Ch 6: When the Wild Goose Returns

The mountain breeze carried a hint of chill as Duan Wucuo walked down the mountain path through the withered landscape.

He was tall and slender, wearing simple monk robes that could not hide his naturally elegant and handsome features.

In his hand was a scroll, but it was not for reciting.

Yongzhou Temple was peaceful, with only the sound of a monk sweeping fallen leaves filling the air.

Duan Wucuo continued walking, heading back to his residence’s backyard.

The backyard of his residence had a mountain stream running through it. The water was thin and long, guided by a bamboo tube into a small ceramic basin below.

Over time, the stream overflowed, flowing along the gap and down to the brick path below where a few red plum trees stood.

Duan Wucuo washed his hands in the flowing water and then opened the scroll. He took out a stalk of yanxin orchid that was tucked inside and rinsed it with the fresh mountain water.

He then opened a nearby clay jar, and a rich fragrance immediately wafted out.

The scent was strong yet not overwhelming, with a touch of sweetness reminiscent of fine wine.

He placed the washed yanxin orchid inside.

The yanxin orchid only bloomed once in its lifetime, opening for just a moment. It was extremely rare.

Yet, the jar before him was half full, with the flowers piled inside as though they were pickled vegetables.

All of these were collected by Duan Wucuo.

He enjoyed turning the valuable yanxin orchids into a juice, which he would later add to lotus-flavored crisp when the lotus flowers bloomed in June, creating a unique treat.

The recipe was something he had concocted himself.

In this world, only he added yanxin orchid juice to the lotus-flavored crisp.

Duan Wucuo looked up toward the roof of the side room, where Bu Er sat cross-legged.

Bu Er was sitting atop the roof ridge, playing dice by himself.

In the long years of the mountain temple, the once top-ranking member of the imperial guard had been worn down into a fool.

“Go, catch a rabbit and bring it back.

Tonight we’ll have pine mushrooms with rabbit stew.”

“Alright!”

Bu Er caught the dice that had been thrown into the air, and with a flicker of movement, vanished from sight.

Only the high branches of a nearby tree shook slightly.

Duan Wucuo pushed open the door and returned to his room, his gaze casually landing on the letter on the table.

This letter had been delivered a few days ago, and Duan Wucuo had just opened it to read.

—“Ninth Brother, I’ve been thinking back on the past, and indeed, I made a mess of things regarding the match-making.

Marriage is a lifelong matter, and it should be fulfilling.

The Princess Huachao of Tao Kingdom has bright eyes and a graceful demeanor.

I am twenty years her senior, and I cannot bear to lock her away in the depths of the palace, cutting off her youthful years.

However, a marriage alliance with Tao Kingdom is necessary for our relationship, so we cannot disregard her wishes.

I have been thinking of you, Ninth Brother, and hope you will return to the palace for a small gathering.

If you are satisfied with Princess Huachao, I, as your older brother, would like to arrange her marriage to you.”

Duan Wucuo couldn’t help but chuckle at the signature at the end: “Your Elder Brother.”

He picked up a red brush and circled the typos in Emperor Wen He’s letter. Then he turned the yellow imperial paper over and, with great flourish, wrote: “The princess is quite good.”

He then sealed the letter and placed it in the envelope.

The Empress had tried both soft and hard methods to resolve the matter, but neither party seemed too keen on it.

Duan Wucuo’s reluctance was somewhat unclear.

Little Qing Yan’s reluctance, however, was crystal clear.

She rested her chin on her hand as she sat by the window, not even bothering to eat the mi rou mei bing (pork and plum cakes) she usually loved, repeatedly mulling over her future.

If she were truly married off to Prince Zhan, not only would she lose the quiet life in the cold palace, but she’d also be at risk of being exposed.

There was a popular joke among the people of Yi Kingdom that Prince Zhan was the god of the Yi Kingdom. It was a joke, but there was more truth to it than people realized.

Qing Yan didn’t think her disguise could escape his sharp, smiling eyes.

“If I remember correctly, Prince Zhan is already betrothed, right?

To the talented and beautiful Princess Su Ruqing?

No, wait… it seems their engagement hasn’t been finalized yet. But Prince Zhan became a fake monk shortly after.

But wasn’t this marriage all but agreed upon?”

A long silence.

Qing Yan slapped her face and continued muttering to herself, “There were so many people who wanted to marry Prince Zhan, but didn’t he turn them all down?

It seems even Princess Su Ruqing wasn’t to his liking?

Then, he must not like me either!”

Suddenly, her eyes brightened. A smile curled at the corners of her lips as she reached for the mi rou mei bing to eat.

At that moment, Wen Xi pushed the door open and entered. “Stop thinking about it. Get dressed and groom yourself.

Princess Su Ruqing and Princess Zhen Shan are coming to the defense.”

Qing Yan’s eyes widened in shock. The pork and plum cake in her hand fell to the table.

No way?

She’d just thought about Princess Su Ruqing, and now she was here? And she’d even brought the notoriously spoiled Princess Zhen Shan with her?

“Could she already know about this matter?”

“She’s the Empress’s cousin. We’re foreigners here. She probably received the news even earlier than we did.”

Wen Xi swiftly helped Qing Yan get dressed and ready, then led her toward the front hall.

Qing Yan had mastered the art of playing two roles — in private she was little Qing Yan, but in front of others, she became Princess Huachao, Shi Lingwu.

Su Ruqing and Su Ruche, the two sisters, were seated in the front hall, their gazes occasionally drifting toward the entrance.

Su Ruche leaned close to Su Ruqing and whispered, “Sister, I don’t believe some beauty from Tao Kingdom could be more beautiful than you. Prince Zhan is bound to become my brother-in-law.”

Su Ruqing smiled gently and slowly shook her head. “They say she’s exquisitely beautiful, otherworldly. Naturally, I can’t compare to her.”

Though her words were modest, her brows and eyes carried a natural air of pride.

As Qing Yan approached — before she had even entered the hall — the sisters saw her silhouette first.

Today, Qing Yan wore no red, but a pale purple dress. She wore light makeup, and two hair ornaments swayed gently with her steps.

She no longer covered her face with the red veil.

The sisters’ gazes slowly moved upward, finally resting on Qing Yan’s face, lingering there for a moment.

Su Ruqing stood up and greeted her gently, “I’ve long heard that Princess Huachao is a national treasure of Tao Kingdom. Today, I finally get to see you in person.”

Su Ruqing’s gentle expression was reflected in Qing Yan’s light-purple eyes. Qing Yan curved her lips into a similarly soft smile, mimicking Princess Huachao’s lazy tone: “Meeting the Lady today, I too feel it’s a shame we didn’t meet sooner.”

Su Ruqing’s expression didn’t change, but her gaze deepened slightly. She continued, “I hope the Princess won’t mind our unannounced visit today.”

Qing Yan responded, “The days are growing warmer and longer. I often find myself bored. Having you sisters visit for a chat is quite delightful for me.”

While Su Ruqing smiled and listened, her eyes calmly observed every detail of Qing Yan’s face.

Her hand, hidden within her sleeve, clenched slightly.

Su Ruche asked, “Are you settling in well?”

“The Son of Heaven is benevolent — everything has been fine.”

Qing Yan answered smoothly and politely.

Su Ruche added, “We were just worried that the Princess might feel homesick being so far from home. After all, you even shed tears from longing when you met His Majesty…”

She paused and smiled subtly.

“My sister and I thought we should come visit and fulfill our duty as hostesses.”

Qing Yan pretended not to hear the veiled jab and said, “Let’s not stand and talk — please take a seat.

You’ve come from afar, and I’m afraid the refreshments from this side palace are too plain to entertain noble guests. However, I did bring a few little trinkets from my homeland on this journey. Today seems a good occasion to gift them to the two Ladies. I hope you won’t find them lacking.”

She tilted her head slightly to look at Wen Xi and lazily instructed, “Wen Xi, go bring the gifts.”

Wen Xi suppressed her surprise. Without letting it show on her face, she gave a proper bow and went to fetch the prepared gifts.

“We brought some greeting gifts ourselves today,” Su Ruqing said. “But the Princess was quicker than us.”

Her gaze remained fixed on Qing Yan’s face.

Su Ruche glanced at her sister’s expression and added smoothly, “We also came to invite the Princess to my birthday banquet — it’s in three days. Would the Princess be willing to attend?”

Qing Yan paused for a brief moment. Then the corners of her eyes lifted with joy as she said, “I’d be delighted.”

Wen Xi returned with two prepared gift boxes.

As Qing Yan turned to retrieve the jade boxes, her fingertips paused slightly before she adjusted her posture — index finger straight, middle and ring fingers slightly bent, pinky raised gracefully. Her snow-pale hand looked like an orchid as she handed the jade boxes to the two Ladies.

After a few more pleasantries, Su Ruqing and Su Ruche stood up to take their leave.

As soon as they were gone, Qing Yan let out a huge sigh of relief.

The moment the door shut behind them, her legs gave out and she slid down with her back against the door, crouching on the floor.

Wen Xi let out a soft breath and looked at Qing Yan.

Qing Yan tilted her head up and gave her a playful, ingratiating smile: “Sister Wen Xi, I passed another round!”

Wen Xi gave a quiet “Mm” and nodded. “You did very well. You’re improving.”

“So I didn’t let Sister Wen Xi’s constant nagging go to waste!”

Qing Yan smiled proudly, her eyes curved into crescents.

She had seen how the real Princess Huachao carried herself — lazy yet alluring, noble and composed.
And before she escaped from Yi Kingdom, while she was still a maid, the young lady she served had also been a gentle, well-bred noblewoman.

Previously, Wen Xi often made Qing Yan practice the Princess’s every gesture and movement.

Qing Yan had found it difficult.

So she often recalled the elegance and poise of her former mistress, combining that with Wen Xi’s lessons — and gradually, her performance had noticeably improved.

But the moment she thought of her former mistress, the joy on Qing Yan’s face dimmed slightly.

She shook her head, forcing herself not to dwell on the past, and tugged on Wen Xi’s sleeve with a spoiled tone:

“I behaved so well today… Could we have braised ribs and chestnut chicken tonight?”

Wen Xi put on a stern face.

“Please, Sister…”

Wen Xi kept her stern expression — but still personally went to the kitchen to make those two dishes.

She had always been puzzled by Qing Yan’s fondness for greasy, heavy foods despite her delicate, pretty looks.

No matter how greasy the food, Qing Yan never seemed to tire of it.
She could even eat a whole roast chicken in one sitting, not counting the side dishes and soup.

Only once did Qing Yan casually say, “I used to never get to eat food like this.”

That made Wen Xi suddenly understand, and from then on, she instructed the kitchen to season Qing Yan’s meals more heavily.

Because Qing Yan had performed so well today, Wen Xi was unusually lenient and didn’t give her the usual evening lessons.

Qing Yan was overjoyed — she practically danced around Wen Xi three times like a child.

She even had the servants heat water early so she could bathe ahead of schedule and get a full, restful sleep — seven whole hours, ideally.

Qing Yan submerged herself entirely in the warm bathwater, her whole body relaxed and comfortable.

In the rising steam, she closed her eyes.

She didn’t even realize it, but her face wore a sweet, beautiful smile.

Though the side palace had its own guards from the Yi Kingdom, there were also over a hundred soldiers brought by General Li.
The two groups rotated shifts and often had more than one patrol team active at a time.

Even so, when Duan Wucuo entered Qing Yan’s residence, Bai Mei Pavilion, not a single person noticed.

His steps were calm, without the slightest hint of stealth —
as if he were walking in openly and the guards just happened not to see him.

He pushed the door open.

The white jade screen carved with “Cranes Singing at Dusk” blocked the view of the inner chamber.

Qing Yan heard the door and, assuming it was Wen Xi, cooed softly, “Sister Wen Xi, you promised! No take-backs.”

Duan Wucuo also heard the sound of water and guessed she was bathing.

His steps paused slightly, his gaze falling on the graceful silhouette of a woman projected onto the jade screen.

But he only paused for a second before continuing forward.

The moment he stepped around the screen, Qing Yan happened to open her eyes.

Her lovely crescent-shaped eyes quickly filled with alarm and fear. Her tightly closed lips parted slightly, as if she were about to scream.

“If you call for help,” Duan Wucuo said evenly, “not only will the guards come rushing in, but everyone will know what happened tonight — and it will ruin your reputation for nothing.”

Qing Yan stammered, “Y-You… Y-You get out! Don’t look—!”

She, who had handled two noble ladies with poise earlier today, had now turned back into a stammering, helpless little thing.

Her whole body was submerged in the bath, and the edge of the tub was slightly raised. What could he really see?

The air was thick with steam, and Duan Wucuo couldn’t even see her face clearly.

He picked up a robe hanging on the screen’s side, shook it out in front of him, and opened his arms, walking toward her.

Watching him come closer, Qing Yan’s eyes widened in panic.

Duan Wucuo’s gaze didn’t waver; he didn’t hesitate.
He walked straight to the bath, bent down, and wrapped the robe around her from front to back.

His palm fastened the collar behind her neck.

The movements were fluid, unhurried.

Now, only her head remained above the water.

Qing Yan asked in a trembling voice, “What does Prince Zhan intend to do?”

Duan Wucuo turned slightly to glance at her pale profile, then slowly lifted the ladle from the bathwater.
He raised her chin with it and said casually:

“To look at your face.”

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