The most dissolute couple in the capital

Afu was a middle-aged palace maid with a round face. She had a very kind smile and introduced the flowers and trees in the Imperial Garden to her as we walked.

"Miss Cui, that's the Imperial Garden up ahead. The peonies aren't in full bloom yet, but the crabapple blossoms are in perfect bloom."

Cui Qingyi casually agreed, but she was making plans in her mind.

Wherever the Empress Dowager led her, the Prince of Liang followed.

Sure enough, Afu led her through a moon gate, around a grove of crabapple blossoms, and an octagonal pavilion appeared ahead.

A boy was sitting in the pavilion, leaning on a stone table with a pile of colorful bottles and jars in front of him.

He wore a bright blue brocade robe, with a red-gold belt around his waist. His hair ornament was askew, revealing half of his forehead. In his hand, he held a silver hairpin and was intently stirring something in a small porcelain dish.

Sunlight streamed through the glazed tiles on the pavilion roof, casting a pinkish glow on the dish he was stirring.

Cui Qingyi paused slightly.

It's Lee Seung-kyung.

"Ahem." Afu coughed softly.

Li Chengjing was completely unaware, still focused on dealing with the dish of face powder in front of him. He was muttering to himself, muttering something unintelligible.

Afu coughed again, his voice a little louder: "Your Highness."

Lee Seung-kyung finally raised his head.

The first person to see him was Afu. He frowned, clearly annoyed at being disturbed: "Aunt Afu, I was adjusting the heat, you know how it gets messy if it's not done properly—"

He stopped mid-sentence and looked past Afu, his gaze landing on Cui Qingyi behind her.

Cui Qingyi stood before a cluster of crabapple blossoms, a corner of her light blue shawl fluttering in the spring breeze, her moon-white dress shimmering softly in the sunlight. Her features were clear and bright amidst the shadows of the flowers, and a serene charm emanated from her eyes.

Li Chengjing stared at her for a full three breaths.

Then the tips of his ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Cui Qingyi: "..."

That's incredibly shameless.

"This is Cui Qingyi, the second daughter of the Cui family," Afu introduced with a smile. "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager instructed me to bring Miss Cui for a stroll in the Imperial Garden."

Cui Qingyi curtsied slightly: "This humble woman, Cui Qingyi, greets Your Highness, Prince Liang."

Li Chengjing looked at her and said, "With your skinny arms and legs, how did you manage to pull me out of the lake?"

He frowned slightly, his tone carrying three parts inquiry and seven parts disbelief, "Although I was out of my mind at the time, I'm still a respectable man. I thought it was some guard, but I never expected..."

Cui Qingyi maintained her dignified smile, her eyelids slightly lowered. "I mastered the technique in the water, and the servants arrived in time; it was also a stroke of luck. To stand by and watch someone die is the act of a wolf. I only did what I was supposed to do."

Lee Seung-kyung said earnestly, "You saved my life; you are my greatest benefactor."

"Your Highness is too kind. But why was Your Highness without a single servant by your side that day?" Cui Qingyi asked seemingly casually.

"Ugh, don't even mention it," Li Chengjing shook his head, his tone resolute. "That day, the wind was strong by the lake, and I felt cold, so I sent those idiots to find me a thick cloak. I went to enjoy the lake view myself, and who knew that I'd accidentally..."

Seeing the inquisitive look on Cui Qingyi's face, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty will investigate."

Cui Qingyi smiled again.

When Li Chengjing saw her smile, he was stunned for a moment, and then his ears turned even redder.

"Miss Cui has a really beautiful smile," he blurted out.

After saying that, he realized he had been too direct, so he immediately looked to the side, pretending to look at a crabapple tree next to the pavilion.

"Um... these flowers are pretty too," he added dryly.

Cui Qingyi lowered her head and covered the curve of her mouth with her sleeve.

Afu watched this scene from behind and gave a knowing smile.

Li Chengjing forced himself to look away from Cui Qingyi's face, but after a couple of breaths he couldn't help but look back. This time his gaze fell on the pile of bottles and jars in the pavilion that he had made a mess of, and suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he perked up.

"Miss Cui, wait a moment!"

He ran back to the pavilion in a few quick steps, rummaged around on the stone table for a while, and pulled out a small, bright green porcelain jar from among a pile of porcelain plates and powder boxes.

"Look at this." He came back carrying a porcelain jar, holding it in his hands like a precious treasure. "This is something I just made today, a crabapple blossom balm. It's made with petals from crabapple trees picked this morning, plus some high-quality beeswax and angelica powder—"

Cui Qingyi leaned closer to smell it; the floral fragrance was fresh and natural, and the cream was delicate and smooth—a rare and superior product.

"Your Highness's skill is superb," ​​she praised sincerely. "The fineness of this ointment is something that even the most famous 'Jade Beauty Workshop' in the capital may not be able to match."

"Really? You think it's good too? I knew it! Yu Rong Fang's jasmine balm claims to have morning dew, but it's actually just diluted well water! And that Ning Xiang Ge jasmine balm, their jasmine balm smells too strong because they're harvested at the wrong time. Jasmine must be harvested in the evening, when the buds are just about to open, that's when the aromatic substances are at their most..."

"The most concentrated and purest," Cui Qingyi replied naturally.

Li Chengjing stared at her in shock, almost jumping up with excitement: "You understand too? That's great! Sigh, I told those two idiots, He Li and Wang Chengyuan, one of them was yawning, and the other only cared about whether he could make money..."

Cui Qingyi silently memorized these names.

Even lying down requires a social foundation.

The two stood there beside the crabapple blossoms, one speaking with great enthusiasm, the other listening quietly. Cui Qingyi was surprised to discover that although it was rumored in the capital that Prince Liang, a gentleman, was not proficient in any of the Six Arts, he possessed an almost beast-like intuition when it came to identifying the properties of herbs and flowers.

The two stood beside the crabapple blossoms, one talking enthusiastically, the other listening quietly, occasionally offering a professional comment.

Afu watched for a long time, feeling like a superfluous lamppost.

About half an hour later, a palace maid's voice came from afar, reminding the Empress Dowager that the party should disperse soon.

Lee Seung-kyung's expression visibly wilted.

"You're leaving already?" He looked at Cui Qingyi, his tone clearly reluctant. "I haven't finished explaining the new formula for the peach blossom rouge to you yet."

Cui Qingyi slightly curtsied: "The Empress Dowager is still waiting for me, Your Highness, please forgive me."

"Well..." Li Chengjing hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran back to the pavilion. He rummaged around for a while and came out with a small brocade box in his hand.

He walked up to Cui Qingyi and handed her the box.

"Here you go."

Cui Qingyi was slightly taken aback: "This is..."

Li Chengjing opened the box, and inside lay a string of beads.

The pearls are perfectly round and full, with a warm luster. Each one is about the size of a little fingernail and has a faint pinkish glow—they are top-quality South China Sea pearls. The whole string has twelve pearls, all of uniform size and color.

With her discerning eye from her past life, Cui Qingyi knew at a glance that this string of beads was worth at least five hundred taels of silver.

"Your Highness, this is too precious, I cannot accept it." Cui Qingyi shook her head.

"Not expensive at all," Li Chengjing waved his hand dismissively. "This was a gift from my elder brother, said to be a tribute from the South China Sea. I'm not one to wear these things; it would be a waste to just leave them gathering dust in a box. You saved my life, so I have to show my appreciation. Otherwise, what kind of person would I be?"

He paused, then added, "Besides, this color suits you well."

After she finished speaking, her ears turned red again.

Cui Qingyi looked into his overly sincere eyes and remained silent for a moment.