After returning to the bedroom, Shi Mingyue was gone. Fu Yueli asked the servants and learned that she had gone to the garden to plant kumquats. The sun was blazing, and he was worried about her, so he went to the garden.
Turning the wall, they could see Shi Mingyue and several gardeners carrying hoes and loosening the soil in the distance. She had changed into a short dress and a large straw hat, and she looked quite capable at her work. Several maids, in the shade of the corridor, watched helplessly as the princess toiled in the fields.
"Why are you here?" Fu Yueli asked curiously, waving his hand for a servant to come over with the teapot.
Shi Mingyue raised her head slightly. Her face was sweating from the heat under her straw hat. She smiled brightly, "The kumquats that I grow myself are the most delicious. Besides, I don't have anything else to do."
"Are you tired?" Fu Yueli asked helplessly. He asked the servant to pour a glass of water and brought it to Shi Mingyue's mouth. "It's hot now. You should drink more water."
Shi Mingyue drank a glass of water from his hand in big gulps. "It's okay, not too tired. If I get tired, I will rest on my own."
Fu Yueli took a step back and looked her up and down. Her shoes were caked with dirt, her clothes and pants were filthy, and a few strands of hair, soaked with sweat, stuck tightly to the side of her face. He thought, "She's such a delicate young lady, how could she possibly farm? That must be something she learned in her previous life. What kind of hard life had she led to end up working in the fields?"
In fact, he guessed wrong about this. Shi Mingyue did not learn to farm because of the hard life, but because she was idle all day at home in Xinzhou, so she started to tinker in her own garden, growing vegetables, fruits and so on.
After finishing her water, Shi Mingyue continued to work in the fields. Once the soil was loosened and the plot was settled, she and the gardeners began to plant the kumquat seedlings. Fu Yueli, busy with other matters, told her to do what she could and then left the palace.
He had almost finished studying with Taifu Huo. He had already memorized classics such as the Four Books and the Five Classics. He could answer any question Taifu asked him. This day was his last day of studying with Taifu.
The bamboo forest was tranquil, and the Imperial Tutor's study was located there. Longjing tea was boiling in the pot, and the fragrance of tea filled the air. Imperial Tutor Huo stroked his beard as he leisurely read Fu Yueli's essay, saying with satisfaction, "Your Highness's writing is brilliant and well-organized. If this essay had been submitted to the palace examination two years ago, it would have easily placed in the top three."
The last assignment Taifu Huo had given him was from the palace examination the year before, titled "Governing by Doing Nothing." This broad topic, while derived from the Tao Te Ching, was clearly intended to test students' understanding of Confucius's statement in the Analects: "Who governs by doing nothing? Is it Shun? What is there to do? To be respectful and stand facing south." The candidates in the palace examination hall approached the question from the perspective of a minister, but Fu Yueli approached it from the perspective of a monarch, so Taifu Huo couldn't offer any further comment.
Then the two of them drank tea and chatted. Fu Yueli thanked Master Huo for his careful guidance over the past few months and said goodbye.
Regarding the matter of Yicui Tower, he went back again, but this time he didn't go through the main entrance, but climbed onto the roof under cover of darkness. The tiles above Zanxing's room showed signs of being tampered with. Apparently, the man had been watching the two people's every move from the roof. When he saw Zanxing trying to undress Master Mingji, he became jealous and hit Zanxing's acupuncture points with a stone, knocking him unconscious. He then jumped in through the window, as there were footprints on the eaves above the window.
As for the rest, he really had no clue. Shi Mingji couldn't name the suspicious person, and with so many people around, how could he find that person? Fu Yueli figured he could only set up a trap to lure the person out again, so he would go to the master's house tomorrow to discuss it with Shi Mingji.
When he returned home that night, Shi Mingyue had already fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted from a long day's work. After washing up, he carefully climbed into bed, leaned in close, and kissed her forehead. Close enough to inhale her delicate fragrance, he slept with his head against hers. Her hair was incredibly smooth, like satin, and he always loved to touch it. He felt safe sleeping with his face against hers.
The next day, before Fu Yueli set off, someone came to the master's residence and asked him and Shi Mingyue to come over, telling them that something big had happened.
Shi Mingji wants to cancel the engagement.
Shi Yuanshan and his wife naturally disagreed. When asked why, he couldn't explain it clearly, only saying that he didn't like her anymore. The two elders couldn't let him do whatever he wanted, so they tried to persuade him earnestly, but Shi Mingji insisted on canceling the engagement, which made the two elders very angry.
After Fu Yueli and Shi Mingyue arrived in a hurry, the former went to Shi Mingji's room, and the latter went to his parents to find out what happened.
"Breaking off the engagement is your own business. Think it over carefully." Fu Yueli said the first sentence after seeing Shi Mingji, and then went straight to the point: "As for that person, his identity cannot be found for the time being, but now there is a way to lure him out."
"What method?" Shi Mingji asked anxiously.
Fu Yueli's simple explanation forced Shi Mingji to agree, though he was reluctant. The engagement was finally called off, and the Shi family personally went to the Jin family to apologize. The Jin family had already intended to do so because their daughter was ill, so the two families ended the engagement.
A few days later, Shi Mingji arrived at Nanfeng Pavilion in Shangjing. He walked through the gates with a certain awkwardness. Inside, he was surrounded by men in painted makeup. He spoke to them with a nauseous expression, his hatred for the man growing even stronger. He asked to see Jiayu, as Fu Yueli had instructed him. He obeyed and was led to Jiayu's room.
In the room, Jiayu was also a man who was covered in makeup and wearing revealing clothes. He looked at him with a sweet smile: "Sir, please sit down."
Shi Mingji suppressed his inner impatience, forced a smile, and sat down.
"Sir, would you like some tea?" Jiayu entertained him attentively.
Shi Mingji didn't want to look at him or say a word to him, but he still had to do what Fu Yueli said. In order to catch that man, he could endure it.
"drink."
Jiayu poured him some tea with a smile and held it to his mouth: "Sir, please drink."
"Thank you." Shi Mingji said politely, took the teacup and took a sip.
The atmosphere was awkward, and Jiayu smiled again, "Is this your first time here, sir?"
"Yes." Shi Mingji had nothing to say to him. He hardened his heart and said, "Let's take a break."
Jiayu understood what he meant, stood up, and untied her belt. Shi Mingji also gritted his teeth and stiffly tried to hug Jiayu.
Unexpectedly, at this moment a stone came through the air, brushed against the side of Shi Mingji's face, and hit the acupoint on Jiayu's shoulder with a whoosh. Jiayu immediately fell to the ground. Shi Mingji hurriedly grabbed him, but the force of his fall caused his center of gravity to be unstable, and he fell to the ground immediately.
He got up in a panic when he heard the window being smashed open. He turned around and was horrified to see a man in black wearing a devil mask jumping in through the window, his eyes glowing like a devil.
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