A Quiet Homecoming

After noon, the heat crept steadily higher.

The side hall had been prepared with basins of ice long before. Wisps of cool air drifted from the rims of the bronze vessels, slowly seeping into the room, as if the summer heat itself had been barred at the door.

Chen Yao had been leaning against the daybed by the window, head bowed, carefully flipping through a storybook Cheng Yue had found for her.

But after a while, her page-turning slowed, and her head began to dip. Sleepiness washed over her all at once.

"Miss, would you like to rest on the bed?"

Cheng Yue paused her fanning and leaned down to ask softly.

Chen Yao pressed her forehead lightly, then nodded slowly. "Mm."

She didn't usually nap, but perhaps it was the heat and the heavier midday meal—for once, she felt drowsy in the afternoon.

She set her storybook aside, and just as Cheng Yue moved to help her up, she waved her hand slightly in dismissal.

Then she said gently, "Cheng Yue, go rest as well. I won't need anyone while I sleep."

Cheng Yue hesitated a moment, then obediently replied, "Yes, miss."

Once she had withdrawn, Chen Yao slowly rose from the daybed and padded over to the bed.

She looked at the exquisite, ornately carved bed before her, paused briefly, then slipped off her outer robe and hung it on the clothes rack by the headboard. She turned and sat down sideways on the edge of the bed.

Compared to her slender frame, the bed seemed large enough to fit three more people with room to spare.

The mattress beneath was plush and soft. The moment Chen Yao lay down, she felt as though she were sinking gently into it.

She unconsciously nuzzled against the brocade pillow, closed her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, and soon her breathing grew long and even.

Within the hall, all fell silent. Only the wind slipped through the room, stirring the long beaded curtains so they swayed with a faint, crisp rustle.

Chen Yao's sleep was not deep. In the middle of the afternoon, she slowly drifted back to wakefulness.

Her long lashes trembled slightly. Though her mind was still hazy, she slowly opened her eyes.

Cheng Yue, waiting outside, caught the faint rustling from within and lowered her voice to ask tentatively, "Miss, have you woken?"

Chen Yao rubbed her eyes a little, answered with a soft sound, and slowly sat up in bed.

Only then did Cheng Yue carefully push aside the layered gauze curtains and beaded veils, tiptoeing in.

But the moment she reached the bedside, Chen Yao couldn't help noticing the sheer excitement on her face—as if she'd found a gold ingot on the road.

"Has something happy happened?" she asked with a faint smile.

"Miss," Cheng Yue bent her knees in a curtsey and reported with a smile, "while you were resting, His Majesty sent Eunuch De to bring over a great many gifts!"

"They came in large vermilion-lacquered, gold-painted chests, filled with the finest silks and satins, gold and silver jewelry. Eunuch De also said that His Majesty instructed: if none of these caught your eye, you were free to send someone to the imperial storeroom to pick out anything you liked."

As she spoke, her eyes practically sparkled, her face brimming with uncontainable joy.

Even though the gifts were meant for her, Cheng Yue seemed even more delighted than she herself was.

Chen Yao caught a little of that joy, and her pretty eyes curved into a gentle smile. "His Majesty has been most thoughtful. Please rise. If you see something you like, feel free to keep a simple piece of jewelry for yourself."

She thought for a moment, then quickly added, "And have Lian Yun choose one for herself as well."

Of the two head palace maids the Empress Dowager had assigned to her, Cheng Yue handled her personal attendance, while Lian Yun managed day-to-day affairs. Both had proved quite diligent.

"Thank you, miss!"

Cheng Yue immediately curtsied again. She hadn't expected to receive a reward herself, and the smile on her face widened further.

She helped Chen Yao rise from the bed, thoughtfully tying her outer robe back on, then asked tentatively, "Miss, would you like to look at the gifts now?"

Chen Yao wasn't really interested in such trinkets, since she couldn't take anything from this small world with her anyway.

But seeing how eager Cheng Yue looked, just like a child about to unwrap a present—though, thinking on it, the girl was young enough that it made sense—she reconsidered. After all, these were gifts from the emperor. If she seemed too indifferent, it could be mistaken for arrogance born of favor.

So, weighing the thought for a moment, Chen Yao finally nodded lightly. "Alright, bring them in, then."

"Yes, miss!" Cheng Yue hurriedly agreed, then trotted off to announce it.

Chen Yao shook her head with a hint of helplessness.

Before long, Cheng Yue came running back, followed by Lian Yun leading a group of palace maids who carried the large vermilion-lacquered chests in single file.

"Greetings, miss." The attendants set the chests down steadily, opened the lids one by one, then bowed in unison.

Chen Yao raised a hand slightly. "Rise, all of you."

She lowered her gaze to the chests before her—dazzling, luxurious jewelry, and shimmering gold-threaded brocade... every item carried an air of priceless worth.

Lian Yun, evidently more knowledgeable, stood to one side and carefully introduced each piece to the young woman.

"These bangles are made of Hetian mutton-fat jade. The texture is warm and moist, the color like congealed cream—truly the finest of jades."

"This strand of pearls comes from the deep waters of the South Sea, each one round and lustrous. It's said they yield only one such strand in ten years."

"This bolt of gold gauze silk is woven with the finest gold threads into the gauze, a new tribute from a vassal state—only two bolts a year."

"And also—"

Chen Yao patiently looked through every item before having the chests closed, then said gently, "Lian Yun, I'll leave these in your care."

She truly had no expertise in such matters, nor did she understand how to properly store them. Fortunately, with capable Lian Yun around, she was spared the trouble.

At that, Lian Yun bowed promptly. "Yes, miss, rest assured."

After she led the chest-carrying attendants out, it wasn't long before she returned alone—this time, carefully cradling an ancient zither in her arms.

"Miss, I nearly forgot to mention. His Majesty heard that you've always loved playing the zither, so he had Eunuch De deliver this additional gift—the Jade Luan Qin."

Chen Yao: "..."

Who said that? And where exactly did Xiao Mingting hear it from?

Her gaze fell on the zither before her. Its body was dark and weighty, and at the head, embedded with a piece of gleaming white Hetian jade carved into the shape of a soaring phoenix. No wonder it was called the "Jade Luan."

Seeing the young woman staring at the zither, absolutely transfixed, Lian Yun stepped forward quickly, bent down, and presented the instrument steadily.

"It's said this Jade Luan Qin was crafted by Lü Shirou, the famous zither master of the previous dynasty. Its tone is clear and penetrating, like jade striking jade," she added by way of introduction.

Chen Yao took a deep breath inwardly.

In the next moment, a look of delighted surprise spread across her pretty face. Her almond-shaped eyes shone bright as she reached out and carefully accepted the Jade Luan Qin.

She lowered her head, tracing the jade phoenix carving at the zither's head with fingertips like peeled scallions.

Finally, unable to contain herself, she hugged the zither to her chest and spun on the spot in a light, joyful turn, her lotus-root-colored skirt flaring slightly. She looked for all the world like someone who had just received a rare treasure.

In stark contrast, inside her head, Chen Yao wilted completely. "No... I don't like it at all..."

"Think about your character points," System 04 kindly reminded her.

Chen Yao was practically crying inside.

Yet she had to keep up the facade of delight in front of others.

She carried the zither over to the desk by the window and sat down, carefully settling it in place, before composing her expression and quietly tuning the strings.

Soon, clear and melodic notes flowed gently from her fingertips—like fresh rain over an empty mountain, like a babbling brook, their lingering resonance spiraling through the hall.

Cheng Yue and Lian Yun exchanged a glance, both unable to hide the smile in their eyes.

Recalling how indifferent the young woman had been toward the jewelry and silks earlier, it seemed the Jade Luan Qin was the one gift that had truly reached her heart.

*

Evening came.

Outside the window, the night had already fallen thick and dark. After finishing her dinner, Chen Yao waited a long while, but Xiao Mingting still hadn't shown up. It surprised her a little.

"Host, you're not feeling lonely and empty, are you?" System 04 said, a bit stunned.

Chen Yao: "..."

She nearly choked on his ridiculous phrasing and rolled her eyes hard.

"Don't talk nonsense," she retorted, her small face taut with irritation. "I'm just thinking this doesn't fit Xiao Mingting's character at all. He went through so much trouble to coax me into the palace, yet there's no sign of him even now. Don't you find that strange?"

She was sitting at the vanity, clutching the kingfisher-feather gold phoenix hairpin that Xiao Mingting had forced her to accept earlier.

Looking at the exquisite nine phoenix tails adorning the pin, she arched her pretty brows, and a proud, willful curve formed on her stunning face—a fleeting trace of arrogance.

Reflected in the flickering candlelight, she soon let the expression fall, rubbed her temples, and tucked the hairpin back into the bottom of her jewelry box.

Then she slowly rose and walked to the bed.

A night breeze carried a hint of cool air in through the window. Chen Yao's gaze fixed on the slightly open window not far away. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't cross the room to close it.

Sure enough, when all was silent and the entire palace seemed wrapped in the thick darkness, with the air itself steeped in stillness—

Suddenly, a gust of night wind burst through the window. In the side hall, the long beaded curtains swayed gently, and the gauze drapes by the bed lifted in layered waves.

The next second, a tall, imposing figure appeared in the room like a specter, silent and sudden.

The candle flame on the bronze holder danced quietly, casting a long shadow that stretched the man's silhouette far across the floor, finally coming to rest on the curtained bed at the far end.