Chapter 4

Since that day they parted ways at the Yun Residence, Yun Miao had not spoken to Xie Zhiyuan again.

At first, she was a bit annoyed that he hadn’t revealed his true identity, but then again, she hadn’t told him where she came from either.

Besides, he had told her his name was “Ayuan” and that his surname was “Xie,” so it didn’t seem like he had lied to her.

After arriving at the Yun Residence, Yun Miao spent most of her time by Lady Mu’s side, occasionally accompanying her to palace banquets.

At the banquets in Hanyuan Hall, Yun Miao would sometimes spot Xie Zhiyuan from afar. He wore the luxurious robes of a prince, sleeves hanging low as he followed behind his royal siblings with lowered eyes, quiet and unassuming, so much so that one could almost miss his presence.

Yet, when Yun Miao’s gaze happened to land on him, he would suddenly lift his head and flash a sly smile amidst the crowd.

It was also at these palace banquets that Yun Miao finally learned what kind of people the “elder brother and elder sister” he had mentioned were.

The eldest prince, Prince Qi, Xie Jue, often walked with his wife, Pei Yue. Clad in a dashing deep purple robe adorned with gold and jade, his demeanor was charming and composed. Among the crowd, he was like the moon surrounded by stars.

The crown prince, Xie Kang, was said to be perpetually ailing and rarely attended palace banquets. However, on the rare occasions he appeared, he wore a crimson robe that flowed elegantly, exuding noble grace. Standing among the ministers with a gentle smile, he embodied the refined demeanor of an ancient gentleman.

The eldest princess, Xie Yuan, was the prized student of Wenqin Prince Xie Heng, renowned in Chang’an for her poetry and painting. Clad in a radiant court dress, she held a golden goblet and conversed softly with others. Her brows and eyes gleamed with a bright smile, like a spring breeze that melts snow.

Compared to these brilliant royal siblings, the third prince, Xie Zhiyuan, seemed less remarkable. He sat alone under the curtain, seemingly indifferent to his surroundings, slightly bowing his head as he casually fiddled with a few abacuses.

“Who are you looking at?” A clear voice suddenly came from behind.

Yun Miao turned around to see a bright, lively face. A girl in a ruqun dress leaned forward from her side, smiling at her, a jade earring swaying by her ear.

“The world says the royal family’s children are like little deities, each one more handsome than the last.” The girl blinked. “But I thought you’d be looking at Prince Qi or the crown prince… yet you’re staring at the third prince.”

She tapped her head twice, suddenly recalling, “Oh, right, you’re the girl the third prince brought back…”

“I’m Luo Li, daughter of the Imperial Censor, of the Qinglian Luo family,” the girl said with a gentle bow and a smile. “You can call me Ali.”

Following Luo Li’s example, Yun Miao returned the courtesy. After introducing herself, Luo Li eagerly took her hand and familiarly called her “Amiao.”

Happy to have a new companion, Luo Li’s eyes sparkled as she asked, “Do you want to know more about the third prince?”

“About him?” Yun Miao blinked.

“But the third prince is the most low-key among the royal children…” Luo Li pondered for a moment but couldn’t think of any intriguing gossip. “People say the third prince rarely leaves the palace, his behavior is ordinary, and there’s no sensational story about him. His skills in rituals, music, archery, and charioteering aren’t outstanding, and he’s dutiful but unremarkable in his studies at Chongwen Academy…”

Resting her chin on her hand, she added, “Everyone’s impression of him is: polite, gentle, kind, and pure-hearted…”

Yun Miao recalled the scene when she first met him, with the boy stepping over blood and turning back with a smile…

She couldn’t help but feel that these descriptions didn’t quite fit.

“Let’s not talk about this.” Luo Li changed the subject on her own, turning to Yun Miao with a bright smile. “We’re going to be classmates!”

“Classmates?” Yun Miao was puzzled.

“My mother told me that Noble Consort Xian is selecting companions for the princess from among the daughters of noble families,” Luo Li explained. “The two of us will probably meet at Chongwen Academy.”

She glanced back and smiled. “See you later.”

After the Shangsi Festival banquet, Yun Miao was troubled by this very matter.

…She didn’t want to go to school.

There were three prestigious academies in Chang’an: Chongwen Academy, Hongwen Academy, and the Imperial College. Among them, Chongwen Academy was nominally under the crown prince’s supervision and only admitted children of royal and noble families. Its curriculum was notoriously rigorous.

For Yun Miao, it was like jumping straight from high school to graduate school.

…She hadn’t expected to have to study even after transmigrating into a novel.

It wasn’t that going to school was unbearable, but Yun Miao was focused on her mission to locate the antagonist and had no interest in delving into the complex classics and histories.

In her memories of the original book, the male and female protagonists were the crown prince, Xie Kang, and the youngest daughter of the general’s household, Jiang Kui. Both had dual identities in the court and the martial world. Their conflict with the antagonist, “The White-Haired Elder,” also spanned both spheres.

Though the crown prince nominally oversaw Chongwen Academy, he was often absent due to his illness. This was not a key setting for the main plotline.

Thus, the antagonist was unlikely to appear here.

The current time was late spring, while the book’s plot began in late summer or early autumn. Yun Miao needed to find the antagonist before the story began.

She sighed inwardly: she had to escape her days as a companion student at Chongwen Academy.

Thinking this, she carried her books and walked with Luo Li along the corridor toward the classroom.

“Shh.”

At a half-closed wooden door, Luo Li peeked inside, then turned and put a finger to her lips. “They’re still taking an exam.”

She lifted her skirt quietly and led Yun Miao to the window. “Let’s wait outside. All the princes are in there.”

Yun Miao stood with her, both girls tiptoeing to peer curiously inside.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the serene classroom. A few students in formal blue robes sat quietly, writing as the young scholar Yu Changying stood with a scroll, overseeing the exam.

The faint rustle of paper filled the room, mingling with the scent of old books and ink from the wooden desks.

On the far side, the eldest princess Xie Yuan sat at the edge. The seat beside her was empty as the crown prince was, as usual, absent due to illness. Several other aristocratic students sat upright, their sleeves neatly folded as they wrote.

At the far end by the window was a young man, his head slightly bowed, his profile sharp and composed.

It was the third prince, Xie Zhiyuan.

Sitting upright with utmost seriousness, he wrote with deliberate care. His lowered eyes reflected the sunlight.

But from a particular angle, Yun Miao could clearly see that he had already finished the test and was secretly doodling little stick figures on the scrap paper beneath his exam sheet.

The young proctor clapped his hands, signaling the end of the exam. The students handed in their papers and filed out.

“You were looking at me just now,” Xie Zhiyuan suddenly said as he brushed past.

Yun Miao was startled.

She turned her head to see the boy’s lips curve slightly, faintly smiling.

Silently, he mouthed: Find me after class.

—

Thus, Yun Miao hardly paid attention during the next lesson.

Since it was the first class for the princess’s companions, the tutor wasn’t too strict and overlooked Yun Miao’s distracted state. Luo Li occasionally nudged her to kindly remind her to pull her gaze back from the window.

Finally, when the class ended, the eldest princess Xie Yuan stayed behind in the classroom to ask the teacher some questions, while Yun Miao and Luo Li carried their books and walked outside.

Under a tall Chinese scholar tree outside the classroom, a boy dressed in the academy’s blue uniform leaned against the trunk, his head tilted slightly upward, letting the breeze lift his sleeves and hair. A few fragrant petals settled gently in his dark locks.

“His Highness the Third Prince must not be waiting for me,” Luo Li made a playful face and ran off with a laugh, leaving Yun Miao behind.

Yun Miao had no choice but to approach the tree alone, carrying her books.

The boy under the tree raised his gaze, his lips curving into a faint smile. “Long time no see.”

Yun Miao sat down beside him, still holding her books.

“You clearly knew all the answers to the test questions, but everyone says your studies are mediocre,” she said, watching him.

“Mm,” Xie Zhiyuan nodded, not bothering to deny it. “Just keeping a low profile.”

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly leaned in close. A cool breath brushed past her cheek as his lips approached her ear, and he whispered, “You didn’t tell anyone my secret, did you?”

The wind wove through their intertwined hair like a whispered melody. His casual tone was laced with an almost imperceptible warning, turning an intimate gesture into something subtly threatening.

…This was a dangerous friend.

Dangerous, but also the only one she could rely on for help.

Before she could respond, he laughed again, “I know you didn’t.”

“Come on.” He reached out and took the books from her arms, holding them himself. “Let me take you somewhere.”

Yun Miao barely had time to react before Xie Zhiyuan covered her eyes. She felt herself leave the ground, his arms lifting her effortlessly.

With a light step, their figures disappeared from beneath the scholar tree.

The wind carried the scent of flowers as it rushed past her ears. When she opened her eyes again, Yun Miao found herself in a completely unfamiliar place.

She sat beside a blooming pond, a vast lotus pool stretching out before her. It was late spring, and the first buds of summer were just peeking out—pink and white lotus flowers breaking the surface, with a few early ripening pods hanging low, glistening green among the leaves.

Far across the water, a soft melody played, accompanied by white birds darting through the air. It was a scene straight out of a painting.

“This is the Eastern Palace Lotus Pond,” Xie Zhiyuan said, wading through the shallow water to her side. He handed her a freshly peeled lotus seed. “Want to try?”

Yun Miao took the seed and popped it into her mouth. Her teeth bit down, releasing a crisp and sweet taste that spread through her mouth. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Tastes good, doesn’t it?” Xie Zhiyuan grinned as well, the sunlight scattering in specks across his damp hair.

“I often sneak here to listen to my brother play the qin.”

He sat beside her, pointing to the figure in white at the small pavilion in the middle of the pond—the Crown Prince Xie Kang, who was convalescing in the Eastern Palace.

“Why do you sneak here to listen to your brother play?” Yun Miao blinked curiously.

“Because I’m curious.” The boy turned back to her, his smile revealing two small tiger teeth. “I want to know what my brother does every day.”

Yun Miao didn’t quite understand what he was curious about, but she nodded without pressing further. She peeled another lotus seed, her long legs dangling off the water’s edge, lightly kicking up glimmers of silver light.

“So, what’s been bothering you?”

The boy beside her looked at her, his eyes clear and bright, full of concern. “Ever since you arrived in Chang’an, you’ve been looking around constantly. It’s like you have something on your mind.”

Yun Miao hesitated for a moment, debating whether to share her troubles with him.

“We’re friends, right?” She paused, then said, “After all, we’ve exchanged secrets.”

“Friends?” He tilted his head at her. “What’s a friend?”

Yun Miao was momentarily at a loss for words. She ruffled her hair and explained, “To me, a friend is someone you can share a lot of things with.”

“Then I guess I’m your friend.” He nodded indifferently. “So, what’s on your mind?”

Yun Miao decided to start with something less serious.

“My first trouble is that my mother wants me to quickly choose someone to marry…” She sighed, ruffling her hair. “But I don’t want to marry a stranger.”

Xie Zhiyuan nodded, listening attentively.

“And the other thing…” Yun Miao hesitated before saying, “I’m looking for someone.”

“Who?” Xie Zhiyuan asked casually.

“You wouldn’t know them,” Yun Miao said. “I’m looking for someone called the ‘White-Haired Elder.’”

The boy blinked slowly.

“I know him,” he said.

Yun Miao’s eyes widened in surprise. “You do?”

“Mm.” Xie Zhiyuan nodded.

“…He’s the person I hate most.” After a pause, his voice dropped, and a chilling gleam flashed in his dark eyes, like a knife unsheathing for a split second. But it quickly disappeared, replaced by a starry-eyed smile as gentle as a soft night sky.

“Can you take me to him?” Yun Miao asked, not expecting much.

To her surprise, the boy agreed readily. “Sure.”

“When the time is right…” He smiled, “You’ll meet him.”

Yun Miao could hardly believe it.

…This problem was resolved so easily.

Thinking about it, Xie Zhiyuan was skilled in martial arts and might have some connections in the martial world, enabling him to find this middleman antagonist, the “White-Haired Elder.”

He said that was the person he hated most… Could they be enemies?

“All right, the second trouble is solved. Now for the first.” Xie Zhiyuan clapped his hands, producing a handful of bamboo sticks from his sleeve. He laid them out on the ground, then looked up at Yun Miao. “What’s your birthdate?”

“Birthdate?” Yun Miao was confused but answered obediently, “February 14th… I’m a Pisces!”

“What time were you born?” Xie Zhiyuan had no interest in astrology.

“Three in the afternoon…” Yun Miao blinked in confusion. “Why are you asking?”

The boy didn’t reply. Resting his chin on one hand, he deftly arranged the bamboo sticks into intricate and ever-changing patterns on the ground.

With his head slightly lowered, his sharp nose and clean profile stood out. Light played through the strands of his hair and lashes, and bright, fragmented shadows danced across his slender fingers.

“Eight characters match, five elements align,” he murmured to himself. “Even the yearly flow is auspicious.”

Under her curious gaze, he withdrew his hands, resting his chin on them thoughtfully.

“Hey, Yun Miao…”

The wind whispered between their robes as the boy suddenly looked up at her seriously. “Marry me.”

…

Yun Miao: “Huh?”

…???