Moonlit Reunion

The moment she was lifted up, Wu Zhen felt like a meatball or a little bird—because the young man was holding her so effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing at all, completely disregarding her heavily pregnant belly.

With a glance around, Wu Zhen suddenly spotted several familiar faces in the crowd. To her left was her elder sister, Her Majesty the Empress; to her right was the delicate and beautiful Consort Mei; in the middle was her brother-in-law, the emperor, who shared her passion for music and dance. Leaning against her elder sister was Princess Yuanzhen, adorned with a white camellia hairpin, while Consort Mei held the plump and soft little Crown Prince in her arms.

The most distinguished family in the realm had come out to mingle among the commoners, squeezing into the crowd to watch the Acrobatic Show like any ordinary wealthy household. Seeing the obvious guards surrounding them, Wu Zhen wasn’t worried—this dynasty was open-minded, and it was quite normal for the imperial family to stroll among the people during festivals.

Though the crowd was dense, Wu Zhen, lifted high by the tall Mei Zhuyu, stood out conspicuously. Her gaze lingered a moment too long on the Empress, who immediately noticed her and turned to look. Soon, the others followed the Empress’s line of sight and spotted Wu Zhen behind the throng.

The emperor cheerfully waved at Wu Zhen, took the chubby little Crown Prince from Consort Mei, and led his wives, children, and a large entourage of guards and attendants through the crowd to Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu.

Wu Zhen had already been set down by Mei Zhuyu, and no grand formalities were exchanged—everyone simply greeted each other according to familial seniority.

Princess Yuanzhen giggled as she hooked her arm around Wu Zhen’s, calling her "Auntie," then turned to Mei Zhuyu and addressed him as "Uncle." The little Crown Prince also called Wu Zhen "Auntie," but when he looked at Mei Zhuyu, he addressed him as "Cousin." From Consort Mei’s side, Mei Zhuyu was indeed his cousin—the family hierarchy was a bit tangled, but no one minded, and they all strolled through the lantern market together.

"Second Sister," the emperor asked casually, "how come you two came out without any servants or guards?"

Wu Zhen replied, "Too much trouble. Just the two of us is much freer."

The emperor nodded sympathetically. "It is troublesome, but you still ought to be careful."

The Empress chimed in, "Fourth Brother is right. You’re heavily pregnant—you must bring attendants when you go out. And what were you doing just now, lifted so high? What if you’d fallen? You’ve had no one to discipline you, so you’ve grown reckless and unruly."

Seeing the Empress about to scold, the emperor quickly interceded. "Ah, today’s a grand festival, and it’s rare for us to come out. Why not let Second Sister take us to that famous Jade Pavilion Music House everyone’s talking about?"

The Jade Pavilion Music House was run by the Demon Servants Wu Zhen had brought back, and its fame had spread far and wide, drawing countless visitors daily. Naturally, Wu Zhen was familiar with it.

Consort Mei remarked, "So that’s why Fourth Brother was so eager to come out for the lantern festival tonight—his true interest lay elsewhere."

The emperor wasn’t bothered and laughed heartily, giving Wu Zhen a meaningful look. She smoothly took the cue. "Actually, I’d already planned to go there today. I heard they’ve built a stage on Moonlit Lake and prepared a new dance for the occasion. It’d be a shame to miss it. Let’s all go and enjoy the excitement."

The emperor was overjoyed. "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!"Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu walked at the very back of the group. Mei Zhuyu watched as Wu Zhen plucked a little demon from beneath her feet, whispering instructions for it to go to the Jade Pavilion Music House and prepare a quiet spot for watching performances.

Mei Zhuyu asked, "You hadn't reserved a place beforehand?"

Wu Zhen replied, "Of course not. I was planning to take you to see the lanterns all evening. That music house can be visited any day—watching their performances is nowhere near as enjoyable as admiring the lanterns with you, my dear."

She said this, yet when they actually arrived at the Jade Pavilion Music House, it was Wu Zhen and the Emperor who were the most enthusiastic, loudly cheering and tipping generously. Every time the flower boat collecting tips floated beneath their small viewing platform, the two of them would scatter coins, frequently commenting on how well the singing had been or praising the skill of the harp player. Their similar mannerisms and gestures were so alike that anyone unaware might have thought they were related by blood.

The Empress couldn't bear to look at the two of them, turning her head away as if her eyes ached.

During the intermission, Wu Zhen stepped outside, and soon after, Princess Yuanzhen followed.

"Auntie, I thought you hadn't noticed my hints!" Li Yuanzhen said.

Wu Zhen rubbed her forehead. "You were blinking so hard you nearly cramped your eyes—how could I not notice? What is it? Surely your little camellia hasn't gotten into trouble again?"

"Of course not, he's perfectly fine!" Li Yuanzhen huffed. "It's just that Mother and the others have been trying to find me a husband recently!"

Wu Zhen asked, "Have they already chosen someone?"

Li Yuanzhen nodded. "Yes, last year's top scholar, someone named Pei Jingxuan, I think!"

Wu Zhen vaguely recalled him—a talented young man from a humble background. One of her playmates, a young man from the Yang family who had placed third in the exams, had been quite resentful of this top scholar. During a previous hunting excursion, he had complained about Pei Jingxuan, saying the scholar was so poor that upon arriving in Chang'an, he couldn't even afford to rent a house and had to stay in some dilapidated temple.

"So, what do you want me to do? Let me be clear upfront—things like murder or silencing witnesses are out of the question," Wu Zhen joked.

Li Yuanzhen blinked. "How could I possibly kill someone over this? Auntie, you're teasing me again. Actually, I already spoke to Father, and he agreed I don’t have to marry."

Wu Zhen was curious. "Though His Majesty has always been quite unconventional, how did you manage to convince him?"

Li Yuanzhen grinned. "I told him, 'I am the only princess of this dynasty, of the noblest status, so naturally I should be matched with the most distinguished man in the world. But the most distinguished man in the world is you, Father, and the second is my little brother. How could any other man possibly be worthy of me? Would you really make your daughter stoop to marry some ordinary man?'"

The little princess giggled, touching the white camellia hairpin in her hair. "I don't want an ordinary man—I already have the best one!"

Wu Zhen could easily imagine the Emperor's reaction—how he must have planted his hands on his hips and declared grandly, "In that case, we can't let my daughter suffer! You're absolutely right—you're a noble princess, how could you be matched with some common man? We'll set up a princess residence and take our time choosing. We'll wait until you find someone you like."

"If you've already settled it with His Majesty, why did you call me out here?" Wu Zhen asked.

Only then did Li Yuanzhen drop her triumphant expression, looking uneasy as she said, "Auntie, you know how Mother is—she's definitely going to give me a good scolding. So when the time comes, you'll have to help plead for me!""No problem," Wu Zhen readily agreed. When it came to dealing with an angry Empress, there was probably only one person in the world more skilled than her—Consort Mei. Thinking of Consort Mei, she asked, "Besides me, have you spoken to Consort Mei? If she's willing to help persuade her, it would achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Li Yuanzhen pouted, "Aunt Mei always listens to Mother. Why would she persuade her for my sake? It's more likely she'd persuade me for Mother's sake."

After the two returned, the Empress eyed them suspiciously, "What were you two talking about outside?"

Wu Zhen naturally sat beside the Empress and smiled, "Yuanzhen was asking me when the baby will arrive."

The Empress looked at her belly, her gaze softening. She sighed and patted Wu Zhen's head, "You silly child, I don’t even know if you’ll be able to take care of the baby properly once it’s born. You’re already grown up, yet you can’t even take care of yourself. If only Mother were still here, I wouldn’t have to worry about you so much from the palace."

Then she turned to Wu Zhen, "How was your New Year? The palace has so many rituals, and with you pregnant, I didn’t summon you these past days for fear of tiring you out. Have you been eating and sleeping well? Are the people sent from Duke Yu’s household taking good care of you? And those physicians I picked for you—you never want to see them..." The moment she saw her younger sister, the Empress shed her usual dignified demeanor and began chattering incessantly.

Wu Zhen’s head buzzed from the barrage of questions. With cunning intent, she redirected the conversation, "I’m doing fine. Oh, by the way, Father came back for the New Year, but he only stayed home for a day, had two meals, and then returned to the temple."

Mention of their father immediately shifted the Empress’s anger. She scolded, "Father is just the same—suddenly deciding to become a monk for no reason, leaving you all alone at home. If he had been watching over you all along, you wouldn’t have turned out like this. Even if he didn’t discipline you, just staying at home would have kept you company, so neither of you would have been so lonely."

Seeing that the focus was no longer on her, Wu Zhen shamelessly joined her sister in criticizing their father.

Wu Zhen thought: Well, Father isn’t here now—he won’t know if we say a few things about him.

After seeing the family off, Wu Zhen rubbed her waist and said to her husband, "Come on, let’s go back to see the lanterns."

Mei Zhuyu disagreed, "It’s too late. Let’s go back and rest."

Wu Zhen tugged him toward the street, "That won’t do. We haven’t seen the best lanterns yet today."

Mei Zhuyu: "We can see them tomorrow. There will still be lanterns tomorrow. It’s late, and it’s cold outside."

Without another word, Wu Zhen led him to the Jade Belt Pond. By now, it was late, and the windy lakeside was much colder than the streets. There were hardly any people left, only the colorful lanterns hanging from the trees on both banks, casting a soft glow.

"Look, there’s a boat here. Get on."

Wu Zhen expertly made her way under the bridge, where a small boat was indeed moored in the darkness. Inside the cabin was a sleeping berth, along with an assortment of pastries, cooked food, and hot tea. Though the boat appeared plain on the outside, the cabin was exquisitely furnished—clearly Wu Zhen’s doing.

Wu Zhen lit the lantern hanging in the cabin, then wrapped herself in a thick cloak and pulled Mei Zhuyu to sit at the bow, where she lit a flower-shaped lantern. The small boat, illuminated by two solitary lights, slowly emerged from under the bridge and drifted across the water beneath the cold, starry sky, gliding gently into the distance.Mei Zhuyu noticed a faint trace of Demonic Qi beneath the boat, as if there were water demons lurking. Wu Zhen handed him a cup of hot tea and chuckled softly, "I caught a few misbehaving water demons and punished them by making them push the boat for me."

Mei Zhuyu: "..."

The boat moved slowly forward, gradually leaving behind the bustling main road and entering a tributary. Soon, the banks were lined only with dense, dark forests, devoid of any light. Even the glow from the distant Lantern Tower on the streets couldn't reach here.

After passing through the initial darkness, the natural colors of the world slowly revealed themselves. The sky wasn't pitch black but tinged with an ink-blue hue like brocade, and the water wasn't murky either—it reflected the faint blue light from above, clear and pristine.

Among the trees along the banks, there must have been wild plum blossoms, as Mei Zhuyu caught a whiff of their delicate fragrance.

The small boat navigated through a stretch of overgrown thickets that nearly concealed the narrow waterway, and suddenly, the view opened up. Scattered points of dazzling light burst into sight, as if the sky had cracked open, spilling stars that adorned the trees in resplendent glory.