Biyun Temple is a popular place of worship, attracting wealthy families who come to pay homage and stay for extended periods, so there are always plenty of guest rooms available. The families were assigned courtyards of varying sizes and distances, and each family was led by a young novice monk.
When Jun Shu parted ways with Pang Yuan and Chu Ye, he didn't forget to invite them to go horseback riding and admire the red maple leaves together in the back mountain that afternoon.
Pang Yuan, without any distraction, readily agreed.
Chu Ye, however, was secretly planning to find an opportunity to speak with Wuxia alone, so he made an excuse to decline, saying, "Wanwan is young and always takes a long nap. Since I have taken her out, I must patiently accompany her. I'm afraid I won't be able to travel with you two."
He pondered this explanation: although he had declined Jun Shu's invitation, the fact that he was a loving brother to his sister would leave a good impression on the Marquis of Runan's family, which would make up for any shortcomings and not result in any loss.
Who would have thought that the usually obedient and sweet Chu Wan would jump up and down in a panic upon hearing this: "I...I promised to sleep with Shuangshuang and Sister Wuxia, Third Brother can't go to Sister Wuxia's room, boohoo...I don't want Third Brother, I want Shuangshuang..."
Children take everything seriously, and Chu Wan actually started to cry as she talked about it.
Chu Ye awkwardly stepped forward to pick her up and comfort her, but Chu Wan puffed out her cheeks and angrily backed away. Backing away was obviously not as easy as walking straight, and she tripped and fell hard on her bottom. Being small and having a low center of gravity, the fall didn't hurt much, but her dissatisfaction and fright made her cry even harder.
Chu Ye and Chu Wan are more than ten years apart in age. No matter how much he usually dotes on her, he only plays with her when she is happy. He has never really taken care of a child before, so he was at a loss and had no idea how to coax her.
Wushuang squatted down next to Chu Wan, hugging her round little belly, trying to lift her up. However, she was small and weak, and it was quite difficult for her to lift Chu Wan, who was about the same weight as her.
"Alright, alright, Wanwan, don't cry." Wuxia came over and picked up Chu Wan, patting her gently to comfort her. Seeing that she had really stopped crying and her breathing had become steady, she turned to Chu Ye and gave a slight bow, saying, "Third Prince, why don't you let the princess go with us sisters to rest for the afternoon? She and Shuangshuang are very close, and it's a rare opportunity for them to see each other today, so she certainly won't want to be separated. Moreover, Third Prince can rest assured that my sister and I have been together for many years and have a lot of experience in taking care of girls of this age. We will definitely be able to take good care of Her Highness the princess."
With a slight smile on her face, Wuxia discussed the matter with Chu Ye in a soft voice.
The voice of his beloved was more beautiful than heavenly music, and her smile was more radiant than spring flowers. Chu Ye was so captivated by her beauty that he couldn't even bother to discern what Wuxia was saying. He simply nodded and said, "Miss Wuxia is right. We'll do as you say."
At first glance, this statement seems reasonable, but upon closer examination, it appears to be somewhat nonsensical.
Wuxia thought for a moment, then felt it wasn't worth asking any more questions, and smiled gently, saying, "Then I'll take the princess back to Yuxin Courtyard."
Chu Ye immediately stepped aside like a ghost to make way.
Wushuang and Chuwan were still young and had been traveling all morning, so they were exhausted and fell asleep as soon as they touched the bed.
Wuxia was sitting by the window, with two maids, Xiaoman and Guyu, standing on either side of her. One held a bronze mirror, while the other carefully removed her hair ornaments and untied her hair.
She went out today for a matchmaking event, so her attire was naturally more elaborate than usual, and removing her makeup before bed took longer.
After finally getting her hair done and rinsing her mouth and face clean, she was about to get into bed when she saw a maid peeking in from outside the door.
Gu Yu walked over and said fiercely, "What are you doing? Have you forgotten all the rules? Who gave you the audacity to peek around at the girls' door?"
The little maid, Xing, was only eleven years old this year. She wasn't very clever and was a bit timid. After being reprimanded by Gu Yu, she stammered as she spoke again, "Someone...someone sent a letter saying...saying that the Marquis of Pingyang...Monkey...no...the young lady invited the eldest young lady to Canglang Pavilion."
Gu Yu, always quick-witted and efficient, couldn't stand Chun Xing's foolishness and snatched the letter from her hand: "Alright, you can go now. Next time someone delivers something, whether it's a letter, a note, or a message, tell her to come directly to me, understand?"
Chunxing nodded, then shrank back and ran away.
Wu Xia unfolded the letter and saw only one short sentence: "See you at Canglang Pavilion at the very end."
The signature was the small seal of the Crown Prince's wife.
Wuxia instructed Xiaoman to find her pocket watch and check the time. It was already past noon. She glanced down at her younger sister, who was fast asleep on the bed, and sighed softly. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to take a nap.
After freshening up her appearance, Wuxia led the two female nurses to the appointment.
Of course, before leaving, I didn't forget to ask my parents for permission.
Jun Shu was asleep, but Madam Yang was still awake after coaxing the crying Jun Yu for a while.
Hearing her daughter mention the invitation from the wife of the Marquis of Pingyang's heir, she wasn't surprised: "Perhaps she wants to chat with you a bit more; it's nothing more than a meeting of minds."
“Since Mother also thinks it’s normal, then I’ll go,” Wuxia said, getting up.
Yang hesitated, though: "How about I go with you?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Junyu, who was sleeping in the cradle, started crying again, as if it were the right time.
"Mother, you should stay with your brother," Wuxia said considerately. "I have Nanping and Nansheng with me."
Madam Yang was still uneasy about Wuxia going alone. Although Xu Lang was not there, Wu Wan'er was. Who knew if she was secretly plotting something against her daughter?
"How about we don't go? We can have someone tell the young master's wife that you're not feeling well, and we can meet again later when we go to listen to the sermon."
Wuxia, however, had a different opinion: "Mother, don't say it's normal for the young master's wife to ask me to meet, there's nothing to avoid. Even if there are some suspicious clues, I don't want to avoid it. Ever since we heard that Brother Xu and Wu Wan'er were planning to scheme against me, our whole family has been on tenterhooks. But, as the saying goes, you can only be a thief for a thousand years, not a thief for a thousand years. I'm actually hoping they'll make their move soon. Anyway, with Nanping and Nansheng protecting me, what can those two do to me?"
Yang was very pleased that her daughter was courageous and unafraid of conspiracies and schemes. However, as a mother, she could not tolerate her daughter being in any danger, and she could not let her jump into the trap.
“Who said their plan can only be carried out by the two of them?” Madam Yang has been eating rice for more than ten years longer than Wuxia, so she is naturally more knowledgeable. “Hiring a few strong men from the city doesn’t cost much, and they can afford it. Nanping and Nansheng are certainly good fighters, but when they encounter a large number of people, they may not be able to handle it. It’s better to be careful.”
"Then how about I ask Father to come with me?" Wuxia wasn't stubborn, and suggested when she heard her mother say that.
“What kind of thing is it for your father to meet with the Crown Prince’s wife in private?” Madam Yang said. “It would be better to have him secretly follow you from behind so that no one can see. You go first, and I will tell him to get up and follow us.”
After saying this, Madam Yang handed Junyu, whom she was holding, to the wet nurse and turned to go into the inner room.
Wuxia then left, surrounded by Nanping and Nansheng.
In a side room of another courtyard, Wu Wan'er placed the wolf-hair brush on the brush holder, and with a smile picked up the radish seal standing in the ink box, stamping it next to a line of small characters she had written.
After the mark dried, she lazily folded the paper, stuffed it into an envelope, and handed it to the maid Yue Niang who was standing beside her: "Find a young novice monk to give to the young master of the Pang family. Remember to say that you are from the Marquis of Runan's mansion."
Yue Niang asked in confusion, "Miss, why don't you find someone close to Young Master Pang like you did before?"
"I don't know who's around him, and I'm not going to find a stupid person to receive the letter right away," Wu Wan'er said impatiently. "Just go when I tell you to, and don't ask so many questions. Otherwise, you'll delay my important business."
Moon Lady dared not say another word and immediately went to carry out the order.
Wu Wan'er took a carving knife from the pen holder and chopped up the radish seal that had been used to stamp the seal until the writing on it was no longer visible.