Chapter 27, Section 27: A Secret Meeting
Her hands, clenched tightly, were so rough, the thick calluses making her palms itch, and her heart trembled wildly, yet she couldn't pull her hands away no matter what.
The two exchanged letters, inevitably making vows and promises of lifelong companionship. At that time, it was simply a matter of affection, and no one would have thought that the upright and proper Young Master Liang would take her hand as soon as they met.
Yuezhi blushed and snapped at him, "Your Highness, step back!"
The young man remained motionless. Yuezhi could only see a tall figure in the dim light, blocking her from the candlelight. The shadow that fell was like a fallen mountain, burying her.
His rough, large hands kneaded her palms, making Yuezhi feel both ticklish and shy. She took two steps back and leaned against the window, only to hear the open window being shut shut, shutting out the lively, noisy sounds around her. The breathing sounds approaching her became clearer and clearer.
Having been waited on hand and foot in the princess's residence for so long, with Huachun and Su Jingyun taking care of her, she had completely forgotten how dangerous it was that she couldn't see.
Not knowing what the young man was going to do next, she turned her face away helplessly and said in a panic, "Young Master Liang, it is really improper for us to be so close on our first meeting. Please let go."
Pei Heng was aroused by her fragrant breath, but the sound of her addressing him as "Second Young Master Liang" cooled his blood.
He slowly released her hand, and seeing her blushing and nervous like a little rabbit whose neck had been bitten, he felt a surge of joy and couldn't stay angry at all.
"Your humble servant greets the princess. May the princess live a thousand years."
The young man stepped back and knelt to pay his respects. Yuezhi got a chance to catch her breath and tidied her wind-blown hair. "Young master, you may rise."
Pei Heng knelt on the ground to look at her. In the ten years they had been together, he had never seen her so shy and flustered. A strange joy welled up in his heart.
He slowly rose to his feet: "Has the princess been waiting long?"
Yuezhi leaned against the wall, listening to the young man's deep voice. She felt that it sounded familiar, and then she thought that there seemed to be many young men around twenty years old with this kind of voice. When she opened the window to listen outside earlier, she also heard several similar voices.
This man is her future husband, the one with whom she will share a bed and whisper sweet nothings in the night...
Yuezhi felt her head was hot. It was a cool autumn day, yet even her breathing felt hot, making it impossible for her to think.
She silently clenched the jade hairpin hidden in her sleeve. "No, I've never been here before, so I arrived a little early. The music from the riverbank outside is quite interesting."
“Princess enjoys music, so why don’t I… select a few musicians for you and send them to your residence? You can have them play music for you whenever you wish.”
"No need. If you want to hear it, you can come out again. Why keep so many people in the manor just for this momentary interest?"
Pei Heng frowned slightly.
"His Majesty cherishes the princess, granting her the highest possible salary and showering her with rewards. Are you worried about not being able to support so many people?"
"Whether we have money or not is one thing, where we spend it is another." Yuezhi glanced at him reproachfully, "Young master, you haven't even entered the manor yet, and you're already worrying about my household expenses?"
The way she looked at him, her eyes sparkling and her eyebrows reddening, made Pei Heng not realize that she was scolding him at all. Instead, he found her charming, lively, and incredibly cute.
It was a strange feeling, being treated by her as a man, a man she could confide in, rather than a child who needed to be taken care of.
He seems to be a little addicted.
Pei Heng secretly exhaled a breath of hot air, slowly approached, took her arm, invited her to sit down, and personally poured her tea.
"Princess, please don't be offended. I only wish for your health and happiness and don't want you to suffer any grievances."
"I haven't suffered any injustice," Yuezhi muttered, then suddenly felt a pang of panic and looked at him. "Did your sister-in-law say something to you?"
In the capital, noble families valued social standing and family background. After the new emperor's marriage, many people came to the princess's residence to visit and give gifts. She accepted the gifts but declined to meet them because she was not in good health. She explained that she had not learned the proper etiquette of a refined young lady and was afraid of appearing timid at the table.
Having worked as a kitchen maid, servant, and embroiderer was not something shameful, but she was Pei Heng's elder sister, and she couldn't let him down.
The fewer people who know these old stories, the better.
Pei Heng looked down at her slightly flustered expression and gently comforted her: "Sister-in-law didn't say that, but I have eyes. I can tell from the princess's slender figure that you are not a person who indulges in pleasure."
Yue Zhi felt relieved, but couldn't help being touched by his words, "But I have no eyes, I can't see you, and I can't guess what kind of person you are."
In the dim light of the night, she was the only bright moon.
Pei Heng longed to pull her into his arms and soothe her fear and unease little by little.
"I am the person the princess can entrust the rest of her life to." His fingertips landed on the back of her hand, gently stroking it, his voice relaxed and natural without him even realizing it.
Yuezhi didn't know whether his caress was intentional or unintentional; she only felt an itch on the back of her hand, her face turned as red as if it were about to bleed, and she wished she could disappear into the ground.
She was so embarrassed that she quickly avoided his touch.
"How could you be so rude again? It's already very impolite to meet in private today, and you're still pulling and tugging at me like this. If anyone sees us, we'll be so ashamed."
Pei Heng chuckled softly, looking at her blushing face again and again, "So the princess is just shy, not that she doesn't like me holding your hand."
Her heart pounded, and her chest trembled like a drum. Yuezhi had never been so teased in her life. She wondered if she had met the wrong person, but the affection and concern in his words did not seem fake.
I thought the talented and noble people in the capital only expressed their feelings through poetry, but it turns out they are also so passionate and fiery in private, it's hard to resist.
She bit her lip repeatedly before finally letting out a sharp, almost painful, retort: "Please, Second Young Master, watch your words."
After entering the room, Pei Heng's smile never disappeared.
How could he be so happy?
Pretending to be someone else, he spoke to his beloved elder sister with words that only lovers would say. It wasn't to deliberately coax her, but just because he saw her delicate and soft appearance, and saw a side of her that she had never shown in front of "Pei Heng". His mood changed, and his words flowed out uncontrollably, like honey overflowing from his heart.
Since she's already misunderstood, it's better to let her have a good talk with the "Prince Consort" rather than let her know the truth and be terrified. That way, she can have a happy conversation.
He simply wanted her to be happy, nothing more.
Unable to hold her hand, he gently stroked her hair, leaving a strand twirling on his fingertip. "The princess just called me the prince consort, but now she calls me the second young master. Isn't that making us feel distant?"
His tone was so ordinary, clearly not a joke, yet Yuezhi felt incredibly embarrassed.
This is completely different from writing letters and exchanging poems across distances. The person is right in front of you, you can hear their breathing, smell the faint scent of pine and ink on them, and it's as if the air itself has become sweeter.
She lowered her head further, feigning anger and lacking confidence, "If the Second Young Master continues to tease me, I will return to the manor."
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more." Pei Heng coaxed her gently, loosening the strands of hair between his fingers, placing his hands on the side of the chair, and squatting down in front of her. "But I have one more question: Princess, did you like me when you saw me today?"
Yuezhi was hoarse and unable to speak.
"If the princess doesn't answer, it means she dislikes me."
The voice was so close, as if it were caressing her face through the air, making her heart tremble again and again. She sat down in the chair, so weak that she couldn't straighten up.
"No, I don't hate you." Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat. She was tormented and excited at the same time. She wanted to talk to him a little longer, but she was also afraid that he would say something embarrassing.
After catching her breath, she said, "This is the first time I've spoken to a man alone in a room. I hope you'll forgive me."
Pei Heng raised an eyebrow. "Why is this the first time? Has the princess and the emperor never spoken to each other in private?"
They've been together for ten years, not just alone, but even chatting late into the night. They can't just forget about the past because of a prince consort.
“How can they be the same? I consider the Emperor my own brother, while you are… my future husband… The two are different, so naturally they are not the same.”
Yuezhi lowered her eyelashes, not daring to let him see her blushing face, unaware of how adorable her cautious and evasive manner appeared in the young man's eyes.
Pei Heng even forgot to breathe, whether because of the beauty he saw in her eyes or because of the words "You are my husband".
His heart was pounding, and a faint blush rose on his fair cheeks.
It's definitely different now; he's no longer her younger brother, but her "prince consort."
Pei Heng took a deep breath, calming the burning sensation in his body, and asked her in a hoarse voice, "Did the princess bring that hairpin?"
"Mmm." Yuezhi nodded shyly, took out the jade hairpin from her sleeve, and handed it to him.
Would you like me to put it on you?
Yuezhi pursed her lips, and the two of them breathed in unison, like the zither music playing outside the window. "It was a gift from you, so wear it if you want."
She lowered her head slightly, letting the young man put the jade hairpin on her head, as if planting a little secret that only the two of them knew.
But she couldn't see the young man's slightly intense and passionate gaze as he straightened up, his eyes sweeping over her small earlobes and rounded earlobes, his thin lips lightly kissing her hair.
The young man's burning passion was transformed into a suppressed breath behind her ear.
"So beautiful," he exclaimed sincerely.
That one sound melted her heart.
After putting on the jade hairpin, he finally sat down opposite her, pouring her tea and offering her a snack. He pushed open the closed window, and the lingering sounds of music outside filled the air. The night breeze dispersed the stuffy air in the room, gradually calming the boiling emotions in her heart.
Liang Zhang treated her warmly yet respectfully, spoke wittily and affectionately without being overly frivolous, had a gentle voice, and behaved with propriety. The pine and ink fragrance emanating from him was also very pleasant.
Although I don't know what he looks like, just from the short time we spent together today, I feel that he is an excellent man.
On the waterside stage, the song came to an end.
Night had deepened, and Yuezhi, still savoring the moment, carefully took out the return gift she had prepared beforehand from her bosom. "Second Young Master, my eyesight is poor, so I couldn't choose a return gift for you myself. I made a knotted cord myself. If you don't mind..."
After saying that, she presented the cup with both hands. The person opposite her did not take it immediately, but instead held the back of her hand, the rough calluses on his palm tickling her.
Pei Heng calmly picked up the tassel and replied with a smile, "Any gift from the princess will be treasured by me."
Upon hearing his response, Yuezhi hurriedly withdrew her hand, but the lingering warmth on the back of her hand was difficult to dissipate.
When it was time for her to rest at night, Yuezhi was still reluctant to leave, but the young man persuaded her, "Princess, you should take good care of your health. Please go back to your residence and rest early."
So considerate, so different from the reckless way he held her hand and wouldn't let go earlier—he can't help himself, and he knows to take care of her health first. What a good husband.
Yuezhi bid him farewell and, supported by Huachun, walked down from the teahouse. It wasn't until they reached the other side of the river and got into the carriage that Huachun spoke.
"The prince consort has also come out."
"Mmm." Yuezhi responded softly, the sweet flutter in her chest still lingering. She remembered and reminded Huachun, "We're not married yet, so we shouldn't call the Second Young Master the Imperial Son-in-Law. Just call him Young Master Liang, or simply the Second Young Master."
"Yes, this servant remembers." Hua Chun's expression was calm, revealing no sign of anything amiss.
As the carriage departed, Pei Heng stood on the opposite bank of the river, gazing in the direction she had gone, unable to move for a long time.
Cheng Yuan reminded him from behind, "Master, the princess has already gone far away, we should go back too."
The painted boats on the river gradually dispersed, and after the music faded, the banks of the Xiang River returned to tranquility. However, Pei Heng's heart could not find peace; he was still savoring the delicate and lingering sweetness between the two of them.
"I...I am worried about my elder sister's health. How about we visit her at the princess's residence tonight and stay overnight?"
“Please reconsider, Your Majesty.” Cheng Yuan calmly interrupted him, his lowered gaze falling on the red tassel that had appeared on the young man’s waist. “Although I do not know what Your Majesty and the princess discussed, the princess seemed very happy and did not appear to be unwell. It would be best to tell her to go to bed early.”
Pei Heng turned his head and glared at him.
Cheng Yuan lowered his head even further. "Your Majesty has chosen a good husband for the princess. I think the princess must be thinking about him right now. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
His words were ambiguous. He had just played the role of the prince consort for a while, and Pei Heng naturally wanted her to think more about the "prince consort." But he was not a real prince consort after all; he was just taking the opportunity to satisfy his own selfish desires.
Such reckless gaming must not happen again.
Pei Heng did not insist any further and led his men back to the palace.
*
Early in the morning, He Zhiyan found an opportunity to ask Liang Zhang, trying to get some information out of him, about how his meeting with Yuezhi went, but Liang Zhang stammered and couldn't give a clear answer.
He had hoped that the two of them would get married, so that he could become Yuezhi's sister-in-law and visit the princess's residence often to talk to her.
It was impossible to tell whether Liang Zhang's attitude was good or bad about what happened last night. He Zhiyan thought that he was probably mindful of the difference between uncle and sister-in-law and was not willing to speak his mind, so she sent someone to deliver a visiting card to the princess's residence, intending to ask Yuezhi herself.
When Yuezhi received the invitation, she had just woken up, and the handsome and tall figure from her dream still lingered in her mind.
She unconsciously touched her own hand, thinking to herself how Liang Er Gongzi's hands were so big and rough, and how he gripped her hand so tightly that she didn't know what to do.
Upon hearing from the maid that the Liang family had sent a visiting card, Yuezhi couldn't wait to have it read to her. Sure enough, it was from He Zhiyan.
"Huachun, please reply to this message and ask Madam Liang to come to my residence for lunch at noon."
"Yes," Huachun instructed the steward to do so.
Yuezhi got up to do her hair and asked a maid to put the jade hairpin on her head. Even though she couldn't see it, the delicate carvings on the end of the hairpin, which she touched with her fingertips, felt as if she were caressing the Second Young Master's fingers.
Before long, a maid from the outer courtyard handed over a piece of red paper, but Huachun intercepted it before it reached Yuezhi.
She opened it and saw that the handwriting on the paper was completely different from the handwriting on the red note that the Liang family had handed over a few days ago. She carefully observed Yuezhi, who was dressing up in the inner room, and quietly led her maid to the outside.
Who handed this note in?
“This servant does not recognize him. I only know that the person is holding the token of the Imperial Guard, so he must be someone from the Imperial Guard in the palace.”
Hua Chun frowned, recalling the events of last night, and thoughtfully instructed her maid: "Keep your mouth shut. If even a little bit of this gets out, we'll all be dead."
"Yes," the maidservant replied obediently.
Hua Chun waved her away, already guessing who wrote the love poem on the paper.
She was originally a slave of a disgraced official, but was pardoned by the new emperor upon his ascension to the throne and was assigned to work in the princess's residence. The new emperor respected the princess and asked them to take good care of her. The princess was also kind-hearted and never made things difficult for the servants. She gave them a full monthly allowance and often gave them rewards.
Hua Chun pondered for a moment, raised a peaceful smile, folded the red letter back as usual, and went into the inner room to tell Yue Zhi.
"Princess, the Second Young Master has sent you another poem."
Upon hearing this, Yuezhi's eyes lit up. She turned around and looked at him, her face blushing. "We just met yesterday and talked for a long time. Why is he writing poetry again today? How much does he have to say to me?"
Hua Chun teased her, "If the princess doesn't want to hear it, then this servant won't read it to the princess, so that the princess won't hear too much and complain that the second young master talks too much."
"Who dislikes him?" Yuezhi quickly stopped her. "Stop arguing with me. Come here and I want to hear what he wrote this time."
Hua Chun walked over with a smile, and the maids serving her stepped back to make room for the two of them.
She opened the red paper and read it word by word: "I still remember the softness of your fingers, like hairpins in the clouds; the cool breeze is still warm in my palm, like autumn in the night."
Every word is a scene from last night.
Hearing this, Yuezhi felt a surge of sweetness and chuckled, "In the past, he always wrote about images like rocks and reeds, or gossamer and bamboo. But today's poem is much more tender and delicate, so much so that it doesn't seem like his handwriting at all."
Hua Chun smiled and said, "The Second Young Master had never seen the Princess before and could only imagine her in his imagination, expressing his feelings through poetry. But after seeing the Princess's true face last night, his writing is no longer just a figment of his imagination, and his words have become more vivid."
Yuezhi thought what she said made a lot of sense, and silently prepared herself to write a poem in response.
"The night sends the smoke and dust away, the bright Xiang River carries the music, I lean alone against the window, the cold sunlight slanting across the water, my jade-like hair turns white with autumn, my slender fingers are like a pair of fingers."
A red letter served as a message, Pei Heng murmured to himself as he finished his jasmine tea, as if the tenderness of last night still lingered on his fingertips.
A rare smile appeared on the emperor's face.
The personal eunuchs dared not peek, and the guards delivering messages and poems stood outside the Hall of Diligent Governance. Everything seemed normal, yet a strange seed had been planted in each of their hearts—
Is the Emperor being too intimate with the princess?
Pei Heng didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He carefully put away the red paper, picked up his pen to write a poem in response, but then felt that he had too much to say and that writing a poem across the distance was not enough to satisfy him, so he called Cheng Yuan in.
"The mountain scenery is beautiful in late autumn. I wish to visit Heshan with the princess in three days. Go to the princess's residence to deliver the message."
Cheng Yuan knelt down, slightly hesitant, "May I ask Your Majesty, is it you traveling with the princess, or... the young master of the Liang family?"
A single sentence revealed Pei Heng's thoughts, surprising even Pei Heng himself.
Upon reflection, he realized that he had subconsciously wanted to continue pretending to be the "prince consort" and go on outings with her, wanting to see her laughing and shy, completely forgetting that the real prince consort was someone else.
Pei Heng coughed awkwardly twice to cover up his earlier thoughts, "It's me, not Liang Zhang."
"Your Majesty, I will go immediately."
Meanwhile, Yuezhi had finished her lunch, dismissed the servants, and was having a private conversation with He Zhiyan in the side hall. She was in high spirits and her face was flushed with laughter.
“This morning I went to ask Erlang how his conversation with you went, but he hesitated and wouldn’t explain clearly. I thought he was just being reserved, but it turns out he was so proactive in private. I felt embarrassed after hearing just a few words.”
Rarely able to chat with someone about her girlish thoughts, Yuezhi briefly told her what had happened last night.
"At first I thought he was reckless, but after spending time with him I found him to be really considerate. He would pour me warm tea, and if I had any crumbs on my lips from eating snacks, he would wipe them off for me. After he finished, he would just sit with me and listen to music as if nothing had happened. He never asked for credit or reward. He is a very down-to-earth person."
He Zhiyan smiled and asked, "You've fallen for him?"
Yuezhi couldn't utter a word of dissent. She twirled the handkerchief around in her fingers and murmured, "We've only met once. You and your husband didn't commit to each other after just one meeting, did you?"
When it came to herself, He Zhiyan became shy and whispered, "You know, my cousin lived in my house for almost a year when he was young, and he treated me well back then."
"Now, am I treating you even better?"
Yuezhi asked curiously, but He Zhiyan stopped talking, her face flushed red as she wiped her face with a handkerchief.
Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of coquettishness, "My dear princess, you're not even married yet, why are you asking me, a woman, about these things? Aren't you ashamed?"
Yuezhi looked innocent: What did she ask about?
He Zhiyan only remembered that Yuezhi was two years older than her. Seeing Yuezhi's bewildered look, she realized that Yuezhi didn't understand anything about matters between men and women and probably had never even heard of them.
Lowering her voice, she spoke with the air of someone who had been through it all: "It's a good thing that Erlang wants to hold your hand. It means he's not a monk who's devoid of desires. Actually, being a husband and wife isn't just about eating, dressing, and living together. It's also about... sleeping together and having babies. As long as he's moved by you, he'll definitely treat you well."
Yuezhi only vaguely understood this and didn't quite grasp it, but her face involuntarily turned red.
He Zhiyan laughed at her, "When you get married, there should be a matron in the palace to teach you, or you'll understand after the wedding night."
Yuezhi nodded blankly, her heart filled with anticipation.
She has no family of her own, and all the relatives who were once by her side have left one by one.
Once she marries the prince consort, she will have her own home, family members who will never leave her, and perhaps several children. Just thinking about it makes her feel happy.
As they were having a private conversation, a maid knocked on the door.
Huachun entered the room and whispered in Yuezhi's ear, "The Emperor sent someone to say that he wants to travel to Heshan with you in three days."
"Is it the Emperor?" Not the Prince Consort?
"It is the Emperor."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Yuezhi was somewhat disappointed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
