Chapter 3

Pei Xuan escorted me to the palace gate.

Because of what I had said earlier, I kept my head lowered throughout the walk and did not dare look at him.

Only then did I bid him farewell in a small voice.

“You need not come any farther, Your Highness. I will be going home.”

His tone was placid, revealing no emotion.

“Miss Shen, you need not take Mother’s words to heart. Whether I enter the monastery is my own decision. It has nothing to do with anyone else.”

I bit my lip but could not stop myself from speaking.

“I have visited Xiangguo Temple to offer incense. It is cold and deserted. All anyone does is chant sutras or strike wooden fish. It is dreadfully dull.”

“And your hair is so beautiful. It would be a terrible pity to shave it all off.”

I stared at Pei Xuan and imagined him without hair. The thought was utterly horrifying.

The corner of his mouth twitched, and his voice seemed a shade less cool.

“The pleasures of the mundane world are merely external things. Beauty fades into bare bones in the blink of an eye. When the heart follows its true direction, joy comes of itself.”

I nodded as though I understood.

“Mm-hmm. You have a point.”

…

When I left the palace, my elder sister was waiting beside our carriage.

Pei Qing stood with her, keeping her company.

Unlike the careless way he behaved around me, he stood perfectly straight now, a gentle smile on his face.

Pei Qing’s birth mother and mine were old friends, and she often brought my elder sister and me into the palace.

My sister was two years older than us and more composed. She preferred watching Pei Qing and me romp about.

As a child, Pei Qing often tormented me with caterpillars, yet he never frightened my sister even once.

He would even painstakingly chase away every ant near her.

Once, he obtained an exquisite interlocking ring made of green jade.

It was the very one I had seen in the hands of the Crown Prince’s attendant a few days earlier.

At the time, I had told Pei Qing enviously.

“It is so ingeniously made. Taking it apart must be great fun.”

I never expected him to actually obtain it for me.

Delighted, I reached for it, but Pei Qing held it high beyond my grasp.

He laughed teasingly. “Shen Youning, I never said it was for you. Aren’t you being awfully familiar?”

I shot back, “I’m the only one who told you I wanted it. If it isn’t for me, then who else could it be for?”

Pei Qing denied it. “Why can’t it be for Sister Wanhe?”

“Sister Wanhe, do you like it? It is yours.”

My sister had no interest in the puzzle ring. She shook her head with a faint smile and watched us squabble.

I was too busy jumping for the ring in Pei Qing’s raised hand to notice the disappointment that flashed in his eyes.

He let me chase him around several times. Only when my cheeks puffed with anger did he stop and give me the ring.

“Shen Youning, who chases people around trying to snatch their things and then gets angry when she fails? You’re so unreasonable. How will you ever find a husband?”

Although I had obtained the ring I wanted, I was no longer as happy as I had been at first.

Pei Qing always liked to tease me. The more I wanted something, the more he refused to give it to me outright.

He would wait until I was nearly furious, then hand it over as though he could no longer put up with me.

Just as with the kite contest, when he had stubbornly refused to shoot mine.

Did he not know that if he truly shot down my sister’s kite, he would have to marry her as his consort?

Or was the person Pei Qing actually loved not me, but my elder sister?

Fortunately, I no longer needed to dwell on that question.

When she saw me emerge, my sister came forward and asked gently.

“Youning, why did Her Majesty summon you?”

Before I could speak, Pei Qing mocked me.

“What else? Her Majesty must have told Youning to stop dreaming. How could Crown Prince Brother ever marry her?”

“Sister Wanhe, you don’t know what happened. Shen Youning insisted that I shoot down her kite today and even said she was afraid someone else might hit it.”

“Her kite was huge and ugly. Everyone avoided it for fear of hitting it by accident.”

I bit my lip and lowered my eyes without speaking.

Ordinarily, I would already have started arguing with him.

Pei Qing found this strange.

“Shen Youning, aren’t you usually so sharp-tongued? Why have you nothing to say?”

My sister noticed something was wrong and gently drew me to her side.

“Youning put great care into her kite. Someone who likes it will surely appreciate it.”

“Your Highness, it is getting late. We will take our leave.”

With a trace of reluctance, Pei Qing spoke courteously.

“Travel safely, Sister Wanhe. Until next time.”

After a moment’s thought, he added.

“All right, Shen Youning, don’t be angry. Next time, I promise I will shoot your kite first.”