Chapter 4: Confirmation

The visitor stood over eight feet tall, broad-shouldered with long legs, tall and lean. He wore a dark official robe patterned with cloud motifs, overlaid by a black cloak. His complexion was pale, and his strikingly handsome face was so visually arresting that it made one blush and heart race, unable to look away.

Setting aside his extraordinarily good looks, every aspect of him—his stature, build, even his gestures—matched exactly the man from her dreams!

Not merely resembling him, but... identical!

Her mind was in turmoil, her heart pounding wildly as her delicate hand weakened. The embroidered handkerchief in her grasp slipped and fell, and it was this fall that brought some clarity back to her senses.

She hurriedly bent down to retrieve it.

At that moment, Madam Fang spoke.

“You’re just in time. Yan Xi has returned. Let’s see if you still recognize her.”

The matriarch sized up her grandson and then scolded gently, “Why does he look thinner?”

Lu Zhi, undoing his cloak as he approached them, said nothing about Yan Xi. A faint smile curved his lips, and his deep, resonant voice responded slowly to his grandmother.

“Not at all.”

Hearing that voice, Yan Xi’s mind thundered incessantly. She paid no heed to what the Duchess and the matriarch said afterward.

Only when she finished picking up the handkerchief and looked up did her eyes meet the downward gaze from his slightly turned face.

His eyes were misty and dark, with a hint of shadowed indifference.

Perhaps it was his figure and voice that aligned too perfectly with the image in her mind.

Beneath his seemingly refined exterior, Yan Xi sensed a brazen, invasive arrogance.

How could this be?

Was it an illusion, or was it really him?

If not, he was far too alike.

If it was, how could that be possible?

“Miss...”

The maid Tao Hong gently tugged her sleeve and whispered.

Yan Xi’s scattered thoughts were pulled back, realizing the Duchess had spoken to her twice already.

“Yan Xi, call him ‘Brother’...”

The young girl struggled to suppress her fear, uncertain if anyone could perceive her unusual state.

She obediently turned her head toward Lu Zhi, who sat propped against a chair beside the low couch, having removed his cloak and handed it to a maid sometime before.

His gaze was profoundly deep, emotionless. His long fingers gently intertwined, thumbs slowly stroking each other. His half-lidded eyes held a hint of appraisal as they met hers.

Whether it was the cold, distant look or his sharply boned hands, Yan Xi’s fear deepened. Her heart pounded harder, and even her eyelids felt feverish.

“Brother, brother...”

Just like six years ago, he gave no answer. After hearing her, he calmly turned his gaze away and smiled faintly, changing the topic with the Duchess and matriarch, as if she were not present in the room at all.

Yan Xi had no idea how she endured that period.

After a long while, she hurried out of the Fu’an Hall, almost running along the way, heading straight to the northern courtyard.

Once inside, she immediately ordered the maids to close the door.

Qing Lian and Tao Hong noticed their mistress’s unusual demeanor.

One fetched water; the other helped remove her cloak while asking with concern,

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

Yan Xi shook her head without answering and gently pushed the maid back twice. She didn’t take the water offered.

“Please… leave first... I... I’m not feeling well... I want to be alone for a while...”

No matter what the maid said next, Yan Xi didn’t listen. Her thoughts drifted again.

She simply could not believe what had happened.

As a child, although she once found him arrogant and unapproachable, even feared him, after he saved her from drowning, her view of him had changed greatly. She believed he was a good person. How could he be the man from her dreams?

Throughout the entire residence, even the whole city of Chang’an, who wouldn’t say, “The heir of the Duke of Ningguo is honorable and upright”?

How could he possibly have that other side?

The more Yan Xi pondered, the more something felt wrong.

Gradually calming down, she recalled the dream from her previous life—that treacherous man.

She knew the Lu family held some military power, but was it enough to stage a coup?

After much thought, perhaps it was only a final struggle; Yan Xi still believed she must be mistaken.

After all, she had not seen the dream man’s face clearly—only his build, stature, and similar voice. It was still a bit hasty to conclude.

Thinking of this, she recalled something and quickly called for Qing Lian.

“Go and fetch Atai...”

Though the maid was curious, she saw her mistress’s urgency and asked no questions, immediately leaving.

An incense stick’s time later, dusk had fallen when Qing Lian returned with Atai.

Yan Xi dismissed everyone else, instructing Qing Lian and Tao Hong to stay outside and forbidding anyone from entering. Inside, only Atai remained.

The young servant looked puzzled. “Miss, what’s the matter?”

Yan Xi held a finger to her lips, clearly very nervous.

Even with no one else present, her timidity prevented her from speaking plainly. Instead, she tiptoed close to Atai’s ear.

Atai bent down to listen.

“I remember the heir’s personal servant is named Dong Fu. You must get close to him, help me... help me find out something...”

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, but Atai listened intently.

Lowering his voice, he asked, “What does Miss want to inquire about?”

Yan Xi’s lips trembled twice.

“Please find out if his master—the heir, Lu Zhi—has a birthmark on his left shoulder... You mustn’t tell anyone... absolutely no one... under any circumstances!!”

Though puzzled by her request, Atai quickly nodded, reassuring her.

“Don’t worry, Miss. I won’t tell a soul.”

Yan Xi nodded and continued instructing,

“Use some subtle methods, don’t be abrupt, don’t raise suspicion. Make sure to use proper means...”

Atai understood completely and nodded again.

“Rest assured, Miss. I’ll handle it.”

Her heart pounded wildly. After giving her instructions, she felt somewhat relieved.

In total, she had dreamt this dream over a dozen times, vividly remembering the man had a faint, nail-sized bluish birthmark on his left shoulder.

This was her last hope. If even this detail matched, then everything would align. No matter how unwilling she was to believe it, she could no longer deny the truth...

She anxiously waited three days.

During those days, Yan Xi prayed to gods and buddhas countless times, chanting Amitabha.

On the fourth day, Atai returned with news.

The door was tightly shut; cold sweat dripped down her forehead. She stared unblinkingly at the servant, tension at its peak, until Atai nodded.

The last shred of hope in her heart was utterly shattered.

That man was indeed Lu Zhi!