"Father?" Jiuzhu blinked at Ming Jingzhou, puzzled by his silence.
Ming Jingzhou snapped out of his thoughts and nodded with a smile. "Don't worry. As a loyal subject, I will fulfill my duties and not disappoint His Majesty."
If it were Prince Chen who disappointed His Majesty, that would have nothing to do with him.
"It's getting late. You should head back now," Ming Jingzhou said gently. "I will escort His Highness inside first."
"Understood. I won't disturb you and His Highness any further." Jiuzhu took a few steps back, waving her hand. "Please go ahead."
Prince Chen, sensing the perfunctory tone in Ming Jingzhou's words, raised an eyebrow and smiled at Jiuzhu before following Ming Jingzhou into the Ministry of Rites.
As they walked, the officials they encountered along the way seemed to regard Prince Chen as if he were a ferocious beast, hurriedly bowing and then scurrying away. Compared to them, Ming Jingzhou, who led the way, appeared almost normal.
"Your Highness, this is where my colleagues and I usually dine. Perhaps you would like to rest in the room first? After I finish my meal, I will report to you about the affairs of the Ministry of Rites," Ming Jingzhou said, placing a food box on the ground and bowing respectfully to Prince Chen.
"There's no need for such formality, Minister Ming." Prince Chen bent down to pick up the food box, wiping its bottom with a handkerchief. "It just so happens that I haven't had lunch yet. I hope you won't mind if I join you at the table."
Ming Jingzhou: "..."
He did mind, but he didn't dare say it.
"Your Highness, this way." Ming Jingzhou pushed open the door to the ministry's dining hall. The officials inside, who had been chatting, abruptly fell silent and hastily stood up to bow to Prince Chen. Ming Jingzhou felt an odd sense of satisfaction.
This was how it should be—sharing hardships was what true colleagues did.
"Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities. I came here to seek your guidance," Prince Chen said, choosing an empty table and placing the food box on it. "We'll be working together in the future, so please treat me as an ordinary colleague."
Everyone knew Prince Chen was merely being polite, but for them, the fact that he was willing to extend such courtesy was already a great honor.
In their expectations, Prince Chen might have left after a brief visit, or he might have bossed them around, nitpicking and finding fault with everything.
The Minister of Rites, Li En, let out a long sigh of relief. Prince Chen... wasn't as difficult to deal with as they had feared.
Human nature was such that when expectations were too high, people tended to find fault. But if someone was usually arrogant and unreasonable, a sudden display of politeness could feel like a pleasant surprise, even making one feel special for receiving such treatment.
Prince Chen arranged the dishes from the food box on the table and had a servant bring rice. Noticing Ming Jingzhou still standing nearby, he smiled and said, "Minister Ming, why don't you sit down and join me?"
Ming Jingzhou looked at the delicious-looking dishes, his hands trembling slightly inside his sleeves.
These were his dishes, kept warm by hot water at the bottom of the food box, delivered all the way here without cooling down!
He sat down, picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks from the table, and with a snap, they broke in two.
Prince Chen paused mid-motion, staring at the broken chopstick tip that had fallen onto the table.
"My apologies, Your Highness," Ming Jingzhou said awkwardly, replacing the broken chopsticks with a new pair. "The Ministry of Rites has limited funds, so our utensils are reused and quite fragile. Even we scholars often accidentally break them."
"I see," Prince Chen said, picking up the broken chopsticks and tossing them into a nearby waste basket. "Once I'm familiar with the affairs of the Ministry, I will petition His Majesty for funds to renovate the ministry."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Li En said, approaching with his bowl and chopsticks. "Later, I can show you around and point out the areas in dire need of repair, so you won't accidentally walk under crumbling walls or roofs."
Prince Chen: "..."
"If Your Highness finds my company dull, Minister Ming can join us," Li En added with a flattering smile. "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Prince Chen fell silent, wondering where he had gone wrong to end up on the path of securing funds for the Ministry of Rites.
Initially, he had only intended to visit the Ministry, find an excuse to tell His Majesty that he didn't fit in here, and leave.
"Your Highness?" Li En looked at him expectantly.
Prince Chen set down his chopsticks. "Thank you, Minister. I will be more careful in the future."
Li En gently nudged Ming Jingzhou with his elbow, hoping he would clarify that the issue wasn't about being careful but about the Ministry's dire need for funds.
Ming Jingzhou, however, lowered his head and continued eating with refined elegance.
He was just a humble, hungry scholar who wanted to enjoy his meal in peace.
After delivering the meal to her father, Jiuzhu happily boarded her carriage to return home.
Along the way, the carriage came to a halt.
"Miss, the carriage ahead belongs to the Pingyuan Marquisate," Chunfen said, lifting the curtain and leaning out to ask Jiuzhu, "Should we yield the way?"
"The Pingyuan Marquisate?" Jiuzhu peeked out the window and saw a crowd of servants surrounding the carriage, with passersby hurriedly making way.
"Let them pass," Jiuzhu said, withdrawing her gaze and lowering the curtain.
Chunfen nodded and turned to the coachman. "Miss has ordered us to yield to the Pingyuan Marquisate's carriage."
Inside the Pingyuan Marquisate's carriage, the elderly lady noticed the brief pause and asked her maid, "What's happening ahead?"
"A carriage was blocking the way, but they yielded upon learning our identity," the maid replied, gently massaging the lady's shoulders.
"Tell the younger ones in the family not to flaunt our status when we're out. We mustn't tarnish the reputation of Her Majesty and Prince Qi," the lady said, closing her eyes to rest. "Do we know which family's carriage it was? Have Wangnan go and express our thanks."
With her son seriously ill, the eldest grandson, Zheng Wangnan, the heir to the marquisate, was the most suitable to show the family's humility.
"I am Zheng Wangnan, heir to the Pingyuan Marquisate. Thank you for yielding the way," Zheng Wangnan said, glancing at the carriage without a family crest. He remained on his horse, offering a slight bow.
"You're too kind, Young Master Zheng. The elderly should always be given precedence. As a junior, it is only proper for my lady to yield," Chunfen said, stepping down from the carriage and performing a deep bow.
Zheng Wangnan looked at the maid, feeling a faint sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
"Young Master, please proceed," Chunfen said, gesturing politely.
"Thank you, miss," Zheng Wangnan said, bowing once more toward the carriage.
As he prepared to leave, another rider approached.
"Prince Qi!" Zheng Wangnan recognized the rider and quickly dismounted, leading his horse to the side to make way.
"Cousin," Prince Qi said, noticing the Pingyuan Marquisate's carriage and bringing his horse to a stop.
The members of the marquisate, who had been sitting inside the carriage, all stepped out.
"Grandmother, please don't stand on ceremony," Prince Qi said, dismounting and supporting the elderly lady. "Where are you all headed?"
"Your wedding is approaching, and I, being old and frail, can only take the younger generation to the temple to pray for your continued blessings and success," the lady said, her eyes filled with affection. "How have you been, Your Highness?"
"Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. I am well. But you seem to have lost weight. If my affairs have caused you distress, how could I ever forgive myself?" Prince Qi noticed the unmarked carriage in the corner, which had clearly yielded to the marquisate's procession. "Whose carriage is that?"
The curtain of the carriage shifted, and a young woman in a pale blue dress stepped down, supported by her maid.
"This humble subject greets Prince Qi."
Zheng Wangnan's eyes lit up. It was the young lady who had turned an ordinary hairpin into a shining star.
The women of the Zheng family, however, paled. The seemingly ordinary carriage had been carrying Prince Chen's fiancée!
Recalling how Empress Su had openly shown her favor during the imperial banquet, they felt a pang of guilt.
When the two carriages had met earlier, they hadn't even considered yielding. If Empress Su found out they had forced her future daughter-in-law to make way on the street...
Prince Qi glanced at the Zheng family's expressions and returned Jiuzhu's half-bow. "Miss Ming."
Jiuzhu stepped aside to avoid the bow, lowering her head and keeping her gaze modest. "This humble servant does not dare to accept Your Highness's courtesy."
"Earlier, I did not realize it was Miss Ming passing by. The coachman was ignorant and delayed your journey," the Dowager of Pingyuan Marquisate took a step back. "Miss Ming, please proceed."
Jiuzhu smiled gently. "The Dowager is an elder. How could I, a junior, disrespect an elder? However, since the Dowager is conversing with Prince Qi, I do not wish to intrude. Please forgive me for taking my leave first."
The carriage of Pingyuan Marquisate moved aside, clearing a wide path.
Jiuzhu curtsied to the Dowager and Prince Qi. "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Qi, and thank you, Dowager."
From beginning to end, she did not spare Prince Qi a single glance, despite his reputation for being the most elegant and handsome man in the capital, the one who made countless women swoon.
"She... she's the Ming family's daughter?" Zheng Wangnan stared blankly as the carriage disappeared into the distance. "How can she be the Ming family's daughter?"
The Ming family's daughter—wasn't she the fiancée of Prince Chen?
Hearing Zheng Wangnan's soft murmur, Prince Qi turned to glance at him.
"Wangnan," the Dowager spoke up. "Go to the carriage and fetch the protective talisman I requested for His Highness."
"Yes," Zheng Wangnan snapped out of his daze, not even having time to mourn the little deer in his heart that had died before it could be born.
"Miss," Chunfen observed Jiuzhu's expression carefully. "You seem to dislike Prince Qi and the people from Pingyuan Marquisate. I thought that someone as elegant, gentle, and handsome as Prince Qi would at least not be someone you actively dislike."
Her young lady was always so kind and considerate; she wouldn't dislike someone without reason. There must be something wrong with Prince Qi and Pingyuan Marquisate.
"He's good-looking?" Jiuzhu disagreed. "Prince Chen is the one who's good-looking. When he smiles, his eyes shine so brightly, like the morning sun."
Chunfen didn't see much difference in the way the two princes smiled. After all, they were both royal princes of noble status.
"Sister Chunfen, is my dislike for them very obvious?"
"Not too obvious. Others wouldn't notice, but those close to you might pick up on it." Chunfen lifted the carriage curtain and glanced back. Prince Qi was supporting the Dowager's hand, and many women on the roadside were stealing glances at him.
Jiuzhu recalled the struggle and despair she felt eight years ago, when muddy river water filled her mouth and nose. "Perhaps some people are just inherently incompatible. Dislike is dislike; no amount of forcing it will change that."
No matter how beautifully Prince Qi smiled, she couldn't help but remember the taste of river water mixed with the stench of mud.
Dark, damp, carrying the scent of death.
In Taiyang Palace, Emperor Longfeng had personally drafted two imperial edicts, neither of which had yet been stamped with the imperial seal.
One edict promoted Ming Jingzhou to the title of Earl of Ningkang.
The other edict elevated Ming Jingzhou's daughter to the rank of County Princess.
"Your Majesty, the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has arrived."
"Minister, after all this time calculating, have you reached a conclusion?"
"Your Majesty, the astrological readings for Miss Ming and Prince Chen indicate a fate intertwined like clouds parting to reveal the moon, the sun rising to illuminate the sky, and a tree flourishing with vines. Should the tree wither, the vines will perish."
"Minister, speak plainly."
"Their destinies are deeply connected. Together, they will bring prosperity to each other. Separated, calamity will follow."
Emperor Longfeng chuckled softly, neither affirming nor denying the validity of such fate readings. "Then have you calculated an auspicious date for their wedding?"
"The second day of the second month next spring, when the Flower Goddess descends."
"The second day of the second month, the day the dragon raises its head—a most auspicious day indeed." Emperor Longfeng laughed heartily, picking up the imperial seal and stamping it firmly on the edict promoting Ming Jingzhou to Earl of Ningkang.
The Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau bowed his head even lower. Most emperors were sensitive to the word "dragon," and he dared not respond.
"This day is fitting for my son's grand wedding."
