18. In Her Heart, What Is He?

Chapter 18. How He Appears in Her Eyes

That night, Gu Yuanzhi wrote furiously until the night was nearly spent.

In another main courtyard, Xu Hanyun sat still at his desk, staring blankly at the broken ink-bamboo lantern.

Suddenly, he drew his short sword and drove it into the orchid lantern's bamboo frame, then slowly sliced through the thin paper, piece by piece.

The shreds fell to the ground, the orchid and ink-bamboo lanterns mixed together beyond recognition.

If they couldn't be a pair, he'd destroy them both.

......

The next day, the Southern Merchant Chief of the Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce sent over an invitation to a family banquet.

Xu Hanyun unfolded the invitation and said to Gu Yuanzhi, who sat quietly copying out texts nearby, "The Southern Merchant Chief has invited us to a family banquet. You're coming with me."

Hearing this, her brush paused slightly. "Still going as your concubine, my lord?"

"Naturally." He paced slowly to stand before her. "Yangzhou's officials and merchants are tangled up with each other, and Nan Gai is the key figure. This banquet's bound to have strings attached. The women will surely be led on a garden stroll during the feast—don't hold back. If you can overhear something, good; if not, that's fine too."

His words were vague, yet they gave her a lot of leeway—far better than being cooped up in this small courtyard all day.

Gu Yuanzhi understood and nodded in agreement. "My lord, might I ask one thing of you—to exchange letters with my parents, just one letter a month."

Seeing him nod in approval, she felt a bit less anxious.

At Nan Gai's estate, the family banquet was divided into men's and women's sections, held in open pavilions on either side of a pond, with the water between them.

After several courses, the osmanthus fragrance kept getting stronger. Lady Nan suggested they go admire the osmanthus blossoms, and the assembled women readily agreed.

Gu Yuanzhi walked alongside a rather talkative Lady Li, deliberately guiding the conversation toward farmland transactions.

Lady Li sighed. "My husband mentioned it too—land prices have taken a nosedive lately, and quite a few out-of-town merchants have come to scoop up bargains. But the best paddy fields never seem to go to us locals."

"Oh, how so?" Gu Yuanzhi asked, trying to sound casual.

"Who knows? Word has it the authorities are pulling strings behind the scenes—confiscating land from tax defaulters and reselling it to well-connected rich families. How are ordinary merchants like us supposed to compete?" Lady Li pursed her lips. "If anyone in Yangzhou has the most connections, it's got to be the Salt Transport Office."

The Salt Transport Office again. Gu Yuanzhi had already figured something out.

Having heard enough, she offered Lady Li an apologetic smile. "Madam, my hair's come loose. I need to find a quiet spot to fix it. Please excuse me for a moment."

"Of course, go ahead."

Gu Yuanzhi excused herself from the group, walked along a small path, and arrived at a waterside pavilion.

Once she was alone, she sat down on a stone bench. The evening breeze brushed her face, clearing some of the jumbled thoughts in her mind.

As she was deep in thought, a sleazy voice came from behind.

"Well, well—whose woman is this, hiding out here alone to admire the moon?"

Gu Yuanzhi's heart skipped a beat. She turned slowly.

A young man reeking of booze staggered toward her—it was Master Hu, the one who'd tried to get fresh with her that day. He hadn't been invited, but the man had a thick skin and had tagged along with his father to sponge off the banquet.

"Master Hu." Gu Yuanzhi offered a courteous but distant bow and turned to leave.

Master Hu blocked her path, his gaze sweeping over her, not even trying to hide it. When he saw her face unobscured by a veil, his eyes went wide with shock, and he stood frozen.

Beneath the moonlight, her skin was like polished porcelain, her brows softly arched, her apricot eyes clear as water—filled with an aloofness that kept everyone at a distance.

"B-beauty..." Master Hu murmured, emboldened by drink, his lust burning hotter. "What did Liu Ran ever do to deserve a beauty like you? Miss, following a mere merchant—you're too good for him."

Gu Yuanzhi stepped back a few paces without changing expression, her voice cold. "Master Hu is drunk. I belong to my husband. Please keep your hands to yourself."

Master Hu snorted derisively. "A stinking merchant deserves you? Me taking a fancy to you is your lucky break!" He reached out to grab her.

Gu Yuanzhi was disgusted, but she didn't let it show. She simply sidestepped, letting him grab nothing but air.

She softened her tone, putting on a hurt, helpless voice. "I'm just a merchant's concubine—how could I ever presume?"

This coy resistance only made Master Hu want her more.

Growing bolder, he boasted, "Do you know my father is the Salt Transport Commissioner of the Two Huai region? Even the Governor has to show him some respect. That husband of yours—he's not even worth an ant in my book!"

Gu Yuanzhi feigned surprise, raising her sleeve to cover her lips, her eyes full of admiration. "I've only heard my husband speak of it—how business all depends on the good graces of the big shots at the Salt Transport Office."

She then frowned and sighed. "It's too bad my husband is only a small merchant. A government office like the Salt Transport Office—I can't even imagine what it looks like."

"That's easy!" Master Hu thumped his chest, making a big promise. "I walk in and out of that place like it's my own house. If you want to see it, I'll take you there tomorrow and give you the grand tour!"

"Really?" Gu Yuanzhi looked away, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, speaking in a sad, pitiful voice. "But my husband's rough and ruthless. He watches me like a hawk. If I displease him in the slightest, he beats me and makes my life hell. I'm scared all the time—how would I dare..."

"He's just a merchant—why are you scared of him?" Master Hu grew even more contemptuous, eager to save the beauty from her misery. "If you come with me, I'll treat you a hundred times better. I guarantee he won't dare open his mouth!"

Seeing her look a little less tense, he leaned in, lowering his voice. "Let me tell you something even bigger. Those lands the refugees lost—they're all in my father's books. A messy account, where black can be washed white—that's the real alchemy! And my father also works for a big shot in the capital..."

Gu Yuanzhi's heart lurched. The Salt Transport Office was definitely mixed up in the rebellion case.

She maintained a puzzled expression, hiding the turmoil inside, and said softly, "I don't understand half of what you're saying, young master. I just think you're amazing."

Master Hu was thrilled and reached out to put an arm around her waist.

Just then, a woman's voice came from nearby: "Young master? The master's looking for you—says it's urgent."

Master Hu stopped, annoyance flashing across his face along with a hint of fear—he'd always been scared of his father.

Gu Yuanzhi took the chance to slip away, giving a quick bow. "Since Master Hu has business, you should go. I should get back to the banquet too."

Master Hu had to back off, frustrated, saying to her, "You wait right there—I'll be back in a bit!"

With that, he staggered off, following the maidservant.

Gu Yuanzhi let out a long breath, still shaken. She turned and grabbed the railing to steady herself.

But then a familiar, clear voice came from behind her.

"Done with your act?"

Gu Yuanzhi turned. The moonlight was cold and bright. Xu Hanyun stood at the pavilion entrance, dressed in simple bamboo-green robes, hands clasped behind his back.

Lamplight and moonlight mixed, his face half in shadow, half in light. Those eyes were deep and unfathomable, silently watching her—giving nothing away.

"My lord..." She opened her mouth, her throat tight, not knowing how much of what she'd said about him he'd heard.

Xu Hanyun walked toward her. "Just now, you said I," he said with a faint, unreadable smile, "was rough and ruthless—what was it you said next?"

Gu Yuanzhi's heart clenched. Fighting down her panic, she said, "I spoke out of turn in the heat of the moment. Please forgive me, my lord."

"You certainly have a sharp tongue." He swept the hair at her temple back, brushing off a few fallen osmanthus petals. "But have you considered—if I hadn't shown up, how were you planning to get out of that? Do you think that maid's summons was mere coincidence?"

Gu Yuanzhi froze. Though he had said earlier that he would give her free rein at the banquet, he'd still had eyes on her, observing her every move.

He still didn't trust her—like a paper kite, he'd let out a few more inches of string, but it was still firmly in his hand.

"Thank you for getting me out of that, my lord." She lowered her head, avoiding his probing gaze.

"You can drag this official's name through the mud in front of strangers." Xu Hanyun let out a light laugh. "So in your heart, what kind of man am I, really?"

Gu Yuanzhi choked on her words. She mulled it over, afraid of riling him up, and said carefully, "My lord's character is beyond reproach—nothing like what I said before. As for anything else, I wouldn't presume to guess."

"But I'd say you're pretty good at reading people. For instance, Master Hu—lustful and arrogant—so you made yourself the bait." Xu Hanyun stepped closer, backing her up step by step until her back hit a stone pillar.

"Your cleverness ought to be put to better use. I sent you to talk with the ladies, not to get tangled up with a degenerate like that." He said coldly, the back of his finger grazing her pale, smooth cheek. "That ledger—I'll find a way to get it back. You don't need to keep putting yourself in danger or dirtying your own name."

Gu Yuanzhi was genuinely surprised. Was he worried about her? Or did he just not want her getting too deep and messing up his plans?

"To you, my lord, is there anything about me worth keeping at all? And in your eyes, what kind of person am I?" She curled her lips in a self-deprecating smile. "A plaything to be used as he pleases, or a caged bird to be kept under lock and key?"

An autumn breeze swept by, and her hair ribbon fluttered across his eyes.

"Which one does Qing Yun want to be?"

"A plaything can be thrown away anytime. But a bird has to be tended carefully—clip its wings, cut off its hopes, make it forget what the sky even looks like, until it only knows the hand that feeds it."

His voice came from right by her ear—dark, yet almost gentle. Gu Yuanzhi pressed herself against the cold stone pillar, shivering.

"My lord, why do you have to be like this..." She looked at him from inches away as osmanthus petals drifted down, brushing her brows and lashes—he gently flicked them off.

"All you need to know is that with me, you're safer than anywhere else. So why overthink it?"

But her body was in a cage, while her heart belonged to the open world.

"Smile." Xu Hanyun said abruptly, his palm cupping her slightly cold cheek.

Just now, when Gu Yuanzhi had smiled at Master Hu, the shyness in her eyes had been so convincing that even he had never seen her look like that.

Once this case was wrapped up and the Hu family taken down, gouging out that degenerate's eyes wouldn't be a bad move.

Gu Yuanzhi raised an eyebrow, a wave of absurdity washing over her, but she still forced a faint smile as told.

"Enough." he said coldly, suddenly feeling a twinge of disappointment.

The smile faded from Gu Yuanzhi's lips, and she felt completely powerless. He had her right in the palm of his hand, taking whatever he wanted, yet he never seemed satisfied.

"Let's go." He unfastened his cloak and draped it around her slender shoulders.

Gu Yuanzhi let him take her hand and lead her toward the dimming lights.

......

Ever since that banquet, Nan Gai had been inviting Xu Hanyun left and right, and tonight was another one of those nights.

As night fell, a carved, gold-lacquered pleasure boat drifted lazily along the canal.

Inside the boat, Nan Gai sat at the head, trading laughs and small talk with a bunch of merchants.

Gu Yuanzhi sat next to Xu Hanyun—these days, he always brought her along to these gatherings.

He just wanted to take it slow, to make her completely dependent on him.

Gu Yuanzhi hadn't touched her chopsticks, her mind elsewhere.

Beside her, Xu Hanyun kept a cool, refined smile as he worked the room. Under the table, his hand moved without pause, picking up a piece of cuttlefish and setting it on Gu Yuanzhi's plate.

His gaze skimmed over her face. "Why aren't you eating?"

Gu Yuanzhi quietly picked it up and took a bite, and only then did his brow ease.

She chewed slowly, in small bites. "It's really good."

The cuttlefish was cleaned well—no trace of ink, no fishy smell at all.

One merchant chimed in, "Forget the shipping tolls—this cuttlefish took over a month to get here by water from Chaozhou. Southern Merchant Chief really doesn't hold back."

Nan Gai waved a hand, smiling. "Just a little something from the sea. Hope you all enjoy yourselves."

Nan Gai raised his cup. "Everyone, at tonight's banquet, I'll be auctioning off paintings by four Yangzhou scholars to raise money for disaster relief. I hope you'll all show your support."

A bunch of merchants started bidding, but Gu Yuanzhi took a closer look at the paintings—mediocre at best—and yet several merchants kept upping their bids. Did they really not know good art?

Xu Hanyun noticed her studying them and figured she was interested in the paintings. He turned to Gu Yuanzhi and asked, "Which one do you want?"

She froze for a second, glanced around, then lowered her voice: "I don't like them. The brushwork is tacky, and they're obviously not by four different artists—they're all by the same hand. If you're going to spend the money, you might as well just donate straight to the relief fund."

Born into a scholarly family, she had seen many masterpieces since childhood and naturally held such mediocre works in contempt.

Xu Hanyun raised an eyebrow, a faint smile slipping through. So she did have some genuine temperament when it came to art. It seemed he should buy her more paintings in the future.

The paintings were all sold within moments. A middle-aged man slapped his thigh in frustration and said to a brown-robed man who had won two paintings, "Your family has vast wealth and countless properties—why buy two?"

Gu Yuanzhi was inwardly puzzled. What did these paintings have to do with business? It was clearly a charitable auction.

Xu Hanyun's eyes grew more thoughtful, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

As the banquet dispersed, Nan Gai asked to speak privately with Xu Hanyun, who told Gu Yuanzhi to return to the cabin on the pleasure boat and wait for him.

He had brought only three attendants today, and he sent one to accompany her.

Back in the cabin, she drank a cup of cold tea, trying to suppress the restless buzz of alcohol.

The tea was sweet on the tongue, carrying a floral fragrance.

But the drowsiness didn't dissipate—instead, it grew heavier.

Something was wrong.

Her vision began to blur, a ringing filled her ears, and the heat surged ever more fiercely.

She bit the tip of her tongue. The sharp pain restored a moment of clarity—she couldn't stay here.

Just as she pushed open the door latch, the door was kicked open from outside, and the attendant at the entrance had already been knocked unconscious.

Master Hu's lecherous face appeared in the doorway: "My beauty, this is the soft-bone incense used on Yangzhou's sing-song girls. If you don't relieve yourself, you'll die." He advanced step by step, reaching out to grab her, and Gu Yuanzhi retreated again and again.

A clear, resonant voice sounded from behind Master Hu: "That hand of yours—do you no longer want it?"

The man's eyes were sharp as a lone cold peak, yet the moment they fell upon Gu Yuanzhi, they softened instantly, tender as water.

Joy surged in Gu Yuanzhi's eyes, and she rushed toward him like an orphaned bird seeking its nest.

"You finally came for me. I thought you..."