“Then I shall punish you by having you personally instruct the Crown Princess in riding and archery.”

The Emperor smiled as he asked in return; his gaze appeared mild, yet in truth carried an unspoken authority.

“Do you have any objections?”

“Your son… obeys.” Cui Yiyu rose and cupped his hands in salute, the corners of his lowered eyes faintly red, revealing a trace of indescribable struggle.

Everyone present thought this was a playful jest between a kind father and dutiful son; only for Cui Yiyu was this an order improper by etiquette yet impossible to refuse.

After all, even though Lin Yuanjin had gone through the wedding rites with him, she was not his properly betrothed and formally wedded wife.

Cui Yiyu had originally thought that after the matter of Lin Weiyin, the Emperor would no longer be as keen as before to matchmake between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess; he would only need to put on an act to prove that the Crown Prince was unharmed.

Yet he had not expected that with the Emperor’s arrival today, not only had his interest rekindled, he had even intensified it, refusing to believe otherwise.

What had happened in between?

“Only when the family is harmonious can state affairs prosper.” The Emperor waved his hand, signaling Cui Yiyu to sit, and remarked with implication, “Now that you are married, one of my wishes has been fulfilled.”

“Now I have also reached the age of enjoying grandchildren,” the Emperor said with a smile. “When you and the Crown Princess give birth to the Imperial Grandson, I shall take him to my side and personally instruct him!”

The weight of these words was no less than an emphasis on legitimate succession; even if the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne in the future, any sons born to other consorts would find it difficult to surpass him.

Those who had not yet understood the significance of Lin Yuanjin as Crown Princess were now compelled, under the Emperor’s golden words, to reassess her.

“This is the fortune of your son and the Crown Princess.” Cui Yiyu smiled as he accepted the decree.

The Emperor nodded, lifted his wine cup, and looked at the crowd with a smile: “Today’s first hunt has been a great victory, showing that the court is filled with talented individuals, not lacking in those proficient in both civil and martial arts—”

What followed was a string of formalities.

Eunuch Li held a list and announced who had hunted how many prey, and the Emperor bestowed rewards accordingly in sequence. For a time, the hall was filled with voices of gratitude.

Cui Yiyu was finally able to ease his mind a little. With just a sideways glance, he saw Lin Yuanjin holding a small porcelain cup, sipping with interest, a faint red imprint of lip rouge left on its rim.

His expression stilled; the translucent jade-like eyes rippled.

The fragrance of fruit wine lingered between Lin Yuanjin’s lips and teeth, her cheeks tinged with a light flush—whether from the drink or from the brazier by the table was unclear.

“This wine may be sweet, but its aftereffect is strong. Do not drink too much.” Cui Yiyu sensed something amiss with just a sniff, frowning slightly as he reminded her in a low voice.

“I only drank a little.” Lin Yuanjin turned her head, lifting a well-behaved smile as she looked at him, raising her hand and pressing her thumb and forefinger together to gesture.

Rather than wine, it tasted more like fermented glutinous rice mixed with fruit juice, sweet.

“Wine harms the body.” Cui Yiyu sighed softly, raising his hand; through his sleeve, his fingertip lightly tapped the bone of Lin Yuanjin’s wrist. “Have some food instead.”

Unexpectedly, Lin Yuanjin seemed to have misunderstood. She lowered her eyes, somewhat dejected, and said very softly, “I won’t cause trouble.”

Cui Yiyu was taken aback. He glanced around, then leaned slightly closer to Lin Yuanjin, raising his sleeve to shield his profile, and spoke just as quietly, “Crown Princess, you know that is not what I meant.”

Neither of them wished to draw attention under so many watching eyes, yet they had no choice but to be mindful; even if they said nothing, countless gazes were fixed on them.

To outsiders, it appeared as though the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were deeply affectionate, speaking softly to each other as if no one else were present.

Only Lin Yuanjin unexpectedly felt several piercing gazes. Lifting her eyes, she glanced over—first noticing Sheng Bingying nonchalantly withdrawing her gaze, and then looking toward Lin Weiyin, who was still staring at her.

Lin Weiyin, still unmarried, sat behind Sheng Bingying and Shen Qingci, and further behind them still. She appeared inconspicuous, so the gaze she cast toward Lin Yuanjin was all the more searing.

Once sisters of the same blood, now one sat beside the Crown Prince in incomparable radiance, favored deeply by the Emperor, while the other sat at the back of the crowd, utterly unremarkable.

It was as though their former treatment had been reversed.

“After the matter of your elder sister, Father Emperor took the opportunity to reprimand Lord Lin publicly in court. It is said that when he returned home after court, his expression was particularly grim.” Cui Yiyu followed Lin Yuanjin’s gaze, ignored Lin Weiyin’s suddenly bright eyes, withdrew his own lightly, and spoke in a low voice.

The daughter of a Vice Minister of Rites had, under the pretense of visiting her legitimate younger sister, seized the chance to climb onto the Crown Prince’s bed—it was simply trampling her father’s dignity into the ground.

Lin Weiyin must have suffered a harsh punishment at home.

Disfavored by the Emperor, dissatisfied by her family, and having caused the Crown Prince to be punished by the Emperor because of her alone, with the Empress even more displeased— even if she were to enter the Crown Prince’s residence in the future, she would not be able to stir up any trouble.

The Crown Princess could be at ease.

“Father has always cared most about reputation.” Lin Yuanjin smiled, withdrawing her gaze.

She could guess what had happened to Lin Weiyin without much thought—nothing more than copying texts, confinement, and kneeling in the ancestral hall.

The Lin family’s status was not high enough; what they feared most was someone within the family whose ambitions exceeded their abilities, yet who was foolish and disobedient. They had once counted on Lin Weiyin to marry well for an alliance, but now both legitimate daughters had entered the Crown Prince’s rear court. Not only was their reputation ruined, in terms of marriage alliances it was no different from severing one of their own arms.

“Tomorrow there will be a horse race. I will guide you onto a horse and walk a few laps then.” Thinking of this, Cui Yiyu’s head began to ache faintly, and the tips of his ears flushed red.

Lin Yuanjin naturally could not fail to notice Cui Yiyu’s subtle reluctance, yet only said, “Father Emperor is merely acting on a whim. I will not cause you trouble.”

“Father Emperor does not act on a whim without reason; someone must have provoked you.” Cui Yiyu picked up his wine cup and took a sip, suppressing the dryness in his mouth and tongue.

After today’s events, there would no longer be anyone acting recklessly.

The lengthy bestowal of rewards finally came to an end.

Several guards carried in a lacquered board one zhang long and three cun thick. Upon the lacquered tray lay a deer that had already been carved by the cook.

Slices of meat, evenly cut in thickness, were arranged like stacked jade pieces to form the shape of the deer; every part had been handled just right. In porcelain bowls at the edge of the tray was fresh deer blood.

Cui Yiyu lifted his eyes casually. The moment he saw the deer blood, his gaze froze; in his mind, it was as though a bronze bell had suddenly tolled, and a sense of foreboding surged straight up his spine.

His gaze slowly shifted, and sure enough, he saw the Emperor smiling, looking directly at him. His scalp tingled.

“Today the Crown Prince has taken first place. This first bowl of fresh deer blood—I shall award it to him.” The Emperor tapped his finger, signaling Eunuch Li to bring it over.

His tone carried teasing, yet beneath it was an unquestionable pressure, as though by drinking this bowl of deer blood, the matter of the Crown Prince trampling the Crown Princess’s dignity earlier would be written off.

Though it was the same deer blood, this time it served to correct what was improper and to warn against repeating the offense.

“Your son thanks Father Emperor for the reward.” Cui Yiyu rose and bowed in thanks. He reached out to take the large bowl, bearing the many gazes around him. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back and opened his mouth, his throat working as he gulped it down in large swallows, drinking it all in one go.

He had indeed undergone all kinds of poison-resistance training, yet even so—neither he nor the Cui family had ever imagined that he would one day have to drink deer blood in place of the Crown Prince, such a… body-strengthening substance.

Only a few drops inadvertently spilled from the corner of his mouth, the vivid red color sliding down his neck, lending him an inexplicable air of youthful charm.

Faintly, he noticed that behind Lin Yuanjin, Nanny Zhang was smiling with unusual satisfaction, as though something good was about to happen.

When the bowl of deer blood was finished, Cui Yiyu set the empty bowl down and returned to his seat.

Lin Yuanjin looked at Cui Yiyu as if wanting to speak but stopping herself. Seeing his chest rise and fall, his brows slightly furrowed, coughing as he drank wine to cover the fishy taste in his mouth, she could not say anything.

She was the only one now who knew that both bowls of deer blood had gone into Cui Yiyu’s stomach—but the one at fault was not him.

Cui Yiyu took quite a while to dispel the fishy taste from his throat. Sensing the gaze at his side, he had intended to press lightly on Lin Yuanjin’s wrist as a signal, but the moment he met her eyes, he recoiled as if electrocuted, hurriedly withdrawing his gaze.

If not for the duty of being a substitute binding Cui Yiyu firmly in place, he would likely have already fled into the night, doing everything possible to avoid contact with Lin Yuanjin.

It was not that Cui Yiyu had never thought of ways out. Countless times he had warned himself in his heart. Each time he felt he was close to succeeding, some external force would press his head down, forcing him to face reality, letting filthy desires and impure delusions bend and twist his spine.

He did not know what he ought to do, and could only blindly obey his master’s command.

Before long, his body gradually grew hot. Whether it was his wandering thoughts causing mischief or the deer blood taking effect, he became increasingly avoidant.

Lin Yuanjin watched as Cui Yiyu, as if unaffected, raised cups and exchanged drinks with others, chatting and laughing freely. Yet the slight shift of his seat, the arm placed as a barrier—every detail displayed his resistance and distance.

She quietly lowered her eyes, holding the porcelain cup in both hands, and took a few more sips of wine.

She had long known that the two of them should keep their distance, but accepting it in her heart and witnessing it with her own eyes were indeed not the same.

Whether it was tonight’s performance or tomorrow’s riding lesson, both were nothing more than burdens to him.

Both of them appeared composed, yet in truth were absent-minded.

The candles burned shorter and shorter. After several rounds of wine, the Emperor first remarked that it was late and that there was a horse race tomorrow, and left ahead of the others.

Once the Emperor departed, aside from the military officers already flushed red with drunkenness, most summoned their attendants, exchanging pleasantries with smiles, preparing to leave.

Cui Yiyu stood up. After sitting and drinking for so long, dizziness was unavoidable; he raised a hand to press at his brow, then turned slightly to help Lin Yuanjin up, only to see that she had already silently taken Nanny Zhang’s hand and stood ready. He paused slightly: “Crown Princess, you might as well return first to freshen up. I will… come find you later.”

The last few words seemed tinged with an unusual weight, especially difficult to speak.

“This concubine understands.” As soon as Lin Yuanjin responded, she saw Cui Yiyu nod, turn without looking back, and leave in hurried steps.

She froze for a moment, said nothing, and followed Nanny Zhang out of the hall.

The lantern light illuminated the pebble path they had come by. The stream within the temporary palace connected to the river outside, the faint sound of flowing water audible, the wind carrying a damp, grassy scent that cleared the mind.

Noticing Lin Yuanjin’s slightly lowered mood, Nanny Zhang feared she might overthink things and quickly comforted her: “His Highness the Crown Prince has been drinking and is hurrying back to sober up, lest he offend you. You mustn’t think too much.”

“You are right.” Lin Yuanjin lifted her eyes and smiled faintly. “I am fine. I simply have not drunk much before, so I feel a bit dizzy. It will pass shortly.”

“Ah! Hot tea has been prepared in your tent.” Nanny Zhang felt relieved.

Lin Yuanjin returned to the tent and saw that everything had already been arranged. She dismissed the others’ attendance and went alone behind the screen to wash.

Perhaps because tonight was special, even the petals prepared for her bath seemed particularly fragrant. Feeling dizzy, she did not dare soak for long, only washed clean before getting up and changing clothes.

Before long, Nanny Zhang came in from outside and saw Lin Yuanjin already seated before the dressing table. Her long black hair was loosely fastened with a golden ring, falling over her smooth silk dress like fine gauze. Nanny Zhang immediately beamed and stepped forward: “This old servant has already sent someone to inquire with His Highness the Crown Prince. This time, no petty schemer will be allowed to take advantage.”

Meeting Nanny Zhang’s relieved gaze, filled with goodwill for her, Lin Yuanjin looked at herself in the mirror and nodded obediently.

She clearly knew what would happen tonight, yet still hesitated.

What should she do? What could she do?

The effects of the wine had not yet faded. Her thoughts grew muddled, contradictions filling her slender body, making her somewhat uneasy.

The night had grown deep. From outside the tent came steady footsteps, accompanied by voices of “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.” The young man, now changed into a crimson robe, walked slowly into the tent.

The screen cast his tall figure in shadow, the ornaments at his waist swaying lightly with his movements.

Only when he stepped forward to one side of the screen did his appearance gradually come into view. His pale face still carried a faint flush—whether from the night wind or the lingering effects of the wine was unclear—and his gaze stumbled as it fell upon Lin Yuanjin.

His neck was tense. Though he played the role of the Crown Prince, he was like a soldier just off the battlefield, splashed with icy water, faintly carrying an uncontainable sharpness. His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with unfamiliar restraint: “Crown Princess.”

As though even these two words might burn his throat.

Lin Yuanjin blinked slowly.

She heard the soft crackle of the candle flames, and her own heart pounding like a drum.