The chopsticks lingered, the song voice gentle and pleasing.

“Drawing the qin, striking strings brings forth clear notes, a short song softly hummed cannot be long. The bright moon shines clearly upon my bed, the Milky Way flows west as night lingers on!”

Moonlight flowed, night lingered, and strings resonated. Luo Lingyu especially loved this poem, its flowing musical beauty was exceptionally rare, fresh and lively, bold and spirited. When set to music, one could almost see the poet’s elegant contemplation, singing that night. The ladies regretted not having invited dancers to perform this poem for them, so Luo Lingyu simply took the stage herself, singing while striking chopsticks.

Jiang Wanyi was nudged by an elbow from the lady behind her, and with glistening eyes, she sighed: “This year’s ‘Flower Goddess,’ ah, in previous years Miss Chen always won. I’d like to see just how impressive Sister Luo is.”

Though Jiang Wanyi hadn’t been present at the “Flower Goddess Selection,” she could imagine the sensation Luo Lingyu had caused. Some ladies sourly said Luo Lingyu had merely danced uniquely to catch the scholars’ favor. But Jiang Wanyi knew the scholars’ selection of the “Flower Goddess” couldn’t possibly be based on just a unique dance. The lady’s musical composition, her grasp of music, her choice of literary allusions and stories… all were factors.

The scholars chose those who were graceful and refined, worthy of being painted in noble ladies’ portraits, to be admired by future generations.

Now in the room, the chopsticks fell with clear sounds, as Miss Luo’s long sleeves rose again and again, her chopsticks accurately striking the row of porcelain bowls before her. While her mouth chanted, her song voice gentle. At the same time, the lingering sound of the xun arose, like flowing clouds chasing the moon, hovering around the young lady.

The lady lowered her head striking chopsticks, and the young master closed his eyes playing the xun.

The young lady was spirited, the young master elegant.

One left one right, the song voice, chopstick sounds, and lastly joined xun notes merged as one, lingering in the rafters. Playing music is best revealed when hearts are in harmony. This showed Lu Yun’s foundation—truly worthy of being a contemporary scholar. He had never heard how Luo Lingyu would sing or strike, his xun notes came later, yet could gradually follow the rhythm and tempo.

Such a brilliantly talented young master! A scholarly manner, excellent in qin, chess, poetry, and painting. He was the “Plum-Seeking Recluse” whom Luo Lingyu most admired.

Though her thoughts wandered, in her deepest heart, Luo Lingyu had always loved those proud, transcendent people like the Plum-Seeking Recluse. And the scholar she admired happened to be Lu Yun. Luo Lingyu smiled, turning her face, the bright moon pendants below her ears rippling like water waves on her snow-white cheeks. In her clear eyes was reflected the young master’s glance toward her.

The midnight stars hung in the sky, his eyes held traces of a smile.

The ladies: “Mmm…”

Both are excited by the wonderful harmony of song and music and dejected by the wonderful harmony between the two. Some went to look at Miss Luo, and some gazed dreamily at Third Young Master Lu, all with dimness in their eyes. Jiang Wanyi was also as if in a trance, looking left and right, her heart filled with indescribable feelings:

Third Young Master Lu was naturally acknowledged as today’s scholar. Every time she came to the Lu family, Old Madam Lu had Third Young Master Lu teach her poetry and painting. But how perfunctory Third Young Master Lu was.

…She hadn’t even known he could play the Xun.

The ladies had long noticed the subtle intimacy between Third Young Master Lu and the Luo lady, and having Luo Lingyu invite Lu Yun earlier was just a test. Now that the test results were clear, the ladies were all somewhat unhappy. Only Young Miss Luo Yunwa, sitting closest to her sister and future brother-in-law, kept moving closer, her eyes growing brighter as she listened—

How wonderfully they sounded!

As the song ended, Lu Yun lowered the xun from his lips, and Jiang Wanyi had already walked over. The young lady’s cheeks were flushed as she shyly looked at him with the admiring gaze Lu Yun knew well. Just as Jiang Wanyi was about to praise Third Young Master Lu’s skill, Lu Yun stood up. Still, as noble and aloof as snow on a mountain peak, Third Young Master Lu wasn’t any gentler to the ladies at home. Before Jiang Wanyi could speak, Lu Yun said coolly: “I leave tomorrow, who knows when we’ll meet again? Let me offer Cousin a bowl of wine.”

His eyes flickered, and the quick-witted Luo Lingyu had already brought wine over.

Jiang Wanyi: “…”

She dazedly accepted a bowl of wine from her Third Cousin, and after drinking, her cheeks burned red, her head spinning as she sat down, forgetting what she had wanted to tell Lu Yun. She only gazed at Third Cousin with bright, loving eyes… as he went to offer wine to other ladies.

The family’s young ladies were overwhelmed with joy: in their lives, they got to drink wine offered by Third Cousin! Third Cousin had never played with them before and never paid attention to them.

Then the ladies grew sad: it must be because Third Young Master Lu was leaving tomorrow.

Luo Lingyu’s eyes widened as she watched Lu Yun, expressionless, carry his wine bowl from the leftmost side of the room, offering drinks all around the arc. When Lu Yun came before her, she only then stood up holding her wine cup, and Lu Yun gave her an ambiguous glance with a hint of a smile. Luo Lingyu’s hand holding the wine trembled slightly as Lu Yun uniquely passed her by, continuing to offer wine to other ladies.

Luo Lingyu: “…”

The ladies nearby showed mocking looks in their eyes, then hypocritically came to comfort her: “Third Cousin must have forgotten, don’t worry.”

Luo Lingyu sat down dejectedly: if you’re going to act, do it thoroughly. Since she had told the young ladies she wasn’t close with Lu Yun, the petty Third Young Master Lu was letting her know what “not close” meant.

Deliberately embarrassing her!

Though Luo Lingyu kept complaining about Lu Yun in her heart when Lu Yun started offering wine for the second round, she suddenly froze—this wasn’t Lu Yun being angry with her, this was him planning to drink all the young ladies under the table.

There were too many ladies, all nestled in Luo Lingyu’s room, with no intention of leaving anytime soon. Lu Yun didn’t want to talk much with his cousins, afraid that if he gave any hope, he wouldn’t be able to shake them off. While playing the Xun, he had already thought of using drinking to replace conversation. Third Young Master Lu’s scalp also tingled—to drink down a group of ladies, how much wine would that take, he had no such experience before.

Luo Lingyu dazedly became an observer, watching stunned as Lu Yun drank down one after another. Her little sister watched equally stunned beside her, asking her sister worriedly: “Third Cousin… isn’t he leaving tomorrow? Will he be alright drinking so much?”

Luo Lingyu was very uncertain, saying guiltily: “…He should be fine, right?”

She had never seen Lu Yun drunk either, Lu Yun never allowed himself to reach such a state. Thinking for a moment, Luo Lingyu still instructed her sister to get up and go outside to call servants for sobering soup.

Among today’s scholars, Lu Yun was probably the first to communicate with ladies through drinking. The young master offering wine was as handsome and noble as ever, his manner dignified as he raised his hand and eyebrows, and due to the drinking, his jade-white face was slightly flushed, his eyes like water-washed gems, growing brighter and brighter, black and captivating. His eyes sparkled, and in the flow of his features, that quality both arrogant and alluring made the ladies’ hearts flutter wildly.

Just like a displaying male peacock, tail spread, impossible to look away.

So the ladies continued to be entranced by his looks, giggling as Third Young Master Lu plied them with wine: Third Cousin was just too handsome. How could anyone look better the more they drank?

…

An hour later, the ladies who had been sitting in the room, thump thump thump, all fell drunk one by one. Swaying east and west, not knowing what time it was. When the last lady mumbled “I can’t, I can’t go on” and fell, Lu Yun laughed heartily, threw away his wine bowl, and staggered back two steps.

Luo Lingyu had already risen and gone to the door to fetch sobering soup. Ordering the servants to drag away her little sister who kept looking back every few steps, the room full of wine fumes, Luo Lingyu had never seen such a bad young master—knowing the ladies liked him, not giving them any chance to speak, drinking all the young ladies under the table.

But at the same time, Luo Lingyu’s tail curled up, feeling somewhat elated: such a bad young master, he had said with his mouth that she was in his heart. She was impressive.

Luo Lingyu and the servants helped up the young ladies who were drunk beyond recognition, having people send them back. Coming and going, receiving and sending people, the servants who had come with the young ladies were greatly shocked, not expecting their ladies to get so drunk just attending a banquet. Luo Lingyu gave soft-spoken instructions for them to take good care of their respective mistresses, sending down bowl after bowl of prepared sobering soup. The servants gave her grateful looks: Miss Luo was truly kind.

After all this busy work, by the time all the young ladies were sent away, another hour had passed.

The maid Lingyu wiped the sweat from her lady’s brow in the courtyard, encouraging her: “Only Third Young Master Lu is left, then everyone will be settled.”

Luo Lingyu waved her hand: “Third Young Master Lu is the hardest to deal with, I’ll handle it. You all go to sleep first.”

After tidying her appearance outside the room, under the encouraging gazes of the servants, Luo Lingyu took a deep breath while holding a bowl of sobering soup, and pushed open the door. She closed the door, blocking the prying eyes of the servants outside. Luo Lingyu took a breath, adjusted her mood, then turned back toward the young master behind her, putting on an angry appearance to settle accounts with the drunk: “Lu Yun you troublemaker causing problems for me again…”

She had to act as if she was at a disadvantage.

She suddenly froze, because the situation before her eyes was quite different from what she had imagined. Earlier when she and the servants were helping the young ladies out, Lu Yun had been leaning against the wall rubbing his forehead, seemingly having a headache and feeling unwell from drinking. Afterward, Luo Lingyu stood in the courtyard, playing the role of the weak and pitiful cousin, sending the ladies away one by one. In Luo Lingyu’s imagination, the Lu Yun she would see upon returning would look like a drunk.

Must be very disgusting, a smelly man reeking of alcohol.

But what she saw wasn’t like that at all.

The window had been pushed open, dispersing the thick, strong wine smell in the room. Third Young Master Lu sat in the window, one leg bent on the windowsill, hand resting on his knee. He did seem somewhat unwell, eyes closed, head leaning against the window frame, face turned toward the outside. In the courtyard’s midsummer night, the clever cousin Luo Lingyu had planted many flowers. When the window opened, fresh air flew toward Lu Yun, and those snow-white petals stirred by the wind also rustled down from the trees, flying toward Lu Yun.

Wind, dew, and moonlight, countless snow-like petals lingering in the moonlight. In the short time Lu Yun had been sleeping by the window, many flowers had already fallen around him, on his shoulders. Fine snow drifting from the moonlight toward him… that young man sleeping in the moonlight and flower fragrance, buried by wind and moon.

“Crash.”

The sobering soup she was holding fell to the ground, the clear sound of the porcelain bowl breaking made Luo Lingyu blush as she crouched down to pick it up. Her cheeks were crimson, burning hot, feeling so embarrassed. It was just a man… her eyes swept up, secretly looking to see the young master by the window awakened by her bowl-breaking sound, turning his face to look at her.

He tilted his head propped on his hand, took a while to recognize her, then curved his lips in a smile, his eyes flickering like peach blossoms.

Lu Yun lazily reached out his hand: “Come here.”

Luo Lingyu assessed the situation: “You’re drunk, right? I’ll get you another bowl of soup.”

Lu Yun chuckled: “Come here, look at the ‘colored clouds chasing the moon.’ The clouds in the sky are moving so fast, it’s really beautiful.”

Third Young Master Lu’s logic was clear, his speech precise, really not seeming drunk at all. Moreover, him mysteriously talking about “colored clouds chasing the moon,” Luo Lingyu couldn’t help being curious. The young lady abandoned the bowl on the ground with soup spilled everywhere, her waist swaying gracefully as she walked over slowly, leaning forward to look out the window: “What ‘colored clouds chasing the moon’… Ah!”

The latter “ah” was drawn out, because as soon as she came close and looked up at the sky, Third Young Master Lu’s gaze was level, staring at her chest. As she leaned forward to look out the window, those increasingly full jade peaks trembled as if about to spring free, like overflowing hillsides turning to water… Lu Yun expressionlessly reached out his hand and touched them.

Luo Lingyu’s legs went weak and she started to fall sitting down. Fortunately, there was a window frame, and Lu Yun kindheartedly steadied her, letting her sit on the windowsill opposite him. The young master’s long arm pulled her over, their foreheads touching as he laughed quietly: “What are you ‘ah’-ing about?”

Luo Lingyu’s nose and mouth were filled with his breath, waves of wine fragrance, not at all foul. One of his arms wrapped around her waist, one hand still on her chest, which she angrily pulled away. Luo Lingyu muttered “No colored clouds are chasing the moon, you tricked me,” and Lu Yun said carelessly: “If I didn’t say that, how would I get you to come over?”

Luo Lingyu’s beautiful eyes flickered upward: “Why did I have to come over? You could have come over here.”

Lu Yun: “Too lazy to stand up.”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

He was acting somewhat strange… The young lady asked softly: “Are you drunk or not? Do you remember what you have to do tomorrow?”

Lu Yun seemed somewhat slow, eyes lowered, staring intently at a certain spot. His gaze was already somewhat off, as he slowly raised his eyes: “Sitting in my embrace, thinking about tomorrow – seems I can’t let you concentrate properly.”

Luo Lingyu’s face flushed red: “…”

Confirmed, he was truly drunk! Though he was usually frivolous, he wouldn’t say such things right from the start… Not wanting to waste words with a drunk, just as Luo Lingyu was thinking about how to pull him away, his lips came over, kissing her lips. With their foreheads already touching, kissing was especially convenient. His cool nose bridge brushed against her, incredibly smooth, and Luo Lingyu made an “mm” sound as his hand massaged her lower back, making her body lose control.

The kiss was deep and intoxicating.

A moment later, Luo Lingyu was left breathless by him, pounding his shoulder, and whimpering. Only then did Lu Yun press against her lips, his moist lips opening and closing as he murmured: “So fragrant…”

Luo Lingyu: “You scoundrel… ah!”

She cried out again because his hand had returned to her chest. But he only lingered there, while his lips only touched her lips. Lu Yun smiled: “Ah ah ah, what’s there to ‘ah’ about? One cry after another, already moaning so soon?”

Lu Yun’s voice was muffled as he gazed at her teasingly: “But brother likes hearing you cry out, be louder.”

Luo Lingyu’s cheeks were crimson, her whole body softening like spring water. At times from his hands igniting fire on her body, at times from his uninhibited words. She finally understood – Third Young Master Lu spoke endless ribald words when uninhibited. His peach blossom eyes teased her again and again, his eyes filled with boundless passion, enticing her as he kept kissing and sucking, endlessly entangled.

…The usual Lu Yun was already quite frivolous, but compared to him when drunk, the usual Lu Yun was practically a saint!

Luo Lingyu buried her face in his sweat-dampened neck, trembling like falling flower petals.

Neck against neck rubbing, touching, and bumping, slightly igniting flames. The young lady’s neck arched high backward, long and graceful like a swan’s neck.

His grip on her waist tightened further as if wanting to pull her into his body. Her hands also trembled as they caressed his clothes, fingers tracing the patterns on his garments, hooking over his belt, her body burning hot, cheeks aflame. Not knowing what she wanted, only like finding sweet dew while walking in the desert, desperately craving him.

Both their clothes remained properly arranged.

The fire in Lu Yun’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, but he only kissed her, densely covering her with kisses.

Luo Lingyu turned her face away shyly: “Brother Xuecin, no… don’t be like this…”

In her heart, she thought, it would be fine to give her body to him.

Actually, in this era private relations between men and women were common, and premarital relations weren’t much questioned. But Luo Lingyu discovered that Lu Yun seemed to care very much. For all his teasing of her, he never took that final step. Luo Lingyu suspected he was still hesitating, uncertain whether to marry her. It was precisely this thinking of his… that made Luo Lingyu feel losing her virginity to him would be a good thing.

Then he wouldn’t need to test and struggle anymore, he would marry her.

The young master’s gaze was like fire, his desire for her extremely obvious as he looked at her, making Luo Lingyu slightly rigid. His eyes were dark and deep, wolf-like, different from usual, frightening. Luo Lingyu bit her lip, whimpering softly. Watching him entice her with his gaze, looking at her inch by inch of skin. His eyes were full of passion, and Luo Lingyu’s mind went blank, feeling as if he was kissing her entire body with his eyes.

Keep looking, keep looking… but take no action.

Luo Lingyu’s cheeks flushed crimson as she lay on his shoulder sobbing: “Brother Xuecin… *whimper whimper*…”

The fire in Lu Yun’s eyes grew even stronger.

He couldn’t resist her enticement, lowering his face to kiss her brows and eyes to quench his thirst. The young lady’s fingers threaded through his hair, sometimes gentle sometimes firm, like her fluctuating waves of passion. Blooming like a rose, her hairpin fell loose, black hair cascading down, her face exceptionally beautiful. She cried repeatedly, over and over with deep longing: “No, no… no more…”

Lu Yun kissed her, and after kissing for a while, he curved his eyes, smiling against her lips: “Little Sister Yuer, you’re quite interesting.”

Luo Lingyu gazed at him with moist, passionate eyes.

Lu Yun smiled ambiguously: “What have I done to you, for you to cry out like this? I haven’t even undone your sash… I’ve only kissed you, yet you cry out as if I’ve done something to you… Little Sister Yuer, acting like this today, when I truly touch you, will you need to lie in bed for three days and nights to recover?”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

She was instantly embarrassed, then greatly annoyed.

…The usual Lu Yun was very annoying! Why was he still so annoying when drunk?

No, he was even more annoying!

…

Among flowers beneath the moon, a young master and lady in love.

He wouldn’t remove her clothes, didn’t plan to sleep with her, yet complained her reactions were too intense. She had looked through those books found by the maids, all the young ladies cried out like this! This was called encouragement, didn’t he understand? Yet he looked down on it!

This fool who only saw a small part of the sky from the bottom of a well, didn’t know how good she was to him!

…

Luo Lingyu pushed away this man who had no sense of romance, her phoenix eyes rolling upward, giving him a small eye roll as she turned to leave.

Lu Yun pressed against her from behind, hugging her waist and laughing: “Why are you angry again… what’s wrong, always getting angry with me?”

Luo Lingyu snorted once, not planning to say more. Anyway, he was drunk, speaking would be useless. Her stance of leaving was very determined, but Lu Yun was after all a man, hugging her from behind, she couldn’t break free. Getting all sweaty from struggling, getting more and more fired up, getting Luo Lingyu almost angry… suddenly she heard his soft voice buried in her shoulder: “Little Sister Yuer, when I return from the north, shall we get married?”

Luo Lingyu: “…!”

She instantly forgot this person was drunk, instantly forgot she had been thinking to ignore him earlier. She immediately twisted around, her whole body pulled against his chest. She widened her eyes, voice trembling: “What did you say?! Didn’t you not want to marry?”

Lu Yun reacted slowly for a moment, then sighed: “…I didn’t want to. But Little Sister Yuer is different.”

He lowered his head against her face: “I have only one requirement.”

Luo Lingyu: “…There’s still a requirement?!”

Lu Yun: “You promised me before.”

Luo Lingyu: “When did I… oh, you mean that.” She remembered the three requirements Lu Yun had made when she sought Third Young Master Lu’s back-door help for the Jianye Flower Goddess selection.

Now, Lu Yun slowly repeated to her: “First, dance for me; second, kiss me; third…”

Luo Lingyu stared at him steadily.

Watching his eyes reflect her beautiful self: “Third, don’t marry another man.”

Luo Lingyu gazed back at him.

He firmly defended this requirement, patiently waiting for her. Seeing him like this, Luo Lingyu again doubted whether he was drunk. But Lu Yun’s conditions were so good for her… as long as she agreed, he would marry her. And she secretly loved him in her heart, such requirements held no loss for her at all.

Luo Lingyu smiled charmingly.

She looked up, smiling: “I agree.”

…

She agreed that while he was away, she wouldn’t seek other marriages, she agreed she would wait for his return.

Even if he was drunk now, whether he would remember her agreement when sober.

…

Lu Yun smiled, taking her hand and kissing it: “Then let’s go see the ‘colored clouds chasing the moon.'”

Luo Lingyu gave him a coquettish glance: “Didn’t you say that was to trick me? Now there are some? You’re not honest, never speaking truth.”

Lu Yun chuckled: “We’re the same.”

…

Lu Yun stood with his Sister Luo by the window, watching the clouds flowing quickly across the sky, watching those clouds surround the moon, the moonlight growing dimmer and dimmer.

Under the same sky, Second Young Master Lu Xian was writing furiously in his third brother’s room. While his third brother was intimately entangled with his beauty, exchanging tender words, Second Young Master Lu was suffering, writing his lengthy instructions into a letter, hoping Third Young Master Lu would understand the dangers of this northern journey.

Tired from writing, Lu Xian fell asleep sprawled on the desk.

While sleeping, he had a very short dream.

The dream was also on such a night, but instead of Lu Yun drunkenly holding onto Luo Lingyu and not letting go, it was Lu Yun seeing visitor after visitor coming to bid him farewell, with Cousin Luo arriving late. Their expressions, Lu Yun making Luo Lingyu swear not to marry another man.

Seeing this scene in the dream, Second Young Master Lu couldn’t help but smile.

He turned over and fell.

Due to turning over in reality, the dream scene paused and changed. Again that snow, that endless fog. But this time it wasn’t Cousin Luo crying out searching for someone yet finding no one. Rather it was earlier, when Third Young Master Lu was dying, leaning against a rock, his face lowered.

In the dream, Second Young Master Lu heard his third brother’s murmur: “If you would forget me… marry someone else would be good… I shouldn’t have required that of you back then…”

Second Young Master Lu’s face turned pale.

He only saw his third brother’s life slowly ebbing away in the wind and snow, he rushed forward wanting to save his third brother, but he was only a passerby in the dream. He never knew what Lu Yun was thinking before his death.

…

The next day, troops departed Jianye for the border. Among the military advisors was a half-drunk drunkard. This drunkard left everyone speechless. Yet the drunkard’s thoughts were clear, his speech logical, just… his words and actions were extremely unrestrained, completely unlike the usual Third Young Master Lu.

There were still many people seeing Lu Yun off at the dock.

Luo Lingyu hid behind Zhou Yang Ling disguised as Young Master Zhou, her face red, almost not daring to look at Lu Yun.

But His Highness Prince Chen was grabbed by Lu Yun’s left hand with instructions: “I leave my Little Sister Yuer in your care. You know what care means, right? Not telling you to marry her.”

Liu Shu’s face darkened: “…”

Second Young Master Lu was grabbed by Lu Yun’s right hand: “You also need to take care of her…”

Second Young Master Lu’s face paled: “Third Brother, you should go quickly… the general is about to get angry…”

Finally sending Lu Yun off, his drunkenness had forcibly made the parting less sorrowful. Prince Chen Liu Shu stood with everyone at the shore, watching the boat sail into the distance, that certain someone who had been sprawled on his shoulder talking endlessly had finally left. Prince Chen breathed a sigh of relief, casually looking back at those behind him, wanting to speak to Luo Lingyu. Even knowing Third Young Master Lu had to leave the next day, she still got him drunk.

Miss Luo was so clever, as soon as Prince Chen looked over, she lowered her head crying softly. Young Master Zhou patted her shoulder, comforting her extremely gently, while reproaching Prince Chen: “Sister is already so upset, yet the young master still wants to scold her!”

Liu Shu stiffened: …What had he said?! He had just seen the young master and lady in love, so harmonious!