Dong, dong-
The evening drums sounded from the Bell and Drum Tower, and Yun'an, still in the first lunar month, slowly became a sea of lights once more.
Inside the Jade Resonance Tower, Dongfang Liren, who was on leave, had set up a painting table on the terrace and was gazing out at the myriad sights in the streets, searching for inspiration.
But no matter how she tried to gather her thoughts, all she could picture was a man and a bird passing outside the Black Bureau, putting a saber to Wang Chihu's neck.
Dongfang Liren did not believe in love at first sight, but even now, she could not understand why she had told her cousin Wang Chihu to go out into the street and stop a young wandering knight.
Supposedly, I was choosing an empress for my sister, so how did I end up secretly keeping him for myself...?
Could it be that the very first time I saw that lecher, my heart stirred with springtime longing...?
As these wild thoughts ran through her head, an unknown amount of time passed. Her painting was only half finished when she suddenly spotted Wang Chihu trotting up the street on horseback. Who knew whom he had learned it from, but he was wearing a black robe, with an official saber hanging behind his waist. Had he not been shorter and fat, he really could have fooled someone at a glance.
Dongfang Liren's gaze chilled at the sight. She was just about to have a maid call Wang Chihu over for a scolding when she saw him stop his horse right outside the Black Bureau, gather up his robe, and hurry toward the Jade Resonance Tower behind it, calling out from afar:
"Your Highness, come down! Brother Ye is back..."
"Hmm?"