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Going out to play? Qiuyue looked at Hua Yan, wondering if it was really a good idea to go out and have fun so boldly on only her second day in the residence. Especially considering the storm of fury from the young mistress that had just terrified everyone, surely they needed some time to recover.
Hua Yan ignored Qiuyue and walked out of the room.
Qiuyue hurried after her, drawing close and whispering, "Miss, you forget, we've spent all the silver we brought with us on the journey to the Capital City. Even if we go out, we don't have any silver."
Hua Yan gently patted her face with a warmth in her voice like a spring breeze, her smile beaming, "As long as I have you with me and these hands of mine, do we still need to worry about not having silver?"
Qiuyue understood at once, her face immediately paling as she stepped back, shaking her head vigorously, "Miss, this is the Capital City, and your identity now is the Crown Princess Consort. If people find out..."
Hua Yan huffed, cutting her off, "Nagging! If you won't go, then I will go by myself."
Qiuyue stood rooted to the spot, her complexion shifting between pale and flushed. Seeing that Hua Yan had already left the courtyard, she stamped her foot in frustration and hurried after her.
The maid didn't understand where the two of them were planning to go. Considering the Chief Steward's repeated and emphatic instructions, she dared not make any mistakes and quickly followed with more than a dozen maidens in tow.
Once outside the Phoenix West Garden, Hua Yan walked towards the north gate following the same route that Steward Fu had shown her the day before.
Just as they didn't get far, the maid came hurrying after them with her entourage, asking anxiously, "Crown Princess Consort, are you planning to stroll through the gardens? Allow us to serve you."
Hua Yan turned and glanced at the maid, smiling, "I wish to wander the streets, having Qiuyue to serve me is sufficient. You don't need to follow, I'm accustomed to her."
Qiuyue looked uneasy but said nothing.
The maid quickly replied, "The Grand Steward instructed me to take good care of the Crown Princess Consort. If you wish to leave the residence to browse around, I will arrange for a carriage right away."
Hua Yan gave her a smile, "Carrying on with all the grandeur of the Eastern Palace would take the fun out of it. While Steward Fu's instructions matter, I prefer not to have a crowd around me." With that, she waved her off, "You may go back, and tonight, have the chefs prepare a couple of their special dishes for me. I'd like to try them." Saying so, she walked on.
The maid understood from Hua Yan's brief words that her tone and demeanor unyieldingly signaled no room for negotiation. Could the Grand Steward's orders outweigh those of the Crown Princess Consort? It wasn't a hat the Grand Steward could wear either.
She stood there for a long while, not daring to follow by force. She quickly ordered someone at her side, "Go and inform the Grand Steward at once. Tell him the Crown Princess Consort has gone shopping in the streets and didn't permit us to go with her, taking only her maiden Qiuyue."
A maiden acknowledged her order and swiftly went to inform Steward Fu.
Steward Fu stepped outside the Phoenix West Garden and felt chilled from head to toe by the breeze. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a sleeve, he reflected that although he'd lived a considerable number of years and served the Crown Prince for many, this was the first time he felt as if he had endured all forms of torture known to man, both hot and cold.
He sighed deeply, pondering how he would accurately convey the trials of the day to the Crown Prince upon his return that evening.
Upon arriving back at his quarters and changing into clean clothes, he had just started to feel a bit of warmth when he heard the on-duty maiden from Phoenix West Garden, reporting hurriedly about the Crown Princess Consort having left the residence with only her maiden Qiuyue to roam the streets.
When he heard Hua Yan's words, "While Steward Fu's instructions are to be obeyed, I myself do not like crowds," his relaxing heart tightened, and after a while, he weakly waved his hand, "I know. Tell the maid to follow the Crown Princess Consort's orders and instruct the chefs to prepare tonight's dinner well. As for the Crown Princess Consort, she has made it from Lin'an to the Capital City, a thousand li away, all on her own, so a walk down the streets of the capital should be no big deal."
The maiden received her orders and swiftly conveyed the message to the maid.
Steward Fu thought it over for a moment and still felt it necessary to inform the Crown Prince.
So, a servant from the Crown Prince's Residence rushed out of the Eastern Palace, located the Crown Prince's whereabouts, and headed to Zongzheng Temple.
Yun Chi had been considering the disturbances in the small kingdom in the Southwest foreign country for several days. After the morning court, he personally went to the Zongzheng Temple to discuss with the imperial relatives about selecting someone to be an envoy to the foreign country in the Southwest.
While they were in the midst of discussion without a conclusion, the ever-attentive Little Eunuch Zhongzi whispered a few words into Yun Chi's ear. Yun Chi's expression shifted slightly, and he nodded to indicate he understood.
Seeing that the Crown Prince did not give any further instructions, Little Zhongzi went out to relay the message to the servant from the Eastern Palace, "The Crown Prince says he knows."
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Little Eunuch nodded and hurriedly ran back to the Eastern Palace.
With no one else to obstruct her, Hua Yan smoothly exited the north gate of the Eastern Palace. As she stepped out, she felt the absence of the oppressive layers of pagodas, towers, and splendid tiled roofs, and suddenly her spirit felt refreshed and invigorated.
She leisurely strolled down the street from the north gate and soon reached Ronghua Street, the most prosperous and bustling area in the Capital City of Nanchu with an ever-present din of human voices.
Along the street stood numerous shops, surrounded by a crowd where everyone was lavishly dressed, amid ceaseless streams of carriages and horses, bustling to and fro.
There were noblemen and princely sons with an air of carefree elegance, wealthy merchants with brightly colored clothes, secluded noblewomen veiled and surrounded by a multitude of servants and guards, and ordinary folk in plain attire yet beaming with happiness and seemingly well-off.
Although Hua Yan's simple attire was elegant and refined, it wasn't too conspicuous among such an affluent, joyous, and resplendent crowd. The only thing that drew attention was her beauty.
In Nanchu, customs were liberal, and constraints on women's private conduct were not exceptionally strict. However, the rigid rules of prestigious families still forbade women of the household from venturing outside alone. Even when they did go out, they were escorted by a throng of servants and always wore veils.
The Hua Family's rules were also strict, but Hua Yan had always been of an unusual temperament, never adhering to these norms.
She walked slowly along the street amidst the flow of people, taking delight in the liveliness of the Capital City.
She had to admit that, across Nanchu with its hundred-odd districts and counties, only the Capital City could boast such splendor and prosperity.
Qiuyue followed close by Hua Yan, her face sullen. Seeing everyone they passed cast admiring glances at Hua Yan, she frowned and glared back. Some turned away in embarrassment, no longer daring to look. After several glares, which made her own eyes sore, she finally spoke up in a low voice, "Miss, you couldn't possibly be thinking of..."
Before she could finish, Hua Yan stopped in front of a storefront and smiled, "Indeed, I must earn some money to spend. Having no silver on me feels as bad as Zheng Erhu said."
Qiuyue's half-spoken words were abruptly swallowed back, her complexion growing even worse. She murmured, "Surely the Eastern Palace can afford to keep Miss provided for, right?"
Hua Yan chuckled, reached out to tap Qiuyue's forehead, "I'm afraid they can't keep up; I have quite the appetite. The entire Eastern Palace, how much wealth does it command? All those activities, they don't fill private coffers; they're to bolster the nation's treasury for the people. Unless they use the national treasury for my expenses, where could they possibly find the means to support me? Ridiculous!"
Qiuyue was instantly at a loss for words.
Hua Yan stepped forward and entered.
Qiuyue glanced at the sign over the door that read "Shunfang Gambling House" and felt a tingling on her scalp and a chill run down her spine.
The Shunfang Gambling House was the largest gambling house in the Capital City of Nanchu, occupying a space as big as the three most luxurious and expensive taverns on the busiest section of Ronghua Street.
Here, the doors never closed, day or night, with gambling tables continuously in operation. Anything under the sun could be wagered here: gold, silver, precious silks, antiques, brocade, livestock, and more—the list was exhaustive.
All varieties of gambling games known under the heavens were available here in full array.
Though it was time for lunch, the place did not rest. Dealers kept starting new rounds, and gamblers kept placing their bets, with cries of triumph and sobs of despair intermingling.
Regardless of status, high or low, whether you were a noble son or from the hoi polloi, everyone was treated the same here.
As Hua Yan crossed the threshold, a Little Eunuch came up to greet her, assessing her with an experienced eye and asked with a beaming smile, "Miss, are you here to meet someone or to place a few bets?"
Hua Yan smiled at him, her innocent eyes twinkling, "I've only arrived in the Capital City from the countryside yesterday. I heard the Shunfang Gambling House is renowned far and wide. I've come specially to try my luck at a few games and broaden my horizons."
The Little Eunuch was dazzled by her smile, taking a moment to come to his senses, and he secretly praised her beauty before eagerly asking, "Miss, would you like to try the high stakes or the lower stakes?"
Hua Yan casually reached behind her and pulled Qiuyue, who was reluctantly following her, to the front and said with a laugh, "Little Brother, look at this servant girl of mine. How much silver do you think she's worth? I was too delighted when I left home today, entranced by the splendor of the Capital City, and I forgot to bring silver. Let's wager with her as my stake."
Qiuyue's face immediately turned as pale as a washed cabbage.