Chapter Eleven

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The shade behind the rocks was indeed cooler than elsewhere in the gardens, but Li Lanxin had never been able to endure heat. After staying there for some time, she still felt restless and stifled.

She tossed pebbles and flower petals into the water again and again, yet the surroundings remained deathly quiet. No one came.

Taking out her handkerchief, she lightly wiped away the fine sweat on her brow and sighed. Then she turned her head toward the entrance of the pavilion.

Lianmian and Xing’er had been gone for quite some time and still had not returned. Could they have forgotten the way here—

“Huh!”

The instant her gaze settled on the entrance, her entire heart gave an uncontrollable, violent tremor, as though it might leap straight out of her chest. She sprang to her feet.

In her confusion, the gauzy handkerchief slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground.

At the far end of the little bridge over the pond, beside a luxuriant ancient tree, stood a tall figure in the shadows. No one knew how long he had been there.

Li Lanxin’s eyesight was not especially good, and the distance between them was considerable. From afar, she could make out only the man’s extraordinarily upright figure. His face was completely hidden in darkness, but his dazzling vermilion robe and golden sash were unmistakable.

He was certainly a prince of the imperial clan.

There were many princes in the capital these days, however, and without seeing the details on his robe, she could not tell whether he was a commandery prince or an imperial prince.

Regardless, either kind was a great personage whom she could not afford to offend in the slightest. And to encounter him here by the pond… A lone man and woman together—it was truly, truly…

The surroundings were so quiet, yet she had not noticed anyone approaching at all!

Li Lanxin hurriedly picked up her handkerchief and clenched it in both hands, lowering her head as far as she could. She quickly descended from the pavilion and crossed the little bridge at a brisk pace, her head bowed all the while. It felt as though her feet were no longer treading on the bridge, but on a muddy marsh capable of dragging a person effortlessly into the abyss.

At last she reached the end of the bridge, only to find the exit suddenly blocked by the man’s towering, wall-like body. Li Lanxin stopped short. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she could scarcely breathe.

Though only a few steps separated them, she felt heat steaming from her entire body. Perhaps it came from the beginning of summer—or perhaps it was the vigorous, living warmth of the man before her, who stood far too close.

Staggering back several steps, Li Lanxin caught sight of a corner of his robe embroidered with dragons. Her mind grew even more muddled, and she instinctively bent her knees in salute.

“Your Highness… this humble wife pays her respects to Your Highness. Just now, just now I failed to notice that Your Highness had arrived, and therefore did not come at once to offer my greetings. It was my discourtesy. I beg Your Highness to forgive me.”

She did not dare let her eyes wander for even an instant, much less raise her head. She stared fixedly at the white bridge beneath her feet, her fingers tightening around the handkerchief until they turned pale.

Zong Lin lowered his eyes to the woman before him: her plain, elegant dress; her shoulders and back trembling without cease; the smooth, pale nape revealed by her bowed head.

The woman had just spoken. Her voice was like her manner—soft and slow, smooth as ripples gliding beneath a drop of water—though now it carried a trace of fear.

His nostrils stirred faintly. The woman’s delicate, lingering fragrance curled around him, quietly enveloping him from head to toe.

“Your Highness… Your Highness…?” she called again, her voice soft and pleading.

“Your Highness…” Her tone grew increasingly pitiful.

Zong Lin pressed his lips together slightly, his sidelong gaze involuntarily locking firmly upon her.

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His throat moved once.

After Li Lanxin finished begging forgiveness, she stood quietly, waiting for him to speak. Yet after a long while, the man only a few steps away still said nothing.

Her hands began to tremble. Not knowing what he intended, she urged him a few times, but the man before her remained utterly unresponsive.

At a loss, she finally steeled herself.

“Your Highness… if there is nothing else Your Highness wishes to command, then this humble wife will take her leave.”

Even after she finished speaking, the man blocking the path did not immediately move aside. Cold sweat poured down Li Lanxin’s back.

Fortunately, just as fear was about to overwhelm her and force her to kneel, the body standing before her shifted slightly to one side.

As if granted a pardon, Li Lanxin immediately turned and slipped through the half-open exit. The instant she brushed past him, her shoulder grazed briefly against his iron-hard upper arm. She had no time to dwell on it and hurried away at a half-run.

Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, she saw another man dressed as a guard standing rigidly on the path. She was so startled that she nearly stumbled.

When the guard saw her face, he appeared equally shocked. Fortunately, he did not make things difficult for her. He stepped aside at once and let her pass.

Li Lanxin had no time to thank him, nor did she dare look back. She wished only to flee the gardens as quickly as possible.

After walking for nearly fifteen minutes, stopping and starting along the way, she returned to the pavilion where she had first asked for directions. Seeing her breathless and flustered, the two young eunuchs hurried to bring her tea.

Once inside, Li Lanxin took out some loose silver she had prepared before coming and pressed it into the eunuchs’ hands. Only after sitting down and drinking a cup did she realize that her heart was still pounding violently.

She rested for quite some time before her thoughts gradually settled. Just then, two familiar voices drifted faintly in from outside.

“Sister, which way are we supposed to go now?”

“Let me see… Look, that little pavilion over there is the one where we asked for directions earlier. So we need to take the path on the left. After a while, we’ll reach the rockery pavilion Madam mentioned…”

“…”

The imposing figure, heavy as a mountain, involuntarily flashed through Li Lanxin’s mind. She abruptly rose to her feet and hurried outside.

“I’m here!” she called loudly to the two maids.

Lianmian and Xing’er spun around. They quickly recognized her voice and hastened toward the right.

When the entire pavilion came into view, they saw Li Lanxin standing beneath the steps.

“Madam!” They rushed toward her.

But when they drew near and saw how exhausted she looked, they were both startled.

“Madam, what happened to you?”

“Did something happen?”

Li Lanxin’s lashes fluttered rapidly for a moment. At last, she tugged the corners of her lips into a smile.

“…Nothing happened. I simply waited so long without seeing either of you return that I thought this was the only path back, so I came through that pavilion.”

“But what took you two so long?”

Lianmian said irritably, “It was all because of this girl, dragging her feet the whole way.”

This time Xing’er refused to accept the blame. She muttered, “What do you mean? It was clearly because Sister nearly lost the way back.”

As soon as she finished, Lianmian lightly tapped her on the head again. Unwilling to yield, Xing’er reached out with both hands and tickled Lianmian at the waist. The two immediately dissolved into a scuffle.

Li Lanxin let them carry on. Turning back into the pavilion, she carefully asked the young eunuchs for the quickest route out of the Hundred Flowers Garden. After committing it to memory, she led the two maids briskly toward the exit.

The route indicated by the eunuchs was indeed the fastest. After walking for no more than fifteen minutes, the three of them caught sight of a stretch of green in the distance.

Li Lanxin glanced back at the exit of the Hundred Flowers Garden. No one had followed them out. Only then did the heavy stone in her heart finally fall.

They hurried onward. Xing’er, lagging behind, soon developed aching legs.

“Madam, why are you walking so quickly?”

Lianmian also felt something was strange.

“Yes, Madam. Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to take your time and enjoy the gardens?”

Li Lanxin forced a smile.

“I—I’m eager to watch the polo match. It has already begun, and if we go now, we can still catch the liveliest part. Besides, we’ve delayed too long in the gardens. The general’s household will be displeased.”

Lianmian nodded.

“That is true.”

The three continued forward. Before long, they entered the Green Harmony Court, where palace maids led them to the seats reserved for the Xu family.

When Li Lanxin took her seat, Madam Zhang was still nowhere to be seen. Lady Zhuang Ningyuan was already there. After exchanging a slight nod with Li Lanxin, she resumed watching the polo match.

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Across the vast emerald field, a hundred horses thundered past, their hooves pounding as cheers rose from every side. The clamorous excitement surged like waves, sweeping everyone into an exhilarating tide of bold, martial spirit.

The match had reached its fiercest moment. The horses raced in every direction, and a splendid yellow-maned charger burst through the surrounding pack.

The woman on its back was clad in scarlet, radiant as sunset clouds. The long mallet in her hands flashed like thunder and lightning. With a backhand stroke, she sent the ball flying like a meteor. It shot through the narrow goal, struck the great golden gong, and the ringing cry announcing victory resounded across the polo grounds.

Xu Biqing sat astride her horse and laughed heartily.

“Third Madam has stolen the show again today,” Lady Zhuang Ningyuan said with a faint smile. “She has always taken first place at the polo matches. Even the young men from other households who hold military posts are no match for her.”

Li Lanxin gazed at the red figure galloping freely across the field. At that moment, the contempt Xu Biqing had so often shown her was strangely absent from her mind. Instead, she felt the same surge of spirited warmth rising in her chest.

With a smile, she sighed, “Third Madam is truly valiant and magnificent. No one on the field can compare with her today.”

Just as the tide of cheering reached its height, the voice of a palace eunuch announcing the arrival of distinguished guests rang out from the entrance to the court.

“His Highness the Prince of Kang, His Highness the Prince of Gong, and His Highness the Prince of Jin have arrived—”