The cold moon hung in the sky as the chilling wind whistled through the withered branches and brushed against their faces, yet Jiang Zhiyi felt no trace of coldness.
Being led by the hand back to the camp, the heat on her cheeks refused to dissipate. Sweat had formed in their clasped hands, though she wasn’t sure whose it was. Jiang Zhiyi secretly glanced at Yuan Ce beside her, who was silently gazing ahead, lost in thought. She asked softly, “Brother A-Ce, are you very hot too?”
“…”
Yuan Ce turned his head and looked at her—
“Don’t blame others for your sweat.”
Jiang Zhiyi choked, turning her eyes away with a sigh: “So only I have this warmth in my heart?” She looked at him curiously again. “When you kissed me, didn’t you feel your heart racing and your body heating up?”
“…”
Yuan Ce opened his mouth to ask her to be quiet, but meeting her serious gaze, he narrowed his eyes: “Whether I do or not, don’t you know?”
“How would I know?”
“Haven’t I—” Yuan Ce stared into her eyes probingly, “kissed you before?”
Jiang Zhiyi was stunned: “Have you kissed me before?”
“That’s what I’m asking you, isn’t it?”
“No…” Jiang Zhiyi blinked as she tried to recall, “…I don’t think so?”
“…Either it happened or it didn’t. What do you mean by ‘I don’t think so’?”
“Wait, don’t you know whether it happened or not? Why do you sound like you’ve lost your memory!”
“…”
Forget it. Judging by her reaction, it probably hadn’t happened before. Perhaps they were too young then, and his brother was too principled and proper, unlike him—
The soft sensation seemed to return to his lips. Yuan Ce closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple gently bobbing.
When he opened his eyes again and turned his head, he saw Jiang Zhiyi lost in thought, seemingly still pondering the matter.
“I was just asking casually, to see if you remembered our past,” Yuan Ce added, covering up his inquiry.
“But why can’t I remember clearly?” Jiang Zhiyi frowned as she recalled. “I think we did kiss. Do you remember? It was in the second month of mid-spring, when grass was growing and orioles were flying, and snow-white apricot blossoms covered the branches…”
“?”
“My kite accidentally got caught in the tree branches. You stood behind me and helped me retrieve the kite. Then, when I turned around, you lowered your head, and we just—”
“…”
“What’s the point of talking about this nonsense?” Yuan Ce halted his steps, his face darkening.
Jiang Zhiyi emerged from her memories and, seeing his displeased expression, was puzzled: “Weren’t you the one who asked me first?”
“I asked you, and you should simply answer yes or no. Who told you to narrate it like a storybook?” Yuan Ce released her hand, paused, and turned away to adjust his collar.
…She couldn’t remember clearly? This vivid description made him feel like he had witnessed it himself.
“I just find it strange that I only remember up to that point. How you kissed me afterwards, what it felt like when you kissed me—I can’t recall any of that… Do you remember?”
“What kind of feeling do you want? Should I help you reminisce now?” Yuan Ce turned back, lowering his gaze to her slightly parted lips.
Jiang Zhiyi blinked questioningly, realizing where his gaze had fallen, and stepped forward with a smile, wrapping her arms around his waist: “It was too long ago, so it’s not my fault I can’t remember clearly. Don’t be angry. Why don’t you kiss me again? This time, kiss me longer, and I’ll remember!”
Looking at her face approaching with closed eyes—innocent, defenseless, fully trusting—
Yuan Ce’s hands at his sides clenched and unclenched, then finally raised to gently grasp her chin, pushing her face away: “It’s late. You need to pay respects to your mother in the morning. Let me take you back to your residence first.”
Jiang Zhiyi hadn’t expected Yuan Ce to remember this, nor had she anticipated that, without her mentioning it, he would decide to accompany her to the cemetery on New Year’s Day. She had thought that without her uncle this year, she would be alone.
Jiang Zhiyi smiled with pressed lips, holding Yuan Ce’s arm as she followed him onto the carriage back to the city.
Upon returning to Chongren Ward, they agreed on a time to depart the next day and bid farewell at the gate of her residence.
Early the next morning, Yuan Ce rose half an hour early. After dressing and washing, he was about to leave for the Yong’en Marquis Residence to pick her up. Just as he stepped out of his room, he saw Qing Song hastily walking through the corridor toward him to report: “Young Master, there’s a visitor at the residence—it’s the young lady from the Pei family.”
Yuan Ce frowned: “Which entrance did she use?”
Qing Song was taken aback: “The main entrance, of course. She said she came to offer New Year’s greetings.”
Good, at least it wasn’t a relationship involving side entrances.
Qing Song: “The Madam is currently receiving the guest in the main hall. Miss Pei expressed interest in seeing you. Knowing you were escorting the Princess this morning, Madam intended to decline on your behalf, but Miss Pei was quite insistent. Would it be convenient for you to go over?”
What must come will come. Whether this was his brother’s second romantic entanglement or some evil spirit trying to probe his identity, it was time to find out.
“Send someone to the Yong’en Marquis Residence to tell the Princess I’ll be a little late,” Yuan Ce instructed Qing Song as he walked out. After just a few steps, he encountered his stepmother leading Pei Xueqing into the courtyard.
From a distance, his stepmother gave him a look, shaking her head as if to indicate she couldn’t stop the visitor.
Qing Song looked with surprise at Pei Xueqing, who approached with lowered eyes. This daughter of the Pei family appeared gentle and quiet, but unexpectedly showed such firmness beneath her softness.
With this thought, Qing Song quickly lowered his head and stood behind Yuan Ce.
Pei Xueqing walked up to Yuan Ce and curtsied: “I’ve come early and apologize for the disturbance. Xueqing has a few words for General Shen. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done and won’t take up too much of your time.”
Yuan Ce gestured toward the study: “This way, Miss Pei.”
In the study, Pei Xueqing sat in the lower-positioned rosewood chair, politely declining the tea Qing Song offered, and looked at Yuan Ce sitting behind the desk opposite her: “Could General Shen ask them to step out for a moment?”
Yuan Ce’s hand, resting on his knee, rubbed slightly before he nodded to Qing Song.
Qing Song bowed and withdrew, closing the study door behind them.
In the silent study, the fire crackled. Pei Xueqing stared at the charcoal stove by her feet for a while, then said softly: “You used to not fear the cold in winter, but now you always have a charcoal stove in your study. It’s for the Princess, isn’t it?”
Yuan Ce’s fingers paused slightly.
“The calligraphy, paintings, screens, and objects on the curio shelf have all changed too…” Pei Xueqing raised her eyes, surveying the entire study before turning back to look at Yuan Ce, who had remained silent throughout.
“You needn’t be nervous. I didn’t come today to confront you, but only to retrieve what is mine. Since you’ve decided to marry the Princess, could you return the token I gave you years ago?”
Yuan Ce’s expression remained unchanged, but his hand slowly clenched under the desk.
“I remember…” Pei Xueqing pointed to the curio shelf, “It used to be in that porcelain vase, though the vase seems to have been replaced with a new one. Did the Princess see the jade pendant inside and become unhappy, asking you to throw it away?”
Yuan Ce slowly turned his head in the direction she pointed, looking at the new porcelain vase—
The old vase containing the jade pendant had been broken by him, causing Jiang Zhiyi to dwell on it for a long time. She had said that a vacancy on the curio shelf would remind her of sad memories, so she insisted he replace it with another ornament, leading to the new vase.
As if hearing an unexpected opening, Yuan Ce blinked at the new vase: “What did you say?”
Pei Xueqing observed the changing expressions on Yuan Ce’s face, noticing every detail. After a moment, she choked up: “…Don’t you remember? The other half of this jade pendant.”
Yuan Ce turned his eyes back to her. He saw Pei Xueqing’s raised hand loosen, and a jade pendant dangled from her fingers—
With snow-blue tassels as decoration, the lustrous white jade was clearly carved with the character “非” (fei).
An image of Jiang Zhiyi’s jade pendant with the character “衣” (yi) flashed through his mind, and Yuan Ce looked up abruptly.
Pei Xueqing looked at the jade pendant in her hand and took a deep breath: “This jade pendant originally formed the character ‘裴’ (Pei). When it was split in two, the crescent-shaped half was given to you, and the remaining half stayed with me. You said that only when you could openly marry me would you dare to reunite the two halves…”
Pei Xueqing looked at Yuan Ce again: “Where is the other half now?”
Yuan Ce sat rigidly behind the desk, staring at the jade pendant in her hand. After a while, he slowly picked up the sandalwood box beside him and hesitantly took out the “衣” character pendant that had been shattered and crudely repaired: “Are you referring to—this jade pendant?”
Just as he finished speaking, a commotion arose outside. Qing Song was anxiously shouting, “You cannot enter!” To no avail, the next moment, the door was pushed open forcefully.
Jiang Zhiyi stepped into the study and, seeing the two sitting opposite each other, nodded with a resolute expression that suggested her suspicions had been confirmed: “Good, very good—so this is the reason you’re late?”
Yuan Ce and Pei Xueqing, each holding a jade pendant, turned to look at her.
Jiang Zhiyi was about to speak further when her gaze swept over the jade pendant between Pei Xueqing’s fingers. Her eyes flickered as if she had seen wrongly, then returned to look more carefully. She blinked in confusion and looked at the pendant currently in Yuan Ce’s hand.
“…?”
Jiang Zhiyi looked left and right, examining the two jade pendants back and forth three times from a distance: “What does this mean… Why are there two pendants? What does this mean?”
Yuan Ce lowered his head to look at the pendant in his hand.
He was also still trying to understand what this meant.
Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes widened in shock as she quickly stepped forward, snatched the “衣” character pendant from Yuan Ce, and walked to Pei Xueqing to compare them.
The two jade pendants perfectly combined to form the character “裴” (Pei).
Jiang Zhiyi turned her head with astonished eyes, staring at Yuan Ce in disbelief: “…So you’ve been using the same token for two purposes? With me, it’s the ‘衣’ character, and with her, it’s the ‘裴’ character?! You still claimed you had no relationship with her, that you hadn’t been flirting around!”
Yuan Ce: “…”
Pei Xueqing’s eyelashes trembled: “What does the Princess mean by these words?”
Jiang Zhiyi tightly clutched the damaged “衣” character pendant: “This is the love token I gave him. What does Miss Pei think this means?”
Pei Xueqing’s face paled, as if confirming some suspicion. Tears that had been welling in her eyes for a long time now surged forth, and she murmured with a blank stare: “So it is like this, it truly is like this…”
Jiang Zhiyi had been angry from the outset but hadn’t yet reached the point of tears. Seeing Pei Xueqing cry first, she couldn’t hold back, and her eyelashes trembled as she blinked: “Shen Yuan Ce, how could you be like this…”
Yuan Ce was still rapidly tracing the cause and effect of the situation in his mind. Looking up, he saw two tear-stained faces, like rain-drenched pear blossoms, turning toward him.
“…”
As if witnessing the most shocking scene of his life, Yuan Ce raised both hands, left and right simultaneously pressing down hesitantly: “Ladies, perhaps, could you, calm down and listen to me?”
Jiang Zhiyi: “How can you expect me to calm down?”
Pei Xueqing: “That won’t be necessary…”
One sobbed audibly while the other silently wept, both crying more intensely.
Yuan Ce closed his eyes, and amid the flood of tears filling the room, a vein throbbed visibly at his temple.
More terrifying than having one young lady crying before him was having two.
More terrifying than having two young ladies crying before him was having both of them consider him a heartless scoundrel.
More terrifying than having two young ladies consider him a heartless scoundrel was the fact that he had betrayed neither of them.
“…”
Yuan Ce was certain that compared to the Emperor’s scrutiny, political enemies’ probing, or the watchful eyes of adversaries—
This moment represented the greatest crisis he had faced since entering the capital.
If his brother had any awareness in the afterlife, he should manifest now and explain.
After a long wait, nothing happened, except that the situation sounded increasingly dire.
If Buddha didn’t save all beings, one must save oneself.
Yuan Ce opened his eyes, glanced at the tearful Jiang Zhiyi, then turned to Pei Xueqing: “Miss Pei—”
“You’re comforting her first!” Jiang Zhiyi pointed at him, her chest heaving with anger, her entire body trembling, looking as if she might faint from crying.
“I’m not,” Yuan Ce sighed, stepping forward to take Jiang Zhiyi’s wrist, then looked at Pei Xueqing again.
Before he could speak, Pei Xueqing seemed to understand. She nodded, wiped away her tears, and clutching the “非” character pendant, turned and hurriedly left the study.
Yuan Ce closed his eyes briefly, then faced Jiang Zhiyi: “I swear to heaven, I’ve done nothing to wrong you.”
Jiang Zhiyi looked up at him, hiccupping: “With both testimony and evidence against you, what more can you deny! Even oaths won’t work now!”
Yuan Ce picked up the “衣” character pendant: “This jade pendant, you say you gave it to me, she says…”
“I won’t listen—” Jiang Zhiyi firmly covered her ears. “Last time, you talked your way out of it. I won’t believe your lies anymore!”
Yuan Ce turned away, rubbing his brow.
Behind him, Jiang Zhiyi cried with tears and voice breaking: “Why did you have to choose today of all days to let me know about these heartbreaking matters…”
“I already dislike this day so much…”
“From now on, I’ll have even more sorrows on this day every year. What grudge do I have against this date…”
Yuan Ce’s head buzzed. He turned around, lifting her in his arms and placing her on the desk: “Please be quiet for a moment and let me think about this matter, alright?”
Jiang Zhiyi steadied herself on the edge of the desk, and looking up, she realized she was now almost at his eye level. She glared directly into his eyes: “No!”
“You made the mistake, yet you want me to be quiet? Not even the Jade Emperor himself could be so unreasonable!”
“If you find me annoying, you can leave! Go chase after your Miss Pei. She’s so quiet—even when you’ve betrayed her, she doesn’t say a single word to curse you…”
“I’m just a person who talks a lot, and you’ve known that from the beginning. Now you find it annoying—”
Yuan Ce lowered his head and sealed those moving lips with his own.
Jiang Zhiyi’s words were cut off midway as her eyes widened in shock. Before she could react, her teeth were gently parted, and something warm and moist slipped in like a swimming fish.
Heat flared from her cheeks to her ears. Jiang Zhiyi parted her lips, whimpering in fear, and quickly tried to move back.
Yuan Ce’s deepening movement paused. He slowly released her lips, lowered his eyes to look at the moisture on her lips, and swallowed slightly. Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead against hers: “Little ancestor, I beg you, be quiet for a moment.”