Chapter 9

Fairy Sister carried a faint floral scent—not overpowering, but just right.

The moment Tao Chuyi caught the aroma, she beamed with delight and latched onto her arm, refusing to let go.

“Your Highness the Princess smells the best! Sweeter than any perfume!”

With one shove, Nangong Yunshang sent her tumbling backward in a somersault.

“Rogue.”

Nangong Yunshang thought that even in his foolish state, he was so lecherous. What would he be like if he weren’t?

By the time Tao Chuyi scrambled back to her feet, Nangong Yunshang had already left. The room stood empty, and Tao Chuyi began to sulk.

Fairy Sister had ditched her again.

Tao Chuyi wandered aimlessly around the room, clambering up onto the rafters one moment and perching on the windowsill the next. She couldn’t stay still for a second.

In her carelessness, she knocked a painting from the wall. She scrambled down to retrieve it and had just picked it up when she spun around and crashed into the table. The teacup tumbled to the floor with a crash, shattering and splashing water all over the painting.

Forgetting the teacup entirely, Tao Chuyi wiped frantically at the painting. But she used too much force, and it tore with a sharp rip.

Tao Chuyi sat there dumbfounded on the floor, staring blankly for ages without a reaction. She looked up in a daze and spotted two more paintings on the wall. Thinking she could patch the damaged one with them, she climbed the ladder. In the process, she knocked over two vases, which smashed to pieces. She pulled down the paintings, but ruined both without exception.

When Nangong Yunshang returned, she found the room in utter chaos—shards of porcelain vases littered the floor amid large puddles of water. Glancing toward Tao Chuyi, she saw piles of torn paper scraps in front of her. Up close, they were fragments of the paintings, and the walls stood completely bare.

“Tao Chuyi!”

Nangong Yunshang’s shrill scream rang through the Princess Mansion.

By evening, Tao Chuyi had been kneeling outside the main chamber for nearly an hour. She scratched the back of her head now and then, dug at her ears, and fidgeted without cease.

When Yinghong arrived with tea, she saw Tao Chuyi huddled there like a small, pitiful, helpless bundle and couldn’t help sighing softly. Their elegant and refined princess had suffered one image-shattering mishap after another ever since encountering this little nemesis.

Tao Chuyi straightened up on her knees and called out, “Your Highness the Princess, I was wrong!”

After a brief silence, a cool voice drifted from inside the room. “Wrong how?”

Tao Chuyi racked her brains but came up blank. She looked up at Xichan and Yinghong, who were winking furiously at her and even mouthing suggestions in a desperate bid to coach her.

“I… I shouldn’t have smashed the vases and teacup. I shouldn’t have torn the big painting.”

The three women outside held their breath. The silence dragged on before Nangong Yunshang finally spoke.

“Kneel for another hour, then come in.”

Hope sparked in Tao Chuyi. She knelt properly again and began counting off on her fingers.

The next morning, Tao Siqing rushed to the Princess Mansion with the portrait and witness testimonies in hand.

Nangong Yunshang had only just risen, while Tao Chuyi had barely woken up herself. After a hasty wash, she was herded into the main hall like a duck to water.

She hadn’t gotten to bed until the third watch last night and was dreadfully groggy, impossible to rouse properly.

Amid her nonstop yawns, Tao Siqing presented the portrait and testimonies.

The portrait depicted a handsome young man with his hair tied in a high bun, exuding a scholarly air. He held a folded fan, and his attire was simple.

“This portrait is based on the witnesses’ descriptions, sketched by an artist to capture the suspect’s appearance,” Tao Siqing explained.

He continued with the testimony. “Among the families of the missing, one woman reported that her daughter had recently befriended a young lord. The two got along splendidly and developed feelings for each other.”

The young man had even visited the girl’s home and begun discussions of marriage. The household consisted only of the mother, as the father had passed away early, leaving them thinly populated. The mother was quite pleased with her prospective son-in-law. Though he was poor, they were well-matched in status, and she planned to visit his parents in his hometown soon.

However, when the young man suggested returning home to meet them, the mother had caught a cold and was unfit for travel. So the daughter went with him alone—and was never heard from again.

Tao Siqing went on. “The woman searched everywhere for news and learned that the man’s claim of teaching at an academy was false. He had vanished into thin air, along with her daughter.”

Nangong Yunshang fell deep into thought. From this, the man’s guilt seemed highly likely.

“Post wanted notices throughout the Capital City and beyond. Reward anyone who provides information on his whereabouts.”

“Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate will see to it at once.”

Tao Siqing bowed, then shifted his gaze to his own foolish child.

Tao Chuyi’s eyes were half-lidded. It took her a good while to notice her father looking her way.

“Father!”

Tao Siqing acknowledged her with a grunt, then admonished, “Chuyi, mind what the princess says. Stay put in the Princess Mansion and don’t wander off. It’s very dangerous outside, understand?”

Tao Chuyi nodded vigorously, though it was unclear if she was agreeing or simply nodding off.

Nangong Yunshang smiled. “Temple Minister Tao needn’t worry. With so many people in the Princess Mansion, we’ll certainly keep a close eye on the Prince Consort. Besides, all the missing victims have been young women—the Prince Consort is safe.”

Tao Siqing nodded, words on the tip of his tongue that he ultimately swallowed. He could only offer this much caution.

The Third Princess was occupied with morning greetings at the palace and inspections at the Dali Temple, leaving no spare time. Tao Chuyi seldom caught sight of Fairy Sister and felt both lovesick and resentful. When boredom struck, she would hug the box of mooncakes that Nangong Yunshang had ordered made for her and amuse herself.

“Young master, be good. Her Highness will be back soon,” Xichan coaxed for at least the third time.

Tao Chuyi fiddled idly with the rattle drum but soon lost interest.

Seeing her still listless, Xichan suggested, “Shall this servant have Liuzi come play cuju with you?”

No response. Xichan kept trying to catch her young master’s attention, but to no avail.

Suddenly, Tao Chuyi sat bolt upright. “I’m hungry. I want mung bean cake.”

“Right away, young master. This servant will go to the kitchen and make some. Be good and stay put—I’ll be right back.”

Tao Chuyi nodded on the surface, though the sliver of cunning in her mind was already scheming how to track down Fairy Sister.

Once Xichan had left and no one was watching, she slipped quietly out the door. She crept through the corridor and darted to the back garden to scale the wall.

With her knack for climbing trees and rafters, flipping over the wall was child’s play.

In no time, she dropped down on the other side. This was her first time venturing out of the mansion alone. Unfamiliar with the roads, she simply followed her instincts.

She wandered for who knew how long before spotting a crowded noodle shop on the street. Father had said that if she ever got lost, she should head to a busy place and ask for directions.

Penniless, Tao Chuyi stepped inside and approached the waiter with a rag slung over his shoulder.

“Hello. Could you tell me how to get to the Dali Temple?”

The waiter sized her up, his eyes gleaming slyly. He held up five fingers. “Young master, how many is this?”

Tao Chuyi counted on her fingers. “Three… and two.”

The waiter chuckled and welcomed her warmly inside. He not only seated her but treated her to a free steaming bowl of noodle soup.

“Young master must be starving, eh? Eat up first, and once you’re full, I’ll tell you the way to the Dali Temple.”

Tao Chuyi cradled the big bowl, her cheeks flushed rosy from the rising steam. Her big, clear eyes blinked innocently, giving her an air of not being the sharpest tool in the shed.

“You’re a pretty nice guy, you know.”