Chapter 16 Apology.
The Empress Dowager planned to spend half a month worshipping Buddha at Longhua Temple. Now that five days have passed, Daiyu has also figured out some of Prince Duan's temperament. As long as certain things are not touched, he will not have a big reaction.
Therefore, the next day Daiyu chose a mountain stream as the venue for their afternoon performance.
Having spent these past few days at the pavilion in the woods, I've had my fill of the scenery there.
Chu Heng had no objections as expected. Daiyu had mentioned it in the morning, and when they arrived in the afternoon, Zhao Qing had already prepared a place for them to stay.
A mattress was laid out on the wooden chair, and a tea set was placed on the wooden table. Daiyu glanced at it casually, not paying any attention to it, until a glass of water was handed to her.
According to Prince Duan, Zhao Qing prepared the tea that Daiyu drank every day. Could he have forgotten today?
Just then, Zhao Qing said with a smile, "Miss Lin, yesterday the Prince said that you have been taking medicine all these years, so you probably can't drink tea often. Therefore, I didn't make tea today. If you would like some, I brought some tea leaves over for you to choose from."
Daiyu was taken aback. During their casual conversation yesterday, Prince Duan had asked her about her health, and she had answered truthfully. She never expected there would be a follow-up today.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Daiyu looked at Chu Heng. "The doctor did say to drink less tea, but I... just had a craving."
Such was the rule in the Jia family: everyone drank tea after meals. As a junior member of the family living there, Daiyu couldn't possibly establish another rule.
Chu Heng was picking through the sugar in the dish when he heard this and smiled: "Tea counteracts the effects of medicine, that's what the imperial physicians say. Once you stop taking medicine, Miss Lin can drink tea whenever she wants."
Daiyu smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness."
“That day will come.” Chu Heng looked up at her. “Perhaps… Miss Lin has encountered some kind of destiny, who knows?”
Daiyu smiled as she looked at the distant, faintly visible pagoda and said, "The Buddha is merciful, perhaps... he will also bless me."
Chu Heng picked out a piece of candy, put it in the cup, and then asked Daiyu, "Would you like a piece of candy?"
Upon seeing this, Daiyu frowned and said, "It's too sweet."
“There are some that aren’t too sweet…” Chu Heng waved to Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing hurriedly said, "Miss Lin, the honey isn't very sweet. We also have syrups made from various flower petals, and flower dew. Which one would you like?"
Upon hearing this, a dozen palace maids and eunuchs stood by, holding small bottles made of porcelain and glass, allowing Daiyu to choose.
Daiyu only picked a bottle of floral dew, mixed it with water, drank half a cup, and found her mouth to be sweet.
Just as Daiyu was about to get up and go to the river, she saw that Prince Duan was still waiting for his sugar to melt. Without thinking, she said, "Your Highness, shall we get up and go for a walk?"
"Hmm?" Chu Heng looked up at her, puzzled. "Where are we going?"
Daiyu acted impulsively, but once the words were out, she couldn't take them back. She could only continue, "Sitting idly is boring, why don't we take a walk? Your Highness, look, there are fish in the river!"
Chu Heng stared blankly at Daiyu, as if something he couldn't understand had happened: "Let's go... um, let's go."
Chu Heng slowly stood up, stiffly turned his neck, and looked at the quietly flowing river.
After waiting for a while, Daiyu saw him slowly move his feet, so she also started walking. Chu Heng walked very slowly, and Daiyu overtook him in a few steps. She walked hand in hand with Zijuan and Xueyan, the three of them, along the riverbank, while watching the fish swimming by in the water from time to time.
“Girl, look over there, that fish is black…” Zijuan pointed it out to Daiyu with a smile.
Daiyu followed her hand and looked over, her eyes crinkling with curiosity: "Where? Where is it? What kind of fish is that?"
"It swam so fast, we can't see it anymore." Xueyan laughed. "Sister Zijuan, it's a fish, you're mistaken."
Listening to the cheerful voices of the mistress and servants, Chu Heng also went to look at the black fish. The fish raised in the palace and the royal residence were carefully selected, so he naturally wouldn't recognize the fish from the wild.
But... it is somewhat interesting.
Chu Heng's gaze involuntarily shifted from the river to Daiyu. This was the first time she had shown such a lively side, completely different from the elegant way she composed poetry yesterday.
Chu Heng learned more about her, yet he also understood her even less.
Compared to the boring Chu Heng, Miss Lin is a very interesting person.
Chu Heng wanted to get closer to her.
After watching for a while, Daiyu couldn't help but sigh, "Although there are fish in Qinfang Creek, it's still not as interesting as the mountains."
Chu Heng slowly walked to her side and asked, "What is Qin Fangxi?"
"When the Empress's villa for visiting her family, the Grand View Garden, was built, a stream of water was introduced, which is the Qin Fang Stream." Daiyu turned her gaze to him.
Chu Heng nodded. This was the second time she had mentioned the Grand View Garden; the poetry club was also founded there.
"If you like this fish and find it interesting, have someone catch it and take it home to raise," Chu Heng added.
"Ah?" Daiyu was surprised for a moment, then shook her head and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I have nowhere to raise you."
Chu Heng smiled and said, "It's alright if you don't have anywhere to keep it. You can keep it in the Prince's Mansion for now."
For now, they will be kept in the Prince's mansion. After the grand wedding, when Daiyu becomes the mistress of the mansion, these fish will naturally be hers.
Daiyu was taken aback. Her face flushed red at the implication of his words, but her feelings became complicated. She was constantly troubled by this marriage that she had no choice in.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Daiyu said with a smile, but compared to her previous bright smile, this time it had a forced tone.
Chu Heng looked at her hesitantly, not understanding how she had changed so much in just a few words.
Daiyu lowered her eyes, pretending to be nonchalant, and turned around, taking Zijuan's hand, and slowly walked along the riverbank again.
Bringing up the engagement in a businesslike manner is one thing, and Daiyu was naturally able to face it calmly.
But their almost intimate attitude in bringing up the engagement made it seem as if they were truly a loving and devoted couple.
Daiyu knew that it wasn't like that at all; they were simply forced together and destined to play the role of mutual respect for each other for a lifetime.
Such intimate words are going too far.
Until they left the riverbank, Chu Heng never mentioned catching fish again, and Daiyu returned to her usual attitude.
It's as if nothing happened.
The next day, they returned to the same riverbank.
Daiyu put down the book in her hand, remained silent for a moment, and looked up as if to speak, but saw that Chu Heng had set up another table next to him, on which were a dozen or so long boxes.
Daiyu wondered, what was he doing? It seemed like there were scrolls of calligraphy and painting on display. Prince Duan usually only liked to daydream, so why did he bring calligraphy and painting to pass the time today?
"Miss Lin," Chu Heng smiled at her, "take a look at this."
Prince Duan had already opened a box, taken out a scroll from inside, and handed it to Daiyu.
Daiyu took it with a belly full of doubt, but after unfolding it only two inches, her eyes widened: "This is Wang... Wang Youjun's..."
"An authentic work," Chu Heng replied with a smile.
The Lin family had been hereditary marquises and possessed numerous rare ancient books and paintings by famous artists. Before his death, Lin Ruhai passed these possessions on to Daiyu, but among them were only two copies of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, none of which were original works.
Daiyu could hardly believe it: "But...didn't Wang Xizhi's original works already disappear long ago?"
Chu Heng explained, "This calligraphy has always been kept in the palace. Our ancestors found it in the private treasury of the deposed emperor of the previous dynasty. A few years ago, on his birthday, His Majesty bestowed it upon me."
Daiyu nodded absently: "It really is an authentic work..."
These were all ordered by Chu Heng to be brought from the Prince's mansion by fast horses. He had originally felt a little heartache, but now that he saw Daiyu like this, that heartache disappeared without a trace.
"Miss Lin, I'm giving you this calligraphy as an apology." Chu Heng said solemnly.
Daiyu was taken aback: "An apology? Why would the Prince apologize to me?"
Chu Heng said, "I offended Miss Lin yesterday, which is why you have been so unhappy. I should apologize to Miss Lin."
Yesterday...
Daiyu opened her mouth, not expecting him to care so much about that one moment, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
"But..." Chu Heng smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "I don't really know what I did wrong. I can only ask Miss Lin to choose another piece of calligraphy so that I can apologize to Miss Lin again."
"I only wish that Miss Lin's heart is at peace."
Chu Heng knew nothing about love and romance; he simply acted on his own instincts. He was not as perceptive as Daiyu, and they were not truly in sync, so he couldn't grasp what Daiyu cared about.
However, Chu Heng's heartfelt desire was to avoid making Daiyu unhappy.
Chu Heng wanted to see that same smile bloom on Daiyu's face again.
Daiyu was stunned for a moment. She saw sincerity in Prince Duan's eyes. He genuinely wanted to make Daiyu happy.
Their time together was short, and they were forced to stay together, but for Prince Duan, who rarely saw outsiders, Daiyu was probably already considered his friend.
To be fair, Daiyu and Prince Duan had always gotten along quite well. Intentionally or unintentionally, they had indeed learned a lot about each other and inevitably understood each other better.
Human hearts are not made of stone; when interacting with others, it's inevitable to develop some concerns.
If Daiyu had been completely indifferent to Duan Wang's every word and action, she wouldn't have been so easily moved by his casual remark.
The initial plan of him being his Prince Duan and me being my Princess Duan, with no interference between us, seems to be not going to work out.
Daiyu and Chuheng, in the end, may be like many couples in the world, neither good nor bad. Even without love, over time, some care will always grow. Such feelings are just common human emotions.
“I…” Daiyu’s voice was a little hoarse when she spoke. She cleared her throat and spoke again, “I am a little unhappy, and it has something to do with the Prince.”
Seeing that she was willing to speak, Chu Heng quickly said, "Please speak."
Daiyu smiled and said, "I was just thinking that if there are any important or trivial matters in the future, Your Highness could inform me before making a decision, whether it's raising a fish or... raising something else."
Chu Heng suddenly realized: "I see."
Yesterday, she only said she liked the fish, not that she wanted to possess it. Chu Heng was indeed rash in his words.
Chu Heng believed he had sorted out the logic.
A note from the author:
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