Chapter 23: Look Upon Me

"What is troubling you, little Princess?"

Jing Hu turned her head to see Ke Mingxu, clad in a moon-white robe. The moonlight flowed like water, and as he walked toward her, he seemed to carry that same luminous grace with him.

Jing Hu stood up, the vexation in her heart instantly vanishing. "Brother Ke, have you come to find me?"

Her voice held a hint of pleasant surprise, and when she addressed him, there was an unconscious intimacy. She was a young girl, perhaps not yet adept at concealing her emotions, which made him feel a slight sense of impropriety.

But—after all, she was only a young girl.

Ke Mingxu nodded. "Did you not have something to say to me, little Princess?"

She did have something to say, though she had never told him so. "How did you know, Brother Ke?"

Ke Mingxu smiled. Even though the moonlight was not particularly bright, his smile seemed to illuminate the surroundings. Or perhaps, it was her own heart that had suddenly grown bright.

"Earlier in the hall, you cast a glance at me. When we met during the day, I departed with the Crown Prince, yet your gaze lingered, and I thought you might have something to say."

Even if she had nothing to say, her gaze had been unable to pull away from him since their first meeting at the Zhengyang Gate.

She knew she was prone to chatter, but there was a joy in that rambling.

"It seems you are the one with eyes in the back of your head, Brother Ke. I have been watching you the whole time, but you never looked at me—not even in the hall earlier."

"How did you know my gaze would not move?"

Ke Mingxu stood before her, over a head taller, yet his tone was always gentle, never making her feel pressured.

"You are mistaken, little Princess. You were not the only one watching. When the toasts were made to the Emperor and Empress, everyone was looking at their Majesties, yet you were lost in a gaze fixed upon me. If it were not so, you would not have been teased by the Emperor."

Jing Hu quickly spotted the loophole in his words, a discovery that brought her great delight. "So, when you raised your cup and pretended to look at the Emperor and Empress, you were actually looking at me."

It was a breach of etiquette, a sign of disrespect.

The next moment, Ke Mingxu raised a finger to his lips. "To speak is to invite trouble; it is better to remain silent."

Jing Hu mimicked his gesture, pressing a finger to her own lips.

He was a man, his fingers broader and more defined than her delicate ones. She stood close to him—very close—and could see the faint calluses on his fingertips.

She had held this hand before; she knew how it felt when those fingers brushed against her palm.

During the palace banquet, most of the servants were inside the Chang'an Hall, leaving the garden in a deep, hushed silence. They walked along the pebble-paved path.

Jing Hu could not suppress her excitement, her footsteps light and unsteady. "Brother Ke, if you wanted to watch me, why not do it openly? It wouldn't have been strange to cast your gaze toward the front of the hall."

Ke Mingxu said softly, "This is my first time attending such a palace banquet. I dared not look around freely, lest I lose my sense of propriety."

Jing Hu suspected he was teasing her, yet it also sounded reasonable. "I never imagined there would be moments when you, Brother Ke, felt nervous or afraid."

He laughed softly, as if pleased by her tone. "I am but a common mortal; how could I not know nervousness or fear?"

It was as if the little Princess, who had once been lawless and cared for nothing but her dominoes, had found something that obsessed her far more.

Jing Hu nodded.

She had always felt that Ke Mingxu was somewhat distant. Even though they had not known each other long, she had held his hand, gripped his wrist, fallen into his arms twice, and let him adjust her hairpin.

Yet, he still felt remote—like the moon in water; she could touch it, but if she tried to scoop it up, she would only grasp at broken shadows.

It was just like the distance between them that day at the Zhengyang Gate.

He was the young top scholar, a rarity in Yanliang for decades. He rode on horseback, surrounded by crowds; he was walking in her direction, but not toward her.

She had stood on the city wall amidst the fragrant, silk-clad noblewomen, no different from the young girls cheering on the street below, casting flowers in his path—no closer to him than they were.

Such thoughts sometimes left a bitter taste in her mouth—a flavor she had never tasted before.

He was so clever, so gentle, so perfect, like a distant deity—yet it turned out he could be nervous, too. He was just a mortal, like her.

As if she had discovered the world's greatest secret, her smile grew even more radiant.

Ke Mingxu stopped. "Are you laughing at me, little Princess?"

Jing Hu stopped as well, gazing into his eyes. There were stars in the vast distance, but she had no desire to look at them.

She asked him, "Earlier in the hall, I was scolded by my father. Will you laugh at me, Brother Ke?"

Ke Mingxu shook his head. "It was not really a scolding. In truth, the Prince of Yongning was only trying to protect you."

Jing Hu smiled. "Then, since you did not look around in the hall to protect yourself—as is the duty of a subject—why would I laugh at you?"

Ke Mingxu looked at her and smiled, suddenly reaching out his hand.

Perhaps realizing the impropriety, his hand did not touch her, but paused at her ear, plucking a gardenia from the branch behind her.

Jing Hu instinctively clutched her hem, but seeing him only pluck the flower, she relaxed.

She reached out with both hands to cup his, which still held the gardenia, and acted with playful stubbornness.

"How did you know gardenias are my favorite? It would be inconvenient to hold it while returning to the hall. Could I trouble you to pin it into my hair, Brother Ke?"

Her hands guided his to the side of her hair; it was a simple gesture, and he did not refuse.

Jing Hu stood before the tall gardenia bush. In the hazy moonlight, it seemed as if the flower were still blooming on the tree.

But her dark hair and his hand were both now imbued with the clear, lingering scent of the gardenia.

He found himself at a loss for words, a strange sensation stirring in his heart.

He could only offer small talk. "You once said you loved coral flowers most. How is it that today you love gardenias? Do seasons change, and with them, the preferences of the heart?"

The little Princess shook her head. Seasons change, time passes, and while there may be many flowers one loves, there is only one person one loves above all else.

She did not know how to answer, fearing he might think her fickle, so she decided to do something else.

The palace garden held more than just gardenias. She quickly found a cluster of jasmine, carefully plucked one, and walking up to Ke Mingxu, pinned it to his lapel.