The jade pendant had finally returned. It seemed to have always been the connection between her and Shen Run, and seeing it again was like reuniting with an old friend, bringing a sense of familiarity.

Qing Yuan held it in her palm, sighing, “It’s been a long time.” But in her current situation, she could hardly feel joy. Reflecting on her life, she had always depended on others – from the Chen family to the Xie family, and now to the Shen family. Her birth circumstances couldn’t be changed; her only hope lay in marriage, finding a suitable person, and having her rooms to live in contentedly. But even this modest hope seemed to have become an extravagance.

The latticed window here directly faced his flower window, where a silk lamp sat within an exquisite hexagonal carved rosewood frame, alongside a long table. In a plum vase on the table stood two peacock feathers, their deep blue patterns like a pair of eyes watching this direction.

He had probably already retired for the night; that room was quiet except for the persistent chirping of insects. She walked over to remove the wooden prop holding the window, and the window panel caught on a flowering crabapple branch, causing a series of gentle trembles.

Gently lowering the window, she turned to look around. These wing rooms were not ordinary quarters but rather an ingeniously designed suite of chambers, complete with proper hierarchy and decorative screens for partitioning. Everything was perfectly arranged for comfort, so much so that Qing Yuan almost suspected Shen Run had conjured these rooms through some sorcery.

Shaking her head, she decided not to dwell on such thoughts – being heartbroken was exhausting. After washing up and changing clothes, she lay down. Never in her life had she slept alone; usually, there would always be a maid setting up a bed in the outer room for night duty. Today, even Bao Xian had been sent away somewhere by them… Being alone inevitably felt desolate. Thinking about the path ahead, nights of such pure solitude would probably never come again. Once his intended bride arrived, what would become of her awkward position? No wonder he had joked earlier about making her a chambermaid – at this rate, his jest might become reality.

Her thoughts were too heavy; she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Eventually, her eyes closed drowsily, and strange dreams came flooding in one after another. She dreamed of Miss Mu, who received her with cold eyes and an icy tone, saying frostily, “Miss Xie Four is after all from a noble family, how has she fallen so low as to eagerly become a concubine to our Commander?”

In her dream, she choked back tears, which pooled in the thumbnail-sized hollow of her eye socket, holding countless sorrows. The person crouching by her bed sighed softly – silly girl, why be so stubborn? If she would just yield a little, say she loved him, he would cherish her in the palm of his hand, never letting her suffer any grievance again.

By his calculation, the people he sent out had departed for Hengtan the same day as Li Congxin. Though the elderly Chen couple would take twice as long due to their age, they should be near Youzhou now – at most three to five days before meeting her. This foolish girl was still distressed, still worried about her uncertain future, while he found some amusement in teasing her. Commander Shen had used all his life’s mischief on her – who told her to always maintain such dignity, never honestly admitting her heart’s desire to be his wife!

She sobbed again, calling for Bao Xian with closed eyes, “Water…” Then covered her face with her wide sleeve, continuing to whimper.

He had to stand up to pour her a cup of water. Hearing footsteps coming and going, she propped herself up, still somewhat dazed. Seeing it was him bringing water, she exclaimed in surprise, staring blankly for a long while as if she didn’t recognize him.

Shen Run extended his hand forward, “Weren’t you thirsty?”

Qing Yuan stared at the fine porcelain cup held out by that clean, slender hand, taking a while to come to her senses. She glanced at the door, “How did you get in?”

He sat down on the footstool by her bed, speaking casually, “I woke up in the middle of the night, realized you were here in my courtyard, suddenly missed you very much, and wanted to come see you.”

The door was closed. She glanced at the window, “So you climbed through the window?”

He clicked his tongue, “‘Climb’ sounds so unrefined – I vaulted through the window.” He pointed to the eastern latticed window, “This room has no other advantages except for its many windows.” Then he smiled roguishly.

Whether climbing or vaulting, coming to her room in the dead of night was highly improper. Qing Yuan hurriedly took a sip of water and handed the cup back to him, “Thank you, you can go back now.”

He casually placed the cup on the table, rested one arm on the bed’s edge, and propped his chin on it, saying softly, “I’m not going back. You sleep; I’ll watch over you.”

Qing Yuan was deeply frustrated, “How can I sleep with you here?”

“Can’t sleep?” He thought for a moment, “Then I’ll keep you company and chat.”

She felt defeated, “It’s not that I can’t sleep – it’s that I shouldn’t sleep with you here. Please leave quickly, what if someone sees?”

He was unconcerned, “This is my mansion – who would dare say anything? You don’t need to carefully watch the Xie family’s expressions anymore. In this mansion… before the primary wife enters, you’re the ruler of the Commander’s residence.”

But what about after the primary wife enters? This stolen freedom – how long could it last?

Qing Yuan shook her head, “Let me leave tomorrow. I can’t stay here.”

Shen Run frowned, “Where do you plan to go?”

“Back to the Xie family,” she said, “I need to find a way to get my belongings, then flee far away, back to Shengzhou, back to Hengtan.”

His expression cooled, “Does the young lady not want me anymore? Only thinking of fleeing far away, never thinking of me?”

Qing Yuan looked at him awkwardly, “You have a high office and generous salary, eat well and sleep well, you don’t need one more person caring about you. Look at all the trouble I’m in now – staying would only cause problems. If the Xie family’s difficulties can’t be resolved, they’ll just have more to say about me. Why bother?”

He said glumly, resting on his arm, “Tomorrow I’ll make a trip to the capital to request permission to mobilize the Imperial Guard stationed in Jiannan.”

Even a high official heading the Three Departments could speak with such reckless courage – perhaps men, no matter their age, always retain a childlike side.

Qing Yuan didn’t understand court affairs and only said, “Commander should act within his means. Even if the Xie family’s troubles are resolved this time, there will likely be more in the future. One person – how long can you support them?”

Shen Run laughed upon hearing this, his gaze carrying even more lingering affection, “The young lady thinking so much for my sake – truly Shen Run’s blessing. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. There’s no logic in helping others to the point of falling myself. Ah, lie down while we talk…” He patted the bed, “Why sit? Lie down.”

Qing Yuan felt he had ulterior motives, “Don’t think that just because I’ve entered your mansion, I’m meat on your chopping block. If you dare take advantage of me, I can still die to prove my integrity.”

He was surprised, “If anything happened to you, wouldn’t that just suit the Xie family’s purposes, giving them an excuse to extort me?”

So now she could neither live properly nor die properly. She felt somewhat disheartened, supporting herself on the bed, “Why must you make me lie down? Do you have some improper thoughts?”

It seemed she still had a young woman’s vigilance, just insufficient understanding of the current situation. He kindly pointed out, “Young lady, you’re staying in my courtyard, sleeping in my bed. It’s the middle of the night, all is quiet, no one around… If I wanted to do something to you, would I need to wait for you to lie down? Are you underestimating my methods, or overestimating your ability to resist?”

Qing Yuan had no choice. Fortunately, the bed was spacious enough – she moved toward the inner side and reluctantly lay down.

He stroked his chin, “Let me see, there’s enough space, seems like I could lie down too…”

As soon as he finished speaking, she immediately moved closer, saying sheepishly, “I’ll stay closer to you, so I can hear more clearly, alright?”

He smiled with pressed lips, seemingly very satisfied. And so, one lay on the bed, one sat on the footstool leaning forward with head propped on arm, their faces could be very close. Qing Yuan remembered storybooks she read as a child, about childhood sweethearts – one unable to leave home, one unable to enter, so one would climb to the window or wall while the other looked up from below. That pure tenderness flowed through her heart like water. She never expected Commander Shen, at his age, would still be willing to humble himself for her, showing such deep devotion.

Their gazes met, looking at each other face to face, having never examined each other so closely before – it felt somewhat strange. Qing Yuan studied him carefully: he had a pair of dignified eyebrows, and long and profound eyes that, when slightly narrowed, revealed an inexplicably bewitching quality, as if to enchant souls required no blade, just one glance was enough.

He gazed at her tenderly – she was only fifteen, at that delicate age, a delicate person, in a girl’s most radiant years. Her hair was loose at night, wearing no makeup, pure and transparent like a gardenia, no worldly dust could taint her. She should have been carefree; if she hadn’t returned to the Xie family, hadn’t learned of life’s fickleness, she would have lived better, without that heavy light in her eyes.

Shen Run reached out to adjust her slightly exposed collar, “You just said you wanted to return to the Xie family… don’t go back. Even if your dowry is substantial, there will be time to retrieve it later. Going back now, you’ll face their humiliation.”

Qing Yuan blushed at his gesture. Sometimes she was confused; at night she wasn’t as cautious as during the day. She pressed down her collar while saying, “I just can’t accept it. I didn’t get anything from the Xie family, yet I left behind the things Grandmother Chen gave me.”

Girls do have such small concerns. Shen Run said, “The mansion has everything – whatever you want, just say the word. Except for a carriage back to Hengtan, I’ll find ways to satisfy all your other requests.”

She fell silent, suddenly realizing that he was no different from Li Congxin now – one hand holding on while the other wouldn’t let go, sweet-talking sisters, speaking ambiguously for a lifetime.

“I’ve been thinking all day, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you – was my encounter at the Danyang Marquis’s villa pre-arranged by you?”

Shen Run was straightforward, admitting it was.

Qing Yuan felt somewhat angry, “Isn’t that too despicable of you? What’s the point of something gained through such calculated scheming?”

He frowned, “What was schemed for wasn’t something, but you – how is that pointless? Besides, I only arranged for people to be presented to him. What happens in bed, I can’t control. A man of the world – where doesn’t he encounter flirtatious women? Young Master Danyang’s reputation for philandering is well-known throughout the court. If not Zhang who I arranged, there would be Li whom he fancies. I just helped you see his true nature earlier, to spare you future regret. You must understand, given the Xie family’s ways, they would never offend the Danyang Marquis’s household for your sake. Did you want to be hidden away in the inner chambers, one day arranging for a concubine, the next day accepting an illegitimate child under your name?”

Qing Yuan was stunned by his words, naturally understanding these were all hard truths, and she was prepared for the endless inner chamber struggles to come. Her requirements weren’t high – she only wanted him to remain pure before marriage, but even that he couldn’t manage. The young marquis was simply that way by nature, not a bad person, just too good to everyone. Now that he had fallen into Shen Run’s trap, she felt somewhat sorry for him.

“What about that night at the East Garden banquet?” she asked him desolately, “Was that also a setup, deliberately letting me overhear?”

Shen Run’s gaze wavered, “Such small matters – why dwell on the past?”

But she grew angry, saying coldly, “Why did you go to such lengths to break off my engagement? That day when I saw you at the office, didn’t we make things clear? I would marry my young marquis, you would marry Miss Mu Two, our marriages separate matters. Yet now you’ve gone back on your word, setting traps everywhere, harming me like this. I want to ask – are you truly well-intentioned, or are you deliberately taking revenge because I wouldn’t comply with your wishes?”

She glared at him angrily – a beautiful girl is lovely even when angry. Shen Run, indulging in her beauty, his mind not keeping up with his mouth, teased, “I did all this just to bring you back to my side.”

This remark truly angered her. She kicked at him, “Shen Run, you scoundrel!”

He was startled, fortunately quick enough to dodge, exclaiming, “What’s wrong?”

Qing Yuan was furious, jumping up with clenched fists and shouting at him: “What do you take me for? Do you think once my engagement is broken, I’ll have to become your concubine? I thought you were better than Li Congxin, but you’re just as greedy, wanting both bowl and pot. Get out! If you dare sneak into my room again, I’ll die with you!”

Though Shen Run didn’t know what she meant by dying together, he panicked seeing her truly angry.

“Miss, I was just joking with you…”

She threw her pillow and blanket at him all at once, “Get out!”

He caught them clumsily, still hoping in that moment that in her fury she would throw herself at him too – he would surely catch her steadily in his arms. But she didn’t; she jumped up and down on the bed, and he realized how frightening an angry woman could be. Carefully stepping forward to return her pillow, he tried to pacify her: “Alright, alright… I’m going. It’s late, miss should rest early.” He retreated toward the latticed window planning to return the same way, then thought better of it and left properly through the door, closing it behind him.

After he left, the world finally quieted. Qing Yuan sat on the bed and wept bitterly for a while, truly unable to understand if all men in the world were like this. She couldn’t stay at the Commander’s mansion either way; she must find a way to leave at daybreak. Worried that Shen Run might return, she dozed fitfully until morning. In her daze, she heard footsteps and voices outside, seemingly Bao Xian, asking softly beyond the screen door: “Has the young lady awakened?”

She startled awake, propping herself up to say: “Come in.”

The door opened, but the first to enter wasn’t Bao Xian but the mansion’s maids. They laid out the washing implements one by one before bowing and withdrawing.

Bao Xian came forward, and once everyone had gone far away, she grabbed her hand tightly asking: “Did Commander Shen do anything to you? Last night when I wanted to find you, they kept blocking me…”

Qing Yuan shook her head, “In this, he acted as a gentleman, but we can’t stay here – we must find a way back to Hengtan.”

Bao Xian thought for a moment and said: “Later I’ll secretly ask someone to pass the word to Chuntai and Old Mother Tao – whatever it takes, we must first get the young lady’s personal belongings out. We can’t let the madam have them for nothing. Once we have money in hand, we can hire a carriage back to Hengtan…”

“You’re thinking too simply – once someone enters the Commander’s mansion, you think they can leave just because you say so?” A voice from outside the door shattered their plans. It was Fang Chun, holding her belly as she arrived. Unlike Qing Yuan and Bao Xian’s worried expressions, her face was full of smiles. She clapped her hands saying, “I’ve been hoping you would come. The house has few people; when they return to the capital, I’m left alone – it’s quite lonely. Now it’s good, finally having someone for company. I wanted to see you yesterday, but Shen Che wouldn’t let me…”

Qing Yuan grabbed her hand as if seeing a lifeline, saying: “Sister Fang Chun, you’ve come at just the right time. Only you can help me now…”

Fang Chun was straightforward, laughing: “Don’t call me sister, I don’t deserve it. It should be me calling you First Sister-in-law now.”