Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Du Zhiqi returned, the sun had already dipped behind the high and low imperial rooftops. Night winds stirred the newly lit lanterns, and shadows crept outward.

The old gatekeeper, Uncle Wen, was slow to answer, but Du Zhiqi did not raise his voice to call out again. Instead, he let his servant clear the way and entered the residence without fanfare, proceeding directly to the outer courtyard.

He had just stepped out of the gates of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs when he saw Ruan Gong riding hard toward him on horseback. But by then, he had already submitted his betrothal card inside.

Part of him felt lingering trepidation that he had acted promptly, while another part dreaded the embarrassment of his niece’s steward making a scene right at the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs’ entrance. He quickly boarded the Gu family’s carriage.

Once he left with the Gu family’s carriage, Ruan Gong could no longer approach him.

With matters settled this way, there was no retrieving the betrothal card now. The Shao family would soon request the Emperor’s decree to seal the marriage alliance between the two families.

Though the matter was decided, it contradicted what his niece had previously insisted upon. Du Zhiqi was still afraid she might confront him with tears and protests.

After all, she was the sole surviving descendant left by his elder brother. If their uncle-niece conflict became common knowledge, wouldn’t it be humiliating?

Unable to resist, he quietly asked a servant, "What is the Elder Miss doing?"

The servant replied, "The Elder Miss is in the western courtyard."

"Has she done anything?"

The servant was unsure. "The young lady hasn’t done anything. The western courtyard is as quiet as it has been these past few days."

Du Zhiqi was taken aback.

Didn’t she already know? Had she… accepted it, seeing that there was no way to reverse the situation?

*

By the second madam’s bedside, Du Runqing had been holding an empty medicine bowl for who knew how long, distractedly.

The maid Rui Xue’s words snapped her back to attention.

"Young lady, the Second Master has returned."

"Father is back? Was the betrothal card submitted?"

Rui Xue didn’t know yet. "This servant will go and inquire."

Before she could finish speaking, someone lifted the curtain and entered, announcing, "No need to inquire. The card was submitted, and the matter is settled."

Both Du Runqing and Rui Xue looked up.

"Ah, Nanny Guan is here?" Rui Xue hurried forward to assist her.

Du Runqing, however, couldn’t help but brighten. "Nanny, why have you come?"

The visitor was none other than Madam Wan’s most trusted confidante, Nanny Guan.

Du Runqing had Rui Xue prepare tea. Nanny Guan first glanced at the second madam, seeing that she had taken her medicine and was sleeping peacefully, then sat down by the small lamp by the window.

"The old madam sent this old servant. She said the young lady is still young and has never experienced such matters. With this mishap, you must be heartbroken, so she dispatched this old servant to ease the young lady's distress."

Her words made the small lamp’s flame flicker, and Du Runqing’s tears spilled forth suddenly.

Nanny Guan exclaimed in dismay, quickly fetching a handkerchief to wipe them away, but Du Runqing only cried harder.

Originally, she had only wanted to use her mother’s sudden illness as an excuse to have her grandmother visit the Du residence naturally.

The marriage alliance between the Shao and Du families had been brokered by her grandmother. Yet, her father, swayed by her elder sister, had reneged on his word and refused to proceed. Not only was she anxious watching the opportunity slip away, but her grandmother would never allow it.

That was why her grandmother instructed her to withhold her mother’s medicine for two days and dismiss the maidservants. They had only intended for her mother to venture out briefly, but who could have guessed she would panic, fall down the stone steps, and gash her forehead…

The memory of her mother’s bloodied face made Du Runqing’s heart quail. Now, her tears wouldn’t stop, and she wept uncontrollably.

Seeing that Madam Wan’s prediction had come true, Nanny Guan quickly reassured her.

"What happened today was purely an accident. It was all because the servants were overreacting and frightened the madam."

Du Runqing still covered her face, weeping. "If I hadn’t withheld Mother’s medicine and dismissed the servants, how could she have been placed in peril?"

She continued her self-reproach, but Nanny Guan countered, "Would the young lady have done such a thing under normal circumstances? In the end, wasn’t it because your elder sister made trouble—first convincing your uncle to go back on his word, then keeping the entire household under such tight control that the old madam and you had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure?"

Her words made Du Runqing’s sobs falter slightly. Nanny Guan patted her shoulder.

"Young lady, don’t cry. No matter what, the matter is settled now. The old madam said you remained remarkably composed despite the mishap, never losing your bearings. Truly, you’re about to have your hair-pinning ceremony—you’ve grown different."

Her grandmother’s praise finally stemmed the young girl’s tears. Ever since her mother’s accident, she had felt as if the sky had collapsed. Fortunately, her grandmother had arranged for her mother to be brought to the capital, looking after her at every turn and guiding her.

Once she stopped crying, Nanny Guan looked at her reddened eyes and teased lightly.

"Putting everything else aside, the young lady’s tearful appearance is truly heartbreaking. Once you’re married after your hair-pinning ceremony, who knows how much your husband will dote on you? Even the most unyielding man would melt into a soft touch."

Du Runqing’s face flushed crimson instantly.

"Nanny, what are you saying? I’m still so young!"

Nanny Guan only laughed harder. "Does the young lady not have someone who's caught your fancy?"

The question made Du Runqing’s eyes and brows fluster uncertainly. She lowered her head, her neck turning crimson.

Nanny Guan chuckled but didn’t tease her further. Instead, she sighed.

"This is the proper path for a young lady. But look at your elder sister—clinging to the deceased husband, refusing to remarry. With her parents gone, she should obey her uncle’s decisions, yet she is locked in disputes with him endlessly. Is this how a woman should behave?

"And your father—such an important matter, and he actually let his niece talk him into halting it. Does he think the Shao family’s proposed marriage is child's play?"

Nanny Guan recalled how, earlier in Madam Wan’s carriage, when the old madam brought up the marriage, Du Zhiqi had hesitated, saying the matter might not be appropriate.

Madam Wan couldn’t help but scold him.

"You’ve lost your mind! You dare to refuse the Shao family’s proposal just like that? Why not slap them in the face directly and let all of the capital witness you humiliating the Shaos?"

Du Zhiqi had turned ashen at that, hastily denying any such intention. But Madam Wan ignored him, having the prepared writing implements brought out, forcing him to write his betrothal card on the spot. The carriage then took him straight to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

Only then was the matter barely managed to accomplish.

Du Runqing listened in a daze but still asked Nanny Guan, "What if my elder sister makes trouble again?"

Nanny Guan smiled. "The old madam said, for all her capabilities, can your elder sister march into the palace and retrieve that betrothal card? Or can she resurrect her Grand Secretary father, to shield her?"

"Neither," Nanny Guan gave a derisive sniff. "At most, she’ll make a scene at home, cry a little—nothing earth-shattering. This is the capital, not some place she can stir up trouble."

Before long, Nanny Guan soon took her leave. After seeing her off, Du Runqing made a point of listening outside the western courtyard on her way back.

The western courtyard was completely silent, not a sound could be heard, as if unaware of everything.

Du Runqing felt a faint unease, but Nanny Guan’s words made sense—what could her sister possibly do now?

*

The West Courtyard.

Qiu Lin sat on the bed with her arms crossed, weeping in frustration. She didn’t want to sob loudly and let others hear, letting others mock her lady, but the tears simply wouldn’t stop falling.

"Before the Eldest Master passed, he treated Second Master with nothing but kindness. Was there anything he didn't share with him? He even bought him his own estate. And now, just a few years after the Eldest Master’s death, he dares to bully his own niece like this?"

Ruan Gong sighed beside her, taking a handkerchief to wipe her tears, only to hear her fume again.

"And Second Miss—who would’ve thought she could put on such an act? No wonder she cried so pitifully. Did she not expect Second Madam to split her forehead from kowtowing? Now that Second Madam is injured, will she and her grandmother blame our mistress for not obeying Second Master’s wishes, leading to this mess? Will they demand sympathy for their suffering and expect comfort?"

Ruan Gong’s expression darkened. "In the end, we were careless."

Qiu Lin agreed. "It’s all your fault. There are only the two of us left by our mistress’s side. If you don’t think things through for her, who will? At the start of the year, you even wished for her to find another good match, saying that once she settled down, we could marry. And now? Her name has been submitted to the palace—her marriage is no longer in her own hands!"

Ruan Gong and Qiu Lin had been betrothed since childhood by their parents. But after Jiang Third Master’s death, Qiu Lin couldn’t bear to leave her mistress alone and had delayed their wedding, insisting on staying by her side.

That was why Ruan Gong had made that remark. Now, he sighed. "It’s my fault. I won’t spout nonsense again."

But what was done was done. The more Qiu Lin thought about their current predicament, the angrier she became, tears falling uncontrollably. Yet she told herself she couldn’t cry anymore—wouldn’t swollen eyes just invite more ridicule?

She wiped her tears fiercely and got up from the bed. "Our mistress has been repairing ancient manuscripts in her room all day without eating. She must have something."

She carried a plate of pastries to Du Lingjing’s chamber.

"Mistress, please eat something? These white rice cakes—I had Ruan Gong buy them from Baita Temple. Didn’t you used to love these?"

She saw her mistress sitting by the window, carefully repairing an ancient text. The leaves of the book were as fragile as withered foliage, and her mistress gently lifted them with bamboo tweezers, placing tissue paper beneath to decipher the faded characters.

Her mistress didn’t answer until Qiu Lin approached with the cakes. Only then did she glance up at the sky.

"Chang Pu returned from Cangzhou?"

Her voice was slightly hoarse. Qiu Lin, having no news, shook her head dejectedly. "Mistress, please eat first. He might have been delayed on the road."

Du Lingjing didn’t touch the white rice cakes, only frowned at the sky.

"Today is already the third day."

It was August 12th—the third day since Chang Pu had left for Cangzhou to find Hu Tingjun. In three more days, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival.

How could Qiu Lin not know that once the festival passed, the imperial marriage decree would arrive? But Chang Pu still hadn’t returned.

Just then, Ruan Gong hurried to the door.

"Mistress, Chang Pu is back!"

Du Lingjing immediately summoned him in.

Chang Pu had just dismounted, his legs unsteady. When Du Lingjing asked if the letter had been delivered, he panted heavily and shook his head.

"No, mistress… it wasn’t delivered…"

Du Lingjing frowned. Ruan Gong couldn’t help but kick him.

"What happened? Speak quickly!"

Seeing how parched he was, Qiu Lin poured him a bowl of water and made him drink. "Enough. Don’t keep our mistress waiting—out with it!"

Once he caught his breath, Chang Pu finally spoke.

"Mistress, something has happened to the Hu family!"

He explained that upon reaching Cangzhou, he had gone straight to Hu Tingjun’s home, only to find that she and her husband, Guo Ting, had left a month prior and never returned. They hadn’t mentioned where they were going. For the first half-month, there had been word of their safety, but afterward, all news ceased.

With Hu Tingjun and her husband missing, the letter couldn’t be delivered.

As for why Chang Pu was late—"I also went to the residence of Eldest Master Hu."

Hu Tinglan had originally been an official in the capital but had been temporarily transferred to Zhending months ago.

Du Lingjing asked gravely, "What of the eldest master’s household?"

Chang Pu shook his head even more.

"Eldest Master Hu’s estate was empty. They left over a month ago. According to the neighbors, they departed in haste—vanished overnight!"

Both siblings of the Hu family had disappeared without warning.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Shao Boju and Hu Tinglan had been sworn brothers-in-arms for over a decade, sharing triumphs and hardships, even a bond forged in life-and-death situations—this was common knowledge.

Now, with the Hu family missing, how could he be thinking of remarrying?

Qiu Lin watched as Du Lingjing fell into deep thought, unsure what she was pondering.

But the next moment, her mistress suddenly looked up and called for Ruan Gong.

"Take my calling card and invite Shao the Tanhua to meet me at the Pillow Moon Pavilion."

*

On the thirteenth day of the eighth month, one day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the capital was adorned with offerings of melons, fruits, and mooncakes.

The streets were packed with people, especially on Lantern Street before the Pillow Moon Pavilion, where holiday lanterns were already up, brilliant and colorful, attracting crowds that flowed like water.

As the largest teahouse on Lantern Street, the Pillow Moon Pavilion was doing a roaring trade, lit up by lanterns, making the building glow as if in daylight, with a constant stream of patrons coming and going.

Du Lingjing hadn’t visited such a lively place in years and got pushed about in the crowd, unable to enter. Instead, she overheard the excited chatter of nearby teahouse patrons.

"Strange—today’s Pillow Moon Pavilion is downright strange. First, I saw Shao the Tanhua paying a visit, which isn’t unusual. But then, guess who else I spotted?"

The crowd leaned in, only for the speaker to continue, as if still doubting his own eyes.

"Just now, I also saw the Yongding Marquis—Marquis Lu!"

There were gasps all around.

Who didn’t know that these two were currently embroiled in a bitter succession struggle? To appear in the same teahouse was unthinkable—aside from the palace, where else would you see them together?

Someone said he must be mistaken. "Impossible. If the Shaos are here, the Marquis Lu wouldn’t come. You must’ve mistaken someone else. Since when does the Pillow Moon Pavilion have that kind of pull?"

Indeed, only the Shaos' sedan chair was outside—no sign of the marquis’s carriage.

Du Lingjing paid no mind to whether the marquis had come. Hearing that Shao Boju had arrived, she composed herself.

She pushed through the clamorous main hall, finding the central staircase packed. Forced to detour, she headed for a dark, out-of-the-way side stairs.

Here, there were fewer people, the noise dampened by a wall of towering lanterns. Ruan Gong went ahead to clear the way, and she ascended toward the private rooms upstairs.

As she turned past the second floor, she peeked down the hallway to avoid running into anyone.

Just as she looked away and took a step, two boys came charging down the corridor, colliding with her before she could dodge. The collision knocked her off balance, her raised foot slipping instantly.

She sucked in a breath, frantically grabbing for the railing when a rush of movement came from behind her.

Someone was suddenly right behind her. Before she could react, a firm hand steadied her, his hand warm against the curve of her waist.

The noise of Zhenyue Lou roared on—laughter, music, the glow of lanterns casting the entire building in brilliant light.

Du Lingjing turned to see the man who had caught her.

His dark brows were drawn slightly together, and two faint scars crossed the bridge of his proud, straight nose. His eyes were dark as inkstone, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Did you twist your ankle?" His voice was low and rough.

His voice was unlike any she’d ever heard. As for his face, for a fleeting moment, she felt she had seen him somewhere—but she couldn’t place it.

She didn’t answer immediately, but the heat of his palm against her waist seeped through, along with a subtle increase in pressure.

His grip held an unspoken authority, just as his question carried an inexplicable intimacy.

As if they shared something beyond this moment.

Du Lingjing stiffened, then pulled free from his grasp.

The man stood on the step below her, yet somehow seemed taller. The lantern light caught a faint glint in his eyes.

Seeing she was unharmed, he merely looked at her, his rough voice softening.

"Zhenyue Lou’s packed lately. Inconvenient everywhere." He paused, then spoke again, his gaze lingering lightly on her lashes, his voice even lower.

"No decent folk here. Best not to come at all."

The din of voices and music made the lanterns flicker in the hallway. In the dim crimson glow, Du Lingjing saw the flickering reflection in his ink-dark eyes, softening his gaze, as if urging her to listen—to turn and leave without meeting Shao Boju.

For a heartbeat, she hesitated.

But the next instant, her brows knit slightly.

"Pardon me, do I know you?"