Caiyu returned to the servants' quarters. Everyone had been summoned to the Jade Terrace, leaving her alone.
She sat in front of the bronze mirror. A face as delicate as a water lily was reflected in it.
The light from the lantern beside her shone through the gauze, casting a hazy glow on her fair complexion. Her long, black eyelashes fluttered gently, like fragile butterfly wings that might break at a touch, veiling her bright and clear eyes.
Beneath her dainty nose, there was a coagulated bead of blood on her red lips.
She suddenly covered her lips, recalling the fierce biting and grinding of that man's lips on hers. Her ears burned with embarrassment.
Then, Nanny Yu's words brought her back to her senses.
"Prince Yan, Song Yinghuai, the fourth son of the emperor, is enfeoffed in Yanjing. He is the god of war of the Great Ye. Six years ago, his beloved, Lü Baiwei, was taken as a concubine by the crown prince. Distracted by his heartbreak, Song Yinghuai suffered a defeat in the Battle of Nawuerhai. Ashamed of failing the emperor's grace and the people and soldiers, he voluntarily returned to his fiefdom and became a Buddhist, vowing never to leave Yanjing again. Since then, he has seen through the mortal world and lived in seclusion."
Nanny Yu's wrinkled face was beaming with a smile. "Miss Caiyu, as long as you can make Prince Yan return to the mortal world and break his vows, he will be guilty of deceiving the emperor. Then, it will be justifiable to weaken the power of the Yan fiefdom!"
To make a person who has embraced Buddhism return to the mortal world!
There are two types of men that women can hardly control. One is the emperor on the dragon throne, full of desires; the other is the Buddhist son kneeling beneath the lotus throne, free from worldly desires. Neither of them can be easily tamed by women.
Caiyu sighed softly and fell asleep in a daze.
At dawn, she was woken up by Luhe, her roommate.
"Chief Steward Ji sent a message that the prince has lost a string of bodhi prayer beads. Everyone in the mansion is to gather in the back garden for a search!"
Caiyu's heart skipped a beat.
She quickly took a few mouthfuls of salt water to rinse her mouth, splashed her face with cold well water, and then rushed to the back garden with Luhe.
On the way, her heart was in turmoil. She felt something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
She recalled the man she had met in the room yesterday.
Could it be that the man had remembered something after waking up and the mansion was going to investigate the assassin?
She touched the wound on her lower lip that had been bitten by the man.
It had scabbed over, but having been taught by the madam who specialized in raising Yangzhou courtesans, she knew that an experienced woman could easily tell that it was a human bite.
Her mind raced.
As they were about to enter the back garden after turning a veranda, the surrounding flowers and plants became more and more exquisite. The mossy pebble path under their feet extended into the distance.
Suddenly, Caiyu stumbled and fell to the ground!
Luhe stopped and turned back to help her up. "Why are you so careless..."
Caiyu struggled to lift her head. Her lips hit a stone corner and a cut appeared. Her originally rosy lips were now swollen and the wound from last night was reopened.
Seeing her injury, Luhe didn't have the heart to scold her anymore. She helped Caiyu up and walked towards the back garden.
There were already many servants and maids gathered in the back garden.
The men stood on the left and the women on the right. The back garden was bustling with people, and everyone looked terrified.
Chief Steward Ji was ordering the stewards of each courtyard to count the number of people. Those whose names were called stepped forward to be searched.
As soon as Caiyu entered the back garden with her hand covering her mouth, she was attracted by a familiar tall figure on the high platform in the garden.
The man was dressed in a moon - white brocade robe embroidered with the patterns of the three friends of winter. His black hair was neatly tied up in a white jade crown. A plain silk belt was tied around his waist, and four loops of agarwood prayer beads were wrapped around his wrist.
A gentle breeze blew, filling the garden with the fragrance of osmanthus. Golden petals fluttered past his jade - like face, like the light of Buddha shining on him, but his expression remained calm.
The maids in the yard were all attracted by this sight. They blushed and lowered their heads shyly.
But Caiyu felt as if the blood in her body was flowing backwards. She suddenly grabbed Luhe's wrist and asked:
"Who is that man standing on the high platform?"
"That's our master, Prince Yan!"
Although she had already guessed, Caiyu still staggered and felt dizzy.
The man in the secret passage behind the rockery last night was actually Prince Yan, Song Yinghuai!
Now that he was no longer affected by the drug, all the evil aura had disappeared. He was spotless, imposing, and full of grace.
Luhe supported her and noticed that her body was trembling. Thinking that she was afraid of the search, she quickly whispered to comfort her:
"Don't be afraid. You've just entered the mansion and don't know. The prince has always been kind to his servants. He has been practicing Buddhism for many years and is not as ruthless as the rumors outside. On the contrary, those who have seen the prince all praise him for his gentle and kind nature!"
Luhe admired the prince very much. When she stole a glance at the man on the high platform, there was a glint of admiration in her eyes.
Prince Yan was once the god of war of the Great Ye. Those who had never seen him often imagined Song Yinghuai as a cold - blooded demon who had emerged from a sea of corpses.
A bitter taste filled Caiyu's mouth. She replied absent - mindedly.
If she had known that the man last night was Song Yinghuai, she would have taken the initiative instead of using the sleeping drug!
Now, not only had she failed to get close to him, but she had also alerted him.
Kind to his servants and gentle and kind nature!
Her family, the Lan family, had once been a family of military generals. Her father and elder brother were also famous Confucian generals. She knew very well.
Beneath those gentle and handsome eyebrows, there was the most ferocious killing intent.
People had also forgotten that the line after "gentle and kind nature" was "ruthless and powerful to conquer the world."
She and Luhe lowered their heads and stood at the back of the crowd, trying to keep their heads down.
I don't know if it was an illusion, but as soon as she entered the back garden, she felt that the man's gaze had been on her.
The sense of oppression made it hard for her to breathe. At this moment, she had no intention of seducing Song Yinghuai. Instead, she wished he wouldn't notice her.
Soon, the people in front were searched one by one. Caiyu's name was called.
Nanny Yu frowned. "Lift your head up."
She was displeased. The prince rarely came out of the Buddhist hall. Why didn't this girl seize the opportunity to show her beautiful face to the prince instead of hanging her head like an ostrich?
Caiyu had no choice but to slowly lift her head.
Nanny Yu almost fainted. "Your lips..."
Caiyu's once - beautiful lips were now swollen like a sausage, looking rather comical.
There were suppressed giggles from the other maids in the garden.
Caiyu had attracted everyone's attention as soon as she entered the mansion the day before yesterday because of her outstanding beauty. She had been regarded as a flirt by the maids.
Now that the prince had appeared, they were worried that Caiyu would seduce their pure - hearted master. But now, she had "disfigured" herself.
The big, burly man next to Song Yinghuai, who was as tall as a tower, let out a booming laugh. "I'm dying of laughter! This girl ate sausage but didn't even wipe her mouth clean!"
The man laughing was Zhu Xiao, one of Song Yinghuai's five fierce generals.
Song Yinghuai looked down from the high platform. His gaze fell on Caiyu's lips, showing no emotion. He said calmly:
"Life is not easy. Laughing at others is like laughing at oneself."
Zhu Xiao's laughter stopped abruptly. He scratched his head and whispered to Zhang Ce beside him, "The prince's practice of Buddhism is getting more and more profound. Won't he really shave his head one day?"
Zhang Ce glared at him. "Don't talk nonsense!"
Chief Steward Ji Ming frowned and questioned, "What happened?"
Caiyu lowered her head and deliberately lowered her voice. "I slipped on the pebble path on the way here and hit my lips."
Ji Ming ordered someone to search her but found nothing suspicious. But he thought Caiyu looked unfamiliar and continued to ask:
"What's your name and when did you enter the mansion?"
"Returning to the chief steward, my name is Caiyu. I entered the mansion the day before yesterday."
"I don't seem to have seen you serving in the Jade Terrace at last night's banquet."
"I slipped yesterday too," Caiyu replied calmly. "Nanny Yu asked me to go back to the servants' quarters to rest."
Nanny Yu was frustrated. "She did slip yesterday. She slips every day. Are your legs borrowed?"
"I will be more careful in the future."
Seeing that he couldn't get anything else out of her, Ji Ming waved his hand and told her to stand aside.
Caiyu let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to turn around, unexpectedly—
A cold voice came from the high platform. "Wait."
Caiyu stopped in her tracks. Her heart sank again.