It took two days for the red marks on Yining’s wrists to fade. She also heard that Shen Yu’s petition to be named heir apparent had been withdrawn.
When she next saw Shen Yu, it was when the Marquis of Zhongqin brought him to apologize.
Shen Yu had lost a lot of weight, his face unnaturally pale. Standing at the bottom of the steps, he looked at her from afar, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating.
Seeing him reminded Yining of that day’s events. She stepped back slightly, holding Qingqu’s hand for support.
Shen Yu’s voice was low: “Sister Yining… I was wrong. I was bewitched to treat you that way.” He knelt and continued, “I’ve given up the position of heir apparent to my third brother. I… I wasn’t supposed to come, but I still wanted to apologize to you. So I begged my father to bring me… The Duke only allowed me to say a few words to you. I’ll leave after I finish.”
When he returned home that day, he was severely injured. The Marchioness held him as she cried, and the Marquis scolded him. Only then did he gradually come to his senses. “I was a scoundrel. You have every right to blame me. I deserve to be punished. Why don’t you hit me yourself? You’ll feel better after hitting me.”
Yining looked at the blue chengzi robe he was wearing, remembering how he had wanted to give her a sachet that day… She held back her emotions and said, “You should go. Let’s not mention this matter again.”
She didn’t want to see Shen Yu again, so she turned and walked towards Wei Ling’s study. What good would hitting him do? Could it make up for what happened?
Shen Yu wanted to say more to her, but the guards from the East Garden blocked him from approaching. He could only watch as she walked away.
Wei Ling was talking to someone in his study. As soon as Yining was announced, she saw that the person sitting opposite Wei Ling was none other than Lu Jiaxue. He turned his head to look at her when he heard her voice.
Inwardly, she lamented that she couldn’t find peace anywhere. She curtsied slightly and said, “Father, since you have a guest, I’ll take my leave.”
Wei Ling smiled and said, “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. Your godfather rarely visits.”
Yining stood expressionless at the door. She could still feel Lu Jiaxue looking at her as she slowly turned her head and asked, “Does Father have any instructions?”
“I just had the servant brew some new Hanyang Mist Tea for your godfather. Why don’t you bring it over to him?” Wei Ling said.
Yining didn’t move. Lu Jiaxue smiled and said, “There’s no need. I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Godfather is a guest,” Yining said. Although she didn’t understand why Wei Ling suddenly asked her to serve tea to Lu Jiaxue, she still left the study.
After the heavy rain, there had been two days of sunshine. At the end of the winding corridor was the tea room. Wei Ling’s courtyard was very large, with green willows planted along the corridors. It was the season when thousands of willow branches hung down like green silk threads. The sunlight filtering through the leaves felt warm on her skin. Several tea room maids saw her approach and quickly curtsied, calling her “Young Miss.” Yining told them not to stand at on ceremony and asked, “Where is the newly brewed Hanyang Mist Tea?”
She carried the tea back, a refreshing aroma wafting from the cup. Pearl and the others followed behind her, not daring to offer help. As she reached the door, she heard Lu Jiaxue speaking inside: “The Oirat are fierce warriors. They’ve been pillaging and plundering at the border markets. The Commander of Longmen Garrison can’t hold out. Only if you go can I feel at ease… You should have gone at the beginning of the year, but it was delayed due to the Emperor’s ascension. By now, you should have already been promoted to Xuanfu General.”
Yining paused upon hearing this. She knew Wei Ling often went on military campaigns and would likely leave again sooner or later. But she hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
She then heard Wei Ling say, “The Emperor has only recently ascended the throne, and already the Oirat are causing trouble, especially at the newly opened horse markets. The Oirat tribes must be feeling powerful now. I’m afraid even I might struggle to hold them back.”
Lu Jiaxue chuckled, “You and I have fought many campaigns together. When the Northern Yuan tried to reclaim their old territory, it was you and I who drove them back. Now I can’t leave the capital, so I can only send you first.”
At this point, Yining entered with the tea. Seeing that Wei Ling wasn’t speaking, she placed the teacup beside Lu Jiaxue.
As she lowered her head, she noticed the lion pattern on Lu Jiaxue’s belt. When he picked up the teacup, the joints of his hand were slightly prominent – the hand of a martial artist. Yining had always wondered how she hadn’t realized Lu Jiaxue knew martial arts before when it was so obvious. Lost in thought, she looked up to find Lu Jiaxue watching her, but he quickly averted his gaze.
Yining was certainly unaware that today she was wearing a light pink smoke-patterned silk dress, which accentuated her youthful charm, making it increasingly evident.
Lu Jiaxue gripped the teacup tightly and took a sip, saying, “Your tea-making skills are quite good.”
Yining thought to herself, that she hadn’t made the tea, she had merely brought it over. She remembered how in the past, after making tea for him so many times, she had never heard a word of praise. Instead, it was always complaints like “The water is cold,” “Too many tea leaves,” and “You added the tea leaves in the wrong order…” When she became upset, she would raise an eyebrow and ask him, “What order could there be for tea leaves?” What could an uneducated young master like him know?
Lu Jiaxue would then seriously say, “The flavor of tea stems and leaves are different. You can’t just pour them in all at once. When I was drinking tea with others at the Zuixian Pavilion, I saw…” Halfway through, seeing her displeased expression, he would smile and say, “Alright, alright, make it however you like. As long as I’m the one drinking it, it’s fine. No one else will drink your tea anyway!”
After many years, to receive a word of praise from him was indeed rare.
Wei Ling saw Lu Jiaxue give him a look and then said, “…Yining, you may go now.”
Yining calmly collected the lacquer tray and left.
Seeing Yining leave, Lu Jiaxue put down his teacup and said, “I know you’re reluctant to go to Xuanfu now. But I’ve already requested it from the Emperor. His edict should arrive soon… The court has just stabilized. Maintaining peace in Xuanfu will certainly bring benefits. It’s best not to refuse.”
…
After finishing their discussion, Wei Ling saw Lu Jiaxue out. Upon returning, he found Yining waiting for him in the study.
His expression had been grim, but seeing her, he smiled and asked, “What’s the matter? Why aren’t you going back to your quarters?”
Yining looked at him and asked, “Father, are you going to be appointed as the Xuanfu General?”
Yining knew about the Mongolian Oirat tribes. They had repeatedly invaded the border, and several Yuan dynasty generals had even lost their lives there. She didn’t know everything about what would happen in the future, but she did know that the Oirat had once nearly breached Longmen. In the future she knew, Wei Ling should be safe. But she also knew that he and Lu Jiaxue would gradually grow distant, so she wasn’t sure exactly what would happen to Wei Ling.
Wei Ling patted her head, “I’m used to military campaigns. I’ve only stayed a few extra months because you’re at home. By the way, I heard your former stepmother has moved to the capital. Would you like to go see her? Why don’t I have your third brother come to take you for a few days?”
Yining thought about what Lu Jiaxue and Wei Ling had just discussed and had an ominous feeling. Ignoring what Wei Ling had just said, she grasped his hand and said, “Father, is it that you don’t want to go? I’ve heard that the border area is very dangerous. Why don’t you decline the Emperor’s edict? No position, not even Xuanfu General, is more important than your life.”
Lu Jiaxue was not a good person. Wei Ling knew this well. For him, nothing was more important than personal gain.
Moreover, Lu Jiaxue had already requested this from the Emperor, so naturally, he couldn’t refuse. Besides, he should have continued as Xuanfu General anyway. It was only after having a daughter that he suddenly became afraid of death. He had long anticipated this assignment, which was why the military drills he supervised had been much stricter than usual.
Wei Ling smiled and said, “It’s not something I can just refuse. It’s not as dangerous as you think. I used to be stationed in the Xuanfu area, so I’m familiar with their habits.”
Knowing he couldn’t refuse, Yining bit her lip and asked, “When will you leave?”
“Commander Sun Hao of Longmen Garrison has urgently requested help, so I’ll probably have to leave in a few days,” Wei Ling said. Seeing the look in the girl’s eyes, he comforted her, “I’ll be fine. It’s you staying in the capital that I’m worried about—” Thinking of recent events, Wei Ling felt a chill in his heart. What if something happened to Yining while he wasn’t in the Duke’s mansion? Although he could assign guards to protect her, guards were merely physical protection. The situation with his mother and Mingzhu was unclear, so it might be better to have her third brother take her to stay with him.
Luo Shenyuan was a very reliable person. As for Lu Jiaxue… he couldn’t trust him at all. He only hoped that considering Yining was his goddaughter, Lu Jiaxue would offer her some protection.
Hearing his words, Yining smiled bitterly and said, “I’m grown up now, what are you worried about? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things in the mansion for you.”
Wei Ling didn’t take her words seriously. He still didn’t feel comfortable leaving Yining in the Duke’s mansion.
He took Yining to pay respects to Old Madam Wei and told her about the Xuanfu General position.
Old Madam Wei was used to her son’s occasional military campaigns. Although reluctant, she remained calm. She would simply pray to Buddha one more time each day while her son was away.
Sure enough, the imperial edict arrived a few days later, appointing Wei Ling as Xuanfu General. Wei Ling accepted the edict and returned home, ordering preparations to begin the next day.
Yining returned from paying respects to Buddha at Old Madam Wei’s quarters, only to find her third brother sitting in her courtyard drinking tea.
Luo Shenyuan had probably just come from court. This was the first time Yining had seen him in his official robes. The crimson official robe accentuated his tall, slender figure, adorned with cloud and wild goose patterns. He looked very proper and serious, his thick eyebrows making him appear even more dignified and handsome. Yining didn’t know how others felt seeing him, but she certainly wanted to address him as “Lord Luo.”
“Third Brother, why are you here?” she asked, walking towards him with pleasant surprise.
Luo Shenyuan turned to look at her.
“Your father asked me to come get you,” Luo Shenyuan told her. “I have a courtyard in the West Fang Alley. Mother will be coming soon, and she misses you. Why don’t you come stay for a few days?”
Why had Wei Ling still sent Third Brother to get her?
Realizing it had indeed been a long time since she’d seen Lin Hairu, Yining did want to see her.
“Aren’t you busy these days?” Yining asked as she sat down, instructing her maids to pack her things. She had heard that Luo Shenyuan had recently taken on a difficult case. As he had just become the Junior Minister of Justice, all the court officials were watching him closely. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
“I still have time to come get you,” Luo Shenyuan said. “I happened to meet Lord Cheng on the way, so we came together. He went to pay respects to Old Madam Wei.”
Hearing Luo Shenyuan mention Cheng Lang, Yining couldn’t help but think of the recent incident.
Cheng Lang had seen her but didn’t help. If he hadn’t told Luo Shenyuan in the end, she probably wouldn’t be sitting here safely now…
She had raised this child… Their relationship now, it seemed, had run its course.
It should have run its course long ago. She considered herself a different person from her past life, so naturally, there was no question of things running their course or not. Cheng Lang’s actions were inappropriate, but she couldn’t say anything to him. She could only feel pained that he had truly become so cold. Yining snapped out of her thoughts and said, “Then please wait a moment. I’ll go tell Father.”
When Cheng Lang came from Old Madam Wei’s quarters, he found the courtyard empty.
He had been busy these past few days and hadn’t had a chance to come over. He had wanted to apologize to the little girl. He did bear some responsibility for what happened, and Yining had indeed looked pitiful when Luo Shenyuan carried her out in the end. But after looking around and finding no one, with only a few maids cleaning the courtyard who respectfully curtsied and called him “Young Master,” he decided to leave.
Cheng Lang grunted in response. Since she wasn’t here, he might as well go. The little girl probably didn’t want to see him anyway. He had important matters to attend to and would come back another day.
As Cheng Lang was about to step out of the room, the phoenix-headed parrot hanging from the eaves spotted him.
Not having been taken along by its owner, it seemed a bit unhappy. But upon seeing Cheng Lang, it perked up a bit. It took a few steps on its perch and suddenly called out, “A’Lang, A’Lang!”
Cheng Lang’s footsteps suddenly halted.
He slowly raised his head, the smile gradually fading from his face.
The parrot’s mimicry was remarkably clever, even imitating the tone perfectly. He suddenly remembered that day when he woke up and saw her teasing the parrot. In the dim light, she smiled and asked, “Cousin, did you dream of something?”
He had dreamed of something. He dreamed that she had returned to his side, comforting him, saying, “A’Lang, go to sleep. I’m here. Everything’s fine.”
The parrot, noticing he wasn’t responding, tilted its head and called out again, “A’Lang, A’Lang!”
Cheng Lang turned back, his smile completely gone.
He walked into the courtyard and called a maid, asking, “Where’s Yining? Where did she go?”
The maid, never having seen him with such an expression, hesitated and said, “Young Master…”
“Where did she go?” Cheng Lang suddenly lost control, trembling all over at the possibility. He grabbed the maid’s clothes, “Tell me quickly!”
The maid was startled by him, her voice becoming stuttered, “The Young Miss… went out with Third Young Master Luo. They… they should have passed the screen wall by now.”