- Li Xun -

As promised, Zhang Wei's situation was dealt with.

From what his men had informed him, his cousin's old flame was thrown out from the courtesan house she was working at because they had caught her pocketing the business's earnings. At the same time, she discovered herself pregnant with another man's child.

But he, unfortunately, didn't wish to take upon the responsibility of being a father.

Desperate for money and a good life, she resorted to pushing the blame on Zhang Wei instead – an attempt to leverage on his wealth. Considering his notorious reputation in the past, she was convinced that the public would believe her lie over his words, that she would earn sympathy as a soon-to-be mother. She wanted to let the rumours consume him whole, until he would eventually relent and accept her into his household, granting her unborn child a place on his family register.

But clearly, she thought wrong.

When her deceitful lies were exposed, she was apprehended by Ling Yao and the magistrate. As punishment, she was sent to a temple to repent and would be confined there for many months ahead, until her child was born.

Zhang Wei was, of course, elated to find his name cleared. After several bows of gratitude (and crushing hugs), he finally allowed Li Xun to leave his manor and head back to the palace.

"What a vicious woman, isn't she?" Li Xun told Long'Er, who was trailing beside the sedan that carried him home. "Sometimes I wonder if fame and wealth are what the women only care about."

The boy blinked once in surprise. "Not all of us—I mean," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "—not all women are like that."

Li Xun furrowed his brows, but carried on speaking. "What would you've done if you were Zhang Wei?"

"Report her to the magistrate right away."

"Even if she's a woman and is heavily pregnant?"

"They don't matter if she's lying. She was willing to harm others for her own gain," Long'Er said, before adding on quietly. "My mother never resorted to such underhanded ways and gave birth to me alone."

Li Xun grew silent over his words, feeling the sadness on his behalf.

Once they were back at the palace, he found his sister, Li Xue, awaiting him in his bedchamber. She glared at him as he took his seat across from her.

"What a surprise," he remarked. "Seeing that you're no longer confined to your room on Mother's order, I can only assume her anger has dissipated. Hence, dearest sister, do not go around causing trouble again."

"Stop berating me, Brother. I've already heard enough from our parents." She puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "And you! I hear from my maids that you've been interfering with my plans? For the past two weeks, I had asked for your little bodyguard to pay me a visit, but only to discover that you've prevented me from seeing him each time. Why is that so?"

He let out a small sigh and poured her a cup of tea. "Li Xue, what good would it do for you to mess around with a man? Much less a bodyguard?"

"But I'm not messing around," she retorted. "I know that most times, I behave like an immature girl. But this time, I'm not. I quite like this boy."

Her honest confession caught him by surprise. "You're serious?"

He was met with her steely resolve. "Absolutely," she said. "Of all the disgusting men I've encountered, he seems like the most decent person among them all."

Li Xun buried his face in his hand. A foreshadowing thought crossed his mind. "It's not going to work out well. You know that our parents will not agree to this. They've been making plans to have you wed a son from an influential family. A noble just like us."

His words made her cringe. "This is precisely why I should start courting him now. Since he saved your life, our parents naturally have a good impression of him." She leaned towards Li Xun with a pleading look. "Brother, please help me with this matter. I'm already seventeen and I want to marry someone that I like."

When Li Xun made no comments, she persisted. "Besides, what do you see him as? A mere bodyguard? I see that you've grown rather fond of him that it's enough to cause ridiculous rumours to circulate within the palace."

Li Xun frowned. "He's like a little brother that I never have," he answered easily. "One that is less annoying than a certain someone."

She grasped the meaning behind his words and scoffed. "If that's the case , what else is the problem? If I marry him, he becomes your brother-in-law. It's a win for both of us."

Running a hand across his forehead, Li Xun pressed his lips together in a thin line. He hadn't thought of Long'Er being his brother-in-law before, and he knew that the boy might suffer under her sister's hands. As opposed to his quiet demeanour, she was a rather difficult person to handle; lacking the patience and immaturity.

But exactly how was Li Xun going to dissuade her knowing that she was as stubborn as a mule?

He eventually gave in. After all, she was his younger sister despite her outrageous behaviour. "Fine. If he reciprocates your feelings, I'll give you my blessings. But if he doesn't, don't expect me to help you."

Her face brightened immediately. "Thank you, Brother! I know I can count on you!"

Flashing him a huge smile, she left his room and his face fell considerably.

He had a feeling he was going to regret his decision later on.

***

- Long'Er -

One late evening, as she was making her way back to her room, she was abducted by a group of maids.

The use of the word was not an overstatement. She was grabbed by many hands and pulled along with them. If she hadn't recognised them as the princess's maids, she would have put up a fight immediately.

They brought her to a footpath leading up to the beautiful pavilion right by the lake. One of the girls cleared her throat sheepishly. "Forgive us for our impertinence, sir, but Her Highness awaits you at the pavilion."

At this, Long'Er frowned.

Why did Li Xue want to see her?

The maids retreated with a bow, which left her without a choice but to make her way into the pavilion slowly. Soon enough, she soon spotted the princess sitting on the floor. Playing an instrument. With her eyes closed, her fingers flew across the strings of the pipa with precision and grace as she played a sweet melody.

Or at least, she tried.

Long'Er observed her carefully from the side, wincing when she started playing wrongly. As the notes got even more strained, Long'Er couldn't watch any longer.

She joined Li Xue, noticing how tense her facial muscles were.

"Here," she advised. "Relax your fingers. Don't put too much pressure on the strings."

Li Xue nodded solemnly. Once she heeded her advice, the notes started flowing a little more smoothly this time. The more she played, the better she was at it.

With a growing smile, Long'Er praised her. "There you go, Your Highness. You can do it. You just need more practice."

Li Xue blushed in embarrassment. "Do you know how to play a pipa?"

Her bizarre behaviour certainly did not go unnoticed by Long'Er. Where did the obnoxious girl that she had met previously, gone?

She cleared her throat loudly. "Yes. A little."

Li Xue held out the pipa delightfully. "Play for me, please?"

Long'Er hesitated, regarding her overexcited look, before reaching for the instrument. Ever since she was a child, her mother had taught her how to play all sorts of instruments. But the pipa wasn't her best. It had been ages since she held one, and she wondered if she could play as well as before.

Giving a light strum across the strings, she warned the princess in advance. "I haven't played for a long time. If there are any mistakes, please don't mind them."

Taking a deep breath, she allowed her fingers to fly across the strings. As each second passed, the sense of familiarity seeped back into her mind and she relaxed, playing an old song she recalled from memory.

She must have played rather well, as Li Xue looked heavily impressed and entranced. When the song eventually came to an end, she applauded loudly.

"That was excellent and captivating! How can you play so well? I never expected a man to play a musical instrument this well. I thought they would know nothing but books, swords and their fists."

Long'Er shrugged and set the pipa on the floor. "It's a hobby of mine that I picked up when I was young."

"Surely you must have a lot of females who have fallen for you!"

"Ah..." Awkwardness filled her. "I don't exactly meet people that often. I lived in the mountains."

"Right. What a shame for them."

Silence lapsed between them, but not for long. Long'Er grasped the chance to ask the question that had been on her mind. "Your Highness, why did you want to meet me? You didn't have to resort to getting your maids to abduct me. I could have walked here on my own."

A sheepish expression crossed Li Xue's face and she averted her gaze. "Well, I was afraid you would not want to see me, especially when I wasn't on my best behaviour when we first met. I apologise for that."

Long'Er blinked several times in disbelief. Was her hearing failing her? The princess apologised to her?

"Your Highness, are you perhaps sick?"

"I'm not!" Li Xue whined loudly. "After recent events, I want to thank you for saving me the other day. It was really kind and admirable of you."

"There's really no need for you to go out of your way to show your gratitude," Long'Er remarked. "I did what anybody would have done."

However, Li Xue was hearing none of it. She pushed her towards the table. "Please sit, I insist."

There was a spread of mouth-watering dishes awaiting her. The moment she was seated, the princess served her food, picking them with her chopsticks and delivering them right into her bowl. Her kind gesture was beginning to make Long'Er grow uncomfortable.

"Are you plotting something that requires my help? You're being unusually...friendly."

Li Xue's lips rolled into a small grin. "Do I need a reason to be nice to someone that I recently grew fond of?"

"Oh."

Long'Er lost her words, wondering if she had understood the princess's kind intentions. Perhaps she simply wanted to be friends. "If I've offended you earlier, I apologise for my insolence, Your Highness."

Li Xue waved away her apology. She gazed out of the pavilion, her eyes sweeping across the calm waters. The sun was setting slowly, casting a soft, orange glow across the land. "Do you know what this place is called?" she spoke quietly. "It's the Love Dusk Pavilion where people say that true love will blossom here between a man and a woman."

Looking at a confused Long'Er, she squirmed in her seat nervously. "If you don't mind, I hope you'll give us a chance and allow our relationship to develop more...romantically."

Blood drained from Long'Er's face. A wave of horror overwhelmed her, realising the meaning behind Li Xue's sudden act of kindness and bashfulness.

She – me – what? Romantically?!

That's impossible!

Everything about this situation had gone horribly wrong. Li Xue believed that Long'Er was a man and to make things worse, she was in love with her.

Long'Er was in trouble. One that comes with the price of breaking a young maiden's heart.



A/N: Secondhand embarrassment at its finest. 😂 I'm dead.