“Hurry up and try this Yellow Duck Feather Tea — I’m sure you’ll love it!” Li Wu said eagerly.

Shen Zhuxi had read through quite a few tea classics and sampled hundreds of varieties, yet she had never once heard of anything called Yellow Duck Feather Tea.

She lifted the lid of the cup, and wisps of warm steam curled upward into the air. The tea in the cup was clear and faintly golden-green, with leaves floating on the surface that were yellow tinged with green.

The fragrance drifting through the air was fresh as orchids, with a lingering and pleasant depth.

Shen Zhuxi said in surprise, “Isn’t this Huangshan Maofeng?”

“Whether it’s Huangshan Maofeng or Yellow Duck Feather Tea, as long as it tastes good, that’s all that matters. Try it —” Li Wu watched her with an expression full of anticipation.

Shen Zhuxi picked up the teacup, blew on it twice, then took a gentle sip.

“How is it?” Li Wu asked.

Shen Zhuxi had drunk Huangshan Maofeng many times before — even the finest new harvest was nothing out of the ordinary to her. The quality of this cup of Huangshan Maofeng wasn’t quite up to her usual standards, but the moment she thought of how Li Wu had traveled such a long distance just to bring it back for her, this cup of tea became sweeter than every other tea she had ever drunk combined.

“It’s delicious,” she said with a certain nod.

“I knew it was something you’d like.” Li Wu looked pleased with himself and picked up a piece of red bean pastry roll with his chopsticks, holding it out to feed Shen Zhuxi. “Try this too.”

Shen Zhuxi reached for his silver chopsticks, but he dodged her hand.

“Open your mouth,” he said.

Shen Zhuxi’s face turned red, and she parted her lips just a tiny crack.

Li Wu brought the red bean pastry roll, fragrant with sweet red bean, close to her mouth. Just as she opened wide to bite it, Li Wu suddenly pulled his hand back, looking at her with the triumphant smirk of someone who had just pulled off a prank.

Never in her life had anyone teased her like this. Shen Zhuxi stared at him with wide eyes.

“Come on, come on — no more joking around —” Li Wu brought the red bean pastry roll close again.

Shen Zhuxi opened her mouth, half believing, half doubtful — and again, before she could bite down, the red bean pastry roll sprouted legs and walked right into Li Wu’s own mouth.

This insufferable man, eating it right in front of her with a look of absolute smugness.

“I’m not eating anymore!” Shen Zhuxi said angrily.

She picked up her silver chopsticks and helped herself to a piece of sesame cake, putting it in her own mouth.

It’s just a red bean pastry roll — what’s so great about it! She would never trust that infuriating man Li Wu again!

“Truly not joking this time, come on — open your mouth —” Li Wu said.

“Get away from me!” Shen Zhuxi huffed, not even sparing him a sideways glance.

“I’m not going anywhere. Hurry up and eat this — it really is delicious. I swear to heaven, I’m really not joking this time —”

The red bean pastry roll appeared in front of her again. Shen Zhuxi pretended not to see it, but the red bean pastry roll stubbornly hovered in midair, waiting.

She looked at Li Wu with half her irritation already faded, and he returned her gaze with an earnest expression.

She looked at the red bean pastry roll before her, carefully studying every possible retreat it might take, and cautiously opened her mouth —

Before she even had a chance to bite down, the red bean pastry roll was delivered right into her mouth by the silver chopsticks.

The sweet flavor of red bean spread through her mouth.

The red bean pastry roll was in her mouth. The silver chopsticks Li Wu had used were in her mouth too.

She was someone who valued cleanliness above all else — yet at this moment, she felt not the slightest bit of revulsion. There was only the wild drumming of her heart, pounding again and again inside her chest, making its presence known.

“How is it? Delicious, right?” Li Wu asked.

Shen Zhuxi replied indistinctly, “…Not bad.”

“Your turn,” he said.

“…My turn for what?” Shen Zhuxi looked up at him blankly.

Li Wu said matter-of-factly, “Your turn to feed me, of course!”

“You —” Shen Zhuxi gaped at him. “Why should it be my turn to feed you? It’s not like I asked you to feed me!”

“I don’t care.” Li Wu set down his chopsticks and put on the air of a shameless rogue. “In any case, I’ve already fed you. If you don’t feed me, I’m not eating.”

What — what kind of unreasonable person was this!

“Ahh —”

Li Wu already had his mouth open and waiting to be fed. Left with no choice, Shen Zhuxi looked this way and that, then picked up a crab meat dumpling with her chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

The crab meat dumpling went in smoothly on the first try, and Li Wu chewed in surprise. “I thought… you’d tease me a couple of times first.”

“I can’t be bothered to tease you,” Shen Zhuxi said. “You traveled through the night and you’re already tired enough. I won’t pick a fight with you over such a small thing…”

Her tone was exasperated, yet the words she spoke moved Li Wu deeply.

“Our slow-witted Chief Steward is as broad-minded as the sea, so of course she wouldn’t bicker with me.” He looked at Shen Zhuxi, swallowed the crab meat dumpling, and spoke in a tone carrying an unintentional tenderness: “What have you been doing these past few days?”

Having found a fresh and eager audience at long last, Shen Zhuxi poured out every detail of her days like beans tumbling from a bamboo tube.

“…At noon I had braised lamb with radish, and in the afternoon I repotted several chrysanthemum plants. The pale green one in the courtyard bloomed, so I gathered all the servants together and held a chrysanthemum appreciation gathering! Then it started raining, and I —”

“You haven’t been going out these past few days, have you?” Li Wu cut her off.

“…What do you mean I haven’t been going out? I go out every day!” Shen Zhuxi instinctively avoided his gaze.

“Where did you go?”

“I wandered around the streets, went hiking in the outskirts, and even bought roasted chicken and braised pig’s trotters…”

“Then why didn’t you mention to me that Hu Yishou’s gambling den has opened on the very street where we live?”

“I hadn’t gotten around to telling you yet —”

“Shen Zhuxi,” Li Wu said, his expression darkening. “Hu Yishou’s gambling den is over twenty streets away from here. What exactly were you getting around to?”

Shen Zhuxi was no master debater to begin with, and Li Wu’s words left her completely speechless.

“Why haven’t you been going out?” Li Wu asked.

“I… I wasn’t feeling well, I just didn’t feel like going out. Why are you asking so many questions!”

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll go ask someone else.” Li Wu turned his head. “Di —”

Shen Zhuxi immediately grabbed his hand.

Li Wu stopped calling out and looked at her steadily.

With no other option, Shen Zhuxi hesitantly said: “I’m afraid… afraid…”

“Afraid of what?”

“Afraid of being recognized…”

Having finally spoken the worry she had buried deep in her heart, Shen Zhuxi actually felt a wave of relief wash over her.

She looked up at Li Wu, her expression earnest as she tried to reason with him:

“Now that you are the Prefect of an entire prefecture, the people you deal with are very different from before. The townsfolk of Yutou County may not recognize me, but people of the same official rank as a prefecture administrator are very likely to have seen my face… I can’t drag you down. I thought it over, and I think it’s better if I go out as little as possible.”

The more somber Li Wu’s expression became, the more she forced herself to sound light and unbothered.

Shen Zhuxi put on her best performance, trying to convince him that staying indoors had no effect on her whatsoever.

“…Whatever I need on ordinary days I can have the maids purchase for me. Besides, it saves me the trouble of walking. There’s nothing wrong with this arrangement.”

Li Wu watched her without moving for a long while, before finally speaking:

“Why didn’t you talk this over with me?”

“You already have so many things to worry about. This small matter I can handle on my own —”

Before Shen Zhuxi could finish speaking, Li Wu took hold of her hand and stood up.

“Change your clothes.”

“Where are we going?” Shen Zhuxi asked in surprise.

“Just change. That’s all.”

Li Wu gave her no chance to argue and had her change. With no other choice, Shen Zhuxi put on the clothes she had set out on the clothing rack for the next day. By the time she came out from behind the folding screen, Li Wu had already instructed the servants to prepare a carriage. Shen Zhuxi was just about to call for someone to bring an umbrella when Li Wu swept her up in his arms and strode out with great steps.

The night was deep and the world was quiet. Shen Zhuxi didn’t dare make a sound.

She found herself wrapping her arms around Li Wu’s neck without thinking, burying her face in the collar of his clothes to shield herself from the light drizzle.

The night rain was cool and brisk, yet she felt not the slightest chill.

Li Wu’s warmth reached her in an unbroken, steady stream.

Shen Zhuxi quietly stretched the arms she had looped around his neck, shielding his head from the rain that fell above.

Li Wu glanced at her and broke into a grin.

Caught in the act, Shen Zhuxi bit her lip and buried her reddening face back into the collar of his clothes.

Li Wu carried her into the carriage and sat himself outside, waving off the coachman. He raised the riding crop and called out, “Go!”

The powerful horse broke into a clattering trot, and the carriage gradually picked up speed.

The carriage door was left open. Shen Zhuxi sat inside clutching a soft cushion, and asked curiously, “Where are we going?”

Li Wu sat up front driving, his expression easy and unhurried. “Don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

Li Wu tossed aside the reins and ducked into the carriage.

“Wherever the horse goes, that’s where we’ll be.”

Shen Zhuxi stared at him with wide eyes, looking at him as though she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

“Too afraid to come out in the daytime — surely you’re not afraid to show your face at night?” Li Wu pushed open the half-latched carriage window and reached his hand outside to catch raindrops. “Look — this is the Xiangzhou your husband has secured for you.”

With no one at the reins, the horse wandered freely as it pleased. Under the autumn rain, Xiangzhou was hushed and still, with only the sound of hoofbeats, carriage wheels, and falling rain all playing together.

Shen Zhuxi had returned to Xiangzhou several days ago, yet this was the first time she had stepped beyond their door.

She said she didn’t want to go out, yet she couldn’t help herself — she leaned against the windowsill, her eyes drinking in the wide, open world outside.

Once a bird has glimpsed the vast sky and open land, returning to its cage will reveal a suffering it never noticed before.

Such was Shen Zhuxi’s situation.

She had lived alone within a small corner of the world for many years and had never felt it was difficult to bear.

Yet these brief few days of self-imposed seclusion had made her feel a torment unlike anything she had known before.

For Li Wu, she endured this torment willingly.

Among the current sixteen military commissioners, half had seen her face, and among the prefecture-level officials, quite a few had caught a glimpse of her true appearance through the opportunity of palace banquets.

Li Wu was no longer who he once was. In Yutou County she had been able to freely befriend people like Sui Rui who sold roasted chicken. But here in Xiangzhou, she did not dare socialize with ladies of the same rank — she couldn’t be sure which among them might have seen the true face of Princess of Yue.

If something happened to her alone, so be it, but if it implicated Li Wu and his two brothers…

She would sooner place herself under house arrest than bring ruin upon the three Li brothers.

While she was gazing absently out of the window, Li Wu leaned in from behind.

His chest pressed against her back, and his heartbeat was clear and distinct in the quiet of the night.

Li Wu said, “One day, I will let you appear before everyone with your head held high.”

A fugitive princess from a fallen kingdom.

She would likely never have a chance to stand in the sunlight again.

Shen Zhuxi was pessimistic at heart, yet Li Wu’s promise gave her a different kind of encouragement — an encouragement that made her feel content even without standing in the sunlight.

For Li Wu, she was willing to walk beneath the light of the moon.

“Have you ever been caught in the rain?” Li Wu said suddenly.

Shen Zhuxi was startled. “No…”

Before the word had fully left her lips, Li Wu pulled her to her feet.

He couldn’t be thinking of —

Li Wu stopped the carriage and jumped down first, then turned and reached both hands out to her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Zhuxi went into his arms, and Li Wu held her steady as he helped her down from the carriage.

“What are we going to do — Ah!”

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Zhuxi found herself running against her will!

Li Wu clasped her hand and sprinted ahead with long strides. Bound to him by their interlocked fingers, she had no choice but to gather her skirt hem with her free hand and run with all her might to keep up.

The night breeze, carrying the fine mist of rain, swept across their faces, and her skirt swirled and rustled with the wind.

From childhood, Shen Zhuxi had been taught to observe every rule of proper conduct: not to speak while eating, not to speak while resting, to only sit when the seat was placed properly, and countless others. Let alone sprinting through the rain — even walking with steps that were too wide, causing the ornamental chime at her waist to jingle, would earn her a ruler across the palms from her Imperial Consort mother.

Yet Li Wu was leading her in a wild run through the curtain of rain.

He had traveled a long and grueling journey, rushing home through the night, just to bring back what he considered precious pastries and Huangshan Maofeng tea for her.

He was too good to her. So good that the moment she began to repay him, he would turn around and be twice as good to her in return.

She could never repay him in full — and she no longer wanted to.

She wanted to go on enjoying his goodness to her for a long, long time, while also doing everything she could to be good to him in return. If he were to pluck the stars from the sky and give them to her, she would want to take down the moon and give it to him.

Without meaning to, yet unable to stop herself, she found joy for him, worried for him, drew a cage around herself for him, and felt her heart flutter for him again and again.

From unwilling, to willing with all her heart.

The fine rain, like mist and vapor, hung like a sheet of gauze, softening the clamor and noise of the daytime world.

The streets were so vast, the autumn rain so gentle — all her troubles and sorrows fell away from her, and the world that had once felt too grand and imposing, too boundless for her to inhabit, yielded tonight, quiet and submissive beneath her feet.

She had never felt so free.

Tears slipped from her eyes without her noticing. She wiped at them in a flustered rush, her steps slowing involuntarily.

Li Wu stopped and came to stand before her. He pulled her hands down, and with the pad of his thumb, he wiped away the teardrops at the corners of her eyes.

The fine rain fell one after another onto Li Wu’s hair, and his black locks were veiled in a glittering layer of rain-drops.

Shen Zhuxi forgot her own tears and rose onto her tiptoes, lifting both hands high to shield his head from the threads of rain.

“Why are you crying?” Li Wu looked at her steadily.

“…No one has ever been this good to me before,” Shen Zhuxi said, her voice catching.

“No one has ever been this good to me before, either.”

Li Wu drew down the hands she had stretched and strained above his head and clasped them tightly in his palms.

With tears and rainwater washing over that pure and delicate face, she was more moving to behold than the clearest crystal.

She was the precious pearl that heaven had let fall, and she now rested in the palm of his hand.

Li Wu lowered his head and slowly drew close to his pearl.

The night rain wove itself into a fine and dense silver net, sealing the two of them away within it.

She stood perfectly still, watching that face drawing nearer and nearer.

He was so quiet, so unhurried, telling her with wordless action: you can refuse.

The misty vapor hung beneath the curtain of night. Whether it was tears or rain, a stream of water slid down Shen Zhuxi’s cheek.

Watching Li Wu’s face draw closer and closer, she slowly closed her long lashes, still damp with tears.

Beneath the still, gentle, and softly shimmering night sky, Li Wu closed his own wet lashes and pressed his lips to the ones he had dreamed of.