Sunlight dappled the mossy ground as a spring breeze rustled through the woods, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow.
From a distance, Ji Yichen observed Hua Qing and Li Shaoling standing together. Hua Qing, intoxicated, leaned against a tree trunk wiping tears, while Li Shaoling stood with hands clasped behind his back, his voice low.
"You know perfectly well what intentions you harbor. Even if she weren't my student, but merely an unrelated person, I would still intervene against such behavior."
Startled, Ji Yichen quickly hid behind a tree, peeking curiously at them.
Hua Qing, shedding her usual docility, wore a twisted expression: "What behavior? What behavior! She admires you, and so do I. Why must I be inferior to her, forbidden even to wear celestial blue?"
Li Shaoling's brows furrowed. "Did you insist on following me here just to provoke Her Highness?"
"I don't understand—with such bright prospects ahead of you, why must you entangle yourself with her!" Hua Qing looked up at him with drunken, tear-filled eyes. "Don't you realize that becoming a consort would bar you from the imperial court forever?"
Li Shaoling remained silent.
Behind the tree, Ji Yichen trembled, suddenly recalling that her teacher was a man of great ambition. If he were to become a consort due to her selfish desires, he would forever be her subordinate, barred from the court and unable to serve among ministers and generals.
Did he... love her, or resent her?
Her heart fluttered anxiously as she held her breath and retreated.
Li Shaoling caught a glimpse of her skirt from the corner of his eye—not that his vision was particularly sharp, but the slender tree did little to conceal Ji Yichen's plump figure. She, however, seemed convinced of her flawless hiding, tiptoeing away while weaving between trees and flower bushes.
Watching her, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Hua Qing glared at him indignantly. "You're laughing? Who was it that spoke of ten years of striving for fame, of serving the court one day? Who said a man should dedicate himself to the world, unbound by romantic entanglements? What does this make you now?"
"Indeed, what does it make me?"
As the celestial blue figure retreated into the distance, Li Shaoling raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to know that too."
His closeness to her had been forced by His Majesty's decree. He had been unwilling, even resentful of the imperial pressure and her domineering nature. Yet upon interacting with her, he discovered she was merely an innocent maiden smitten by love, who, by virtue of her royal status, received whatever she desired.
Including him.
When accepting his kindness, she surely hadn't known what he stood to lose. Now that she knew, would there still be a way out for him?
Distraught, Ji Yichen left the banquet with a pallid face and returned to the palace.
Staring at her reflection in the bronze mirror, she asked herself: Was she worth him sacrificing his brilliant future for?
The answer was undoubtedly no.
She thought of her father and mother, of the doting she had received, and gradually understood that her teacher's sudden change of heart was likely coerced by her father or younger brother.
The more she considered it, the more she realized how unfortunate it was to be the object of her affections.
She could go to her father now and plead for Li Shaoling's release—she didn't want him as a consort anymore.
But... but...
Tears welled in Ji Yichen's eyes.
She couldn't bear to let him go.
If she rejected her father's arrangement now, she might never speak to him again, never draw close to him, never hear his gentle words.
Torn by inner conflict, she clutched her blanket, overwhelmed with sorrow.
The next day, Princess Chang Le did not attend class at the Academicians' Court.Li Shaoling raised an eyebrow at her empty seat, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He thought to himself that this was a good girl, one who knew how to restrain her own desires for the sake of others.
However, his happiness lasted only three days.
Three days later, Chang Le returned to the Academicians' Court.
Not only did she return, but she also brought him a large plate of roasted wild boar meat as soon as she arrived.
"This is the first dish I learned to make," she said, her eyes narrowing into crescents with her smile. "Would you like to try it, Teacher?"
The amusement in Li Shaoling's eyes gradually faded.
Of course. A maiden's first love was hard to let go of. As a princess, she was accustomed to getting whatever she wanted—how could she so easily yield to him?
His expression cold, he still picked up a piece of meat and tasted it.
To be fair, the cooking was just right—neither dry nor tough, with a perfect balance of fat and lean. But his face showed no trace of praise or delight. He merely said calmly, "Thank you for the gift, Your Highness."
Chang Le was taken aback for a moment before lowering her gaze, saying nothing.
After that, Li Shaoling received the first robe she had ever sewn, the first plate of pastries she had ever made, and the first bowl of soup she had ever stewed.
The meals at the Academicians' Court were all the same communal fare. No one knew that Li Shaoling disliked scallions, but somehow Chang Le had gotten wind of it. From then on, she brought him breakfast and lunch every morning—all meticulously prepared dishes without a single trace of scallions.
Li Shaoling wanted to refuse with a cold face, but her culinary skills were superb, and the food suited his tastes perfectly. All he could do was force a stiff smile and thank her.
Hailan noticed Chang Le's attentiveness and frowned, pulling her aside. "You're a princess. You shouldn’t lower yourself like this."
Chang Le lowered her eyes and whispered, "I don’t want to have any regrets."
Hailan didn’t understand, but Chang Le simply walked away on her own.
Her actions made it obvious to everyone that her heart belonged to Teacher Li, and Li Shaoling was often teased: "Future royal son-in-law, the princess will reach marriageable age in two years. We won’t be able to meet so freely then, so let’s have a drink while we still can."
Sixteen was the legal marriageable age for women under Azure Cloud law. Given Princess Chang Le’s infatuation, she would surely ask Your Majesty for a marriage decree as soon as the time came.
Li Shaoling’s expression darkened, and he didn’t respond.
He began studying frantically, devouring books on governance and the principles of being a loyal minister, as if trying to fulfill a dream of his own.
The more he studied, the stronger his resentment grew.
Chang Le came to him excitedly one day, knocking on his door and saying, "Tomorrow is my birthday. My parents are hosting a banquet in the palace. Will you—"
"No," he said coldly.
She blinked, slightly taken aback. "Do you have other plans?"
"Yes. Tomorrow is also Hua Qing’s birthday. I promised her long ago," he replied mockingly, eyeing her plump face. "My apologies, Your Highness."
Her heart clenched, and Chang Le retreated awkwardly. "It’s fine. I asked too late. Then, you—"
She wanted to ask if he could come by after Hua Qing’s banquet.
But before she could finish, Li Shaoling slammed the door shut.
Dust from the doorframe drifted down, settling on the tip of her nose.
Chang Le froze for a moment but said nothing, slinking away dejectedly.
Li Shaoling had realized she wouldn’t report his behavior, so he became increasingly unrestrained in showing his emotions around her. Since he had no future left, why should he bother putting on a polite smile for her?Tomorrow wasn't actually Hua Qing's birthday, but even so, he went to spend the day with her.
Princess Chang Le was truly favored, so her birthday was celebrated throughout the entire Palace City. Even the streets would be decorated with lanterns and banners, as if it were some grand festival.
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