Spring had arrived in the capital, and women had changed into spring attire to admire flowers and scenery, themselves becoming part of the spring view.
However, in recent days, the young ladies of the capital had been venturing out less for leisure, mostly gathering in one another's gardens.
A young girl rode a carriage into the inner courtyard and jumped down before it had fully stopped, earning a glare from her maid: "Young lady, your decorum."
The girl quickly straightened her posture and walked gracefully, but after a few steps, her impatience got the better of her. She lifted her skirt and broke into a small run toward the interior, leaving her maid both exasperated and anxious behind her.
In the Water Pavilion of the garden, seven or eight girls were seated. One was playing the zither, but the music lacked spirit; another pair was playing chess, though the board had remained untouched for some time. Two girls chatted across the chessboard, while the others conversed in low voices.
"I'm here, I'm here!" the girl called from a distance.
The others quickly turned to look, some even rising to greet her. Before the girl could run in, they bombarded her with questions: "Qi Leyun, how did it go?" "Did you find out anything?" "Did you see them?"
Qi Leyun ran in, too breathless to reply at first. She poured herself a cup of tea and drank it in one gulp before catching her breath.
"I didn't see them," she said.
The surrounding girls expressed their disappointment: "How useless of you." "Didn't you say you'd dare to go anywhere?"
Qi Leyun replied, "Liang Qin said she was too severely injured to see anyone. I couldn't just barge in, could I? As for Chu Zhao, Chu Tang came out to see me herself and said Chu Zhao wasn't receiving visitors either, and she didn't dare disturb her. If I forced my way in and she hit me, what would I do?"
But then she raised her hand to gather everyone's attention.
"However, I did find out one thing clearly: after Chu Zhao finished her scolding, the Liang residence showed no reaction at all, and the Chu family hasn't gone back to the Liang residence either."
The girls exchanged glances.
"What does that mean?" "Who won?"
Qi Leyun clapped her hands: "Do you even need to ask? Of course Chu Zhao won. First, she fought, then she scolded, and in the end, nothing happened."
Everyone understood this logically, but they still found it hard to believe. The girls chattered among themselves: "Are the Liang family being magnanimous and not bothering with a country girl like her?" "If they weren't going to bother with her, they wouldn't have made a fuss in the first place. To make a fuss first and then fall silent—either money changed hands, or threats were made."
"I don't think the Chu family has that kind of money to offer."
"Then it must be threats."
"Chu Zhao actually managed to threaten the Liang family?"
The Water Pavilion buzzed with lively chatter, but after much discussion, they reached no conclusion, only giving themselves headaches from the noise.
"Alright, alright," one girl called out to everyone. "Stop thinking about it. Let's all be cautious and watch carefully. We'll find out eventually."
"Then let's go out and play," another girl suggested. "We can't really be afraid that Chu Zhao will come and beat us up, can we?"
That would be far too humiliating. So the girls all agreed to take carriages for a spring outing outside the city. A flurry of activity followed—carriages, horses, servants, and maids bustling about as they crowded through the streets. When they reached the city gate, congestion was inevitable.
Without needing instructions from the city guards, the servants went to clear others from the gate area.
"Make way, make way!"
Seeing the fierce demeanor of these servants and the luxurious attire and numerous carriages, the common people quickly moved aside. Only one carriage at the back, caught unawares, failed to move aside in time.
"Why are you blocking the road!" the girls' servants shouted. "Move aside now!"
With that, they stepped forward, grabbed the horses, and began pulling them to the side.The carriage was spacious and plain, with a single coachman and a green-clad servant carrying a sword standing beside it. They had been quiet and still, but when the horse was held back, the green-clad servant’s expression turned cold.
"Audacious!" he shouted, gripping the sword at his back.
At his shout, the coachman tightened the reins. The horse, which had been held by the servant, let out a whinny, shook its head, and threw the servant off.
The servants on the other side were startled and grew even angrier. "What do you think you’re doing?" "You there, are you trying to draw a weapon?" "This is the capital, right under the Emperor’s feet!"
The green-clad servant remained expressionless, his hand moving to draw his sword.
Suddenly, a voice came from inside the carriage: "Du Qi."
It was a young man’s voice, gentle yet firm. The green-clad servant’s half-drawn sword was slammed back into its scabbard.
"Make way," the voice from the carriage continued.
As he spoke, the whinnying horse calmed down and obediently pulled the carriage to the side, clearing the path to the city gate.
The green-clad servant, addressed as Du Qi, cast a cold glance at the other servants but said nothing more, urging his horse to follow the carriage.
The other servants, snapping out of their shock, grew even more incensed. "Where did these country bumpkins come from?" "They have no manners!" "Do you need us to teach you some respect?"
"Enough, let’s go quickly," a girl’s impatient voice scolded from inside the carriage. "What’s the holdup?"
The servants hastily acknowledged her command, swallowing their anger, and began clearing the remaining commoners, escorting the girls’ carriage out of the city.
The commoners at the gate, accustomed to such scenes, showed no resentment and quietly resumed their queue to enter the city.
Du Qi and the carriage rejoined the line. The nearby commoners, noticing the servant’s lingering displeasure, couldn’t help but chuckle and advise him, "Don’t be upset. This is just how the nobility behaves when leaving the city these days."
Du Qi’s face darkened. "The city gate doesn’t belong to them. How can they act so arrogantly?"
One of the commoners sighed. "You really are a country bumpkin."
"If you’d seen the Yang Family or the Zhao Family leaving the city, you’d understand. When the Zhao Family’s matriarch goes out to offer incense, even officials have to dismount and step aside," they said. "If you’d blocked the way like that in front of the Zhao or Yang families, they’d have knocked you to the ground already. With no money or influence, what else can you expect?"
Du Qi’s jaw tightened as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only let out a cold laugh.
He was just a naive young man who hadn’t seen much of the world, trying to play the hero and stand up against injustice. The commoners were used to such types and privately mocked him. In these times, who still tried to be a hero?
The city gate was wide, and the guards didn’t bother with checks. The crowd moved through in a chaotic but swift flow.
Just after passing through the gate, they saw a group of riders hurrying from inside the city. At the sight of them, without any need for orders, the people on the street quickly made way.
But the green-clad servant and the carriage that had just exited the gate continued forward, alarming those who had been traveling alongside them.
"That country fool," they muttered anxiously. "Is he really trying to be a hero now? He’d have been better off picking a fight with the earlier group. Now he’s running into the Crown Prince’s attendants!"
Those were among the most—or perhaps the second most, or equally as powerful—influential figures in the capital. The Third Prince’s presence was no less imposing than the Crown Prince’s, if not more so.
This country bumpkin was about to be in serious trouble!
The onlookers at the street side held their breath, tense with anticipation. But to their surprise, as the two parties were about to collide, it was the Crown Prince’s attendants who halted first. The lead attendant, wearing a respectful smile, quickly dismounted and hurried over to the carriage."Third Young Master," he called out joyfully. "You've finally arrived! Her Highness the Crown Princess has been asking about you several times. Had you not come soon, Her Highness would have left the palace to search for you."
The anxious crowd fell utterly silent upon hearing this.
Third Young Master?
Personally received by the Crown Princess?
Could it possibly be—
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a young man in his twenties. With refined eyebrows and clear eyes, his complexion resembled a bright moon as he stood dressed in dark brocade robes.
"My apologies for making Her Highness worry," he said. "The journey was delayed due to my sightseeing excursions—this is Yanfang's fault."
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