Princess Xue Ke's request went unexpectedly smoothly.
Though Emperor Xue Ye had reservations about inviting the master of Moonlight Pavilion into the palace again while the Crown Prince was under house arrest, he ultimately could not resist his beloved daughter's gentle pleas.
Moreover, his suspicions about the Crown Prince's connection to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect case had yet to fade. He also intended to use Madam Tang Yuehua, a woman skilled at dealing with all kinds of people, to quietly observe the Crown Prince's recent words and actions. So he nodded his approval.
When the message reached Moonlight Pavilion, Tang Yuehua was meditating in a quiet room by the water. Her meeting with Crown Prince Ye Yang that day had been like a boulder thrown into her tranquil heart-lake, and the ripples had yet to subside.
The Crown Prince's seemingly flippant yet unfathomable gaze, the terrifying pressure that had turned her Noble Circle against her, and the mystery of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples' deaths afterward, with the blood-written character "Crown"—each and every one of these things had left her unsettled.
"Enter the palace... to teach Princess Xue Ke etiquette and the art of tea?" Tang Yuehua's fingertips, gripping the gilt invitation, turned faintly white.
The invitation was worded respectfully and came from Princess Xue Ke herself. It stated that she admired Tang Yuehua's talents and wished to invite her to stay in the palace and offer guidance.
Yet almost instantly, she thought of the Crown Prince's meaningful smile and his words: "I look forward to making your heart stir for me, Madam."
Was this simply a coincidence born of Princess Xue Ke's innocent nature, or was the Crown Prince making another move through the princess?
She wanted to decline, but the princess had extended the invitation personally, and the emperor had already approved it. She could find no excuse, public or private.
To refuse would be to openly slight the royal family, especially at such a sensitive time.
In the end, Tang Yuehua could only suppress her many doubts and force herself to recover the composure and elegance befitting the master of Moonlight Pavilion. She instructed her maid to prepare her things.
"Madam, about the East Palace..." her personal maid reminded her quietly, worry on her face. Everyone knew the Crown Prince was currently confined to the East Palace, and Moonlight Pavilion stood only a wall away.
Tang Yuehua closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, they were calm. "Mind your duties and teach the princess. As for everything else, don't dwell on it, and don't speak of it."
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Prince Xue Xing's residence remained so oppressive it was suffocating.
Though the terrifying heads had been secretly disposed of and the maid had been "properly" taken care of, Prince Xue Xing had suffered nightmares for several days in a row, and his terror would not fade.
The warning—the heads placed silently at his bedside—hung over him like a sword suspended above his head. He increased security at his residence and even secretly asked a Soul Douluo serving the royal family to stay there temporarily, yet he still felt uneasy.
"Investigate! Search thoroughly! Who let the secret slip, and who has the ability to do such a thing?" Prince Xue Xing roared in his secret chamber, his eyes bloodshot.
Consumed by suspicion, he saw an enemy in everyone.
Three days later, Tang Yuehua's carriage rolled slowly through a side gate of the imperial palace.
She wore a simple, elegant palace gown, her expression serene. Only the fingers curled slightly inside her sleeve betrayed her nervousness.
She was given quarters in an elegant palace residence near the imperial gardens, neither too close to nor too far from the East Palace.
Not long after she had settled in, Princess Xue Ke came to visit cheerfully, eager to learn from her.
Tang Yuehua gathered herself and carefully taught the princess the art of tea and proper decorum. Her conduct was impeccable. Yet her thoughts kept drifting, against her will, toward the East Palace beyond the wall.
Sure enough, that very afternoon, an attendant from the East Palace came to deliver a message respectfully. "The Crown Prince was delighted to hear that Madam had entered the palace to teach the princess."
"His Highness said that the tea at Moonlight Pavilion the other day had been cut short, and Madam had even been startled because of him. He has felt apologetic ever since. As His Majesty has just bestowed some newly arrived 'Cloud Mist Spirit Tip' tea from the south, he ordered this servant to bring some for Madam to sample."
"His Highness also said that if Madam has time, he would be glad to ask her for further instruction in the art of tea, to make up for what was left unfinished."
The attendant presented a delicate jade canister, his manner utterly respectful.
Looking at the tea, Tang Yuehua could almost see Crown Prince Ye Yang's smiling yet unfathomable eyes.
Asking her about tea was a pretext. Testing her—and perhaps continuing the "game" from that day—was the real purpose. Even under "house arrest," his influence was everywhere in this deep palace.
She drew a deep breath and accepted the jade canister. Her fingertips were cold, but her voice remained steady and clear. "Please tell His Highness that Yuehua thanks him for his generous gift."
"Teaching the princess is my duty. There is no need to thank me for the effort. His Highness is devoted to cultivating virtue. As for the art of tea, once his confinement is lifted, if he still wishes to indulge in it, Moonlight Pavilion will always welcome him."
The attendant took his leave.
Tang Yuehua stood alone by the window, gazing at the flowers and trees swaying in the courtyard, her heart anything but at ease.
She knew this was only the beginning. Now that the Crown Prince had made his first move, he would not give up so easily.
In this imperial palace, she had stepped into an invisible web, and the one weaving it was waiting patiently in the East Palace for her next move.
In the East Palace, Ye Yang toyed with Tang Yuehua's reply, brought back by the attendant, a playful curve at his lips.
"Always welcome? Heh, Madam is still as impeccable as ever." He murmured to himself, "But now that you're in the palace, Madam no longer gets to decide when or where you'll be 'waiting.'"
His gaze shifted to the window, as though he could see that elegant figure through the palace walls.
"The game has only just begun."
Tang Yuehua's days in the palace seemed as calm as still water. Every day, she taught Princess Xue Ke etiquette and the art of tea, her conduct impeccable, as though she were truly a tutor wholly devoted to her work.
Xue Ke was innocent and lively, and greatly admired this exceptionally talented madam. She applied herself even more diligently to her studies.
Yet only Tang Yuehua knew how turbulent the undercurrents ran beneath that calm.
The canister of "Cloud Mist Spirit Tip" sent from the East Palace remained untouched on her desk, like a silent warning.
She knew the Crown Prince's "apology" and "request for instruction" were not as simple as they appeared.
Sure enough, one evening several days later, as she was guiding Xue Ke's zither practice in a secluded corner of the imperial gardens, that tall, straight figure appeared once more, unexpectedly.
Ye Yang was not wearing the Crown Prince's usual attire, but a moon-white robe. His steps were leisurely, as though he had truly just happened upon them. Only the silent guard who followed him like a shadow was with him.
"Ke'er's zither playing has improved quite a bit lately. It seems Madam has taught her well." Ye Yang's voice, languid and rich as ever, interrupted the music.
Seeing her elder brother, Xue Ke rose happily to greet him. Tang Yuehua's heart tightened, but her composure quickly returned. She curtsied. "Your Highness is too kind. The princess is naturally gifted and studies diligently."
Ye Yang gestured for Xue Ke to return to the palace and rest, saying he had something to discuss with Madam in private. Xue Ke thought nothing of it and obediently left.
Once the princess was gone, only three people remained in the garden. The setting sun gilded the trees and flowers, but could not dispel the atmosphere that had suddenly grown tense.
"Madam, have you grown accustomed to the palace after several days?" Ye Yang strolled over to the zither table and casually brushed his fingertips across the strings, producing a series of clear but tuneless notes.
"Thanks to His Majesty and the princess's kindness, all is well." Tang Yuehua lowered her gaze as she answered, her manner respectful yet distant.
"Is that so?" Ye Yang chuckled. Then he abruptly turned around, his gaze settling on her face like something tangible. "But why does it seem to me that Madam has... grown thinner? Is the palace food not to your taste, or is there... something weighing on your mind, keeping you from eating and sleeping in peace?"
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