The voices from inside gradually faded, and the candlelight dimmed. Lu Chang and Song Qingzhao seemed to have reached an agreement, and Lu Chang escorted Song Qingzhao out, leaving the room empty.
Above, the bright moon cast its light on a stunned figure—Ming Shu still stood in the same spot.
Who knows how long it took before she finally emerged from her shock, only for the thunderbolt above her head to strike her heart, making it beat violently and uncontrollably, as if about to tear through her chest. This feeling far surpassed what she felt when she first saw Song Qingzhao and considered him the man from her dreams.
Her mind was in chaos. She didn’t know whether to confront Lu Chang about her identity or pretend she knew nothing and continue their sibling relationship. Fearing Lu Chang might return and discover her eavesdropping, she forced herself to quietly walk away.
After walking more than ten steps and reaching the corridor where there was no risk of being discovered, Ming Shu slowed her pace, wandering along the long corridor like a lost soul.
Perhaps the earlier thunderbolts had been too fierce, causing her soul to flee.
For the past year and a half, she had always respected and adored Lu Chang like an elder brother. Though there were moments of girlish coquetry, and they were exceptionally close, she had never thought of anything else. From siblings to man and woman—there was a chasm between the two.
Chaotic images flashed through her mind: one moment it was tonight at the Zhouqiao Night Market, where Lu Chang had wiped her lips with his fingertip; then they sharing food, eating from the same plate of snacks; then her adjusting his clothes and helping him with powder and flowers; then their earlier horseback ride together; then him watching over her bedside when she was seriously ill…
These moments, like spring rain, had nourished imperceptibly.
She shook her head violently to clear these images, then thought about her past.
If they weren’t blood siblings, then who was she? An orphan Madam Zeng had raised since childhood? Or a helpless girl they had rescued? Given their familiarity with her, they must have known her for a long time, yet they never mentioned her background. Even when misunderstood by Lu Wenhan, they refused to reveal it—there must be some other reason.
She was filled with doubts, feeling as if she had returned to when she first awoke. But paradoxically, after a year and a half of living together, she knew in her heart that Madam Zeng’s love and Lu Chang’s character were genuine. She couldn’t believe they harbored ill intentions toward her, so what were they hiding?
Ming Shu wanted to ask Lu Chang for clarity, yet she didn’t want to face him, didn’t want to tear away this veil.
Good siblings suddenly becoming… an ordinary man and woman, such a transformation was too sudden—she couldn’t accept it.
Countless thoughts filled her mind, making her forehead begin to ache faintly.
“Ming Shu?”
Lu Chang’s voice sounded behind her, startling her awake, and instantly dispersing the jumbled thoughts in her mind.
“Didn’t I tell you to go rest? Why are you still out here?” Lu Chang, returning after seeing Song Qingzhao off, had planned to find Madam Zeng in the back courtyard when he spotted Ming Shu wandering like a sleepwalker.
Ming Shu whirled around, indeed seeing Lu Chang holding a lantern. His unruffled appearance was the same as before—those words she had overheard didn’t seem like something someone like him would say. But he had said them; it wasn’t her imagination, nor was it a dream.
The absurd reality was more frightening than a dream.
“It was stuffy inside, so I came out for a walk. I’m heading back now,” she said.
“You don’t look well, are you feeling unwell?” Lu Chang noticed her poor complexion and stepped forward, raising the lantern for a better look.
The lamplight dazzled her eyes, and Ming Shu turned her head slightly, saying only: “A bit of a headache, it’s nothing.”
“Headache?” Lu Chang reached out to feel her forehead.
Ming Shu jumped back a large step, avoiding his hand: “Probably just caught some wind, it’s fine. I’m going back to my room now.”
“Let me escort you…” Lu Chang saw she had no lantern and wanted to accompany her back.
“No need, I can return by myself, you go about your business.” Ming Shu refused him and quickly ran away.
Before Lu Chang could say more, her figure had disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Lu Chang soon discovered that Ming Shu was avoiding him.
After Man Tang Hui opened, Ming Shu went to the shop every morning, while he had to report to the Kaifeng Prefecture office. Usually, they would leave together in the morning, with Lu Chang escorting her to the street outside Man Tang Hui before heading to the prefecture office. In the evening, if there were no official duties, he would personally come to Man Tang Hui to pick up Ming Shu.
Sometimes, when he arrived, Man Tang Hui was still busy and Ming Shu couldn’t leave, so he would sit in the inner hall for a while, drinking tea while waiting for her. Or when he was busy with official duties and couldn’t return early, Ming Shu would stay at the shop longer to wait for him, then they would return home together. Occasionally, they would arrange to explore Bianjing City together, eat at restaurants, and visit all the scenic spots they hadn’t had time to see before, like the Zhouqiao Night Market.
The shop assistants and Ming Shu’s close friends all said they had never seen siblings so close, and at those times Ming Shu would proudly hold his arm, her face full of pride.
Days passed smoothly, each busy with their affairs but accompanying each other. Lu Chang had feelings he couldn’t express, so he brewed them into these ordinary days of life.
However, one day, Ming Shu changed.
She no longer left with him, nor returned with him. In the morning, Ming Shu would leave first, and at night, she would return home early, and then hide in her room behind closed doors. He could hardly see even her smile, which he used to see most often, and when they occasionally met in the residence, she would hurry away before they could exchange more than a few words.
This unusual situation made Lu Chang grow anxious.
Ming Shu had been avoiding Lu Chang.
She didn’t know how to face him, so she simply stayed far away, waiting until her heart calmed before making any plans.
Now her heart had stopped racing, the thunder above had ceased, and her emotions were starting to settle. As she gradually calmed down, she remained somewhat distracted.
“Manager? Manager?” The assistant called several times before finally bringing Ming Shu’s soul back.
“What is it?” Ming Shu only then realized she had been sitting at her desk lost in thought for quite a while.
“The Duke’s heir’s wife is here.”
“What?” Ming Shu stood up abruptly, “Aunt Xu is here?”
As she spoke, she walked outside, lifting the beaded curtain to see Lady Xu admiring Madam Zeng’s embroidered screen in the hall. She stepped forward quickly, ordering the assistants to pour tea while saying to Lady Xu: “In this heat, why did Aunt Xu come personally?”
Lady Xu maintained her old-fashioned manner, keeping up appearances, though, to Ming Shu, this pretense was tinged with affection.
“A new silk shop opened on this street, and I was feeling bored at home, so I came out for a look around. I happened to pass by your shop and wanted to see if there were any fresh designs.”
“We were just organizing samples and designs, planning to send them to your residence for you to choose from. I didn’t expect you to come personally.” Ming Shu smiled, leading Lady Xu to the inner hall.
Soon the assistants brought tea and samples, and Ming Shu personally showed Lady Xu the designs. After looking through everything, Lady Xu found the samples were all old designs and didn’t choose any, but she did select two styles from the design drawings.
“Aunt Xu has good taste, these two pieces… the craftsmanship is complex, still in the trial stage, and we haven’t started mass production or taking orders yet. But since Aunt Xu likes them, we’ll naturally prioritize you. When the samples are ready, we’ll bring them to your residence first for your approval,” Ming Shu said with a smile.
Lady Xu was pleased to hear this and returned the designs to her, then brought up another matter.
“About the old items you had someone deliver to our house yesterday…” She waved her hand, and her maid brought a wooden box to the table.
Ming Shu recognized it as the box containing Liu Wan’s longevity lock and silk handkerchief. Recently, Wen An and Yin Shujun both replied that no one in their households recognized the items, and several familiar families also didn’t know their origins. Ming Shu had finally sent them to the Song residence for Lady Xu to look at.
Compared to the Princess Consort and Madam Yin, Lady Xu was more sociable, and her knowledge exceeded theirs.
“Did Aunt Xu recognize these old items?” Ming Shu asked, touching the box.
Lady Xu nodded, though not entirely certain: “That style of longevity lock can be seen everywhere in Bianjing, I can’t recognize it, but I have seen that silk handkerchief before.”
The familiar handkerchief had taken her quite a while to vaguely recall.
“That ‘Hui’ character—I saw it with the Minister of Works’ wife… Lu lady’s mother, Feng Hui. Her maiden name was just the character ‘Hui’,” Lady Xu said.
Ming Shu was stunned.
“You’ve met Lady Lu and her mother Lady Feng before—that day you even had an unpleasant encounter. How did you come to have Lady Feng’s old belongings?” Lady Xu asked in return.
Ming Shu was also surprised and only said: “Someone entrusted these to me to find the original owner.” She then asked, “Aunt Xu, do you know if Lady Feng, or rather the Lu family, ever lost a child? About sixteen or seventeen years ago?”
Lady Xu furrowed her brow: “Sixteen or seventeen years ago? I can’t remember clearly, but I don’t recall ever hearing about the Lu family losing a child… Wait, no, there was an old case. About seventeen years ago, the Lu family had an incident where an infant was stolen. I heard it was shortly after the baby was a month old—the wet nurse took the child out, and halfway through the journey, kidnappers stole the child. However, I believe those kidnappers were caught half a month later, and the child was found and returned.”
“Do you know which child of the Lu household it was…” Ming Shu asked halfway, then suddenly remembered that Liu Wan’s age matched Lu’s, “Was it Lady Lu, Lu Ruishan?”
“That’s right.”
After seeing Lady Xu off, Ming Shu sat alone in the back hall, staring at the wooden box for a long while.
The origin of the items Liu Wan had entrusted to her had been found, yet it led to another mystery. Ming Shu couldn’t decide whether to tell Liu Wan these results or investigate further…
Recently she had too many worries, making it difficult to sleep at night, leaving her lacking energy. By late morning she was especially drowsy, and as she thought about things, she unconsciously fell asleep. When she woke, it was already evening.
She rubbed her eyes and suddenly jumped up.
The hour seemed late—she needed to pack up and return home, or she would run into Lu Chang again.
Thinking this, she quickly called the assistants, gave instructions for the day’s affairs, and hurriedly left. However, just as she reached the shop entrance, she heard the bell ring, and Lu Chang appeared at the door.
They faced each other, caught in an awkward encounter.
Ming Shu froze, noting that it was still early outside, not yet time for Lu Chang to finish his duties.
“Official duties were light today, so I took leave early and came back first,” Lu Chang explained, seeing through her confusion.
He had come specifically to catch her.
“Going home?” seeing her silence, he asked.
She was about to shake her head when Lu Chang cut off her retreat: “I heard you bidding farewell to the assistants, saying you were heading home.”
“…” Ming Shu let out a somewhat frustrated breath—couldn’t this man be less perceptive about her?
Lu Chang smiled imperceptibly: “Let’s go, together.”
On the summer evening, the heat hadn’t yet dispersed. Ming Shu walked beside Lu Chang toward the alley entrance. The evening sun still shone—Ming Shu walked in the shadow of the roadside eaves while Lu Chang walked outside, most of his body bathed in sunlight, his shadow stretching long on the ground.
Usually, Ming Shu would be chattering and laughing, but today she remained silent. Instead, it was Lu Chang who initiated the conversation, asking about her recent situation. She answered perfunctorily, her thoughts already drifting elsewhere.
They had walked some distance when two children playing chase suddenly darted out from an adjacent alley, nearly colliding with Ming Shu.
“Careful!” Lu Chang grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.
Ming Shu avoided the two children, finding herself against Lu Chang’s side, her hand tightly held in his palm. As if stung by a bee, she quickly yanked her hand away and rapidly retreated two steps.
These two actions ignited the anxiety and frustration Lu Chang had been suppressing.
Ming Shu was about to walk forward, but his arm had already come across, bracing against the wall to block her path.
“Lu Ming Shu, what exactly happened? Why are you… avoiding me like a snake or scorpion?”
Ming Shu bit her lip hard—she couldn’t keep avoiding this.
“You’re not my brother, are you?”
Lu Chang heard her slow voice, unlike its usual crisp tone, and his heart shook violently.