Before the anticipated conspiracy could arrive, a group of riders galloped from far away, bringing an imperial decree summoning the Thirteenth Prince back to the capital.
In the afternoon, Wei Linxia came to attend to Xi Linxuan as usual. Upon entering, she found the palace servants packing, with Xi Linxuan sitting silently at the table. She felt she had arrived at an inopportune moment, standing uncertainly at the doorway.
“The palace will not move until next month. Why the rush? Leave,” Xi Linxuan said angrily.
The servants quickly bowed and exited. Xi Linxuan called to Wei Linxia, “Are you standing there like a door god? Come here.”
“The date is set?” Wei Linxia asked.
“End of the month, just in time to return to the capital and celebrate the Emperor’s sixtieth birthday,” Xi Linxuan said, referring to his father without much enthusiasm.
“Oh,” Wei Linxia nodded.
They summoned two servants to move the screen. Today, they were unusually quiet, with Wei Linxia staring blankly at the screen.
As the prince prepared to return to the capital, the Wei family became bustling. The recent death of Jishi, a concubine who had just entered the family, seemed inconsequential amidst the commotion. At Madam Wei’s insistence, Jishi was buried in the Wei family ancestral tomb, with only white flowers and memorial couplets hanging in her room for two days before being removed.
Amidst the flourishing spring, Wei Linxia felt the impermanence of life, experiencing both departure and death simultaneously. Recently, she felt unsettled, so she took a large piece of embroidery fabric and began stitching directly without preliminary sketching. The maids found it strange but dared not ask.
Go to see Lian Yi for medical treatment, Wei Linxia was distracted. On her way back to the mansion, she passed through the street market and, hearing the noisy hawking, listened closely to find a parting gift for Xi Linxuan. Suddenly, a bird chirping caught her attention. Lifting the curtain of the sedan chair, she noticed a vendor selling whistles that mimicked cheerful bird calls.
Wei Linxia was touched and remembered something she had long forgotten.
Meanwhile, Madam Wei was preparing a vegetarian ritual for Lady Ji to guide her soul. Wei Linxia offered to take her place as she had an appointment with Tai Qing. The day before, Xi Linxuan had inquired about the gift, and Wei Linxia had assured him, “I’ll give it anyway, so don’t worry about it. You’ve already received so many gifts.”
After making an incense offering at the mountain and having the master perform the ritual, Wei Linxia hurried to a small wooden house outside the temple with a small shovel. There were two trees standing side by side. Digging, she finally heard a “clang” as the shovel struck a clay pot. Carefully opening the wax-sealed mouth, she rummaged inside and found several clay rattles of different shapes—round, square, and flower-shaped. When she was young, Master Xu would buy one for her and Tai Qing each time he descended the mountain.
Tai Qing would play and throw his toys away, while Wei Linxia collected hers and hid them in a clay pot before going down the mountain.
“What are you digging for?” Tai Qing’s voice suddenly came from behind.
Wei Linxia put the rattles in her pouch and sealed the pot before replying: “Don’t you know my family has a new little brother? Today’s ritual is for his mother. I’m taking these toys from my childhood for him to play with.” She lied, not wanting Tai Qing to know she was giving them to Xi Linxuan, who would tease her about it.
“There’s not a good man down the mountain, forgetting loyalty for beauty. What about a wife? Nonsense. Don’t you hate that child?” Tai Qing asked.
Wei Linxia jiggled her pouch and smiled: “Would hating him change anything? Would it bring back the time before he and his mother arrived?”
“You have such a big heart,” Tai Qing said.
After two days of rituals, Wei Linxia came down the mountain at dusk on the second day and returned home to pay respects to her mother. She heard the prince had already been taken to the palace by Huo Wang’s people and would leave on the twenty-eighth.
He was gone… She thought he would leave from the Wei residence and that she still had time.
Passing through the garden, the lilacs were blooming, and the jade hairpins were still green, with flower buds about to open.
Wei Linxia clutched her pouch, likely to be played with by Wei Fengye another day.
She wondered if Xi Linxuan had taken the large white wax figure and hurried to check. The courtyard was quiet and, upon pushing open the door, she spotted Xi Linxuan’s personal eunuch, Feng Shou, bending over to pack something.
“Is that you, Eunuch Feng?” Wei Linxia asked.
“Miss Wei, you’re back. If you hadn’t returned, I was about to go up the mountain to find you,” Feng Shou replied.
“Looking for me
It was a plain sheet of paper with just a few words: Tomorrow at noon, Tianxiang Tower. Since you’re stingy and unwilling to give a gift, I’ll host a farewell banquet.
Wei Linxia laughed helplessly. What a strange prince; did he think she had run away? She tore up the letter, lit a candle, and burned it to ashes. Looking around the empty room, the few decorations remained, and the wax figure quietly stood with a withered flower on its head, looking strange.
After searching, she found the red wax figure was gone, presumably taken by Xi Linxuan.
Because of Xi Linxuan’s letter, Wei Linxia was distracted that night. She embroidered a few stitches but couldn’t concentrate, pricking herself twice. The next day, Yu Mo brought her daily men’s clothing. Wei Linxia thought the clothes looked particularly ugly and hesitated. Yu Mo looked at her puzzled, so she put on the clothes and combed her hair, confirming her feelings about the outfit.
Lian Yi remarked that she seemed happy today, and Wei Linxia replied she was happy because she had slept well the previous night. Leaving Lian’s courtyard, she told the driver to go to Tianxiang Tower, clutching her pouch tightly, afraid of losing it.
Approaching Tianxiang Tower, Wei Linxia lifted the curtain and saw Feng Shou standing at the door. The carriage stopped, and she heard Feng Shou’s voice. Steadying her nerves, she got out and followed him upstairs.
In the private room, only Xi Linxuan was present, sitting opposite the door with a serious expression.
“Your Highness?” Wei Linxia called softly.
“Come order some dishes. I’m hungry,” Xi Linxuan said.
Weilin Xia walked over and sat down across from him. He frowned: “The table is so big. If you sit so far away, how can I reach the dishes? Sit here.” He pointed to the seat next to him.
Weilin Xia complied; they usually ate with Weilin Zhi between them, so without him, they were practically side by side. After sitting down, Weilin Xia picked up the delicate menu and explained each item to him.
“Do you want me to starve to death? Just casually order two things to fill my stomach,” Xi Linxuan said.
Weilin Xia ordered a few dishes he liked, deliberately avoiding his favorites due to his bad attitude.
“What are you holding that’s jingling?” Xi Linxuan asked.
Weilin Xia took out her purse, opening it to pull out a round object she shook: “This is called a ceramic bell. It’s a toy for children in our area.”
“You’re giving me a bunch of bells?”
“Xi Linxuan shook one of the bells.
“Don’t underestimate it. This was blessed by Master Xu Zhen. It can ward off diseases and bring good luck,” Weilin Xia said.
“Really?” Xi Linxuan arranged the differently shaped bells on the table.
“Yes, when I was young and had poor health, I lived in the temple for several years. The masters would bring these back for me and Tai Qing. Master Xu Zhen said they were for dispelling illness and evil spirits, so I kept them,” Weilin Xia explained.
Xi Linxuan smiled: “All for me?”
