chance encounter
Dou Tonghan had come from the Dou family's ancestral home with Old Madam Dou to visit relatives and stay for a while. During this time, Lin Xu disliked Old Madam Dou very much, and because of her pregnancy, she didn't visit Bai Shi regularly in the mornings and evenings. She stayed in the villa for long periods and rarely saw the guests staying at home. Naturally, she forgot about Dou Tonghan, whom she had only met once.
She knew that Dou Tonghan had come to Mujing to participate in the imperial examinations in early January. It was said that Mujing, as the capital, was now experiencing soaring prices and was crowded with candidates traveling to the capital for the examinations, making it difficult to find a good place to stay. Therefore, Dou Tonghan simply stayed at the Dou family's house.
But when exactly did these two people come together?
She had heard from Dou Zhen that He Miaoyi had thrown a tantrum and stayed away for a few days because she was unhappy with her father's strict discipline. He Miaoyi and Dou Zhen had often met at the Princess's residence with Princess Kunrou before, and they were quite familiar with each other. So even though the He family knew, they could only indulge her. Dou Tonghan had always lived with his ancestral family in the far north, thousands of miles away. It seemed that the two of them had not known each other before and had only met now.
But after watching for only a short while, she felt that as Dou Tonghan spoke, his body seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally trying to get closer to Miss He... which was not exactly the behavior of a gentleman.
Having spent time with her, she had come to understand He Miaoyi—pure and kind, with only food on her mind. Dou Tonghan must have harbored some desire to curry favor with such a noblewoman from a prominent family.
She disliked the Zu family to begin with, so after a moment's thought, she strode forward quickly.
"Miss He, are you all ready?"
Upon hearing voices, the two turned around. He Miaoyi was pleasantly surprised; she had been waiting impatiently and had only put on a cloak. She didn't know what the young master had been talking about with her about the winter scenery, and she had only responded absentmindedly.
She moved closer to Lin Xu affectionately and took her arm.
"Madam Dou, I've found out that there are several old beef ball shops on North Street that are the most authentic. Let's have a bowl of beef ball soup first!"
When Dou Tonghan saw Lin Xu arrive, his handsome face momentarily flushed with embarrassment. He had only met Lin Xu once before at the banquet, and not wanting to become distant, nor did he want Lin Xu to witness the earlier scene and misunderstand, he cupped his hands and said:
"Greetings, Second Cousin-in-law. I was feeling a bit bored while studying, so I wandered around here for a bit and unexpectedly ran into Miss He. We had the pleasure of chatting for a few minutes. Would you like to come out together, Cousin-in-law?"
Lin Xu gave a simple reply. This young master from Zu's family was very tall and had handsome features. After all, they were uncle and nephew, and one could see some resemblance to Dou Huaisheng in him.
Lin Xu smiled and said, "I heard that Cousin Han's room is very elegant. My mother even built a greenhouse for it. The flowers and plants are very serene. But after looking at it for a long time, it is probably not as captivating as the few early winter plum blossoms in the back garden."
Dou Tonghan understood the sarcasm in Lin Xu's words, but he didn't dare to retort. He could only awkwardly laugh and say, "Sister-in-law, you're blaming your brother for being lazy." He then took his leave to go back to his room to study and left in a hurry.
After this incident, the two waited in the corridor for a while before Dou Zhen came out, having changed her clothes. She was wearing a light purple brocade vest with gold trim, and a brown cloak with dark floral patterns on top, the collar of which was trimmed with silver fox fur. She looked indescribably noble and lovely.
It turned out that Dou Zhen was seen by Fu Zhen when she went out, so Bai Shi called her over and questioned her for a while. She also sat in the main hall and had a cup of tea with Old Madam Dou before she was released. She had been cooped up in the mansion for days and had been looking forward to Lin Xu's return so that she could go out and relax with him. Finally, the trip was possible.
The group boarded the carriage prepared by Steward Qi, bringing only two maids, Zhu Ling and Pan'er. They squeezed into the carriage, chatting merrily about the girls' private matters, and were quite happy.
It was already deep winter, but North Street was no less lively; on the contrary, it had gained an extra touch of festive atmosphere. The street was wide, with vermilion-lacquered eaves on both sides. A layer of white sleet lightly covered the eaves, and large red lanterns hung high under the eaves, swaying gently in the wind.
Everywhere was a bustling scene of pedestrians, with peddlers in plain clothes walking side by side with ladies in fine silks and satins. A new sign for "Winter Solstice Lamb Soup" had been added in front of the towering restaurant, and a large pot of lamb soup was bubbling and simmering in front of it, emitting a fragrant aroma.
He Miaoyi had been longing for beef meatball soup when she arrived, but now, smelling the aroma of mutton, she couldn't resist and immediately wanted to get out of the car. Lin Xu and Dou Zhen exchanged a glance, but there was nothing they could do but laugh and indulge her.
Lin Xu used to love drinking goat milk tea and even mutton noodles. Now that she was pregnant, she could hardly stand the smell of mutton. She felt nauseous after standing in the shop for a short while. So she sent Pan'er with Dou Zhen and He Miaoyi, while she took Zhu Ling out for some fresh air.
Returning to Mujing, she had not seen such a lively and prosperous scene for a long time. The hawkers' cries and the hurried pace of pedestrians all seemed to be a rare sight of a prosperous era.
Zhu Ling also took a satisfied breath of the incense smoke in the air and sighed, "This is the real Mu Jing! Mu Jing is still the best."
Worried that Lin Xu's back would ache from standing on the street for too long, she was about to help her to a nearby teahouse to sit down when she heard the sound of galloping hooves approaching from afar, dispersing the previously crowded throng.
Lin Xu looked back and saw a cavalry of several dozen people emerging from the street corner ahead. All the riders were dressed in dark armor and black robes, with their hair tied up and swords at their sides. The horses were covered in satin armor, which was decorated with gold cloud patterns. This was the insignia that could only be used by the Crown Prince!
As the caravan drew near, a figure was seen sitting atop the central red horse, dressed in a long robe with dark purple and gold dragon patterns. Even without a jade crown, and with only a jade hairpin to tie his hair, his appearance was still handsome and noble.
He is none other than the current Crown Prince, the Third Prince.
The group appeared to have just emerged from the palace on a routine inspection, while the Third Prince, however, moved languidly, slowly urging his horse forward with its whip. The North Street area was frequented by powerful figures, a fact the common people took for granted; aside from keeping a safe distance from major roads, everything proceeded as usual.
Lin Xu mingled in the crowd and took a closer look. He saw that there was a man on each side of the Third Prince, both of whom were quite distinguished.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the man on the left was dressed in a dark blue round-necked official robe, with a fish-shaped pouch at his waist. His upright figure swayed with the rise and fall of his horse, and his appearance was as beautiful as an orchid. His eyes held only a hint of a smile, yet it was enough to make the women along the street frequently stop and turn their heads.
The man on the right was slightly older, dressed in an ordinary brocade robe and wrapped in a fur coat, but he was very low-key and almost blended in with the guards around him.
If Lin Xu hadn't caught a glimpse of the prince consort at a previous banquet, she would never have recognized him today. This seemingly gentle and mild-mannered man was Liao Yan's father and Dou Huaisheng's biggest backer.
The Crown Prince, noticing the blushing faces of the young girls along the street as they stole glances at Jiang Heng, twirled his gold-inlaid riding whip in his hand and chuckled:
"So, with Lord Jiang's face, you absolutely cannot take him out. If you do, your women will be stuck in traffic all the way to Shibaliqiao. If you had known, you would have had the eunuchs buy some and send them to the palace. I think Lord Jiang will have to pay for this mutton soup today."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng raised an eyebrow slightly. The imperial son-in-law, Liao Qian, also chuckled softly.
The prince looked around but couldn't find the newly opened mutton soup shop that everyone was praising. Just as he was wondering, he heard a clear, cold female voice, "Watch out!"
Lin Xu was standing in the crowd, but was pushed to the side of the main road by the surging crowd. A mother and child also lost their footing. The young woman staggered a few steps and was separated from her young child with a topknot. The child couldn't help but cry and was about to rush into the crowd to find his mother, but was separated by the crowd and fell backward to the ground with a thud.
The next instant, a horse's hoof came crashing down, nearly stepping on the child who had fallen to the ground.
Lin Xu bent down and quickly shielded the little boy in her arms. As she was also pregnant, she naturally understood the young woman's panicked and anxious appearance.
She lowered her head, gently touched the child's forehead, and softly handed the child to the woman who had rushed over. Meanwhile, three people sitting high on their horses not far away witnessed the entire scene.
The clear, bright sunlight illuminated a streak of frost-white hair at her temples, making her skin appear even more pristine and porcelain-like. She lowered her head and softly asked the child a question, her expression serene, her dark eyes filled with tenderness.
The crown prince watched the scene unfold before him silently, and unconsciously tightened the reins.
It had been a long time since I'd seen her, but she had become even more dignified and elegant as a married woman. Despite wearing only a simple lotus-colored short-sleeved outer garment, her refined face possessed a captivating charm that was untouched by vulgarity.
Jiang Heng took in the changes in the Crown Prince's expression. When the woman who had been bending over raised her head, he saw that the sunlight was obscuring her face, and her eyes were filled with a coldness and stunning beauty that rivaled frost and snow.
The crown prince, however, was turning the reins in his hand, and his eyes met those of Lin Xu, who had looked up.
Lin Xu saw him sitting upright on his horse, his robes still, looking down at her. She could clearly see that his angular face showed a slight change in expression, but he remained silent for a long time, a layer of unfathomable darkness settling in his eyes.
This was the first time she had seen him since the Third Prince's marriage and the appointment of the Crown Prince. Before she could even bow in greeting, the Crown Prince parted his thin lips and said to Jiang Heng indifferently, "Let's go."
After saying this, the group spurred their horses on again, and soon disappeared into the alley. Only the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves swirled in the air.
Lin Xu was also stunned for a moment, then lowered her gaze and, along with everyone around her, bowed respectfully in the direction where the Crown Prince and his entourage had left. Before she could even process what had happened, she heard a cheerful female voice behind her, "Sister-in-law."
It turned out that He Miaoyi and Dou Zhen had also finished their mutton soup and came out of the shop next door. Seeing that she looked dazed, Dou Zhen teased, "What are you thinking about, sister-in-law? You seem to have something on your mind."
She didn't know how to bring up the matter of seeing Jiang Heng earlier with Dou Zhen in the current situation; it was something that needed to be discussed in detail. He Miaoyi and Dou Zhen were in high spirits, so she also put aside her thoughts and strolled with them through the bustling shops.
"Madam, are you alright?"
Zhu Ling whispered in her ear.
Lin Xu pursed her lips. "It's nothing. I just didn't think much about it at the time and rushed forward without thinking it through."
The young woman, relieved to see the child was unharmed, muttered under her breath and quickly left with the child, without even a word of thanks. Zhu Ling was furious, but with the imperial family so close, she dared not utter a sound. Only now did she dare to quietly comfort her.
The group strolled around for a while longer, and several hours had passed. While Dou Zhen was selecting rouge, He Miaoyi had already tried and bought one of each of the following: candied chestnuts, glutinous rice balls, and sesame cakes. She bought so much that she couldn't eat it all, so she shared it with Pan'er and Zhuling.
Lin Xu smiled as she watched the group enjoying their meal outside Baozhen Pavilion, while Dou Zhen was carefully selecting items inside and wouldn't be coming out anytime soon. She casually sat down, and soon after, she heard very light footsteps behind her.
"Madam Dou, my master sees that it is getting late and would like to invite you for a cup of hot tea. Please come with me."
Looking back, she saw a man dressed in a gray-blue short robe, who looked like a servant, speaking to her.
Although he appeared respectful, it was clear that she had no choice but to comply.
Just as Lin Xu was about to turn around and look at Dou Zhen, the servant said again, "The master specifically instructed that you should come alone."
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