Chapter Fifty: Your Highness, Do You Know How to Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”?

Don’t say that Yu Huali doesn’t understand romance; he had given his answer only after careful consideration. The Seventh Prince’s enthusiasm was thoroughly extinguished; he tossed aside the leaf and said, “This is too difficult. I won’t learn.”

Yu Huali knew his earlier response may have disappointed him, so he smiled and coaxed, “Then let me teach you to play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.’”

“What is ‘Little Star’?”

“It’s that ‘twinkle, twinkle, sparkling bright, the sky is full of stars.’”

The Seventh Prince laughed, “Isn’t that a children’s song?”

“Yes, this one is simple. I’ll teach you.” Yu Huali picked another leaf and handed it to him.

The Seventh Prince imitated him, and in that moment, paired like newlyweds, they were blessed by the spring breeze.

“Princess, just hold on a bit longer—we’re almost there.”

Knowing that the apricot blossoms were in full bloom here, Princess Yongcheng had come to admire them. It was stifling in the palace for too long, but after all, a princess is a princess. In the laws of the Mu Kingdom, a princess is a heavenly beauty, not to be seen by mere mortals.

So whenever the princess went out, she wore a veil over her face. From afar, one could see a group of people escorting a tightly shrouded lady.

The maid at her side glared at Yu Huali, who was watching out of curiosity, and snapped, “What are you staring at? My lady is not someone a commoner like you can look at!”

Yu Huali, scolded so abruptly, realized his behavior had been impolite and apologized meekly, “I’m sorry.”

He quietly turned around. When the Seventh Prince saw them entering, he sat there with a blank expression.

Yu Huali sat beside him and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Yongcheng glanced over and was surprised to see the Seventh Prince. She rebuked her maid, “Don’t be rude. Go apologize.”

The maid looked aggrieved, but since her mistress had spoken, she had to comply. Yu Huali quickly stood and said, “No need, no need—it was my fault.”

The maid agreed, but when she glanced up and saw the Seventh Prince, she was too frightened to speak.

The princess meant well, fearing her maid had offended the Seventh Prince. Yu Huali saw her kneeling and grew concerned, “Please, stand up. I forgive you.”

Only after the Seventh Prince signaled with his eyes did the maid dare to rise. Yongcheng nodded to him in greeting, and the Seventh Prince stood and said, “My foolish brother may have offended the lady—please forgive him.”

Yongcheng replied, “No harm done.”

Seeing that even the Seventh Prince had apologized, Yu Huali also apologized to Yongcheng.

Yongcheng hadn’t noticed him before, but now she recognized him as the man who’d behaved frivolously toward her at the Yu family art gathering.

She wondered, the Seventh Prince recruited an artist from the Yu family—could he be that artist?

The Seventh Prince knew Yongcheng had met him before, and seeing her gaze linger on Yu Huali, wondered if Yongcheng had fallen for him.

Yongcheng wanted to hurry away, but the Seventh Prince held Yu Huali back and said, “Lady, please rest here. We’ll not disturb you.”

“Thank you,” Yongcheng replied.

Worried about Yu Huali getting wet in the rain, the Seventh Prince lifted his coat over Yu Huali’s head.

Yu Huali knew the prince was caring for him, but he was a man after all, not so delicate. He snatched the coat and said, “Sev...Zicheng, don’t mind me. Put it on, or you’ll get sick in the rain.”

The Seventh Prince smiled and put his coat on. Yongcheng, seeing they had no umbrella, instructed her maid to give them hers.

Yu Huali, considerate of the lady, declined, “How could we accept? Let the lady have the umbrella. We men can stand a little rain.”

Yongcheng persuaded, “Don’t worry, sir. I can wait until the rain stops. Please use it.”

“Then thank you for your kindness,” the Seventh Prince replied.

Since the Seventh Prince had accepted, Yu Huali had nothing more to say and walked with him under the umbrella.

After they left, Yongcheng lifted her veil and gazed at Yu Huali’s departing figure in a daze.

The maid said, “He scared me—it was the Seventh Prince!”

Yongcheng replied, “Yes, what a surprise to meet Seventh Brother. Hanyu, do you know the name of the artist he recruited?”

The maid smiled, “I’ve heard he’s called Yu Huali, a broken sleeve who once tried to kill himself for love!”

“Broken... sleeve?”

After the Seventh Prince and Yu Huali had walked some distance, the rain stopped, and the apricot blossoms glistened with raindrops under the sunlight—an even more beautiful scene.

Yu Huali was entranced. The Seventh Prince watched him for a moment, then suddenly said, “Ziliang.”

“Yes?”

“In a few days, the Fourth Prince will choose an artist at the Qionglin Art Gathering. Go help him.”

“Qionglin Art Gathering?” Yu Huali felt the name was familiar, then remembered Ji Yuzhe was from the Qionglin Art Gathering and even its chief deity.

“If you’re unwilling, I can speak to Fourth Brother...”

“No, I’m willing. I actually wanted to see it.”

The Seventh Prince suddenly frowned, “I won’t be with you those days. Be careful.”

“What? Which days?” Yu Huali was confused. Wasn’t the Seventh Prince going with him?

“I have official duties those days, so I won’t accompany you. The secret guards before... were just to protect you.”

“The secret guards earlier?” Weren’t they meant to monitor him?

The Seventh Prince said, “These days, you’ll stay at Fourth Prince’s mansion. I’ll assign a secret guard to you.”

“Fourth... Prince.” Yu Huali looked troubled.

The Seventh Prince asked, “What’s wrong with Fourth Prince?”

Yu Huali shook his head, “Nothing, nothing.”

Just thinking about the Fourth Prince made Yu Huali nervous; his instincts told him the Fourth Prince was far more than just cunning.

The Seventh Prince sensed something was amiss and probed, “You seem afraid of him?”

“He is a prince... it’s normal to be afraid,” Yu Huali explained.

“Fourth Brother is famous for his compassion. He treats people well. Has he done anything to you?”

“Not really... But, is he also a broken sleeve?” Yu Huali asked.

The Seventh Prince replied, “No.”

After hearing this, Yu Huali’s frown deepened. The Seventh Prince pressed, “What did he do to you?”

“Nothing at all,” Yu Huali replied.

The Seventh Prince suddenly grew serious, “If you don’t want to go to Fourth Prince’s mansion, just return to the Yu family after the Qionglin Art Gathering. I’ll come get you in a few days.”

Yu Huali nodded. After they returned to the mansion, the Seventh Prince sent him back to his courtyard, saying that after a death, ritual was needed to feel at ease.

Even with the Seventh Prince around, Yu Huali felt immense pressure seeing Jinhe. That scheming woman—ten Yu Huali’s couldn’t outwit her.

“Master Yu, please have some tea.” Jinhe obediently handed him tea, a stark contrast to the woman who’d once pinned him down.

“No need, no need—you drink it yourself.”

Jinhe looked aggrieved, “Do you fear I’ve poisoned you, Master Yu?”

“No, I never said that,” Yu Huali replied, troubled; he couldn’t bear to see girls cry.

“Rest assured, Master Yu. You saved my life, and I’ll repay your kindness a thousandfold.”

Seeing her sincerity, Yu Huali felt sorry to trouble her and accepted the tea.

Jinhe’s face brightened as he drank, and Yu Huali handed her the empty cup, “Alright, I’ve finished the tea...”

He hadn’t finished speaking before the world spun and Jinhe’s figure blurred before his eyes.

Damn! He’d fallen for this woman’s trick again.

Jinhe carried him to bed, sitting beside him and admiring his face.

Of all the faces he’d seen, this was his favorite—a pair of eyes deep as autumn waters, iridescent as glass; a nose straight yet delicate; lips always curled in a half-smile.

He was famed for his moon-like beauty, a master of disguise, and one of the emperor’s twelve secret guards. The Empress Dowager sent people to monitor the Seventh Prince, but they always disappeared mysteriously, so the emperor sent him to investigate.

Yet, upon arrival, he was captivated by Yu Huali’s face. He gently traced his cheek—though he wore a woman’s face, his voice was cold and deep, unmistakably male.

“Yu Huali, you truly were born with a beautiful face.”

He licked his lips, about to imprint this face, when the Seventh Prince entered.

Jinhe pretended to cover Yu Huali with the quilt. The Seventh Prince asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Master Yu said he was tired,” Jinhe replied.

“Alright, you may leave.”

“Yes.” Jinhe sighed in disappointment but could only slip away.

The Seventh Prince sat by Yu Huali’s bed, looking at his sleeping face. “Ziliang, really tired? Sleeping before dinner?”

Yu Huali was fully conscious but couldn’t wake up. He was terrified—he’d encountered a demon in ancient times!

Fortunately, the Seventh Prince arrived in time. Seeing Yu Huali still asleep, the Seventh Prince sighed, leaned closer, kissed his forehead, and whispered, “Good night...”

Yu Huali was bewildered. What was the Seventh Prince doing—stealing a kiss while he slept? This time, he’d caught him red-handed!

After saying good night, the Seventh Prince left. Yu Huali panicked, silently pleading, Seventh Prince, come back! Jinhe is dangerous!

Once the Seventh Prince left, who knew what Jinhe might do to him!

Hadn’t the prince always wanted to hold Yu Huali while sleeping? This time, Yu Huali was begging him—come back and hold him!

He didn’t know how much time had passed before his body gradually recovered. He suddenly opened his eyes to find it was already dark, and, even more frightening, Jinhe was sitting in his room drinking tea!

“Damn! You—”

“Shh...” Jinhe gestured for silence.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“Ziliang!” The Seventh Prince burst in, seeing Yu Huali sleeping soundly on the bed—was it just a nightmare?

The Seventh Prince carried him back to his own room, fearing he was scared, and slept beside him for comfort.

Jinhe, hiding under Yu Huali’s bed, breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, the Seventh Prince only worried about Yu Huali and didn’t notice anything else, or he would have been caught for sure.

Yet, the sedative given to Yu Huali wore off after just two hours. How strange—could Yu Huali be a martial arts prodigy?