The lanterns sparkled like stars, but the person standing beneath them resembled a bright moon. The passing crowd faded into shadowy backgrounds as Ming Shu’s eyes fixed solely on Song Qingzhao.
Fragmented images flashed through her mind. In some elusive memory from a distant time, there was a similar scene – someone waiting quietly for her under brilliant lights.
Who was it? She couldn’t recall. The memories seemed just within reach, but they shattered when she tried to grasp them, ultimately dissolving and reforming into the person standing before her now.
“Wen’an? Why are you here?” Song Qingzhao spoke, his voice unlike his appearance – clear as jade and full of vitality.
Xie Xi, beside him, nodded slightly without speaking.
“I came for a small gathering with my friends and to see the poetry contest,” Wen’an approached and curtsied, smiling at both men. “Congratulations to my cousin and Brother Xie. With you two here, everyone else’s brilliance is overshadowed.”
Song Qingzhao replied, “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s late; the Princess must be worried.”
“We’re about to head back. Since it’s so late, could I trouble my cousin and Brother Xie to escort us home?” Wen’an tilted her head, displaying a girlish demeanor, unlike her behavior in the private room.
Knowing about their engagement, Song Qingzhao interpreted this as Wen’an’s youthful affection. “Then Xie Xi can escort you back. I’ll-“
“The Yin family’s carriage is over there. I won’t trouble Young Master Song. But Ming Shu… she’s a new close friend of the Countess and me. Lu Ming Shu came alone,” Yin Shujun cleverly interjected, pushing Ming Shu forward.
Song Qingzhao looked at the girl standing between Yin Shujun and Wen’an with her head slightly bowed. His brow furrowed briefly before he said, “I understand.” Without further questions, he instructed servants to prepare a carriage.
“I’ll see her home. It’s late; you should return quickly to avoid worrying your elders,” Song Qingzhao said, patting Xie Xi’s shoulder. “I leave Wen’an in your care.”
Xie Xi nodded, his face impassive, showing neither reluctance nor joy. He invited Countess Wen’an into the carriage as if completing a task. Yin Shujun waved goodbye and boarded her family’s carriage, leaving Ming Shu alone with Song Qingzhao.
“Where does Miss Lu reside?” Song Qingzhao asked, leading a horse.
“Shengmin Ward. Thank you for your trouble, Young Master,” Ming Shu replied nervously, answering with utmost propriety.
Song Qingzhao’s face showed a hint of surprise at “Shengmin Ward,” but his good breeding prevented him from questioning it. Her attire and manners suggested an official’s daughter, and her acquaintance with Yin Shujun and Wen’an implied a noble background. Yet Shengmin Ward was where common folk lived.
Ming Shu understood his surprise and felt embarrassed. The grandson of a Marquis probably had never visited a place like Shengmin Ward. She was about to decline his offer when Song Qingzhao spoke first: “Please board the carriage, Miss Lu. I’ll see you home.”
“Thank you,” Ming Shu said, swallowing her refusal and stepping into the carriage.
Song Qingzhao rode on horseback while she sat in his family’s carriage. They traveled in silence until reaching the entrance of Shengmin Ward, where the carriage could go no further. The Lu family’s house was near the end of this street. It was pitch dark, with few pedestrians around. Ming Shu alighted from the carriage, thanking and bidding farewell to Song Qingzhao. He glanced at the dark street and said, “I’ll escort you inside.”
This time, it was Ming Shu’s turn to be surprised. This grandson of a Marquis not only lacked any airs but was also considerate.
“Let’s go,” Song Qingzhao said, not giving Ming Shu a chance to refuse as he entered the alley.
Ming Shu followed behind. It was about a hundred paces from the entrance to her home. They walked in awkward silence. After a moment’s consideration, Ming Shu spoke to break the tension.
“Young Master Song, have we… met before?” she asked. “I feel as if you’re somehow familiar.”
Song Qingzhao turned his head, his profile cold: “I have not met Miss Lu before.”
Ming Shu immediately felt her question was inappropriate. He hadn’t remembered her from that brief glimpse.
“Then I must be mistaken,” she said awkwardly, changing the subject. “I hear you’re a student at Songling Academy. What a coincidence, my brother studies there too.”
He glanced at her again, merely grunting in response, not even bothering to engage.
Ming Shu rarely encountered someone so difficult to converse with. Even mentioning her brother elicited no questions from him, clearly showing he had no interest in associating with her. She wasn’t one to push, and asking further would make her seem like a presumptuous stranger trying to force a connection. So she fell silent.
They completed the journey in silence.
“Mother!” Ming Shu exclaimed, spotting Madam Zeng.
Madam Zeng sat by the door embroidering, looking up at the empty street every few stitches. She was waiting for Ming Shu. Though the street was dark, the light from their open door felt warm and welcoming.
Ming Shu felt both guilty and touched. She quickly said to Song Qingzhao, “This is my home,” before rushing to Madam Zeng’s side like a butterfly.
Song Qingzhao stopped at a distance.
Madam Zeng relaxed upon seeing Ming Shu and stood up. Ming Shu spoke with her briefly, and when they looked back, Song Qingzhao had already turned to leave.
“Ming Shu, who was that? He’s quite handsome. Did he escort you home? Why didn’t you invite him in?” Madam Zeng had noticed Song Qingzhao – the young man was exceptionally good-looking, on par with her son.
“No need, he’s in a hurry to get home too,” Ming Shu said, not even having the chance to thank him properly, feeling a bit disappointed.
“Tell me, whose son is he?” Madam Zeng asked curiously, leading Ming Shu inside.
“Mother… he’s the eldest grandson of the Marquis’s family,” Ming Shu reluctantly answered.
“The Marquis’s family?!” Madam Zeng’s budding hopes instantly deflated. “No wonder he looked so noble. What a pity…”
The gap in social status was too great.
“What are you thinking, Mother?” Ming Shu asked, both amused and exasperated.
“What else would a mother think about? You tell me,” Madam Zeng poked her forehead teasingly, then noticed her unusual attire and began asking questions.
As Ming Shu removed her hair ornaments, she patiently recounted the day’s events to Madam Zeng, omitting only the Countess’s matters. The mother and daughter enthusiastically chatted late into the night before finally washing up and retiring.
That night, Ming Shu had a dream.
In the dream, a young man in a blue robe watched her from afar under the lanterns.
His face was blurred.
Having accepted Countess Wen’an’s task, Ming Shu devoted herself to it wholeheartedly. The very next day, she began investigating Xie Xi’s affairs.
With the imperial examinations approaching, Xie Xi was a hot favorite for the golden list, and his reputation was well-known. Ming Shu easily gathered information about him in teahouses.
The public rumors about Xie Xi largely matched what Countess Wen’an had said. Praise for his character even surpassed that of his scholarly achievements.
Xie Xi was universally acclaimed as a gentleman, almost to the point of eschewing women like an ascetic.
He hadn’t accepted the concubines arranged by his family. Only male servants and pageboys attended him, with no close-serving maids. He never visited brothels, had no female confidantes, and focused solely on his studies. His associates were either noble sons of equal status or young scholars in the capital.
Ming Shu had already verified the Yongqing Marquis household matters through Tao Yiqian and Yin Shujun. Xie Xi indeed had no concubines or maids in his quarters. As for his activities outside, the Countess’s people had followed him for half a year, presumably investigating thoroughly. They had ruled out the possibility of a mistress, and he hadn’t been particularly close to any young ladies. To test his character, the Countess even sent a courtesan to tempt him, but Xie Xi proved to be incorruptible, remaining unmoved.
With such comprehensive investigations yielding no results, Ming Shu struggled to find a new angle.
She pondered what areas the Countess might have overlooked.
After much thought, she identified one: the academy.
Unlike Song Qingzhao, Xie Xi wasn’t a student at Songling Academy.
While Song Qingzhao, though the grandson of a Marquis, wasn’t the eldest and couldn’t inherit the title. With no interest in competing with his elder brother, he chose the path of imperial examinations. For a better learning environment, he forfeited his privilege to enter an official school and instead tested into Songling Academy.
Xie Xi, already the heir to the Yongqing Marquis, saw the imperial exams as merely an added achievement. He used his family’s influence to enter an official school and wasn’t a Songling Academy student.
The academy was full of men, and the Countess’s servants hadn’t investigated Xie Xi’s activities there.
A seemingly absurd thought occurred to Ming Shu.
The Countess’s investigation had been thorough, but it focused on male-female relationships. What if…
It was just a possibility, she thought.
What if Xie Xi had a preference for men?
In the Da’an Dynasty, such inclinations weren’t uncommon. Throughout history, from high officials to commoners, there have always been those who favored men. The Da’an Dynasty was no exception, though due to issues like continuing the family line, such preferences were often viewed as taboo.
Ming Shu was open-minded. She didn’t hold prejudices against such preferences, believing that some inclinations were innate and difficult to change. However, she believed that life involved choices and sacrifices. Choosing a difficult path to obtain certain things meant giving up others and bearing the resulting criticism. What she couldn’t accept was satisfying one’s desires while sacrificing innocent people as a cover.
In this world, having it both ways was rare.
Regarding women, Xie Xi was not interested. This left only one possibility.
She felt she needed to investigate this matter.
To do so, she had to enter the academy. While she couldn’t access the official school, Xie Xi periodically visited Songling Academy to see friends. If he did have such inclinations, she might find clues there.
Fortunately, she could enter Songling Academy.
Because Lu Chang was there.
The new clothes Ming Shu had made for Lu Chang were ready, providing her with a perfect excuse to visit her brother again. Countess Wen’an had sent word that Xie Xi was heading to Songling Academy to visit friends. Without delay, Ming Shu packed the clothes, along with a basket of eggs and a jar of preserved fish, and set off for the academy.
As before, she arrived near noon. The academy’s gatekeeper recognized her and called a page to escort her to Lu Chang.
“Master Lu has been summoned to the library by the headmaster. He’s likely busy now. Please wait in his room,” the page said, leading her to Lu Chang’s quarters.
Ming Shu thanked him. After the page left, she set down her heavy items and carefully arranged the new clothes on Lu Chang’s bed, placing accessories like fans, fan pouches, and sachets alongside.
She crouched by the bed, admiring her work and imagining how dashing her brother would look. Time passed, but Lu Chang didn’t return. Her legs grew numb, so she stood up and paced the room, pondering how to find Xie Xi. Suddenly, she heard voices outside.
“Brother Gao and the others must have arrived. Let’s hurry over.”
“If they’re here, they can wait a bit. Why are you rushing? Watch your step!”
Ming Shu didn’t recognize the first clear voice, but she knew the second one.
After the figures passed by, she quietly cracked open the door, watching two men walk past Lu Chang’s room.
It was as if her search had effortlessly borne fruit.
One man was tall, Xie Xi, and the other shorter, reaching only to Xie Xi’s shoulder. The shorter one wore the scholar’s robe of Songling Academy, with a slim build and agile steps.
Not daring to delay, Ming Shu slipped out, gently closed the door, and stealthily ran into the foliage outside the corridor. Using the plants as cover, she secretly followed the pair around to a pavilion behind the bamboo grove.
Voices of young men in lively discussion drifted from inside. The two men quickened their pace and entered, disappearing from Ming Shu’s sight.
Eager to get a clear look at the young man with Xie Xi, she glanced around and noticed an open window on the pavilion’s south side. She crept along the wall to the window, grasped the sill, and slowly… slowly… raised her head to peer inside.
The scene inside was about to come into view. She held her breath and tilted her head up, her line of sight just about to clear the window sill. In her excitement, suddenly her heart skipped a beat.
Their eyes met – her upturned face and Song Qingzhao’s downward gaze…
An unexpected encounter.