When they arrived at Caiyin Pavilion, Fuyi barely had time to step out of the carriage before a crowd of fellow young idlers swarmed her, welcoming her in with such a commotion that half the street took notice.
“Who’s that? So many young lords and ladies come out to welcome her—that’s quite a grand fanfare.”
“I didn’t get a good look. Let’s take another glance.”
“That young master in the red jacket—isn’t he an imperial relative?”
“Wow, that’s impressive!”
“Fuyi, try this tea.”
“Forget the tea, have a taste of this new wine!”
“Owner, start the music and dance! Today’s a day for celebration—let’s make it lively!”
Surrounded by people talking over each other, Fuyi found herself with a pastry in her mouth, a teacup in one hand, and treats and gifts hanging all over her. Fortunately, she was used to handling such situations and quickly blended in, chatting and laughing as if the three-year separation had never happened.
Everyone was in high spirits. As the mood lifted, some took to the stage to sing, others plucked the pipa, and even Yang Erlang tried to play the zither. However, his music was so terrible that the group booed him off the stage.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Fuyi winced, covering her ears from the awful noise. “In three years, you’ve all grown taller, but your skills haven’t improved at all,” she shook her head and sighed.
Yang Erlang chuckled, completely unapologetic. “We’re just a bunch of idlers, what skill could we possibly gain in three years?” He downed his drink in one gulp, and Fuyi stood up, walking to the stage where a musician was playing the pipa. She gestured, and the musician handed the instrument to her.
As soon as the first note rang out, the room fell silent.
Yang Erlang turned to Lin Xiaowu and muttered, “I was so stupid. What was I even expecting?” Birds of a feather flock together—lazy as they were, none of them could play a proper tune. And of course, that included their boss!
Fuyi was already a little tipsy. Paying no attention to the opinions of her buddies, she strummed her way through the tune, ending with a loud clang before gracefully stepping down from the stage. “It’s been a while since I played, I’m a bit rusty,” she said with a humble smile.
“What a hearty piece,” Yang Erlang commented, giving her a thumbs-up. “Your artistic interpretation is beyond words—full of murderous intent and very suspenseful!”
“Well, well. Thanks for the compliment, but it’s really not that great,” Fuyi replied with a smirk. A girl in a green robe handed her a cup, which she downed quickly. “This wine tastes better than before—maybe it’s because you brought it to me yourself?”
“Get lost,” the green-robed girl pushed Fuyi aside, her cheeks slightly flushed. The other girls saw this and quickly raised their cups with laughter, surrounding Fuyi around, “Come on, give ours a try too! Let’s see which one tastes the best!”
Realizing she had stirred up some trouble, Fuyi quickly stood and waved her hands in surrender. “I was wrong, I was wrong, please have mercy on me, dear sisters!”
The girls, giggling, weren’t ready to let her go so easily. Finding herself cornered, Fuyi quickly spun around and dashed out of the private courtyard they rented.
“Careful.” Fuyi was already a bit tipsy, and in her haste, she nearly collided with someone. She hurriedly grabbed onto the pomegranate tree to steady herself and apologized, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention—did I startle you?”
“Yun Fuyi, stop running!” her friends called out, ready to catch her. But the moment they noticed the figure standing beneath the pomegranate tree, they froze, their playful smiles vanishing. Quickly, the group of merry idlers tucked their wine cups and glasses into their sleeves and bowed in unison. “Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.”
“This subject daughter greets Your Imperial Highness,” Fuyi quickly followed suit. She bowed her head, blinking her slightly tipsy eyes, her gaze falling on the golden auspicious cloud pattern embroidered at the hem of the prince’s robe. The craftsmanship was impeccable. As the emperor’s only son, once the country finished the three years of mourning for the late emperor, it was almost certain he would be named crown prince.
Fuyi didn’t know much about this prince, only that he had been praised since childhood for his self-discipline and dedication to learning. Civil officials spoke highly of him. Needless to say, someone like him was a world apart from troublemaking idlers like herself and her gang of friends. Maybe they didn’t even register in his eyes.
“There’s no need for such formality,” the prince said gently, his voice as soft as a spring breeze. Despite the laughter and noise they had been making, he showed no sign of annoyance or displeasure.
“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness.” Fuyi straightened up. She slowly stepped back step by step, careful to keep her head lowered, to show her respect.
Drip, drip… Someone had broken their wine flask, which now was leaking from their sleeve, spilling drops of wine onto the ground. Fuyi subtly adjusted her steps, blocking the view of the spill with her foot to cover for the fool.
The courtyard remained tensely silent. After a while, the prince spoke again: “Miss Yun has been away from the capital for some time and today is your reunion with your friends. Feel free to enjoy yourselves—I have no intention of disrupting your gathering.”
Fuyi finally looked up to see the prince’s departing figure. She quickly bowed again, “Thank you, Your Imperial Highness.”
“It’s so rare to see the prince pass by Caiyin Pavilion,” Lin Xiaowu whispered, tugging at Fuyi’s sleeve as they watched the prince walk away. “This is the first time I’ve seen him in a place like this.”
“I almost didn’t recognize him,” another girl chimed in. “I’ve heard the prince doesn’t like extravagant clothing, but today he was wearing a purple and gold robe, which surprised me.”
“Hmm?” Fuyi thought back to the prince’s retreating figure and raised an eyebrow with a smile. “It looked quite nice—why wouldn’t he like it?”
“I’m not sure,” the girl shrugged. “Maybe something from his childhood…” she trailed off, not daring to say more. The current emperor had been born the eldest son, giving him the strongest claim to the throne. However, the late emperor had been known to dislike him greatly, and this dislike also extended to his wife and son. Everyone knew the hardships the family endured during the late emperor’s reign, but such imperial scandals weren’t matters for idler youths like them to discuss openly.
Once they were certain the prince had left, the group resumed their merriment, which carried on until nightfall. Only when their families sent servants to collect them did they reluctantly part ways. Fuyi, now back in the Yun family carriage, leaned against the soft cushion with her eyes closed, trying to catch a rest. She had drunk too much today and felt a bit muddled.
Midway home, the carriage suddenly stopped. Fuyi sat up with difficulty and asked sleepily, “What happened?”
“Miss,” Qiushuang responded, lifting the curtain and stepping in with a troubled expression. “Ning Wang is ahead.”
Ning Wang stood in front of the carriage, his figure appearing somewhat lonely under the curtain of night. He noticed the curtain moving and was about to speak—
“Out of my way, you bastard!” The curtain flew open as Fuyi poked her head out, followed by a wine jar tossed in his direction.
“Miss, you’re drunk!”
“Your Highness, please, our Miss has had too much to drink and isn’t thinking clearly. Young master will personally apologize to you tomorrow.”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
The Yun family carriage hurriedly left, leaving behind only the shattered wine jar and Ning Wang’s lone figure.
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Author’s Note:
Fuyi: “When facing the emperor and his family, I’m all respect. When facing Ning Wang, my fist speaks first.”
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Is Ning Wang putting on a lonely self pity act for her?? 🙄🙄 a one man show.