Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 43

Seeing that Puyang was very guilty, as if she had something difficult to say, Wei Xiu raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Is there something you find inconvenient to say?”

Puyang’s face instantly turned from pink to a deep crimson, and even her gaze became evasive, darting to some unknown spot. But she couldn’t resist turning her eyes back to Wei Xiu’s face, letting them linger for a moment on the handsome, straight bridge of her nose before uncontrollably drifting downward, first to her vermilion lips, then to her jade-like chin and neck, and finally to a certain place below her collarbones.

It was better not to think about it, for once she started, she couldn’t stop. Puyang’s mind was filled with reveries. She kept feeling that Sir shouldn’t be wearing any clothes at all.

Wei Xiu grew even more perplexed. She secretly pondered the matter but still couldn’t figure out how Puyang could possibly know.

Puyang finally managed to tear her gaze away from that spot. As soon as she looked up, she saw Wei Xiu watching her with suspicion. Puyang’s eyes instantly resembled those of a startled cat, fur on end, as she hastily looked away.

Wei Xiu was speechless. She silently lowered her head and glanced at the place Puyang had just been staring at. Seeming to understand something, her face instantly turned ashen.

Puyang sensed trouble. The instinct for self-preservation took over. She stood up and said quickly, “I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.” Before the words had fully left her mouth, she was already on her feet and heading out. At the doorway, she felt a pang of unease, fearing that Sir might leave just like that. She stopped, turned back, and said, putting on a brave front, “You—you’re not allowed to leave!”

After saying this, she vanished like a gust of wind.

She fled as if someone was chasing her. Wei Xiu held her forehead, feeling quite ashamed, indignant, and annoyed. But when she recalled the princess’s flustered and panicked appearance, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, finding it utterly adorable.

But as soon as that thought emerged, it was as if a basin of icy water had been poured over her head, shocking Wei Xiu back to her senses. The smile had no time to retreat and froze on her lips. A dimness appeared in her eyes as she lowered her head in silence.

Feeling guilty, Puyang didn’t dare show her face before Wei Xiu for several days, afraid that her anger had not yet subsided. She instructed the household steward to watch Sir closely, warning that if Sir disappeared, he would be the only one held responsible. This led the steward to believe that Sir Wei had learned some strange art of vanishing into thin air, and he sent someone to peer at the small courtyard’s gate three times a day.

It would have been fine if she didn’t think about it, but once she did, the sight from that day would constantly surface in Puyang’s mind. Sir’s graceful figure, her smooth and delicate skin, the water droplets sliding down her chest, and those two bashfully tender pink points—it was all hazy and indistinct, yet so utterly captivating.

Puyang thought about it day and night, to the point where she could not sleep. This made her very flustered. She had never before been so preoccupied with thoughts of her teacher’s allure after a bath; it felt far too profane.

But Puyang could do nothing about it. She could control her own actions, not press Sir too hard, and convince herself to respect her teacher and never cross the line before receiving her consent. But how could one control the stirrings and fantasies of the heart?

With that dream and their connection from a past life, Puyang was full of confidence. She firmly believed that the path was merely a bit rugged, but one day, she would make Sir feel the same heart-stirring admiration for her.

When that time came, she wouldn’t have to merely think about it. Puyang felt more motivated than ever.

Since the New Year, warfare had been constant. With Liangzhou in turmoil, the Emperor was greatly vexed, and no one in the capital dared to be too festive for fear of angering him. Even the Prince of Zhao’s birthday was celebrated with only a simple private banquet in his residence with his consort and son.

If even the famously straightforward Prince of Zhao acted this way, it went without saying for the more cunning ones. Thus, for the past few months, excursions and banquets in the capital had become rare. Puyang, growing bored in her residence, wished to go out for a drink and a meal but had nowhere to go.

As it happened, the Emperor summoned her that day, so Puyang boarded her carriage and entered the palace.

Upon entering the imperial palace, she disembarked from her carriage to switch to a palanquin. This palace road leading to the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue was one Puyang knew all too well. Of the countless paths in the palace, she realized, looking back, that the one she had traveled most was the one to the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.

The palanquin proceeded steadily. Upon seeing it was the princess, the palace servants along the road all respectfully made way.

Puyang sat with her eyes closed, wondering why His Majesty had summoned her, when she suddenly felt the palanquin stop. Qin Kun’s voice sounded at the right moment: “Your Highness, it is the Prince of Donghai.”

Xiao Dewen? Puyang frowned inwardly and slowly opened her eyes. She saw Xiao Dewen standing respectfully by the side of the road, bowing to her.

Since New Year’s Eve, he seemed to have grown taller again, his body stretching out, becoming slender and upright. As he bowed in salute, his clear voice reached her ears: “Your nephew pays his respects to his imperial aunt.”

Puyang rose, and Qin Kun quickly reached out to support her.

She stepped down from the palanquin, walked before Xiao Dewen, and smilingly helped him up. “Dewen, dispense with the courtesies.”

Xiao Dewen straightened up and smiled at Puyang, looking obedient and sensible. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen you, Aunt. You haven’t come to visit your nephew.”

Puyang, like a benevolent elder, gently patted his shoulder and said in a soft voice, “Are we not seeing each other now? I rarely see you in the palace. What brings you here today?”

Xiao Dewen’s face lit up. He was a child, after all, and still liked to show off. A hint of pride and excitement escaped into his eyes. “Grandfather summoned me to ask what I have been learning recently.”

Puyang smiled. “Then you must study hard. Do not disappoint His Majesty.”

Xiao Dewen quickly agreed.

It was getting late, and Puyang had no intention of dallying with him. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Xiao Dewen say hesitantly, “There is a matter for which your nephew wishes to ask a favor of his aunt.”

Puyang raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“I have heard that there is a Sir Wei in my aunt’s residence who is erudite, magnificent, and dashing, praised endlessly even by His Majesty. Your nephew wishes to engage him as a private tutor and asks that my aunt convey this on my behalf,” Xiao Dewen said shyly, yet his seemingly clear eyes flashed with a hint of calculation and desire.

Hearing this, Puyang was already furious inside. How dare he scheme to snatch Sir away from her! On the surface, however, she still smiled benevolently, trying to draw him out. “You’re just a child. Where did you hear about this?”

Xiao Dewen hesitated slightly but quickly put on an innocent face. “It was Grandfather who mentioned it just now, so I kept it in mind.” Then he smiled very sweetly. “It is a rare request from your nephew. Aunt cannot refuse.”

What a little thing, having learned a whole repertoire of schemes. Truly troublesome. But no matter how troublesome, his age was what it was. Puyang could fool him if she wanted to. “I will ask her when I return. However, Sir Wei is someone His Majesty has taken note of. I’m afraid she cannot be compelled.”

Xiao Dewen thought about it and agreed. If that Sir Wei was truly so talented, why would she need to come and teach him? He grew hesitant, lowering his head in thought. Just as he had managed to come up with another idea, he heard Puyang say, “You should return to your residence now. Any later and your mother will be worried.”

With that, she left. One moment she was gentle and amiable, the next she was gone. Xiao Dewen’s words were stuck in his throat, and for a moment, he was rather dumbfounded.

His Majesty was not one to gossip without reason. Puyang knew this better than anyone. He would never mention Sir for no reason.

Arriving at the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, before Puyang could even bow, the Emperor came to support her, saying, “I’ve acquired a treasure. Come and have a look with me.”

Puyang chuckled. “So you wanted your daughter to come and admire a treasure with you.”

It was not merely about admiring a treasure with him; the Emperor was thinking that if his Seventh Lady liked it, he would have it sent to her residence. But what he said was, “It is dull to look at it alone. A treasure ought to be shared with my daughter.”

Puyang said nothing more, just smiled and followed the Emperor into a side hall, where she saw a Sui pearl in the center of the room, emitting a soft glow.

Puyang was greatly astonished. Sui pearls were rare, but given the favor she enjoyed, she had two in her own residence and had seen them several times here with the Emperor, so they were not particularly novel. But the one before her was absolutely incomparable to any she had seen before!

It was the size of a baby’s fist, lustrous all over, and enveloped in a pale blue glow. The light was extremely fine and even, yet not glaring. It could be called a treasure of a generation.

The Emperor smiled. “What do you think? Can it be called a supreme treasure?”

Puyang quickly retracted her gaze. “It is indeed rare.”

“This pearl is named Xuanli. Legend says it belonged to the Son of Heaven in ancient times.” The Emperor picked it up and played with it in his hand. The pearl’s light seemed to pass through his palm, with a faint glow seeping through the cracks between his fingers. If it was like this in the daytime, wouldn’t it be even more marvelous when night fell?

Puyang smiled. “Your daughter congratulates Father on obtaining such a supreme treasure.”

The Emperor smiled and shook his head. He handed it to Dou Hui at his side, ordering him to fetch a brocade box to store it. Then he turned to Puyang and said, “This is a gift for you. Take it back with you; it can be hung up like a candle.”

Puyang was slightly surprised but quickly smiled and curtsied. “Thank you, Father.”

The Emperor chuckled and bade her rise, leading her to a couch by the window to sit.

“Reinforcements have been sent to Liangzhou, and most of the rebels have been executed. Only a few bands remain, fleeing in the mountains. They no longer pose a threat.” Because of this victory report, the Emperor’s expression was relaxed, and his tone was more cheerful than it had been in months. “They caused trouble for nearly half a year. We’ve finally pacified them.”

The end of the conflict was always a good thing, and Puyang smiled as well. The Emperor then remembered something else and asked Puyang, “That Sir Wei is still at your residence, isn’t she? When will you bring her to see me?”

That 《Discourse on Relocating the Rong Tribes》 was a masterpiece for the ages. In the Emperor’s eyes, Wei Xiu was a rare talent living in seclusion. With such a talent, how could she not serve the court? He had been tied up with state affairs recently, but now he was free.

Puyang had known the Emperor would ask. Recalling what Xiao Dewen had said earlier, she replied, “Since Sir Wei wrote such a treatise, it shows she carries the common people in her heart. Sooner or later, your daughter will certainly persuade her to come and pay her respects to Father. However, on my way here, I ran into Dewen, and he also asked me about Sir Wei. Was it Father who told him about her?”

“I certainly did not tell him about that,” the Emperor said with a smile. “He’s just a child, what would he know? He probably just remembered it from hearing others discuss it.”

Puyang smiled.

She had sent a total of four people to the Prince of Donghai’s residence, and all had managed to stay there. One of them had even become close with Xiao Dewen’s personal attendant. While she couldn’t claim to know everything about the Prince of Donghai’s household, she knew what she needed to know.

Xiao Dewen’s mother had painstakingly raised him, teaching him to be clever and adept at reading situations. Not only that, but it was likely that Xiao Dewen’s maternal family also harbored some ambitions.

This in itself was nothing. Born into the imperial family, who didn’t have some thoughts and aspirations? But just now, Xiao Dewen had lied, claiming the Emperor had told him. Whether he did it intentionally or not, it showed that this child’s mind was deep, and he was extremely guarded.

What did it matter if he was guarded? If Sir didn’t still have a use for him, and if he wasn’t indeed the most suitable candidate at present, Puyang could immediately find a learned scholar to go and teach him crookedly.