In Fuxue Pavilion.
The night wind was freezing. But Meng Suxi’s heart was colder. Much colder. When she had come to live at the Zhen Ducal Estate, she had only taken one servant with her. However, her third aunt had fearing she would be short on maids, there were two more maids serving in Fuxue Pavilion. When Meng Suxi went back to her bedroom, the two aforementioned maidservants were standing by the golden teakwood arhat bed and saluted her. One was waiting to help her wash, the other had prepared her cosmetics.
Duke Zhen’s maids were all human. These days, there was a rumor saying that the Third Madam’s niece might very well become the future Marquise. Therefore, all of them were very attentive in serving her, making sure that no carelessness or neglect would ever transpire.
Meng Suxi wished to say something to the maid she had brought along from her father’s residence. Lifting her eyebrows, she good-naturedly sent the Estate’s servants away to rest.
“It is getting late. There is no need for so many people to serve me. You all go rest early. Xining can stay and wait on me.”
The two other maids looked at one another. They wanted to stay but did not dare to refute the miss’s words. After thinking it through, they simply bowed and retreated. Once they had retreated, Xining went to stand behind Meng Suxi and started taking off the hairpins in her bun. She lowered her head, her hand resting against her mistress’s shoulder.
“Is something on the mistress’s mind?”
Meng Suxi raised her hand and motioned to her servant to close the window. Her face changing ever so slightly she inquired:
“Have you spoken to the maids of the Estate?”
Xining nodded.
“The elder sister at the First Household was especially polite to this slave. She even told this slave more than what she had asked.”
“Has the Young Master ever had a bedwarmer or a concubine?”, Meng Suxi asked, raising her eyes.
Xining shook her head.
“No.”
Then whispering in a low voice, she continued:
“This slave believes the Young Miss has nothing to fear. Princess Royale Jing’an’s temperament is clear. How could she ever tolerate her son to be dissolute? This slave has also taken a look at the maid serving in Young Master’s study. She is plain and serious. She has no intention to charm her master.”
Meng Suxi was not satisfied.
“Does any of them use perfume?”
Xining smiled in ease.
“What is Miss thinking? This is a serious house. The servants are forbidden to use perfume. No one here would dare!”
Hearing this, Meng Suxi was not pleased. In fact, she clenched her fists. Since childhood, she was particularly sensitive to all sorts of smells, perfumes included. She was not the type to make a mistake in that area. Massaging her brow with her forefinger, she asked in a hoarse voice:
“If he has no women in the Estate, could he be keeping a mistress outside?”
After those words came to Xining’s hearing, she immediately covered Meng Suxi’s mouth with a palm.
“My dear, good miss, what are you saying?! Do not speak nonsense, this slave begs you!”
Meng Suxi grasped onto Xining’s wrist and drew the servant in, murmuring something into her ear. Xining’s expression changed at once.
“Miss, this slave believes the Young Master might have a bad temper. If you were to send someone to follow him and he found out, especially if your surmises turned out to be wrong, wouldn’t you suffer a great loss?! And isn’t it normal that officials in Chang’an go to Pingkang Lane to partake in wine and entertainment?! He must be doing nothing but that.”
But Meng Suxi had to make a clear breast of things.
“I cannot be sure that you are right. If ever it all be nothing but a misunderstanding, it will be a good thing. However, how can I not be afraid that he is exactly like Father?! For five years, Father made a fool out of Mother, keeping not one, but two mistresses. Just find two smart people to take care of the task, that way he will never know I am implicated.”
***
After a rest, Lu Yan went to the Supreme Court as usual. The drums outside were thundering. Several couples were crying. A young man had fallen to his knees.
“Return my sister to me. Return my little sister to me.”
His screams were those of a wounded animal, full of hatred, anger, anguish.
Lu Yan, unfazed, was coldly seated at his desk, writing yet another petition to be sent to his superior. Official Sun for his part was pacing through the room. From right to left, back and forth. Over and over again. At once, he could not take it anymore and halted.
“Lord Lu, why are you writing so leisurely?! Recently, six girls went missing in Chang’an. Besides the two corpses that were found in Wang Zhao’s residence, we have no clues! If we go on like this, sooner or later it will all come to the Emperor’s hearing!”
“Lord Sun has been pacing through the room for hours now at an impressive speed. Yet, the case still remains to be solved”, Lu Yan countered calmly.
Sun Xu chocked on his saliva. He could not help but silently scold.
Easy for you to say! You call the Emperor ‘uncle’. No matter how wrong an affair goes, you won’t lose your position.
As Sun Xu was shaking his head, a panicked official ran into their office, screaming:
“My Lords, we have good news.”
“Speak!”, Official Sun bellowed in turn.
“The Song family’s lost daughter has been found in Xinping County! She was saved by a doctor! She is not dead!”
Lu Yan and Sun Xu shot one another a glance and immediately jumped to their feet. They thought they might bring the case to court that very day. But once they got to the aforementioned doctor, they found the Song family’s daughter severely injured and unconscious, her parents holding onto her body in tears. She would not wake up until late afternoon.
Official Sun helplessly told Lu Yan:
“It seems the only thing we can do is come back tomorrow.”
***
Once evening came and the government closed for the night, Lu Yan put his cloak on and walked out of the Supreme Court. With furrowed brows and a heavy head, he ordered for the carriage to be prepared, once he had boarded, it started driving towards the Zhen Ducal Estate. Half-way in, Yang Zong lifted the curtain to the carriage’s window.
“Young Master, it has already been two days. The man is still stalking us.”
Lu Yan’s face sank and he could not but feel irritated. At first, he had mistaken the man for a spy trying to gather information concerning the case they were working on at the Supreme Court. But later, he discovered the Meng girl’s personal maid had often been snooping around his own courtyard, asking whether he had a bedwarmer. That is when he realized what was going on.
Before he even agreed to the marriage, his proposed bride was already trying to control him. Her arm was a little bit overreaching, was it not?
He shot a glance outside and softly said:
“We shall go to Chengyuan today. But go around Pingkang Lane, where we will change carriages.”
Yang Zong had no choice but to nod his head. He did not dare sigh out loud, so he grieved in his heart.
Why did Miss Meng try to outplay their Young Master? The Young Master had finally decided to settle and get married. Now that she had aggrieved him, there was no chance of that happening.
The sky gradually darkened. When Lu Yan walked into Chengyuan, he could not help but be surprised. Lanterns had been lighted all around the yard. The snow that rested against the walls and tiles was melting under the effect of their red light.
Stepping forward slowly, Lu Yan opened the door leading to Shen Zhen’s residence. The nervous girl who had hidden like a mouse in that house had transformed overnight. Dressed in new, elegant clothing, she was seated in front of a bronze mirror, her earring reflecting light.
The candlelight illuminated her white skin and the corners of her pink lips appeared to be slightly raised. Shen Zhen looked at him through the reflection in her copper mirror. She was like the painting of an all-conquering beauty. The background blurred until only she remained clear, and in these clouds and mists of color, she was as graceful as she was charming.
It was Shen Zhen. Yet it was not Shen Zhen.
What man in this world did not know why a woman would make herself pleasing? Lu Yan did not take a step in. Rather, he leaned onto the doorframe and took her in. He was his usual, well-dressed self. He did not even shed that arrogance that was his trademark.
Their eyes met. Shen Zhen slowly stood from her vanity, waking towards him. In the softest of voices, she called out:
“Your Lordship.”
Shen Zhen’s had been born with a delicate voice. In order to appear virtuous and gentle, she deliberately lowered its tonality some more. Now that she had finally decided to bow, she feared that the indifference this lord of hers exhibited meant she had rallied too late. Shen Zhen had thought it through. He would not force her. She could always hide from him. However, if she were to hide indefinitely, Lu Yan would eventually lose his patience. What would happen to Hong’er then?! It was better to humor this man, so Shen Zhen had concluded. Nothing could be more precious than Hong’er’s wellbeing.
Seeing as Shen Zhen would not walk any closer, Lu Yan simply ignored her and walked by, going to seat himself on the bed. She could do nothing but bite her lips in humiliation, walk to the bed and sit by his side.
Lu Yan’s deep eyes devoured her. Yet, no lust was to be found in the midst of them. Rather, there was a desire for exploration. Shen Zhen had grown up in a Marquis’s mansion. She had seen countless nobles, officials and dignitaries. She was not one who could be fooled by an imposing manner. However, Lu Yan’s look was so very strange she did not know what to do of it. His eyes could not be seen through, they were the bottom of the seas, they were a sudden rainstorm. They were the proof she was about to become his mistress, not only in name but also in acts.
Of course, she was paralyzed by fear. As soon as Shen Zhen felt her fingers starting to tremble, she intertwined them tightly. Lu Yan stared at her for a long time before suddenly asking her:
“Why do you have so many perfume sachets concealed about you?”
There was on against her chest, on in her skirt and one under the pillow on the bed. The question caught Shen Zhen off guard. Taking in a deep breath, she answered with a small voice:
“Mother said I had a light fragrance on my skin ever since childhood. Since she did not wish for others to discover it, she taught me to make all sorts of perfumes. So I wear sachets to cover up that fragrance.”
After hearing this, Lu Yan thought it through. Indeed, since the very first day he had seen her, she had been wearing a sachet. However, there had never been so much perfume about her as today.
“Indeed”, he simply accepted.
Outside, a breeze was blowing the curtains apart, making them flutter ever so gently. Shen Zhen took the initiative to approach him, inch by inch. Raising her fine, long fingers, sliding them across the silk of her collar, which she opened to reveal her throat. Her neck was long and white, all in pure lines, more beautiful than any landscape.
Lu Yan did not move however. He looked at her like a wolf who had never even experienced hunger, waiting for his prey to offer itself on a golden platter.
Why was he staring her down? Would he not do anything?
Shen Zhen easily saw that Lu Yan was not willing to make things any easier for her. Thus, she had no choice but to clench her teeth and press herself against him. Her whole body leaned into an official’s dark purple tunic.
Lu Yan chuckled, bowing his head. At once, he buried his high-bridged nose into the tender flesh of her neck. His lips traveled up that soft skin, leaving a trail of moist kisses on their path.
