutang quickly helped Pei Wei up. "Third Young Lady, there is no need for such formality. We are outside the palace; please be at ease."

Once this was said, Pei Wei truly did relax. She stared at Li Shutang unblinkingly, causing the princess to blush and ask bashfully, "Why does Third Young Lady look at me so?"

Pei Wei laughed, "I am just curious. Since both the Second Princess and the First Princess are daughters of the Emperor, why are their temperaments so vastly different?"

Hearing this, the smile on Li Shutang’s lips froze, fearing that Pei Wei found her dull compared to her lively and mischievous older sister. To her surprise, the next words were, "How is it that the Second Princess is even more likable to me than the First Princess?"

Pei Wei’s bluntness made Li Shutang blush furiously, leaving her at a loss for how to respond.

"The First Princess is at odds with me, but I feel that the Second Princess and I would get along very well."

Pei Wei did not like Li Shurui. Once, at a banquet, she had overheard that self-important princess belittling her sister. Unable to contain her anger, she had retorted, and from then on, no house in the capital dared to send her an invitation to a banquet. It was because of this incident that her sister had sent palace matrons to teach her etiquette.

"You, oh you." Pei Yun sighed and tapped her sister’s forehead, then looked at Li Shutang. "I told you she was reckless and not as quiet as you. Please don't mind her, Second Princess."

"How could I?" Li Shutang looked at Pei Wei and smiled. "I also feel that I am very compatible with the Third Young Lady."

"That is wonderful. Today, let me take the Second Princess to properly enjoy the lantern festival." With that, Pei Wei grabbed Li Shutang’s hand and walked ahead.

Li Jin stood to the side, looking quite constrained. In all his life, this was his first time leaving the palace to see the festival; he had only ever heard from his younger brother, Li Qian, about how lively and fun it was. He longed to go but had never dared to ask his mother. He had not expected his mother to take him of her own accord.

Seeing Li Jin’s eyes light up as he looked ahead, yet remaining rooted to the spot, Pei Yun understood. "There are beautiful lanterns and all sorts of pastries and snacks ahead. Shall we go and look together, Jin’er?"

Li Jin nodded vigorously and followed by Pei Yun’s side. Pei Qian walked silently at the very back, until Pei Wei remembered and pulled her along.

The group gathered around a lantern stall, picking for quite a while before finally buying three. Pei Wei chose a rabbit lantern, Li Shutang a begonia lantern, and Li Jin a tiger-head lantern; Pei Qian declined to take one.

The three of them carried their lanterns, laughing and playing amidst the shimmering lights. Pei Yun watched them quietly from the side; to her, regardless of their rank, the three before her were still just children. They should be this carefree.

Sheng Xi remained by Pei Yun’s side. Estimating the time, he leaned in and whispered, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince said that once he finishes his business, he will come here to meet you. He should be arriving soon."

Pei Yun pulled at her lips perfunctorily. "The Crown Prince is busy with ten thousand matters; even if he does not come, it is no—"

She stopped mid-sentence, her footsteps halting as well. Not far away, a man in a deep blue robe, his hair bound by a jade crown, stood in the crowd like a jade tree, exceptionally striking.

Perhaps the gaze from her direction was too intense; he looked past the people in front of him and his eyes locked onto her. The person he had been talking to also turned to look. When she saw who it was, Pei Yun’s body stiffened uncontrollably.

"Mother, it’s... Father," Li Jin recognized him first. At his voice, the others looked over.

While Pei Yun was still stunned, she saw the Crown Prince walking toward her with long strides. Shen Ningchao followed behind him. When the Crown Prince stopped, she bowed respectfully to Pei Yun.

"Greetings, Sister-in-law, Second Young Lady."

There were too many people around, so she could not easily reveal the identities of Pei Yun and the others.

Pei Yun forced a smile. "What a coincidence. I did not expect to meet the Sixth Young Lady, and... Matron Sheng."

The old matron beside Shen Ningchao bowed low. "It has been a long time, Madam."

After she bowed, she looked up and met Pei Yun’s eyes. Though she was merely a servant, her gaze toward Pei Yun was neither humble nor overbearing—it was cold and sharp.

But who gave her that right? Even the Crown Prince had to treat her with three parts respect. After all, Matron Sheng was the wet nurse of the late Empress Xiaoren, a woman who had served by the late Empress’s side for nearly forty years.

After the late Empress passed away, the Crown Prince had wanted to provide a residence in the outskirts of the capital for Matron Sheng to enjoy her remaining years in peace, but she had refused, requesting instead to stay in the capital and remain in the Shen household to serve the Sixth Young Lady.

Even after so many years, seeing Matron Sheng still sent an indescribable fear creeping through Pei Yun’s bones. It was this very Matron Sheng who had been sent to Cangzhou to teach Pei Yun etiquette after the imperial decree for her marriage had been issued.

Perhaps, having lived two lifetimes, her perspective had shifted, and certain events from the past were becoming clearer in Pei Yun’s mind.

Back in Cangzhou, Matron Sheng’s excessive harshness might not have been merely due to her duty. Thinking back now, the inferiority she had felt regarding Shen Ningjia, the Second Young Lady of the Shen family, had been planted by this old matron. In those days, the things she saw most were the matron’s frowns and sighs, and the words she heard most were, "How can you compare to even one ten-thousandth of Second Young Lady Shen?"

Pei Yun was certain that Matron Sheng disliked her!

Her various actions seemed like she was venting on behalf of Shen Ningjia, as if Pei Yun had stolen the Crown Prince away. Yet, Pei Yun still could not understand: when she was betrothed, Shen Ningjia had already been dead for two years, and her entry into the Eastern Palace had been an imperial mandate she could not defy.

What possible reason could Matron Sheng have for targeting her?