The autumn in Bianliang was no longer sticky and hot, and the breeze carried a hint of coolness. The time for the imperial palace's book-drying ceremony was drawing near.
This book-drying ceremony was a time when the palace's Imperial Library organized and cataloged the royal collection. Originally, it was held in late spring or early summer, intended to air out paper or silk manuscripts to prevent mildew. Since most of these were royal treasures, rarely seen by commoners, the two-hour ceremony was insufficient for full enjoyment. Thus, the late Emperor changed it to twice a year.
Luo Yuan took the invitation and frowned slightly as he read it.
"This year is a bit unusual; we can bring a female companion," he said, glancing at Yang Ruoning.
Since that incident at Dali Temple, she hadn't seen Qingye again. He was confined to the ancestral temple. The thought of seeing Qingye made Yang Ruoning a little expectant. This was also her chance to visit the palace.
The next day, Luo Yuan invited the best tailor in the city to measure them for clothes. After the tailor left, the owner of the silver shop arrived with a large chest of jewelry and gold ornaments. He spread the dazzling array of gold and silver across a table, smiling as he waited for Yang Ruoning to choose.
However, this time, Yang Ruoning refused. She told Luo Yuan that she didn't need any jewelry; she didn't like it.
The shop owner was taken aback. Yang Ruoning was probably the first woman to refuse his shop's jewelry. "Miss, is there nothing you like? I can send a waiter back to get more."
"No, no, these ornaments are too heavy; wearing them would give me cervical spondylosis," Yang Ruoning said.
Luo Yuan picked up a white jade hairpin from the table. It was simple and elegant.
"This one will do," he said, handing the hairpin to Yang Ruoning. "You always need something decent to tie up your hair. You can't go to the palace still sticking a wooden chopstick in it."
"Mm, you're right," Yang Ruoning accepted it.
The shop owner immediately chimed in, "Lord Luo has excellent taste. This hairpin is made of the finest Hetian white jade and truly suits you, miss."
A few days later, however, what arrived at the Luo mansion was not the clothes Luo Yuan had ordered, but a large camphor wood box sent by Qingye. The box exuded the natural woody fragrance of camphor. It was intricately carved with patterns and adorned with gold thread and inlaid gemstones. Yang Ruoning gasped when she saw what was inside.
The box was filled to the brim with jewelry. Pearls, gems, gold, glaze, agate – a dazzling expanse that was almost blinding. Beneath the jewelry lay a set of luxurious robes embroidered with gold thread. The fastenings were knotted floral buttons, and the edges were trimmed and embroidered, all incredibly ornate.
Yang Ruoning, however, found it hard to suppress a laugh. Qingye's aesthetic sense felt rather nouveau riche.
At the very top of the box was a note with a line of writing. Yang Ruoning struggled to decipher its meaning for a long time. Coincidentally, Luo Yuan returned from court. As he entered, he noticed the wooden box on the table and asked, "Is this something from the palace?"
"Mm, yes," Yang Ruoning replied, opening the box. "Look, this is from Qingye. What do you think of his taste?"
"Hmm, it's as colorful as walking into the imperial garden in spring," Luo Yuan said casually after a glance at the contents.
"Haha, you think so too?" Yang Ruoning smiled. She handed the note to Luo Yuan. "Can you tell me what he wrote?"
Luo Yuan took it, read the contents, and then recited, "Long have we not met; may we never forget each other."
"Does this mean that we haven't seen each other for a long time, and he doesn't want me to forget him?"
Luo Yuan paused and said, "Yes."
Yang Ruoning nodded. "Well, it's good that the kid remembers me, especially that he still owes me money. Do you think this pearl hairpin is worth fifteen taels?"
Luo Yuan replied, "Mm, it should be."
"Very good, I'll keep this one as repayment for the money he owes me. The rest is too valuable; we'll return it to him when we see him in the palace."
"How can you return something bestowed by the Emperor?"
"Mm? Really? This is mine now?" Yang Ruoning frowned, looking at the chest of jewelry. "But I don't need it. How about... I sell them?"
Luo Yuan chuckled. "I'm afraid ordinary pawnshops wouldn't dare accept imperial items."
"Can't sell them either? Qingye is really bad at giving gifts," Yang Ruoning lamented. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she pointed at the box, asking Luo Yuan, "General Luo, is there anything you fancy? I'll sell it to you cheap!"
"Why do you need money?" Luo Yuan suddenly asked her.
"Oh, Qingye once gave me a white jade pendant, but I was short of money then and pawned it. Now that I have money, I want to redeem it."
"Qingye gave you his white jade waist token?" Hearing this, Luo Yuan became somewhat tense. "Did it have two five-clawed dragons soaring through clouds on it?"
Yang Ruoning looked down at the jewelry box and replied casually, "Yes, I think so. It was quite valuable; I got forty taels of silver for it."
"Oh, you idiot," Luo Yuan tapped her head with his fan.
It didn't hurt, but Yang Ruoning complained somewhat indignantly, "Why are you calling me an idiot again?"
"That waist token is no trivial item. Like the Shang Fang Sword, it's a symbol of imperial authority. While the Shang Fang Sword can be lent out temporarily, the waist token cannot leave the emperor's person. To see the waist token is to see the emperor himself. You and Qingye, one dared to give it away, and the other dared to accept it. It's truly reckless."
Yang Ruoning felt a bit bewildered. She vaguely realized she might have inadvertently caused trouble. But then she thought, I'm a foreigner; I had no idea. This is entirely Qingye's fault. Why would he pawn such a precious item to me?
"I can't retrieve it for now," she said.
When Luo Yuan took her to find the newspaper office owner, the condescending shopkeeper was terrified. He prostrated himself on the ground and tremblingly told Luo Yuan that he had given the white jade pendant to someone else a while ago. That person immediately recognized it as something extraordinary, and it was rumored to have been taken by the Prime Minister.
"Taken by the Prime Minister?" As they walked out of the newspaper office lobby, Yang Ruoning asked Luo Yuan, "Does that mean it's back in Qingye's hands?"
"It appears so. A blessing in disguise, at least."
"Will it cause trouble for Qingye? He's been copying Buddhist scriptures in the ancestral hall for a long time," Yang Ruoning said with concern.
Luo Yuan stopped upon hearing this. "It seems Qingye treats you very well."
Yang Ruoning stopped and looked at Luo Yuan. "Qingye is just a child."
"But it seems he doesn't think so."
"Don't worry," Yang Ruoning patted Luo Yuan's shoulder. "I have no interest in imperial consorts or anything like that. Qingye knows this, and I doubt he'd suddenly summon me to the palace to be part of his harem. If he really did that, I'd fight with all my might to climb over the wall," Yang Ruoning feigned distress, then thought. "When that happens, we'll elope together, okay?"