“Physician Mei?”
Mei Zhuyu snapped back to reality and cleared his throat softly. “What is it?”
The young clerk, holding several scrolls, was puzzled as to why the usually diligent Physician Mei had been so distracted all morning. He repeated what he had just said.
Mei Zhuyu nodded. “Just leave it here.” Once the clerk left, he prepared to continue his writing. However, when he looked down, he noticed a blot of ink on the paper in front of him, not knowing when it had splattered there—perhaps he had been daydreaming for too long.
Silently, he set the paper aside and unexpectedly recalled the two overly intimate kisses from the previous night. Realizing what he was thinking, Mei Zhuyu took a deep breath and resolutely cleared his mind of the hazy ambiguity.
Calm the heart, steady the mind.
Just as he began to focus on his work again, a tabby cat jumped in through the window. It was Wu Zhen, the very cat that had just helped resolve the issue with Mei Guifei at Empress Wu’s side. However, Mei Zhuyu had no idea that this uninvited little cat was the one who had kept him restless all night. When he saw the familiar tabby, he felt a moment of surprise but quickly dismissed it, merely glancing at it.
It wasn’t until he felt a warm, furry presence in his arms that he paused his writing. He discovered the tabby had comfortably settled in his lap, kneading his wrinkled robe as if preparing to take a nap there.
Kneeling in a proper posture, it felt inappropriate to have a cat in his arms, so Mei Zhuyu set down his brush and lifted the tabby, placing it aside. But the cat merely glanced at him lazily and raised a paw, ready to jump back into his lap. Mei Zhuyu half-stood, pulled out his cushion, and set it down for the cat, while he knelt directly on the smooth floor to handle his official duties.
Wu Zhen looked at the cushion, then at his knees, and helplessly twitched her whiskers. Forget it, she thought; it looked uncomfortable to sit like that. If she didn’t have a cushion, her knees would surely hurt. With that thought, she decided not to linger and jumped out the window.
In the Qingning Palace of Empress Wu, she watched as Mei Guifei returned to her human form. The usually stern and dignified Empress Wu was nearly moved to tears—thank goodness, she no longer had to hold that white cat! Although she knew that the cat was Mei Guifei, she could accept it in her mind, but her body still struggled with it. Every time she held the cat, the hairs on her back would stand on end. Yet, because it was Mei Guifei, she had to force herself to endure it. If this matter had dragged on for a few more days, she would have gotten used to it.
Mei Guifei took the Empress’s hand. Despite the strange experience, she showed no signs of being frightened and continued to speak softly to the Empress. “Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness. You had to conceal my disappearance these past few days and endure my transformation into that form.”
The Empress quickly replied, “It’s good that you can return to normal. Hard work? What are you talking about? There was nothing wrong with Suhan’s appearance.”
Mei Guifei smiled brightly. “If there was nothing wrong, why don’t we keep a cat? After this experience, I think cats are quite nice.”
The Empress’s face turned pale. Mei Guifei chuckled and lightly tapped her forehead with her delicate hand. “I’m just joking.”
“However, for my sake, Your Highness, you gave away treasures from the treasury, including the treasured seal. How will you explain this to His Majesty later?”
The Empress regained her usual composure, seemingly unconcerned. “That thing is precious, but in His Majesty’s eyes, it’s not worth more than a beautiful song that can cover the past. You need not worry.”
As they spoke, they entered the inner hall. Suddenly, Mei Guifei let out a small gasp and pointed to a gilded crane lantern. “Your Highness, look.”
The Empress turned to see that the treasured seal, which had just been taken by the tabby cat, was now hanging from the crane’s beak. Mei Guifei, quick-witted, realized immediately. “It seems this cat came specifically to help us. It must have taken this as a reward to avoid your suspicion. Now that the matter is resolved, it has returned the seal.”
The Empress, however, seemed lost in thought, her brows furrowing as if she had recalled something. She tightened her grip on her sleeve. Was this cat somehow related to her sister?
Meanwhile, Wu Zhen left the palace and headed straight back to the Duke of Yu’s residence without stopping anywhere. She heard from a servant that Pei Jiya was in the garden admiring the flowers, so she made her way to find him. Holding a dark, shadowy object in her hand, she spotted Pei Jiya standing among a cluster of blooming peonies, looking dashing. She called out, “Cousin Pei!”
Pei Jiya turned, only to see a dark shadow hurtling toward him. His eyes flashed, and as the object was about to hit him, he sidestepped slightly to avoid it.
Seeing this, Wu Zhen understood. “So it’s you. This ‘cat’s cloak’ is quite well made, but you shouldn’t use it carelessly, Cousin.”
Pei Jiya asked, “How did you guess?”
Wu Zhen replied, “Do I look that foolish?”
Pei Jiya smirked, then changed the subject. “Since you know, you should understand that we are more suited for each other, right?”
Wu Zhen had already rejected him before, and hearing him bring it up again made her disinterested. “I don’t want to repeat myself. You should return to Kunzhou today.”
Her tone was blunt, and Pei Jiya didn’t expect her to be so straightforward. He looked a bit forlorn. “What, you won’t even let me attend the wedding? I am your cousin, after all.”
Wu Zhen replied candidly, “If Cousin Pei truly wishes to attend my wedding, I would naturally welcome you. But if you harbor ill intentions, I must worry that you might act against those around me.” She paused, “Especially my husband. He is just an ordinary person and cannot withstand your undue attention.”
“Cousin should be grateful that you haven’t acted against him yet. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be asking you to leave; I would be making sure you couldn’t stand up and would have to be carried away.”
Pei Jiya thought to himself… actually, he had already made a move but hadn’t succeeded. If he could directly deal with Mei Zhuyu, he wouldn’t need to be so indirect.
However, Pei Jiya realized that Wu Zhen seemed unaware that Mei Zhuyu was a Taoist priest, which made things interesting.
“Fine, I’ll return to Kunzhou,” Pei Jiya said, not pressing the issue further. Although he had a peculiar personality, he was quite astute. Seeing Wu Zhen’s serious demeanor, he knew that if he angered her, this cat lady wouldn’t let him off easily.
Knowing this, Pei Jiya only caused minor disturbances; otherwise, if he truly wanted to create chaos, Chang’an would have been in turmoil long ago. He didn’t want to sour his relationship with Wu Zhen, and she seemed to feel the same way. However, Wu Zhen was more assertive, and Pei Jiya, realizing he couldn’t overpower her, had no choice but to take a step back.
The next day, Pei Jiya indeed packed his things and returned to Kunzhou. The Duke of Yu likely misunderstood the situation; seeing his pale and sickly nephew leave on the eve of his daughter’s wedding, he thought it was because he was still worried about her and couldn’t let go, so he had to leave this painful place.
Feeling a bit guilty, he recalled that a few years ago, his nephew had written to him expressing his desire to marry his daughter, but at that time, she had no interest in marriage, so he had refused. Now, if it weren’t for Master Jingyan’s last words, he wouldn’t have forced his daughter to marry the eldest son of the Mei family. It was just a case of unfortunate timing, and he felt sorry for his nephew.
Sitting in the carriage, Pei Jiya gazed at the willows swaying by the riverbank in the distance. Underneath the willow stood a person holding a horse—Wu Zhen.
She broke off a branch of willow to send to him. Pei Jiya didn’t get out of the carriage but merely lifted the curtain. Wu Zhen handed the willow branch inside and looked at his pale face, her expression serious. “Cousin, listen to me. You are ultimately an ordinary person. Even if you have exceptional talent in this path, you cannot fully control those non-human beings. If you are not careful and do not exercise restraint, one day, you will suffer the consequences.”
She rarely showed such a serious demeanor, and Pei Jiya sighed, accepting the willow branch from her. “You’re marrying someone else; why do you care about me?”
Wu Zhen dropped the curtain. “Enough, hurry, and leave.”
As the carriage gradually drove away from Chang’an, Pei Jiya twirled the green willow branch in his hand. He hadn’t achieved his wish, and he was certainly unwilling, but since she was his cousin, he decided to send an interesting gift as a way to vent his frustration over being dismissed.
“Zhen, when will you realize?” Pei Jiya thought, feeling pleased and expectant.
On her way back, Wu Zhen also swung a willow branch in her hand. She wore a joyful expression, softly laughing, “Cousin Pei, let’s see when you’ll figure it out.”
She knew Pei Jiya well; he was quite petty. Since he had left so easily, he must have left some backup plan. So, she decided to return the favor. Calculating the time, by the time her cousin returned to Kunzhou, the ‘mouse cloak’ she had made would take effect, and she would surely invite her crafty cousin to be a mouse for a few days.
As the saying goes, “An eye for an eye.”
With Pei Jiya gone, the wedding date between Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu was fast approaching.
On the first day of May, it was an auspicious day for marriage.
Wu Zhen usually woke up late, and this day was no different; she slept until noon. If it weren’t for the Duke of Yu sending people to call for her several times, she might have slept for another hour. Yawning, she strolled to the flower hall and saw her father, wearing a hat, anxiously pacing back and forth. She chuckled, “Father, it’s me getting married, not you. Why are you so nervous?”
The Duke of Yu shot her a fierce glare. “Look at you! What do you look like? You’re talking nonsense and have no sense of propriety. Can’t you see the time? It’s still daylight, and you’re sleeping! You should have gotten up early to prepare. If you’re still in a mess when the time comes, what will people think?” He repeated this over and over.
Wu Zhen took a sip of the porridge brought by a servant, sitting there calmly, completely unlike a bride about to be married. “What’s the rush? The wedding banquet is still early, and there’s nothing much to prepare.”
As the saying goes, a wedding is a dim ceremony that doesn’t start until dusk. In Chang’an, the custom is that if the bride’s family is wealthy and powerful, all wedding arrangements, including the banquet, are held at the bride’s home. Sometimes, the groom’s family is even quite willing to live with the bride’s family after the wedding. Regarding these matters, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu had discussed them. The wedding banquet would be held at the Duke of Yu’s residence, and where they would live afterward would be decided as they pleased. After all, Mei Zhuyu’s residence had only him as the master, and at the Duke of Yu’s, Wu Zhen was the only one who lived there regularly. They had plenty of freedom.
Not long after noon, the Duke of Yu’s residence finally became busy. First, the servants cheerfully set up tents in the spacious back area for the wedding banquet, while others were preparing the bridal chamber, which was where the newlyweds would sit and lie during the ceremony. Wu Zhen held a plate of crispy, sweet pastries, enjoying them while watching the servants prepare the bridal chamber, placing auspicious items inside, and laying down pomegranate designs.
“Make it bigger; it’s too small. Are you making a cage?” Wu Zhen pointed with her legs crossed. Just then, Mei Si and Cui Jiu arrived, each carrying sticks, their faces brimming with excitement.
“Sister Zhen, we’re here!”
“Don’t worry, Sister Zhen! We’ve brought our weapons to guard the door today. The Mei family’s eldest son won’t get in easily!”
This group of young boys planned to act as the bride’s relatives, guarding the door for her. In the past, they wouldn’t dare to act against Mei Dalu, but today was different; they had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to openly make things difficult for him. Any groom wishing to marry someone else’s daughter had to go through this ordeal; it wasn’t that easy to achieve their desires!
Seeing their eager expressions, Wu Zhen didn’t say much and let them have their fun; after all, nothing serious would come of it.
“Second Young Lady! Second Young Lady!” A maid, lifting her skirt, came looking for her. Seeing her still watching the preparations for the bridal chamber, she couldn’t help but laugh and pull her toward her room. “Second Young Lady, you shouldn’t be watching this. The bridal chamber isn’t something the bride should see. You still need to bathe and get dressed!”
Two ladies mingling among the boys heard this and followed along, surrounding Wu Zhen as they returned to her room. Wu Zhen let them push her playfully, still holding the plate of pastries. “It’s still early; at least let me finish eating.”
The servants laughed helplessly. “Which bride acts like you, Second Young Lady, so slow on the day of her wedding?”
Wu Zhen didn’t understand why they were more excited than she was. After bathing, she sat while several maids dried her hair and dressed her in layers of wedding garments. The bridal attire was blue, with layers of blue gauze wrapped around her, and on top, she wore a large-sleeved blue floral robe, one adorned with golden and jade flowers.
Her usual casual hairstyle was also meticulously arranged today, with gold and jade ornaments shining brightly atop her head.
Finally, it was time for makeup. Wu Zhen didn’t like heavy makeup; at most, she would outline her brows. However, many ladies these days love to apply eye makeup, blush, and large floral stickers. As the bride, she couldn’t escape this ordeal either. Wu Zhen was too lazy to argue with the chattering ladies, so she let them do as they pleased while she closed her eyes to rest. When she opened her eyes after the makeup was done, she was startled by the blurry reflection in the mirror.
Goodness, she looked even scarier than the ghosts in the market. She initially wanted to take it off, but then thought about the expression on the young lord’s face when he saw her like this and held back. Scaring him like this would be amusing. Wu Zhen smiled, only to feel something falling from her face. “Did you put flour on my face?”
Sun Niang, laughing so hard she could barely stand, supported her shoulder and said, “Sister Zhen, this is fragrant powder. I specially mixed it for you. Smell it; isn’t it nice?”
Wu Zhen’s nose couldn’t detect any scent. After the maids had surrounded her, tying fragrant pouches and placing fragrant beads, and after they had perfumed her clothes, she felt overwhelmed by the strong fragrance, unable to smell anything else.
This was truly torturous. She hoped the young lord would arrive soon, so she wouldn’t have to stand there like a clothes rack with a makeup box on her face.
Mei Zhuyu had indeed arrived early, but he was blocked at the door by a group of fierce-looking “little brothers,” including his cousin Mei Si, who was supposed to help him enter.
Cui Jiu, Zhao Langjun, and the others brandished sticks, their eyes fierce. As soon as they saw Mei Zhuyu dismount, they shouted, “Attack!” and rushed at him.
Mei Zhuyu had never attended someone else’s wedding and was unfamiliar with the customs. His uncle, who should have taught him these things, had dragged him out for drinks the night before, drunkenly lamenting the difficulties of married life, and nearly cried, forgetting to tell him how to handle today’s events.
So, when he saw a group of fierce-looking people charging at him, he was momentarily stunned. However, he calmly and skillfully caught the sticks, tossing them aside one by one. According to custom, he was supposed to let them hit him, but these people wouldn’t strike him; it was just for show. But Mei Zhuyu didn’t know this, so when he saw everyone frozen in shock, he nodded at them and walked inside.
He wanted to see Wu Zhen as soon as possible.
The “little brothers” exchanged glances, unable to believe what had just happened. “How did he just take the stick from my hand? Why didn’t I see it?”
“Yeah, why was he so agile?!”
“What are you all doing? You just let him in so easily? Hurry up and guard the door!”
Only Zhao Langjun, who had seen Mei Zhuyu fight in the alley before, remained calm, having anticipated this. Having witnessed Mei Zhuyu’s terrifying abilities, he had brought a sword today, looking fierce, but it was of no use. He was still disarmed and had his weapon thrown at his feet. How rude and disrespectful!
Mei Zhuyu was even more formidable today than before; everyone blocking his path felt like paper, and in no time, he reached the door of Wu Zhen’s chamber. He faced the large window of the room, realizing it was time to recite the bridal poetry. He had already recited it several times outside, but now, at this final step, he felt nervous. Just thinking about Wu Zhen being behind that window made him hesitant to speak.
Since that rainy day a few days ago, he hadn’t seen Wu Zhen, and he couldn’t help but recall the intimate breaths they had shared that day.
Behind him, a group of boys rushed over, panting. They saw this cold-faced young lord staring blankly at their sister Zhen’s window.
“Uh, is he blushing?” someone whispered suddenly. Laughter erupted among the boys.
Suddenly, the window was opened from the inside, startling everyone outside. A figure appeared at the window, and when they recognized who it was, they all fell silent.
Mei Zhuyu was taken aback, his eyes widening slightly. Standing by the window was Wu Zhen, supporting her heavy head with her hand, laughing, “Did I scare you? Still didn’t recognize me?”
Before Mei Zhuyu could respond, someone inside pulled Wu Zhen back, and the window slammed shut with a bang. Xie Niang’s voice rang out from inside, “Sister Zhen, you haven’t recited the bridal poetry yet! Why did you open the window?”
“Yeah, you should make him wait another half hour. It’s not that easy!”
The group of boys outside began to whisper among themselves. “Was that just Sister Zhen?” “I didn’t recognize her at first; why does it feel like she has a different face?” “What do you mean a different face? You can’t even see her face with all that makeup!” “You don’t understand; a bride has to look like that.” “Ugh, when I get married, I don’t want to see my partner looking like this; it’s too scary.”
Mei Zhuyu turned to them and said, “Not scary; it’s beautiful.”
The boys were speechless. It seemed he truly loved Sister Zhen.
The window was pushed open again, and Wu Zhen, having heard their conversation, asked Mei Zhuyu, “Young Lord, were you not scared?”
Mei Zhuyu replied, “I was scared, but because it’s you, it’s still beautiful.”
The boys thought, “Who would have guessed? He looks so serious and cold, but he speaks so sweetly! Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover.”
Inside, Xie Niang and Sun Niang tried to close the window again, but Wu Zhen stopped them. She lifted her skirt, stepped onto the window sill, and jumped out. The servants inside gasped, “Second Young Lady, this isn’t proper! You should go through the door, and you need to step on the mat!”
Wu Zhen grabbed Mei Zhuyu’s hand and ran, “Let’s go straight to the banquet in the back.” She whistled, “Mei Si, you all follow! I specially ordered good wine from the Chengjia Tavern today; if we’re late, we won’t get any!”
A group of people disregarded all propriety and followed her, laughing and chatting, turning the wedding into an outdoor banquet, leaving many people drunk.