chapter 61 - A Plea Under the Willow

Yizé's Pov

The moon loomed in the sky, its silvery light barely breaching the veils of darkness draped across the imperial gardens. I moved quietly and carefully through the courtyard, which was a labyrinth of stone and whispering leaves, but I knew its pathways as well as my own mind. The night was still, but my thoughts wasn't.

Under a willow tree, I found him. Prince Yizong, seated calmly, cradling a porcelain cup in his hand. The faint aroma of tea mingled with the crisp air. He did not see me at first, lost in his quiet contemplation.

He looked peaceful in the serene darkness.

For a moment, I hesitated, then stepped forward, inclining my head in respect. "My prince."

He glanced up, his expression barely revealing his surprise. "Yizé," he called my name. "No need for formalities anymore."

"What brings you here?"

I lowered myself to my knees, the cool stone biting through the fabric of my robes. My forehead nearly brushed the ground as I spoke, each of my words chosen with care. "There is a matter that demands your attention, my prince. It concerns Lady Xiao."

The air seemed to still, his cup halting mid-motion. He said nothing, but the faint tightening of his jaw spoke volumes. I stayed still, waiting for him to speak.

Yizong sipped his tea quietly. He barely looked at me and his face was a mask of indifference. I took in a deep breath and continued, "I'll get straight to the point, my prince," I said. "Your connection to Lady Xiao has placed her in a precarious position, as I'm sure you've realized."

His eyes shifted toward me, slow and distant, like he wasn't entirely here yet I pressed on. "Rumors are spreading fast. If nothing is done, her reputation will be destroyed completely."

I lowered my head, not in submission but in earnestness. "I beg you, my prince, to make her your wife."

I knew I was overstepping, the request wasn't mine to make, but desperation had driven me to speak it. Protecting Lady Xiao wasn't my duty, yet how could I ignore her plight?

I met Prince Yizong's eyes, hoping my loyalty to Prince Cheng might grant weight to my appeal. But his expression remained an enigma, unreadable as the night sky, giving me nothing to hold onto.

"Only a formal union can protect her," I added, my voice quieter now. "It's the only way to shield her from further ruin."

After a long moment, he finally spoke. "I see that your plea is born of loyalty and care,"

"The mark of a devoted protector."

His words should have been a comfort, but the pause that followed told me otherwise.

"But," he continued, "I cannot marry her."

I held my breath, my jaw tight with the effort of holding back the words that threatened to spill out unchecked. The moonlight seemed colder now, and the willow's branches swayed wildly.

"Forgive me, Your Highness,"

"I mean no disrespect by suggesting your options are limited. But Xiao's… reputation…" I trailed off, unable to say more without my anger slipping through.

He sighed, his calm demeanor unshaken. "I understand your concern, Yizé," he said quietly. "I care for Xiao as well, but that is precisely why I cannot marry her out of pity."

His words stung, but I watched as he stood and walked toward the pond. He stopped at the edge, staring at the water as the fishes swam peacefully beneath the surface.

"Protecting Xiao's reputation is important," he continued, his eyes fixed on the rippling water. "But a marriage born of necessity would only bring her loneliness.. Isolation."

I couldn't help but clench my fists at his reasoning. "And what of your child?" I asked firmly as I stepped closer. "Do you not worry about how this will affect the future of the unborn child?"

His shoulders stiffened, but he didn't turn to face me. Then I took another step forward, "You speak of not marrying out of pity,"

"But can you truly not see the mess this has become? The emperor has yet to decide Lady Xiao's fate. Your engagement is teetering on the edge of collapse. What else is left? What other course can you possibly take?"

The gentle lapping of the pond and the faint rustle of the willow above seemed almost mocking in their serenity.

"I've done what I can to make things right," His hands rested behind his back as he took a few steps forward, the crisp night air stirring his robes. Then he turned to me, his expression calm but unyielding. "But marrying her because of what has happened? That is not a life you would wish on Lady Xiao if you truly cared for her."

His words struck a nerve, but I kept my face neutral. "There's still time to—"

"Prince Yizong!" The words tore from me, louder than I intended, the frustration I'd been holding back finally spilling over.

He froze for a moment, then turned fully to face me, "I believe this is my affair, Yizé. You have no place involving yourself in it." His voice was firmer now.

I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to push down the anger and frustration rising inside me. Slowly, I stepped back, lowering myself into a deep bow.

"Thank you, my prince… for your time," The bitterness in my voice was barely hidden.

Without another glance, I turned and left.

———

The sun rose earlier than expected, its golden light flowing across the royal gardens and blossoming peach trees. Prince Xuan walked quietly through the verdant paths, while Yu Yue followed a few steps behind, taking in the beauty surrounding them.

Reaching a quiet spot under the shade of a tree, Prince Xuan stopped, his hand gesturing toward a vibrant cluster of ripe fruits hanging low from the branches. "Please," he said with a warm smile, "join me. Their colors are far too tempting to ignore."

Yú Yue nodded swiftly without a second's thought.

Xuan plucked the plumpest fruits, and led her to a secluded spot where they could sit.

She took the fruits in her hands and hurried to the flowing pond nearby to rinse them. Once cleaned, she placed them on the folds of her robe as she sat beside Prince Xuan.

"Once," Yú Yue began, her lips curving into a smile as they shared the fruits, "I tried to gather an entire pomegranate bush for my mother. But the fruit was so stubborn," she took another bite. "It was not long before I was covered head to toe in red stains! My family called me the 'little spotted fox' and laughed about it for weeks."

Xuan chuckled heartily, "That sounds like quite the misadventure."

Yú Yue's laughter mingled with his as she continued. "Oh, it gets worse! Another time, while fetching water from the well, I failed to notice a goat herder coming up behind me. Before I could even realize, I crashed right into him, and we sent both our buckets flying! We were drenched and mortified, and we couldn't stop arguing about whose fault it was."

Xuan chuckled again at her story. "Goat herders and spotted foxes, it seems you stirred quite a bit of trouble back home." Prince Xuan leaned back slightly, a fond smile touching his lips as Yú Yue's laughter faded.

"You remind me of a time when I was no more than a clumsy child playing at adulthood," he said, yú yue raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"

He chuckled softly, plucking another fruit from the pile. "I managed to get myself thoroughly stuck in the royal stables. I thought it would be clever to sneak in and ride a stallion without anyone noticing. I foolishly underestimated just how spirited the horse was. It threw me into a pile of hay, and before I could recover, my foot got caught in a loose rope. I dangled there like a caught fish until the stable master found me."

Yú Yue burst into laughter, covering her mouth as she tried to picture the proud prince in such an undignified situation. "I can hardly imagine the ever-composed Prince in such a state."

"Believe me, it was not a good sight," Xuan admitted, grinning. "The stable master had a good laugh about it though."

"And so did the rest of the palace when he decided to tell the story to the gossiping ladies. I was red-faced for days."

He paused and his expression softened as another memory came to him. "I have another one. There was also the time I tried to help my sister with her painting. I was supposed to grind the ink for her, but I accidentally knocked over the entire inkstone onto her nearly finished work. She was so furious she chased me around the palace gardens with her brush until I was covered in black streaks. For weeks after that, my brothers called me 'The Ink Master.'

Yú Yue laughed so hard she had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. "It seems mischief has followed you as much as it has me, Your Highness."

"You must have had many friends back home, Lady Yú Yue. With your charm and wit, I imagine people were naturally drawn to you."

Yú Yue scoffed, shaking her head. "Not quite, Your Highness. The truth is, I only managed to make one friend." A faint blush warmed her cheeks as the memory surfaced.

Xuan leaned closer, curious. "Now you have to tell me. What happened?"

She sighed, covering her face briefly to shield herself from the embarrassment of the story. "It's a bit humiliating,"

Xuan chortled, encouraging her. "I promise not to judge. Please, go on."

"Well,"

"There was this young man I often crossed paths with in the village square. He was polite and kind, but I mistook his friendliness for…something else. I thought he was an admirer."

Xuan raised an eyebrow, already amused. "An admirer?!"

"I know, I know," Yú Yue waved a hand to dismiss her own silliness. "Every time we met, I would go out of my way to say things to make him lose interest in me. I even told him outright that he wasn't my type, that I wasn't looking for a suitor, and another time, I made up an imaginary fiancé!"

Xuan burst into laughter, "You made up a fiancé? That's quite the strategy,"

"Oh, that isn't even close to what happened next," she admitted, groaning. "One day, after weeks of this, I finally discovered the truth. He wasn't interested in me at all—not in that way, at least. He was just being kind and trying to make conversation because his family knew mine."

Xuan's laughter grew louder, and he shook his head in disbelief. "So, all that effort was for nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing," Yú Yue said, laughing along with him. "I wanted the ground to swallow me whole when I found out. I apologized profusely, and surprisingly, he just laughed and said he'd found my antics entertaining. Somehow, after that, we became friends."

"And this friendship lasted?" Xuan asked.

She nodded. "It did. We ended up spending a lot of time together, talking about everything and nothing. He became someone I could rely on."

Xuan's smile deepened, his gaze resting on her. "But I must say, the imaginary fiancé was a masterstroke."

"Your Highness!" Yú Yue exclaimed, her cheeks flushing as she quickly hid her face behind her hands. "You promised not to judge!"

Xuan laughed softly, "I'm not judging, Lady Yú Yue. That was a compliment."

Peeking through her fingers, she gave him a skeptical look, "It doesn't feel like one," she muttered.

"No, no, It takes a certain level of creativity and boldness to invent a fiancé on the spot. I can only admire such quick thinking."

Yú Yue let out a laugh while lowering her hands. "I'm not sure if I should take pride in that or feel mortified all over again."

"Why not both?" he replied with a mischievous grin.

He watched Yú Yue laugh and for a moment, he couldn't help but gaze at her, noticing how her smile brightened everything around them.

"You have a beautiful smile, Lady Yú Yue," he said quietly.

The words caught her off guard and a deep blush appeared across her cheeks. "I—I…" her gaze darted to the ground as she struggled to find a reply. "That's very... kind of you to say, Your Highness."

Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her robe as she glanced away, trying to mask her flustered state.

Just then, she sighted Deming walking toward them. She bowed to Xuan and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Xuan nodded, then turned back to Yú Yue.

"I've really enjoyed this morning with you, I hope we can do this again sometime."

Yú Yue felt a flutter in her chest and nodded shyly. "I would like that, Your Highness."

Xuan smiled one last time before getting up and following his bodyguard.

....

As the sun reached its peak, Yizé made his way to Cheng's chambers. Inside, he found the prince seated, a scroll resting in his hands.

"Ah, Yizé, just the person I needed," Cheng said with a warm smile.

"Your Highness," Yizé replied, bowing respectfully.

"The Jīngwèi Bureau still hasn't reported back, and it's already been three days," Cheng said, rolling up the scroll and placing it on the desk.

Yizé stood resolute while staring at him, his body as stoic as ever but his eyes barely hid his discomfort.

"I've been thinking about this," Cheng said, rising to his feet and stepping forward. "This goes beyond a simple scandal. Someone deliberately set out to trap Yizong, likely to sabotage his union with Princess Xin Yi."

He paused, staring a while at yize, then adjusted his robe, before leaning casually against the desk.

Yizé gripped his sword uneasily before dropping to his knees without warning. Cheng watched him, puzzled by the abrupt gesture.

"A few days ago, I visited Lady Xiao's manor to check on her, given the rumors spreading about her," Yizé began in a low voice. "While I was there, I overheard her arguing with Lady Meiying." He hesitated for a moment.

"What were they arguing about?"

"Lady Meiying accused Lady Xiao of being the cause of what happened that night."

Cheng's expression remained calm, but a slight shift in his posture revealed his surprise.

"And why am I only hearing this now?" he demanded.

"I didn't think it was important at the time, but after hearing your thoughts, I'm starting to wonder if it is." Yizé admitted quietly.

Cheng exhaled and slowly returned to his chair.

"I deeply apologize for keeping this from you, Your Highness," Yizé said, bowing low until his forehead touched the cold floor.

Cheng sat in silence for a moment, fixing his eyes on the floor as he processed Yizé's words. The silence in the room intensified, and the only sound was the quiet rustle of parchment on the desk.

Finally, he spoke.

"What is Mei's relationship to Lady Xiao?"

Yizé straightened slowly, "They are cousins, Your Highness."

Cheng shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "cousins?" he repeated, almost to himself. His fingers tapped lightly on the arm of the chair.

Yizé exhaled deeply before speaking. "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

Cheng kept Yizé waiting in silence, this complicated things. If Mei was directly involved, the situation would become even more delicate, and she would never stand by while her cousin faced the emperor's wrath.

How could he handle this without pulling her into it?

Sitting upright in his chair, he finally said, "Summon lady xiao."