Distant birds returned through the haze; faint lamplight glimmered at the city gates.
In the hall of the Wang Residence, Kong Changyu had sat for an entire afternoon, waiting until boredom consumed him and his heart felt torn to shreds.
To avoid seeming too eager, he had deliberately waited until after lunch to call. Who could have guessed Wang Yang would not be home? He had no choice but to sit and wait.
Yet however long he waited, Wang Yang never returned. When he asked the steward from a soldier household, the man only said his master had gone out, without knowing exactly where. Though the steward came from a soldier household, he understood social graces: tea, fruit, and pastries were all provided. Seeing how long Kong Changyu had waited, he even apologetically suggested that he could attend to other business first, promising to send word as soon as the young master returned.
Kong Changyu did not want to sit there waiting like a fool, either, but his orders were absolute. If he missed the right moment and something went wrong, how could he bear the consequences of the Prince's thunderous wrath? He could only steel himself and keep waiting.
Just as he was staring out with aching eyes, he faintly heard a jumble of footsteps outside, mingled with murmurs and soft laughter, drawing closer. The murmurs grew louder, and the laughter clearer and brighter.
Kong Changyu pricked up his ears and heard a man's voice:
"...Xiao Shan, I saw a Green Jade Jue on the way back. It suits you perfectly. Take a look-do you like it?"
A girl's cool voice replied, "How does it suit me?"
"As the saying goes, 'At her waist, a precious jue of blue-green coral.' Naturally, a precious jue should go with Qing Shan!"