Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A first encounter? Du Lingjing paused.

Beside her, Du Zhiqi was first surprised to see the marquis treating his niece with such courtesy, and then astonished to learn that the two had met before.

But the Moonlit Tower… Could it have been when she went to visit Shao Boju?

Du Zhiqi felt a sharp pang in his head.

Last time, she had gone to see Shao Boju without a word, sparking city-wide rumors of his involvement in a murder. Now she was meeting Marquis Lu—Du Zhiqi had no idea what trouble she might cause this time. His eyes locked onto his niece.

Ignoring her uncle’s warning gaze, Du Lingjing quietly considered the matter.

It seemed that Marquis Lu did not actually know her.

If so, then the marriage decree could only have come from the palace.

As for the marquis’s strange behavior that day at the Moonlit Tower, could he have mistaken her for someone else?

Rumors in the capital claimed he had remained unmarried at twenty-five because he was waiting for someone. Some believed it was the young daughter of the imperial uncle, not yet of age; others whispered of a peerless songstress from a brothel; some even speculated it was the Tatar Princess, unacceptable to the imperial court…

Perhaps that day at the Moonlit Tower, he had mistaken her for the one he was waiting for.

And that person was his true marchioness.

This was the only explanation Du Lingjing could think of.

With this in mind, she turned her gaze to the marquis.

“May I speak with the marquis privately?”

Before she had even finished speaking, her uncle Du Zhiqi glared at her, though he could not openly rebuke her in front of the marquis. Keeping his voice low, he suppressed his anger.

“What are you planning now?”

His annoyance was obvious, but Du Lingjing paid no heed.

Whether she could speak privately with the marquis was not up to her uncle.

She looked at the marquis and saw no surprise in his expression. Instead, he addressed her uncle.

“This study is rather stifling. Perhaps Lord Du might step outside for a moment?”

He was blatantly dismissing Du Zhiqi.

Du Zhiqi was taken aback—this was his study, yet Marquis Lu was sending him away?

“I… I shall step out for some air.”

His headache intensified. Unable to refuse the marquis, he could only shoot his niece a sharp glance, silently warning her not to cause trouble. Before he could speak, the marquis urged him, “Lord Du, please make haste.”

Seething but unable to linger, Du Zhiqi swiftly left the study.

Once he was gone, Du Lingjing felt the tension ease from her face, and she relaxed slightly.

The marquis had spoken up for her. Grateful, she looked up and gave him a small, polite smile.

But the man went still, his gaze resting softly on her face, unmoving.

Her eyes were like tender lotus petals, shimmering faintly when she smiled.

Lu Shenru found himself recalling that year when she stood among the rows of bookshelves, bathed in a shaft of morning light from the window, quietly holding a book. She had turned toward where he stood and smiled faintly.

“Apologies—I mistook you for a bookworm in the Mian Tower…”

That was the first time she had spoken to him.

The first time she had smiled at him.

His heart softened at the memory, like ripples on water.

“Don’t stand. Have a seat,” he said.

He didn’t notice, but outside, Chong’an blinked and turned to his brother. “Brother, has the marquis made this place his own home?”

Chong Ping quickly hushed him. “Quiet!”

Inside the study, Du Lingjing nodded gratefully and took a seat.

The aromas of tea and books wove together like ribbons, drifting and overlapping in the breeze from the window.

The mood shifted noticeably. Watching her sit there quietly, the marquis felt his heart soften further. He spoke softly.

“What did you wish to speak to me about?”

His gaze lingered on her lightly lowered lashes.

But the next moment, she lifted her eyes and spoke.

“I dare not hide this from the marquis. In my heart, there is only one person whom I hold dear above all others. I fear I cannot become your wife.”

The words landed like a blow, stilling not just the room but even Chong Ping and Chong’an outside, who froze. Chong’an, especially, couldn’t help but glance through the window at his lord’s face.

The marquis’s gaze darkened.

He looked at her. “Jieyuan Jiang?”

She dipped her head slightly and gave a small nod. “Yes.”

As she spoke, a stray lock of hair slipped free beside her ear. She tucked it back, the bamboo leaf bracelet on her wrist swaying slightly.

The marquis’s gaze turned icy as it fixed on that leaf.

Of course, it was Jiang Zhixiu.

He was always the one in your heart. You never saw anyone else.

The thought echoed silently in his mind, but aloud, he only asked, “But Jieyuan Jiang has passed. Why hold onto the past?”

The past?

It had only been three years since Sanlang’s death.

The remark unsettled Du Lingjing, and her voice turned frosty without her realizing it.

“Though my husband is gone, in my heart, the mountains and rivers cherish him, the grass and trees whisper of him. He has never left.”

Her words were so heartfelt that even the sparrows outside stilled on their branches, not daring to stir.

The man couldn't suppress a faint smile.

"My lord husband."

So to her mind, even without marriage, Jiang Zhixiu was her husband.

Only Jiang Zhixiu could be her husband.

His heart felt scraped by thistle's fine needles—no blood drawn, yet the sting was impossible to ignore.

But he didn’t want to discuss that departed one with her any longer.

"Yet the imperial decree has betrothed you to me. What say you to this?"

He mentioned only the decree, and Du Lingjing had no intention of delving into other matters either. She glanced at him.

"Though I have long resided in Qingzhou, I am aware of your marquis’s high status and formidable power. Now that I’ve seen you in person, you are indeed godlike in your majesty. Unfortunately, my circumstances are far too humble, and to be matched with your marquis would only be unworthy of you."

Godlike in your majesty.

Yet "unworthy"... She'd found yet another cutting word.

The man pressed his lips together, but she didn’t stop.

"Our house's standing, as your marquis has seen, is hardly promising. My uncle is not equal to weighty matters, and my father has been gone for many years—I fear I can offer your marquis no support. On the contrary, my father made many enemies in court during his time. As his only daughter, if I were to marry your marquis, I should prove but a burden."

Lu Shenru gave no response.

There was merit in her words. Another man might have given her arguments due consideration.

But he remained silent.

Yet Du Lingjing detected a trace of dismissal in his demeanor.

If he didn’t care about this... She considered for a moment.

"I’ve heard that your marquis has long been waiting for someone. Doubtless, the hour was not yet come, which is why you have yet to welcome your true lady-wife."

At this, she noticed the man’s gaze sharpen as he looked at her.

Du Lingjing pressed on directly, "Your marquis doesn’t truly wish for this marriage either, does he?"

This union offered him scant advantage. For a man of his power, a marriage without significant benefit was pure disadvantage.

If he agreed, she could plead grave illness, allowing both him and her uncle to memorialize the throne that she was too ill to recover, requesting a different bride for him.

An amended decree was not a revocation of the imperial decree—merely a substitution.

As for who that substitute would be, that concerned her no more.

But it all depended on whether this marquis was willing.

"In truth, Lu wants no part in an arranged marriage. I have remained unwed for years precisely to avoid being entangled in such alliances. If a match is unsuitable, it would only do the lady injustice."

At these words, Du Lingjing’s heart lightened somewhat.

She regarded him more keenly.

Lu Shenru noticed her gaze and returned it gently, but then suddenly shook his head with a faint smile.

"Yet this imperial decree fell like a thunderclap."

He sighed softly. "I understand your deep bond with your departed love and your unwillingness to forget him. But the imperial decree has spoken. Though the world may say I wield great power, I stand powerless before it."

His voice lowered slightly. "The higher one climbs, the less control one has over one’s own affairs."

Du Lingjing saw the bitter smile on his lips, his heroic eyes filled with resignation.

He looked at her. "Would my lady grant some grace?"

He had declined, yet suddenly changed his address.

Du Lingjing went rigid, her heart sinking abruptly.

She should not be his "lady."

"I cannot suffer such address. Your marquis should mind his words."

She forbade him from calling her "lady," yet referred to Jiang Zhixiu as "my husband."

Lu Shenru fell silent, his heart's softness turning to flint.

"The Du family is one of letters and honorable lineage. First, there was the late Master Du, a lifelong scholar with disciples across the land. Then came Grand Secretary Du, who spoke truth to power. And now, there is you, curating and circulating texts for all to read. If anyone is overreaching, it is Lu."

Du Lingjing remained silent, but then noticed his gaze fixed upon her.

The man’s eyes, tempered like gold in the fires of war, now resembled a tranquil lake reflecting the moon, their depths rippling softly.

He said, "That day at Zhenyue Tower, though it was our first meeting, I... had already conceived a partiality for you."

Du Lingjing froze, only to see him suddenly rise to his feet.

His tall, imposing figure stood in the study, making the chamber seem suddenly small.

"As for our marriage, whatever I, Lu Shenru, possess—aught you might desire—I will gladly offer to you with both hands."

His gaze trembled faintly. "I entreat your favor."

A chill stole through Du Lingjing’s fingers. This was entirely unexpected.

Though she had intended to persuade this marquis to collaborate on a solution, her subsequent sharp words had also been meant to provoke his distaste, hoping he would willingly comply.

But instead, he...

Dismay fluttered in her breast.

Then Lu Shenru took a step closer, narrowing the space betwixt them.

His gaze captured her eyes, and she averted hers nervously.

Her gown gaped slightly over her shoulders, revealing the pale curve of her neck in the cool autumn breeze. She turned away, the cords of her throat standing faintly as she avoided his gaze.

The man sighed within, unable to bring himself to step any nearer.

Du Lingjing relaxed slightly—until she heard him exhale softly, his sigh freighted with resignation.

In a low voice, he spoke again.

"Lu is twenty-five and only now taking a bride. I beg my lady... to have pity on me."

Du Lingjing stood transfixed.

His very tone made it sound as though he truly stood in genuine need of her compassion! And without her realizing, his nearness had crept upon her, encompassing her utterly.