Fated in Verse and Brush

Chapter two

After the Empress dismissed the attendees, the noblewomen gathered in small groups, whispering and exchanging thoughts as they processed what had just happened. They stood on both sides of the hall, still murmuring and gesturing subtly while waiting for the protocol officer to announce the order of departure.

The protocol officer thought to himself, *“Such shallow, ignorant girls—unable to read the situation, yet still daring to vie for favor…”* His face, however, remained calm and unreadable.

The crowd filed out of the palace in an orderly manner, and I followed the flow, exiting the palace grounds.

After the banquet, I passed through the palace gate and had just reached midway when I spotted my carriage waiting ahead. The attendants stood respectfully beside it, their robes fluttering in the wind. Before I could step into the carriage, Rushuang hurried up behind me.

“Miss!” she called.

I turned and saw her—but unlike before, she did not bow or show the customary respect a maid owed her mistress.

“You don’t blame me for stealing your poem, do you?” she asked, staring at me with the triumphant gaze of someone who had succeeded in her scheme.

I smiled faintly, smoothing my wind-tousled hair. “That was something I wrote while drunk—I hardly even remember it myself. How could that be considered stealing?” I replied calmly, watching for her reaction.

But before I could finish, Rushuang suddenly grabbed my hand and forcefully slapped her own cheek with it.

Stunned by her sudden move, I froze, my body rigid as she pulled my hand toward her face.

Then, following the motion, she stumbled backward—right into the arms of Crown Prince Lu Yichen, who had just approached, likely to speak with her.

“Miss, no! I didn’t mean to steal your spotlight! But I truly love His Highness… If you must blame anyone, blame me, not the Prince…” she cried, tears trembling in her eyes as she spoke in a pitiful, trembling voice.

The Prince, who had just reached her, immediately wrapped his arms around Rushuang and turned to me, his voice icy.

“Liu Ruyue! From this day on, Rushuang is no longer a maid in some deep courtyard—she is the Crown Princess I have chosen. How dare you strike her? Such behavior is an insult to the royal family, a challenge to imperial dignity! If you dare strike the Crown Princess today, who’s to say you won’t raise your hand against the Emperor tomorrow?” His voice grew more impassioned as he spoke, glaring at me fiercely. Passersby had stopped to watch the scene.

I was utterly shocked, but before I could explain what had really happened, Rushuang looked up at the Prince with red-rimmed eyes.

“Your Highness, we are not yet wed… I am not yet a member of the royal family, not yet the Crown Princess. I am still a maid of the Liu household. If my mistress wishes to hit or scold me, I will accept it willingly… just as I always have.” Tears streamed down her face as she gazed pitifully at the Prince.

Those nearby began murmuring, casting suspicious looks in my direction.

As soon as she finished speaking, Rushuang made as if to kneel—but the Prince swept her up into his arms, preventing her from doing so.

Holding her, Lu Yichen looked at me with disgust. “Liu Ruyue! Who would have thought that beneath your refined and virtuous appearance lay such vulgar rudeness? No wonder Rushuang’s poems are filled with sorrow and grievance.”

Hearing the Prince defend her like this, Rushuang buried her face in his chest and sobbed. “Your Highness, Miss isn’t as terrible as you think… She has always been gentle and virtuous, never impulsive. It’s all my fault… Please don’t trouble Miss because of me…” She lowered her head and wiped her tears against the Prince’s robes.

The Prince snorted coldly, cutting her off. “If not like this, then what is she like? Under the bright heavens, before so many eyes, she dares to act wildly even at the palace gates—one can only imagine how she behaves in private. Just because she’s read a few more books and has high-ranking parents to rely on, she puts on airs and looks down on everyone else. But I despise noble girls like her—outwardly smooth as warm jade, but inside, nothing but rotten silk.”

He turned back to Rushuang. “I will invite a great scholar to personally teach you music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I have no doubt you will surpass Liu Ruyue.”

Rushuang frowned slightly, then looked at the Prince and said, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your favor. I will study hard and live up to your expectations.”

Her performance left me speechless. I took a step back, rolled my eyes, and said, “I thank Your Highness for taking it upon yourself to educate my family’s maid. However, Rushuang does not yet know how to write—I’m afraid you will need to devote considerable effort. I take my leave.”

With that, I turned, stepped into my carriage, and left the two of them behind without a second glance.