# Chapter 52
In Luohua Garden, Kang Tai yanked viciously at her handkerchief, eyes reddened as she gritted her teeth. "I truly don't know what I did to offend His Highness the Crown Prince, to make him humiliate me so publicly... At home, wasn't I always the top priority? Today, in front of all those people, letting Roujia outrank me... I'd rather die than live this down..."
Wen Yu rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Enough. Spouting death and dying first thing in the morning—you're not afraid of courting bad luck? Think carefully, did you perhaps speak carelessly yesterday and offend the Crown Prince?"
Kang Tai insisted, "You were there yesterday too. I'd never even met the Crown Prince, and he's an unrelated man—I didn't dare look him in the eye even once, so how could I possibly have offended him with my words?"
Wen Yu frowned deeply, carefully replaying yesterday's events in his mind, then said after a long while, "Yesterday, when you were talking about Roujia, those few words you said were a bit much. Someone foolish might not have caught the hidden meaning, but I've heard that the Crown Prince has a crystal liver and glass heart—he might not have missed your subtext."
Kang Tai laughed incredulously. "So what if he caught it? I was needling Roujia, true, but what does that have to do with him? Yes, at first I heard that Roujia was going to be made his concubine, but that fell through, didn't it? Now the engagement has been arranged to someone else. Could the Crown Prince possibly still be thinking about Roujia? Protecting her so fiercely..."
Seeing Kang Tai's language growing cruder by the moment, Wen Yu shook his head repeatedly and couldn't help but scold, "How many times have I told you—don't you have any sense of what a proper young lady should and shouldn't say?! Fortunately, only I heard it. If an outsider had caught wind... Do you want to get married or not?!"
Kang Tai had been spoiled rotten, how could she possibly listen? She waved dismissively. "Fine... No Imperial Princess Mother constantly nagging me here, and now you're doing it instead. Fine... I still can't swallow this insult. I'm writing to Father!"
"That's enough!" Wen Yu lost all remaining patience, barking sharply, "Insulted? Who forced you to come here in secret? Father and Mother never wanted you to come in the first place. You threw such a tantrum to get your way, and now look—did you think this was still Lingnan?! Anyone you pick at random in the capital has more influence than you. Who exactly do you think you're bullying?!"
Kang Tai was startled at first, then broke into sniffling sobs. "Your own sister suffered such great humiliation, and you can't say one kind word—you only know how to scold me..."
Ultimately, she was his own flesh and blood sister. Seeing her like this, Wen Yu's heart ached too. But knowing Kang Tai's temperament well, he understood that now was not the time to indulge her. He still spoke coldly, "I'm only telling you this because you're my own sister. There's nothing I can do about what happened today—it was crystal clear that the Crown Prince was teaching you a lesson.老老实实的学个乖吧，好好收着这戒指和珍珠链子，哪日进宫时记得同皇帝皇后谢恩，别露出一点不高兴的神色来，记住了么？" Listen carefully. Study well and learn from this. Keep these rings and pearl chains carefully. When we enter the palace some day, remember to thank the Emperor and Empress properly, and don't let even a hint of displeasure show on your face. Have you got that?"
Kang Tai's eyes went wide with indignation, but before she could speak, Wen Yu coldly cut in, "If you still want to make trouble, then fine... I'll have the carriage prepared right now and send you back to Lingnan, claiming you've taken ill from the climate here and can't adjust. I'm sure Their Imperial Majesties would understand."
Kang Tai instantly fell silent.
Wen Yu sighed and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea. After a long moment of silence, he suddenly spoke in a low voice, "This isn't the Crown Prince standing up for Roujia. I heard that the marriage to Roujia—the Crown Prince personally rejected it before the Emperor. That shows he had no interest at all. Today's elaborate performance... was probably on Bai Ren's behalf."
Kang Tai gaped. "On... on Bai Ren's behalf?"
Wen Yu nodded slowly. "Father said that because of the He family's marriage arrangement with Roujia, the Young Lord and the Crown Prince have grown close these past six months. We're far away and didn't know... The Young Lord has climbed aboard a big ship."
Kang Tai wrinkled her delicate little nose and frowned. "Is Bai Ren out of his mind? Didn't Mother say that the Crown Prince actually isn't..."
"Shut your mouth!" Wen Yu flew into a rage,恨不得马上就命人将康泰送回去,厉声斥道，"你疯了？！什么要命的话都敢往外说！这是在皇城！隔墙有耳，万一让有心人听见了传到了皇帝耳朵里，你就是害了咱们整个王府！" He flew into a rage,恨不得 immediately ordering someone to send Kang Tai back, barking, "Have you gone mad?! What dangerous nonsense are you spouting?! We're in the imperial city! Walls have ears. If someone with ulterior motives overheard and it reached the Emperor's ears, you'd destroy our entire princely house!"
Kang Tai dismissed his concern, saying in a low voice, "But it's just the two of us here... My maids are guarding outside too. Why are you making such a fuss?"
Wen Yu was extremely anxious,压低声音狠声道，"你懂什么……这种事你也敢随口胡说，焉知你在别处不会随口带出来！母亲跟你说这些是为了让你明白皇城现在的情势，不是为了让你把这要命的皇室秘闻拿来说口的！" He spoke through gritted teeth in a low voice, "You understand nothing... How dare you speak carelessly about such matters? Who knows if you might let something slip elsewhere! Mother told you these things so you'd understand the current political situation in the imperial city—not so you could bandy about these deadly royal secrets!"
Kang Tai pouted, then nodded. "Fine, I understand... Let's drop this subject. Has Bai Ren gone mad or stupid? He's climbed aboard a ship that could sink at any moment. Father explicitly forbade him from taking sides—this was his own unauthorized decision, wasn't it?"
Wen Yu shook his head. "That may not necessarily be the case. The Young Lord has been seeing more of the Crown Prince because of his connection to the He family through Roujia's marriage. That's reasonable enough to explain. Besides... hmm, in my view, this ship may not sink so easily."
Though Kang Tai was somewhat small-minded, Wen Yu still possessed some sense. Though newly arrived in the capital and unable to read the situation clearly, simply seeing that Qi Xiao had survived so smoothly to this age told Wen Yu that this was no easy mark to deal with.
Wen Yu considered carefully before speaking in a low voice, "Regardless, even if we can't become allies with the Crown Prince, we absolutely must not make an enemy of him. Setting aside future matters for now—the Crown Prince's power and influence are there for all to see. And behind the Crown Prince stands Princess Dunsu, a person whom even the Emperor must treat with respect. Roujia's marriage was arranged by her as the chief matchmaker, which means we've become related to her now. Be clever about this. If you can win her favor, it will benefit you in countless ways."
Kang Tai sneered. "Yes, Eldest Sister only caught her eye, so she was sent all the way from Lingnan to marry that nobody. Oh, how terribly beneficial that was for her."
The fire Wen Yu had barely managed to calm was instantly rekindled by Kang Tai's words. He roared, "What do you know?! Those were just words Mother spoke in a moment of anger, and you actually repeat them?!"
Kang Tai gave a mocking smile. "What's wrong? Did I say something incorrect? Hmph... I understand now why the Crown Prince gave her so many things—afraid she'd go hungry later, I suppose. Hmph..."
Wen Yu felt his liver ache from Kang Tai's provocations. He had half a mind to ignore her entirely, but considering they still didn't know how long they'd be staying in the capital, letting her carry on like this simply wouldn't do. He suppressed his anger with effort and said coldly, "A nobody? Fine, He Zichen's father was a good-for-nothing, but He Zichen himself has worked hard. In just this short time, he's already become a compileditor in the Hanlin Academy!"
Kang Tai snorted derisively. "A mere sixth-ranked official..."
Wen Yu nearly exploded with rage. "Sixth rank? How many first-ranked officials have you ever actually met? My dear sister... Open your eyes and look at your own standing first. You don't even have respect for a sixth-ranked Hanlin scholar? That's the Emperor's personal secretariat! Do you think anyone can hold that position? And he's just turned twenty—that young—and already risen to sixth rank. Give him another twenty years, when he reaches Father's age, will he still be sixth rank?!"
Kang Tai wasn't well-versed in such matters, and she fell silent, unable to find a retort. Wen Yu continued fuming, "Don't look down on a young man because he's poor! I held back before because of Father's face, never saying these things to you, but I never imagined you had so little judgment. Let me make this clear to you now—put away your whole attitude. These days, get along well with Roujia. Building an extra friendship can only help you."
Kang Tai remained unconvinced. Seeing her expression, Wen Yu sighed deeply. "I told Mother long ago—there's no need to mention those old matters to you. What grudges Mother and the Princess Consort bear toward each other—what's that to you? You're a proper young lady. Getting along well with them, could that possibly do you harm?"
Kang Tai had no response to Wen Yu's reprimands. Wen Yu lamented, "This is my fault too... Before entering the capital, I didn't assess the situation clearly. Father briefed me on the imperial city as it was over a decade ago. How could he have known? Over these十几年的潜移默化，这边已然是变了天了…… The past decade has wrought subtle but profound changes—the landscape here has completely transformed..."
Fearing Kang Tai might not take his words seriously, Wen Yu lectured her severely once more, finally saying coldly, "Don't treat this place like Lingnan. Everyone who survives here is a crafty old hand. Stop showing off your little tricks in front of them—not only will you make a fool of yourself for nothing, you'll also make enemies for no reason. Today's incident should serve as a lesson. If there's a next time, I'm sending you straight back to Lingnan!"
Kang Tai was reduced to tearful reddened eyes by Wen Yu's dressing-down. She sniffled, "I've suffered such great injustice, and all you do is scold me..."
Wen Yu forced a bitter smile. "You're unhappy? Do you think I'm having a good time of it? Fine... You understand why Mother sent us to the imperial city. Make many friends, don't stir up trouble. Rest assured, Father never intended for us to stay long anyway. Once Roujia's affairs are settled, we'll return to Lingnan. You can go back to being your proud, dignified county lady. How about that?"
As Wen Yu spoke, he walked toward the door. Kang Tai viciously tore at her handkerchief, staring at the two chains and four rings laid out on the table. Recalling the rush of servants delivering box after box of treasures to Roujia's courtyard just moments ago, she felt them pierce her heart like thorns.
In Tingfeng Pavilion, Roujia gazed at the room full of gifts, feeling uneasy. She spoke softly, "The Crown Prince... why would he send all these things? Even to celebrate our arrival in the capital, this is far too extravagant..."
Bai Ren had seen that list of gifts too. He understood the reason and smiled bitterly. "Don't worry about it. He's just like that. No need to overthink it, Sister."
Being a straightforward person, Roujia didn't grasp the deeper implications. She stopped dwelling on it and instead took Bai Ren's hand, her heart aching. "You've had such a hard six months. Don't worry—Mother is doing well, she just missed you terribly, thinking of you day and night..."
Bai Ren smiled and said softly, "Now that Sister has seen me, you can rest easy."
Roujia held Bai Ren's hand, looking him over carefully before nodding with a smile. "Yes, I'm at ease now... When I saw you yesterday in the Qianqing Palace, I was quite startled. You've grown taller, and you're no longer so terrifyingly thin—your frame is well-proportioned and your complexion is excellent."
Roujia gently tidied Bai Ren's hair and affectionately pinched his smooth cheek with a smile. "You've become even more handsome."
Bai Ren felt somewhat embarrassed, speaking quietly with a laugh, "Sister, you're too kind. It's Sister who's grown more beautiful..."
Roujia smiled. "What's there to be shy about? Before, when you wrote saying you were doing well, both Mother and I had our doubts. Now that I've seen you with my own eyes, I truly believe it. When I write to Mother, she'll finally be able to let go of her worry..."
As Roujia spoke, Bai Ren grew more and more self-conscious. Wasn't his improving complexion precisely because—since the beginning of autumn, Qi Xiao had been secretly preparing medicinal meals for him? Though called medicinal meals, they were actually various tonic soups: old ginseng stewed with local chicken, ten-treasure poria soup, eel and goji berry porridge—the variety was endless, more than Bai Ren could count. Whatever was prepared, he had to drink. On days when Bai Ren didn't visit for a few days, Qi Xiao would have it sent over. Jiang Deqing would always watch with a smiling face until Bai Ren finished the entire bowl before returning to report. And while at the Crown Prince's residence, every evening after dinner there was an additional bowl of bird's nest to drink. With such daily nourishment, how could his complexion not improve?
Roujia continued asking in detail about Bai Ren's six months—had he been wronged, had anyone bullied him? Bai Ren shook his head throughout, but his thoughts had wandered elsewhere. Today's incident was clearly Qi Xiao standing up for him. His heart churned with mixed emotions—sour and sweet all at once. He ached to go find Qi Xiao, but had no good pretext. He also couldn't leave Roujia alone in the residence. He could only hope that Qi Xiao had already delivered his message to Princess Dunsu. Once Princess Dunsu came to take Roujia away, he would naturally be able to go find Qi Xiao.