That morning, Miss Zhao rose very early, originally intending to help Shen Xi pack his luggage first. Unexpectedly, the guests coming to the Zhao residence to celebrate the birthday had suddenly doubled compared to previous years. Zhao Yan opened thirty new banquet tables in the front courtyard. With insufficient staff, even young ladies of noble birth like Zhao Wan and Miss Zhao were called to help.
It wasn’t until nearly noon that Miss Zhao found time during the midday meal break to come to the separate manor.
Sixth Uncle Shen had already packed the luggage. Miss Zhao checked through it once more, confirming everything was in order. She fetched two small jars of wine from the kitchen, carefully wrapped them in cloth bundles, and said to Shen Xi: “Ah Jiu knows that Lord Shen brews wine every spring, but this year you had no leisure. These two jars were brewed by Ah Jiu to help you, my lord. Keep one jar for yourself, and the other you can give to Lord Su. He’s rushed about on your behalf these past two months—it’s been truly exhausting.”
Even through the cloth bundle, Shen Xi could smell the apricot blossom fragrance.
He glanced at Miss Zhao, leaned on his staff to the stone table, and while unwrapping the cloth bundle said: “Su Shiyu doesn’t care for wine, and moreover doesn’t care whether I’ll thank her or not.” Taking out one jar of apricot blossom brew, he suddenly smiled: “Second Miss Zhao is right—I should indeed present Buddha with borrowed flowers. This jar I’ll gift to you instead.”
Miss Zhao’s cheeks were again dyed with rosy clouds, unable to speak for quite some time.
After a moment, she pushed the wine jar back a few inches, saying softly: “Ah Jiu, like Lord Su, also doesn’t care whether Lord Shen will give thanks or not.” She bit her lip slightly: “But if Lord Shen truly wishes to show gratitude, just inscribe two lines on Ah Jiu’s fan.”
Having spoken, without allowing Shen Xi to decline, she went to the side room to fetch the fan and ink treasures.
Women commonly used round silk fans, yet the fan Miss Zhao brought was a folding fan used by men. Apart from a few dots of peach blossoms painted in the corner, the rest of the fan surface was completely blank.
Such a folding fan—she wanted Shen Xi to inscribe it for her to keep herself. Shen Xi didn’t need to think to understand the implications.
He looked at Miss Zhao again, the smile on his face gradually fading. He took up the brush and sat before the stone table. Several times he lowered the brush only to withdraw it the moment it touched the fan surface. After a long while, he set down the brush, saying: “I’ve always been someone who speaks his mind plainly. I have a few lines in my heart, but they’re rather inauspicious. Thinking that Second Miss’s folding fan is for men’s use and should perhaps be gifted to someone in the future, I feel it’s better not to inscribe it.” Speaking thus, his peach blossom eyes curved as he smiled mischievously: “Actually, if Second Miss Zhao finds Shen’s calligraphy attractive, Shen could certainly copy a few exemplar texts for you—from the ‘Memorial on Dispatching the Troops’ to ‘On Chao Cuo.’ What do you think?”
The “Memorial on Dispatching the Troops” contains the words: The enterprise is but half completed, yet midway I meet with ruin.
“On Chao Cuo” contains the words: The superior men of the world, wishing to achieve extraordinary merit, should not occupy themselves with schemes for personal power.
Though Miss Zhao had studied, she had read few literary works. She didn’t understand the deep meaning in Shen Xi’s words, but the meaning of that folding fan left uninscribed—that she understood very clearly.
The noon hour had passed, yet the blazing sun withdrew its sharp rays. After several consecutive days without rain, the cloud masses had finally accumulated again.
Miss Zhao stood quietly with lowered eyes for half a moment, then slowly closed the folding fan spread on the stone table, nodding earnestly: “Very well. Then when Lord Shen’s injuries have healed, write two exemplar texts for Ah Jiu.”
She looked up at the sky, then added: “Today the Zhao residence has many guests, and it looks like rain again. The main courtyard is still waiting for Ah Jiu to help, so I won’t keep Lord Shen company any longer.”
Shen Xi nodded: “That’s fine. Tan Zhaolin should arrive soon. Once he arrives, Shen will naturally leave. You return to the main courtyard first—no need to come see me off again.” Speaking thus, he took up the wooden staff from beside the stone table and stood with its support.
His injuries had largely healed by now, only his legs remained inconvenient. Whenever he sat down or rose, it was quite laborious.
Miss Zhao watched from the side, unable to help stepping forward to support him. Just then, scattered and complicated footsteps suddenly came from outside the separate manor. Immediately after, a voice angrily rebuked: “Ah Jiu, what are you doing?!”
It was actually Madam Zhao.
Being quite far away, Madam Zhao didn’t recognize Shen Xi at first. Her gaze fell directly on Miss Zhao’s hand supporting an unfamiliar man. Immediately she felt her blood rush up, saying again: “Let go at once!”
Miss Zhao was so startled by this shout that her whole body trembled. Yet fearing that without her support Shen Xi couldn’t stand steadily, she only turned around after seeing him position his wooden staff properly, calling with a flushed face: “Mother.”
Madam Zhao wasn’t alone in coming to the separate manor. Besides the Zhao family’s eldest daughter Zhao Wan, there was actually also a group of female relatives who had come from other residences to celebrate the birthday.
Originally, during the midday meal, the group had mentioned the spring outing for the Grain Rain festival, saying they wanted to go to the grasslands on the capital’s outskirts. Madam Zhao had wanted to ask Miss Zhao’s opinion but couldn’t find her. Only then did she hear from a nearby nanny that Ah Jiu had enjoyed peace and quiet these past two months, and when idle seemed to go to the separate manor. Madam Zhao thus remembered that the several apricot trees in the separate manor were the finest, and rose with the thought of viewing apricots, bringing the female relatives. Never expecting to witness such a disgraceful scene.
Madam Zhao said in a low voice to the nanny beside her: “Go to the main courtyard and request the master.” Then she stretched out her arm to hold back the group of female relatives, descended the steps herself, and said to the tall, jade-like figure in a blue scholar’s robe in the courtyard: “Who are you?”
After all, it was a family scandal. If no outsiders had seen it, a thorough scolding should have covered it over. But now both noble ladies and young misses of the capital were all present—only by handling it as calmly as possible could there be any room for salvage.
Unfortunately, Young Master Shen was not some nobody. Just leaning on his staff and turning around with that calm statement: “Qingyue pays respects to Madam Zhao,” caused everyone in the courtyard to gasp.
The news of the Shen household’s downfall was already known to everyone in the capital. Yet none had ever expected that this noble young master who had once shaken the capital now lodged at the Zhao residence of the Imperial Censorate.
And by the looks of it, he had been privately invited by Second Miss Zhao.
Madam Zhao and Madam Shen were old friends after all. Even though Shen Xi’s appearance here was truly improper, she couldn’t bring herself to question him. Thinking left and right, she was at a loss. Fortunately, before long, Zhao Yan rushed over from the front courtyard.
With one look at Miss Zhao’s appearance, Zhao Yan had already guessed seventy or eighty percent of the cause and effect. The fury in his heart, suppressed again and again, transformed into a dark color that flashed through his eyes and vanished. Rather than addressing Shen Xi, he first said to Madam Zhao: “Madam, please don’t blame. When Qingyue was injured that day, it was I who took it upon myself to bring him to the separate manor. Fearing you would worry about his injuries, I never mentioned it to you. Ah Jiu knew of this matter because that day she happened to be in the palace and rode back to the residence in the same carriage with me and Qingyue.”
Then he said to Miss Zhao: “I asked you to invite Qingyue to the main courtyard for a meal—how did you delay so long?”
Miss Zhao knew her father was deliberately covering for her. With a flushed face, she bowed slightly: “Your daughter knows she was wrong.”
Zhao Yan thus coolly made a sound of acknowledgment: “Your great-grandmother wants to see you. Go to her now.”
After Miss Zhao left, he said to Madam Zhao: “There are several apricot trees in the back courtyard even finer than these. If Madam wishes to view apricots, why not move to the back courtyard?”
Madam Zhao immediately curtsied and also departed with the group of female relatives.
In an instant, only a sparse few people remained in the courtyard. Zhao Yan looked at Shen Xi and said quite impolitely: “Please, Lord Shen, move to Zhao’s study for a conversation.” Having spoken, he clasped his hands behind his back, turned, and headed to the front courtyard on his own.
Sixth Uncle Shen sighed deeply and said to Shen Xi: “Young master, when Lord Zhao summons you to his study, there’s bound to be nothing good. Why don’t we leave now while we can?”
Shen Xi watched Zhao Yan’s retreating back, speaking as if it were all utterly light and trivial: “How can we possibly leave right now? Having reached this point, that group—whether genuinely concerned, indifferent, coincidentally passing by, or just joining the excitement—will surely all come after their duties end. If I don’t stay at the Zhao residence today to attend a birthday banquet and satisfy them, there’ll definitely be trouble later.” Speaking thus, he pulled his mouth into a smile. While leaning on his staff toward Zhao Yan’s study, he said: “People of the world are accustomed to praising the high and trampling the low. I don’t care about that, but what I most fear is owing favors to others. Whether Zhao Yan wants to settle this with me privately is fine—settling it today means no entanglements afterward.”
Miss Zhao was intercepted halfway by Zhao Wan, who had rushed over urgently. Looking around and seeing no one nearby, she reproached: “This time you’ve really gone too far!” Then, taking her hand: “Mother told me to take you to see Father.”
Upon reaching Zhao Yan’s study, Madam Zhao, Zhao Yan, and the eldest son of the Zhao family, Zhao Qian, were already waiting inside.
Miss Zhao approached, not yet having time to pay her respects, when she heard Zhao Yan angrily shout: “Kneel!” Her whole body trembled, and her knees fell to the ground.
Zhao Yan was such a shrewd person—without interrogation he already knew that when Shen Xi had fainted unconscious after being flogged that day, it must have been Miss Zhao who took it upon herself to bring him to the Zhao residence. A breath of anger stuck in his chest—releasing it wasn’t right, not releasing it wasn’t right either. At present he only said: “After today’s birthday banquet, you will go to the ancestral hall to recite scriptures for seven days, emerging only on the eve of Grain Rain.” He added: “Having caused such a scandal, you can no longer remain in the capital. Father will seek a marriage match for you these next few days. Once the Grain Rain festival passes, you’ll be married off.”
At these words, not only Miss Zhao but even Madam Zhao, Zhao Wan, and the eldest son were greatly shocked.
Zhao Wan had always understood her younger sister. Though gentle and sensible, if she had made up her own mind about something, even if she outwardly complied with her parents’ decisions, her thoughts wouldn’t turn around.
She glanced at Miss Zhao and couldn’t help pleading on her behalf: “Father, didn’t you just cover this over for Ah Jiu? Why not let her remain in the capital a while longer? Being so hasty to marry her off—how can you find a good family?”
Zhao Yan said: “Covering it over is only temporary. My explanation just now was full of holes—fine for deceiving you lot, but how can it deceive those high officials in the court? This scandal will surely spread throughout the capital before long. Marrying her off is for her own good.”
The eldest son Zhao Qian said: “Since Ah Jiu was seen together with Lord Shen, Father… why not ask Lord Shen’s intentions? Perhaps he would be willing to take Ah Jiu as his wife?”
“For all that you’re an official at court, you’re truly muddle-headed!” Zhao Yan slapped the table, rebuking: “Do you think Shen Qingyue is still the Shen Qingyue of former days? The Crown Princess’s brother, the Left Vice Minister of Revenue? In the current situation, Zhu Nanxian can barely protect himself, Su Shiyu is taking desperate risks, and Shen Qingyue’s neck has a blade against it at every moment. That the Zhao residence was willing to shelter him for two months is already the utmost benevolence. He’s a person who understands reason. Even if I were willing to marry Ah Jiu to him, you go ask him if he dares to marry her!”
As his words fell, they heard the servant guarding outside the study knock on the door: “Master, Lord Shen has arrived.”
Zhao Yan withdrew the vexed expression from his face, saying in a steady voice: “Show him in.”
The rain outside had not yet fallen but the sky was already a heavy dark mass. Lamps were lit in the study.
Shen Xi entered leaning on his staff, positioned the wooden staff properly, then bowed to Zhao Yan, speaking directly: “These past two months living in the separate manor, I’ve caused Lord Zhao and Second Miss Zhao considerable trouble. But Shen currently has nothing of value—this debt can only be recorded by you, my lord, to be repaid in the future.” His gaze swept past the kneeling Miss Zhao and he added: “As for Second Miss’s reputation, please decide, Lord Zhao—whether you want Shen to marry her or have other ideas, Shen has absolutely no objections.”
Zhao Yan remained impassive: “And what is Lord Shen’s own intention?”