Watching Quan Heng’s retreating figure, Ah Zheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright then—I’m coming to catch you!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed after her in a few quick strides, staying close to her right side.
One had to admit, the Lantern Festival was truly a grand affair in the capital. Even though it was already night, the streets were still bustling with voices and crowds.
Ah Zheng kept his eyes fixed on Quan Heng, afraid they’d get separated in the sea of people.
Suddenly, Quan Heng noticed a small stall not far ahead, selling all sorts of unique lanterns. Intrigued, she walked over, thinking of buying one for herself.
Just as she arrived, she saw a young woman already standing at the stall. The girl carried an air of elegance, and her clothing was clearly of fine quality. She held a lantern in one hand while reaching into her pouch with the other, trying to retrieve some silver to pay.
At that moment, a boy of about seven or eight suddenly dashed out and bumped into her hard before running off.
The girl cried out in pain, stumbling back two steps, then realized that her pouch was gone. That little boy was already far away.
“Thief! That boy is a thief!”
Quan Heng and the others had arrived just in time to witness the whole thing.
Angered, she immediately chased after the boy.
“You little rascal! So many people around and you still dare to steal? Wait until I catch you—I’ll give you a scolding you won’t forget!”
Seeing someone giving chase, the crowd quickly made way. The boy, panicking, ran even faster.
But Quan Heng’s health wasn’t great to begin with. After a few steps, she was gasping for air and couldn’t run any farther.
Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Ah Zheng.
“I’ll go after him. You rest by the lantern stall.”
With that, Ah Zheng darted off and soon caught the boy.
After retrieving the pouch, he didn’t let the boy go. Instead, he dragged him back to the stall. Since he had stolen, he had to be taught a lesson and apologize.
Unexpectedly, as he approached the stall, he saw the same girl—her face filled with shock as she stared at him.
He disliked that kind of gaze, so he looked back at her. But when he got a good look at her face, something inside him trembled.
Though he still hadn’t regained his memory, this girl’s face looked too familiar—like someone he had seen before.
But he had clearly grown up in Changle County. How could he know a noble girl from the capital?
A deep sense of unease suddenly filled him.
He dropped the boy off at the stall and turned to leave.
Quan Heng, seeing this, was stunned.
Since their reunion, Ah Zheng had lost control of his behavior many times, but this was the first time she saw him look so unsettled.
The girl, too, was shocked. “Miss, who was that man just now?”
Snapping back to her senses, Quan Heng grabbed the little thief, preventing him from escaping, and said to the girl, “That’s my cousin. He’s always been warm-hearted since he was little and can’t stand petty theft. Today he just acted out of righteousness.”
Hearing this, the girl nodded, looking thoughtful. “I see… but why did he leave in such a hurry? He did something good, yet didn’t even stay for thanks. How strange.”
Quan Heng smiled awkwardly. “Maybe he had something urgent to attend to and left in a rush.”
While Quan Heng was still puzzled, the girl’s heart was in turmoil.
For some reason, she thought that man looked just like the Crown Prince—his figure, his face, even his voice. Too similar.
But the Crown Prince rarely appeared in public. Even though they were blood-related siblings, they had only met a handful of times in over a decade.
And every time he appeared, he wore a mask. Only once, by chance, had she seen his real face.
Back then, she had wondered: people assumed he wore the mask due to a facial injury, but he was clearly very handsome—just far too gloomy.
All the siblings feared him. Even a glance from him could send chills down their spine.
Thinking of this, she patted her own head, trying to shake off the chaotic thoughts.
That man just now—his expression was soft, his lips even held a faint smile when facing that girl. That was nothing like her older brother.
She simply couldn’t imagine her big brother showing such emotions.
Moreover, the man was clearly used to caring for that girl. It was instinctive—like they’d grown up together.
How could someone like that be her big brother?
She suddenly felt that her suspicion was absurd.
Returning to the moment, she nodded and sincerely thanked Quan Heng, “Thank you both so much for today. This pouch held a gift from my mother. It’s very precious to me, so I always carry it. I wouldn’t have known what to do if I’d lost it. I’m so grateful.”
Quan Heng smiled, then pulled the little boy forward and shoved him in front of the girl. “You, apologize to this young lady. Then we’ll consider the matter settled. Otherwise, I’ll send you to Kaifeng Prefecture and have the officials deal with you!”
The boy trembled with fear and quickly bowed in apology.
“Miss, I’m sorry. I was wrong to steal from you. Please, forgive me!”
Seeing that he had truly been frightened and was sincerely apologizing, the girl didn’t press the issue. She patted his head and said earnestly, “This time you were lucky to run into us. We won’t punish you. But if you cross someone tougher, you might end up beaten black and blue. Don’t ever do this again, understand?”
The boy nodded desperately, tears streaming down his face. “I understand! I understand! Please let me go!”
Seeing the situation, Quan Heng loosened her grip.
In any case, the pouch had been retrieved, and the child had already apologized, so there was no need to keep holding onto him.
The moment she let go, the child bolted off like the wind.
Seeing this, Quan Heng exchanged a smile with the young girl before her. Eventually, it was Quan Heng who spoke first, introducing herself. “My name is Quan Heng, the legitimate eldest daughter of Yongning Marquis’s household. May I ask your name?”
The girl smiled slightly and warmly clasped Quan Heng’s hand. “I’m Wen Jue, titled Princess Zhaohua.”
At those words, Quan Heng was utterly shocked. “Princess Zhaohua? Why are there so few people accompanying you? You’re dressed so plainly—what if someone bumped into you?”
Although the fabric of this young girl’s clothes was fine, it still didn’t quite match the standards of a royal princess. She didn’t even wear any ornate hairpins; she looked more like the child of a high-ranking official. If she hadn’t introduced herself, Quan Heng wouldn’t have recognized her at all.
Seeing this, Princess Zhaohua grinned and winked at her playfully. “Let me tell you a secret—I actually snuck out.”
Seeing the look of astonishment on Quan Heng’s face, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “My mother is always telling me to behave, to be gentle and obedient, and she never lets me leave the palace. So I had no choice but to sneak out. Now that you know my secret, you have to keep it for me, okay?”
Quan Heng nodded. “Mm! I definitely will.”
In that moment, Princess Zhaohua suddenly felt a sense of closeness. She had originally snuck out alone, but now, someone else shared her secret—it was a strangely wonderful feeling.
Thinking of this, she said impulsively, “Ah Heng, you’re so nice. From the moment I met you today, I felt a connection. As I suspected, all those rumors are just nonsense people made up—they’re not worth believing at all.”
Hearing this, Quan Heng raised an eyebrow, curious. “Oh? What rumors are you referring to, Princess?”
Princess Zhaohua smiled. “Just the usual—they say you grew up in the countryside, that your manners are lacking, your behavior crude, and your temperament spoiled. They’re trying to discredit you from every angle. But now that I’ve met you, I can see you’re a wonderful person. Naturally, those rumors fall apart on their own.”
At this, Quan Heng’s eyes curved into crescent moons with her smile. “Thank you for speaking up for me, Princess!”
This Princess Zhaohua was delicate and charming, and her manner of speaking was truly pleasant. Though it was their first meeting, Quan Heng also found her surprisingly easy to get along with.
Very quickly, the two became fast friends. They spent the rest of the lantern festival together, wandering the market.
Though Princess Zhaohua had grown up in the palace and seen countless treasures, these little trinkets from the festival still felt novel to her. On the other hand, Quan Heng, who came from a remote place like Changle County, had also never seen anything like this. Her family typically just ate a reunion dinner during the lantern festival—she hadn’t really gone out to celebrate before. To her, this was all new as well.
In no time, the two found they got along exceedingly well.
By the time it was nearly midnight, the streets began to empty as people returned to their homes. Reluctantly, the two prepared to part ways.
Eventually, they stopped at the last mask stall. Quan Heng bought a scholar fox mask, and Zhaohua picked a little tiger. After paying, they got ready to leave.
Before they parted, Zhaohua grabbed her hand. “Heng’er, three days from now, my mother is hosting a flower viewing banquet in the palace. Many noble young ladies and lords from the capital will be attending. I’ll send an invitation to your household—make sure you come!”
Quan Heng nodded enthusiastically. “Alright, I’ll definitely be there.”
At last, the two parted ways. Princess Zhaohua even sent two guards to escort Quan Heng home.
From a hidden corner, a man silently watched them.
After the girls went their separate ways, he continued to follow Quan Heng, watching her until she entered the Marquis’s residence and disappeared from view before finally turning away.
Looking at that familiar face, his heart throbbed with pain.
All these years, he had drifted from place to place, gaining much and losing more.
To him, many things were like duckweed in the wind—gone, and that was that.
But one thing had never changed.
In every difficult night, that face—Ah Heng’s face—always appeared in his dreams.
Because of her, he had made it through countless harsh winters and scorching summers.
He had thought he would never see her again in this lifetime. But during this lantern festival, amidst the countless faces in the crowd, he had spotted her at a glance.
Now that fate had brought them together again, he swore he would never lose her again.
The destiny that was supposed to be his—he would snatch it back no matter what.
