Princess Qin

In the central and northern regions of the imperial capital, where the imperial city and the great aristocratic clans resided, lay the most majestic area in the ancient kingdom of Lixun.

Yet, when people spoke of the most prosperous district, they invariably referred to the East Market in the eastern sector.

The East Market, as its name suggested, was a bustling marketplace situated in the eastern part of the imperial capital. It housed no conventional residences; instead, magnificent shops, resembling celestial palaces, lined both sides of the ten-li (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 meters or one-third of a mile) thoroughfare.

Naturally, if one were to describe the goods on offer, it could be summarized as ‘markets laden with pearls and jewels, and homes overflowing with silks and satins.’

“Wow, it really is the Lantern Festival, isn’t it? Even with such terrible weather today, there are still so many people!” At the far northeastern end of the street, Shangguan Qiūyuè, clad in a red padded jacket, raised her right hand to shade her brow, her small mouth slightly agape. “Xiao Mu, why do I keep feeling like we’ve stepped into a ‘ghost market’ from a storybook? The East Market looks rather eerie today.”

It was an overcast day, the sky a dull grey. Consequently, many shopkeepers along the street had already lit the lanterns outside their doors. Coupled with the usual bustling crowds, this created an atmosphere that, no matter how the young girl looked at it, felt distinctly unsettling.

She unconsciously retreated a few steps diagonally backward, her left hand instinctively clutching the corner of the young man’s sleeve.

The young girl was clearly afraid.

Beside her, Yún Mù, his long hair tied up, kept his head lowered. Though Shangguan Qiūyuè had repeatedly told him how handsome he looked, wearing such new clothes suddenly made him genuinely uncomfortable.

Sensing the young girl’s unease, he forced himself to look up, enduring the discomfort of his new attire. He raised his right hand to her front and meticulously scanned the surroundings with his dark eyes. Only after confirming there was indeed nothing amiss did he turn his face to reassure her.

“Miss, please don’t worry. Although Yún Mù has never been here before, what lies ahead is definitely not the ghost market you speak of.” He paused slightly, folk tales his parents had told him in childhood surfacing in his mind, and then he chuckled, saying, “With such a strong human scent and lively atmosphere, any ghost that dared to come here would probably be scared to death, wouldn’t they?”

As he smiled brightly, he apparently failed to notice that his face and the young girl’s were now barely an inch apart.

‘What beautiful eyes…’

“Hmm?” The sudden compliment, accompanied by a soft breath caressing his cheek, was what finally made the young man aware of their somewhat delicate proximity.

Just as he was about to turn his head, Shangguan Qiūyuè’s raised hands gently pressed against him, holding him in place. The young girl gazed into his eyes, so close to her own, her eyelashes fluttering. It was a long moment before she finally pulled away.

Noticing the young man’s now flushed face, she bent slightly at the waist, her hands clasped behind her back, and looked up at him, a playful smile on her lips.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Mu? Are you really so easily embarrassed? Do you perhaps… like this young lady?”

“Yes, of course I like you…”

“Ugh!”

The sudden reply made Shangguan Qiūyuè, who had been preparing a whole string of teasing remarks for the young man, tremble. She swayed precariously, almost losing her footing, and only managed to avoid falling thanks to the young man’s steadying hand.

‘He actually likes me…’

“Then… then, Xiao Mu, have you said such words of ‘liking’ to any other girls?” The young girl unconsciously twirled a strand of her long hair that fell over her right shoulder and asked with a hint of expectation in her voice, “Or have you only ever said it to me?”

“Other girls?” Yún Mù recalled everyone he had encountered since childhood and nodded. “When I was little, both Sister Xúnyī and Master asked me similar questions, and my answer was always the same.”

“Uh… Sister Xúnyī and Sister Lín, huh? Alright… I understand.”

‘So it’s just that kind of ‘liking’ then. I thought it was the other kind. Haha… Shangguan Qiūyuè, what are you thinking, getting all carried away?’

The straightforward answer left the young girl momentarily unsure how to react. Though young, she understood the nuances of words like ‘liking.’ Thus, after hearing his reply, she realized that the ‘liking’ the young man spoke of was entirely different from the ‘liking’ she had in mind.

Yet, even so, she couldn’t help but wonder what they might do if they were truly together, like her own parents.

Would they study together, savoring the wisdom of the sages? Would they travel together, exploring magnificent landscapes? Would they cook together, experiencing the warmth of domestic life? Or would they walk hand-in-hand through the bustling streets, experiencing the imperial capital’s splendor?

But for her, as she was now, these were mere luxuries, unattainable desires. For a sickly person, a lifetime together had always been nothing more than a dream.

She knew her life would not be long. That was why she had brought the young man to the East Market.

‘Anyway, I don’t have a future to speak of. I might as well gather more memories now. Otherwise, always staying in my own courtyard would be far too boring, wouldn’t it?’

‘And besides, letting Xiao Mu see more of the outside world, this way… his heart won’t be confined to the small courtyard of the Shangguan family.’

With these thoughts, she straightened her posture, forcibly suppressing the loneliness within her. Mimicking Lín Yǎyuè’s manner, she gently linked her arm through Yún Mù’s.

“Come on, Xiao Mu, your task today is to accompany this young lady on a thorough tour of the East Market. And of course, it’ll just be the two of us.”

With that, they walked into the bustling ten-li thoroughfare.

****

Meanwhile, at the Shangguan family’s estate, Shangguan Hóngzhì stood before the family’s council hall. His hands clasped behind his back, he paced back and forth, clearly awaiting something.

After approximately half an incense stick’s time (TL Note: A traditional unit of time, roughly 30 minutes), he finally ceased his pacing. His gaze lifted to the distant clouds, a look of delight spreading across his face.

On the horizon, a streak of orange-red gradually grew from a distant speck to a larger form, drawing nearer. It eventually hovered directly above the Shangguan family’s estate. Perched atop a maple leaf-shaped magical artifact, stood an elder with hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom and grace.

“Immortal Doctor Lu, you have finally arrived. I have been respectfully awaiting your presence for quite some time.”

The brocade-clad man bowed slightly, cupping one hand in the other as a gesture of respect. However, what greeted him was not the familiar hoarse voice he expected, but an exceptionally refined voice, one that always conveyed a sense of pure, unblemished etherealness.

“Teacher, is this the Shangguan family you mentioned?”

“Indeed, this is it.”

“It looks rather rudimentary, and it gives off a rather… unpleasant odor.”

“Haha, Luòyī, bear with it for a while. After all, it’s been quite a few years since you last ventured into the mortal world.”

“Hm…”

‘That voice, and calling Immortal Doctor Lu ‘Teacher,’ and her name being Luòyī… could it be… the emperor’s young princess?’

Shangguan Hóngzhì harbored doubts in his heart, but he did not raise his head to confirm his suspicions. Instead, he maintained the respectful demeanor befitting a subordinate.

From behind the elder, a slender young girl in a white dress gracefully stepped forward. Her attire was not opulent; her only adornment was a silver-white hairpin, securing her dark brown long hair.

She lowered her gaze to the Shangguan family head below. Beneath her serene, cold countenance, a pair of heterochromatic eyes—one amber-gold, the other deep blue—regarded him with scrutiny.

“Are you Shangguan Hóngzhì, the current head of the Shangguan family, one of the four great clans under my imperial father?”

“Replying to Your Highness, this humble subject is indeed Shangguan Hóngzhì.”

“You know of me? We shouldn’t have met before, should we?”

“How could this humble subject not know of Her Royal Highness Qin Luòyī, the Eldest Princess of the ancient kingdom of Lixun, the esteemed student of Immortal Doctor Lu Qi, and the most talented among the current generation of the imperial family?”

“You’re just like those officials, reeking of flattery. Dispense with these formalities; I personally dislike them. They’re sickening to hear.”

“…Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

Shangguan Hóngzhì, inexplicably rebuked, straightened his posture. Despite his inner displeasure, he maintained a polite demeanor. He stood to the side, lightly raising his right hand to indicate a nearby pavilion.

“Your Highness, Immortal Doctor, please come this way. I have prepared tea.”

“No need. I didn’t take the time to come here to waste words with you. Just tell me where Yún Mù is. My teacher mentioned before that his constitution is quite special, naturally attracting starlight energy. My purpose in coming here is to see him.”

Her words were sharp once more, leaving the man, who was usually so adept in official circles, at a loss for how to respond.

He stammered, offering no reply, and instead turned his gaze to Lu Qi, transmitting his voice.

[Immortal Doctor Lu, how am I to answer this? You never told me this little ancestor would be coming, did you? And I’ve already followed your instructions in the letter and sent Yún Mù out for a stroll with my daughter. This…]

[You ask me? With so many special constitutions in the world, do you think this old man could have predicted that Qin Luòyī would be so interested in Yún Mù that she would risk going mad by interrupting her cultivation to follow me? And… dare you not welcome her?]

[Ah, what words you speak, how could I not welcome her? It’s just that if she’s interested in Yún Mù, I’m worried it might affect my daughter’s future matters. After all, as parents, we tend to get anxious when it concerns our children…]

[Rest assured, no matter how interested she is, she won’t act recklessly in this regard. She has already promised me, her teacher, that whatever she does will not affect that girl Qiūyuè’s treatment.]

[That’s good, that’s good.]

[Enough dawdling. Do you truly believe she won’t notice after such a long voice transmission?]

[Immortal Doctor Lu, I am still not very familiar with the Eldest Princess. Could you perhaps offer some guidance?]

[Peach blossom pastries… she likes to eat these. Just tell her that you’ve also prepared plenty of peach blossom pastries. She will then temporarily set aside the matter of seeing Yún Mù. Remember to treat her well; Luòyī is, after all, His Majesty’s child. If she is made uncomfortable, the only one to suffer will be you.]

[Understood…]

Shangguan Hóngzhì glanced at Qin Luòyī, who hadn’t looked him in the eye, steadied himself, and then, with an exceptionally calm tone, suggested,

“Your Royal Highness, Yún Mù and my humble daughter have not yet returned to the estate, so you will not be able to see him for now. However…”

He paused slightly, his voice rising a few octaves.

“The food this humble subject has prepared is quite delicious, especially the peach blossom pastries, which are of superior taste, and available in all sorts of varieties. You might consider resting for a while; it wouldn’t be too late to see him once he returns.”

“All sorts of peach blossom pastries? That might work…”

Seeing Qin Luòyī agree, he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, the stone of pressure finally dropping.

He clapped his hands gently. Before long, several servants came forward, carrying food, with two plates of peach blossom pastries positioned at the very front.

Noticing the sparkle in the young girl’s eyes, he smoothly made another inviting gesture.

“This way, Your Highness, Immortal Doctor.”

“Hm, let’s go, Teacher.”

“Good.”

In this situation, it was rather difficult to tell who was the elder and who was the junior.