Chapter 3
Now that I’d come back from the brink of death, I could see that this must have been the moment he realized.
The little fox he’d picked up by the roadside was no ordinary animal.
But how could a crown prince steeped in the ways of the mortal court ever let his delight show?
Just as now, while I sat playing the guqin before him.
He hadn’t changed.
His everyday clothes were as understated as ever: cloud-white brocade of quiet elegance. Apart from the crown prince’s pendant at his waist, anyone would have taken him for an unusually refined young scholar.
Beside him, Lu Chuyao wore splendid silks and tinkling ornaments. She looked noble and magnificent, utterly unlike the girl from a modest household she’d once been.
Of course. I’d spent less than a month healing in the parasol grove, but nearly two years had passed in the mortal world.
Even if she had only the outward polish, she was a crown princess now.
And a crown princess with a charm pearl, at that.
My gaze passed briefly over the pale purple, pearl-like pendant at her throat.
When the piece ended, I rose and bowed. “Your Highnesses.”
“No need to stand on ceremony, Miss Wan.”
Before Zhong Rui could speak, Lu Chuyao was already smiling.
She turned to him with a playfully reproachful air. “You said you’d found me a good guqin teacher. You didn’t say she was so remarkable.”
Zhong Rui answered gently, “Isn’t it a nicer surprise to discover that now?”
“Miss Wan was chosen after several rounds of selection. You heard her just now. Her skill far surpasses that of the palace musicians.”
He smiled faintly. “You said you wanted to learn, so I found you the finest teacher. Work hard. No slacking.”
Lu Chuyao nodded obediently. “I know. Don’t worry. I’ll practice properly and show everyone at the palace banquet in a few months!”
Zhong Rui fondly brushed the hair at her temple. “Good.”
I kept my head slightly bowed, watching it all from the corner of my eye.
A lovely couple.
A liar and a thief.
Lu Chuyao had been full of confidence in front of Zhong Rui. Once lessons began, she discovered it wasn’t so easy.
I’d only spent a few days teaching her basic musical theory and notation, then a few more having her practice the finger techniques.
When she came to the music room that morning, she cradled her hands and asked, “Ah Yin, did your fingers hurt this much when you first learned?”
I showed her the calluses on mine.
She sighed deeply. “Will mine end up like that too?”
Then she glanced at my face and hastily added, “I don’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. But if I get calluses, what if His Highness dislikes them?”
Nanny Wu happened to enter with tea and refreshments and laughed. “What are you saying, Your Highness? His Highness will love you just the same, however you change.”
Since she’d married into the Eastern Palace, everyone who met her, imperial relatives and servants alike, had formed a favorable impression of her. They trusted her and felt close to her.
As though she’d been born with that charm.
But I knew it was all because of the pendant at her throat.
That was my inner core.
Once a divine nine-tailed fox attained sufficient cultivation, its inner core was also known as a charm pearl.
Across vast lands and a thousand years, only a scant few could achieve it.
A mortal who wore a charm pearl would be loved by all beneath heaven.
If all went as expected, Zhong Rui would one day become emperor. Then she would be empress.
The mother of the nation should, of course, be beloved by everyone.
I sneered inwardly, but remained respectful. “If your hands hurt, Your Highness, why not rest today and resume tomorrow?”
Her eyes lit up. “May I? Won’t it slow my progress?”
I smiled and shook my head. “Not for just one day.”
She leaned over and whispered, “Then don’t tell His Highness I’ve been lazy.”
Only when I’d assured her did she rise. “You must be tired from teaching every day too, Ah Yin. Have a rest today as well. We’ll continue tomorrow.”
I watched her leave the music room happily, and the smile faded from my face.
I’d been here long enough. It was time to make a move.