Upon hearing the Crown Prince’s words, Lin Hong did not show any sign of displeasure, only repeating softly, “Family…” The corners of his lips twitched upward, but ultimately he could not manage a smile. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his eyes to look at the Crown Prince, yet his gaze seemed to pass through him and settle on Zhenzhen, softening noticeably: “The peach tree is young and elegant, lush are its leaves. The maiden is getting married, bringing harmony to her family… This poem suits Zhenzhen well. If she likes someone, she treats them with a pure and sincere heart. Even the slightest kindness shown to her is met with a bright, radiant smile. When she is around, every cold day seems to turn into spring.”
Sensing the affection in these words, the Crown Prince asked calmly, “Do you still care for her?”
“I am grateful to have met her,” Lin Hong replied.
A brief silence fell between them before Lin Hong continued, “On the surface, she is lively, bold, and energetic, but in truth, she is sensitive, thoughtful, and keeps her sorrows to herself. Our fate in this life was shallow; after all the twists and turns, I have let her down far too much. Yet I never doubt that, no matter whom she marries, she will love her husband wholeheartedly and be a virtuous wife. If that person is Your Highness, I hope you will cherish and care for her as you would your own family, soothing her unease and grievances.”
With that, he stood up and bowed deeply to the Crown Prince, then turned and left without waiting for a response.
The Dragon Tribute tea was exceedingly rare, more precious than gold. Zhenzhen could not bring herself to drink it and decided to offer it to the Crown Princess instead. Upon entering the Crown Princess’s chambers and learning that the tea had been prepared by the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess accepted it with delight. She then invited Zhenzhen to sit and said kindly, “I was just about to look for you.” Turning to Meng Yunxiu behind her, she gave a signal, and Meng Yunxiu produced a scroll of documents for Zhenzhen to examine.
Zhenzhen asked in surprise, “What is this?”
The Crown Princess replied, “I heard that the Crown Prince visited your courtyard a few days ago… I promised to give you a proper status, and I will not go back on my word. I intend to submit a memorial to the Emperor, requesting that he confer upon you the title of Commandery Lady. This is the draft memorial I asked Yunxiu to prepare on my behalf. Please take a look and see if the wording is appropriate.”
Zhenzhen unrolled the scroll and skimmed through it. The language was elegant and filled with lavish praise, describing her character as “gentle, virtuous, and prudent” and commending her diligent service to the Crown Prince, “diligent and respectful in heart.” It then requested that she be granted the title of Commandery Lady and taken as the Crown Prince’s concubine.
Zhenzhen closed the scroll and handed it back to Meng Yunxiu, smiling as she said, “The phrasing is truly beautiful, so refined that I have rarely heard its like. It must have been difficult for Sister to compose. However, I am not nearly as virtuous as described and fear I do not deserve such undeserved praise.”
Meng Yunxiu was tall and slender, elegant in demeanor, but exceptionally thin, standing behind the Crown Princess like a wisp of smoke or a sparse willow. Since her rescue from hanging, her voice had remained hoarse, and she now spoke even less. Upon hearing Zhenzhen’s words, she merely offered a polite, faint smile and did not reply.
Zhenzhen then rose and bowed to the Crown Princess, saying, “This humble servant thanks Your Highness for your kind intentions. However, when the Crown Prince visited my quarters that night, he merely sat and spoke with me, shared some light refreshments, and soon departed without staying overnight. Both the Crown Prince and I believe it is better for me to remain as the Head of the Kitchen for now, and it is not yet the time for me to become a concubine.”
“Isn’t that just a matter of time?” the Crown Princess said. “It does no harm for me to submit the memorial first. Once an auspicious date is set, we can proceed with the ceremony.”Zhenzhen still hesitated to accept: "There is no rush in this matter. It would be better to first consider His Highness the Crown Prince's opinion. If he deems it suitable, then submitting the memorial would not be too late."
The Crown Princess thought for a moment and said, "That is also reasonable. I will keep the memorial for now and present it to The Emperor when the time is right." Then, glancing at Meng Yunxiu, she said to Zhenzhen, "This memorial is also Yunxiu's heartfelt gesture toward you. She is about to leave the Eastern Palace, and before her departure, she carefully composed this article for you, saying she wanted to thank you for handling last year's matter for her."
Zhenzhen was quite surprised: "Why is Sister Meng leaving? Where is she going?"
The Crown Princess sighed and said, "She said she does not wish to stay here, so I planned to ask my parents to arrange a marriage for her. However, she firmly declined, saying she has no intention of marrying and wishes to become a nun, spending her life in seclusion with the lamp and Buddha. My family has built a nunnery on Phoenix Mountain and will take her there."
Zhenzhen shook her head and said to Meng Yunxiu, "Sister, with all your talents, it would be a pity to spend the rest of your life confined to a nunnery, unable to put them to use."
Meng Yunxiu replied gloomily, "My foster mother had me study diligently from a young age, learning poetry and literature, originally hoping to marry me to a scholar-official. With some knowledge, I could then assist my husband and educate my children. But fate played its tricks, and I missed a good match. Now, reduced to this state, I have given up all thoughts of becoming someone's wife. I only wish to find a quiet place to spend my remaining days."
"Sister, did you study so much only to assist a husband and educate children?" Zhenzhen earnestly advised. "If a woman has knowledge or masters a skill, she can live without relying on a man. I am seriously learning culinary skills with the idea that if I ever leave the palace, I can make a living through cooking—whether by opening a shop or teaching. I do not necessarily need to depend on a husband. If you do not wish to marry, why not focus your mind on what you excel at?"
"What I excel at..." Meng Yunxiu pondered thoughtfully.
Zhenzhen nodded and continued, "I heard that the position of Registrar under the Chief of Ceremonies is vacant. The Office of the Chief of Ceremonies oversees etiquette instruction in the inner palace, and the Registrar is responsible for managing the palace's classics, teaching, and stationery—a very important role. This time, the Empress has decided not to fill the position based on seniority. She has instructed the Chief of Ceremonies to openly select from among the palace attendants, insisting that only those with exceptional talent may take up this role. I think Sister would be very suitable. Why not go and take the examination? If selected, you could teach the palace attendants, and perhaps even become a teacher for the consorts and princesses, like Ban Zhao. If you produce any writings, they could be passed down to future generations, leaving your mark in history. Wouldn't such a life be more meaningful than aimlessly passing your days in seclusion?"
Hearing this, the Crown Princess also showed delight and urged Meng Yunxiu, "What Zhenzhen says makes perfect sense. Since this opportunity exists, why not try for the selection? Even if you are not chosen, you can still leave the palace later."
Meng Yunxiu thought for a long while and finally nodded in agreement.
Zhenzhen then took her leave, and the Crown Princess asked Meng Yunxiu to see her out. Meng Yunxiu stopped outside the pavilion gate and thanked Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen smiled and said, "It is I who should thank you. Sister, that memorial you wrote was truly excellent. This is the first time someone has written such a beautiful article for me."
"Is that so?" Meng Yunxiu replied with a smile. "I was worried that I might have written something incorrectly and upset you."
"The wording was all very good. If there is a minor mistake, it would be just one," Zhenzhen told her. "The character for 'Zhen' in my name is the 'zhen' meaning 'true' or 'false' under the grass radical. Sister wrote it as the 'zhen' from 'its leaves are lush and dense.'""Zhenzhen?" Meng Yunxiu seemed taken aback, looking Zhenzhen over once more before asking, "Where are you from? What is your mother's surname?"
Zhenzhen replied, "From Pujiang. My mother's surname is Wu... Why do you ask?"
"Oh," the light in Meng Yunxiu's eyes dimmed slightly as she smiled faintly, "It's nothing. I just suddenly thought you resembled an old acquaintance."
Returning to the Zhanlu Hall, Zhenzhen first glanced around before bowing to the Crown Prince. Understanding her unspoken question, the Crown Prince told her, "Lin Hong has already left."
Zhenzhen lowered her head, avoiding his probing gaze, and silently stepped forward to clear the cups and dishes.
"You still care deeply about him," the Crown Prince asserted.
"Your Highness," Zhenzhen paused in her movements, turning to face him, "Have I acted improperly? I didn't even look at him."
"I'm not blaming you; don't be so tense," the Crown Prince said with a gentle smile. "I know you've been avoiding looking at him. But if someone is truly forgotten in your heart, facing them would be no different from facing anyone else—speaking when you should speak, smiling when you should smile, and certainly not deliberately avoiding eye contact."
Zhenzhen had no response. The Crown Prince continued, "After you left earlier, I said something provocative to him, but he truly has remarkable grace. He didn't get angry at all; instead, he spoke some heartfelt words to me."
Surprised, Zhenzhen looked up at him. The Crown Prince recounted the exchange about "poor management of his household" and Lin Hong's subsequent response. When Zhenzhen heard Lin Hong say, "I am grateful to have met her," she couldn't hold back her tears. Not wanting to break down in front of the Crown Prince, she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.
The Crown Prince rose and approached, using his own handkerchief to gently dry her tears. Softly, he said, "Though it does me no good to say this, I still want to tell you: he still has feelings for you. When he spoke of you, there was a light in his eyes—something that cannot be feigned."
Zhenzhen replied gloomily, "It's all in the past now. Whether there's a trace of affection left or not hardly matters."
The Crown Prince led her to sit opposite him and said, "I've never asked about what happened between you two, but now I truly wish to know. Since you both still have feelings for each other, why did you part ways?"
After a moment of silence, Zhenzhen spoke slowly, "There has always been someone in his heart, someone he regards as Luo Shen. He keeps a portrait of her in his home and often gazes at it, lost in thought. Later, when he met me, although there were happy times when we were together, he could never forget her. Sometimes, when dizzy, he would even mistake me for her. But I loved him so much that I was willing to endure it, as long as I could be with him. Yet I never imagined that, in the end, he couldn't deceive himself... When he refused the Empress Dowager's marriage proposal, he likely realized that I could never replace the one he loved, and since he could never have her in this lifetime, it would be better to live a life of 'Plum Blossom Wife and Crane Son'..."
Tearfully, she looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, at that moment, I also understood: his heart has always been the place I could never truly reach."
The Crown Prince gazed at her sympathetically and asked, "That person... is Consort Liu, isn't it?"
Zhenzhen lowered her eyes and remained silent.
"It's rather obvious," the Crown Prince remarked. "I heard Lin Hong and Consort Liu grew up together on Wuyi Mountain. Both talented and beautiful, it's no surprise they developed feelings for each other."
"Yes, they spent ten years together," Zhenzhen said with a sorrowful smile. "But the time Lin Hong and I shared adds up to less than a year. Even if he had some affection for me, it would be limited. How could I compare to the ten years they spent relying on and supporting each other?"The Crown Prince wiped away the tear that was about to fall from her eye, and noticing tear stains on the back of her hand as well, he took it and gently wiped them clean before saying, "The depth of affection isn't measured by the length of time spent together."
"Is it measured by order, then? Is the first person one falls in love with truly unforgettable?" Zhenzhen suddenly asked him, "Your Highness, how did you manage to forget Feng Jing?"
The Crown Prince fell silent for a moment, lowering his gaze in thought for a long while before looking back at Zhenzhen and answering her question earnestly: "I haven't forgotten her. She will always remain in my memory, a cherished page in my life. She saw our future clearly—my status and circumstances meant I could never meet her expectations for marriage. So, as she said, neither of us will look back. There is no chasing after each other, only moving forward separately. We don't live for yesterday; we must always look ahead. Dwelling on the wounds of the past only leads to despair and neglect of the present."
His gaze gradually softened, and he offered her a gentle smile: "Zhenzhen, I hope you think the same way. Yesterday is already broken; let's not lose today as well."
Zhenzhen met his eyes and managed a faint smile.
Seeing that her beautiful eyes, though smiling, were still moist and shimmering with a faint, delicate light, his heart trembled with pity. Leaning closer, he politely sought her consent: "May I hug you like an older brother would?"
Having been enlightened by Xiangli'er last time, Zhenzhen suddenly connected the dots and, with newfound clarity, replied bluntly, "Your Highness, an older brother of your age wouldn't hug his sister like that."
The Crown Prince was taken aback for a moment, then straightened up, covering his forehead as he laughed. Seeing this, Zhenzhen laughed as well, and the two of them shared a long, hearty laugh, melting away her sorrow and his awkwardness in the sound of their laughter.
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