Chapter 32: Beautiful Concubine

Wen Renlin has excellent hearing; he clearly heard it but pretended not to care.

Zhao Yan had to slightly raise her tone again and repeated, “My period is coming soon, so it’s not very convenient.”

Wen Renlin looked at her pretending to be calm and nodded after a moment.

“I am not unreasonable; I won’t force Your Highness’s preferences. In that case, let’s change the terms.”

He looked as if he was considering it and said, “Coincidentally, I need a personal maid by my side. Would Your Highness be willing to fulfill that role?”

How could Wen Renlin dare to have Princess Changfeng dress as a maid to serve him?

However, compared to the “demonstration” of the techniques of the Xuan Nu Scripture, this request was somewhat acceptable…

Perhaps Wen Renlin’s initial goal wasn’t the Xuan Nu Scripture after all.

Seeing Zhao Yan’s eyes rolling and her lips pursed in silence, Wen Renlin put away his makeup brush and calmly lifted the curtain, saying, “Someone, escort Her Highness…”

“Just for one day.” Zhao Yan hurriedly grabbed his sleeve, adaptable.

Given the choice between two evils, even though she knew it was a trap set by Wen Renlin, she had to grit her teeth and jump in.

Wen Renlin glanced at her, accompanied by the sound of the carriage wheels turning, the faint sunlight gently swaying in his eyes. With a faint smile, he completed the latter half of the sentence in a low and clear voice.

As the carriage stopped, two attendants brought in a heavy bronze ice mirror, then silently bowed and withdrew. The curtains were drawn again, and Zhao Yan’s hand slipped from Wen Renlin’s sleeve, falling limply to her side.

Zhao Yan turned her head away, not looking at him, just furrowing her brows and venting her frustration by uncovering the ice mirror emitting a slight chill, picking up the frost-covered grapes and stuffing them into her mouth one by one.

“Don’t indulge in the cold now. If you have stomach pains again, I won’t care.”

Wen Renlin covered her intent to continue with the fan, indicating, “Change your clothes.”

Wen Renlin was well-prepared: “There’s no one else in the carriage.”

Zhao Yan listened to the lively shouts of the people on the street and hesitated, “But the carriage may shake, inevitably revealing oneself. And my true appearance must not be known. If I enter the carriage as the crown prince and exit as a woman, how will the palace servants think? It will surely cause trouble for the Grand Tutor.”

Seeing Wen Renlin silent, she pretended to glance out of the window, seeing the distant Anping Temple’s seven-story pagoda towering, knowing that they were not far from the bustling Danning Street near the north gate of the capital.

“I’ve heard that Danning Street has many restaurants and taverns, bustling with activity. Why don’t we quietly go there to find a place to stay? I’ll change back into a woman’s attire and accompany you.”

Zhao Yan blinked and softened her tone, “How about it, Grand Tutor?”

As if afraid of Wen Renlin’s objection, she leaned out of the window and ordered, “Let them continue forward, and change our course to Danning Street.”

As she hadn’t tied up all her hair, and her soft black hair fell to her waist. It outlined her slender figure. Wen Renlin’s eyes were calm, smiling faintly and without objection.

He lifted the curtain and said something to the attendants, and the carriage slowly stopped. Then, they departed from the long procession, only accompanied by the deputy marshall and several personal guards and spies, heading towards Danning Street.

Guihai Building was the largest restaurant on Danning Street, located by Yunxiao Bridge and Longshui Canal. It was bustling with guests from all directions, and from the railing, one could see the bustling scenes of the capital.

Just after the dragon boat race, there were still many spectators on the tall buildings. Among them, leaning against the railing on the fourth floor, was a young man in his twenties, dressed in elegant attire with a beautiful crown. He was surrounded by four or five charming women, obviously a wealthy son from a prominent family.

The young man opened his mouth to take the dried fruits fed by the women, humming with disinterest, “I thought today’s scenery would be filled with beautiful women, but after watching for an afternoon, all I see are ordinary faces.”

One of the young maids, only seventeen or eighteen years old, pouted and said, “You already have us, why are you still thinking about flirting with others?”

“The world only has beautiful women and delicious food that can’t be missed. As for you all? You’re just mediocre,” he said with a smile, pinching the cheek of one of the beautiful maids.

Seeing Zhao Yan’s indifferent attitude, he glanced over at her, “Since you’re pretending to be a maid, you surely don’t need anyone to teach you these trivial matters.”

…Alright, for the sake of the clue, just endure this day with him.

Zhao Yan picked up the cold tea from the table next to her and brewed a cup, then handed it to Wen Renlin.

Wen Renlin didn’t move, so she patiently brought it to his lips again. With a forced smile, she said, “My lord, please have some tea.”

Upon hearing the words “my lord,” Wen Renlin showed a hint of surprise.

He asked her to dress as a maid, but she elevated her own status by addressing him as “my lord.” Her little scheme was quite intricate. Wen Renlin didn’t correct her. He put away his folding fan with one hand and brought his lips closer to the cup she held out.

Zhao Yan felt the cup become heavy, so she had to use her other hand to support it. In the sunset, Wen Renlin’s thin lips touched the rim of the cup, his eyelashes half-lowered as if enjoying the moment, casting two dark shadows…

He didn’t seem at all like the terrifying Prince Su who made the court tremble. However, when he raised his lacquered eyes, a hint of deep and playful mockery made Zhao Yan itch with annoyance.

She put away the cup, glanced at him, and pointed to the young girl below who was selling flowers, “My lord, I want to buy some flowers.”

Wen Renlin raised an eyebrow, wondering what mischief she was up to now.

Zhao Yan lifted a corner of the curtain and veil, revealing her bright eyes adorned with the makeup of a sea hibiscus flower. She smiled brilliantly, “My lord, would you accompany me to buy flowers?”

She almost forgot that she was someone who could imitate Prince Zhao Yan vividly. Naturally, pretending to be a spoiled woman wasn’t a problem for her.

Wen Renlin’s interest grew, and he agreed, “Let’s go.”

Like a couple, there was a heartbroken voice from the railing behind them.

The flower seller was a girl of twelve or thirteen, with an ordinary appearance and a few freckles scattered on her nose and cheeks. Her coarse clothes had patches, but she looked neat and tidy, likely a poor child cherished by her parents.

By this time, the sun was setting, and the fragrance bags in her basket had only sold a few, and most of the flowers were still left. Even though she kept moistening them with water droplets, they still looked wilted.

As it was getting late, if she couldn’t sell the rest of the flowers, she would have to return empty-handed—recently, there had been frequent disappearances of girls and children inside and outside the city, and her parents didn’t allow her to stay outside after dark.

When she saw a young couple approaching, her eyes lit up, and she energetically asked, “Would you like to buy some flowers? This sister looks like a great beauty. Sir, why not buy her a flower?”

The plants in the ordinary people’s gardens hadn’t been pruned by gardeners, and the branches growing randomly had a natural wild beauty. Zhao Yan was having a hard time choosing, and she heard Wen Renlin say lightly, “Just buy them all.”

As soon as he said this, an attendant from the royal palace appeared from somewhere, took out a small piece of silver and quietly handed it to the flower seller, then retreated without a sound.

The little girl was overjoyed and honestly said, “These flowers aren’t worth so much money. This flower basket was woven by my father with willow branches. You can have it for the lady! And these fragrance bags were all made by my mother…”

The little girl handed all the items to Zhao Yan in one go, then carefully put the few coins of silver and scattered copper coins into her pouch. She happily ran away.

Today was really lucky to encounter such generous guests!

She hugged the pouch containing the silver and scattered coins to her chest, happier than if she had received the sweetest candy in the whole city: with this money, her mother’s medicine expenses for the month were taken care of!

The little girl ran through the bustling crowd, getting faster and faster, wishing to run back home immediately to share the good news. She didn’t notice at all that several pairs of sinister eyes were staring at her from the corner.

Her short scream was muffled, drowned out by the laughter and joy of the bustling city.

A cart full of vegetable leaves passed by and stopped at the corner. When the wheels rolled again, the place was empty, with only an old and faded pouch lying on the ground, being kicked and trampled by passing shoes.

Wen Renlin bought the entire basket of flowers not to please the little princess but simply because he thought it was a waste of time to haggle over such trivial matters.

But Zhao Yan was very happy. When she was in Huayang Palace, she loved to wander in the mountains and forests, and whenever she returned, she would bring back a large bunch of wildflowers to fill the vases in the hall.

Since becoming the “crown prince,” she couldn’t do such things anymore. She felt like a well-behaved and delicate puppet, placed in a position that didn’t belong to her.

At this moment, as dusk fell and the sun had not yet disappeared on the horizon, the lanterns on Danning Street had already been lit. Zhao Yan stood by Yunxiao Bridge, holding a basket of flowers. Standing amidst the magnificent scenery of the sky and earth, when she looked back, the wind lifted her light-colored cloak, and the sleeves were filled with fragrance.

She wore a jasmine bracelet on her wrist, lowered her head to sniff it, and a smile quietly spread across her lips, reminiscent of the time when she was just a carefree girl.

Those one or two silvers were well spent.

Wen Renlin’s fingers touched the jade ring on his index finger involuntarily.

“Prince… Master.”

Cai Tian stepped forward quickly, changing his address when he reached Wen Renlin, and whispered, “There has been movement over there.”

Wen Renlin raised his hand slightly, signaling for Zhao Yan to come over.

“Are we going to the Yuquan Palace?”

Zhao Yan looked at the rippling canal reflecting the sunset and the lanterns, reluctant to leave, “It’s not time to reach the city gate yet. I want to stroll around a bit longer.”

Wen Renlin looked into her eyes, as if peering into her soul, seizing all her hidden thoughts.

He spoke slowly, “No matter what Your Highness is planning on this trip, don’t block my way.”

The last ray of light gathered, and the night wind passed between the two figures facing each other.

Zhao Yan suddenly felt a chill down her spine, hesitated, and raised her eyes. Wen Renlin’s expression was unreadable, and his tone was somewhat gentle, “Go and play by yourself. We’ll leave in two quarters of an hour.”

With that, he left behind a guard and turned to the restaurant.

The crowd surged, and his tall figure quickly disappeared into the darkness, aloof and unapproachable, yet unyielding.

“Young lady and that gentleman haven’t married yet, have they? I see you still have a young girl’s hairstyle.”

A silver bell-like laughter came from the side. Zhao Yan turned her head and saw one of the courtesans she had seen at the restaurant earlier.

“I’m called Lanxiang, the fourth aunt of the Chen family. Look, that gentleman over there is the Chen family’s master.”

Lanxiang nodded upstairs. Zhao Yan followed her gaze and saw the young man in splendid attire earnestly waving at her. She understood in her heart: this woman was probably sent by the Chen family to test the waters.

“Although we haven’t married yet, I am already his woman, more or less.”

Lanxiang understood, “You two don’t often go out, do you? I often accompany the Chen family to social events, touring the entire capital, but I’ve never seen someone like you among the young ladies.”

Listening to Lanxiang, who seemed to know everything about the capital, Zhao Yan became interested.

“Yes, because I was weak and sickly, I was kept hidden in the inner chambers, and no one knew me. I only recently started to feel better and went out for leisure.”

Zhao Yan asked without changing her expression, “Does sister Lanxiang know any places to have fun in and around the capital?”

Lanxiang didn’t realize that she was being used to fish for information and was instead led back by Zhao Yan. She covered her lips and smiled, “There are plenty! Danning Street’s lantern festival on Qixi, Xingning Street’s exotic cuisine, Changping Street’s market performances… Oh, and there’s the Holy Spirit Temple to the east of the city, not only is the scenery beautiful, but it’s also very effective for seeking a marriage.”

Zhao Yan remembered the map annotated by Liu Ji and asked, “What about the northwest of the capital? I saw from the tower just now that there are woods and hidden ancient houses there, which seems to have a unique charm.”

Lanxiang’s expression became strange, and she hurriedly said, “Young lady, please stop. You must not go there!”

“Why?”

“That’s the Jinyun Villa over there. There was a murder case, and since then, it’s been eerie and gloomy.”

Lanxiang shivered and said mysteriously, “A few months ago, that villa started to become haunted. Anyone who approached it disappeared inexplicably, without exception. It’s said that you can hear ghostly cries and see ghostly fires flickering at night, it’s terrifying!”

“When did the haunting start?”

“It was around the beginning of spring, but I don’t know the exact time. Recently, young girls and children in the city have been disappearing for no reason. Some say they were eaten by the ghosts on the mountain. Even the officials dare not approach, let alone you, Miss!”

Zhao Yan’s heart sank, but she put on a frightened expression on her face, “It’s so terrifying! Fortunately, sister Lanxiang reminded me.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Lanxiang glanced at the Chen family’s master who was scratching his head upstairs, remembering the business at hand, “A few of us sisters would like to invite you to have a drink upstairs, just to make friends. Would you like to join us, Miss?”

Zhao Yan hesitated, “Thank you for your kindness, sister. But my master asked me to wait for him here. He holds a position of authority and does not tolerate disobedience from others. I don’t want to cause trouble for sister.”

Upon hearing that the handsome gentleman was an official, Lanxiang realized that her family couldn’t afford to offend him, so she had to give up. She eagerly accepted Zhao Yan’s apology and took the bouquet of peonies, then went back upstairs to report.

On the fourth floor, Wen Renlin looked out of the window and pointed to the Chen family’s master who was eagerly waiting for the beauty, instructing, “Go beat that man up and throw him far away.”

After that, he lowered the window with a wave of his sleeve and unfolded the secret message handed to him by Cai Tian.

The evening breeze dispelled the heat of the day, and under the warm glow of the orange lanterns, the night scenery of the capital gradually softened.

Zhao Yan sorted through the information she had just received, took the flower basket, and walked slowly onto the Yunxiao Bridge, which spanned like a rainbow over the water, standing at the highest point of the stone bridge, overlooking the tranquil canal below.

This was the place where Shen Jingming fell into the water and died.

Although the things that Gu Xing should investigate had already been investigated, she still wanted to come and see for herself whether Shen Jingming and Cheng Jixing’s deaths were really “accidents” as rumored.

If she missed this opportunity, she might never be able to leave the palace to investigate again.

Zhao Yan didn’t want to regret it, and this was also the main reason she had insisted on getting off at Daning Street.

Small boats carrying young men and women on outings passed under the bridge one after another, with boatmen rowing at the stern and servants punting at the bow. The short boat pole plunged into the water and then slowly withdrew, causing ripples to spread across the surface.

Zhao Yan looked at the wet marks on the long pole and estimated that the water here was only about six feet deep, probably at shoulder height for an adult.

“Can such shallow water drown an adult man?” she couldn’t help but murmur.

“No.”

A familiar and mellow voice suddenly came from beside her, “Unless he’s drunk and falls in, unconscious and drowning.”

Zhao Yan was startled and looked towards the voice, her eyes widening slightly.

Zhou Ji?

She almost exclaimed in surprise but managed to bite her lip in time, just feeling flustered: how could he appear here!?

Was it because she had changed back to her girl’s attire?

Her heart was in turmoil as she raised her hand to hold down the fluttering veil, pretending not to understand, and distantly said, “Standing on the bridge, indeed one can be easily affected by the wind.”

The voice didn’t sound right.

The doubt in Zhou Ji’s eyes disappeared, and he returned to his usual cold and self-possessed demeanor. He took a step back and tucked his sleeves, apologizing, “Miss resembles someone I know, and I made a mistake for a moment, which was offensive.”

Princess Changfeng should be in the Huayang Palace thousands of miles away, so how could she appear in the capital like this?

He inwardly sneered at his increasingly serious illness, to the point where he mistook her for someone else.

In Huayang, it was the same. Princess Changfeng unintentionally knew of his difficulty in recognizing people, so she often had her palace maid, Shilan, disguise herself as her to sit in the hall and listen to the lectures while she slipped out to play. It wasn’t until a few days later that Zhou Ji realized the switch and resolved to change this habit.

When he resolved to do something, he would persevere tirelessly until he achieved it. Therefore, he remained humble and patient. Following Princess Changfeng for six or seven days, watching her sneak food and climb walls, and enjoying boating and picking lotuses, he eventually found the best way to distinguish her.

The most agile and beautiful girl in the crowd wearing a vivid red silk dress must be Princess Changfeng.

After that, Zhou Ji never mistook her again.

Today, admitting his mistake was truly unexpected for him. He wanted to confirm but felt embarrassed and disrespectful. So, he simply stepped aside, maintaining a proper distance, wearing a bamboo green silk shirt as if ready to fly with the wind.

On the fourth-floor railing of the tavern, the crowd had cleared out.

Wen Renlin stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the splendid lights of the capital city, landing on the two people standing and chatting on the stone bridge. He placed the paper filled with writing near the oil lamp and let it burn. As he released it, the ashes scattered like black butterflies in the bustling lights, disappearing into the air.

Downstairs, the pedestrians on the bridge gradually thinned out.

Zhao Yan didn’t expect to meet acquaintances so easily in such a vast capital city. Wanting to avoid them, yet reluctant to abandon the previous topic, she cleared her throat and tentatively asked, “Is the gentleman also waiting for someone here?”

Zhou Ji didn’t look away, calmly replying, “No.”

“Then why…”

“My junior brother drowned here. So, whenever I have leisure time, I come here to linger.”

So that was the reason he came, for Shen Jingming.

“Is the gentleman’s junior brother the one who drowned while drunk?” Zhao Yan realized she was about to touch upon something important, so she lowered her voice.

“Not quite. My junior brother never gets drunk, never indulges in alcohol, and has been skilled in swimming since childhood.”

Zhou Ji timely changed the topic, then nodded respectfully, “Apologies for disturbing the lady’s leisure. I shall take my leave.”

Zhao Yan understood that Zhou Ji was not someone who shared deep secrets easily, asking too much would only arouse suspicion, so she bowed in return. As she straightened up, a familiar yet unexpected hand gently rested on her waist, neither heavy nor light.

Zhao Yan suddenly became alert, about to elbow back, but then heard Wen Renlin’s deep and casual voice, “What are Zhou Wanlan and my concubine discussing here?”

Concubine…?

Zhao Yan dropped her arm reluctantly. Fine, whatever the Prince says goes.

Wen Renlin wasn’t wearing the custom-made black iron ring today. Zhou Ji observed him coldly for a long time before recognizing that this cold oppression belonged solely to His Highness Prince Su.

But when did His Highness the Prince have a woman by his side? Wasn’t he always considering women as weaknesses and burdens, never indulging in such matters?

Zhou Ji didn’t understand, nor did he care to speculate.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Zhou Ji bowed, neither servile nor overbearing, “I mean no offense, merely out of curiosity, please forgive me.”

Zhou Ji’s appearance was indeed unexpected. Zhao Yan feared that Wen Renlin might overthink, so she explained, “I just happened to meet… this gentleman by chance and had a casual conversation about the weather and daily life.”

“Meeting someone by chance is also fate. Perhaps you’ll meet an old friend in a strange place. Why doesn’t Zhou Ji stay and have a drink together?”

Wen Renlin looked at the girl in his arms, his gaze seeming to penetrate through the veil, and said leisurely, “Let my… Yanyan, pour wine for Zhou Ji, shall we?”

Zhao Yan nearly bit her tongue.

Wen Renlin knew she couldn’t reveal her identity, he did it on purpose!

She had been diligent, when did she ever offend him?

But Zhao Yan’s stubbornness rose, refusing to comply with his intentions.

She squeezed her hand and raised her eyes, smiling obediently, “Sure, I’d be delighted.”

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