Love Lock

Chapter 177 The Turtle That Turned Over
In the capital city.

Several days have passed, and the case of the Marquis of Champion's mansion remains unsolved, but the day of the marriage alliance with the Turkic princess is drawing ever closer.

The Ministry of Revenue is working diligently to procure grain, looms, and cloth, and will send them to the Turkic steppes as soon as Emperor Jing and Princess Yujia finish their marriage ceremony.

These past few days, Princess Yujia, who was staying at the Honglu Temple Inn, would sneak out every day after her tutor left to stroll around Jinxiufang, drink tea, or chat with Tang Xiaotong.

The glazed tiles of Honglu Temple gleamed with a cool luster under the summer sun.

Princess Yujia leaned against the carved window frame, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the wolf tooth pendant around her neck.

This was put on her by her father during her coming-of-age ceremony.

Here, she could not ride a horse, could not see the eagles soaring in the sky, could not smell the fragrance of grass, and could only stare at the empty courtyard outside the window, idly playing with the wolf tooth jade pendant.

The instructor had just left, and the suffocating sandalwood scent still lingered in the room. The rules of "keeping one's head down and not raising it above one's shoulders" and "not showing one's teeth when smiling" felt like invisible chains binding her, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Princess, it's time for lunch," the maid Alan called softly from outside the door, carrying a gilded food tray.

Yu Jia gazed at the exquisite yet unfamiliar and cold imperial dishes on the plate, and suddenly remembered the steaming almond tea she had tasted yesterday in Jinxiufang.

She smiled slightly and grabbed the cloak embroidered with a gray wolf beside her.

"No need to prepare anything, I want to go for a walk."

As they passed through the three vermilion gates, the guards all knelt down in unison.

The closer the marriage ceremony drew, the more Princess Yujia felt under surveillance. She was no longer as free in anything she did.

Her steps suddenly became lighter as she stepped over the last threshold, as if she had broken free from some kind of shackle.

The bustling atmosphere of the market was overwhelming; the old man selling sugar hawking his wares, the crisp sound of abacus beads clicking at the entrance of the silk shop, and the sound of a huqin drifting from some alley—these carefree sounds brought tears to Princess Yujia's eyes.

The blue cloth banner of Jinxiufang fluttered in the breeze. As soon as Yujia stepped across the threshold, she heard clear laughter coming from inside the room.

"Manager Tang, you're putting me in a difficult position. The cloud pattern on this brocade needs to be paired with a loose stitch to bring out its charm..."

Before she finished speaking, Tang Xiaotong lifted the indigo curtain and walked out, her hair still adorned with a few strands of colorful thread.

The moment he saw Yu Jia, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he then smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

"The arrival of distinguished guests makes our humble shop shine with honor."

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled patterns of light on Tang Xiaotong's brow.

Princess Yujia noticed that Tang Xiaotong was wearing a bamboo-green robe today, which made him look as fresh and clean as a newly sprouted willow branch.

She suddenly remembered a Turkic proverb: "A fine horse is judged by its teeth, and a man by his eyes."

The eyes of this businessman from Dajing were like the brightest stars in the night sky over the grassland.

"Yesterday's almond tea..." Yu Jia started to say, but then changed her mind, "...do you have any newly arrived Yun brocade?"

Tang Xiaotong winked knowingly: "What a coincidence, I just got a few pieces with a light blue background, embroidered with lifelike koi fish."

He led Princess Yujia to the backyard, and as they passed a shelf, he casually picked up a celadon jar.

From a peddler who roamed the streets to a shop owner, Tang Xiaotong now faces all kinds of customers every day, which means he works in the service industry.

Therefore, Tang Xiaotong had long been accustomed to smiling at everyone and being amiable to all.

The other people in Dajing looked at Princess Yujia as if she were an alien, and they always liked to whisper and point behind her back.

Tang Xiaotong, however, always remained calm and chatted with Princess Yujia with ease.

It was precisely because Tang Xiaotong was kind and gentle that Princess Yujia felt she could get along with him very well.

Therefore, he naturally came to regard him as his only friend in Dajing.

Tang Xiaotong knew that Princess Yujia was a princess sent to marry a Turkic ruler, and Princess Yujia also knew that Tang Xiaotong was just an ordinary shopkeeper.

But these two people, who seemed to have nothing in common, found themselves getting along better and better after spending a few days together, and the more they talked, the more they felt that kind of romantic feeling between a man and a woman.

However, neither of them has realized it yet.

"My brother just brought over some almond tea this morning. It's best enjoyed with candied fruit. You should try it."

In the backyard, there is a crabapple tree in full bloom, its pink and white petals falling on the stone table like a light, soft veil.

When Tang Xiaotong was brewing tea, she rolled up half of her sleeve, revealing a faint scar on her wrist.

Princess Yujia glanced at the scar and noticed that his tea-pouring gesture was quite unique: his thumb pressed against the lid of the pot, while the other four fingers supported the body of the pot, and the tea poured out drew a graceful arc in the air.

"I learned this from those noble ladies when I was making mandarin duck hairpins." Noticing Princess Yujia's gaze, Tang Xiaotong explained with a smile, "They said it's so that the heat won't smudge my nails."

He suddenly started imitating those noble ladies, admiring his newly done manicure with his orchid-like fingers raised, and his androgynous appearance amused Princess Yujia, who giggled.

At this moment, she was not a princess waiting to be married, nor was he a sycophantic merchant; they were simply two young people stealing a half-day of leisure under the crabapple tree.

After several rounds of tea, Tang Xiaotong recounted his experience last year as a peddler in Jingzhou, where he witnessed others collecting silk.

"That silkworm farmer's daughter is only fourteen years old, yet she can tell whether the mulberry leaves were picked at dawn or noon..."

Princess Yujia rested her chin on her hand, watching the smile that appeared in the corners of his eyes as he spoke.

In the Turkic lands, men only talk about how many wolves they've hunted or how much loot they've seized; no one pays attention to when the dew on the mulberry leaves dries.

"Has the princess ever seen real snow?" Tang Xiaotong suddenly asked. "Not the snow mixed with sand on the grasslands, but the kind of soft snow in Jingzhou that can break bamboo branches."

He dipped his finger in tea and began to draw on the stone table. "Last year in Jingzhou, I opened the door early in the morning and saw a blanket of white snow..."

Princess Yujia unconsciously moved closer and could smell the faint scent of sandalwood on his clothes.

From this distance, she could even see the shadows cast by his eyelashes on his face.

She suddenly realized that this was the first time since arriving in Dajing that someone hadn't asked about her identity, but simply wanted to share a beautiful moment with her.

"Shopkeeper! A group of people have arrived..."

The apprentice's shout broke the silence. Tang Xiaotong reluctantly stood up to apologize, but Princess Yujia stood up as well: "May I go with you to take a look?"

Inside the shop, several porters were unloading packages wrapped in tarpaulins from a cart.

The various silk fabrics that Han Lei purchased from the system were in short supply. Tang Xiaotong was afraid of running out of stock, so she thought of temporarily supplementing the supply by sourcing some ordinary silk fabrics from other fabric shops in the capital.

This not only enriches the product selection but also caters to different customer preferences.

Tang Xiaotong quickly became familiar with the business. He went to the door to inspect the goods, and with a light swipe of his fingertips across the surface of the silk, he could tell whether there were any loose threads.

Yu Jia watched him converse with the porters in a jargon she couldn't understand, his ease and confidence a stark contrast to the trembling servants in the palace.

A young porter glanced furtively at Princess Yujia, but Tang Xiaotong noticed and subtly stepped aside to block his view.

Such a subtle movement caused Princess Yujia's heart to tremble slightly.

As the sun set, Yu Jia realized with a start that she had lingered for far too long.

Tang Xiaotong saw her to the door and asked softly, "I'll save some pickled chicken feet from Zuixianniang for you tomorrow, does the princess want some...?"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from around the street corner.

The headmistress, accompanied by four palace maids, hurried over, her headdress adorned with jewels that jingled in the twilight.

Upon seeing the familiar figure of the headmistress appear at the street corner, Princess Yujia instinctively clenched her cloak.

"Oh no, it's Granny here."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaotong frowned, immediately realizing what was happening. He lowered his voice and said, "Excuse me." The next second, Tang Xiaotong grabbed a bolt of silk from the counter, unfolded it, and exclaimed loudly, "Madam, look at this subtle pattern! It's perfect for making a pleated skirt..."

While Princess Yujia was still in a daze, he led her to the inside of the counter. Through the thin silk, she could see Tang Xiaotong's Adam's apple bobbing nervously.

When the nannies entered the shop, Tang Xiaotong was bending over to measure the cloth, cleverly using her body to block Princess Yujia.

"Please come in, gentlemen. Are you looking to choose ready-made clothes or fabrics? Our shop has just received a new batch..." Tang Xiaotong asked with a smile.

"Shopkeeper, have you seen a foreign woman wearing a cloak with a wolf pattern come by?" The head matron asked sharply.

Tang Xiaotong shook his head without changing his expression, but secretly led Princess Yujia behind the curtain.

His palms were warm and dry, and felt like a warm piece of jade against her wrist.

Through the gap in the curtain, Princess Yujia saw the nanny's suspicious gaze sweep over her, and her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her chest.

Tang Xiaotong suddenly coughed, and in doing so, knocked over the sewing basket on the counter, causing the five-colored silk threads inside to scatter all over the floor.

After the old nanny and the palace maids left, cursing and swearing, the two of them burst out laughing under the crabapple tree in the backyard.

Tang Xiaotong stopped laughing abruptly, noticing that there seemed to be tears glistening in Princess Yujia's eyes.

The evening breeze swept through the treetops, and petals fell like snow onto her shoulders.

"I first rode a horse and shot a wolf when I was fourteen..." Princess Yujia smiled and said softly, "It was snowing like this that day too."

What she didn't say was that at this moment, her heart was pounding even harder than when she faced the wolves years ago.

Tang Xiaotong looked at the flower petals clinging to her head and recalled the legend once told by the Turkic merchant.

The shamans on the grasslands could transform people into anything. Tang Xiaotong suddenly wished she could become a snowflake, so she could freely fall between her brows.

The sound of the Jinxiufang store closing came from outside, and Princess Yujia had no choice but to leave.

Tang Xiaotong escorted her to the alley entrance, where the setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them.

As they were about to part, Tang Xiaotong suddenly pulled a cloth bag from her bosom: "I almost forgot, these are plums I personally pickled with apricot honey..."

Yu Jia opened the cloth bag; several plums were arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper. In the Turkic lands, this was a signpost guiding travelers home.

Princess Yujia looked up abruptly and saw the tenderness in Tang Xiaotong's eyes that he couldn't hide in time.

"you……"

Yu Jia's voice was as soft as a petal falling to the ground.

"Uh... I have overstepped my bounds."

Tang Xiaotong awkwardly took a half step back to bow, thinking that Princess Yujia would blame him, but unexpectedly, he heard Yujia say softly, "Tomorrow, I will come again to try that chicken feet you mentioned."

After saying that, Princess Yujia turned around with a smile.

Watching Princess Yujia's departing figure, Tang Xiaotong touched her heart, where a pearl that had fallen from her cloak was now burning hot...

Tang Xiaotong picked up the door panel to close it, but saw Princess Chang Le wearing a black cloak embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, walking like a walking corpse on the streets of the capital.

Tang Xiaotong scoffed and slammed the door shut with a "bang," the sound of the bolt hitting the door particularly jarring in the twilight.

Through the crack in the door, he glimpsed that Princess Chang Le had lost a lot of weight compared to a few days ago.

The dark cloak draped over her body, its gold-embroidered auspicious cloud patterns, which should have shone brightly in the setting sun, now appeared lifeless.

The lonely figure staggered forward, looking like a soulless shell.

"Ha, karma."

Tang Xiaotong spat on the ground and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

He recalled the incident a few days ago when the princess's guards beat Old Zhang to death over a shop. At that time, the woman sat in the sedan chair without even lifting the curtain.

On the bluestone road, Princess Chang Le's embroidered shoes were covered in mud.

She walked mechanically, the longevity lock hanging around her neck swaying gently with each step.

That was the lock her mother put on her when she came of age. The lock is still there, but the person who wore it is gone…

In the blink of an eye, she lost all her immediate family members.

To this day, she still doesn't know how all of this happened.

All she knew was that at her birthday banquet, a plump nephew of Prime Minister Wei had taken a liking to her and wanted to marry her. He even used fine wine and sweet words to win over her parents.

But that very night, all her family members were gone.

She had loved Zhao Zun for many years, delayed her marriage for him, and sacrificed her most precious years, but she could not have him.

She finally relented and agreed not to dislike the chubby boy from the Wei family anymore; she was willing to marry the chubby boy who seemed to be a good match for her.

But it was that chubby boy who caused her family to be destroyed and her life to end. She felt that this had become the biggest joke of her life.

The Wei family members are currently imprisoned in the Dali Temple jail. She wants to go and ask them personally what sins she has committed and why the Wei family is treating her this way.

As darkness fell, the jailers from the Dali Temple approached with torches, and the crackling sound of burning pine resin jolted her out of her daze.

"Princess, the person is being held in cell number three of the Heavenly Rank."

The jailer bowed his head and reported, the firelight casting flickering light on half of his face.

The cell was pitch black, with only pine resin torches burning silently.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the depths of darkness, and Wei Chengchao's body slammed against the fence, the iron chains rattling loudly.

"Let me out! Let me out now! I'm innocent! You vile..."

Suddenly, Wei Chengchao's cursing stopped abruptly as he saw the figure standing in the firelight.

Princess Chang Le slowly raised her hand, her black cloak slipping to the ground. Her pale fingers touched the iron lock on the prison door, her voice as soft as a whisper.

"Tell me, who is that chubby kid to you? Why did you send him to harm me?"

"Princess, Princess, look at me! I am Wei Chengchao. I don't know anything about this 'little fat boy'!" Wei Chengchao felt like he was being wronged to death.

"Don't know?" Princess Chang Le's face was as gloomy as a ghost. She suddenly leaned close to Wei Chengchao and gritted her teeth.

“But that day, he clearly said that Prime Minister Wei was his uncle. The guards at the gate also said that he was allowed into the Marquis’s residence by showing your Wei family’s jade pendant. If you don’t hand over that little fat boy, I will definitely go to the palace and beg my aunt to execute your whole family as well.”

"what?"

Wei Chengchao's eyes widened, and his face instantly drained of all color.

He stumbled backward, tripped over a straw, and fell flat on his back, looking like a turtle that had been flipped over.

"Snapped!"

Beside her, a spark suddenly burst from the torch in the jailer's hand, illuminating the surging hatred in Princess Chang Le's eyes.

"Jade pendant?"

Wei Chengchao quickly sat up and rummaged through his clothes, finally pulling out his family jade pendant from his waist and holding it up with both hands. He kept clarifying his thoughts.

“Princess, look, this is my jade pendant. I’ve always worn it.” Wei Chengchao’s voice trembled.

Princess Chang Le looked at him as if he were an idiot. "It's not you, it's you who should hand over that person."

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