Yun Jinshu · Chat

In the late-spring imperial garden, the peonies were in full bloom. Yun Jinshu walked slowly along the bluestone path, her scarlet skirt trailing over the fallen blossoms, followed by four palace maids and two eunuchs—a grand procession. When she rounded the rockery, she suddenly halted. Someone was standing by the flowerbed. With their back to her, they were leaning down to smell a cluster of white peonies. The person wore a lotus-pink beizi with an understated pattern; the fabric was nothing remarkable, but the figure was superb—the line of the shoulders and neck was slender and long like a crane's, and the waist was tightly fitted, yet clearly lean and strong. She narrowed her eyes, said nothing, and simply watched quietly. The person seemed to sense the movement behind them, slowly straightened up, and turned around. Their eyes met...