Chapter 63 Upon hearing this, Zijing went to the palace, and a feeling welled up in her heart...
Fearing being discovered, Yu Nie stood up and quickly looked at Huan Xun beside her, whispering, "I guess the shift changers have arrived. Zi Jing, you should go first."
Having asked all the necessary questions, Huan Xun glanced outside and saw a figure walk in.
He withdrew his gaze and returned it to her face, instructing her, "Tomorrow you have an appointment with Xiao Chengyan at Yongxing Temple, and I will go. We'll discuss the rest later."
She understood and nodded.
He deftly pushed open the vermilion double-pane window with four bowls of latticework at the back of the palace, and the refreshing night breeze ruffled her hair.
As he left, he glanced back at her once more, then turned and walked away.
Yu Nie stood beside the soft couch embroidered with birds and flowers, watching his figure leap out of the window and be swallowed up by the thick night.
To go all out in an act, as soon as Huan Xun left, she immediately lifted her blanket and lay down, her back to the door.
Cuiwei quickly drew the layers of curtains.
Just as the two finished everything, the person changing shifts quietly pushed the door open and came in.
Cuiwei glanced at the person on the couch, switched shifts with the palace maid who came, and left without delay.
Yu Nie, who was lying on the couch, heard the door close and then heard a few footsteps moving slightly in front of the couch, as if they were spying.
She pretended to be asleep, breathing heavily. After a moment, the palace maid behind her tucked the blanket around her and quietly left.
*
There were countless etiquette rules to learn. Yu Nie was woken up precisely at the beginning of the Mao hour (5-7 AM), and after an extremely complicated dressing process, she was not truly awake until she had finished breakfast.
Today brought good weather; the sun, which had been hanging in the sky for many days, finally disappeared, and the heat subsided, making it cool.
After practicing the walking posture she learned yesterday for half a day, she finally managed to do it quite well.
In terms of progress, she was clearly much slower than the others, but Song Ai was unusually generous in praising her, saying that she had extremely high comprehension and surpassed everyone she had taught before.
Yu Nie was secretly delighted to hear this.
The person who was with Song Ai quietly told her that Song Ai rarely said such things and was known for her strictness. The fact that she said this proved that she was very satisfied with her.
Yu Nie knew his own limitations perfectly well. When Song Ai said such things, there was absolutely no intention of flattery or bootlicking.
She said that simply because that's what she truly believed.
Such pure praise made her feel even more precious.
In the afternoon, Xiao Chengyan was going to pick her up at the academy. After lunch, Song Ai postponed the rest of her etiquette lessons and made sure she rested well, saying that she would be more energetic when she went to Yongxing Temple with Xiao Chengyan.
Yu Nie curled up on the soft cushion, the delicate fragrance of pear blossoms lingering around her nose, and she felt no sleepiness whatsoever.
She secretly wondered how Zijing would break this deadlock.
He was ultimately just a subject, not holding a high position. If it were his superior, Huan Xun, there might have been some hope, since that man dared to defy all ethical norms and held considerable military power.
In this dynasty where various forces were vying for power and the situation was tense, even the emperor had to rely on his ministers who held military power.
As her thoughts wandered, she looked at Cuiwei, who was peeling grapes beside her, and asked, "Just how high a position is this Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and Vice Minister of the Chancellery?"
Cuiwei had never received any discipline in the palace. As a child, to avoid being sold into marriage as a child bride, she traveled a long and arduous journey by boat to Shuoyang. She had a fellow villager in Shuoyang who was a minor official in the county government, so they were somewhat acquainted.
When she found that person, she took out all the money she had saved from picking forsythia and asked him to find her a job. At that time, she was only eight years old.
The acquaintance who received the money didn't get away with it for nothing. Coincidentally, the temple was selecting young maids, so they recommended her. Among a group of children, the young Zhao Huayan chose her, and Cuiwei was able to settle down in the temple, where she has stayed for many years.
Therefore, when it comes to the official ranks and titles of the court, Cuiwei was originally an outsider. She only told Yu Nie that anyone who could teach the Crown Prince must be a very high-ranking official, since he was teaching the future foundation of the country.
After pondering for a while, Yu Nie finally came to a conclusion in his heart: "Yes, he's definitely a very high-ranking official."
As for exactly how big it was, neither she nor Cuiwei could give a clear answer.
Cuiwei asked, "Why does the princess inquire about official positions?"
Yu Nie replied with a question of curiosity, and then said nothing more.
At this moment, what she was thinking about more was that this marriage alliance couldn't rely entirely on Zijing to fight it all alone. She had to figure out how she could help, even with her actions restricted in many ways.
Sitting idly by waiting for someone to rescue her has never been in her nature.
Just as the two of them were talking, Song Ai came in and reported, "Your Highness, Prince Xiao is waiting for you at the door."
Yu Nie sat up from the couch and said, "Understood, Song Juling. I'll go out now."
After saying that, Cuiwei helped her change into a light pink gauze dress. The fabric was thin and light, and she felt no burden when moving around. It was suitable for her to wear while traveling.
When they arrived outside the building, Xiao Chengyan, accompanied by his attendants and Zhao Yuntuan, was standing at the bottom of the steps.
Xiao Chengyan, who was often criticized by the Empress Dowager for "not sitting properly and not standing properly," was born with a tall and handsome frame. At this moment, he leaned casually against the stone lion at the door, one shoulder loosely resting on the lion's head, his fingers casually swinging the jade pendant at his waist. He was quite dashing and not at all vulgar.
Hearing the commotion, he turned around, a charming smile suddenly appearing between his brows. He leaped to her side in a few steps, like a spring breeze brushing past blooming flowers, carrying an indescribable air of freedom.
"Qiqi..." he called to her excitedly, "The weather is cool today, and I brought a sachet made of borneol."
Hearing him address him like that, Yu Nie was completely taken aback and froze for a few seconds.
Before he finished speaking, he magically presented her with a bright green sachet with tassels hanging from both sides: "The borneol inside is an essential oil distilled from the resin of the camphor tree in Xuzhou, which is better than that from other places. I originally thought that if Qiqi wore this, it would refresh her mind and dispel heat, killing two birds with one stone."
"Unexpectedly, the sun went on strike today, and what I have in my hands seems useless." He said with a disappointed tone, looking down at the sachet in his hand and sighing softly.
Yu Nie followed his gaze and it fell upon the small, delicate sachet. Knowing that it was a gift prepared with good intentions by the person in front of her, she didn't want to let this sentiment go to waste and hurt his feelings.
After thinking for a moment, she took the sachet from his hand, looked up at him, and said softly, "The sun is just taking a break today. It's not like it won't come out again in the days to come. How can you say that the things you prepared with such care were in vain?"
Seeing that she accepted his sachet, Xiao Chengyan's handsome face blossomed into a bright smile, his eyes crinkling with a hint of joy, and his tone was light and cheerful: "Qiqi is right. In the end, as long as this sachet can catch Qiqi's eye and please you, that's better than anything else."
However, this was only their second formal meeting. Yu Nie couldn't help but think to herself that this Prince Guangning was being far too enthusiastic. The things he said just now made it sound like he had fallen for her.
But then she thought, perhaps this is just how people treat their guests, and maybe she was just being too suspicious and narrow-minded.
Thinking this, a slight smile spread across her pretty face. Remembering that he had just called her by her childhood name, she couldn't help but feel a little curious. Looking at him, she asked, "Cousin, you just called me 'Qiqi'... How did you learn this name, cousin?"
Xiao Chengyan did not hide anything and told her in detail how he had "accidentally" seen her jade register at the Imperial Clan Court, which recorded her childhood name.
She recalled that when she returned to Jian'an a couple of days ago, the people from the Imperial Clan Court did come to her door that very day and inquired about these trivial matters in detail, saying that it was to complete the records about her in the Imperial Genealogy and make the archives more comprehensive.
She was so nervous at the time that she impulsively revealed her childhood nickname without any reservation.
Upon learning that he had learned her childhood name from the Imperial Clan Court, Yu Nie felt somewhat relieved. She was, after all, not a real princess, and even the slightest hint of trouble would make her tremble with fear.
After hearing his explanation, the tension in her heart eased, and the heavy weight on her chest lifted.
She glanced around subtly, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, but she couldn't spot Zijing.
Cuiwei, who was standing to the side, saw through her subtle actions and naturally understood who she was looking for. She then casually asked, "Are only His Highness Prince Guangning and the Tenth Prince here today? Speaking of which, Princess Linchuan, who came the day before yesterday, also specifically mentioned that she was going to Yongxing Temple to offer incense. I originally thought that all of you ladies would come together so that you would have company on the way, but I didn't expect... Princess Linchuan didn't come with us."
"Hua Ruo also wants to go to Yongxing Temple?" Xiao Chengyan asked, but before Yu Nie and the others could answer, he said to himself, "That girl has a lot of ideas. Maybe she just said it casually. If she wanted to go with us, she would probably be here before Yun Tuan and I."
Having grown up in the palace together, Xiao Chengyan was very familiar with Zhao Huaruo and others; they could be considered childhood sweethearts, and their ages were similar.
These were not things that Yu Nie cared about. Just as she was wondering why Huan Xun hadn't come, she heard the person in front of her continue, "Originally, Brother Huan was also going to come along, but when I went to his residence, the steward told me that he had been summoned to the palace by His Majesty, so only Yun Tuan and I were left."
Having said that, he glanced at the sky, then turned back to look at her, and said in a light tone:
"Judging from this, Qiqi should have made all the preparations. Let's set off then. Yongxing Temple covers a vast area, with its halls and pavilions scattered throughout. The temple also houses a stele inscribed with the Heart Sutra by the great calligrapher Lin Weizhi from the previous dynasty. In the backyard, there are several ancient cypress trees with lush foliage, among which stand several sutra pillars from the Spring and Autumn Period, with the Sanskrit inscriptions on the stones still faintly discernible. All of these are quite worth seeing. If we were to explore each place in detail, it would probably take more than half an hour."
Upon hearing that Zijing had gone to the palace, Yu Nie felt a slight, almost imperceptible emptiness in his heart.
She seemed unfazed by the situation and replied, "In that case, let's set off quickly."
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