Ji Cheng beckoned to Hong’er, “Come up. We’ll have to climb over the wall to reach the Duke’s mansion.”
On Hong’er’s side stood a tree, about as tall as the wall. He climbed it to reach the top. “Where are we going in the Duke’s mansion?” Hong’er asked excitedly.
Ji Cheng gestured for Hong’er to be quiet. “There are night patrol matrons and guards. If you don’t want to be discovered, just listen to me.”
Hong’er immediately closed his mouth and followed Ji Cheng along the wall.
Ji Cheng had sharp eyes and agile movements. She managed to lead Hong’er into the Qing Garden without incident. Her current skills were thanks to her wild childhood before the age of ten.
Back then, the Ji family wasn’t as wealthy as now, and there weren’t so many rules. Girls were raised as roughly as boys. She often got into mischief with her second brother and childhood friend.
As the Ji family gradually became wealthier and Ji Cheng grew up her father and mother couldn’t control her anymore. They could only let her be mischievous until the incident of the Zhu family’s forced marriage. After that, Ji Cheng suddenly underwent a huge change, becoming quiet all at once.
“Sister, where are we going?” Hong’er, being a child, couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
Ji Cheng pointed to the hexagonal pavilion with a double-eaved pointed roof standing on Crane Hill—the Moon-Gazing Pavilion.
“Are we going to the pavilion?” Hong’er felt disappointed. He had been to the Moon-Gazing Pavilion before. Why go through all this trouble to visit at night?
“No, we’re going to the top of the pavilion,” Ji Cheng said, pinching Hong’er’s nose.
Hong’er immediately got excited. “The top of the pavilion? Heavens, it’s so high! How will we get up there?”
“Don’t worry, I have my ways,” Ji Cheng replied. She had climbed all over the Ji family’s rooftops. Sneaking out to play by climbing walls was once a common occurrence for her.
The pair carefully made their way to the base of the Moon-Gazing Pavilion. Fortunately, this area was relatively secluded in the Qing Garden. Even during night patrols, it would take some time for guards to reach here.
Hong’er watched from beneath a tree as Ji Cheng tucked her robe into her waistband. She swiftly climbed up the tree like a monkey, then lightly leaped onto the first tier of the pavilion roof.
Hong’er was utterly amazed by her agile movements and filled with admiration.
Ji Cheng tied a pre-prepared rope to one of the upturned eaves of the pavilion. “Hong’er, grab the rope. I’ll pull you up.”
Along with the rope, she lowered an iron hook. “Hook this onto your belt and fasten it securely.” This was a precaution in case Hong’er lacked the strength to hold onto the rope tightly.
However, Hong’er, being the son of the Shen family’s eldest son, had greater strength than ordinary children despite his young age. He would likely become a formidable warrior in the future. He hung onto the rope as Ji Cheng pulled him up.
Hong’er’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Ji Cheng. “Sister, I never imagined I’d get to play on top of the pavilion.”
Next, Ji Cheng carried Hong’er on her back and easily climbed up another rope tied to the second tier’s eaves, reaching the pavilion’s peak. Both sat down, panting. Ji Cheng took two dates from her pocket and handed them to Hong’er.
Eating dates on such a high rooftop was incredibly exhilarating, especially on a night with a particularly full moon.
“How did you know my name was Hong’er, Sister?” Hong’er suddenly asked once they had caught their breath.
Who says children are easy to fool?
Ji Cheng was at a rare loss for words.
“Did you know I was Hong’er and that’s why you lured me here?” Shen Hong suddenly spoke in an adult-like tone to Ji Cheng: “I know you girls all want to marry my father and become my stepmother.”
Ji Cheng held her forehead. This little brat was unexpectedly sharp.
“But I’ll have a stepmother anyway, so I don’t mind if you become my stepmother,” Hong’er said, squeezing Ji Cheng’s palm.
“I don’t want to be your stepmother,” Ji Cheng said, looking into Hong’er’s eyes. Indeed, she had never considered it. Firstly, the gap in status was too great. Secondly, Shen Yu seemed to be the type accustomed to control, and Ji Cheng’s expectations for her marriage partner were certainly not someone like Shen Yu. Marrying such a man, she would likely remain insignificant. When faced with choices, she would surely be the first to be sacrificed.
Hong’er gazed into Ji Cheng’s eyes, finding them beautiful like stars fallen into a lake. “Then why are you so kind to me, even bringing me here to see my mother? My second uncle said no one is kind without reason.”
Ji Cheng thought, your second uncle certainly knows how to teach. She pondered for a few moments, wavering between deception and honesty. Finally, she raised her hand to pat Hong’er’s head. “Indeed, no one is kind without reason. I brought you here to see the moon because I miss my mother too. Of course, I can’t deny there’s an element of trying to win your favor. You’ll be the pillar of the Shen family’s second branch in the future. I’m laying the groundwork in advance.”
Ji Cheng leaned back, hands behind her head, gazing at the moon. Shen Hong blinked, unsure if he understood.
“Has your mother also gone to heaven?” Hong’er looked at Ji Cheng sympathetically.
“No,” Ji Cheng quickly denied. She was just longing for the mother in her heart. Although she knew sons were far more important than daughters, and her mother Yun’s choice at the time wasn’t wrong—it was very rational—Ji Cheng’s heart still felt as if stabbed by a knife. That knife remained lodged in her heart, bleeding incessantly.
Hong’er felt a sense of being deceived, but Ji Cheng couldn’t explain such a difficult and complex issue to him. Even she hadn’t figured out its intricacies.
“Hmph, so you’re just hypocritically trying to win my favor,” Hong’er said angrily, lying back like Ji Cheng.
“I’m not hypocritically trying to win your favor. I’m sincerely trying to win your favor,” Ji Cheng replied.
“But you’re not truly sincere!” Hong’er could distinguish very clearly.
A child’s world is simply black or white. Ji Cheng didn’t want to shatter this simplicity, but she also felt she shouldn’t deceive Hong’er.
“Your status is here. Your father and grandfather, even generations of ancestors, have created the current conditions for you. In the future, many people will depend on you and rely on you for their livelihood. They may not be truly sincere, but they will certainly be loyal. Their favor-currying stems from not wanting to be abandoned by you, or perhaps they need something from you. But at least they won’t harm you. Sometimes they can’t distinguish between true sincerity and pretense. As for you, you shouldn’t demand their sincerity, because you already possess too many other things. Being too greedy sometimes backfires.”
“But what if I just want true sincerity?” Hong’er turned his head and asked innocently.
“Then you’ll have to learn how to discern whether others are truly sincere or just pretending,” Ji Cheng replied.
Hong’er was silent for a moment, then said somewhat sadly, “Actually, you mean that because I’m the eldest grandson of the second branch, people will try to win my favor whether they’re sincere or not, right?”
Ji Cheng nodded. “Not everyone wants to win your favor. Those who do are people who need you now or in the future. However, if you choose to accept their favor, you’re implicitly agreeing to repay them in the future. This is the unspoken understanding between people.”
Hong’er was still too young to understand such complexities. “But I still want Sister to be truly sincere to me.”
Ji Cheng remained silent.
Hong’er turned his head disappointedly to look at the moon in the sky. “Which palace in the sky do you think my mother lives in?”
“I don’t know,” Ji Cheng answered honestly.
“I want to go up there and see,” Hong’er said, getting up to climb towards the top of the double-eaved roof.
Fearing he might fall, Ji Cheng had to stand up too, taking Hong’er’s hand. “I’ll take you up.”
Hong’er was still angry and refused to let Ji Cheng hold his hand. Just as he was about to reach the top, his foot slipped and he was about to roll down. Ji Cheng couldn’t react in time, but suddenly a figure flashed by, grabbing Hong’er’s belt and lifting him.
“Second Uncle!” Hong’er exclaimed in surprise once he was steady again.
Ji Cheng also saw the newcomer now.
In Ji Cheng’s mind, the Second Young Master of the Shen family, Shen Che, should have looked like this: eyes lifeless, with dark circles from all-night battles, body flabby from excessive indulgence, feet weak and unsteady.
But no matter how Ji Cheng imagined the Second Young Master Shen, she never thought he would look like this.
Shen Che was extremely handsome. It seemed all the grace of the Shen family had been bestowed upon him.
His handsomeness was the kind that left one stunned. When you first saw him, your mind would have no room to think about anything else.
Shen Che had a cold, aloof air about him, like the snow at the very peak of a divine mountain bathed in sunlight. He made people want to worship him, yet also wanted to grab him and chew him up to suppress the heat rising in their hearts.
Looking at someone with such a detached and cold temperament, one could hardly imagine he was a profligate playboy.
However, at this moment, Ji Cheng had no time to admire Shen Che’s handsome face. Her whole body went cold, her palms sweating, and a large patch of her back drenched in sweat.
When misfortune strikes, even drinking cold water can chip a tooth. To be caught by the Shen family’s Second Young Master in such an impossible place, Ji Cheng felt her future was shrouded in a layer of gloom.
But Ji Cheng still forced herself to remain calm, even compelling herself to look into Shen Che’s eyes.
Shen Che had slightly narrow phoenix eyes. Even when emotionless, they naturally held a hint of allure, making you inexplicably feel he might take pity on you.
“Miss Ji, please return first. I’ll take Hong’er back,” Shen Che said.
This person’s voice carried an inherent sense of distance as if it came from the sky above your head. Ji Cheng couldn’t describe it well, but it felt like the voice of her master.
However, Ji Cheng had no master. After calming down, she realized it was a kind of lofty, controlling tone.
In response to such a tone, Ji Cheng said nothing, just lowered her head in acknowledgment, and quickly left, wishing she could grow wings or have wind-fire wheels on her feet to disappear immediately.
Ji Cheng first untied the rope from the second-tier eaves and easily jumped to the first tier, then slid down the rope. However, this level was about ten feet from the ground. Ji Cheng tried to remove the rope loop from the eaves by pulling and releasing it from below, but it was quite difficult. Her mind was inevitably flustered, and she couldn’t manage it even after trying for a long time.
In the end, Shen Che came over with Hong’er and retrieved it for her. Then Ji Cheng watched as Shen Che tucked Hong’er under his arm and lightly leaped down, landing steadily on the ground. Ji Cheng hadn’t expected Shen Che’s lightness skill to be so good.
Ji Cheng was mesmerized. In her childhood, when she heard stories of treading on snow without leaving footprints or crossing rivers on a single reed, she greatly admired and longed for those legendary heroes. She even pestered her father to find her a master, which of course was just a joke. Now, she never imagined she’d see someone who could fly over eaves and walk on walls. It was truly incredible.
Perhaps because Ji Cheng stared too intently, Shen Che gave her a cold glance. She quickly lowered her head and silently packed up the rope. Ji Cheng then recalled the scene she had witnessed earlier: a wine jug on the roof tiles, and a pile of peanuts with only a few left. Shen Che had been on the pavilion roof for some time. Ji Cheng thought of what she had said to Hong’er earlier and now wished she could dig a hole and jump in. She hesitated, wondering if she should say a few words to explain herself to the Second Young Master.
Since Shen Che had immediately identified her earlier, Ji Cheng had to summon her courage to defend herself and seek leniency. So she began, “Second Young Master, I…” As for using familiar terms like “Second Cousin,” Ji Cheng didn’t have the thick skin to say it.
“Next time, don’t bring Hong’er to such high places,” Shen Che said.
“Yes,” Ji Cheng nodded hurriedly. She had already regretted it. When Hong’er’s foot slipped earlier, if Shen Che hadn’t appeared in time, Ji Cheng would probably have had to die to apologize to the Shen family. This was her first reckless act in years, and she didn’t expect such an outcome. It showed that one truly shouldn’t act purely on impulse. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”
Shen Che remained silent.
Ji Cheng was practically bowing and scraping to Shen Che. “Then I’ll take my leave.” Ji Cheng turned and disappeared from Crane Hill like a startled deer, vanishing into the pine forest below.