Ming Shu leaned half her body over the railing, her head peeking out from behind the curtains, her eyes following the people entering below.
Song Qing Zhao had already stepped into the hall, returning ceremonial bows to the gathering candidates around him. His manner was courteous yet somewhat aloof. Perhaps sensing the gazes from the second floor, he slightly lifted his head to look up obliquely, coincidentally meeting Ming Shu’s position.
The hall’s brilliant lights illuminated everyone with exceptional clarity.
The face she hadn’t seen that day at Song Ling Academy suddenly entered Ming Shu’s view.
He was truly handsome, with fair features and eyes like cold stars. When he glanced at someone, his clear gaze seemed to pierce straight to their heart. He appeared as if crafted to Ming Shu’s preferences – pure and handsome without a trace of affectation.
This was truly the most handsome man she had ever seen… no… there was one other, but that was her brother – sacred and untouchable, not to be coveted.
Just as she was about to meet Song Qing Zhao’s gaze, Ming Shu suddenly withdrew into the private room, holding her heart with both hands, looking dazed.
Her heart was racing – thump-thump.
What was wrong with her? He was just a man; even if handsome, why such a reaction?
After talking at length, Yin Shu Jun noticed Ming Shu hadn’t heard a word. She walked to the railing, looked down, and then gave Ming Shu a suspicious look.
“Lu Ming Shu, you couldn’t have…” Yin Shu Jun looked at her sideways, “Fall for Song Qing Zhao? Weren’t you just criticizing him earlier!”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Ming Shu picked up the cold tea from the table and drank it in one gulp.
This was only the second time she’d seen Song Qing Zhao – was she the type of woman to be moved by mere appearance? To have her heart stirred just by seeing a handsome man? How could that be?
But what about this heart that seemed ready to jump out of her throat? And this inexplicable sense of familiarity – she felt as if she knew Song Qing Zhao.
“I…” Yin Shu Jun had finally caught a chance to tease her and was about to speak when another voice interrupted.
“Who’s the blind fool who’s taken a fancy to Song Qing Zhao’s corpse-like face? Tell me so I can laugh.” The bamboo curtain of the private room was lifted as a girl of sixteen or seventeen entered, wearing crimson clothes, with thin bangs across her forehead. Her small face had a baby-like plumpness that should have looked extremely sweet, but she had narrow phoenix eyes that added a gloomy air.
No longer looking at Song Qing Zhao, Ming Shu’s heartbeat gradually returned to normal. She tried hard to bring her attention back to proper matters and silently observed the newcomer.
Yin Shu Jun had already gone forward to welcome her, saying only: “You’ve finally arrived.”
The young lady handed her hand warmer to her servants, ordering them to wait outside the private room, then entered herself. She surveyed the room with a curved lip: “This private room…” Then looking at the snacks on the table, “This food… must have cost you quite a bit? Not like your usual style. Did you dig into your dowry money today?”
Yin Shu Jun was about to retort irritably when the young lady had already walked into the room, her gaze sweeping over Ming Shu: “Oh, you brought someone else? Wasn’t this supposed to be a private meeting? How boring.”
As she spoke, she sat at the table, her critical gaze still lingering on Ming Shu, her gloomy air growing heavier.
“I knew you were sleepy so I brought you a pillow.” Yin Shu Jun knew her temperament and didn’t take her words to heart, instead making introductions, “Ming Shu, this is my close friend, County Lady Wen An from the Prince of Zhang Huai’s family. Wen An, this is my new friend Lu Ming Shu.”
Ming Shu and Wen An both looked at Yin Shu Jun.
Ming Shu: When did we become friends?
Wen An spoke directly: “Didn’t you say I was your only close friend?”
Yin Shu Jun coughed: “I wanted to help ease your worries, so I brought someone talented.”
Wen An looked at Ming Shu again, displeased, “You told her about my affairs?”
“Of course not, how would I dare without your permission?” Yin Shu Jun said while elbowing Ming Shu.
Ming Shu poured a cup of tea and properly served it to the County Lady, saying: “County Lady, please wet your throat.”
Wen An merely snorted, her narrowed eyes full of distrust: “You’d better not have. You say she’s talented? I can’t see it – how talented could someone who likes Song Qing Zhao be?”
She sneered at this.
Cheers and thunderous applause came from downstairs. Ming Shu tilted her head to look – it seemed Song Qing Zhao had matched a couplet, delighting the whole hall, with many young ladies on the second floor rising to gaze at him shyly. Ming Shu looked for just two glances before withdrawing her gaze, smiling: “Why does County Lady say this? Everyone has an appreciation for beauty. Men admire beautiful women, so why can’t women appreciate handsome men? When I look at Young Master Song’s face, it’s like seeing a fine piece of jade – what’s wrong with feeling joy? Does County Lady not like looking at handsome young men?”
“…” Wen An had probably never encountered someone speaking so frankly before and was momentarily unable to respond. However, she finally gave Ming Shu a proper look and suddenly smiled, “I like hearing that. Yin Miss, tell me what talents she has that could help ease my worries.”
Yin Shu Jun sat beside her and carefully related the matter to Yin Liang Jun.
The three young ladies gathered around the round table, drinking tea, eating fruits, discussing Yin Liang Jun… The cheers and excitement from downstairs seemed like sounds from another world; the young gentlemen couldn’t attract their attention.
“I told you long ago your half-sister was no good, but you wouldn’t believe me. Hah, serves you right!” After hearing the whole story, Wen An laughed coldly, “Only someone as foolish as you would let yourself be oppressed for two years. Send her to the countryside estate? Don’t you understand about cutting off problems at the root? If someone like that fell into my hands, I guarantee I’d make her wish she were dead!”
As she spoke, she crushed the red fruit cake in her hand, the red staining her fingertips. She casually took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped them clean.
Even someone as proud and willful as Yin Shu Jun was as docile as a kitten before County Lady Wen An. Seeing this, Ming Shu couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person this County Lady was.
“The Prince’s household has many concubines, and she has many half-brothers and half-sisters. There’s constant competition for favor among the wives and concubines, and sisters fighting for benefits,” Yin Shu Jun whispered in Ming Shu’s ear.
Ming Shu understood – no wonder. Growing up in such an environment was different from naive Yin Shu Jun.
“County Lady’s methods are impressive, it seems… there’s no need for Ming Shu’s services.” Ming Shu said. She had thought Yin Shu Jun wanted to recommend her to help Wen An with inner household struggles.
Wen An lowered her eyes, pondering for a long while before saying: “Very well, she seems clever enough, and women are usually more perceptive than men. Better to try something than nothing. Yin Miss, you can tell her.”
Having received Wen An’s permission, Yin Shu Jun finally explained to Ming Shu: “The County Lady isn’t worried about household matters, she’s concerned about her marriage arrangement.”
County Lady Wen An had been betrothed since childhood to someone from an equally prestigious family – the heir of the Marquis of Yong Qing, Xie Xi. They had known each other since childhood, and in others’ eyes, they were childhood sweethearts, their marriage a welcome arrangement. Xie Xi was gentle, academically outstanding, and of excellent character – an ideal husband candidate.
Once, Wen An had thought so too. She was very satisfied with this marriage arrangement and liked Xie Xi, considering herself his future wife for many years, just waiting until she was of age to marry into the Yong Qing Marquis family.
However, as the years passed, she increasingly felt Xie Xi’s coldness and distance. Though he remained polite to her, there was often just a fine line between politeness and detachment, and she could sense the difference.
They were known to all as betrothed, and even if maintaining proper distance, there should have been some undercurrent of young love between them. However, there was none with Xie Xi, or rather, it was only one-sided on her part – Xie Xi had never shown any such feelings.
Now, with only a year left until their wedding, Wen An increasingly lost confidence in this marriage arrangement and Xie Xi.
“If Ming Shu may speak frankly, marriages in noble households are mostly arranged based on status, rarely depending on feelings between the man and woman. Many couples marry without love and muddle through life together. County Lady’s marriage to Young Master Xie is already arranged – whether he has feelings for you or not seems unable to change this marriage.”
Ming Shu didn’t understand what Wen An wanted her to investigate.
“You don’t understand. If he had no feelings at all – neither for me nor anyone else – I would be willing to marry him. Feelings can be cultivated after marriage. But I fear he has feelings for someone else, and when I marry into his family, I’ll end up without love or favor, just like… my mother.” As Wen An spoke, her eyes lowered, adding several layers of melancholy to her gloomy air.
Yin Shu Jun explained further to Ming Shu: “To be honest, before marrying, the Prince had a lady he deeply admired and fought hard to be with. Unfortunately, he ultimately yielded to family pressure and married Wen An’s mother. That lady passed away in a depression not long after, and the Prince was greatly pained. Afterward, all the concubines he took resembled that lady, and he neglected his main wife for many years, causing the Princess to live in constant depression.”
This… Ming Shu didn’t know whether to sigh at the Prince’s devoted love or curse his fickleness.
“You want to investigate whether Young Master Xie has someone he likes outside? That shouldn’t be difficult. Just have someone follow him for a while and you’ll know. If there’s someone outside, there will be traces to find.”
“People have been following him for nearly half a year, those useless ones couldn’t find anything,” Wen An said angrily.
After following them for half a year, they hadn’t discovered Xie Xi showing interest in any young lady, nor did he have any mistress. He didn’t even visit entertainment quarters. Apart from occasionally drinking and composing poetry with close friends, he just studied.
“County Lady, if you’ve investigated for so long without results, it proves this Young Master Xie is truly upright in conduct. He hasn’t done anything to wrong you – what are you hoping to find?” Ming Shu was somewhat between laughter and tears, feeling that County Lady Wen An must have been affected by her parent’s unhappy marriage.
“You don’t understand.” Wen An looked up at her, her eyes showing no confusion, “It’s not that I’m oversensitive or suspicious. I care for him, so naturally I notice him. I can sense those subtle changes in him.”
Ming Shu rubbed her brow: “County Lady, I understand your meaning. I can help you investigate, but I cannot guarantee I’ll find anything.”
“It doesn’t matter, just do your best to investigate. Whether you find anything or not, I’ll accept it. Someone recommended by Yin Miss wouldn’t deceive me,” Wen An said.
“In that case, Ming Shu will try her best, but this…” Ming Shu looked at Yin Shu Jun.
Even close brothers keep clear accounts – surely they understood?
Wen An smiled, called in her maid, and placed a silver ingot on the table: “This is the deposit. When the matter is settled, there will be another hundred taels. If you can find anything, I’ll double it.”
Hearing about silver, Ming Shu’s eyes lit up, and she quickly took the deposit, secretly weighing it – about ten or more taels.
“Don’t worry, County Lady, Ming Shu will xhelp ease your worries.” Facing her wealthy client, even her smile was different.
After discussing business, Ming Shu suddenly remembered something and murmured: “Xie Xi, why does this name sound familiar?”
“We just mentioned him – the second hot candidate for the golden list is Xie Xi. Look, he’s here today too, standing next to Song Qing Zhao,” Yin Shu Jun said, making room and gesturing downstairs.
Ming Shu then noticed a man in blue clothes standing next to Song Qing Zhao. He was also handsome, a modest gentleman, but with Song Qing Zhao’s jade-like presence before him, and having often looked at her brother’s face, Ming Shu felt no stirring in her heart.
The poetry gathering downstairs had ended during the three women’s casual conversation. Unsurprisingly, Song Qing Zhao won the Poetry Champion title, and now people were crowding around to congratulate him.
“Let’s go downstairs.” Wen An stood up first, beckoning to Ming Shu, “Although your taste isn’t great, falling for Song Qing Zhao’s corpse-like face, I quite like you. Very well, I’ll let you have some benefits, come with me.”
Yin Shu Jun, with an expression of anticipating a good show, linked arms with Ming Shu and ran downstairs.
Ming Shu was completely puzzled – benefits? What benefits?
Downstairs, Song Qing Zhao and Xie Xi had already escaped the crowd. Xie Xi was congratulating him: “Brother Song, your skill is still superior. I willingly admit defeat.”
“Young Master is too kind. I am unworthy; it was only thanks to everyone’s courtesy that I could win the championship.” Song Qing Zhao’s face remained calm, showing little joy.
“Stop being modest, how could I not know your ability? Among this year’s candidates, none can surpass you,” Xie Xi said again.
But Song Qing Zhao shook his head: “No, there is one person who, barring accidents, will be my worthy rival. I’ve always wanted to meet him but never had the chance. I came tonight thinking he would be here, but unexpectedly…”
“You mean the Jiangning provincial examination champion, Lu Chang?” Xie Xi slowly spoke a name.
Song Qing Zhao was about to answer when he heard a clear call from behind.
“Cousin, Brother Xie.”
Song Qing Zhao turned his head to see three beautiful young ladies emerging from the brilliant lights.
Ming Shu was a bit dumbfounded, her heart beginning to beat unreliably again. Yin Shu Jun leaned close to her ear and whispered: “I forgot to tell you – the Marquis’s mansion is the Princess’s maiden home. Song Qing Zhao and Wen An are cousins!”
“…” Ming Shu was stunned.