“Your Highness?”

Lin Yuanjin suddenly came back to her senses, her gaze shifting to Nanny Zhang’s concerned face at her side: “What is it?”

“Your Highness has been preoccupied ever since leaving Xuanyang Palace.” Nanny Zhang said with concern, “Could it be that the Empress lost her composure because of the Crown Prince’s injury and reprimanded Your Highness?”

Though she had not followed Lin Yuanjin into the hall, she had seen too much of the conduct of women in the palace; even guessing out of thin air, she could surmise most of it.

Lin Yuanjin parted her lips slightly, looked at Nanny Zhang, then lowered her eyes and said nothing.

She was thinking of many things.

The Empress’s scolding she had long grown accustomed to. The Crown Prince, in his self-assurance, used the position of imperial grandson and the title of Crown Prince to appease her, asking her to cooperate with him in acting. If it were an ordinary Crown Princess, she would likely be bewitched by his rhetoric and give him her whole heart, but Lin Yuanjin was not.

The Crown Prince believed that as long as she was a woman, she would be unable to refuse such a temptation.

Lin Yuanjin felt an intense aversion; the nausea brought by the touch through her clothing at her abdomen lingered for a long time, yet she had no choice but to cooperate with the Crown Prince to perform a scene of conjugal harmony, of inseparable affection.

“His Highness the Crown Prince said that once his external injuries heal, he will come to seek me out to ‘talk’.” Lin Yuanjin said softly, a shy smile lifting on her face, while her heart remained utterly still.

She had to grow used to enduring, to disguising herself; no matter how nauseating it was, she had to act as though she were satisfied, as if she had tasted delicacies and jade nectar.

After all, whether she liked it or not had never mattered.

Nanny Zhang’s expression relaxed, and she repeatedly said it was good, gently patting Lin Yuanjin’s hand: “Husband and wife do not hold grudges overnight. Your blessings lie ahead.”

“This old servant is still waiting for Your Highness to give birth to the imperial grandson, to help you care for your descendants in the future.”

Unlike the Crown Prince, Nanny Zhang’s words also carried a clear purpose, but were overall well-intentioned; unfortunately, Lin Yuanjin only felt waves of suffocation rising within her.

How did the Crown Prince intend to act?

Last time, he had Cui Yiyu stand guard outside the window; now there was also Nanny Zhang.

“What Nanny says is right.” Lin Yuanjin replied.

She did not resemble a Crown Princess; rather, she was like a doll to be manipulated and displayed at will.

Oh, perhaps not quite, for a doll kept on a high shelf does not need to continue a bloodline.

As dusk approached, the sky blazed with rosy clouds, and cooking smoke curled through the human world.

The closer they drew to the residence, the fewer pedestrians there were on the road.

The Crown Prince still had affairs to handle in the Eastern Palace and did not return to the residence together with Lin Yuanjin.

Supported as she stepped down from the carriage, the moment Lin Yuanjin entered the residence, her gaze unconsciously turned toward the pebble path at one side that led straight to the rockery grove.

Deep, heavy orange hues lay like oil paint upon the pebble path; beneath the shade of the trees, the rockery grove seemed impenetrable to light, like pitch-black ink.

Every time he entered the residence, he walked the same path.

Though Lin Yuanjin knew it was impossible to see him walking openly along that road at this moment, she still could not help but instinctively seek the youth’s figure, as though doing so might pull her, for a fleeting instant, out of the suffocating depths that threatened to drown her.

It is said that when a person is on the verge of death, they will imagine a “companion,” thereby awakening their will to survive, only to realize after being saved that no such person ever existed.

Lin Yuanjin did not know what it was she was truly searching for.

As expected, there was no trace of the person she sought. When Lin Yuanjin returned to her courtyard, however, she found a row of people kneeling densely in the flower-filled yard, the atmosphere congealed to a freezing point, and her steps involuntarily paused.

Only Steward Li stood holding a stick, scolding angrily: “Use your brains!”

“Both Their Highnesses are in the palace—if it were reasonable, would the Crown Princess’s relatives come visiting at such a time?!”

Steward Li was no longer young, yet his voice was especially sonorous and forceful, each word clear, scolding the kneeling servants until they dared not even raise their heads: “The Crown Princess is kind-hearted, but I must teach you rules! In the future, not to mention the Crown Princess’s sisters—anyone who comes to the Crown Prince’s residence must have the master’s permission before being let in!”

Steward Li noticed the movement at the doorway, turned around, the anger on his face instantly gone, replaced with a gentle smile as he bowed: “This old servant greets the Crown Princess.”

Lin Yuanjin lifted a finger to her head, which felt somewhat heavy from fatigue, half-lowered her eyes and gave a soft “mm,” then said somewhat sluggishly, “Rise.”

Steward Li sighed and said, “It is this old servant’s failure to instruct properly in the past that allowed outsiders to take advantage of these maids and exploit a loophole, disturbing the Crown Princess’s peace.”

“This Consort has only just arrived and is already troubled by various matters, and is not familiar with the arrangements in the residence. How was such a matter handled before?” Lin Yuanjin asked patiently. “Previously, when the Crown Prince’s friends or relatives came without a calling card, were they also first invited into the residence?”

The kneeling servants were speechless, only lowering their heads further.

“If not, then this Consort will not set such a precedent.” Lin Yuanjin turned around, looking at Steward Li with a trusting gaze, “Steward Li is busy; those below making decisions on their own—momentary oversights can happen.”

“‘Without rules, nothing can be accomplished.’ It has always been so, and will be so in the future.”

After speaking, Lin Yuanjin grew more fatigued, turned, and walked toward the room.

Nanny Zhang paused briefly, looked at Steward Li, and said lightly as if joking, “Her Highness prefers quiet, and has always been kind-hearted, but she is by no means a weak person. She does not make an issue of it, but you cannot truly treat it as nothing.”

“Of course not!” Steward Li immediately responded, shaking his head heavily, “Yesterday truly was those below acting on their own—this old servant truly did not know!”

Having been in the residence for so many years, how could he make such a mistake.

“As for what the truth really is, let us not press it for now. Now that this matter has reached His Majesty, that bold Lin family girl is to enter the residence as a xuanshi, and the Cui family will also be granted the rank of cairen.” Nanny Zhang said with a smile, raising her brows in reminder, “More people make things lively—you will have much more to arrange in the future.”

Steward Li, meticulous in all things, had overlooked this one matter, never expecting that this single oversight would become a lasting regret. At the mention of the Emperor, he felt his temples throb, yet he also seemed to gain a sense of resolve, saying firmly, “Rest assured, from now on, this old servant will arrange all trivial matters clearly and properly, and will not fail Her Highness’s trust.”

“That will do.” After speaking, Nanny Zhang turned and calmly walked into the room.

As soon as she entered the inner chamber, she saw Lin Yuanjin lying by the window beside the green chrysanthemum, her eyes closed as if in a light sleep, a trace of unrest between her brows, as though she were dreaming.

Nanny Zhang could not bear to wake her, so she took a small quilt from beside the couch and gently draped it over her shoulders.

The more her head ached, the harder it was to rest.

Lin Yuanjin fell into a long dream.

In the dream, she had not been betrothed to the Crown Prince; naturally, she had not encountered danger, nor needed anyone to save her.

She married a noble son whose face she could not see clearly. After marriage, life was as plain as water; what pressed upon her changed from imperial power to other powerful clans—a husband who was fickle, concubines who were two-faced, conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, between sisters-in-law—all weighed on her until she could not breathe.

Lin Yuanjin began to miss her previous life without end.

Though she had a terrible family, she had a clear direction to strive toward; in a society ruled by law and supported by the state’s education, she had the ability to be independent.

Faintly, she seemed to hear the sound of a window being closed.

Just as Lin Yuanjin was about to wake, her eyelids were so heavy she could not lift them no matter what. With her head splitting in pain, she once again fell into another dream.

In the dream, she returned to the damp cliff below, the cold rain sliding over her stinging wounds.

Before her eyes, the black figure appeared once more.

Lin Yuanjin, disheveled, carefully and cautiously wrapped her arms around the youth’s slender waist, quietly crying without a sound.

—  .  ୨  ♡  ୧  .  —

“Yiyu.”

The person in the dream wore a mask over his eyes, revealing only a section of pale jaw; his thin lips were slightly pressed together, and he suddenly descended from the shadows, his entire body black as a silhouette: “This subordinate is here.”

The attendants had long been dismissed from the room, leaving only the two of them.

The Crown Prince’s brush did not stop as he wrote, and after a moment’s thought he spoke: “There is a matter for you to handle.”

“I have calculated the days—after half a month, it will be the annual autumn hunt, when Father Emperor leads the entire palace to the Autumn Mountain hunting grounds.”

“Now, by misfortune, I have been injured. With sinews and bones harmed, I fear that half a month later I will lose my vigor and be suppressed by Second Imperial Brother, damaging my prestige.” The Crown Prince’s brush paused, and he looked at Cui Yiyu, raising a brow, “You will go in my place.”

Before the civil and military officials, the Crown Prince’s reputation could not be allowed to falter.

Even though the Empress had sealed the news, the Emperor’s great anger in Xuanyang Palace had still spread somewhat; if at this time the Crown Prince were to fail again at the hunting grounds, it would likely stir public discussion.

“Understood.” Cui Yiyu did not doubt, and agreed calmly.

In previous years’ autumn hunts, he had also guarded at the Crown Prince’s side together with other shadow guards, and naturally knew the procedures; this matter was not difficult.

“Right.” The Crown Prince seemed to mention it casually, “The Emperor suspects that my body is unwell and has sent a nanny to monitor matters between me and the Crown Princess in bed. When the time comes, you will also need to act out a scene for me.”

“Act… a scene?” Cui Yiyu was puzzled, lifting his head slightly, as if unsure where to begin.

“Must I teach you even this?” The Crown Prince cast him a cool glance.

“Though it is called monitoring, that nanny will not be without propriety—at most she will stand outside the tent listening, and afterward take a look at the bed.” The Crown Prince speculated casually, “You cooperate with the Crown Princess to make some sounds, and afterward sprinkle some white liquid on the bed.”

“This subordinate’s body is lowly—how could I ascend the bed of a noble?” Cui Yiyu lowered his gaze slightly, and said calmly, “There is no need for others to act out this scene; I ask Your Highness to withdraw this order.”

Since there was no need to truly offer his body or effort, the Crown Prince could completely do it himself—why damage the Crown Princess’s reputation and implicate others.

The Crown Prince’s sudden whim to have him do it would surely make it difficult for him to face the Crown Princess in the future.

“I have recently been taking medicine to nourish myself, and must not stir my qi and blood; even the autumn hunt is for you to attend.” The Crown Prince said coldly, but Cui Yiyu’s words lessened some of his prior suspicions, “If not for this, would I need you?”

“I do not know how that nanny will monitor—if she only listens by the door, it is fine; if she comes closer, you will have to judge accordingly.”

“This matter is to be exposed directly under the Emperor’s gaze; it is of utmost importance,” the Crown Prince said, his expression turning dark, “he must not harbor even the slightest suspicion.”

At that time, not only would his position as Crown Prince be unstable, but the crime of deceiving the Emperor at the previous banquet would also fall upon him.

“I do not know whether the Crown Princess will make mistakes; in urgent moments, I permit you to control her.” The Crown Prince said lightly, as if describing an unimportant object.

Lin Yuanjin had gone to the palace to complain on her own, which had already displeased him, causing him not only to be reprimanded by the Emperor but also to suffer injuries.

With such narrow-minded thoughts, lacking a sense of the greater picture—even the role of Crown Princess she could not fulfill properly—how could she be worthy of the position of Empress?

“Go and prepare. These days, I will not have use for you.”

“Understood.” Cui Yiyu responded calmly, as if unaware of the Crown Prince’s disdain toward the Crown Princess in his tone. In the silence that followed, he stepped back a few paces, turned, and disappeared into the darkness.

Before that, he needed to find some tools and books, to fully prepare for this uncertain act during the autumn hunt, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

The Crown Prince had said he could control the Crown Princess at will, but he would not truly do so.

Since that night, Cui Yiyu had never seen Lin Yuanjin again.

He could not, and did not dare to see her.

He had thought this was a good thing, a clean break. The Crown Princess could return to the proper path, and he could slowly dissolve that brief loss of control, ignore the lingering dreams at night, the shameful dampness upon waking.

He was a trapped beast, newly awakened, driven by instinct to imagine.

But now, because of the Crown Prince’s command, he was to be entangled with the Crown Princess once more, even to the point of sharing the same bed.

Cui Yiyu’s pace grew faster and faster, the cold wind striking his pale face, the night merging with his figure.

He could appear calm and unmoved, yet he could not control the abnormal pounding of his heart.

The night dew was heavy, the autumn wind cold.

The youth’s figure silently landed outside a window.

The maid guarding outside the Crown Princess’s door was dozing off, and the nanny was nowhere to be seen.

He heard only a faint, shallow breathing from inside the room. After a long moment, he discerned that the Crown Princess seemed to be asleep, yet not sleeping soundly, from time to time letting out struggling, muffled whimpers.

He gently pushed open the window, leaving a narrow gap.

The room was dim and silent, only the girl lying alone, asleep by the green chrysanthemum by the window.

The green chrysanthemum was lush with branches and leaves, its layered petals like countless fine hooks, carefully tended, even more so than before it had been given to the Crown Princess.

The youth looked at the potted flower, his clear, cold gaze flickering, his pupils trembling slightly, his eyelashes lowering unnaturally, before he raised his hand to fully open the window and leapt inside.

Of course, he recognized this pot of flowers.

“Crown Princess, go sleep on the bed, do not catch a chill.” The youth spoke very softly, reaching out to lift the sleeping Lin Yuanjin, intending to place her onto the bed.

It was already deep into the night; he did not know why those by Lin Yuanjin’s side would allow her to fall asleep sitting by the window.

With one hand supporting Lin Yuanjin’s back and the other circling beneath her knees, he lifted her, and saw a gold-thread hair clasp fall to the ground. Her cascading hair slipped down and tangled around his fingertips, and as Lin Yuanjin tilted her neck, he saw the pale side of her face marked with a red imprint from pressure.

So light.

Or rather, perhaps too light.

Before the youth could recall how light Lin Yuanjin had been when he first rescued her from beneath the cliff, Lin Yuanjin suddenly extended her arms and tightly wrapped them around his waist, her head pressing against his chest and abdomen.

Her lips parted slightly, her breathing trembling softly, as if crying soundlessly.

He suddenly lost his voice, his hands freezing stiff at her shoulders.

He did not know what to do.