The spring breeze was gentle in the boudoir of Miss Wei Linxia, daughter of Grand Tutor Huo Guowei. Two girls sat across a raised-head desk. One girl, with double braids, spoke enthusiastically: “…Sister Chenbi, you didn’t see it, that coral ornament was so beautiful, I’ve even dreamed about it.”
Sister Chenbi had an oval face with hanging curls and a parted hairstyle, her hair ends tied and resting over her shoulders. Though she appeared two years older, they were actually the same age, only six months apart.
Wei Linxia listened with a slight smile, her mind preoccupied with a book hidden beneath the desk. She had concealed it when Li Weiheng burst in, fearing her father would discover it wasn’t suitable for a girl to read.
“Sister Chenbi, I heard a prince from the capital is coming to our Huo State to apprentice with Uncle Wei. Young Master Zhaohuan is already disobedient. What if another disobedient prince arrives?” Li Weiheng said.
“He hasn’t even arrived yet; why worry unnecessarily,” Wei Linxia replied, more interested in the wandering prince in her book and the masters he might encounter.
Because Wei Linxia was usually taciturn, Li Weiheng continued excitedly imagining the important person from the capital. “Sister Chenbi, what do you think this prince will be like?”
Wei Linxia thought for a moment, picturing the prince from her book: “Probably very handsome, full of noble air, with grand ambitions, disdainful of power.”
“Yes, I bet he’ll be elegant and refined. Look how handsome Prince Zhao Huan is – the prince should be even more handsome,” Li Weiheng said.
Wei Linxia nodded. Who knows? Prince Xi Zhaoting was handsome, but his brothers could be quite ordinary.
At dinnertime, Wei Linxia met the Thirteenth Prince and was surprised he chose to stay at the Wei residence rather than the royal palace. She noticed he was frail, with a pale complexion, always sitting in a wheelchair. Apart from his refined young face, he was far from the noble prince described in books, though he had a slight resemblance and an aloof aura.
With a prince present, the dinner table was silent. Wei Linxia chewed on green vegetables and suddenly thought of the silkworms she had raised before, who also ate in a similar manner.
After the meal, the Thirteenth Prince smiled faintly and said, “Staying at the residence is indeed a disturbance. I’ll have my meals in my own room from now on to avoid making everyone uncomfortable.” His youthful voice carried a cool indifference, and even his smile seemed insincere.
Master Wei hurriedly responded, “Your Highness, you’re overthinking it. I’ve always required my children to be silent during meals and bedtime, so this is their usual manner, not a constraint.” He glanced at his son, who, despite his carefree attitude, only offered a polite smile at his father’s signal, showing no respect.
“Your Highness, please don’t take it to heart. You’ve just arrived and will get used to it soon,” Wei Linxia, who rarely spoke during meals, added. Master Wei nodded, grateful for her thoughtfulness.
Wei Feng Zhi started to call her sister but stopped, glancing at Wei Linxia, then smiled at the Thirteenth Prince. “Yes, Your Highness, please don’t take it to heart.”
His father, no longer needing his additional comment, shot him a stern look. The Thirteenth Prince finally seemed to notice the Wei family’s daughter and looked at Wei Linxia.
She was not as charming as the young lady with double buns who had disguised herself as a maidservant. If she had remained silent, she would not have drawn attention. But when she spoke, her surprisingly soft voice had a calming effect. Her smile was warm, appealing—much to his surprise.
After dinner, Master Wei sent someone to escort the Thirteenth Prince to rest. Behind closed doors, he glared at his son, who, hunched his shoulders and explained, “Dad, we’re both men. Saying such things would be awkward.” He glanced at Wei Linxia, who ignored him to tell her parents she was tired and wanted to rest. As soon as she left, Wei Feng Zhi followed, muttering, “Ouch, that kick to my shin really hurt. I wonder if you’re my sister or someone else’s.”
“I wonder if you were adopted, not helping Dad out and being unfilial,” Wei Linxia said calmly.
Wei Feng Zhi snorted and left. Wei Linxia sighed, wondering when her brother would grow up.
Xi Linxuan did not seem to enjoy socializing. After finishing his meal, he would sit briefly, have a second cup of tea, and then return to his room. In private, Lady Wei and Lord Wei discussed this with emotion in their inner chambers.
Lord Wei said, “His Highness is intelligent, just not very diligent.” Lady Wei sighed, “A prince with a chronic illness has already done well. He’s about the same age as our children. Why should my husband be so demanding?”
Lady Wei, inherently kind-hearted, began to develop a maternal affection for the prince. Whatever her children received, the prince would also get: pieces of clothing, small trinkets from the market, and even the birds Wei Zhixing loved were hung in the prince’s corridor. Most of the time, Prince Xi Linxuan would not express thanks, maintaining an indifferent expression, while palace servants offered grateful smiles.
“Zhixing hasn’t come back, and no one is keeping the prince company,” Lady Wei said while gently fanning her daughter Wei Lindong, who was embroidering in her mother’s room.
“Mother, how can the prince have no one to talk to when he has so many servants around?” Wei Lindong asked.
“That child keeps people at arm’s length. If he doesn’t listen to your father’s lectures, he might not speak a word all day,” Lady Wei replied, filled with compassion.
Wei Lindong looked up at her mother and said, “Words can be dangerous. The thirteenth prince, having grown up in the palace, understands this well. He knows what to say, what not to say, and when to say it. Mother, don’t worry.”
“He’s about the same age as the Crown Prince and your brother, but he looks so different,” Lady Wei remarked, noting how those from the palace were often inscrutable.
Wei Lindong smiled and continued embroidering, saying, “How many of his peers are as innocent and childlike as my brother?”
Lady Wei gently waved her fan, feeling nostalgic. She wished her two children could have swapped genders—a delightful, pure daughter would be a true blessing.
As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, Li Weiheng came running in an apricot-red dress, with fresh flowers in her hair. She first went to Lady Wei’s room, winking at Wei Lindong. Lady Wei, mistaking the gesture, thought something was wrong with Li Weiheng’s eyes. Blushing, Li Weiheng said she had something to discuss with Wei Lindong.
Xi Linxuan held a small flower bud in his hand, frowning in disgust as he threw the withered flower on the ground, juice still clinging to his palm.
He wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping; he was bored with reading and annoyed by the palace maids asking about the Dragon Boat Festival arrangements. So, he dismissed his attendants and found a quiet spot. When Wei Linxia and her companions arrived, he secretly parted the wisteria leaves to watch them.
Xi Linxuan thought that Li Weiheng was too naive. Didn’t she see the subtle smile on Wei Linxia’s face as she looked down at the flower bud? He understood that the impolite prince, Xi Zhaoting, was also the object of affection for the Wei family’s young lady.
“Foolish,” Xi Linxuan whispered softly, unclear whom he was referring to.
Wei Linxia hesitated over the embroidery fabric, finally threading her needle and embroidering, somewhat distracted. She thought this would be the last one she would make for Li Weiheng.
