South Garden.
Shen Xuejin gripped Pei Lian’s hands tightly, her eyes rimmed with red. "Mother, your complexion looks quite good."
Pei Lian gazed intently at Shen Xuejin. "Though I cannot see you as I please here in the Zhenping Marquis Manor, at least I am not being beaten or berated as I was at the Shen Residence."
Shen Xuejin checked Pei Lian’s pulse. Her health had indeed improved; it seemed Madam Huo had brought in a physician to treat and nourish her.
"What is it that Madam Huo has asked of you?" Pei Lian asked.
"Nothing much. Just to formulate a prescription for psoriasis, supposedly for some noble personage." Shen Xuejin did not mention Imperial Concubine Mei; involving matters of the palace would only cause Pei Lian unnecessary worry.
Pei Lian tucked a strand of hair behind Shen Xuejin’s ear and said earnestly, "Mianmian, there are some things one may do, and some one must not."
"Mianmian" was a childhood nickname Pei Lian had given her, saying that when she was little, she was as warm and soft as cotton, utterly endearing.
Shen Xuejin gently pressed her face into Pei Lian’s palm, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"Miss, it is getting late," a maid prompted from behind.
Shen Xuejin had no choice but to bid a reluctant farewell to Pei Lian, uncertain when they might meet again.
As Shen Xuejin walked out of the South Garden, the sky, which had been overcast all day, finally unleashed a heavy downpour. Rain lashed against the eaves and plummeted to the ground, splashing in great bursts.
Watching the spray, Shen Xuejin thought that she, too, was like those droplets—her trajectory already fixed, unable to follow her own heart no matter where she wished to go.
"Younger Sister Xuejin." Huo Nanchi stood in the center of the courtyard, holding an oil-paper umbrella. "Are you heading back to your courtyard? I can give you a lift."
He had been passing by and had seen her from a distance, standing in the pavilion lost in thought. It was on his way, and since it was only a short distance, he figured he might as well walk with her.
Shen Xuejin replied, "Second Young Master Huo is too kind, but I shall wait for the rain to stop."
Across the veil of rain, Shen Xuejin clearly saw the mockery on Huo Nanchi’s face. When she needed to use him, she staged all manner of "chance encounters," but now that her goal was reached, she avoided him as if he were a plague.
Sure enough, a moment later, Huo Nanchi approached and said coolly, "Sister Xuejin’s talent for crossing a bridge and burning it behind her is truly impressive."
Living under the same roof at the Huo Residence, they were bound to see each other constantly. Furthermore, there might come a time when she would need his help again; she could not afford a falling out.
She began to walk out, but Huo Nanchi was faster. In a few strides, he reached the steps, tilting his umbrella over her as she descended.
"Then I shall trouble you, Second Young Master," Shen Xuejin said politely, unwilling to let their relationship sour.
The two walked together under the single umbrella. As the rain grew heavier, the rhythmic drumming against the oiled paper masked the sound of Shen Xuejin’s racing heart.
They were too close.
Especially as they walked, their shoulders brushed from time to time, causing her to blush in embarrassment.
About a quarter of an hour later, they reached the West Garden. Only then did she notice that the greater part of Huo Nanchi’s body was soaked.
His wet clothes clung to his skin, highlighting his clean, muscular build.
It was just like in that dream—the sound of rain outside, and indoors, this same powerful body pressing her down, restraining her, warning her over and over again that there was nowhere to run.
"Sister Xuejin." Huo Nanchi suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her over.
Shen Xuejin gasped instinctively, "What are you doing?"
Her pale face and trembling lips made her look delicate and fragile, like a deer that had been bullied.
Huo Nanchi’s hand faltered. His expression cooled by a fraction as he pointed to a puddle on the ground. "You were about to step in that."
Looking at the muddy puddle, Shen Xuejin realized she had overreacted.
"Sister Xuejin... are you afraid of me?" Huo Nanchi asked again.
She lowered her head, wanting to say no, but she could not explain that her visceral reaction was due to that ridiculous, ethereal dream.
"Miss." Bizhu hurried over from the courtyard with an umbrella. Seeing Huo Nanchi, she quickly curtsied. "Greetings, Second Young Master."
"Servants of the Marquis Manor must know their place," Huo Nanchi said before turning to leave.
Bizhu turned pale. The Second Young Master was giving her a warning: since she had been assigned to care for Shen Xuejin, she must perform her duties properly and not show any negligence.
When Shen Xuejin entered the room, Hongzhu, the maid-of-all-work, was sitting on the veranda with her legs crossed, resting. Seeing Shen Xuejin enter, she only offered a perfunctory salute.
As Shen Xuejin went inside without a word, Hongzhu pulled at Bizhu. "Sister Bizhu, if you ask me, you’re being too polite. Why go out to welcome her? She’s no proper mistress."
Bizhu shook her off. It was Hongzhu who had intentionally held her back, causing her to be late to meet Shen Xuejin and consequently reprimanded by the Second Young Master.
"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you," Bizhu hissed before hurrying inside to serve.
Hongzhu curled her lip. "So what if she's a first-rank maid in Madam’s quarters? Isn't she still sent here to wait on this woman surnamed Shen? The Eldest Young Master surely wouldn't have eyes for her."
For five days, Shen Xuejin stayed in the courtyard researching medicine. Madam Huo had said there was no need to pay respects unless there was an emergency. It was clear that her ruse of using Huo Nanchi to see Pei Lian had been exposed, and this was Madam Huo’s way of keeping her sidelined to reflect on her actions.
However, the Huo Residence had been busy preparing for a Lotus-Viewing Banquet. Though called a banquet, it was actually an opportunity to invite eligible maidens, as Madam Huo hoped to find a match for Huo Nanchi.
The Zhenping Marquis Manor was a prominent family in the Capital. With Huo Nanchi having been named the top scholar in the imperial examinations two years prior and now serving as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review—a favorite of the Emperor—those wishing to act as matchmakers could trample the threshold of the manor.
When the day of the banquet arrived, Shen Xuejin was in her courtyard, engrossed in medical texts. Suddenly, Changpu, a maid from Aunt Fang’s quarters, rushed over, claiming Aunt Fang was bleeding profusely and begging for her help.
"If I weren't unable to leave the manor to fetch another physician, I would never have come to ask you," Changpu gritted her teeth. "Aunt Fang’s bleeding surely has something to do with the medicine you gave her!"
Shen Xuejin frowned. "Let me take a look first."
As they crossed the courtyard, Shen Xuejin heard laughter and chatter. She suddenly remembered that the manor was full of noble guests today. She turned to take a side path, but it was too late.
A group of young, beautiful women walked toward them, fawning over the young woman in the lead. She was dressed in a goose-yellow cross-collared gown—the most popular style in the Capital—and wore delicate makeup. As she walked, her skirt fluttered in the breeze, and she carried a subtle, unique fragrance.
Shen Xuejin stepped aside and lowered her head, waiting for them to pass.
The lead girl stepped past Shen Xuejin but suddenly stopped. "Look up."
Her tone was unfriendly.
Shen Xuejin sighed inwardly and slowly lifted her head.
"Who are you? I’ve never seen you in the manor before," Qin Ruowei said, her guard instantly rising.
"I am merely a guest here. I know a little bit about women’s medicine and have come to tend to Aunt Fang," Shen Xuejin replied. She had no desire to marry the Eldest Young Master Huo, so why bother mentioning she was his fiancée?
Qin Ruowei narrowed her eyes as she walked past her. She thought to herself that if this woman, who was so strikingly beautiful, had any improper designs on Nanchi and tried to seduce him, what should she do?