Chapter 19: Acknowledging Family

The garden's spring splendor can't be contained; a single branch of red apricot blossoms reaches over the wall.

Red apricot... over the wall.

It might have been his imagination, but as Su Xiao'Er looked up at the vibrant apricot blossoms overhead, he felt... that his Crown Prince's words held a hidden meaning.

"Su Xiao'Er,"

Without explaining the allusion of "a branch of red apricot blossoms reaching over the wall," Su Han stroked his chin.

"Rumor has it that this Young Master from the Governor's Residence is a natural-born philanderer who leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever he goes. If I'm not mistaken, there must be a few of his female admirers in Lingzhou City who long to marry into the Governor's Residence but are unable to, correct?"

Su Xiao'Er was instantly stunned, staring at his Crown Prince in utter disbelief.

"Crown Prince... how did you know?"

'Doesn't my Crown Prince usually ignore the... younger male generation of Lingzhou City's prominent families? Why does he seem to know so much about this particular Young Master Duan?'

Seeing Su Xiao'Er making such a fuss, Su Han rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Of course. With a name like his, if he didn't have half a dozen lovers on the side, he'd be a disgrace to the name 'Duan Zhengchun'."

Su Xiao'Er: "..."

He looked up at his Crown Prince with a blank, bewildered expression.

No matter how he racked his brain, Su Xiao'Er couldn't figure out what the name "Duan Zhengchun" had to do with having lovers.

After tilting his head and pondering for a long while without success, Su Xiao'Er gave up and shook his head.

'Why am I thinking so hard about it? If I could understand the Crown Prince's thoughts, I wouldn't be Su Xiao'Er.'

"Su Xiao'Er, of all the Young Master Duan's admirers in Lingzhou City, do you know which one has the fieriest personality and is the most deeply infatuated with him?"

Su Xiao'Er thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Please wait a moment, Crown Prince."

Su Han nodded. Su Xiao'Er bowed his head, backed away a few steps, then turned and disappeared around a street corner.

In less than fifteen minutes, Su Xiao'Er returned with a small booklet in his hand.

"Crown Prince, everything you asked for is in here."

Su Han took the booklet and, at Su Xiao'Er's direction, turned to the fifth page. He found that it and the following page were filled with records of Young Master Duan's romantic escapades.

After a quick read, Su Han's eyes locked onto one name.

Liu Lingxuan: Daughter of Liu Yixian, Lingzhou's foremost scholar from thirty years ago. Mother unknown.

Excels in Music, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting, as well as poetry and song. She has a gentle exterior but an unyielding, fiery personality.

After her father passed away, she supported herself through embroidery. The third young master of the Gao Residence took a liking to her and tried to take her as a concubine, but Liu Lingxuan held a knife to her own throat, choosing death before dishonor, and forced the Gao family servants to retreat.

She later met Duan Zhengchun and was captivated by his talent and appearance. She secretly fell for him and they privately pledged their lives to each other.

"Privately pledged their lives to each other!"

Those seven words were what caught Su Han's attention.

He turned to Su Xiao'Er and asked, "Is this confirmed?"

Su Xiao'Er nodded. "She is no longer a maiden."

Su Han nodded. "Come, let's go find this Liu Lingxuan."

Su Xiao'Er trailed behind him, asking with naive confusion, "Crown Prince, why are we going to find this Liu Lingxuan?"

"To claim a relative."

"Claim a relative?"

Su Xiao'Er was completely bewildered. He knew his Crown Prince never played by the book, but directly going to a young woman to "claim a relative" was far beyond anything he could have anticipated.

His mind was reeling with questions, but before Su Xiao'Er could make any sense of it, Su Han stopped walking.

Su Xiao'Er looked up, standing at an intersection and glancing around in confusion.

SMACK!

Su Han slapped the back of Su Xiao'Er's head. "What are you looking at? Lead the way."

Su Xiao'Er: "..."

Suppressing his confusion, Su Xiao'Er led the way. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he stopped before the wooden door of a dilapidated little courtyard.

"We're here, Crown Prince."

Su Han nodded. "Knock."

A short while later, the sound of footsteps echoed from within the courtyard. They drew near and then stopped, but the door remained closed.

"Who is it?"

The voice was soft and sweet, with an ethereal quality.

"Miss Liu, this humble one is from Prince Jing's Residence. My master, the Crown Prince, is here to see you."

'The Crown Prince?'

'Liu Lingxuan froze. She couldn't recall ever having any dealings with Crown Prince Jing.'

She peeked through a crack in the door. The first thing she saw was Su Xiao'Er's young face. Her eyes rested on him for less than half a second before shifting to Su Han.

'Mm... It really is Crown Prince Jing. She recognized that face; she'd seen it a few times when delivering embroidery.'

'A face that handsome... even if he were a complete stranger she had seen only once, she would remember it for a lifetime.'

CREAK~

The old wooden door was pulled open from within. Liu Lingxuan didn't invite them in, instead blocking the entrance with her body.

'She wasn't afraid the Crown Prince would do anything to her; after all, Prince Jing's Residence had a very good reputation.'

'This Crown Prince... aside from that incident when he was eight, when he went to Yunshui Pavilion and knocked out eight of Gao Qiuqiu's teeth fighting over a girl, there didn't seem to be any other bad rumors about him.'

'Besides, rumor had it that when the Crown Prince fought Gao Qiuqiu over Miss Meng, it was only because he wanted to discuss music with her.'

'Most importantly... Liu Lingxuan felt that someone so handsome couldn't possibly be a bad person.'

'Aren't bad guys... supposed to be like Gao Qiuqiu, whose name, 'Ball-Ball,' fits his short, fat, and ugly appearance?'

"This commoner, Liu Lingxuan, greets the Crown Prince."

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Liu Lingxuan dipped into a slight curtsy to greet Su Han.

Su Han smiled and waved his hand. "Miss Liu, there's no need for such formalities. I must ask you to forgive my impertinence in visiting so abruptly today."

Liu Lingxuan pressed her lips together and shook her head. "I wouldn't dare."

She hesitated. "My home is humble. If the Crown Prince doesn't mind..."

Su Han shook his head. "Miss Liu, you support yourself all alone, without stealing or robbing. How could I possibly have any reason to look down on you?

However, it is getting late, and it may be inconvenient for me to enter. I will just say what I have to say out here."

Liu Lingxuan nodded, silently sighing in relief. "May I ask what business the Crown Prince has with me?"

Su Han looked at Liu Lingxuan and got straight to the point. "Miss Liu, do you know Young Master Duan, Duan Zhengchun, from the Governor's Residence?"

The color drained slightly from Liu Lingxuan's lovely face. "Crown Prince... what do you mean by that?"

Noticing her tension, Su Han offered a reassuring smile. "Miss Liu, please don't be alarmed. This concerns your reputation, so of course I will not speak of it to others.

However..."

His tone shifted as he stared intently at Liu Lingxuan. "You must be aware of Young Master Duan's situation. Barring any surprises, it will be very difficult for the two of you to end up together.

One day in the future, he will marry another woman. He will share his bed with her every night. And whether they are truly in love or not, you will be left to guard an empty room, waking from your dreams at midnight with a tear-soaked pillow.

You will toss and turn through sleepless nights, leaning on a railing to gaze at the moon, destined to grow old alone.

Are you content with such a future?"

Su Han's question left Liu Lingxuan speechless.

'Content?'

'In her heart of hearts, of course she wasn't.'

'But... she had fallen for such a man. Even if he was the wrong person to entrust her life to, what could she possibly do?'

'He was the Governor's son, destined for a meteoric rise, to soar to the Nine Heavens.'

'And she... she was just a commoner. Her only connection was her father, who had once been Lingzhou's foremost scholar. But he had been gone for nearly ten years, leaving her nothing but an empty title.'

'Even if she was discontent, what right or ability did she have to fight for him?'

A desolate smile touched her lips. Liu Lingxuan looked up, but before she could speak, Su Han spoke first.

"I'll help you!"

Liu Lingxuan: "...???"

"Do you want to hold your Young Master Duan's hand and grow old together with him?"

Su Han looked at Liu Lingxuan. "I'll help you!"

Liu Lingxuan: "..."

She had to admit, when Su Han said those three words, "I'll help you!", her heart skipped a beat.

'But...'

"Why?"

'Pies don't just fall from the sky. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world—forget lunch, there isn't even a free breakfast or dinner.'

They were not related in any way; she didn't believe Su Han would help her for no reason.

"Hmm..."

Su Han frowned in thought for a moment.

"If you must have a reason, let's just say... I can't stand irresponsible scumbags who are all charm and no commitment, who love 'em and leave 'em."

Liu Lingxuan: "...What do I have to do?"

Su Han smiled and shook his head. "You don't have to do a thing. Just stay home and peacefully prepare your wedding attire.

Of course, if anyone asks why I'm helping you...

...you can just say that you once helped me, and that I consider you an older sister."