Lu Zhu had finally been keeping busy these past few days. Perhaps realizing it was truly inappropriate to constantly worry her master over such matters, she began working on embroidering her trousseau. After all, being a seventeen or eighteen-year-old maiden, she still held considerable anticipation for marriage. However, Jin Er had also been quite busy, though not due to wedding preparations. He was nowhere to be found in the manor all day long. Lu Zhu could only ask Jin San about it, but Jin San would vaguely say he didn’t know what Jin Er was busy with—probably some task assigned by their master. So Lu Zhu would return disappointed. As this continued for over ten consecutive times, Lu Zhu found herself seeing Jin Er less and less frequently.
On this particular day, Lu Zhu learned from Jin San’s mouth as usual that Jin Er was not at the manor, so she left feeling disappointed. Only after Lu Zhu had gone did Jin San leap up into a tree to sit and chat with Jin Si, saying, “What’s gotten into Jin Er lately? Why is he always away from the manor? Our master doesn’t seem to have given him any particular tasks either. I’ve never seen him so busy before—he’s not even paying attention to that Lu Zhu girl anymore.”
Previously, though Jin Er had been busy, he would always stay at the manor. His favorite pastime was teasing Lu Zhu into anger. Now that these two had finally settled their relationship, how could this principal party be nowhere to be found?
Jin Si shook his head: “I don’t know either, though I did see him at Huitong Bank a few days ago. He seemed to be exchanging bank notes, though I don’t know what for.”
“Exchanging bank notes?” Jin San asked strangely. “He’s not lacking any silver—what’s he exchanging bank notes for?” The Imperial Guards never lacked scattered silver coins on them; at least it was sufficient for daily expenses. For Jin Er to specifically go exchange bank notes was rather odd. As Jin San pondered this, he suddenly slapped his thigh: “I know! Ah, this lad has finally come to his senses. He’s probably finally remembered that he’s someone who needs to take a wife, so he needs to buy some things for his bride. Though the betrothal gifts are provided by the manor, Jin Er has saved quite a bit of silver over these years. Having him provide the betrothal gifts would work just as well.”
Jin Si nodded: “What you say makes sense. Jin Er has seen some of the world and usually knows how to make women happy. What he gives his own wife would naturally require even more thought. No wonder he’s been away from the manor these past few days—he’s probably looking for gifts to give Lu Zhu.”
“But neglecting someone because of this is still not good,” Jin San thought for a moment. “Women always need coaxing. Since he won’t say what he’s been busy with, if I were Lu Zhu, I’d definitely be angry.”
Jin Si was about to speak when Jin Yi, who had been silently holding his sword, suddenly said, “He’s not buying gifts.”
“Huh?” Jin San looked over in surprise. “If he’s not buying gifts, then what’s he doing? Jin Yi, do you know something?”
Jin Yi shook his head and turned to leave. Jin San and Jin Si were already accustomed to Jin Yi’s taciturn nature, so they simply shrugged and acted as if they hadn’t seen anything. Jin Yi had just walked to a corner when he saw Ye Feng approaching. Ye Feng’s expression was also quite peculiar. He glanced at Jin Yi and asked, “You also know about Jin Er seeking doctors?”
Jin Yi responded with a sound, hesitated briefly, then said, “I followed to look. You…”
“I also looked.” Ye Feng interrupted him. The two seemed quite troubled, as if encountering an extremely thorny problem. Both remained silent for a while before Ye Feng said, “Let’s not tell anyone about this matter for now. I’ll wait until Jin Er returns to the manor before asking him about it. It would be bad if this matter damaged relationships.”
Jin Yi nodded in agreement.
In a residence in the eastern part of the capital, a short, plump woman stood at the doorway, continuously wiping her hands on her apron, appearing extremely nervous. Before long, an elderly man with completely white hair and beard emerged from inside, carrying a medicine box on his back. After coming out, he bowed toward the plump woman, and a young man approached from another direction. This man was rather handsome, wearing clean dark green robes, looking very much like some wealthy family’s young master. The old man also bowed to this young man, saying, “Young Master, I have already prescribed medicine to regulate the lady’s condition. However, her body was already weak to begin with, and she has traveled such a long distance. It would be best if she doesn’t move around anymore to avoid harming her complexion. It would be best to stay put for several months. I have prescribed some foundation-strengthening remedies. Have someone fetch the herbs and brew them for the lady to take. Don’t let her worry too much—let her rest and recuperate, and she’ll be fine.”
The young man seemed somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this: “She’s not…” Then he said, “Never mind. Thank you, Doctor. I’m just afraid this condition might recur, so I may need to trouble you several more times in the future.” As he spoke, he pulled out an ingot of silver from his sleeve and placed it in the old man’s palm: “This is for today’s consultation fee.”
This young man was quite generous with his payment, so naturally the old doctor had nothing else to say. He bowed once more before leaving. After the old doctor had gone, the plump woman said, “Second Young Master, according to what the doctor said, it would be best for Miss Liao to stay in the capital for some time longer, lest…”
“Nanny Zhou,” Jin Er smiled upon hearing this, “Don’t tell me you think I would send Miss Liao away? It’s fine. You can stay here temporarily. I’ll write a letter to send back to mother. These days, I’ll trouble Nanny Zhou to work hard caring for Miss Liao.”
“What kind of talk is that, Second Young Master?” Nanny Zhou said fearfully. “This old servant will naturally take good care of Miss Liao.”
Just as they were speaking, the sound of a woman coughing came from inside the room, followed by a somewhat weak female voice: “Second Young Master, please stay. Liao Meng still has words she wishes to speak with Second Young Master.”
Seeing this, Nanny Zhou quickly said, “This old servant will go see the doctor off. Second Young Master, please go inside.” With that, she left the room. Jin Er hesitated for a moment. Previously, though he had frequented brothels and flower houses, it was all just casual play that couldn’t be taken seriously. Afterward, no one would question these women’s reputations. But a proper family’s daughter was different—after all, a man and woman alone in a room was somewhat improper. However, thinking that Liao Meng was ultimately a patient, and that she was someone his mother had sent from thousands of li away to the capital, he decided against it. He lifted his robe hem and entered the inner room.
The room was kept clean and tidy, filled with a faint medicinal fragrance. There was even a pot of orchids on the windowsill. Clearly, the occupant was a person of refined taste who, despite being bedridden with illness, still lived quite elegantly. The woman was leaning against the bed, her face still somewhat pale, which made her appear all the more pitiable. She respectfully nodded to Jin Er: “Second Young Master.”
Jin Er said, “No need for formalities. Your body is still very weak—you shouldn’t move around carelessly.”
“Second Young Master has a bodhisattva’s heart,” the woman smiled slightly. “Liao Meng knows this frail body doesn’t match Second Young Master. The words spoken between our two families back then should just be considered jest. Once my health recovers, Liao Meng will return to Jiangnan and won’t disturb Second Young Master. It’s just that I’ve been quite bothersome during this time, and I feel truly sorry about it. After thinking it over, I still wanted to thank Second Young Master.”
“You don’t need to thank me. Rather, I…” Jin Er hesitated, then finally seemed to make a great decision: “This matter is where our Shen family has wronged you. I…”
“Second Young Master speaks incorrectly,” Liao Meng smiled sweetly. “How does this concern Second Young Master? When our two families discussed this matter, you and I were both just children. Now that my parents are no longer here, those words from back then were just playful jest that can’t be taken seriously. It’s just that Nanny Zhou dotes on me and insisted I come speak about it. Second Young Master must not blame her. Now that Second Young Master already has someone he loves, why would I want to be the one who breaks up lovers? So Second Young Master must not speak of owing me anything.”
These words were truly reasonable and understanding. If it had been an ordinary woman, even if she didn’t make a scene, she would at least show some emotion on her face. She certainly wouldn’t be as easy to talk to as the woman before him. A flash of admiration crossed Jin Er’s eyes, seemingly mixed with gratitude and apology: “I’ve been petty-minded in judging a gentleman by my own standards. However, Miss Liao’s illness isn’t yet cured. At least give me a chance to call doctors for Miss Liao.”
Liao Meng smiled again, and the two began discussing other topics. Jin Er, having followed Xiao Shao daily, was well-traveled and knowledgeable, and quite understood how to please women. Liao Meng’s behavior was even more beyond his expectations—she had none of the narrow-mindedness typical of women, was quite insightful, and had a temperament as gentle as water. The two actually conversed very pleasantly, and evening had arrived without them noticing. It wasn’t until Nanny Zhou kept dinner and they ate together that Jin Er returned to the manor.
Upon returning to the manor, Lu Zhu, who had just finished her embroidery work, happened to be going to the kitchen to find some food to fill her stomach when she encountered Jin Er. She called out to him. Jin Er stopped, and Lu Zhu walked over, selecting two pieces of peony cake from her basket to hand to him: “These are new pastries made in the small kitchen today. The young madam gave them as a reward, and I specifically saved two pieces. Eat them.”
Lu Zhu was naturally smiling wholeheartedly. The peony cakes gave off a special fragrance, but Jin Er had just eaten. Nanny Zhou’s cooking was quite good, and she had prepared Jiangnan cuisine that he hadn’t eaten in a long time, so naturally he had eaten more than usual. How could he possibly eat more pastries? He reached out to take them, smiling: “Good, I’ll eat them when I get back to my room.”
“They’re just two pieces of pastry—why take them back to your room to eat?” Lu Zhu pouted. “Don’t tell me you Imperial Guards rarely get to eat peony cakes. Just eat them here. I’m worried eating them cold might upset your stomach.”
Lu Zhu also meant well. Actually, though she spoke so casually, these pastries were specifically saved for Jin Er by her, so she definitely wanted to see Jin Er eat them before she’d be happy. Jin Er frowned and tried to get out of it: “My dear ancestor, I just ate outside earlier and really can’t eat anymore right now. Let me eat them after I get back to my room.”
Since Jin Er had said this much, Lu Zhu naturally couldn’t force him to eat. However, her expression seemed somewhat dejected, though it passed in a flash as she said: “Where did you go today? Jin Yi and the others were all at the manor—only you ran off by yourself and even had dinner with someone. You weren’t at a brothel, were you?”
She was just joking, but Jin Er’s expression changed slightly. Then he smiled: “Nonsense. I’m someone who’s about to get married—how could I go to a brothel? Even if the girls there are beautiful, I still have to stay home with my ugly wife.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhu exploded: “Who are you calling ugly?”
The two joked and laughed for a while before Jin Er returned to his room. After Lu Zhu returned to her quarters, her smile slowly faded. Lian Qiao saw this and teased: “I could hear you and Jin Er laughing and talking from far away. What’s this—can’t bear to be apart now?”
Lu Zhu didn’t speak. Lian Qiao thought she was being shy, so she didn’t press further. But she didn’t notice Lu Zhu sitting alone in front of the bronze mirror, staring somewhat dazedly at her own palm, murmuring to herself: “How could there be the scent of orchids?”
…
The days grew busier by the day, and the smile on Lu Zhu’s face seemed to be slowly disappearing. When Jiang Ruan asked Lian Qiao about it, Lian Qiao also frowned: “I don’t know what’s wrong. She’s been looking worried and anxious lately, but there really isn’t anything particular going on. I suppose the problem is still related to Jin Er.”
Tian Zhu also said: “Jin Er has been spending fewer days with her recently. I imagine she’s somewhat unhappy about it.”
Her own maids all unanimously believed that Lu Zhu was feeling troubled because she and Jin Er spent so little time together. Jiang Ruan didn’t agree with their assessment. If it was the kind of emotions everyone has before marriage, she herself hadn’t experienced that before her wedding. If it was because she was too special a person, given Lu Zhu’s carefree and straightforward nature, she definitely wouldn’t appear so heavy-hearted over such matters.
Having learned from Bai Zhi’s precedent, Jiang Ruan paid more attention to her maids’ emotions. However, Lu Zhu had joined her later, and her conduct showed no impropriety. When asked to speak, she seemed genuinely troubled because of Jin Er. Young men and women’s affairs were not something Jiang Ruan could conveniently interfere with, so she could only let them handle it themselves.
If there was anything particularly noteworthy, it was that Coastal Governor Yao somehow developed renewed interest in forming marriage connections with Prince Jinying’s manor. Previously, after being warned once by Xiao Shao, Governor Yao had dropped the idea. Recently, however, he had begun actively maneuvering again. Naturally, he didn’t directly send invitations to Prince Jinying’s manor, but he understood the principle of indirect approaches, actually sending invitations to Guan Lianghan, Mo Cong, and others instead. Xiao Shao could refuse Governor Yao’s invitations without any reservations, but Guan Lianghan and Mo Cong could not. First, they were all court colleagues, and second, Guan Lianghan and Governor Yao had quite common topics on certain matters—after all, both were military men who had fought their way up through tough battles.
Though the Yao family was stirring restlessly, Jiang Ruan paid them no mind. After dealing with Lu Zhu’s matter, she busied herself observing the court officials in Xuan Pei’s faction. Now that Xuan Li would sooner or later point his spear at Xuan Pei, in this struggle for the throne, Xuan Pei had already been drawn in whether he was willing or not. Currently, she could only rely on her memories from her previous life to help Xuan Pei screen people, to ensure Xuan Pei’s temporary safety.
Xiao Shao was even busier than her. According to Jin Si, Southern Border people had already appeared in many places throughout the capital. What these Southern Border people lurking in the capital intended to do after changing their appearances was unknown, but the fear was that they would infiltrate the palace and collude with the court. In fact, Southern Border people colluding with people in the court was already an undeniable fact. Jiang Ruan also knew in her heart who that person was, but without evidence at present, it wouldn’t be good to startle the enemy. They could only take things one step at a time. Currently, with the enemy in darkness and them in the light, there were many inconvenient aspects.
…
When night fell deeply, Jin Er finally returned to the manor again, stepping through the lantern light. Lu Zhu sat in her room. When Jin Er entered and saw her, he noticed she hadn’t lit any lamps, so he asked: “Why haven’t you lit the lamp?” As he spoke, he was about to find a fire starter to light the lamp.
“Jin Er,” before he could find the fire starter, Lu Zhu interrupted him, saying: “Don’t you want to marry me?”
“What are you thinking about?” Jin Er asked somewhat incredulously, forgetting about lighting the lamp. “Why are you being temperamental again?”
“These past days, you leave early and return late, and I can never see you. Even when you do come back, you speak much less to me than before—even less than when I first arrived at the manor. You’re always impatient, you…”
“My dear ancestor, I’ve told you that during the day our master assigns tasks. I can’t be with you all the time. I’m already very tired during the day and don’t want to listen to your unreasonable tantrums.” Jin Er frowned. Perhaps due to genuine fatigue, his brow was tightly furrowed, and his tone wasn’t as gentle as before.
“I’m being unreasonably difficult? I’m being unreasonably difficult?” Lu Zhu’s voice also rose. Then, as if she herself realized this, she took a deep breath: “I don’t want to discuss these things with you. I’m not an idiot. You’re completely lying. The master hasn’t given you any tasks at all. I asked Jin San about it.” In the darkness, her expression couldn’t be seen clearly, but Jin Er couldn’t help feeling tense, inexplicably feeling that Lu Zhu’s eyes were staring intently at him, making his entire body uncomfortable.
“No, listen to me…” Jin Er wanted to say something, but Lu Zhu interrupted him, asking: “Jin Er, do you have someone else outside?”
Jin Er was startled, then angrily said: “What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Whether I’m spouting nonsense or not, you know best.” Lu Zhu’s voice involuntarily rose as well. She said: “You’re being unfair to me!”
“I’ve told you I haven’t. Don’t make something out of nothing.” Jin Er had always been gentle and pleasant with women, but now it was the first time he spoke harshly to Lu Zhu, the impatience in his tone making him seem like a completely different person from usual.
Lu Zhu also stood her ground, angrily saying: “I’m making something out of nothing? Jin Er, don’t treat everyone like fools and toy with me for your amusement. Though I’m just a maid of lowly birth, I won’t tolerate such humiliation. If you regret this, you can speak to the Prince about canceling this marriage. I, Lu Zhu, would never have a second word to say—I’m not the type to cling desperately!”
Jin Er shot up from his seat, his voice already containing uncontrollable anger: “Cancel? You speak so lightly—what do you take me for?”
“Get out!” Lu Zhu cursed and reached out to shove him. But since there were no lights in the room, her shoving nearly caused her to fall over. Then Jin Er himself snorted and turned to leave, slamming the door viciously behind him.
There was no sound in the room for a long while. After a considerable time, the door was pushed open and Lian Qiao’s voice rang out: “Why isn’t the lamp lit? It’s so dark…” She found a fire starter and lit the oil lamp, only then seeing there was still someone sitting in the room. She said in surprise: “You’re in the room—why didn’t you light the lamp… Ah!” Lian Qiao cried out, seeing that the usually cheerful Lu Zhu was sitting dazedly in the room, tears streaming down her face like a fountain, her eyes already red from crying.
Outside the window, a figure seemed to have stood silently for a long time, appearing to hesitate briefly before walking away.
In another residence, Nanny Zhou looked at the woman before her, whose complexion had improved considerably compared to before, and asked in surprise: “Miss, will doing this really work? That Second Young Master has never been soft-hearted.”
“Don’t worry,” Liao Meng also smiled: “Men are all the same—they’ve always disliked women’s quarreling and fussing. But women are very sensitive. Back and forth like this, the two will always develop rifts between them.”