The lanterns sparkled like stars in the night, and beneath them stood a person who resembled the bright moon. The bustling crowd passing by became mere shadows, as Ming Shu’s eyes were fixed solely on Song Qingzhao.
Fragments of memories flashed through her mind, as if in some distant year and month that she couldn’t quite grasp, there had been a similar scene where someone had stood waiting for her under brilliant lights.
Who was it? Who was that person?
She couldn’t remember no matter how hard she tried. Those memories seemed to be right before her eyes, yet they shattered at her touch, finally dispersing and transforming into the person standing before her now.
“Wen An? What brings you here?” Song Qingzhao spoke first, his voice unlike his usual demeanor – clear as jade and full of vitality.
Xie Xi, who stood beside him, gave a slight nod without speaking.
“I came here for a small gathering with my handkerchief friends, and to watch the poetry competition,” Wen An stepped forward with a curtsy and smiled at both of them. “Congratulations to my cousin and Young Lord Xie. With both of you present, you’ve completely outshone everyone else.”
Song Qingzhao replied, “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s getting late, the Princess Consort must be worried.”
“I’ll head back right away. Since it’s so late, could I trouble my cousin and Young Lord Xie to escort us home?” Wen An tilted her head, unlike her behavior in the private room earlier, now fully embracing a girlish demeanor.
Knowing that their marriage had been arranged, Song Qingzhao indulged her feminine wishes: “Then let Xie Xi escort you home, I’ll…”
“The Yin family’s carriage is over there, so I won’t trouble Young Master Song. However, Ming Shu… she’s a new close friend that the County Princess and I just made, Lu Ming Shu. She came alone,” Lady Yin Shujun suddenly became clever and pushed Ming Shu forward.
Song Qingzhao looked at the young lady who stood between Lady Yin and Wen An with her head slightly lowered. His brows furrowed briefly before quickly saying, “I understand.” Without further questions, he ordered servants to prepare a horse and carriage.
“I will escort her home. It’s late, you should all 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 completely calm, showing neither rejection nor joy, as if merely completing a task as he invited County Princess Wen An into the carriage. Lady Yin waved goodbye to them and boarded her own family’s carriage, leaving Ming Shu alone with Song Qingzhao.
“Where does Lady Lu reside?” Song Qingzhao asked, leading a horse over.
“Shengmin Ward, thank you for your trouble, Young Master,” Ming Shu replied nervously, maintaining proper etiquette.
When Song Qingzhao heard “Shengmin Ward,” a hint of surprise crossed his face, but his good upbringing prevented him from asking – seeing her dress and manners like those of an official’s daughter, and her association with Lady Yin and Wen An, he had assumed she came from a wealthy family. However, Shengmin Ward was where common people lived.
Ming Shu knew what he was surprised about, and felt somewhat embarrassed. The legitimate grandson of a Duke’s family probably had never visited a place like Shengmin Ward in his life. She was about to speak up and say she could return on her own, when Song Qingzhao spoke first: “Lady Lu, please get in the carriage. I’ll escort you home.”
“Thank you,” Ming Shu could only withdraw her refusal and board the carriage.
Song Qingzhao rode on horseback while she sat in the Song family 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, and it was pitch dark with few pedestrians about. Ming Shu alighted from the carriage and thanked Song Qingzhao, bidding him farewell. Song Qingzhao looked at the dark street and said, “Let me escort you inside.”
This time it was Ming Shu who was surprised – this legitimate grandson of a Duke’s family not only showed no arrogance but was also considerate of details.
“Let’s go.” Without giving Ming Shu a chance to refuse, Song Qingzhao had already stepped into the alley.
Ming Shu followed behind him. It was about a hundred paces from the entrance to her home. The two walked one in front of the other, neither speaking, creating an awkward silence. Ming Shu considered for a moment before speaking up, trying to break the awkwardness.
“Young Master Song, have we… met before?” Ming Shu asked. “I feel somewhat familiar with you.”
She asked directly.
Song Qingzhao turned his head, his profile looking cold: “I have not met Lady Lu before.”
Ming Shu immediately felt she had been too forward.
From that brief glimpse that day, Song Qingzhao hadn’t remembered her.
“Then perhaps I was mistaken,” she said sheepishly, changing the subject, “I heard Young Master Song is a student at Songling Academy. What a coincidence, my elder brother also studies there.”
He glanced at her again, merely giving an “mm” in response, not even bothering to engage in conversation.
Ming Shu hadn’t met someone so difficult to talk to in a long time. She had even mentioned her brother, yet he didn’t even ask about him, clearly showing no interest in forming any connection with her. She wasn’t an insensitive person, and asking more would make her seem like a street prowler trying to force a relationship, so she closed her mouth.
Thus in silence, the two completed their journey.
“Mother!” Ming Shu spotted Madame Zeng at first glance.
Madame Zeng sat at the doorway doing embroidery, looking up at the empty street after every few stitches. She was waiting for Ming Shu, and though the street was dark, the lamplight from their open door provided warm comfort.
Ming Shu felt both guilty and touched, only saying to Song Qingzhao: “This is my home.” Then she flew like a butterfly to Madame Zeng’s side.
Song Qingzhao stopped at a distance.
Madame Zeng relaxed upon seeing Ming Shu and stood up from her stool. Ming Shu held her and exchanged a few words. When they looked back at Song Qingzhao, he had already turned and left.
“Ming Shu, who was that? Such a handsome young man. Did he escort you home? Why didn’t you invite him in to sit?” Madame Zeng had also noticed Song Qingzhao – the young man was exceptionally good-looking, on par with her son.
“No need, he’s rushing home too,” Ming Shu didn’t even have time to say thank you and felt somewhat disappointed.
“Which family’s young master is he? Tell Mother about him.” Madame Zeng linked arms with Ming Shu as they entered the house, still curious.
“Mother… he’s the legitimate grandson of the Duke’s family,” Ming Shu had to say.
“The Duke’s family?!” Madame Zeng’s budding thoughts immediately extinguished, “No wonder he looked so noble. Ah, what a pity…”
The social gap was too wide.
“What are you thinking about, Mother?” Ming Shu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“What else could a mother think about? What do you think?” Madame Zeng poked her forehead and asked in return, then noticed her unusual attire and began asking questions about everything.
Ming Shu answered Madame Zeng while removing her hairpins and ornaments. Except for the County Princess’s family matters, she patiently told her mother everything about today’s experiences. Mother and daughter chatted enthusiastically late into the night before finally washing up and retiring.
That night, Ming Shu had a dream.
In the dream, there was a young man in cyan robes, watching her from afar under the lanterns.
His face was blurry.
Having accepted County Princess Wen An’s task, Ming Shu naturally devoted herself to it wholeheartedly, beginning her investigation into Xie Xi’s matters the very next day.
With the imperial examinations approaching and Xie Xi being a hot favorite for the golden list this session, his reputation preceded him. Ming Shu only needed to make a few inquiries at the teahouse to learn about Xie Xi’s character.
The street rumors about Xie Xi didn’t differ much from what County Princess Wen An had said, with praise for his character ranking even above his scholarship.
Xie Xi was a universally praised gentleman, almost to the point where his distance from women suggested he could become a monk.
He hadn’t accepted the serving maids arranged by his family, and only kept male servants and study boys around him, without a single close-serving maid. He never visited brothels or entertainment houses, had no female confidantes, and focused solely on his studies. His associates were either noble sons of equal status or young examination candidates in the capital.
Regarding matters at the Yongqing Marquis’s mansion, Ming Shu had already verified through Tao Yiqian and Lady Yin Shujun that Xie Xi indeed hadn’t accepted any serving maids in the mansion and had no maids by his side. As for his activities outside, the County Princess had had people following him for half a year, so the investigation should have been quite thorough. The possibility of a mistress could be ruled out, and he hadn’t been particularly close to any young ladies in his daily life. To verify his character, the County Princess had even arranged for a courtesan to test him, but unexpectedly, Xie Xi proved to be completely virtuous, remaining unmoved by temptation.
With such a thorough investigation yielding no results, Ming Shu couldn’t think where else to look.
She could only consider what areas might have been overlooked by the County Princess.
After much thought, she found one place.
The academy.
Xie Xi was different from Song Qingzhao.
Though Song Qingzhao was the legitimate grandson of the Duke’s family, he wasn’t the eldest grandson. Unable to inherit the title and having no interest in competing with his elder brother, he decided to pursue the imperial examination path. For a better learning environment, he gave up the opportunity to enter the official school through ancestral privilege and instead tested into Songling Academy.
Xie Xi was already the heir to the Yongqing Marquis’s family, and the imperial examinations were merely icing on the cake for him. He attended the official school through ancestral privilege and wasn’t a student at Songling Academy.
The academy was full of men, and the servants the County Princess sent to follow him hadn’t investigated Xie Xi’s movements within the academy.
Ming Shu had a vague, absurd thought.
The County Princess’s investigation had been thorough enough, but it had only covered matters between men and women, so what if…
She thought, just what if.
What if Xie Xi had a preference for men?
Such preferences weren’t rare in the Great An Dynasty. From ancient times to the present, from high officials to common people, there have been many who favored men, and the Great An Dynasty was no exception. However, due to issues like continuing the family line and other ethical matters, such preferences have always been viewed by society as a terrible scourge.
Ming Shu was open-minded and didn’t hold much prejudice against such preferences. People had seven emotions and six desires, and some preferences were innate and difficult to change. However, life involved choices and sacrifices – choosing a difficult path meant having to give up certain things to gain others, bearing the criticism one should bear. One couldn’t both satisfy private desires and sacrifice innocent others as a facade – this was what she despised and couldn’t accept.
In this world, perfect solutions were rare.
Regarding women, Xie Xi had no issues. This was the only possibility left.
She felt she needed to investigate this matter.
To investigate this, she would have to enter the academy. She couldn’t enter the official school, but fortunately, Xie Xi would visit friends and stay at Songling Academy periodically. If he truly had such preferences, perhaps she could find some clues at Songling Academy.
And as luck would have it, she could enter Songling Academy.
Because Lu Chang was there.
The new clothes she had made for Lu Chang were ready, providing Ming Shu with a perfect excuse – she could visit her brother again.
County Princess Wen An sent word that Xie Xi had already set out to visit friends at Songling Academy these past few days. Ming Shu didn’t delay, immediately packing clothes along with a basket of eggs and a jar of preserved fish, and headed to Songling Academy for a family visit.
Like last time, she arrived near noon. The academy’s doorkeeper recognized her and called a study boy to take her to find Lu Chang.
“Master Lu has been called to the library by the headmaster and might not be free at the moment. Miss, please wait in his room for now,” the studying boy said after leading her to Lu Chang’s room.
Ming Shu thanked him, and after the study boy left, she put down all the heavy items she was carrying. Finally, she refolded the newly made clothes neatly and placed them on Lu Chang’s bed, then arranged items like fans, fan pouches, and sachets one by one beside the clothes.
She crouched by the bed to admire them, imagining how dashing her brother would look wearing them, but after waiting for quite a while, Lu Chang still hadn’t returned. Her legs had gone numb from crouching, so she stood up and paced around the room, thinking about how to find Xie Xi, when suddenly she heard voices outside.
“Brother Gao and the others must have arrived already, let’s hurry over.”
“If they’ve arrived, they can wait a while. Why are you walking so fast? Watch your step!”
Ming Shu didn’t recognize the clear, resonant voice of the first speaker, but she remembered the second voice.
After the shadows passed quickly by the door, Ming Shu quietly opened the door a crack, watching the two people who had passed Lu Chang’s room.
It was truly a case of finding without searching what she had searched for everywhere.
The two people, one tall and one short – the tall one was Xie Xi, and the shorter one only reached Xie Xi’s shoulder, wearing the scholar’s robes of Songling Academy, with a thin frame but nimble steps.
Ming Shu didn’t dare delay. She slipped out of the room, quietly closed the door, and tiptoed into the grass and trees outside the corridor. Using the vegetation as cover, she secretly followed the two to a pavilion behind the bamboo grove.
Young men’s voices in heated discussion could be heard from inside the pavilion. The two quickened their pace and entered the pavilion, and Ming Shu could no longer see them.
She very much wanted to see the appearance of the young man walking with Xie Xi. Looking around, she discovered that the windows on the south side of the pavilion were open, so she crept along the wall to that window, grabbed the window frame with both hands and slowly… slowly… raised her head to peek.
The scene inside was about to become clear. She held her breath and raised her head, her line of sight about to cross the window frame when suddenly her heart stopped.
Their eyes met – her upturned face and Song Qingzhao’s downturned one…
An unexpected encounter.