The question had been asked for a while, yet there was still no reply from above.
But Yun Ran clearly saw the person in the pavilion turn their face, looking her way.
“Little miss, we should leave,” Autumn Lotus whispered. “It’s better to avoid trouble in the Palace.”
Yun Ran hesitated, but then remembered her Master’s teachings since childhood, remembered how just recently she’d recited the Taishang Jiuku Sutra.
Though she had returned to secular life, how could her Dao heart be swayed by worldly matters?
Perhaps the Ten Directions Supreme Savior was watching her from the heavens right now.
“It’s fine, I’ll ask again.”
Yun Ran cleared her throat and once more called toward that tall figure: “Brother, we mean you no harm. We were just drawn here by your mournful and sorrowful music— are you troubled by something?”
This time, the person in the pavilion finally responded and walked toward her.
Yun Ran felt both pleased and nervous for a moment. “Brother, did you hear me?”
The jagged rocks of the artificial hill loomed sharply. When the man reached the side, he stopped.
He stood with his back to the light, and from below, Yun Ran could only see his face shrouded in shadow. But he was tall, standing upright, as imposing as a mountain.
Just as Yun Ran wondered if he was shy, afraid, or perhaps mute since he still didn’t speak, a cold, clear voice finally sounded from atop the rocks: “Who are you?”
Yun Ran thought to herself, not only does he play the Qiang Flute well, his voice is also quite pleasant. He must truly be a musician from Jiaofangsi.
“I… We are Palace Maids serving at the banquet today, drawn here by your flute’s sound.”
Palace Maids?
Though the light beneath the rocks was dim, Yun Ran stood facing the light. Her features were indistinct, but her hair ornaments and attire were certainly not those of a Palace Maid.
Sima Jing narrowed his black eyes, gazing at the two figures beneath the Osmanthus Tree.
At that moment, the woman in the crimson dress spoke again: “A chance encounter is fate. If you are troubled, Brother, perhaps you could share it with me?”
As if hearing a joke, Sima Jing’s lips curled in a mocking arc.
Normally, he would have turned and left by now.
Perhaps he was too idle today. He lowered his gaze. “And what good would it do to tell you?”
“If I can help, I will do my best. If I can’t… If I can’t…”
The person below seemed at a loss for words, stammering for a while but unable to continue.
“I thought you were Guanyin reborn, but it turns out you’re just pretending to be a hero.” Sima Jing’s sneer deepened. “Since you don’t have the power to save others from suffering, you’d best mind your own business, lest you invite trouble for yourself.”
“Hey, why are you so rude?” Yun Ran hadn’t expected her well-intentioned inquiry to be met with such mockery and couldn’t help but get upset. “I may not be that capable, but I already said I’d help if I could. If I really can’t, at least I’ll recite some sutras for you and ask the Heavenly Lord of Salvation to spare a moment to help you.”
“But!”
She bit off the word, her upturned face brimming with anger. “If you’re going to be so ungrateful, then I won’t help you, nor will I pray for you. You can just stay here and play your flute alone!”
Without waiting for the man atop the rocks to speak, Yun Ran turned and grabbed Autumn Lotus’s sleeve. “Sister Autumn Lotus, let’s go.”
The two figures beneath the Osmanthus Tree hurried away, especially the petite one in the begonia-red dress leading the way.
Even in the dim light, her back radiated a fierce energy, clearly showing how angry she was.
“Your Highness, that little miss spoke to you so rudely. Shall I take her down?” Chang Chun appeared behind him like a shadow, eyes fixed on the direction the two girls had left.
“No need,” Sima Jing replied expressionlessly. “Just a little miss.”
Judging by her tone and manner, she was young. He wouldn’t stoop to argue with a little girl.
Chang Chun answered quietly, “Yes,” but couldn’t help muttering, “I wonder whose daughter she is, to be so bold.”
Running about the Palace alone was one thing, but to dare speak with an unknown man and offer help— such foolishness! With a mind like that, she’d be devoured alive in the Palace.
When Sima Jing heard the words “so bold,” a vivid image flashed in his mind.
It had been more than half a month, but thinking of that little miss from the West Market— her voice and figure… seemed somewhat similar to the girl in the crimson dress beneath the Osmanthus Tree just now.
“Your Highness? Your Highness?” Chang Chun whispered, “It’s late and the dew is heavy. Let’s return to the side hall. Just now, Aunt Gui Lan from the Empress Dowager’s side sent word that in about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the Empress Dowager and His Majesty will leave the banquet and join you for the festival celebration.”
Sima Jing glanced at the brilliantly lit Grand Hall, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
They’d gone to such lengths to summon him to the Palace and fuss over him, all just to put on a show of motherly kindness and filial piety, brotherly harmony… What a joke.
***
When Yun Ran returned to her seat, still simmering with frustration, the Grand Hall was as lively as ever, with music filling the air.
“What took you so long?” Zheng Shi looked at her daughter, noticing her cheeks puffed out like a little pufferfish, and couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “What’s wrong? Did you get lost? Or…”
She glanced at Autumn Lotus behind her. “Did someone upset you?”
“No,” Yun Ran quickly took Zheng Shi’s hand, afraid of a misunderstanding. “Sister Autumn Lotus took good care of me. I just ate too much and went for a walk outside, that’s why I came back late.”
Seeing that Yun Ran even knew the Palace Maid’s name after going out once, Zheng Shi believed her.
She nodded politely at Autumn Lotus, then turned back to ask, “If everything went smoothly, why do you look so aggrieved?”
Yun Ran was startled, touching her own face. “Is it that obvious?”
Zheng Shi: “Very obvious.”
Realizing she couldn’t hide it, Yun Ran pouted. “Honestly, it’s my own fault for being nosy…”
She had just started to explain when a eunuch’s sharp voice suddenly rang out from above: “Lady of the Marquis of Changxin and young miss, the Empress Dowager requests your presence.”
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but everyone in the hall heard it clearly.
In an instant, countless gazes turned their way.
Yun Ran, who had just leaned in to whisper to Zheng Shi: “…”
Zheng Shi: “…”
But Zheng Shi was experienced. She quickly composed herself, using her wide sleeves as cover as she helped her still-dazed daughter to her feet. “Yes, this servant comes at once.”
Under the gaze of the entire hall, Zheng Shi maintained a dignified and calm smile, and quietly reassured Yun Ran, “The Empress Dowager has always been kind and gentle. Perhaps your cousin mentioned you, and she just wants to see you.”
Though Yun Ran was nervous, as long as her mother held her hand, she wasn’t afraid.
When they reached the dais, Zheng Shi led her in a formal greeting: “This servant Zheng Shi and my daughter, Fifth Miss, pay respects to Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, and Empress.”
Yun Ran followed her sister-in-law’s instructions, kneeling and bowing properly.
It wasn’t comfortable, but soon a gentle voice sounded above her. “No need for such ceremony, rise.”
“Thank you, Empress Dowager.”
Zheng Shi rose, and Yun Ran, half a step behind her, straightened as well. “Thank you, Empress Dowager.”
“Madam, this must be the precious daughter your household lost and found again?” Empress Dowager Zhao sat above, her voice as warm and kind as ever. “Come, let me have a look at you.”
Yun Ran pressed her rosy lips together, glanced up at the elegant lady beckoning her, then looked at her mother.
Zheng Shi nodded slightly. “Go on, the Empress Dowager is showing you favor. Greet her properly.”
Only then did Yun Ran gather up her gold-threaded crimson skirt and step up the white marble steps covered with patterned carpets.
She stopped before Empress Dowager Zhao’s throne and bowed again. “Fifth Miss of the Yun family greets the Empress Dowager, wishing you longevity and peace, and endless good fortune.”
“What a sweet little girl,” Empress Dowager Zhao said with a smile. “Raise your head, let me have a good look at you.”
Yun Ran replied softly, “Yes,” and slowly lifted her face.
The lights on the dais were brighter than anywhere else. In their glow, the little miss in begonia-red appeared with a fair and radiant face like the moon, willow brows and peach cheeks, bright red lips and white teeth.
The most striking feature on her delicate face was a pair of clear, black eyes.
Round and large, her pupils were bigger than most, making her eyes seem even purer and more childlike.
Just those eyes alone made Empress Dowager Zhao love this little girl even more.
Remembering how the eunuch had just reported that the Marquis’s young lady had taken the initiative to speak with A-Jing, Empress Dowager Zhao’s gaze grew even softer.
“Truly a lovely child. No wonder your parents treasure you and searched for you all these years.” Empress Dowager Zhao looked Yun Ran up and down, finally settling on her face. “I heard you were taken to Jiangnan and raised by a Daoist all these years?”
Though this was her first meeting with Empress Dowager Zhao, the Empress Dowager was beautiful and spoke gently, just like an elder at home.
Yun Ran felt herself relax and nodded. “Yes, thanks to my Master’s kindness in taking me in, giving me food and teaching me to read. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Empress Dowager Zhao saw how openly she admitted it, speaking neither arrogantly nor humbly, showing no shame or avoidance about her past.
She smiled even more warmly. “That Daoist is truly virtuous, and you are a grateful child.”
Yun Ran lowered her eyes. “The Empress Dowager flatters me.”
Empress Dowager Zhao asked, “After all these years away, did you ever think about your family?”
Yun Ran hadn’t expected this question, but it wasn’t hard to answer.
She thought for a moment and said, “Of course I did. After all, people aren’t born from stones, so I naturally wondered where I came from.”
“But when I arrived at the temple, I was still young. When I grew older and learned from my senior sisters that we were all abandoned by our parents, I was sad for a while… But with Master and senior sisters by my side, even without blood ties, we were as close as family, so I didn’t think about my original family anymore.”
As she finished, she noticed Empress Dowager Zhao’s gaze turn distant.
Her heart fluttered uneasily. Had she said something wrong?
She instinctively glanced down the steps at Zheng Shi.
When Zheng Shi heard her daughter’s final words about not thinking of her original family, it felt like a knife twisting in her heart.
But sensing her daughter’s small, anxious, dependent gaze, she immediately pulled herself together and smiled to reassure her, telling her not to worry.
With her mother’s encouragement, Yun Ran’s heart settled.
When she looked back, Empress Dowager Zhao had returned to normal, but her gaze held new meaning.
She asked Yun Ran another question: “So, do you blame your parents?”
Yun Ran was surprised. “No, why would I blame them?”
Empress Dowager Zhao said nothing, but her quiet gaze made it clear she expected Yun Ran to continue.
Though Yun Ran didn’t understand why the Empress Dowager was so curious, she answered anyway.
“When I first learned I’d been abandoned, I did blame them. Why have a child if you won’t raise her? But when I was eight, I found out I wasn’t abandoned by my birth parents— I was kidnapped. After that, I never blamed them again.”
“If I blame anyone, it’s those damned kidnappers, and the wicked families who buy children. If not for their crimes, how could families be torn apart, with both sides in tears?” Yun Ran cursed inwardly, thinking all kidnappers and buyers should go straight to the deepest hell.
But Empress Dowager Zhao asked again, “Don’t you blame them for not keeping a better eye on you and losing you?”
Yun Ran found this question even stranger. “No one’s perfect. Everyone can be careless sometimes. Carelessness is wrong, but the worst are the kidnappers! Besides, my parents have been looking for me all these years, suffering and grieving…”
As she spoke, a trace of sadness appeared in her eyes. “We’ve already lost twelve years together. From now on, I just want to stay by my parents’ side and make up for lost time. Why would I blame them?”
“Good child, truly an understanding and sensible child.” Empress Dowager Zhao’s voice was a bit choked, and she leaned forward from her throne, reaching out to Yun Ran. “Come here.”
Yun Ran froze, then, seeing the Empress Dowager’s reddened eyes, was even more startled.
Had her words just now really moved the Empress Dowager so much?
Before she could think further, her hand was taken by the Empress Dowager. The next moment, she saw the Empress Dowager take off a fine jade bangle from her own wrist.
“Empress Dowager, I can’t accept this!” Yun Ran hurriedly declined.
“It’s just a bangle, what can’t you accept?” Empress Dowager Zhao looked at her with deep affection. “I fell in love with you at first sight. You’re so well-behaved and sensible. What harm in giving you a bangle as a reward?”
As she spoke, she tried to put it on Yun Ran.
But then she noticed Yun Ran already wore a string of wooden beads on her left wrist. Empress Dowager Zhao paused. “What’s this?”
Yun Ran replied, “This is Thunderstruck Jujube Prayer Beads my Master gave me when we parted. They ward off evil and misfortune, and bring peace.”
“Ward off evil and misfortune, bring peace…” Empress Dowager Zhao repeated softly, then looked up at the water-bright girl before her, her resolve deepening.
“Your Master is a good Master, and you are a good child.” With that, Empress Dowager Zhao switched hands and slipped the jade bangle onto Yun Ran’s right wrist. “See, it fits perfectly.”
Yun Ran didn’t know much about jewelry, but at a glance, she could tell the bangle’s clarity and luster made it priceless.
The Empress Dowager’s generosity left her uneasy. She glanced at Zheng Shi: “Mother, what should I do? Can I really accept this?”
Zheng Shi was getting a headache herself.
At first, she’d been calm when the Empress Dowager asked questions. But when she saw the Empress Dowager holding her daughter’s hand and giving her a bangle, Zheng Shi grew uneasy.
After all, the last young lady to be praised and rewarded by Empress Dowager Zhao was none other than Sixth Miss Cui, who had recently passed away!
The thought made Zheng Shi’s legs go weak beneath her skirt, but she forced a smile. “Empress Dowager, your kindness is overwhelming. But my Fifth Miss is still young. Such a fine jade bangle isn’t suitable for a little miss her age. She might spoil your precious gift.”
“Madam, you are too modest,” Empress Dowager Zhao said, holding Yun Ran’s hand and smiling at Zheng Shi. “A little miss at her age, with such soft, tender skin, looks best in something bright and beautiful.”
Zheng Shi saw how the Empress Dowager and Yun Ran’s skirts were nearly touching, their closeness unmistakable. Her heart tightened even more, and her lips turned pale. “Empress Dowager… Empress Dowager…”
But Empress Dowager Zhao ignored her, holding Yun Ran’s hand and praising her again and again.
Yun Ran’s face grew hot from the compliments. Did she really deserve all this?
The next moment, her little hand was gripped tight. She looked up in surprise to see Empress Dowager Zhao smiling at Zheng Shi. “Madam, I am very fond of your little miss. Seeing her is like seeing my own daughter. If you don’t mind, on this night of the full moon, let’s become in-laws and betroth her to the Jing Prince as his Princess Consort. What do you say?”
The Jing… Jing Prince…
That living King of Hell who had already lost three fiancées!
In that instant, Zheng Shi’s mind went blank, her ears buzzed.
Before she could speak, her vision went black and she fainted straight backward.