Chapter 3 – Getting Her Way

He Zhiyu’s reaction was both expected and unexpected to Li Wu.

Three years was enough for people to change; it wasn’t surprising that He Zhiyu was no longer the same person he used to be.

But she had thought her words would cause him, at least for a moment, to lose his composure. Yet, he hadn’t.

He Zhiyu remained completely calm, as though he had already known she would say such things to him.

Li Wu lowered her eyes and smiled. “How could a two-year-old child run around outside with me? She’s in the Princess’s residence, carefully looked after by her nanny.” She straightened up, stepped away from the desk, and moved to sit on a rosewood chair beside the tea table.

Resting her cheek on her palm, Li Wu tilted her head and looked leisurely at He Zhiyu seated behind the desk.

A faint smile lingered around her brows and eyes.

“Seeing Lord He so cold now makes me miss the past even more.”

“At that time, Lord He was so adorable, so interesting.”

Eighteen-year-old He Zhiyu was nothing like this distant, unapproachable man before her.

Li Wu still remembered how, when teased, his ears would quietly turn red even while he pretended to remain calm, making her want to tease him again and again.

Back then, He Zhiyu had been pure and innocent.

When he was with her, it seemed he would have given her his very heart.

In those days, his eyes never saw any other young woman but her.

What an endearing young man he had been.

Over the past few years, he still hadn’t forgotten their past. She couldn’t really blame him for that.

“Your Highness, people change.”

He Zhiyu met her gaze, his voice steady and calm. “I am no longer the He Zhiyu of the past. And Your Highness, in my eyes, you have changed as well.”

Li Wu nodded in agreement. “Yes, Lord He, we have both changed.”

Her eyes shifted away from his face, falling on a purple chrysanthemum in a white-glazed vase—something she had picked casually.

She seemed to sink into thought, growing silent.

He Zhiyu glanced at her for a moment, then withdrew his gaze, quietly drinking tea, patiently waiting for her to speak again.

But in his mind, he pondered the child Li Wu had mentioned.

Knowing her character, if she had brought it up, then the Princess’s residence truly did have such a little girl.

Had she brought the child back from the frontier?

Whose child was it?

Li Wu had said it was theirs.

But He Zhiyu knew it couldn’t be. If it truly were their child, that would have been far better.

Three years ago, when she left the capital for the frontier, she had indeed been heartbroken.

But that grief had nothing to do with him.

Her sorrow had been entirely tied to the First Prince—her elder brother.

That year, the First Prince had met with disaster.

After a moment’s silence, He Zhiyu shifted his thoughts, breaking the stillness of the study.

He lifted his teacup and sipped the cooling tea, then said, “I wonder when Your Highness plans to let me meet my daughter.”

His words pulled Li Wu out of her drifting thoughts.

“When is Lord He free?” she asked with a smile, then added, “It wouldn’t be impossible to go now.”

Her tone faintly carried a note of invitation.

If he were to accompany her into the Princess’s residence at dusk and not leave until midnight, by the next day the whole city would surely know.

“Not today.”

He Zhiyu replied indifferently. “Another day, when I am free, I will personally visit the residence to meet her.”

In truth, he was free tonight and could have gone with her.

But he would not let her get her way so easily.

Yet what Li Wu wanted was precisely those words from him.

“It’s settled then.” She rose with a smile. “Lord He, the child and I will be waiting for you at the Princess’s residence.”

He Zhiyu once again watched her retreating figure.

His tense expression loosened. Thinking of how she had deliberately lured him to the Princess’s residence, the corners of his lips curved in a faint, almost imperceptible smile. A deep glint flickered in his eyes.

---

After visiting the Marquis of Xuanping’s residence and meeting He Zhiyu alone, Li Wu was certain he didn’t truly hate her.

But her imperial brother was right.

What had happened back then had likely left a scar in He Zhiyu’s heart, which explained how he treated her now.

Still, there was a chance to mend things.

There were others more “sincere” than He Zhiyu who wanted to push her into marriage with the Tatars. But since they wished to use He Zhiyu as the scapegoat, she might as well play along—acting as though she only cared for him, only entangled with him.

Feeling she had gained something, Li Wu was in good spirits as she returned to the Princess’s residence.

Passing by Zhichun House, she stopped deliberately and bought pastries and sweets to bring back.

Li Wu had lived in Yueyi Pavilion ever since she moved into the Princess’s residence at the age of fifteen.

When she stepped into Yueyi Pavilion, night had already fallen. Lamps were lit everywhere, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves cast a bright glow over a small figure.

A little girl looked up with a smile at Li Wu.

Her big round eyes blinked rapidly, her round little face soft and pink, with two adorable pigtails tied with red ribbons.

“Mother~ hug~”

The two-year-old little one opened her arms, soft and obedient, asking Li Wu to carry her.

Li Wu walked forward, picked her up, and carried her inside. As they went, she asked, “Wanwan, have you had dinner yet?”

The little girl didn’t answer. She only wrapped her arms around Li Wu’s neck and leaned forward to plant a noisy kiss on her cheek.

Qingzhi, following behind, said, “Miss insisted on waiting for Your Highness to return and hasn’t eaten yet.”

Hearing this, Li Wu lowered her eyes to look at the child in her arms.

Her nickname was Wanwan, her full name Li Wan. The little girl buried her face against Li Wu’s chest.

Li Wu smiled tenderly and ordered the servants to prepare dinner.

In the inner room, she sat on a beauty couch with Wanwan in her lap, then had Qingzhi dissolve the lotus seed candy she had bought into a sweet soup. Wanwan was still too young; eating candy herself was difficult, and there was always the risk of choking. Dissolving it into syrup made it safe.

After feeding Wanwan the sweet soup and dining together, Li Wu sent the child down with her nanny to rest.

When Qingzhi returned after instructing the maids to prepare hot water, she stepped into the inner room again.

Li Wu had not brought any maid with her when she went to He Zhiyu’s residence earlier.

Now, Qingzhi lowered her voice as she approached the reclining Li Wu. “Your Highness, did things go smoothly with Lord He?”

“Smoothly.”

Li Wu smiled without changing her expression.

Seeing her mistress’s calm face, Qingzhi felt slightly relieved. “If Lord He can change his mind soon, it would be wonderful.”

“Miss likes Your Highness and doesn’t want to be separated from you either.”

Though Qingzhi knew Li Wan was not truly Li Wu’s child, she also knew that from the moment Li Wu decided to bring the girl back to the capital, she had intended to raise her as her own. In the eyes of outsiders, Li Wan could only ever be Li Wu’s daughter.

Li Wu toyed with the jade pendant at her waist. “Lord He will come to the Princess’s residence to see Wanwan another day.”

Qingzhi froze. “Your Highness told him?”

Li Wu’s lips curved slightly. She hummed softly. “I told He Zhiyu that Wanwan is our child.”

Qingzhi was stunned again, then drew in a sharp breath.

Li Wu continued calmly, “So he said he would come to see her, and I agreed.”

Qingzhi had always known her mistress never acted by common logic, but this still startled her. After a moment, she began to grasp Li Wu’s intention.

“Your Highness, should we make preparations in advance?”

After a few breaths of thought, she asked carefully.

“I already have a plan.”

Li Wu smiled. When the maids brought in the hot water, Qingzhi helped her rise so she could bathe and freshen up.

Even though He Zhiyu had said “another day,” Li Wu knew he would never voluntarily come to the Princess’s residence.

But that was fine. In a few days, she would simply go find him herself.

And indeed, just as Li Wu had expected, He Zhiyu made no move to visit the Princess’s residence.

Since that day she had appeared at the Marquis’s residence, they hadn’t seen each other again. He was busy with a case he was investigating.

That case was linked to an old one.

He Zhiyu personally went into the archives to look for the files.

The archive was dimly lit and eerily quiet.

Many records had been stored for years, and as he turned the pages, a faint smell of decay lingered at his nose.

He focused intently on his work.

Lowering his head slightly, his handsome features were half hidden in the gloom, his dark eyes sharp and clear.

It took him some time to finally find the file he needed.

He stacked the dossiers neatly to one side, intending to organize them before leaving, when out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of vivid red.

He frowned, turned his head—and saw Li Wu leaning casually against a bookshelf, smiling as she watched him.

He didn’t know when she had come, or how long she had been there.

“Lord He.”

Their eyes met. Li Wu’s smile was bright as she looked straight into his gaze. “I came to find you.”

This was the Dali Temple’s archives. She had no business being here.

But He Zhiyu said nothing.

She was the Princess of Pingyang, a woman of high rank. The officials here couldn’t touch her, nor could they bear such responsibility. It was natural she hadn’t been stopped.

Since no one could stop her, it wasn’t strange that she had made her way into the archives.

He Zhiyu picked up the stack of files and strode toward the door. “Your Highness, I have official duties.”

Li Wu also moved, still smiling. “That’s fine. Lord He can work. I’m free today, so I have time to wait.”

Though her words said one thing, she blocked his path.

He Zhiyu raised his eyes, his face expressionless. “Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.”

Li Wu asked with a smile, “Will Lord He be free after court today?”

“I’ve been waiting in the Princess’s residence for so long without seeing you. I had no choice but to come to Dali Temple myself.”

Several figures passed by just outside.

Li Wu’s voice wasn’t loud, but loud enough for those outside to hear.

She had always acted flamboyantly and high-profile.

He Zhiyu knew that by now, all of Dali Temple would have learned she was in the archives, that he was there as well, and that she had “come especially” to see him.

Naturally, curious colleagues began sneaking peeks.

Every word and gesture of Li Wu’s would spread quickly.

If he refused to go to the Princess’s residence, she would come to Dali Temple. Either way, she got the attention she wanted.

He Zhiyu’s eyes flickered as he stared at her smiling face.

Whether he went to the Princess’s residence or not, she would still succeed. She needed no cooperation from him.

In this round, once again, he had lost.

Carrying the stack of files, he left the archives with her.

Under the curious gazes of his colleagues, after giving a few brief instructions, he followed Li Wu out of Dali Temple.

The Princess’s carriage was waiting outside.

Li Wu boarded first, lifting the curtain with delicate fingers, smiling at him. “Lord He, come up.”

He Zhiyu stood before the ornate carriage, silent.

But Li Wu only smiled, and in the end, he entered in silence, sitting opposite her.

“Back to the residence.”

At her order, the driver immediately set the carriage rolling toward the Princess’s palace.

Inside the carriage, it was only the two of them.

He Zhiyu sat brooding, refusing to look at her.

Silence. She remained silent too.

Only the bustle of the marketplace drifted in as they passed through the busy streets.

Until Li Wu mischievously tapped the toe of her embroidered red shoe against his black boot.

The tiny movement, her pearl-decorated shoe brushing against his, was laden with intimacy.

He Zhiyu frowned.

Then he heard Li Wu ask, with utter seriousness:

“He Zhiyu, do you blame me?”