Shen Lingzhen took the piece of calligraphy to Huo Liuxing’s courtyard with her doubts. Before she could enter, she happened to see him wheeling himself out.
The two hadn’t conversed much these past few days, so meeting face to face felt somewhat awkward.
Shen Lingzhen felt a knot in her heart from sensing Huo Liuxing’s recent distance, while Huo Liuxing—well, for quite a while before, they’d sat as equals in wheelchairs, but now that Shen Lingzhen’s foot had healed, her standing above him seemed to carry a hint of confrontation, giving him a vaguely ominous premonition.
Thus the two stopped in their tracks on opposite sides of a moon gate, facing each other wordlessly.
Huo Liuxing narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at the object in her hand, and spoke first: “What’s this?”
“Oh,” Shen Lingzhen came to her senses and unfolded the rice paper in her hand. “This is a poem you inscribed, isn’t it, husband?”
Huo Liuxing’s gaze sharpened, then instantly returned to composure. Instead of answering, he asked: “Where did it come from?”
“Miaoling took it from the eldest miss’s room.”
Behind Huo Liuxing, Kongqing and Jingmo’s breathing caught.
This calligraphy should have been written by their master several years ago. Since it had been done casually and wasn’t something scandalous, they’d never paid much attention to where it went. As for when exactly the eldest miss had taken it to keep, they truly had no recollection.
Only, looking at the current situation, their master probably had no choice but to acknowledge this handwriting.
Huo Liuxing’s fingers rubbed against the wooden armrest of his wheelchair a few times. After a pause, he said: “It’s mine, that’s correct.”
Shen Lingzhen’s brow furrowed: “How strange. Though both are running regular script, I clearly remember the handwriting on that handkerchief was completely different from this script of yours, husband. Didn’t you tell me last time that it was your handwriting?”
The composed expression Huo Liuxing had maintained until now showed slight cracks as he bit his teeth lightly.
The sword matched his, the scar matched his, even the martial arts moves matched his—everything that shouldn’t match did, so why didn’t what should match follow the script?
Kongqing and Jingmo also trembled inwardly, eyes observing their noses, noses observing their hearts.
Then they heard Huo Liuxing say with great bewilderment: “How is it different? The handwriting on that handkerchief is exactly mine.”
“It isn’t.” Shen Lingzhen said with certainty. “Husband, I’ve had an exceptional memory since childhood. I absolutely wouldn’t be mistaken.”
“Oh,” Huo Liuxing showed a hesitant expression. “Could we have seen different handkerchiefs? How about this—you describe the handwriting you remember for me to see.”
Kongqing felt sincere admiration for his master’s shameless spirit of refusing to admit defeat until facing a wall. Only, the young mistress usually seemed to have no temper, but when she dug her heels in, she was quite stubborn. Even if they could cover this up temporarily, they probably couldn’t hide it forever.
Shen Lingzhen said with difficulty: “The running regular script I saw had vigorous brush strokes, drifting like wandering clouds, graceful as a startled dragon. With my ability, I truly cannot reproduce it.”
Huo Liuxing sighed and scolded backward: “Such a small matter—you were given so much time, yet still haven’t investigated it thoroughly, and now you’re making the young mistress worry over it?”
Jingmo cooperatively lowered his head: “This servant is incompetent. Please punish me, master.”
When Shen Lingzhen heard the words “punish,” she immediately recalled Huo Shuyi who’d suffered ten lashes for no good reason. Thinking how the Huo family truly could be deadly when meting out punishment, she hastily urged: “I’m not worried, not at all. I just happened to notice something amiss and casually came to ask you about it, husband.”
Huo Liuxing frowned in thought for a moment, then speculated: “Based on the clues you’ve now provided, from when this handkerchief left my hands to when it reached yours, it’s possible someone switched it in between. This whole affair seems strange from start to finish. I can’t make sense of it for now either. Why not have Jingmo investigate again following this new line of thinking?”
Shen Lingzhen felt somewhat suspicious, but seeing his expression didn’t seem like he was lying, she pondered for a long while and nodded, thinking this was the only option.
She said: “In that case, if you have reliable people, husband, you might send someone to the Duke’s manor to retrieve the handkerchief. With the actual object in hand, perhaps this confusion can be readily resolved.”
Huo Liuxing smiled: “I do have people, but I’m afraid the Grand Princess won’t be willing to hand it over to me.”
“That’s simple. Just have your person relay a message for me. When Mother hears it, she’ll naturally understand.”
This was exactly what Huo Liuxing wanted.
He nodded in agreement. Seeing she still hadn’t dispelled her doubts and looked like she had more questions, he suddenly turned around: “That matter I asked you to handle a few days ago—is it done?”
Kongqing was startled, then understood. He nodded repeatedly and said to Shen Lingzhen: “The master said the young mistress has suffered much these past days. He feels extremely apologetic and is too ashamed to face you, so he asked this servant to procure some foods you like to please you! The food arrived this morning!”
“…” Huo Liuxing glanced coldly at Kongqing. That wasn’t quite what he’d said, was it? This wasn’t just embellishment—it was complete distortion.
Kongqing blinked, feeling his intentions were well-meant—first, to divert the young mistress’s current attention, and second, to play peacemaker for the two who’d been sleeping separately for several days.
Shen Lingzhen carefully savored Kongqing’s words, then looked at Huo Liuxing’s “why are you talking too much” expression and understood. She smiled: “So these past few days when you ignored me, husband, it was because you frightened me that day and felt too ashamed?”
Huo Liuxing looked at her beaming face, all gloom dispersed, frowned, and said nothing.
Kongqing grew anxious and explained for him: “Young mistress, please don’t make things difficult for the master. He’s just too embarrassed to admit it.”
Shen Lingzhen said “Oh” twice: “Then I won’t make things difficult for you, husband.” She asked Kongqing again: “What did you say was delivered this morning?”
“Lychees, fresh lychees, rushed here by swift horses from the south! Also some foods made with lychees—lychee cakes, lychee wine! This servant will send them to you shortly!”
Shen Lingzhen nodded. Seeing that Huo Liuxing seemed uncomfortable having his private feelings exposed, she very considerately took her leave, smiling at him: “Then I’ll go back and wait to eat the lychees.”
Huo Liuxing watched her leave, turned around without a word, and returned to his courtyard.
When no one was around, Kongqing sighed at the sky: “Jingmo, what do you think will become of the master and young mistress?”
Jingmo glanced at him: “Why are you worrying about nothing? In any case, right now it’s the young mistress who’s in the dark. The initiative is still in the master’s hands.”
“You—when analyzing conspiracies and schemes you’re logical and thorough, but in matters like this you can’t see as clearly as I do.” Kongqing let out a long sigh. “Let me ask you, if I told you right now not to think about what lychees look like, what would be in your head?”
“…” Jingmo coughed lightly. “The appearance of lychees.”
“Right? So by the same logic, if the master keeps telling himself not to take the young mistress seriously, what will the result be?”
Jingmo had no response.
“Look at just now—I gave the master a way out. In the past he would have certainly taken it, but now he refuses to use sweet words to deceive the young mistress. Why is that? And look, these past few days the master hasn’t had to deal with the young mistress, so he should be happy and relaxed, but instead he seems even more troubled. Why is that again?”
Without waiting for Jingmo to answer, Kongqing delivered his verdict: “Whenever one needs to deliberately keep distance, deliberately speak harshly, in order to not care about something—that means the matter is precarious.”
——
That night, Huo Liuxing slept in his own courtyard as usual.
Kongqing wanted to advise him, but seeing his stormy expression, didn’t dare speak and could only silently attend to his rest.
However, when it came time to extinguish the candles, Jingmo hurried over, saying strange sounds had come from the inner courtyard. He’d inquired and heard it was the young mistress drunk on wine.
Huo Liuxing frowned and got up from the bed: “Who gave her wine?”
Kongqing scratched his head: “Could it be this morning’s lychee wine?”
“Didn’t you say fresh lychees? How did it become lychee wine?”
“There were fresh lychees, as well as lychee cakes and lychee wine.”
Huo Liuxing shook his head and pointed at him vaguely: “She can’t hold her liquor.”
Kongqing choked, thinking he didn’t know that either, and besides, when he’d said those words this morning, the master had been right there but clearly had his soul wandering elsewhere.
Huo Liuxing threw on clothes, got off the bed, and went to Shen Lingzhen’s courtyard. Upon entering the bedchamber, he saw Jianjia and Bailu surrounding her. She sat at the edge of the bed with her dark hair loose, her feet kicking and swinging, muttering: “I won’t sleep, I won’t sleep…”
Jianjia and Bailu heard movement behind them, bowed to him, and explained: “Young master, it’s the servants’ fault. We let the young mistress eat too much lychee wine out of greed.” They turned back to help Shen Lingzhen lie down.
Shen Lingzhen waved her hand, not wanting their care: “You’re pressing on me painfully…”
The two didn’t dare use real force on her and hurriedly withdrew their hands, somewhat at a loss.
Huo Liuxing looked at her flushed face and wheeled forward: “Go. I’ll handle this.”
Jianjia and Bailu hesitated, then nodded and withdrew.
Free from restraint, Shen Lingzhen relaxed and was about to jump off the bed.
Huo Liuxing stood up and grabbed her armpits: “What are you doing in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”
She seemed to notice only then that someone had come into the room. Tilting her head, she squinted at him for a long time: “Father… where’s your beard?”
“…” Had she gotten so drunk she’d returned to before her marriage, thinking she was still at the Duke’s manor?
Huo Liuxing said with amusement: “I’m not your father.”
“What nonsense is Father saying?” Shen Lingzhen looked at him strangely and raised her hand to feel his chin. “But where did Father’s beard go?”
Both his hands were occupied holding her arms, leaving him no space to block her, so he could only turn his head to dodge. Shen Lingzhen relentlessly pursued, pinching and touching.
“Stop that!” Huo Liuxing said through gritted teeth. “I’m not your father. This isn’t the Duke’s manor. You’re already married.”
Startled by his shout, Shen Lingzhen lowered her hands, and immediately started crying: “Father doesn’t want me anymore. Father is going to marry me off…”
Huo Liuxing froze and released her arms: “I…”
Shen Lingzhen sniffled and climbed back onto the bed herself, lying on the soft pillow sobbing: “Father, go ahead. I’m going to sleep. I’ll obediently marry that crude boor…”
“…”
Huo Liuxing turned to leave, but after taking one step stopped, turned back, hauled her up, and demanded through clenched teeth: “Who are you calling a crude boor?”
Shen Lingzhen was stunned: “Of course it’s Huo… eh, Huo what again?”
So she’d even forgotten his name.
Huo Liuxing took a breath: “He’s called Huo Liuxing.”
“Oh, right!” Shen Lingzhen giggled, then after laughing wore a mournful expression: “Father, must I marry him?”
Huo Liuxing seemed unaware he’d tacitly accepted this fatherly identity and asked: “You don’t want to marry?”
“Of course I don’t want to marry.” She drooped the corners of her mouth. “When I told Father I was willing to marry, I was lying to Father. I was afraid Father would go confront Imperial Uncle on my behalf…”
Huo Liuxing’s hand gripping her loosened as he closed his eyes and exhaled.
When he opened them again, there was more certainty in his gaze.
He asked: “Do you like your Imperial Uncle or not?”
“Imperial Uncle treated me quite well before… but this time, I don’t like him…”
“Then in the future, if I stand up for you, will you be on my side or on your Imperial Uncle’s side?”
Shen Lingzhen clapped a hand over his mouth: “Don’t be foolish, Father. How dare Father oppose Imperial Uncle?”
He smiled down at her: “In this world, there’s nothing I don’t dare do.”
She lowered her hand and shook her head desperately: “No, it won’t work… I’d better just get married. What if that Huo… Huo Liuxing turns out to look decent?”
Huo Liuxing raised his eyebrows: “He looks just like me. Do you think that counts as decent?”
Shen Lingzhen squinted at him and nodded: “If he looks the same as Father, then naturally he’s very decent!” Then she frowned worriedly again. “But what if he’s all looks and no substance?”
Huo Liuxing lightly flicked her forehead: “Who are you calling useless?”
Shen Lingzhen yelped “Ow!” and clutched her head, retreating to the corner of the bed, looking at him warily: “No, no—Father never hits me. You’re not my father!”
Huo Liuxing followed onto the bed and cornered her: “Realizing you’ve let a wolf into the house—isn’t it a bit late?”
Seeing him press closer and closer, Shen Lingzhen put her hands up in front of her, shrinking back hard: “…Who are you?”
“I’m your husband.”
“Mushroom? Is that something to eat?”
“You want to eat me? You’ve got some nerve.”
Shen Lingzhen shook her head: “My nerve is very small. I need to sleep…” She darted out from under Huo Liuxing’s armpit and was just about to pull the blanket over her head for protection when she was yanked back.
Huo Liuxing held her arm and suddenly asked: “The law of this world—the mantis eats the cicada, the oriole eats the mantis, the eagle eats the oriole. Do you know what can eat the eagle?”
Shen Lingzhen shook her head dazedly.
“Nothing can eat the eagle. Eagles have no natural predators.” He gazed at the misty night outside the window, as if casting his eyes to a very distant place. “They think I’m the cicada, but I will be the eagle.”
Shen Lingzhen was dazed: “…What does that mean?”
Huo Liuxing looked down at her, for about ten counts, or perhaps twenty. Then he finally arrived at a decision after days of deliberation and consideration.
“It means I’m confident I can win this battle. From now on, whoever owes a debt, I’ll collect from them. As long as you obediently follow me and don’t betray me, I’ll protect you completely.”
Shen Lingzhen looked at him in confusion, blinked her drowsy eyes, and let out a wine-scented burp: “Huh?”
Huo Liuxing grabbed her chin, his face dark as he demanded: “Huh what? I’m asking you—will you follow me from now on or not?”