Chapter 13: Doubt

Page 1 of 3

Yan Xi’s heart sank.

She knew Jiang Zhiyan would come sooner or later, but she had not expected to face this the moment she returned, before she had even had time to catch her breath.

Qinglian was equally anxious. “The day before yesterday, Taohong claimed that you had gone to the market, so when he came, he did not see you. The same thing happened yesterday, and today…”

Yan Xi thought for a moment. “Let him come.”

She understood what her maid meant. She was afraid of arousing suspicion herself—or, more precisely, afraid of drawing attention. At a time like this, it was better to avoid making matters more complicated.

After dressing herself properly once more, Yan Xi left with the two maids.

They met, as before, at the Yilan Waterside Pavilion in the front courtyard of the Lu residence.

As Yan Xi approached, she saw Jiang Zhiyan from afar.

He stood within the pavilion, refined and elegant, occasionally glancing toward the opposite side.

The young girl quickened her steps.

As if sensing her presence, Jiang Zhiyan happened to turn around, and at once caught sight of her.

“Shan-shan!”

As always, his excitement was unmistakable.

With a smile, Jiang Zhiyan stepped out of the pavilion and went to meet Yan Xi.

“Not seeing you for several days has felt like three autumns. At last I can see you today. Have you been well these past two days, Shan-shan?”

Yan Xi shook her head. “Not particularly.”

Jiang Zhiyan had clearly not expected that answer. He immediately grew anxious, his smile vanishing as he asked nervously, “What is wrong, Shan-shan?”

Yan Xi stopped and stood facing him. Raising her small face, she spoke frankly. “It is nothing serious, Young Master Jiang, so do not worry. It is only that winter has arrived and the weather is growing colder. I…”

She meant to say that an old illness seemed likely to return, and that she would no longer be able to come out and see him often. But before she could finish, someone behind her called out.

“Miss Yan Xi…”

Yan Xi, Qinglian, and Taohong all turned around.

A maid approached with due courtesy. Once she came near, she raised her hand and offered Yan Xi something.

“Miss Yan Xi, the Heir Apparent asked me to give this to you…”

The instant the maid extended her hand, Yan Xi’s heart trembled.

For what she held was none other than a costly medicinal balm for relieving the swelling and pain caused by sprains and bruises.

Everyone recognized the item, and the more affluent one’s family, the more readily one would know it.

Yan Xi felt her face flare as though it had suddenly caught fire.

Qinglian reacted swiftly. She immediately took the item and tucked it into her robes, then said with a smile, “Many thanks to the Heir Apparent. Miss twisted her ankle yesterday. As fate would have it, she encountered His Highness on the road, and he saw what happened. He is most thoughtful. Please convey our thanks to the Heir Apparent on our young lady’s behalf.”

The maid bowed in acknowledgment before returning the way she had come.

She had only just turned away when Yan Xi still had not recovered herself. Behind her, Jiang Zhiyan was plainly even more alarmed.

“Shan-shan twisted her ankle? Did she see a physician? Does it still hurt?”

Jiang Zhiyan had already hurried over.

Yan Xi was wearing a hooded cloak. At that moment, her slender, delicate fingers lightly caught the fur at either side of the hood, shielding half of her flushed face.

Her heart beating like a drum, the young girl spoke in an even softer voice.

“It is nothing. You saw me just now, Young Master Jiang. I am perfectly well.”

Jiang Zhiyan relaxed. Recalling the way she had walked, he realized he had not noticed anything unusual.

Whenever her health was concerned, he was always somewhat rash.

He raised a hand to rub his head and gave an awkward laugh. “So long as you are all right, Shan-shan.”

Yan Xi smoothly continued what she had been saying.

“What I wanted to tell you just now was that the weather is growing colder. I have been unusually sensitive to the cold lately, and I fear my old illness may return. I am afraid it will be inconvenient for me to come out often in the future.”

“Ah!”

Jiang Zhiyan suddenly understood. He was filled with remorse.

For an ordinary person, the weather was not yet truly cold, but for her, it was another matter entirely.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

He had actually made her endure this merely so that he could see the woman he loved…

Jiang Zhiyan regretted it bitterly, unable to decide what he ought to do.

He hurriedly clasped his hands and apologized. “It was my negligence. I truly deserve to be punished. I am grateful that you do not blame me, Shan-shan. I understand now, and I will certainly never make such a foolish mistake again.”

Yan Xi said nothing more. She merely acknowledged him with a quiet response and gave him a slight curtsy.

“Young Master Jiang, then let us meet again another day…”

Jiang Zhiyan bowed once more. “Take good care of yourself, Shan-shan.”

“Mm.”

After bidding him farewell, Yan Xi passed by with the three maids and hurried away.

There had been too many matters and too many troubles of late. Naturally, she did not want Jiang Zhiyan constantly coming to seek her out.

The young girl and the three maids promptly returned to the Peach Fragrance Pavilion.

*******

Steam filled the bathing chamber.

After bathing, Yan Xi remained alone in the washroom to apply her medicine.

In that brief span of time, her legs had gone weak and her hands had begun to tremble. As for her face and body, there was no need to mention them—it would hardly have been an exaggeration to say she had been placed inside a furnace.

Only after a long while did the two maids dress her and help her out.

It was not yet noon when Yan Xi slipped beneath the quilt and let the curtains fall.

She lay there with her eyes open for a long time before slowly closing them and gently exhaling.

Everything seemed like a dream.

More than once, she had even wondered whether this was truly nothing more than a dream…

What, exactly, was she supposed to do now?

The heat in her face lasted for nearly half an hour before gradually fading.

Once her panic, embarrassment, and agitation had slowly subsided, that strange feeling returned. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was not right.

She did not go out again that day.

The following morning, she spent nearly the entire time lying in bed without rising.

On the morning of the third day, someone came to see her.

When she heard the name Qinglian spoke, Yan Xi’s heart began to churn once more.

“Miss, it is the Heir Apparent. He has asked you to meet him at noon today in the Clear Breeze Retreat.”

The retreat was a quiet, seldom-visited place in the western garden of the Lu residence. In the past, it had been where Lu Zhi studied.

Yan Xi did not want to go, still less did she want to see anyone, but she knew that she had no choice.

In the end, she braced herself and went to the appointment at the appointed hour.

At dusk, crimson clouds filled the horizon, while the calls of several birds sounded beside her ears.

The young girl took the most secluded path to the place where they were to meet.

The western garden was quieter than the rest of the residence, especially around the Clear Breeze Retreat.

Several plum trees stood around it, lending the surroundings an elegant, tranquil air and an even stronger scholarly atmosphere.

No one stood before the pavilion except Lu Zhi’s page, Dongfu.

Seeing her arrive, the page bowed slightly and said with a smile, “Miss Yan Xi, the Heir Apparent is inside.”

Yan Xi’s heart fluttered wildly, and her face flushed faintly. She did not speak to him, nor did she dare look at him. Her beautiful eyes instinctively turned toward the small door of the pavilion. After hesitating for a moment, she took a difficult step forward.

She entered alone.

The two maids remained outside.

As soon as she entered and passed around the screen, Yan Xi saw the man seated at an elegant table, brewing tea. His manner was refined and scholarly, touched with leisurely composure.

“How have you considered it?”

His hands did not stop moving, and his gaze did not shift toward her. He merely spoke in a cold voice.

“I have not yet decided.”

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

Yan Xi answered directly.

Her words immediately drew the man’s attention.

Lu Zhi turned his head and glanced at her. His eyes lingered over her for a moment, and a faintly mocking smile touched the corners of his lips.

“Miss Shen, do not cause trouble for others. One additional person means one more arrangement to make. I need time.”

With that, he turned his gaze away and continued pouring the tea slowly, but he did not stop speaking. The mockery in his tone grew even more apparent.

“It seems you still cannot bear to part with that Young Master Jiang.”

“But it does not matter. If you cannot bear to leave him, then stay.”

“That day, it was your personal maid who pleaded and questioned me. Only then did I resort to such a measure.”

“It was all for your sake…”

Yan Xi slowly clenched her hands. Her lips were as red as vermilion, and her almond-shaped eyes turned gradually.

She did not continue Lu Zhi’s line of thought, but asked about something else.

“That day, when the Heir Apparent summoned me to the Capital Prefecture, what was the real reason?”

Lu Zhi replied indifferently, “Naturally, to discuss the matter of your page.”

Yan Xi asked, “If I go with the Heir Apparent now, will you release A-Tai?”

Lu Zhi gave a soft scoff but did not answer, as though he had anticipated her question long ago. After a moment, his well-defined hand lifted the tea he had just poured. He took a slight sip before finally replying.

“It can be considered.”

Yan Xi said, “Then I ask the Heir Apparent to give me three more days. In three days, I will give you a definite answer. Is that acceptable?”

The corner of Lu Zhi’s mouth twitched. He neither agreed nor refused, his disdain plain for all to see.

At last, he said, “Then Miss Su had better consider it carefully.”

Yan Xi gave a slight curtsy and left the room.

On the way back, the three members of the party remained silent. Yet as soon as they reached their living quarters, Qinglian and Taohong immediately locked the door.

Taohong asked anxiously, “Miss, what did the Heir Apparent say? Was he urging you to decide? Are you really going to leave with him?”

Qinglian was no different. She stared fixedly at Yan Xi, waiting for her answer.

“Miss?”

The two maids were so anxious that they felt as though they were being roasted alive.

In essence, there was nothing wrong with following the Heir Apparent. If the young lady could truly go with him, it would even be a rise to the heavens in a single step.

The problem was that the two of them were about to become brother and sister.

Had they not been siblings, then whatever they might refuse to admit, they would still have had to acknowledge that Miss could not possibly aspire to marry Lu Zhi now.

But she could not become his concubine!

From Lu Zhi’s meaning, it seemed that he intended to hide her away.

“Miss…”

Qinglian and Taohong called out in unison, no longer able to wait.

But Yan Xi did not answer them at once.

Her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

She certainly had no intention of leaving with Lu Zhi. Her request for three days had merely been a means of delaying him.

For the more she thought about it, the more wrong everything seemed.

That feeling had grown increasingly strong.

In the end, the young girl still did not answer either maid. Instead, she said something else.

“The day before yesterday, before I went to the Capital Prefecture, was the bowl of soup I drank brought to me by Little Liu?”

Qinglian and Taohong were both startled by the sudden turn in their mistress’s thoughts. They did not understand why she was asking, but they answered her.

“It was Little Liu. Why have you suddenly thought of that, Miss? Are you really going to leave with the Heir Apparent?”

Yan Xi still did not answer. She merely said, “Go and call her in…”