003 As small and unremarkable as a chestnut

Tucking "Governance Unimpeded" into my bosom, I deftly avoided the palace attendants and slipped into the secret passage beneath the bedchamber. It was still that same winding path, still that cherry blossom tree. Beneath the tree, atop the large stone, stood a chubby figure, tiptoeing and craning his neck to look for me. Upon seeing me approach, he waved his arms with all his might.

I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Such a beautiful scene—the cherry blossoms drifting gently down—yet it was a plump child waiting beneath the tree, utterly shattering the romantic atmosphere. The thought of it struck me as rather comical.

I hadn’t even drawn close when he hurried forward to greet me.

"I thought you wouldn’t come today, little sister." With his plump hand, he grasped mine and led me to sit with him on the big stone. From his sleeve, he produced an oiled paper bag and handed it to me.

"What’s this?"

"Chestnuts. My favorite. My mother used to prepare them for me." As he spoke, his gaze drifted into the distance—I could tell he was thinking of his mother.

"How lovely." I reached in, took one, and popped it into my mouth. Then I picked another and placed it in his hand. It was as if whatever he liked, I naturally came to like as well.

We chatted idly, nibbling on chestnuts.

"My name is Li Yexuan. What’s yours, little sister?"

"I… my name is Ziyun…" The royal family of Lingyun bore the surname Huangfu; I thought it best not to reveal this.

"Ziyun, would you call me Brother Xuan? My siblings at home aren’t very close to me, and I’ve never had someone like you to talk with."

"Brother Xuan," I said softly.

At the sound of it, he jumped down from the stone, beaming with delight. Perhaps, for a young boy, having a little girl call him brother brought him a special sense of pride.

"This is for you." I took out "Governance Unimpeded" and handed it to him.

"For me? Aren’t you going to read it yourself?"

"I’ve memorized it all."

He accepted it, both surprised and pleased, and tucked it away as if it were a treasure.

As the sun set, I waved farewell. Looking back, I saw his figure growing hazy in the twilight, and couldn’t resist calling out, "Brother Xuan, the chestnuts are delicious!"

His laughter echoed even louder.

That night, back in my bedchamber, I murmured his name in my sleep, which led to A'Fu pressing me with questions. This girl was certainly getting bolder—with two sharp pinches, she finally let me be.

From then on, instead of sneaking off to read under the tree, I brought pastries to share with him, and he always arrived with his bag of chestnuts. Who could say what two children found to talk about day after day?

Once, I couldn’t help but ask him why he always brought chestnuts. He smiled and replied, "Because I look like a chestnut myself."

I teased that perhaps I looked as round and plump as a chestnut too, which made him laugh so hard he clutched his belly, unable to answer.

One day, I went to our usual spot, but he wasn’t there. I didn’t frantically search for him; I simply ate my pastries quietly, waited until sunset, then returned alone. I had always known that, just as he had appeared silently under the cherry blossom tree, he would one day leave just as quietly, without disturbing a single petal.

As I stepped back into the palace, feeling forlorn, my father appeared. Seeing my dejected look, he scooped me up and carried me to my mother’s chambers, all the while saying, "Ziyun, the envoys from the Moonlight Kingdom have left. Now Father has time to play with little Ziyun. Come, let’s go tease your younger brother with Mother."

There was no farewell, not a single word left behind. Only after he left did I realize I didn’t even know where he was from.

I still went to the cherry blossom tree every day. The books in my arms grew from one to two, just in case I ever saw him again and could give him another to read. But that extra book never found its reader. And the name Li Yexuan gradually faded from my memory…