The Crown Prince’s procession traveled day and night and arrived in Yangzhou as scheduled.
Thirty li outside Yangzhou City, a large group of people had already been waiting.
In addition to Prefect Lin of Yangzhou and the fifth-rank officials and wealthy salt merchants each had brought, there were also two prominent figures who had long resided in Yangzhou.
Upon spotting the procession from afar, Prefect Lin and Yan Hongchang rushed forward first, personally laying out crimson felt blankets on the grassy slope.
“This subject, Prefect Lin Yu of Yangzhou, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“This subject, Commander Yan Hongchang of the Salt Transport Office, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
The rest of the officials and salt merchants knelt in succession.
Wei Xichen lifted the curtain and stepped out, standing with hands behind his back on the carriage corridor. The white jade pendant at his waist swayed in the wind, brushing against the kesi patterns on his robes again and again.
“All of you, rise.”
Unlike Prefect Lin’s cautious demeanor, Yan Hongchang shuffled forward quickly on his knees across the crimson felt blanket to the front of the Crown Prince’s carriage. He looked up, sobbing uncontrollably. “Having received Your Highness’s grace, this subject is overwhelmed with gratitude. Today, this subject’s long-cherished wish is finally fulfilled—I have laid eyes on Your Highness’s true visage! I am extremely honored!”
Wei Xichen watched Yan Hongchang cry with such sincerity and smiled faintly as he descended the carriage, personally helping the man to his feet.
“This Prince has come specifically this time to reward the salt merchants and must ask the Commander to introduce them one by one.”
“Your Highness is too polite—it is this subject’s duty.”
Their pleasantries intertwined in the wind, warm and soft-spoken. No one dared to eavesdrop, yet everyone wanted to.
They all wanted to probe what attitude the Crown Prince held toward this man, who could hardly be called his father-in-law—the father of a mere concubine.
Not far away, Old Princess Dowager Xu whispered to the elegant young girl beside her. “This Yan Hongchang struts around like a tyrant on ordinary days, but now he’s as soft as a turtle.”
“Don’t disparage turtles like that—turtles aren’t as fawning as he is.”
As they spoke, the elegant young girl’s gaze suddenly met that of the Heir Apparent, who had cast his eyes over. She stepped forward with bright yet husky voice to pay her respects, parting the thick crowd of people for her.
“Cui Shihan, daughter of Grand Tutor Cui Shengzhi, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The elegant young girl was not tall, but her voice was rich and full. Even the spring breeze seemed to drum for her, adding to her presence.
Wei Xichen lowered his gaze, suddenly feeling a bit dazed.
In the Da’an Dynasty, there was only one female infant who had been ennobled at birth: the legitimate younger sister of the late Yide Empress, the last pearl of the Cui Clan in this generation.
The Yide Empress had been the Emperor’s principal wife, while his own mother, Lady Dong, had been elevated to Empress after the Yide Empress’s passing.
With this deep connection, the imperial family had always treated the Cui Clan with respect. At one point, the Cui Clan’s prestige had overshadowed that of the foremost noble house, the Dong Family.
Wei Xichen walked toward Cui Shihan and smiled warmly. “It’s been ten years since we parted in the Capital City. This Prince can no longer recognize the County Princess.”
Cui Shihan stood up, exuding the stubbornness of a young calf. “After ten years apart, this subject’s daughter can scarcely recognize Your Highness either.”
Her words were somewhat disrespectful, and the crowd exchanged glances.
Wei Xichen smiled and let it pass without taking offense. He turned toward Old Princess Dowager Xu and inclined his head in salute.
“For Old Princess Dowager Xu’s seventieth birthday, This Prince still wishes to visit your mansion and beg a cup of wine to share in your blessings.”
The elderly woman replied courteously, “This old woman respectfully awaits Your Highness’s visit.”
Old Princess Dowager Xu had been Consort Shu of the previous Emperor. Shortly after the Shunren Emperor ascended the throne, she had requested to retire to her hometown in Yangzhou.
Wei Xichen casually scanned the surroundings and asked with a faint smile, “Why haven’t I seen Transport Judge Wei?”
Yan Hongchang hurried forward. “Those fortunate enough to see Your Highness today are all officials of fifth rank and above. Transport Judge Wei’s rank is lower… If Your Highness wishes to summon him, this subject will immediately send someone to fetch him!”
“No need. Head to the post station.”
The Heir Apparent had no need to explain himself to them, and naturally, no one dared ask further questions. They immediately followed closely behind the Crown Prince’s procession.
Yan Hongchang paused, suddenly feeling his old face burn hot. The Crown Prince had ordered them to lodge at the post station rather than the Yan Mansion, which somewhat diminished the Yan family’s face.
But after all, Liangdi was merely a concubine, not comparable to a Crown Princess.
The Crown Prince’s trip to Yangzhou to reward the salt merchants was no secret. The common folk had buzzed about it for days and now crowded both sides of the road, jostling eagerly.
An old woman watching the spectacle accidentally fell. As she struggled to get up, a slender hand appeared before her.
The setting sun cast its glow on the man’s mild features, giving them an exceptionally warm hue.
Wei Xichen helped the stunned old woman to her feet and gently reminded her to watch her step.
At the same time, an ink-green sedan appeared amid the crowd. Yan Zhuyu, dressed in a moonlit long skirt, stepped down, lifted her skirts, and trotted up to the Crown Prince. She curtsied gracefully. “This concubine pays respects to Your Highness.”
It was as if she had precisely calculated the timing to appear in everyone’s view.
Wei Xichen nodded with a faint smile and was about to lead her into the post station together when he suddenly heard a familiar female voice. He glanced across at a nearby shop and saw a young woman supporting an older woman’s arm as they passed by, chatting and laughing.
The voice resembled that of an old acquaintance, but it was not.
Wei Xichen’s relaxed brows furrowed slightly, and a familiar pain stirred in his chest—an old ailment.
The moment Yan Zhuyu heard the voice, her smiling lips stiffened. She thought Jiang Yinyue had deliberately appeared here, playing some game of coy reluctance.
In a jade shop across the street, Jiang Yinyue inspected the pre-ordered Emerald Ruyi, confirmed it was undamaged, and smilingly asked the shopkeeper to box it up.
On the way back, as they passed a narrow alley, the clip-clop of hooves approached. Jiang Yinyue pulled Miaodie aside to make way and watched a horse and rider speed past.
The rider wore practical riding attire, had a petite build, and bore a waist badge engraved with a “Cui” character at her waist. As she brushed past the mistress and servant, it accidentally fell to the ground.
“Whoa!”
The girl riding ahead was already eye-catching enough, but the fallen gilded waist badge drew Jiang Yinyue’s attention even more.
“Help pick it up.”
Miaodie, holding the wooden box with the Emerald Ruyi, couldn’t bend easily, so Jiang Yinyue picked it up and handed it to the girl on horseback.
The girl raised her chin, her plump, watery cheeks rosy in the sunlight. “Thanks.”
“No need to stand on ceremony, Huai Jin County Princess.”
The girl narrowed her eyes in feigned profundity, gripped the reins, and leaned forward. “You know me?”
The spring breeze wafted gently, stirring the wisteria climbing the walls. Standing beneath, she was bathed in floral fragrance, her hair even infused with its clear scent.
Jiang Yinyue did not pierce the girl’s deliberate chance encounter and merely tilted her head with a smile, saying nothing.
Huai Jin County Princess Cui Shihan pursed her lips, dismounted, reversed her grip on the riding crop, and cupped her hands. “Ten years since we last met, Lady Jiang. Long time no see.”
Ten years had passed in a flash. Their last meeting had been beside the incense steps in front of the palace gates.
The Shunren Emperor had preserved the pomegranate trees that the Yide Empress had planted in the incense steps before the palace gates during her lifetime. One day, Cui Shihan had crouched alone there, crying her eyes out, when Jiang Yinyue, who had entered the palace with her father, happened upon her.
Cui Shihan had been born by Grand Tutor Cui in consultation with his wife to commemorate their eldest daughter. Some mocked her as a stand-in for the Yide Empress. At that moment, she was being whispered about by a group of young officials’ wives.
The young Jiang Yinyue, hands on hips, marched up to those banquet guests and sternly scolded them for gossiping behind someone’s back.
The even younger Cui Shihan lifted her teary eyes. On her head was now a colorful flower garland.
Jiang Yinyue, acting like a little adult, comforted her. “Don’t cry. I’ll give you the flower garland that Crown Prince Brother gave me.”
Unexpectedly, Cui Shihan not only refused but yanked off the garland and threw it to the ground, crying shrilly, “I don’t want anything from the Dong Family!”
The Crown Prince was Grand Secretary Dong’s grandson and thus counted as one of the Dong Family.
Her good intentions thrown to the dirt—especially a gift from the Crown Prince—Jiang Yinyue, who back then knew nothing of palace intrigues, pouted, picked up the garland, plopped it angrily on her own head, and huffed, “Ungrateful.”
“You’re the ungrateful one! The Dong Family has no good people!”
Times had changed. Jiang Yinyue, who had once dismissed Cui Shihan’s childish words, now understood her grievances. Her elder sister had taken her own life, and as the younger sister, Cui Shihan was maligned as a tool to continue the Cui Clan’s favor in the Empress’s stead. To escape the rumors, at just six years old, she had been sent by her father to Yangzhou, far from home. The day the two girls clashed was the eve of Cui Shihan’s departure from the capital. She had sneaked out of the Grand Tutor Mansion to bid farewell to her sister beneath the pomegranate trees.
The Dong and Cui clans seemed to mind their own business, but the Yide Empress’s death had made reconciliation impossible forever.
Fortune was unpredictable; things remained, but people changed. When they met again, Jiang Yinyue had married another, and her parting with the Crown Prince had been unhappy. Cui Shihan was no longer the crybaby on people’s tongues but had grown into a spirited, valiant young woman.