Ming Shu’s head was about to explode – of all people to run into, why did it have to be him?
Song Qingzhao stared at her face without moving, seemingly just as startled by her presence.
They stared at each other like wood meeting stone for a moment. Just as Song Qingzhao was about to move, Ming Shu came to her senses and quickly raised her hand in a silencing gesture, her face pleading. Though Song Qingzhao’s expression had turned cold, he didn’t speak. He merely flicked the window prop, causing the wooden shutter to slam down, nearly catching Ming Shu’s hands that were gripping the window frame.
The scene inside was no longer visible.
Ming Shu rubbed her nose, thinking that Song Qingzhao was quite fierce.
His voice soon came from inside: “Everyone, the spring scenery outside is lovely. Why don’t we continue our discussion outdoors? Wouldn’t that be more pleasant?”
For the imperial examination essay practice, today, several students had gathered to discuss current affairs as part of their studies.
Hearing Song Qingzhao’s suggestion, someone quickly agreed: “Brother Song’s suggestion is excellent. It’s stuffy inside, and the openness outside might help clear our thoughts.”
“Let’s go, let’s go outside,” another person was already calling everyone to leave.
Although Song Qingzhao hadn’t exposed Ming Shu’s spying on the spot, he didn’t want his companions to remain under her surveillance.
Ming Shu heard a series of footsteps as the room gradually emptied. She frustratedly slapped her forehead.
Well, all that effort for nothing.
She shook the grass off her skirt and straightened up to return to Lu Chang’s room by her original path. However, after just a few steps, she saw a young man standing with his hands behind his back under the bamboo grove. Song Qingzhao hadn’t left with the others but had stayed behind waiting for Ming Shu.
There was nothing more awkward than being caught in the act of mischief.
Ming Shu steeled herself and stepped forward, curtseying: “Young Master Song.”
Song Qingzhao lowered his head to examine this young lady who he’d only met once before and who barely reached his shoulder.
If it hadn’t been her face that had suddenly appeared in his line of sight, he might not have recognized her. Today she wore a plain padded jacket, her hair in a simple bun adorned only with two small hairpins and a wildflower – she looked completely different from when they’d met outside Wanjia Tower a few days ago.
“The academy doesn’t allow female visitors. Why are you here?” he asked coldly, his gaze sharp as arrows.
“I…” Faced with his questioning, Ming Shu wracked her brains for an excuse.
Song Qingzhao coldly watched her struggle: “If you can’t give a reason, please come with me to see the headmaster.”
Ming Shu took a deep breath, about to answer, when from the corner of her eye she spotted someone walking along the corridor beside the bamboo grove. A chill ran down her spine, frightening her from head to toe.
Song Qingzhao didn’t get his answer because Ming Shu suddenly darted behind him like a cat, using his frame to completely hide herself, her voice as thin as a mosquito’s: “I’m sorry, Young Master Song, please don’t move, let me hide behind you for a moment.”
Song Qingzhao was stunned.
Looking up, he saw the person walking along the corridor was Lu Chang, the provincial examination champion from Jiangning who had entered Songling Academy just two months ago.
Lu Chang happened to look over. Though he and Song Qingzhao knew each other, they weren’t close friends, so he merely nodded slightly before continuing on his way. Song Qingzhao returned the nod without conversation. After Lu Chang had walked away, he heard the person behind him let out a sigh of relief, and strangely, he found himself sighing in relief as well…
“Lady Lu, what exactly are you…” Song Qingzhao turned to continue questioning, but halfway through his sentence he suddenly remembered that last time she’d mentioned her brother was also at Songling Academy, and she was surnamed Lu. He paused before continuing, “Your brother is Lu Chang?”
Ming Shu could only nod with an embarrassed smile – she had planned to use visiting her brother as an excuse, but now that wouldn’t work.
If Lu Chang found out she was making money by coming to the academy, he would bundle her up and throw her out. How would she continue her investigation then?
Well, she’d better deal with Song Qingzhao first.
She cleared her throat and gathered her spirits. She couldn’t let herself be swayed by his good looks – she needed to turn from defense to offense!
“Young Master Song, you’re good friends with Xie Xi. Do you know which young masters he’s usually close with? Why does he come to Songling Academy every so often?”
“You came here for Xie Xi?” Song Qingzhao’s brows furrowed slightly. He had thought she was here for…
He had been presumptuous. How embarrassing.
“Yes and no – I also came to bring things for my brother.” Ming Shu had no idea what he was thinking and continued on her own, “Young Master Song, who was that person who entered with Xie Xi just now? Are they close friends?”
“That person’s surname is Tang, given name Li. He’s not a candidate for this year’s examinations but an orphan the headmaster took in at the academy a few years ago. Xie Xi and he…” Song Qingzhao stopped halfway through his answer, suddenly realizing he had unconsciously been led along by her, so he straightened his expression and said, “Why are you asking about all this? Don’t tell me it’s Wen An again. That girl really… what is she thinking?! Isn’t it enough that she has people following and investigating Xie Xi outside? This is absurd!”
It seemed Wen An County Princess’s actions hadn’t escaped everyone’s notice.
Ming Shu couldn’t help defending Wen An: “How is it absurd? In this world, a woman’s marriage determines her happiness for the rest of her life. If she has the means to find herself a good husband, what’s wrong with that? Moreover, given the situation in the Prince’s mansion, County Princess Wen An must have unspoken difficulties being in that position. What’s wrong with her not wanting to repeat her mother’s mistakes?”
Song Qingzhao became somewhat angry: “Just because she doesn’t want to repeat her mother’s mistakes, does that mean she can do whatever she wants? Don’t we know Xie Xi’s character well enough? She…”
He paused again, his gaze passing over Ming Shu to look rather strangely at the bamboo grove.
“He what? Why won’t you continue?” Ming Shu pressed, but Song Qingzhao suddenly fell silent.
His expression was a bit strange… was there something behind her?
An ominous feeling arose.
“My unruly sister, I will discipline her myself. No need for Brother Song to concern himself.”
The icy voice came like a handful of winter snow stuffed down Ming Shu’s collar and freezing down her back.
Ming Shu turned stiffly, forcing an ugly smile: “Bro…ther…”
Lu Chang had circled the corridor and emerged from the bamboo grove, his eyes cold and piercing as he looked at Ming Shu with what seemed like a smile but wasn’t: “So you still remember you have a brother?”
Hearing this, Ming Shu felt even colder. No longer paying any attention to Song Qingzhao, she scurried to Lu Chang’s side like an obedient chick.
“Of course I remember, of course, I remember! I came to bring you spring clothes! Hehe.” She nodded repeatedly like a pestle, almost wanting to swear an oath.
Lu Chang looked at Song Qingzhao and said: “Brother Song has heard – my sister came to find me. Do you still want to take her to see the headmaster?”
Ming Shu thought: it’s over, how much had her brother overheard?
Song Qingzhao remained silent, looking coldly at Lu Chang.
Though it was just a silent meeting of gazes, Ming Shu could smell a confrontational atmosphere. Her scalp tingled.
After the two remained at an impasse for a moment, Song Qingzhao yielded, raising his hand in a “please” gesture and saying: “Please proceed, Brother Lu.”
“Thank you.” Lu Chang clasped his hands in greeting and turned to leave without hesitation.
Ming Shu didn’t dare stay any longer, following Lu Chang like a butterfly. Song Qingzhao stood in place watching for a moment before stepping forward to bend down and pick up a flower from the ground.
The flower that had been in her hair had fallen.
It was a cluster of purple clover that grew on the mountainside.
Lu Chang walked very quickly, forcing Ming Shu to jog to keep up with him.
“Bang—”
The door was pushed open forcefully by Lu Chang. Ming Shu’s heart trembled as she followed him in.
“Brother, I brought you new clothes, look!” She quickly ran to the bedside, pointing at the neatly folded new clothes like showing off a treasure.
Lu Chang didn’t even look, just walked to the window and opened it.
“And Mother asked me to bring these preserved fish and this basket of eggs… I collected these eggs myself…”
Lu Chang still didn’t look at these things, casually pulling a book from the table and sitting by the window to read.
Ming Shu stood quietly in the room for a while before walking to Lu Chang’s side. This time she had learned her lesson – she neither admitted fault nor argued with him. She just tugged at Lu Chang’s sleeve and said softly: “Brother, I’m hungry.”
After speaking, she counted in her heart: one, two, three…
Before she could count “four,” Lu Chang spoke as expected: “There’s food on the table.”
Ming Shu turned to look and saw a bamboo basket of food on the table. Lu Chang must have had it sent when he received word from the study boy that she had come to the academy.
“What about you?” Ming Shu asked him after opening the basket to look inside.
“I’ve eaten.” Lu Chang didn’t even look up.
“You’re lying.” Ming Shu didn’t believe he would eat without her, so she walked to his side and tugged his sleeve again, saying, “Brother, let’s eat. Even if you want to scold me, wait until after you’ve eaten your fill.”
Lu Chang brushed her hand away without speaking.
“If you won’t eat, I won’t eat either.” Ming Shu sat glumly on the bed, poking at the tassels of the fan case.
Lu Chang slammed down his book and turned to look at her – though he had told her not to come to the academy anymore, when he heard from the study boy that she had come, his heart couldn’t help but feel joy, wanting to see her right away. But when he rushed back from the library, what he saw in the bamboo grove was like having his heart thrown from heaven and ground into the dust.
“Lu Ming Shu, what exactly do you want?” he asked.
This question was directed at her, and also at himself.
“I…” Ming Shu felt Lu Chang’s gaze made her heart ache, though she couldn’t say why. It just made her feel uncomfortable. She bit her lip and honestly confessed, “Brother, to tell you the truth, besides bringing you clothes this time, I did have other business. I took on a task to investigate Xie Xi’s character, so… just now I was following Xie Xi to gather information.”
Lu Chang’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly: “Xie Xi? You… didn’t come for Song Qingzhao?”
This time it was Ming Shu who was confused: “Why would I come for Song Qingzhao? We’re not related in any way!”
Even if they had exchanged glances twice, she wouldn’t run to the academy just to see him, would she? She wasn’t crazy.
Lu Chang’s expression was noticeably relaxed, and he unconsciously walked to the table, taking out the food from the basket while asking her: “What are you investigating now?”
“Just checking if… Xie Xi has any… in the academy…” she glanced at Lu Chang, her voice getting smaller, “lovers.”
“…” Lu Chang stopped his movements as if hearing something unbelievable.
Ming Shu concealed the matter of the County Princess and quickly explained Xie Xi’s situation, then said: “Brother, never mind why we need to investigate Xie Xi’s character. You’re a man too – tell me, could there be a man like Yu Rang in this world, with no concubines, no maids, refusing even beauties delivered to his doorstep…”
“What’s so strange about that? I’m a man, and I don’t have concubines or maids either…” Lu Chang put chopsticks in her hand.
“That’s because our family is poor, Mother and I can’t afford to find you, concubines and maids…”
Before Ming Shu could finish her response, her head received a strike.
“My brother is an upright gentleman of integrity, absolutely not a lecherous person. How can those ordinary men be compared to my brother?” Ming Shu quickly changed her tune, and then asked him, “Brother, don’t you think my suspicions make sense?”
Lu Chang gave her a look and said: “I’ve been at Songling Academy for less than two months and am not familiar with them. Xie Xi isn’t a fellow student here – how would I know what kind of person he is?”
“What about Tang Li?” Ming Shu turned to ask about another name.
“Tang Li?” Lu Chang searched his memory for a moment, finding the name very unfamiliar, and shook his head, “Don’t know him. He’s probably not a candidate for this year’s examination, right?”
“He’s not,” Ming Shu said.
“Since he’s not, I haven’t had any interaction with him in daily life. I’m not familiar with him.” Apart from the important people around him, Lu Chang rarely paid attention to others.
Unable to gather information from Lu Chang, Ming Shu felt disappointed again. Even the tofu in her chopsticks didn’t taste good anymore. She could only stay at Songling Academy for half a day, and would probably have to head back after eating. What excuse could she use to come to the academy in the future?
What way could she use to test Xie Xi’s preferences most quickly?
If he liked men…
Ming Shu bit her chopsticks as she thought, suddenly staring at Lu Chang without moving.
Lu Chang frowned at her staring, only to hear her say: “Brother, I think you’re handsome…”
This compliment somehow didn’t sound quite right.
“How can you be so handsome?”
Lu Chang’s frown deepened.
“Why don’t you help me? Help me test… Ouch!”
Ming Shu was struck on the head by Lu Chang without mercy.
“Lu Ming Shu put that thought away right now! If you dare say another word, I’ll throw you out immediately!” Lu Chang was truly angered by her absurd idea.
“I was just joking!” Ming Shu lowered her head obediently and continued eating.
Lu Chang watched her darting eyes and knew she hadn’t given up at all, probably cooking up some new scheme in her mind, just like that time at the bandit inn.
He sighed deeply in his heart and spoke: “Ming Shu…”
Hearing Lu Chang’s suddenly low voice, Ming Shu looked up to find her brother staring at her, and asked puzzled: “Hmm?”
Lu Chang leaned forward toward her, his face slowly approaching Ming Shu.
Ming Shu retreated slightly, finding the wall behind her, leaving nowhere to retreat.
Very close now, Lu Chang’s features were within reach. It was deadly – he was too handsome, she felt somewhat…
“Want to stay at the academy?” he spoke as if bewitching her, his hand slowly rising to brush the corner of her mouth.
He picked off a grain of rice.
Ming Shu, as if acupuncture-pointed, could only nod instinctively.
“I have a way, but you must promise me one thing,” Lu Chang said.
Better to keep her under his watchful eye than let her run around outside causing trouble.
Ming Shu’s eyes brightened: “I’ll promise you ten things.”
“Just one is enough.” Lu Chang leaned forward again, his lips approaching her ear as he whispered.
“Stay away from Song Qingzhao!”
The further away, the better!