This was probably the most spirited and playful exchange this young couple had ever shared. Yun Pan had never known that Li Chenjian had such a mischievous side.

Sometimes she felt that this man’s inner self was too formidably strong — she had a feeling of being held in the palm of his hand. When a person is truly beyond one’s ability to resist, and you cannot win against them, the only option left is to join them.

The moment she wrapped her arms around him, the fierce energy that had been pressing in from all sides suddenly melted away. He drew her close by the waist, perfectly content, and gave a long, gratified sigh. Like an adult who had coaxed a child into calling out a greeting after endless effort — as if he had grown an extra piece of his heart — every inch of him was suffused with deep, unhurried satisfaction.

The July light fell through the doorway, casting two soft, faint silhouettes onto the jade-paneled screen — entwined with each other, reluctant to part.

He bent down and kissed her lips, murmuring: “Yun Pan, I am truly happy.”

Yun Pan recalled him saying the same words when he had returned home drunk that time, and she still could not quite understand why he always said he was happy — was it because his political affairs had found solid footing, such that no matter how the Emperor reshuffled things, nothing could touch the roots of his power?

She blinked open her eyes and asked: “What exactly are you happy about? Tell me, and I’ll be happy too.”

He pressed his lips lightly to the corner of her mouth and smiled: “Happy about… having wed a wife who suits my heart, and the harmony between us as husband and wife.”

A tremor moved through Yun Pan’s heart. On this, she had her own small private thoughts — and with a faint touch of sourness, she said: “In truth, whomever Master married, he would be very happy. No newlywed couple is ever in discord — it need not necessarily have been me. Someone else would have done just as well.”

He gave a thoughtful sound: “I have also thought carefully about this — what it might have been like if it had been someone else.”

Those clear eyes looked up at him anxiously: “And what would it have been like? The same as it is now…”

He gazed down at her steadily, his long lashes dropping slowly, his eyes deep and fathomless. He nodded, very slowly: “It would have been equally affectionate. Equally harmonious as husband and wife. Each day would have looked the same, with the same things said and done…”

Yun Pan listened, and somehow, somewhere inside her, something began to cool. She knew she had grown truly fond of him — even with all her restraint, she still hoped she was somehow different in his eyes. This feeling was truly wretched. She had told Hui Cun that she preferred things mild and gentle — and that hadn’t been entirely honest. There were times she craved something more ardent, something like this.

Disappointment showed in her eyes. He saw it clearly — and it sent a surge of joy through him. He had told her the half of the truth that would sting — but there was another half, the half that never left him at peace, that kept overturning his composure entirely.

He was unsteady in his breath, pressing close beside her ear, and slowly, carefully continued: “But… if it were not you, then there would be no one to make my heart race to go home. No one who could move me past what I could contain. No one who could throw my carefully laid plans into disarray. So you have no idea how happy I am.”

Tears welled in Yun Pan’s eyes. When she tilted her head back, they slipped down the curve of her face: “Is that true? Is that really what you mean?”

He nodded: “Every single word.”

She seemed to need a moment to take it in. She pressed her lips together, and after a long pause, said in a very small voice: “But I… what is there to be good about me…”

“What is there that is not good about you?” he asked with a warm smile, his hand moving tenderly over the strands of her hair, and he sighed softly: “My wife understands the greater picture, knows when to step forward and when to hold back, leads without revealing her hand, and possesses the strategic mind of a man within a woman’s composure… and there are many more fine things I have yet to discover. But I am in no hurry — we have a lifetime for me to find them, slowly, one by one.”

She laughed — her eyes still wet with tears, glittering like stars in the sky.

“I love hearing your sweet words. It turns out Master has such a honeyed tongue.”

His lips hovered just before hers, barely touching, and in a low murmur he said: “Where could anyone match even a ten-thousandth of you…”

Yun Pan very much wanted to weep — but she was afraid he would laugh at her, and so she held it back with all the strength she had.

Every girl wanted to be cherished and loved — and she was no different. Only because of the cautionary tale her mother had lived, she was frightened. Her mind told her not to give everything away, to know how to protect herself — but her heart seemed to have its own will, and would not be governed.

She loosened the hands she had laced at his neck, and placed them softly on his shoulders. She hesitated for a moment, and said: “In the past, my father and my mother…”

But he would not let her finish: “I did not rise because of my wife’s family. And my temperament is nothing like your father’s.”

That was true — why had she compared them? They were two people with absolutely nothing in common.

She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his lips softly: “I trust you.”

That kiss unleashed something — he came after her, ardent and thorough, a deep and tumultuous meeting. And in that moment she discovered that closeness was not just the light graze of a dragonfly touching water — there was something deeper, something more stirring, a collision that reached all the way to the soul.

This life they were building together after marriage seemed to have endless surprises waiting to be discovered. He was a newcomer to this too — and the two of them fumbled forward together, clumsy and earnest, each small step forward bringing its own shared astonishment. By the end they were both breathless, sheltered behind the folding screen, where a world all their own had taken shape — and all the rules, all the propriety, all the dignity… none of it counted for anything. A person, in living their life, must have their moments of complete abandon.

Yun Pan was still worried about his injury: “Didn’t you say your old ailment had come back just now? You were even coughing.”

He paused, as if he had forgotten entirely…

He turned his head aside and gave two deliberate coughs: “Is that right?”

She had seen through him. It had all been a pretense. She gave him a light thump: “Don’t do that again — you frightened me.”

He chuckled: “You are just too easy to deceive.”

It was rather that she had trusted him too easily. More than that — she was beginning to wonder now whether all those rumors about the Duke of Weiguo’s fragile health were equally fabricated. She thought back to their first meeting, that unbroken stretch of rain and grey skies, him concealed inside his carriage and refusing to show himself. Only a glimpse of his hand at the edge of the curtain, and she had convinced herself the man must be suffering from some insufficiency of constitution. But seeing him after marriage was quite another picture — certainly full of life and vigor, and with his clothes removed, not the slightest trace of the wasted look of a sickly man.

He scooped her up into his arms, just about to step up onto the footstool at the foot of the bed, when from the walkway outside came a matron’s announcement: “Report to the Master — the Deputy Commander of the government office has come to request an audience.”

Both of them startled, wrenched back from that drifting, indolent haze, and looked at each other — equally frustrated, equally reluctant.

Li Chenjian composed himself quickly. He replied in an even tone: “Understood. Please ask him to wait a moment.”

Yun Pan’s expression too became composed. She said with perfect decorum: “Your concubine will help Master dress.”

And so they returned before the folding screen. She took out his informal robe and held it open; he put it on in silence, as though nothing had happened between them. In the end, it was Yun Pan who couldn’t help herself — while fastening his waistband, she lowered her head and stifled a quiet laugh. He noticed, and laughed along with her. Just before stepping out the door, he pressed a kiss to her forehead: “I owe Madam one — next time I shall return it twofold.”

Yun Pan’s cheeks flushed red. She said with great composure: “Stop teasing. Go see your guest.” And gave him a gentle push.

He stepped back — feet still lingering, entangled — but at last, he crossed the threshold.

After he left, Yun Pan sat alone on the embroidered stool, needing quite a long while to fully compose herself. It was only then that she remembered with regret — she had forgotten to bring up Hui Cun’s situation with him. That matter was so important… But then she thought again: what did it matter if it waited another moment? What had just happened was also of the highest importance in her own life. She felt her heart had drawn a little closer to her husband — and now she knew that he, too, held her in his. At the thought of this, a tenderness overflowed in her, with nowhere to go.

Qin Dan finally came in to report: “Madam, dinner is ready.”

Yun Pan gave a soft “oh.” “Master is seeing a guest again — we’ll wait a little longer.”

She walked out herself, trying to look composed. But the smile on her face refused to be concealed, and even Qin Dan noticed — she asked curiously: “Madam looks so happy — has something good happened?”

Those beautiful eyes swirled and turned. She fidgeted slightly, then murmured in a small voice: “Master and I spoke from the heart today. It turns out he is very pleased with this marriage.”

Qin Dan said in surprise: “But Master is naturally pleased, Madam — didn’t you already know that? We servants could all see it.”

But what they could see from the outside and what she had felt from the inside were different things. Just as he had said — whoever he had married, daily life would have looked the same on the surface. But certain feelings, certain attachments, come into being gradually within those daily moments — like grain slowly fermenting into water. Looking at them, there seems to be no difference. But tasted — it turns out they have become wine.

That sort of thing was not something one could explain to an unmarried girl. Yun Pan bowed her head and smiled, and only said: “Have my clothes prepared for this evening — we are going out to a banquet.”

Qin Dan said yes, and watching her mistress sit there in that serene, quiet smile, felt a gentle warmth rise slowly in her own heart. It was true — their little Madam was fortunate. One act of marriage-in-substitution, and she had wed a husband who truly suited her. Aside from the unhappiness of her own family, her own life could be called complete in every way.

But as it turned out, this one visit from the guest did not conclude indoors — before long, Chang Song came in to relay word: the Master had gone to the government office to handle public business, and asked Madam to take her meal without him first.

She had nearly forgotten — if it was the Deputy Commander who had come, it must have been no small matter. But with him gone, she found she had lost all appetite for the meal. In the end she ate a few hasty bites and had the servants clear the table.

The shop on the market street was very nearly in order. In the meantime, quite a few noblewomen and ladies had asked her about it, inquiring when it would open. Future business need not be too prosperous — she only needed people to come and go with some regularity. Personal connections were something one had to cultivate oneself. She settled at her writing desk and carefully composed a formal calling card for each of the ladies, enclosing with each card a small incense pagoda of her own making, wrapped in a beautiful little pouch. The gesture was complete — whether anyone came was entirely up to them.

She worked at it for quite some time, and when she checked the water clock, it was nearly mid-afternoon. She thought to herself that if he could not make it back in time, she would probably have to send Chang Song over to Zhao Chongyun’s residence to offer their apologies.

She set down her brush and was just about to rise when she heard Mingke come in with word: the Master had returned. She went to meet him on the walkway, her heart holding a small, anxious flutter — worried that something had gone wrong at the office. She studied his expression with care.

Thankfully, his brow was relaxed and his eyes calm — nothing seemed amiss. She settled, and asked whether he had eaten. He gave a soft yes: “I had a quick bite at the office… Geng Fangzhi’s subordinate got himself drunk and started a disturbance on the grounds of the Golden Spear Battalion. The Palace Front Command didn’t dare handle it without sanction, given our household’s connection to the Geng family, so they reported to the Imperial Guard Command, which meant I had to go and smooth things over personally with Elder Brother.”

Events convoluted by seven twists and eight turns, all requiring his personal attention — and this was apparently an ordinary day for him.

Hearing him mention Geng Fangzhi, Yun Pan was reminded of what Hui Cun had entrusted to her that morning, and she told him all of it. His expression darkened when he had heard it: “If this was the case, why was it not made clear before the engagement was finalized?”

His nature was restrained — even when he himself faced some injustice, he would often let it pass with a smile and not press the matter. But when it touched his family, it was different. Marriage was a matter for one’s entire life. For a girl especially — if things were glossed over at the beginning, it would give rise to no end of trouble in the future.

He thought it over quietly, a small frown between his brows: “Tell Hui Cun that I will handle this matter. She need not worry herself over it.”

Yun Pan said yes: “Master, do take care not to act too hastily — best to look into things clearly before deciding. If it is all true, then the Geng family has behaved quite unfairly. Hui Cun is a good郡主 — there is no need for her to serve as anyone’s adornment.”

He let out a quiet sigh. That was how the world worked — people took care of their most pressing troubles first and gave little thought to what it cost others. The good fortune here was that it had been discovered in time. His sister was for him to protect. If it truly came to a point where there was nothing left to salvage, then dissolving the engagement outright was also an option.

The hour had come to prepare for Zhao Chongyun’s banquet. Among the upper circles of the capital, frequent gatherings were not merely about maintaining friendships — they were also an ongoing expansion of one’s sphere of influence. An acquaintance of little consequence might well become, over the course of a shared cup, someone of deeper rapport — even political alliances were often forged over a dinner table.

Yun Pan naturally needed to take care in dressing. This was the first time she would accompany him to an official social gathering, and in everything she must aim to be tasteful and appropriate. She chose a layered outer robe in the hue of celadon and jade, paired with a pleated skirt in oriole-yellow beneath, and secured her hair with a pin set with rosy pearls. The effect was neither too elaborate nor too plain — carrying the gentle, understated warmth of an ordinary day.

When both of them were ready, they took each other’s hand and stepped up into the carriage waiting at the gate, and set off at a gentle pace toward the Fang household’s garden, with the last remnant of daylight following them along. Along the way they came across other colleagues heading to the same banquet — their identities identified by the lanterns hanging from the carriages. Everyone called out greetings to one another from inside their conveyances. Since all had brought their family members along, they had become quite restrained and refined — giving the impression, almost, that those military men had always been men of literary bearing, smiling with just a slight, careful press of the lips. Not that they were afraid of startling the wives beside them — they were simply too respectful of the other men’s noble consorts to allow themselves any roughness.

When the carriage drew up to the gate, the hosting couple was already there receiving guests. Greetings were exchanged, and Zhao Chongyun said with a laugh: “I served as Defense Commissioner in Youzhou, and only today do I get to meet Sister-in-law at last. I have long wanted my wife to become acquainted with her, but I was afraid of disturbing you as a newly wedded couple.”

Yun Pan smiled: “Many thanks to the Commissioner and his wife for their hospitality. This day is not so late at all.”

Zhao Chongyun’s wife was a fair, delicate-featured woman, probably two years older than Yun Pan, with a slight, round curve beneath her skirt — she was clearly with child. Yet for a casual gathering like this, the exertion was not too great, and she clearly delighted in the warmth of company. Being someone of an open, forthcoming disposition, she immediately took Yun Pan by the hand and drew her aside: “Don’t think me too forward, sister. I’m a straightforward person by nature. Our husbands are the best of friends — so between you and me, we’re practically sisters. My name is Chun Sheng — given my surname Fu, people call me Madam Fu, which is unbearably awkward. Let’s not stand on ceremony between us — just call me by my given name, it’s much more comfortable.”

Yun Pan liked this sort of temperament. Being with her required no effort. So she said: “Then call me Yun Pan, A’Jie. If you don’t mind, let’s stay in close contact from now on.”

Chun Sheng said gladly: “I was just worrying I couldn’t find a good sister.” Then, noticing that Yun Pan kept glancing at her belly, she smoothed her hands over it, letting it protrude even more, and said with a touch of proud satisfaction: “Over four months now. The timing works out nicely — if all goes well, a new addition around the new year.”

Yun Pan looked at that happy, round belly with genuine delight: “How wonderful! How beautifully round!”

Chun Sheng laughed: “Get moving yourself — if you give birth when the spring flowers are in bloom next year, the timing would be just perfect.”

Yun Pan was somewhat flustered, and with a red face said: “Then I’ll borrow your blessing, A’Jie.”

Though in truth, actually carrying a child was still a little daunting — to watch a belly swell larger day by day, and then not quite knowing how one was supposed to get a whole “person” out from there.

Chun Sheng saw her troubled, conflicted expression and found it quite amusing. She was about to say more when she spotted new guests arriving at the gate: “It’s muggy out here — go inside with the Duke first. Once I’m done receiving guests, we’ll have a proper talk, just the two of us.”

Yun Pan agreed, and together with Li Chenjian followed the wine steward inside. The moment they entered the main hall, she spotted Li Fang and Yan Jiaorui among the crowd — laughing and chatting as if quite at home. They had been married a little before Yun Pan and Li Chenjian. At the Prime Minister’s birthday banquet, Yun Pan had seen Yan Jiaorui once before — and now, seeing her again, she had already put her hair up in a married woman’s style. She was still that same picture of refined serenity, but the moment her gaze drifted over and landed on them, her smile froze at the corners of her mouth — the look of someone caught between laughter and the desire to flee.

In official circles, there was truly no one who could avoid running into someone else forever — especially since they were still connected by family relations, and Li Fang had newly passed the examinations and entered official service this very year, being in need of social connections everywhere. So these encounters were inevitable.

Yan Jiaorui gave Li Fang a small, quiet tug, directing his attention to the door. At first Li Fang couldn’t quite make out what she meant — then he saw, and in a moment felt his composure waver. Everyone around was exchanging pleasantries and welcoming the Duke of Weiguo and his wife, and there was simply no escaping the situation. He had no choice but to force himself forward, and in the manner of family hierarchy, bow respectfully to both of them.

“Fourth Uncle…” Li Fang clasped his hands toward Li Chenjian, then turned to Yun Pan with an awkward bow: “Fourth Aunt.”

The woman whose engagement he had broken off had, in a single turn, become his elder — specifically his superior. And he himself was the one who had caused all the wrong. How to put into words what it felt like — it was truly impossible to describe in a sentence.

In truth, most people in this circle knew the story. The short of it: Li the Second had broken off the engagement; then, no sooner had he heard the news that the eldest daughter of the founding marquisate had met with disaster, than he had raced without a moment’s delay to propose to the third daughter of a highly distinguished family. He had thought their paths would never cross again — yet here they were, and the woman he had cast aside had not only survived but married into his own family as a superior relation. Truly, in one’s dealings with people, one ought always to leave a margin — otherwise, when you encountered them again, you would lose face and standing all at once.

Li Chenjian gave a sound of recognition: “Jibai…” His expression remained pleasantly unchanged, and in the manner of an elder he asked: “Where are you posted these days?”

Li Fang did not dare be careless, and answered respectfully: “To answer Fourth Uncle, I am currently serving as a Secretarial Court Gentleman in the Orchid Terrace.”

Li Chenjian gave a nod, then shifted his gaze briefly to Yan Jiaorui: “And this is your wife?”

Li Fang quickly brought her forward: “This is your nephew’s wife, Yan Shi.” Then he caught Yan Jiaorui’s eye: “Quickly greet Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt.”

Yun Pan accepted Yan Jiaorui’s curtsy with a gracious smile — full of magnanimity.

And indeed that was how it was. If her own life had been going poorly, there might be some grounds for bitterness and resentment. But things were very good for her now — and she had even ascended to become this woman’s senior, which was a satisfaction that no one else could feel as she did.

Still, it would be improper to be sharp-tongued or overbearing. She remained as she was — the same gentle, composed face — exchanged a few pleasantries, and said with a smile: “We already met the last time at Prime Minister Han’s birthday banquet.”

That time, Yan Jiaorui had regarded her with an inexplicable hostility, as if she were the one who had stolen the man from her. Now that they would be moving in the same circles, she had no choice but to bow her head — and yet she could not quite manage it with ease. She was being pressed down on all sides — by rank, by seniority, by station. And she had no recourse.

Yun Pan had no patience for entangling herself with them further. She turned and looked around, and at that moment more guests were coming in — she moved through the room with practiced ease, exchanging greetings on all sides. Gradually her brow began to furrow. There — it was He Xiao. Others called him the talent of Luoyang, but she knew his true face, and seeing him again filled her with a revulsion that was hard to conceal.

He Xiao had naturally also noticed them. He hesitated for a moment, but still made his way over.

Li Chenjian stepped forward a fraction without any visible change in expression, so that his wife was slightly behind him. He Xiao clasped his hands toward him; he returned the courtesy with a bow.

There were naturally many polite words exchanged in such a gathering. Everyone mingled and chatted, and there was quite a lively buzz. At last He Xiao made a show of sighing and took the opportunity to announce his good news, with an air of casual, deliberate nonchalance: “Seeing all of you in pairs, I have been envying you greatly — luckily, I too shall be getting married in the not-too-distant future. When the time comes and I arrange the wedding banquet, I hope everyone will honor me with their presence and share a cup of wine.”