How could a delicate young lady like Shen Xiling dodge in time? She was immediately struck hard on the arm by that rolling pin. Before she could even feel the pain, from the corner of her eye she saw the man approaching again to hit her once more. Amid the shouting and commotion, she only had time to pull the little beggar into her arms to protect her, then quickly turned her back to face the man.
The little beggar was crying loudly in her arms. She was actually very frightened too, especially with all the people on the street surrounding them to watch the excitement, making her feel isolated and helpless. But she had no choice except to tightly close her eyes and wait for the pain to fall.
Who would have expected to hear the crowd’s gasps of surprise at that moment? The anticipated pain didn’t land on her body. Instead, the shopkeeper who had hit her was crying out in pain. Shen Xiling was stunned and quickly turned around, only to see that a man had appeared behind her at some point and was restraining the shopkeeper with one hand. With just a slight application of force to the arm he was twisting, the shopkeeper screamed in agony, dropping his rolling pin to the ground, no longer able to act violently.
This sudden turn of events naturally caused the surrounding spectators to exclaim in surprise, but this man who had intervened was even more worth watching. He was very tall and upright, heroic like green pines and verdant cypresses, with a face like fine jade, sword-like brows and starry eyes. Though not old, he carried himself with steady composure. At this moment his jade-like face was stern and cold as he said in a deep voice: “Bullying women and children—what grand airs! How dare you act so presumptuously under the Son of Heaven’s feet!”
At that time, Shen Xiling didn’t recognize that the person before her was the sole heir of Northern Wei’s Duke Yanguo, equal in fame to Qi Ying and享有 the reputation of “Southern Qi, Northern Gu”—Gu Juhan.
Young General Gu was indeed from a military family. Though he appeared to use little force, the shopkeeper was in such pain that his face contorted as he repeatedly begged for mercy, crying out: “This humble one knows his mistake, knows his mistake! Please, Young Master, release your grip quickly!”
Gu Juhan’s expression didn’t change, but he glanced at Shen Xiling. She was stunned, then saw him release his grip on the shopkeeper. Just as the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, Gu Juhan kicked him in the knee, making his legs give way and causing him to kneel down immediately, facing directly toward Shen Xiling.
Before Shen Xiling could react, she heard Gu Juhan say to the shopkeeper: “Since you know your fault, then sincerely apologize. What use is begging me?”
The shopkeeper was also one who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Earlier he had been aggressive seeing Shen Xiling was a frail young lady, but now with Gu Juhan beside him he didn’t dare act presumptuously. Caring nothing for face, he repeatedly kowtowed to Shen Xiling, saying he was despicable and cursing himself thoroughly.
Shen Xiling’s arm had been struck hard by his rolling pin and was now burning with pain, but she had no intention of holding onto this person relentlessly, nor did she want to make the matter bigger and invite trouble. This was Shangjing after all—in another country’s imperial capital, it was better to minimize conflict.
After thinking it through, Shen Xiling decided to let it go lightly. She didn’t say anything to condemn the shopkeeper, only asking him to compensate with a few meat buns for the little beggar to satisfy her hunger.
The shopkeeper was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly agreed, giving out an entire steamer of buns. The little beggar was extremely happy seeing this, taking one in each hand and wolfing them down, clearly having been extremely hungry.
Seeing her joy, Shen Xiling’s mood also improved somewhat. She patted the girl’s head and told her to take all the buns, also taking out some loose silver to give her. The beggar didn’t understand courtesy and forgot to thank Shen Xiling, just taking the money and buns and running away in a flash.
This matter should have been concluded here. Shen Xiling intended to thank Gu Juhan and then leave, but who knew he would lift up the shopkeeper again, wanting to take him to see the authorities.
This not only made the shopkeeper cry and wail as if mourning, but even shocked Shen Xiling, who quickly said: “There’s no need for such trouble. He’s already compensated us with a steamer of buns. Let this matter end here—no need to see the authorities…”
Gu Juhan looked at Shen Xiling, but his brow was furrowed.
He too had heard her accent—soft Wu dialect, definitely from the Southern Dynasty. She was also so gentle and delicate, like the most precious and beautiful flower growing in Jiangzuo’s gentle winds and light rains, making one want to take extra care of her at first sight.
He could see she didn’t want to make the matter bigger, but thinking she was worried about being bullied again, he said: “Miss need not worry. Northern Wei is not a barbarous land—we also have strict laws. The government offices will handle matters fairly and won’t lose impartiality.”
He paused, then added: “If Miss is unwilling to see the authorities, I can also handle it on your behalf.”
He… thought she was afraid of seeing officials?
Shen Xiling had been by Qi Ying’s side for four years now. Because of him, she often met quite a few high-ranking officials. Moreover, when she was small she had stayed at the Qi main family for a period and had even met Great Liang’s Left Prime Minister. She really wasn’t very afraid of seeing officials—she just didn’t want to invite trouble.
She was very grateful to this man before her and deeply felt he had upright character, but she still didn’t accept this kind intention, continuing to politely decline. Seeing her like this, Gu Juhan couldn’t insist further, so he raised his hand to release the shopkeeper, letting him run away in panic, not even bothering to tend to the bun stall he’d set up there.
The onlookers saw this scene and knew the excitement was over, so they all dispersed. Shen Xiling stepped forward and curtsied to thank Gu Juhan.
He returned the courtesy, then called out to stop her just as she was about to turn and leave. Shen Xiling turned back to look at him—the red mole between her brows like an exquisite painted ornament, her beautiful eyes harboring the misty rains of Jiangnan. Just one glance left Gu Juhan somewhat flustered.
He coughed once to maintain his composure, then said to Shen Xiling: “Miss doesn’t seem to be a local of Shangjing. If you need someone to show you the way, I can be of service.”
After speaking, he meaningfully turned his head back to look in the direction the shopkeeper had fled.
Shen Xiling was stunned, then understood his kind intention: he was worried that the shopkeeper harbored resentment and would return after he left to harm her again.
Such kindness truly made Shen Xiling very grateful.
She had always been unwilling to trouble others—the fewer complications the better. But now in a foreign land with no one accompanying her, she was indeed somewhat afraid. Moreover, her arm was already numb with pain—if something like this happened again, she wouldn’t know what to do. After thinking it over, she didn’t refuse Gu Juhan’s kind offer, saying to him with great appreciation: “Then I’ll trouble you, sir.”
Shen Xiling had originally already bought the fruit she needed, but after that commotion, the fruit had fallen all over the ground in the chaos and couldn’t be eaten, so she had to go buy more again. Gu Juhan accompanied her the whole way, intending to escort her back to her lodgings.
Shen Xiling felt it inappropriate to tell others she was returning to the envoy’s guest quarters, so she planned to part with him after walking out of these few streets. Since it would be awkward to remain silent the whole way, they chatted casually as they walked.
Gu Juhan glanced at the woman walking beside him and asked: “Miss is from Jiangzuo?”
Shen Xiling hesitated for a moment, then nodded and answered: “I come from Jiankang.”
Upon hearing this, he raised his eyebrows, looking somewhat surprised, then nodded and politely praised Jiankang’s outstanding people and spiritual beauty. He then asked about her reason for coming to Shangjing. Shen Xiling was unwilling to say much, only claiming she had come with family, but didn’t elaborate on the specific reasons.
She wasn’t lying—Qi Ying… was indeed her family, and would be her husband before long.
Thinking of this, her heart felt sweet and her eyes showed a trace of smile, just like flowers half-bloomed or wine at perfect tipsy stage—contained yet unrevealed, most stirring to the heart, making one’s spirit inevitably waver.
Gu Juhan slightly averted his eyes, deliberately avoiding such stunning beauty. After a moment of silence, he said: “The northern people are naturally kind and honest, but with the recent defeat in war, people’s hearts are unsettled and there’s more hostility… Please don’t blame them, Miss.”
These words revealed considerable depth.
That shopkeeper was merely a common market citizen, not a relative or old friend of Gu Juhan’s, yet his words seemed to excuse the shopkeeper, which carried subtle meaning—as if he felt responsible for the absurd words and actions of someone completely unrelated to him.
Such behavior made Shen Xiling vaguely feel it was somewhat similar to Qi Ying, yet very different. But she couldn’t say exactly how it was different at the time, so she didn’t think deeply about it, only nodding to Gu Juhan and saying: “There’s no difference between south and north of the river. Northern Wei is also a land of magnificent atmosphere. I won’t take what happened earlier to heart.”
Gu Juhan smiled upon hearing this, then glanced at her arm and carefully asked: “I wonder if Miss was injured?”
He had actually arrived rather late and hadn’t seen Shen Xiling being hit, but coming from a military background, he was always particularly sensitive to injuries and had already noticed that Shen Xiling’s left arm movements were somewhat unnatural, hence this question.
Shen Xiling hadn’t expected him to be so observant—despite her attempts to hide it, he still noticed. She was somewhat surprised, but feeling they were neither relatives nor friends, she had no intention of mentioning her injury to him. She merely brushed it off, saying: “It’s nothing, just a scrape—not worth worrying about.”
With Gu Juhan’s keen eye, how could he not see the truth? He immediately understood she was unwilling to say more. But seeing Shen Xiling’s gentle and delicate appearance, he couldn’t help wanting to care for her a bit more. After pausing, he said: “Miss’s compassion in saving others is naturally a good deed, but human hearts are complex and markets especially chaotic. If you encounter such situations in the future, self-preservation should come first.”
Though he didn’t know the cause and effect of this incident, he had seen her protecting the little beggar throughout the confrontation, and after being wronged by the shopkeeper, she had been magnanimous, only asking for compensation of some food and giving the child some silver. Combined with her Jiangzuo accent, it wasn’t hard to piece together the whole story.
Being charitable was certainly good, but she should protect herself better.
Shen Xiling heard the caring intent in Gu Juhan’s words and felt even more grateful—she had thought most Wei people were rough, never expecting to meet such a modest gentleman.
Her wariness toward him gradually lessened, and she looked at him with a faint smile carrying more sincerity, answering: “Sir speaks truly. Thank you.”
The sincerity in that smile was obvious, making her appear even more bright-eyed and stunningly beautiful. Gu Juhan’s palms began to sweat. He coughed again and after thinking, asked Shen Xiling: “May I ask Miss’s honored name?”
If this were Jiankang, Shen Xiling would certainly have honestly called herself Fang Jun. But now in Shangjing, she felt she had already escaped from Jiankang and would soon fly far away with Qi Ying, never to return. Those tangled and complex past events seemed to have little connection to her anymore.
She felt a lightness in her heart and boldly entertained some daring thoughts. After a moment’s hesitation, she answered: “My name is… Shen Xiling.”
Shen Xiling.
Her long-absent true name.
Xiling…
Gu Juhan had never been to Jiangzuo in his life, only hearing that the Southern Dynasty’s scenery was picturesque like a dream, very different from the northern desolation. He’d heard that Suzhou and Hangzhou were especially beautiful beyond measure. Xiling seemed to be originally a place name, carrying the unique gentleness and rippling beauty of West Lake—indeed… very fitting for her.
Gu Juhan’s expression softened as he looked at Shen Xiling with somewhat subtle eyes. He felt his palms growing even warmer and wanted to exchange names with her—though someone like him usually shouldn’t reveal his identity so easily, he truly wanted to…
Unfortunately, before he could speak, he heard the rumbling of carriage wheels behind them, along with the sound of bronze bells swaying. Shen Xiling immediately turned around upon hearing the sound, her misty beautiful eyes brightening instantly, so lovely one couldn’t look away.
Following her gaze toward the carriage, he saw a man slowly stepping out. Upon seeing him, Shen Xiling’s smile became radiant, and she quickly ran toward him joyfully like a sparrow or butterfly. When she reached him, she seemed to have some concerns and didn’t approach further, stopping two steps away to bow properly and respectfully call out “Young Master.”
Gu Juhan had no doubt that if there had been no one around just now, she would definitely have thrown herself into that man’s arms.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw the man raise his eyes to look at him. The man had magnificent phoenix eyes and wore Great Liang official robes. Upon seeing him, he seemed somewhat surprised, then his expression returned to calm, though his gaze grew somewhat heavy.
He nodded to him and said: “General Gu, how fortuitous to meet.”
Author’s Note:
The divine comment section is making my job insecurity skyrocket—I feel like if this continues, everyone will discover the correct answer!