Cold dishes and fruit wine were served one by one in the private room.
“That’s enough, that’s enough,” Cheng Si-lang hurriedly said, clearly not in the mood for eating or drinking.
Wang Shi’qi-lang waved his hand dismissively.
The woman serving them, dressed in a brightly colored jacket with a low neckline revealing a swath of fair skin, had a blue-and-white cloth sash cinched tightly around her slim waist. Her brows and eyes were enchanting, with a seductive air about her. At his gesture, she stopped what she was doing, caught the handful of coins Wang Shi’qi-lang tossed her way, and threw him a flirtatious glance.
“Many thanks, my good sir,” she said in a sweet, coquettish tone, rising to her feet and leaving the room.
The scent of her makeup lingered in the air.
“Ah, the capital truly is marvelous. Even a wine-seller like her knows how to please,” Wang Shi’qi-lang said with a laugh, tapping Cheng Si-lang on the shoulder with his folding fan. “You lucky fellow, coming to a fine place like this—don’t overdo it and wear yourself out.”
Cheng Si-lang frowned and pushed his fan away.
“I’m here to study!” he said. “This is only the second time I’ve come into the city!”
But Wang Shi’qi-lang paid no attention to his words, grinning as he turned back to sample the wine and dishes again.
“What exactly are you here for?” Cheng Si-lang asked. “Why did you come all the way to the capital?”
Wang Shi’qi took a sip of wine, praising it repeatedly, then poured another cup for Cheng Si-lang and urged him to drink.
“Me? I’m here to bring my fiancée back home,” he said casually.
Cheng Si-lang, who had just reluctantly taken a sip of wine, immediately spat it out.
“Y-Your fiancée?” he stammered.
“Yeah. Want to see what she looks like?” Wang Shi’qi said with a wink.
“What would I look for,” Cheng Si-lang muttered, shaking his head while refilling his cup.
Meanwhile, Wang Shi’qi-lang had already opened a scroll case he carried with him and took out a rolled-up painting.
“Come on, have a look,” he said with a grin.
Cheng Si-lang held his wine cup, glancing sideways with the corner of his eye. A painting?
Wang Shi’qi-lang gave a little shake of his hand and slowly unfurled the scroll.
With a pfft, Cheng Si-lang once again spat out his wine.
“You—you—you—” he choked out, coughing as he pointed a trembling finger at Wang Shi’qi-lang.
“That’s right, this is my fiancée,” Wang Shi’qi-lang said with a grin, carefully rolling the scroll back up.
“What nonsense are you spouting! Wang Shi’qi! Even if she’s sickly, that’s no reason for you to insult her like this!” Cheng Si-lang said in a low voice, face dark with anger.
“Who’s insulting anyone?” Wang Shi’qi replied, still wearing a smug smile. “My family already discussed the engagement with your uncle. It’s settled.”
Is that for real?
Cheng Si-lang stared in astonishment.
“Of course it’s real,” Wang Shi’qi said, taking a few quick steps closer. “Where’s your sister? I want to see her.”
Cheng Si-lang looked conflicted. Though Wang Shi’qi was always a bit frivolous, a matter as serious as marriage was unlikely to be a joke.
Could it be that the family really agreed to this match?
“Your family… they really agreed?” he couldn’t help but ask. “You do know she’s…”
“Of course. Who’s fooling you?” Wang Shi’qi-lang said with a grin. He placed the scroll back into its case, then quickly looked up again. “Where’s your sister? I want to see her.”
Speaking of that, Cheng Si-lang suddenly remembered.
“I haven’t seen her either,” he said.
“You’ve been in the capital this long and still haven’t seen her? What have you been doing?” Wang Shi’qi-lang asked, glaring.
“I came here to study!” Cheng Si-lang glared back, sounding a bit embarrassed. “Besides, I don’t even know where she is.”
“Isn’t she staying at her maternal grandparents’ place?” Wang Shi’qi-lang asked in surprise.
Cheng Si-lang shook his head and let out a sigh.
Even if the marriage is settled, who knows if she’s just stepping out of one cage only to fall into another.
“Then let’s go to the Zhou family!” Wang Shi’qi-lang said, not even bothering with the food and wine as he got up to leave.
Because the building was very quiet during the day, the sound of the two men’s footsteps echoed sharply.
“Shi’qi, slow down,” Cheng Si-lang couldn’t help but whisper.
“Slow down? What for? Who knows what kind of suffering she’s going through—we need to hurry and rescue her,” Wang Shi’qi-lang replied.
The two of them turned a corner in haste and suddenly ran into a group of people.
Before they could see their faces clearly, a dazzling array of clothing shimmered like clouds, and a delicate fragrance wafted toward them.
They quickly stopped and stepped back.
As their clothes brushed past, the group resumed walking.
Wang Shi’qi-lang looked up—and was instantly stunned.
Two young girls, one holding a pipa and the other a jade zither, flanked a tall, graceful young lady as they slowly made their way forward.
Her attire was elegant, her figure light and graceful, her hair pinned up with a single white jade hairpin. Her beauty could shame flowers and outshine the moon, and though she wore no makeup, her eyes sparkled with emotion and spirit. As if sensing their gaze, she glanced in their direction for the briefest moment before continuing on.
Wang Shi’qi-lang and Cheng Si-lang stood rooted in place, dazed and uneasy, as if their souls had left their bodies.
“The capital… truly is a land of immortals…”
After a long while, Wang Shi’qi-lang finally murmured.
After crossing a series of covered walkways, the beauty stepped into a hall, knelt down, and sat gracefully. She let out a soft sigh, as if releasing a heavy burden.
“Lady Zhu,” the young maid behind her said urgently, watching the beauty sit before the mirror, “Are you really not going to have your name removed from the registry? The judicial officer of the magistrate personally offered to clear your status.”
Lady Zhu gazed at her own fresh and delicate reflection in the bronze mirror, her slender fingers with vermilion nails gently brushing inch by inch across her face.
“My body is already considered impure—why go through the trouble of removing my name? Rather than being mocked as impure for claiming chastity, I’d rather be praised for my integrity even as they call me a plaything,” she said slowly.
“But you are innocent to begin with. Who would mock you?” the little maid said, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Then I’ll stay here, where at least one person won’t mock me,” Lady Zhu replied with a faint smile, turning to look at the girl. “Here, I might find someone who won’t scorn me. Out there, I’d never find such a person in my entire life.”
The young maid looked confused, unable to understand.
The door to the room was pulled open, and a young maid came in carefully carrying a tray of fresh flowers.
“Miss, these are newly picked,” she said respectfully.
Lady Zhu looked at her, smiling warmly.
“Chun Ling,” she said, “thank you this time. If it weren’t for your reminder not to rush into making an appeal, that scoundrel wouldn’t have received even this much retribution today.”
Chun Ling raised her head, a little uneasy and nervous.
“I was just speaking nonsense. Back in our village, it was always like this. Someone clearly wicked would fall ill, and people, feeling sorry for him, would rush to ask who had wronged him. As a result, the villain would get off unscathed. Only after some time had passed, when everyone had calmed down and grown indifferent, could things finally be brought up again.”
Lady Zhu nodded.
“That’s exactly right. I was too impatient,” she said, then smiled again and reached out her hand. “Come on, get up.”
Chun Ling thanked her and stood up.
“Chun Ling, is it true you have no family left?” Lady Zhu asked.
Chun Ling shook her head.
“I had thought to redeem your freedom and send you away, but since you have nowhere to go, you might as well stay with me,” Lady Zhu said.
Chun Ling was overjoyed. She knelt and bowed deeply, thanking her again and again.
“Thank you, my lady, for your great kindness—thank you for your great kindness,” she said.
“There’s nothing so great about it,” Lady Zhu replied with a smile, glancing outside. “I vaguely heard someone say that the Liu guy had offended someone he shouldn’t have, and that’s why he met with retribution. I don’t know who that person is, but if we’re talking about true gratitude—that person is the one I truly owe.”
With that, she pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and silently offered a prayer, then bowed deeply in reverence.
Bang! The door was kicked open.
Jin Ge’er let out an “Aiya!”, stumbling back a few steps and nearly falling.
“Hey, what are you doing?” he shouted, glaring at the young man who had just entered.
It had been quite a while since this guy entered like that. Now that he suddenly did it again, Jin Ge’er oddly felt like this was how things were supposed to be.
“Cheng Jiao-niang!” Zhou Liu-lang growled through clenched teeth.
“Young Master Zhou, did you take the wrong medicine again?” a maid called from the corridor.
Cheng Jiao-niang appeared from behind her. Her sleeves were tied up with an armband, and she was holding a bow in her hand. Her temples were slightly damp with sweat—it was clear she had just finished practicing archery.
She looked at Zhou Liu-lang, her expression as emotionless as ever.
Zhou Liu-lang stepped forward, fixing his gaze on her.
“You seem to be living quite freely now that things have gone your way. But have you forgotten something?” he demanded.
“What is it?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
Still pretending to be clueless!
Zhou Liu-lang clenched his teeth.
“Shi’san’s leg—when do you plan to treat it?” he shouted.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him. After a moment, she let out a soft “Oh.”
“Oh, that,” she said. “I completely forgot.”
