Chapter 4: Gifting the Jade – Skin to Skin

In April’s sky, drifting clouds veiled the piercing sunlight.

The moss-covered courtyard walls blocked out the clamor, turning the seldom-visited Linzhu Courtyard into a private sanctuary of silence for the two of them. Pale purple petals danced on the breeze.

Realizing that Yan Yiqing might not understand the official dialect, Zhao Huairen walked to the base of the tree and spread her arms wide, gesturing that she would catch her.

A clear breeze swept through.

The satin ribbon in Zhao Huairen’s hair swayed.

Her gaze involuntarily chased that flush of red. Yan Yiqing’s heart stirred slightly, but she did not come down from the tree right away.

Noticing her look, Zhao Huairen lightly tugged at the end of the ribbon with her fingers, coaxing her patiently. “Do you like this? If you come down from the tree, I’ll give you my hair ribbon.”

She glanced up at the tip of the branch, a fleeting shadow passing through her eyes. The raccoon-like girl, skilled at climbing trees, pretended to stumble helplessly and fell into the young lady’s embrace.

The two tumbled to the ground together.

Skin met skin, sending up a shower of fragrance.

The sweet, soft scent enveloped her, and a blush spread from Zhao Huairen’s cheeks to her ears, leaving her head spinning.

She couldn’t tell—

Whether it was the flower fragrance or her scent.

Yan Yiqing sat astride the young lady’s waist and leaned down, her fingertip reaching for the ribbon in her hair.

“I… we… perhaps we should get up first?” Zhao Huairen grabbed Yan Yiqing’s wrist. Normally quick with words, she now stammered.

Yan Yiqing mistook the resistance for going back on her word and let out a displeased hum. With one hand, she pinned her to the ground and easily snatched the ribbon.

The daughter of the Duke Mansion had never been pinned to the ground like this before.

A few beads of sweat formed at her temples.

Zhao Huairen turned her head away awkwardly, her expression somewhat embarrassed.

Yan Yiqing’s eyes had been fixed on her the whole time. Noticing the glimmer of moisture in those light brown eyes, the ribbon in her hand suddenly lost its appeal. She released her hold and placed the ribbon back in Zhao Huairen’s palm.

Like a raccoon that had done something naughty.

Yan Yiqing lowered her head, her ears drooping.

Guessing it wasn’t intentional, Zhao Huairen poked the back of her hand lightly with a finger and tied the ribbon around the young lady’s wrist. “Yiqing, red suits you well.”

The fair, jade-like wrist now bore a band of restraint. Yan Yiqing’s gaze shifted slowly from that splash of red to the face beneath her, her enchanting peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents. She nodded emphatically.

The breeze obligingly scattered the petals.

Amid the pink and purple scenery, the girl’s smile brightened the spring.

Zhao Huairen prided herself on having seen many beauties, but at this moment, she had to admit that the girl before her was even more captivating than she had imagined.

Her hands clenched at her sides, suppressing the strange flutter in her heart. Zhao Huairen pushed at her arm. “It’s not good if someone sees us fallen on the ground like this. I need to get up.”

Afraid she would show that sad expression from earlier, Yan Yiqing obediently rose from her body. Once steady on her feet, she considerately extended her hand.

The young lady’s gesture made Zhao Huairen flush with embarrassment.

She had clearly come to coax her.

How had it turned into her being coaxed instead?

“Thank you.” Zhao Huairen placed her hand in her palm and said softly.

Her hand was so soft…

Women from the capital truly were different.

After waiting half a day with no help from Yan Yiqing to pull her up, Zhao Huairen looked up and saw her lost in a daze. Her lips twitched slightly as she pushed herself up from the ground using her arms.

“Ya… Yan, Yan Yiqing.” Yan Yiqing introduced her name with a slight hesitation.

“Zhao Huairen.” Zhao Huairen stood on tiptoe to pluck a petal from the top of the young lady’s head, then lifted her skirt hem. “It’s so dirty. I need to go back to my room and change.”

Her bamboo-wife-colored pleated skirt was stained with flower juice and dirt. Seeing the stains on Zhao Huairen’s skirt hem, Yan Yiqing squatted down in front of her, her gaze focused as she earnestly wiped at the skirt with her sleeve.

“What is Lady Yan doing?” Trying to pull back her skirt only made her grip tighter. Zhao Huairen’s phoenix eyes, with their slightly upturned corners, widened in astonishment, her voice flustered.

The skirt was dirty, and she seemed unhappy about it.

So, she would wipe the skirt for her.

Yan Yiqing looked up at Zhao Huairen, her deep eyes clear and sincere, with a hint of confusion.

What was wrong with this person? She didn’t act like a proper young lady at all—more like a…

Zhao Huairen shook her head, dispelling the stray thoughts, and yanked her skirt back firmly. “I need to go back to my room to change. This is an abandoned courtyard, and the banquet is about to start. Lady Yan should head out soon too.”

Staring at her now-empty palm, Yan Yiqing felt an inexplicable sense of loss, but in the end, she said nothing.

“Yiqing!” Someone called from outside the courtyard.

Hearing the familiar voice, Yan Yiqing turned toward the gate and locked eyes with Yan Ruiyu, who was searching everywhere.

Unlike the women of Yanjing with their elaborate updos, Yan Ruiyu’s long dark hair was simply tied back. Dressed in crow-blue Hu attire, she stepped into the courtyard and called out loudly, “Didn’t Aunt tell you not to run off randomly!”

Though Zhao Huairen only half-understood the Youzhou dialect, the tone alone gave her an idea. She spoke up to help Yan Yiqing. “The wisteria flowers in this courtyard are blooming beautifully. It was I who insisted on dragging Lady Yan here to admire them with me.”

Only after Zhao Huairen spoke did Yan Ruiyu notice the other ethereal young lady standing in the courtyard.

Her golden-embroidered satin attire alone bespoke her noble background. Following the capital’s etiquette, Yan Ruiyu curtsied to Zhao Huairen and asked warmly, “I am Yan Ruiyu. Might I ask who you are, young lady?”

General Weinan, Yan Ruiyu.

Yan Hui’s younger sister, the only female general in Great Yong.

“My father is Zhao Guishan. Huairen pays her respects to General Yan.” Curiosity and scrutiny flickered in her eyes, perfectly masked. Zhao Huairen curtsied to Yan Ruiyu.

Seeing her aunt staring fixedly at Zhao Huairen without speaking, Yan Yiqing stood by Zhao Huairen’s side and said earnestly in her defense, “Aunt, she’s nice. She’s the only one willing to talk to me.”

“Did Qing’er get your clothes dirty?” Yan Ruiyu suddenly asked.

Was it her fault?

Not really—it was she who had approached on her own.

Zhao Huairen pursed her lips and explained softly, “It has nothing to do with Lady Yan. This abandoned courtyard hasn’t been tended to in ages. It was my own lack of consideration.”

Yan Ruiyu had originally opposed the marriage alliance between the Yan and Zhao families.

Noble families of merit, raised in luxury, were not of the same path as martial generals guarding the borders. But upon seeing the young lady before her, she suddenly thought—this match might not be so bad after all.

“Aunt, I got her clothes dirty,” Yan Yiqing said in Youzhou dialect.

Yan Ruiyu knocked lightly on Yan Yiqing’s forehead with her knuckles, untied the emerald bamboo pendant from her waist, and smiled at Zhao Huairen. “Though Lady Zhao has defended Qing’er completely innocently, knowing her as I do, I’m sure Qing’er dirtied your skirt. So please accept this as compensation.”

“General Yan…” Before Zhao Huairen could finish, Yan Ruiyu pressed the jade pendant into her hand.

“This pendant was something Qing’er begged me for originally. Now that she’s dirtied your skirt, it makes perfect compensation.” Yan Ruiyu winked, then stretched out her long arm to pull Yan Yiqing to her side. “Let’s go. Your mother was about to worry herself to death when you went missing.”

She nodded slightly to Zhao Huairen.

Then, the aunt and niece walked out of Linzhu Courtyard side by side.

Having grown up in the opulent Duke Mansion, Zhao Huairen knew with just a touch that the emerald in her palm was priceless.

Satin brocade was expensive.

But this jade could match ten sets without exaggeration…