Ch 26: When the Wild Goose Returns

Duan Wucuo’s palm rested on the top of Qing Yan’s head.
Her hair was much softer than he’d expected.

He withdrew his hand, then calmly brought the fourth piece of braised pork to Qing Yan’s lips, watching her with a faint smile.

Qing Yan’s mouth was tightly shut behind her own hands, her eyes dazed as she stared at him.
The two of them remained in that deadlock.

Gradually, Qing Yan sobered up and regained her composure.

She looked into Duan Wucuo’s eyes, then cautiously shifted her gaze downward to the piece of braised pork.

She didn’t understand why this “bald monk” had barged in to feed her meat in the middle of the night. But her mind ran wild with worry—he’d been holding his hand up for so long; if she still refused to eat, would he suddenly fling the whole bowl of braised pork into her face?

The aroma of the meat drifted through the chilly night air, tickling her nose no matter how hard she tried to hold her breath.

Finally, Qing Yan slowly lowered her hands, looked Duan Wucuo in the eye, and opened her mouth, letting him feed her.

She couldn’t help but suspect he might be trying to trick or harm her—but the fragrant, tender pork entered her mouth without incident.

It tasted just like it had in the dream—maybe even better now that she was fully awake. Soft and flavorful, it melted in her mouth, leaving her wanting more.

She swallowed and licked her lips.

The hall was completely silent. Not a sound.

Duan Wucuo kept feeding her pieces of braised pork. Each time he offered, she obediently ate.

It was too quiet. Qing Yan tried hard to control herself so that she wouldn’t make any eating sounds.

She wanted to appear more refined in the way she ate—but Duan Wucuo’s feeding pace didn’t allow for refinement.

Before she could finish chewing one piece, the next juicy slice was already waiting in front of her mouth.

She didn’t dare let him hold his hand up too long, so she had to eat quickly. Her cheeks puffed out as they filled.

Her small hands, having nowhere else to go, simply rested atop the blanket.

Ever since going to Yongzhou Temple over two years ago, Duan Wucuo had taken to experimenting with cooking in his spare time.

Strangely, though, he was never a glutton. He created all kinds of flavors in the kitchen, yet had little interest in indulging himself.

But that day, when he saw Qing Yan eating with such gusto, something about it unexpectedly put his mind at ease.

Now, watching her round almond eyes widen with every bite, he felt his trip tonight had not been in vain.

Hiccup.

Just as Duan Wucuo was about to pick up another piece of pork, his hand paused. He looked over at Qing Yan.

The tips of her ears were a bit red. Her fingers trembled slightly as she shyly covered her belly with both hands.

Hic—

She couldn’t hold it in…

Qing Yan scrunched her face. Her little hands pressed hard into her stomach, as if she wished she could shove it down flat.

Without realizing it, most of the large bowl of braised pork had been eaten—only three to five pieces remained.

Duan Wucuo looked at the glistening slice of meat between his chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, then placed it into his own mouth.

It tasted as he expected. Or perhaps not as greasy as he had imagined.

Though it was cooked by his own hand, he’d never been fond of such rich dishes.

Unexpectedly, watching Qing Yan eat so happily had actually made him take a bite of something he normally avoided.

He wasn’t sure why, but seeing her rosy cheeks still stained with sleep and contentment had genuinely stirred his appetite.

So he continued eating while gazing at Qing Yan.

She blinked and looked at him curiously.

Only one piece of braised pork remained at the bottom of the porcelain bowl with the crane-and-cloud design. Qing Yan blurted out,
“Aren’t you a vegetarian?”

As soon as she said it, she bit her tongue, quickly avoiding his eyes and lowering her gaze to the last piece of meat.

“Heh.”

Duan Wucuo raised the corner of his eye and gave a light laugh.

He picked up that last piece of braised pork and popped it into Qing Yan’s mouth.

This time, he used a bit more force—his chopsticks lightly knocked against her small canine tooth, making a soft sound.

Qing Yan gave a muffled “mmph” and her mouth closed instinctively around the pork.

Then Duan Wucuo cleaned up the bowl and chopsticks—and left.

Yes. Just like that.

Qing Yan sat on the bed, chewing the final bite of braised pork, watching his back as he walked away.

Even after he’d left, her gaze remained fixed on the closed door.

The carved wooden panels depicted a lively scene of two fish frolicking in water.

A long while later, she slowly lay back down and stared up at the crimson canopy overhead.

“I didn’t brush my teeth… oh well, let’s pretend I ate it in a dream…”
Qing Yan rolled over and hugged the soft, fluffy pillow tightly.

—

The next day, Qing Yan went shopping with Princess Kang as planned, buying many daily necessities a young woman would need in her future life.

On the second floor of a restaurant, Princess Zhenshan and Cheng Ji stood by the window, watching as Qing Yan and Princess Kang entered a rouge shop down below.

“She’s going to marry Prince Zhan.
You know perfectly well what kind of person Prince Zhan is.
The wedding is only a few days away—if you don’t act now, once she becomes his princess consort, you’ll have no chance at all. You won’t even be able to see her without kneeling.”

Su Ruche spoke slowly.

“Tch.”
Cheng Ji curled his lips into a smile. “Princess, you haven’t even told me what grudge you hold against her.
Even if I’m infatuated with a beauty, I’m not foolish enough to willingly become your pawn.”

“Because of my elder sister.”

Su Ruche’s smile faded. She stared at Qing Yan’s figure below, hatred slowly clouding her gaze.

“Princess Zhenxian has already become Consort Xian, hasn’t she?”

Su Ruche gave a cold laugh. “Don’t you think it’s odd that my sister suddenly became a consort?
The Empress is our eldest sister—our Su family doesn’t need to send more women into the palace.”

Her voice turned vicious:
“Everyone in the capital knows my sister fell in love with Prince Zhan at first sight when she was fourteen, and has loved him hopelessly ever since. It was only through years of longing and the Empress’s help that she finally got a chance to marry him.
But then this so-called Princess Huachao didn’t want to marry the Emperor and insisted on Prince Zhan instead. She used every trick imaginable—and caused my sister to lose her virginity to the Emperor!”

Cheng Ji’s expression changed. Shocked, he turned to Su Ruche and asked, “Are you serious?”

“Otherwise, how do you explain why my sister, despite her love for Prince Zhan, suddenly became a consort?
The Empress made that happen—we didn’t need to send her into the palace otherwise!”

Cheng Ji’s eyes flickered as he mulled over her words.

Su Ruche closely observed his face. Seeing he remained silent, she continued,
“Yes, I admit I’m using you.
But it’s for my sister. I’ll take any risk for her. Besides, isn’t winning a beauty a happy outcome for you too?”

She coaxed gently:
“Young Master Cheng, you have the Left Chancellor as your grandfather—you’re not some ordinary playboy.
If you had any kind of affair with Princess Huachao, for the sake of appearances and for Tao Nation’s dignity,
the Emperor would spin it as ‘a union of mutual affection’ and bestow her upon you in marriage.
As for her? Hmph, she’s just a foreign princess married into our country. What waves could she possibly stir?
In the end, won’t she still be under your thumb?”

Cheng Ji narrowed his eyes, staring at Qing Yan’s delicate silhouette below.
Despite Su Ruche’s persuasive words, her feud with Princess Huachao had nothing to do with him.

What he needed to consider was: was this foreign beauty worth the risk?

And if he didn’t follow Su Ruche’s plan, could he find another, safer way to obtain her?

Marry her?
He wasn’t interested.
He just wanted to have a taste.

—

Qing Yan, unaware of the schemes brewing between Su Ruche and Cheng Ji, was happily shopping with Princess Kang.
The fine silks and dazzling jewelry overwhelmed her senses.

She had grown up in poverty and had only ever bought herself a red hair ribbon.
Her one piece of jewelry was a silver bangle a young lady had gifted her—
But she’d later sold it for medicine after breaking her leg.

Now, in front of these expensive items, Qing Yan had to act uninterested—even a little disdainful.
Then she’d wave her hand grandly: “Buy it all.”

Even though her heart was bleeding.

Despite buying so much, Princess Kang still wasn’t quite satisfied.
After sending Qing Yan back to the palace, she had someone deliver a full set of ornate hairpieces made by Linglong Pavilion.

The set was originally intended for her cousin Dan Qian Yue.
She could have had another one made for Qing Yan, but the wedding was too soon.

Princess Kang had searched for many ready-made pieces and remained unsatisfied.
Dan Qianyue found out quickly.

She ran over with red eyes, crying, “Sister, why do you always give my things to that cross-eyed princess?”

“Qianyue…”

Dan Qianyue sobbed,
“You gave her the new dress you had tailored for me last time! Now this hairpiece too! I waited so long for this set!”

Princess Kang knew she was at fault and could only gently coax her cousin,
“Qianyue, I didn’t do it on purpose.
That dress was because Princess Huachao had soaked hers, and her measurements didn’t match mine, so I used yours.
Didn’t I have another one made for you the next day?

As for the hairpiece, it’s really just because the wedding is too close, so I gave her the set meant for you.
But don’t worry, I’ll have Linglong Pavilion make you two new sets…”

“I don’t care! I don’t care! I’m your cousin—you’ve only known her for a few days and already you’re so biased!
You’re not my good sister anymore!”

Dan Qianyue turned and ran off in tears.

“Qianyue! Qianyue!”

Princess Kang chased her to the door, but Dan Qianyue didn’t even look back.

Her maid Wan’er murmured in complaint,
“Princess, you’ve treated the young miss well enough. It’s like you’re giving her a whole mountain of gold…
Every time she comes, she wants something new. She’s so immature…”

Princess Kang stayed silent.

She truly did care about Qing Yan—
Having once married far from home herself, she knew how hard it was, and naturally wanted to care for Qing Yan more.
Especially since Qing Yan was marrying her husband’s brother.

“Forget it. In the capital, she’s my only family.
She’s still young—giving her more trinkets to cheer her up is fine.”

Only then did Wan’er stop talking.

—

Time passed swiftly. On the eve of the wedding, Chang Bai visited both residences again to confirm his responsibilities.

Qing Yan was out when he arrived. After delivering his instructions, his carriage happened to meet hers on the road.

Their carriages crossed paths outside the palace.
Chang Bai’s carriage respectfully pulled over to the side to let Princess Huachao’s pass first.

A breeze lifted one corner of the curtain, revealing a flash of her blue sleeve.

Chang Bai glanced once at the figure of the “princess,” then withdrew his gaze and instructed the coachman to continue toward Prince Kang’s residence.

Inside the other carriage, Qing Yan softly exclaimed, “Huh?”

She thought the voice outside sounded familiar,
But couldn’t recall where she’d heard it.

Maybe it was just some palace servant?

She quickly forgot about it.

—

After returning, Wen Xi reminded Qing Yan to rest early so she could wake up early for her bridal preparations the next morning.

A young maid came running with a message for General Li, saying he wanted to meet Wen Xi.

Wen Xi guessed it was about the real vs. fake princess situation.
She quickly put down her work and hurried to the front courtyard.

“General, you called?”

General Li said,
“The fake princess is marrying Prince Zhan tomorrow.
That wasn’t part of our original plan.
Prince Zhan is extremely cautious, and we were unprepared before. There’s a risk she’ll be exposed.”

Wen Xi said,
“I’ll help Qing Yan.”

General Li stared at her with sharp eyes.
“If Prince Zhan ever grows suspicious—kill the fake princess.”

Wen Xi’s head shot up.

He narrowed his gaze.
“What’s that expression?
Have you forgotten this was always part of the plan?

If the fake princess is ever exposed, we kill her and stage it as an accident.
Both countries will accept that.

Otherwise—do you know how many people, how many families, will be implicated?”

After a long pause, Wen Xi took a deep breath, her face solemn.
“I know my role.”

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