Chapter 6
Because of what had happened last time, Li Weiyang had become the focus of the village’s attention. Zhou Qing and Madam Liu could no longer order her to do menial work, and they found her presence at home irritating, so they simply sent her to help at the teahouse not far from the village entrance.
The teahouse was usually run by Zhou Jiang and Madam Ma. They sold simple tea and coarse flatbreads to travelers passing through Xinshou Village, earning a little money on the side.
Madam Ma felt sorry for Li Weiyang, who was so young yet had already endured so much hardship. She only had her boil water in the makeshift shed behind the teahouse and didn’t let her do anything else. Just as Li Weiyang was adding fuel to the stove, Madam Ma hurried in. Seeing her still busy, she quickly said, “Hurry, Weiyang! Boil some more water, and bring out a dozen or so flatbreads. We have distinguished guests resting at the teahouse.” Li Weiyang did as she was told and walked to the entrance, but she was puzzled. Plenty of merchants traveled north and south through Xinshou Village, but none of them could be called distinguished guests. Who could Madam Ma mean? She slowly edged toward the door and peeked outside. Sure enough, the shelter was full of guards dressed in blue brocade. She couldn’t make out who was seated at the central table, but even the twenty fine horses outside were imposing—and among them stood a white dragon steed with a silver saddle and a red tassel. Madam Ma called out again, “Weiyang! Hurry up! Don’t keep the guests waiting!”
For some reason, Li Weiyang had a strange premonition that something bad would happen if she went outside. She didn’t move, just stood there rooted to the spot. “Weiyang?! Where did she go?” Zhou Jiang grew anxious and turned to the guests with an apologetic smile. “That girl is clumsy and slow. Please forgive her. I’ll teach her a lesson later.” A voice that sounded like a servant’s replied, “It’s fine. Just bring the tea out. My master still has a long way to go.” There was no avoiding it. Li Weiyang thought for a moment, then went out. The moment she caught sight of the person seated at the main table, she froze in place.
In that instant, everyone’s eyes turned toward Li Weiyang. The young man also looked up at her.
Seated among them, he had a pair of eyes as clear and tranquil as moonlight. An innate chill seemed to set him apart from the mortal world, and the brilliance of his gaze was almost blinding. Silver patterns flowed across the front and hem of his plain white robe, their exquisite craftsmanship beyond compare. His gaze was calm yet cold, his refinement flowing like water. Those detached, icy eyes swept over Li Weiyang.
Li Weiyang’s heart tightened. After just one glance, she quickly lowered her head and raised the tray to the level of her brows, keeping her face down so he wouldn’t recognize her. She hurried forward, handed the food to Madam Ma, then pretended to be shy, shielding her face as she rushed back to the little shed behind the teahouse. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The middle-aged man seated beside Tuoba Yu said, “Your Highness, it’s getting late. Shall we find a farmhouse here and spend the night?”
Tuoba Yu didn’t look at him. His cold eyes remained fixed on the direction Li Weiyang had disappeared, and deep in his gaze was the faintest hint of amusement. That young woman was clearly the person he had seen that day—
The girl looked about twelve or thirteen. She wore a worn, patched garment of coarse white cloth. Her face was smudged with soot and ash, perhaps from the stove. Tuoba Yu noticed that Li Weiyang’s hands were very fair, yet there was hardly any flesh on them to pinch. Her long, tangled black hair was carelessly tied in a knot atop her head. Though she had deliberately kept her head down, her large, dark eyes were deep and shining, filled with an indescribable, peculiar light. Her frail, skeletal frame somehow stirred an involuntary desire to care for and protect her. Tuoba Yu shook his head, thinking how absurd it was of him to entertain such an impossible idea. Remembering how he had seen her play a trick on someone last time, a trace of amusement—almost unprecedented—appeared in his eyes.
This girl was quite interesting!
As he thought, he casually said, “No. We’ll hurry to the town ahead and spend the night there. We’ll set out early tomorrow. We must return to the capital on schedule.”
Zhan Shuo immediately agreed. How could he dare voice another opinion? He knew the Seventh Prince’s temperament all too well: when His Highness asked what they should do, it meant he had already made up his mind, even if he often phrased it as a question.
Soon, the group finished their tea, mounted their horses again, and rode through the village without stopping, galloping northward!
Watching the dust rise beneath the horses’ hooves, Li Weiyang couldn’t help smiling. She never expected that the first familiar face she’d see after her rebirth would be him—Tuoba Yu, the Seventh Prince!
Tuoba Yu was Tuoba Zhen’s sworn enemy. The two had clashed countless times, yet neither had ever gained the upper hand... Li Weiyang recalled that in her previous life, his eyes had been just as cold and devoid of feeling. The corners of her lips lifted slightly. At this point, the Seventh Prince should have been away from home on a scholarly journey. His sudden return would stir up another storm in the capital. She lowered her head and looked at the calluses on her fingers. To meet someone she knew again, with them in the open and her in the shadows—it was a truly fascinating feeling.
The sun finally sank completely from sight. A crescent moon, accompanied by a sky full of stars, proudly cast its own distinctive light over the earth. The scorching wind was gently caressed by the moonlight, turning cool as it brushed over them, soothing and refreshing. Li Weiyang had just followed Zhou Jiang and Madam Ma back to the Zhou home when Madam Liu rushed out, beaming with delight. She grabbed Li Weiyang and exclaimed, “Miss, wonderful news!”
Zhou Jiang and Madam Ma both froze, staring at Madam Liu in bewilderment. Had she suddenly lost her senses? Why was she being so warm to Weiyang all of a sudden? Li Weiyang looked at Madam Liu, whose face was practically blossoming with smiles. Her brows relaxed almost imperceptibly, then she put on a look of surprise. “Aunt Zhou, what’s the matter?”
Madam Liu paid no attention to her odd expression and said eagerly, “It’s the Li family! Someone from the Li family is here!” Her excitement immediately brought a possibility to Li Weiyang’s mind. “The Li family from Pingcheng?”
“Yes, yes! Master Li sent Nanny Lin to visit you!” Madam Liu’s face bloomed with smiles. Nanny Lin had even brought a hundred taels of silver as a thank-you gift for them.
Li Weiyang was even more puzzled. In her previous life, according to the course of events, another year would pass before Chancellor Li remembered this daughter and sent someone to fetch her. Only then would the Li family in Pingcheng hurry to bring her from Xinshou Village to their grand residence in Pingcheng, announce that she had recovered from her illness, and then send her back to the capital... Why had everything happened a whole year early?
Just then, a woman in her thirties came out of the house. She wore a bright blue silk skirt, a gold hairpin in her hair, and gold earrings. Her complexion was fair and clear. Smiling, she said, “This servant pays her respects to Third Miss.”
Li Weiyang glanced at her. Sure enough, it was Nanny Lin, the highest-ranking steward in the Li family’s Pingcheng household. She smiled faintly. So it was all true after all. The Li family in Pingcheng must have received word from the capital and hurried to bring her back.
Good. Very good. This was all just perfect!