At least he did not truly intend to fail her.
Lu Xuechi curtsied and said, "Lord Wen, I..."
She trailed off, hesitating. Lowering her gaze slightly, she nervously twisted the hem of her skirt with both hands, her voice barely a whisper: "I... don't mind."
Wen Shiqing was struck dumb.
She stood frozen in place as if hit by a bolt of lightning.
What?!
No way, Little Sister Lu!
As if mustering all her courage, just as her voice trailed off, a blush instantly spread from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears. Staring fixedly at the ground ahead, not daring to meet his eyes, she stammered, "Lord Wen, you've been a great benefactor to my mother and me. I know a blow like this is devastating to you."
"But please don't lose heart."
At this, she paused slightly, taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady her trembling voice. "I still want to say that this doesn't change my view of you at all."
"I haven't told my mother about this, and I won't mention it to anyone else."
"Lord Wen... thank you for finding the doctor for my mother. Her health has improved a lot."
With that, taking advantage of Wen Shiqing's momentary daze, she shoved a sachet into his hands, blurted out in a panic, "Here, this is for you," and then fled in shy embarrassment.
Leaving Wen Shiqing standing alone at the doorway, utterly bewildered.
Wasn't she supposed to be completely out of options?! Even a man who can't perform is acceptable to her? Little Sister Lu, aren't you being a bit too unpicky?!
Aside from the shock, Wen Shiqing felt a splitting headache coming on.
Late that night, a servant finally came to report that her third uncle, Wen Xuqing, had been found.
He had been drinking and listening to music in a teahouse and brothel, charging all his tabs to Wen Shiqing's name. The tavern owner had come looking to sort it out, which was how they managed to track him down.
Wen Shiqing had no intention of pampering such a parasite, so she ordered him directly confined to his quarters.
A few days later, it was Wen Shiqing's turn to be on duty.
The Great Zhou had several Palace Censors who took turns on duty, and since Wen Shiqing hadn't been in her post long, this was her first time serving.
Her job, to put it bluntly, was simply to stand on the sidelines and record the attire and etiquette of the various officials.
And incidentally, to jot down anyone violating the rules in her little notebook.
It was pretty much the equivalent of a classroom discipline monitor.
Wen Shiqing lifted her gaze to sweep over the crowd, holding a brush and making a pretense of writing in her little notebook, though she hadn't actually jotted down a single thing.
Well over half of the officials present held higher ranks than she did, and she certainly wasn't going to be petty enough about minor details to bring trouble upon herself.
When her gaze shifted from the court up to the dais, the first thing that caught her eye was the bright yellow dragon robe.
The reigning emperor was still very young, yet his tender face forcefully maintained a composure beyond his years.
Meanwhile, Prince Jiu, standing to the side, was completely different from the lazy, casual demeanor he had shown at the Eldest Princess Manor a few days ago.
Today he wore a dark python robe woven with gold thread, topped with a jade crown. His expression was solemn, and his gaze swept over the court with torch-like intensity.
Though he had yet to speak, the natural authority he exuded without anger was already enough to strike awe and reverence into people's hearts.
Wen Shiqing couldn't help recalling the day at the Eldest Princess Manor, when he had been dressed in white purer than snow, a smile at the corners of his lips and utter nonchalance in his eyes.
Back then, he and the imposing, stern-faced prince before her seemed like two entirely different people.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seemed this man had two completely different faces.
Just as she was lost in thought, Prince Jiu's gaze suddenly swept over, locking with hers in mid-air.
Wen Shiqing's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly lowered her head and looked away, failing to notice the faint, almost imperceptible curve of Prince Jiu's lips.
She had assumed that news of her impotence would spread like wildfire throughout the Capital within three days.
Yet five full days had passed!
Not a single word of gossip about her impotence had reached her ears, and even her fellow officials at court looked at her with completely normal eyes.
How could everyone possibly keep secrets this well?
This was turning out completely different from what she had imagined.
After finishing her loafing, the morning court session drew to a close. Still distracted, Wen Shiqing was racking her brain over how to call off the engagement.
Ever since Lu Shiqing shoved that sachet into her hands the other day, she hadn't found a proper chance to talk to her.
Those words seemed to have exhausted all of Lu Xuechi's courage; whenever they crossed paths, she would blush furiously and flee in a panicked scramble.
Lost in thought, her shoulder was suddenly slammed hard from behind, causing Wen Shiqing to stumble and nearly take a tumble.
"Brother Su, what on earth are you thinking about to be so lost in thought?" A clear, bright voice rang in her ear. Wen Shiqing steadied herself and looked up to see Lin Yuxuan, who had just come out from the court session.
"Judging by that look on your face, tell your brother—did the Eldest Princess give you a hard time?"
Wen Shiqing smiled and shook her head. Before she could speak, another arm slung itself over her shoulder. "In my opinion, our dear Lord Wen has probably caught the Eldest Princess's eye."
A gentle, refined voice chimed in. Wen Shiqing turned her head to see Su Jingyi in a long scholarly robe, looking dashing and elegant with a teasing smile on his face.
"Brother Lin, Brother Su, it's not what you guys think." Wen Shiqing raised her shoulder, trying to shrug off the heavy arm resting on it.
Just as Su Jingyi finished speaking, he instinctively gave the little shoulder under his hand a gentle squeeze.
In an instant, a strange sensation washed over him. The texture beneath his palm was petite and soft, exuding an indescribable delicacy.
"Lord Wen, you could probably shatter this arm with a tiny bit of force," Su Jingyi said in surprise, raising an eyebrow as he gave her arm another squeeze. "Why is it boneless?"
Wen Shiqing hurriedly pulled back her arm, stepping away to put some distance between them. "Different places nurture different people. Liangzhou leans towards the southeast, so our physiques naturally can't compare to people from the Capital."
"Besides, I've always been naturally slender and frail. What's so strange about that?"
Hearing this, Lin Yuxuan also stepped forward with a broad, teasing smile. "Is that so? The difference is really that big? Then let Brother Lin have a feel too, so I can experience it for myself."
With that, he reached out his hand toward Wen Shiqing's arm.
Seeing this, Wen Shiqing waved her hands frantically in refusal, her expression turning stern. "Brother Lin, please show some self-respect! This is right beneath the Emperor's feet in full view of everyone—what kind of behavior is this?"
"Why are you being so stingy? We're both men, you won't lose a chunk of flesh just from a touch." Lin Yuxuan persisted, a mischievous, playful glint in his eye as he wore a cheeky grin and made as if to lunge forward again.
Dodging sideways, Wen Shiqing fought down a wave of inward despair. "Brother Lin, Brother Su, since you two love feeling arms so much, why don't you just touch each other instead?"
As soon as those words left her mouth, Lin Yuxuan froze mid-reach. He instinctively glanced at Su Jingyi standing nearby, gave him a thorough up-and-down inspection, and rolled his eyes in utter disgust.
"Pui, pui, pui! Who'd want to touch him!" Muttering under his breath, Lin Yuxuan quickly yanked his hand back, as if he had just narrowly avoided touching something truly horrifying.
The mere thought of himself and Su Jingyi fondling each other's arms made his skin crawl all over. He hurriedly rubbed his arms vigorously, as though trying to shake off the lingering discomfort. "You're missing out on the juicy gossip, Brother Wen—have you heard about what happened at the Li Estate?"
Seeing him stop, Wen Shiqing straightened her lapels and asked, "The Li Estate? Prime Minister Li?"
Lin Yuxuan nodded. "You really haven't heard? It made a huge scene. A while back, Prime Minister Li..."
Su Jingyi cut him off. "Let's get into the carriage first, then talk."