The day Ji LanBai and Ji ChanFang headed to the Palace was pleasantly sunny. Although the weather was cool, there was not a single cloud in the sky.

Meng-momo and Wu JianRui dressed Ji LanBai to the best of their ability. If usually she wore simple muted dresses, at that day, she wore peach colored inner robe, yellow outer dress, embroidered intricately with small flowers. Her hair was adorned with some flower ornaments. The whole ensemble added more charm to her beautiful youthful face and elegant profile.

Wu JianRui hoped that Ji LanBai would remember to always stay elegant in front of the Empress, and not only when she was not speaking.

 

 

Bai YuLan looked at the beautifully made up teenager with conflicted heart. There was no doubt she would not change her mind from leaving, but YuLan still spent all remaining morning time to see and observe Ji LanBai,

So that YuLan would remember this beautiful presence for the rest of her life.

Ji LanBai looked like a goddess, a painting coming into life.

Who knew when they would meet again.

After Ji ChanFang and Ji LanBai left, it was their turn to prepare for their departure.

YuLan did not have a lot of luggage she wanted to carry. She even left most jewelries and dresses bestowed to her by the family. However, she definitely did not leave as a pauper: she had substantial saving from the days of her performing in Lian house and several tea-houses in the capital.

Ji SongLi walked inside the front gates from outside – he was getting some horses ready before. It was almost time to their departure, and it would be best to leave as soon as possible, even earlier if they could. He initially knocked YuLan's room, but the room was found to be already empty. Finally, he found YuLan standing awkwardly in front of the tightly shut door of Hai FenChu's room.

His mother had refused to interact normally with YuLan ever since she decided to leave. Ji SongLi knew her mother felt somewhat betrayed.

He sighed. "A lot of people in this family are so attached to her... ."

As YuLan noticed his presence, she turned to smile wryly at him, "Second Madame still refuses to see me... even now... ."

To her surprise, Ji SongLi suddenly took her hand.

And he knelt in front of Hai FenChu's door. YuLan could only follow his lead, kneeling, as her own body was lightly pulled down.

"Mother. This son is leaving. But I will be back. YuLan is also leaving. Who knows when she will see you again."

He paused to look at her – YuLan could not tell what he was currently thinking. He gestured towards the door, then the floor as he bowed his own body, and only then YuLan understood.

"Do what the Romans do in Rome... ," YuLan sighed. "Never mind, I owe her all this while."

"She... is very much like my own mother..."

YuLan followed SongLi to also bow her body, touching her forehead softly onto the floor,

"Madam Hai, YuLan thanks you for your love and kindness. Please forgive YuLan for not able to stay longer, for not able to do what Madame expected of me. YuLan hopes Madame will always look after yourself properly."

They both knelt in silence for a few breaths and were about to give up, when finally they heard a sound of flustered footsteps from inside the room,

Hai FenChu opened the door with a bang. The next thing YuLan knew, she was pulled to stand.

Ji SongLi followed suit.

The Second Madame's eyes were bleary and her hair was unkempt. She had not worn any make up. And from her pale countenance, it was clear that she hardly had any sleep.

Earlier in the morning, she did not even see Ji ChanFang and Ji LanBai off as they left the estate.

"I was wrong, wasn't I?" Hai FenChu said with a raspy voice, "Whatever I have done, it ended up driving you away from me. I don't understand why. I just know that I was wrong."

"Otherwise, you would not be going... ."

YuLan bit her bottom lip. Her own hands were still squeezed inside Hai FenChu's palms.

"Go! Go wherever you think your little feet can carry you! I wish you happiness." Then the older woman pulled away and retreated inside her room again, shutting the door closely.

Only then, YuLan noticed that Hai FenChu had put an object inside her palms, when she was holding her earlier.

 

 

It was a flower hairpin. The magnolia flowers on it were blooming, each petal was made of white translucent silk. The body of the hairpin was of silver and dotted with small gemstones.

Her throat was suddenly hitched with emotions.

The magnolia flowers on the hairpin were clearly meant to be tribute to YuLan's name, so the hairpin must have been custom-made.

"Chu-mei is so stubborn," a soft voice was heard from behind them, and YuLan turned to see Wu JianRui and Meng-momo walking towards her.

As Wu JianRui looked at the hairpin YuLan was holding, she smiled,

"A few days after you told us you wanted to leave, Chu-mei dragged me to see the most well-known jeweler in the capital. After all, she did not know which shop to go to."

"The jeweler's artisans did not think they could make what she wanted them to make," she paused, finally reaching YuLan's side. She softly touched the hairpin, "But I am glad the hairpin was made in time."

Wu JianRui gestured towards Meng-momo, and the old woman stretched her hand to offer an object to YuLan.

 

 

It was a red lacquered mahogany box - a jeweler box, and it actually was quite heavy.

"I do not have anything worthy to give you, YuLan. Inside are some jewelries, not as expensive as that hairpin...,"

YuLan was about to protest and withdrew her hand, but Wu JianRui lifted her hand to stop her from declining,

"And some silver taels. Do not decline them. Money is important."

"Just remember: come see us whenever you have settled down, whenever you have found whatever you wanted to do."

"This family has been and will always be your family."

Meng-momo squeezed YuLan's hands after the latter finally accepted the box. There was only concern and genuine kindness in her wrinkled eyes.

The old woman was the first person who had shown her kindness in this world.

It was funny how fate worked and how things unfold. If it were anyone else, if it were any other head matron from other nobility... .

YuLan knew she was probably considered ungrateful, she knew she was greedy. Her days had been pleasant, these people had been kind, too kind. But she had always wanted more. 

She would not be able to fill the emptiness inside her by staying inside stone walls. So as heartbreaking as it was, she knew she had to go.

YuLan walked away silently from Hai FenChu's courtyard, the box had been taken by Ji SongLi to ease her burden. Still gripping tightly the hairpin she received earlier, she was awakened from her own trail of thought when she saw Ji SongLi's outstretched hands in her vision. The young man was offering her a cotton piece of cloth – it was his handkerchief.

Only then, YuLan realized that she was crying.

Ji SongLi panicked as the young woman looked blankly at him, not quite accepting his handkerchief.

Pinning the mahogany box under his armpit and holding the handkerchief with the other, he started to wipe her tears,

"Uh... . I guess it was the wrong decision on my part to have called them over... ."

YuLan blinked as she let the young man cleaned her tears – a part of her was registering his words... .

"Them?"

The other part of her was annoyed at the fact that she easily let him touched her face.

Of course not directly, but still!

Only after they walked out of the front gates, YuLan knew what he had meant.

Outside, her entourage was already waiting: Xiao Hui, Jing Mo, and He Shan.

However there were more: Zhen BuFeng and the three Royal Princes. Ji ongLi had called them over so YuLan could say her farewells as well. She nodded gratefully at him, and he smiled back in relief. 

The Princes were chatting animatedly with He Shan. 

Zhen BuFeng clearly noticed that she had cried earlier as he was the first to robustly walk over as soon as he saw her exiting the front gates,

"If parting makes you this sad, why do you still want to go?"

There was irritation in his voice.

"Where else can I go? I cannot stay," YuLan looked up towards the young vice-commaner, and with the corner of her eyes, she noticed Ji SongLi walking away from them towards his own horse, securing the mahogany box on top of it.

"Why can you not stay?" Zhen BuFeng frowned, his tone almost a low growl.

"No wonder women do not want to get close to this person," YuLan sighed inwardly. She stayed silent at his question because she knew he did not really want her answer.

Zhen BuFeng continued, "If you don't want to follow LanBai to enter the Third Prince's estate, you can always find another household."

"Exactly what I do NOT want to do,"  She thought.

"A lot of family would love to have you be part of theirs." He paused as he furrowed his brows at the sudden thought which he wanted to voice.

The stoic young man fidgeted slightly as he continued slowly,

"... Even my family."

YuLan looked up to him so quickly that she felt a pull on her neck's veins, "What?"

"If you don't want to marry into other households, why not enter mine?"

"... ." "Huh??" She studied his expression carefully. His expression was still flat, it was like his proposal was merely asking her what she was going to have for her lunch, "Why would I want to enter your family?"

At her question, Zhen BuFeng actually did not know how to answer.

Was he really attracted to her? Perhaps. There was something about the young woman in front of him that made people inexplicably drawn to her. He himself was always comfortable being around her.

She was unlike any woman he had ever known – not that he knew a lot. Nevertheless, was his attraction towards her enough to warrant her to enter his family?

That meant they would be tied in marriage.

Being married to this woman was probably better than being married to any other, but was that the reason why?

They were silent for a while as Zhen BuFeng mulled over the reply that he really desperately wanted to give her.

He did not want to see her go.

He wanted to always be able to protect her.

He looked down into her eyes and nodded at his own thought, confirming it, "Because then, I can always protect you."

"Why?" YuLan asked again, her lips curled in amusement. She might be a sadist, but it was kind of fun to see this expressionless young man became flustered and lost in thought. From how hard Zhen BuFeng was thinking earlier to answer her initial question, she was actually relieved.

He was not attracted to her, at least not the way an opposite sex would.

His care and Ji SongLi's care – they were different.

Zhen BuFeng's care was more of a brotherly type, almost similar to He Shan's or Sun Chen's.

"Because...," Zhen BuFeng's eyes darted towards Ji SongLi who was now chatting with the Royal Princes. Only a glance, but somehow, it gave him a sudden thought.

It was an answer – so absurd and silly he did not end up saying it. He did not want to say it.

"Because... if you were not safe... if something were to happen to you... , something awful would happen. And I'd regret it for the rest of my life."

As dense as he was, he still knew it did not make sense. So he swallowed his words and could only sigh in defeat,

"Suit yourself. SongLi will assign some guards to keep you safe anyway."

He looked at her long and hard, his next words sounded more like a warning as he said it with a low voice,

"Just... always be safe."

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