Although Xin Mei had seen and interacted with men during her sixteen years of life, she had never actually tried to understand them. Military strategy books said: “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.” If she wanted to win over a man and make him willingly become her husband, she first needed to understand what men thought about women.
Xin Mei took a stack of paper, gripped her writing brush, and went to find her eldest senior brother.
Her eldest senior brother was brushing the coats of the spirit horses in the stable. When he heard her question, his face turned red as he pondered for a long while before quietly saying: “Beautiful, generous, putting me at the center of everything. In her eyes, I would forever be the most handsome man in the world—that’s the kind of woman I like.”
Xin Mei seriously wrote this down on paper and turned to leave. After thinking about it, she couldn’t help but kindly advise him: “Eldest senior brother, only a woman with damaged eyesight would see you as the most handsome man. You should probably change your standards.”
The iron brush in her eldest senior brother’s hand fell dejectedly and smashed onto his foot.
She then went to find her second senior brother, who was practicing sword techniques in the back courtyard, his snow-white handsome face covered in beads of sweat.
When he heard Xin Mei ask what kind of woman he liked, he rarely frowned and contemplated deeply for a long time before saying: “She should be obedient, gentle, and naive about worldly matters. What I say is right is right, even if it’s not right. What I say is wrong is wrong, even if it’s right.”
Xin Mei was stunned: “You… you like idiots?”
Her second senior brother fainted from heatstroke.
Both senior brothers’ answers left her completely confused. Thinking about the young men in Xinxie Manor, they were either unmarried or living among a sea of flowers—their answers certainly couldn’t serve as reference. For this kind of matter, she really needed to ask experienced elders.
After dinner, she reverently knocked on Xin Xiong’s door and engaged in the following conversation:
“Father, as someone who has experience, what kind of woman do you think is most likeable?”
“Heavens! Ancestors protect us! Heaven protect us! Dear wife, can you see this from heaven?! Little Mei actually asked me about men! She’s finally enlightened!”
“Your ability to talk while letting your mind wander to the heavens grows stronger by the day, Father.”
“Come, come, come, Little Mei. Father will tell you, the most perfect woman in this world was your mother. She… (the following 1,839 words of lavish praise are omitted). She was a celestial maiden who fell to the mortal realm!”
“No, actually I just wanted to ask…”
“Sigh, it’s getting late. You should return to your room and rest early. I need to go talk with your mother in front of her memorial tablet…”
Xin Xiong closed the door with tears streaming down his face, leaving Xin Mei to slink back to her room dejectedly.
The next day, she packed a small bundle, rode Qiuyue across the vast dense forest, and flew toward the Imperial Tomb she hadn’t visited in several days. She remembered the best person she could consult about this kind of experience—Scholar Zhao. He had written so many tender and touching plays; he must have profound insights into the emotions between men and women. Asking him would surely be right.
Because Lu Qianqiao’s injuries still hadn’t fully healed, the demons in the Imperial Tomb had no spirit for frolicking either. The May sunlight was already quite scorching, so the little demons were all hiding in the shade of trees for afternoon naps. Everything was quiet all around.
Xin Mei didn’t disturb anyone and floated lightly all the way to Scholar Zhao’s dwelling—in front of a not-too-large cave.
Scholar Zhao was a rat spirit, and even after becoming a demon, he hadn’t forgotten his burrowing habits. He could never get used to living in houses with carved beams and painted windows, preferring to nest in caves.
She pushed aside the large leaves covering the cave entrance, bent over to squeeze inside, and called softly: “Scholar Zhao, Scholar Zhao… are you here?”
No one answered. Only the faint sound of loud crying came from within the cave. Xin Mei had no choice but to continue walking forward. When she reached the end, she saw Scholar Zhao with a white cloth tied around his head, bent over his desk writing furiously with his brush. As he wrote, he recited the half-classical, half-vernacular words from his plays: “…My heart is shattered to powder! Gone with the wind! Gone with the falling flowers! Gone with the flowing water!”
When he reached emotionally moving parts, he would throw down his brush, bury his head, and cry loudly, using the white cloth on his head to blow his nose.
Xin Mei felt a bit embarrassed to interrupt him when he was so absorbed in writing his play, so she turned to leave. But Scholar Zhao had already discovered her and hurriedly waved: “Miss Xin, I just wrote a new scene. Come help me see how it is.”
She had something on her mind and wasn’t in the mood to read plays, so she casually glanced at a few pages before setting them down. Clearing her throat, she asked seriously: “Scholar Zhao, what kind of women do you think men generally like?”
Scholar Zhao stroked his thin beard, observed her expression carefully, and already understood nine-tenths of the situation in his heart. He couldn’t help but grin: “Miss Xin, that’s a foolish question. How many men are there in the world? Do all men like the same type of woman?”
Xin Mei thought about it and changed her question: “Then—what kind of woman would make Lu Qianqiao completely infatuated and want to marry immediately?”
Scholar Zhao shook his head repeatedly: “No, no, there’s no such woman. Miss Xin, come, come, let me tell you. Between men and women, you must first understand each other, starting from personality, preferences, and such aspects…”
He spoke at great length, and she listened attentively all afternoon, occasionally bowing her head to take notes, writing a thick stack. As the sky darkened, the parched Scholar Zhao finally concluded: “In any case, take it step by step. Originally, you and the General are a destined couple who can be reflected in the Heart-Connecting Mirror. Marriage is just a matter of time. Right now, the most important thing is to make the General’s still-unclear feelings become clear.”
Oh! Xin Mei’s eyes lit up—coming to ask Scholar Zhao was definitely the right choice!
She borrowed the Heart-Connecting Mirror from Scholar Zhao, wrapped it in cloth and tied it to her back, then took small paths all the way, finally circling around to Lu Qianqiao’s room. The moon-shaped window wasn’t tightly closed, leaving a crack. Xin Mei secretly pressed herself against the windowsill to peek inside. Lu Qianqiao was sitting up in bed wearing his outer robe, eating. His complexion was much better than a few days ago, and the wound under the bandages was no longer seeping blood. The recovery power of war spirits was truly astonishing—it looked like he would be fully healed in a few more days.
Just as she was watching intently, she suddenly saw Lu Qianqiao put down his chopsticks, turn his head, and his gaze precisely met her eyes through the crack.
“Who’s there? Come out.”
This voice was ice-cold and bone-chilling, full of killing intent.
Xin Mei thought about it, then stood up and pulled open the window, stepping one foot onto the moon-shaped window frame and leaning against the window lattice to wave at the astonished him: “Lu Qianqiao, I came to see you.”
He was stunned for a long time, finally just nodding lightly and saying: “Come in. Don’t hide behind windows next time.”
Huh? Why wasn’t he like Scholar Zhao said he would be—unable to control himself with excitement upon seeing her, sighing at the moon, lamenting to the wind, and shedding some tears of emotion?
Xin Mei slipped down from the windowsill with a whoosh, closed the window behind her, hesitated for a moment, then walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Lu Qianqiao, aren’t you happy to see me?” she asked with some worry.
He continued picking up his chopsticks to eat, and after a very long time finally spoke, but didn’t answer that question: “It’s dark now. Why did you come here?”
She became even more worried and leaned closer to carefully examine his face: “Really not happy?”
His face gradually reddened, and he helplessly put down his chopsticks again: “Don’t make trouble. Eat.”
She smiled: “You’re clearly happy, but your facial paralysis really needs treatment.”
Lu Qianqiao forcibly suppressed his surging emotions and drew out another pair of clean chopsticks to hand to her: “Be good, come eat.”
Where did she have any mind for eating? She pulled the Heart-Connecting Mirror from her back and brought her face close to his. The mirror surface immediately rippled with a string of flowing light, showing her and him embracing deeply in the reflection.
“Ah, it appeared again.” Xin Mei was quite amazed herself. “Lu Qianqiao, look, we two can be reflected in the Heart-Connecting Mirror.”
He was already too flustered to think about eating, so he could only put down his bowl. His ears burning but trying to act natural, he said: “…What exactly do you want?”
Xin Mei reluctantly put away the Heart-Connecting Mirror and thought seriously for a while. Scholar Zhao had said she should first understand what kind of person she was in the General’s eyes, so she cleared her throat and asked: “Lu Qianqiao, what do you think… well, what do you think of me?”
Lu Qianqiao propped his chin and leaned against the headboard looking at her, his expression containing helplessness and restraint. His eyes, hidden under thick lashes, were dark and bright, but she couldn’t read whether there were any so-called feelings in them. No one had ever gazed at her with such eyes before.
“What do you mean by ‘what do I think’?” His voice became lower.
“I mean, what kind of person do you think I am?”
He tilted his head and thought: “…Like someone living in a book.”
Every movement seemed to place her in a different world from others—free-spirited and lost in thought. She seemed to live in another world with rules she had made herself, both joyful and unrestrained.
He said she was like someone living in a book? Was that the kind of “beauty found in books” book person? Or the kind of peerless beauty that would only appear in books?
Xin Mei was delighted and grabbed his hand, shaking it: “You… you really have good judgment!”
Well, well, but it seems that wasn’t exactly a compliment just now…
Lu Qianqiao watched in amazement as she strapped the Heart-Connecting Mirror to her back again, pulled open the window with one motion, and jumped out, leaving only one sentence: “I’ll come see you again tomorrow!”
She… what exactly did she come here for tonight?
Completely bewildered, Lu Qianqiao sat there for a moment, then had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and continue eating.