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Two months before Rong Shu was to wed Wen Xi, the latter had already departed the capital.

When he inquired about Wen Xi's departure, Xu Fu merely said that she had a mission to attend to and would return when her time came.

Upon hearing Rong Shu's account, he instantly understood that Wen Xi's mission was to search for someone in Su Prefecture.

But if she was only searching for someone, why the elaborate arrangement of borrowing Madam Hou's help to send her there?

"Miss Rong, do you know who Wen Xi is looking for in Su Prefecture?"

Recalling Mu Nijing's letter, Rong Shu hesitated before answering, "Someone with a scar on their face."

To prevent any misunderstandings, she added earnestly, "Nijing didn't specify whether it was a man or a woman."

Gu Changjin looked at her and nodded, saying, "There's no need to trouble County Princess Danzhu further. I'll send my own people to fetch Wen Xi back. If possible, I hope Miss Rong can keep Wen Xi's situation in Su Prefecture a secret."

Wen Xi must have been on a confidential mission from Xu Fu, and it was crucial not to let anyone from Liuyao Hall know that Rong Shu was searching for Wen Xi. Any disturbance to Xu Fu's people could lead to disastrous consequences.

Assuming Gu Changjin was worried about damaging Wen Xi's reputation due to her search, Rong Shu promptly replied, "Your Excellency, rest assured. Neither Mother nor Mother Zhang knows about this. I'll write to Nijing tomorrow, asking her to withdraw her people. Nijing understands that this is a personal matter of mine, so she won't leak any information."

Having said all this, Rong Shu believed she had been sincere and open in her words.

She had initially worried that Gu Changjin might still be harboring some resentment, but now it seemed she had underestimated his nobility.

It was a regret that she couldn't send Wen Xi back to the capital. She had hoped to make amends and set things right, but it appeared her efforts fell short.

The Mu family had guarded Datong for generations, and Su Prefecture bordered Datong. In Rong Shu's view, seeking their assistance would likely prove more effective in finding Wen Xi.

But since Gu Changjin didn't need her involvement in Wen Xi's affairs, she wouldn't meddle unnecessarily, lest she hinder his plans.

In her previous life, he was the one who personally went to Su Prefecture to fetch her.

Rong Shu bowed slightly and smiled warmly, "Thank you, Lord Gu, for granting our divorce. I wish you success in finding Miss Wen quickly and may you soon find happiness in matrimony."

Gu Changjin gazed at her silently for a while, then softly acknowledged, "Thank you."

"In that case, I won't disturb you further."

Rong Shu draped her fox fur robe around her shoulders, picked up the lantern, and walked towards the door. Pausing, she turned back and asked, "One more thing, if I may, could Lord Gu help alleviate Rong Shu's confusion?"

Gu Changjin looked at her. "What is it?"

"In the year Jiayou 19, why did you go to the Celestial Star Pavilion during the Moon Lady Festival?"

Not expecting such an unrelated question, Gu Changjin pondered for a moment before answering truthfully, "The head manager of the Celestial Star Pavilion had some connection with a case I was investigating. On that night of the Moon Lady Festival, I was conducting a secret investigation."

Gu Changjin had never been fond of crowds, but he went to the Celestial Star Pavilion that night solely to meet the head manager. After their conversation, the manager claimed that he was the only one in recent years to have solved all the lantern riddles and insisted on giving him a Star-Grasping Lantern as a prize.

Gu Changjin had no interest in the lamp and only recalled that a young lady had arrived shortly after.

So, he gave the lamp to her.

Recalling this, his gaze sharpened, as if something flashed across his mind.

He lifted his eyes and asked, "Were you the girl who solved all the lantern riddles that night?"

Rong Shu smiled abruptly.

That rain on Changan Avenue led her to encounter him. She had once believed it was a blessed match bestowed by the Matchmaker, but now she realized it was merely a misunderstanding.

He couldn't even recall that she was the one he had bestowed a lantern upon that fateful night.

Was this how it was when one fell in love? A chance encounter, as ordinary as could be, yet it took on an air of predestination in one's heart and mind.

Recalling her past self, so enamored with the wishing lantern, Rong Shu felt a bittersweet sensation, mixed with a sense of relief.

This bittersweetness and release were solely for her former self.

Rong Shu replied openly, "It was indeed me." She nodded and smiled, saying, "I must express my gratitude for your kind gesture of giving me the lantern. Unfortunately, it broke, and I cannot return it to you. I hope you can forgive me for that."

She bowed once more and turned to push the door open, stepping lightly into the swirling snowstorm outside.

After the maiden had left, the lamp's glow in the room seemed to dim for an instant.

The flickering light from the dying lamp cast a melancholic ambiance.

Gu Changjin gazed at the half-spilled cup of Tusu wine on the desk. With her shallow tolerance for alcohol, if she were to drink this cup, she might very well start another drunken rampage tonight.

Moreover, he and she had never needed a second cup of apology wine between them.

He had never had a love interest before, nor had he ever imagined whom he might marry.

Even if there was...

That person was not Wen Xi.

With his calloused fingertips, the man gently traced the spot where her lips had just been. Then, with a deft flick of his long fingers, the wine found its way down his throat.

Just this once, he decided. Only once.

The liquor burned, yet through his vast memory, Gu Changjin gradually recalled the figure in the Star-Plucking Tower.

The crimson cloak, the yellow lanterns, and that half-immersed face of jade bathed in light.

Back then, that young lady had been nothing more than a fleeting encounter to him.

He hadn't cared whether she was round or slender, nor had he bothered to learn her name or surname.

Yet, in this very moment, knowing that she was indeed that person, Gu Changjin realized that the Mid-Autumn Festival night of Jiaoyu's nineteenth year would never be the same.

Chapter 31

Word quickly reached the Sixth Distant Hall that Rong Shu had not spent the night in the study.

Xu Fu massaged her temples and said to Nurse An, "Go and call Yan'er over here."

When Gu Changjin entered, she went straight to the point. "Yesterday, Rong Shu specifically went to the study to have a drink with you. Did you send her back to Songsi Courtyard?"

Gu Changjin replied, "Yes," a hint of suppressed irritation showing in his eyes.

Xu Fu shook her head. "Your temperament is really..."

She knew he was not interested in women, but he and Rong Shu had been married for almost four months. He couldn't keep treating her so coldly; he needed to at least stabilize her heart and not push her away.

Nurse An hurriedly diffused the tension. "Matters of the heart cannot be forced. It's already remarkable that Young Master has endured this long."