gentleman
Lin Xu remained silent for a moment.
Since the Crown Prince's visit, Zhou Weikan has become noticeably busier. He often stays alone in his study, and often leaves in a hurry with only one or two attendants, returning only when the stars are already in full bloom.
Lin Xu knew that he and the Crown Prince must be plotting how to deal with Yao Qijiang should he rebel. Even though she was in this secluded courtyard, she had learned from the maids about the two sensational weddings in Mujing recently.
Yao Suran married the Fifth Prince. Historically, princes were granted the title of Prince upon marriage, and Emperor Su bestowed upon him the title of Prince Zhenshan, granting him a residence and land. Yao Suran thus became the Princess Consort of Zhenshan, enjoying immense prestige. This also brought renewed prominence to the Huo family, behind the Fifth Prince. Meanwhile, the Yao family, which had been in decline, was thus saved by Yao Suran's actions, and some even speculated that the Yao family would soon rise again.
Since the Yao family lost power, Yao Qijiang, who had been confined to Cizhou and unable to return to the capital, had long been oppressed by Zhao Xiang's faction. He held military power in his own region, and if he were in a moment of panic, the Crown Prince's speculation was not unreasonable.
However, since the Yao family had always been safe and sound in her previous life, she naturally couldn't be sure whether Yao Qijiang would make any moves.
Another marriage was that the Dou family finally accepted the betrothal letter, and Dou Zhen, a talented woman who had become famous in the capital at a young age, was about to marry into the Prince Gong's mansion.
The matter of Dou Yanzhou was already a foregone conclusion. Although Yu Shi had kept his mouth shut since being imprisoned, one of his former lieutenants could not withstand severe torture and had confessed a series of names, with Dou Yanzhou reportedly at the top of the list. The fact that the Dou family was willing to marry their daughter to the Prince Gong's mansion at this time made their intentions clear to everyone.
But what kind of person was Princess Gong? She didn't want to be implicated by the Dou family, nor did she want to offend the Crown Prince's faction. So, after much deliberation, she only wanted to marry Dou Zhen as a concubine.
The other candidate for concubine ultimately fell to Song Xiyan, who had long admired the heir of Prince Gong.
They even chose the same day for the wedding.
Upon learning of this, Lin Xu felt a mix of emotions. How could Dou Zhen, who had been pampered since childhood, be willing to be subservient to someone else and only be a concubine? Even on her wedding day, she would have to share her husband with Song Xiyan? Moreover, given Song Xiyan's scheming and arrogance, the two of them would likely have endless struggles under the same roof in the future.
Bai Shi was so ridiculous. Although she had pleaded for him that day and received the Princess's promise, Bai Shi was still not satisfied. In order to protect her legitimate son, she could only sacrifice her beloved daughter in the end.
However, I am currently living in seclusion here, so there is no point in thinking about these things any further.
Lin Xu closed the neatly copied Buddhist scriptures, stood up, and looked at Zhou Weikan who was about to leave.
As if noticing her movement, Zhou Weikan turned around to look at her.
"What's wrong?"
A wave of bitterness washed over Lin Xu. The scar on his lip, inflicted by her, had scabbed over, but when he smiled, it resembled a deep dimple. She had never intended to hurt him, yet in the end, she was the one who hurt him the most.
Lin Xu shook her head slightly, then walked to his side and whispered, "It's nothing, I just wanted to look at the moon. It's almost full. Your birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?"
Zhou Weikan was taken aback, only then realizing that he had been so busy lately that he had forgotten that his birthday was in the next few days.
But when did she find out? His eyes widened in shock.
She actually remembered her own birthday.
"I heard it from the maids. Your birthday is February 16th, so I remembered it. It's quite easy to remember."
How could she possibly forget?
In their past life, when they were deeply in love, Zhou Weikan loved to celebrate her birthday. He would go to great lengths to gather dazzling fireworks, priceless silks and brocades, and even rare and exotic snacks from neighboring countries.
Back then, he loved to look at her with a deep smile as she examined the things he sent her, things that other noble ladies wouldn't even glance at, but she treasured.
He was clearly afraid of crickets, but he loved watching the excitement, insisting on covering his eyes while watching the crickets he had found, which were known as the best in the world, fight each other.
"Do you like it?" His voice was very soft then, falling into her ear.
Lin Xu didn't have time to answer, as he was already immersed in the exciting competition and could only manage two "uh-huhs".
He then deliberately teased her, covering her eyes with both hands, and asked, "What do you like? What does 'hmm' mean?"
Lin Xu couldn't push his hand away, and was impatient, so she could only obediently say, "I like the things you gave me. I like these treasures you gave me! Third Master, you're the best!"
He persisted, his warm palm covering her eyelids, tickling her and making her want to laugh, yet unable to pull away. "Is this all you like? What else do you like?"
She was incredibly clever and naturally understood what he meant. Even with her thick skin, she couldn't resist his gentle teasing. Her face turned red to the roots of her neck as she whispered, "Hmm... I still like you."
As soon as she spoke, she felt the hand on her face being removed. She suddenly opened her eyes, and before she could even adjust to the daylight, she was eager to watch the battle to see which cricket was truly the best in the world. However, she did not notice that two blushes had quietly risen on Zhou Weikan's cheeks.
He was a young master of a family, weary of scheming and deceit, but she was different, unconventional and innocent. Only she could bring him complete peace.
She was a mischievous and unrestrained girl who climbed trees to catch fish, and he fell in love with her at first sight on the shore of Shangsi Lake that year. He was so happy, and he wanted to truly marry her, to spend his whole life with her, until their hair turned gray, for her alone.
Lin Xu watched the fight with satisfaction, then pointed regretfully at one of the fat crickets that had been defeated first, saying, "This one is called the Invincible General, but it's just an intimidating look. In reality, it wilted as soon as it entered the arena..."
She was speaking with great enthusiasm when she realized that Zhou Weikan was simply watching her with a smile on his lips. It was as if she were making some important statement that would affect the fate of the nation. At that time, the two had only recently become engaged, and Lin Xu was still very shy, so she gently tapped his chest.
"If you keep looking, you'll have to pay!"
Zhou Weikan smiled and took the purse from her waist, placing it solemnly in her palm. "Luckily, my Zhou family has plenty of money. Is this enough to last a lifetime?"
While inwardly grumbling about how such an unshrewd merchant could be, Lin Xu quickly stuffed the heavy purse into her bosom. She then feigned nonchalance, saying, "This young lady is stunningly beautiful; how could you, a mere shopkeeper, so easily buy her out?"
But since he had accepted the gift, he still had to be serious and said, "On your birthday, I will definitely give you a grand gift. I'll show you what my style is like!"
...
But fate played a cruel trick; they were later separated by death, and they never had another chance.
Lin Xu lowered her eyes gently, and when she looked up at him again, a faint smile, as gentle as the wind, graced her lips.
“Master Zhou has taken good care of me for several days, and Fangxing once saved my life. I can’t accept your kindness for nothing. I should thank you.”
Before she finished speaking, she walked into the courtyard. Zhou Weikan was puzzled and could only follow behind her step by step. He saw her walk along the corridor for a long time before stopping at the corner of the corridor.
She pointed to a small patch of empty land beside the corridor.
"I planted a sapling here. Consider this a return gift."
Zhou Weikan followed her finger and saw a patch of bare soil with only a few sparse weeds around it. His smile remained unchanged. "Then thank you very much. I've never received such a gift before. But why did you plant trees?"
Shouldn't ordinary young ladies from noble families never lift a finger to do housework?
She seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, only squinting her eyes and stretching out her hands to show him off, where several more tiny bloody cuts had appeared.
He stared intently at the new wounds, secretly blaming himself for his carelessness.
On the day she first arrived, she had some small cuts on her hands. He knew she must have had a difficult journey, so he instructed the maids to apply medicine carefully. He had initially thought the cuts were because they hadn't fully healed, but he never imagined they were for him.
"Is it serious?" Without waiting for a reply, he took her hand in his and examined it carefully.
Her fingers were icy cold, and she unconsciously flinched, but she didn't struggle. "It's alright."
She looked up at him intently.
"When I was seven years old, my mother and I planted a sapling in the backyard for the first time. At that time, I thought the sapling would not survive, but my mother told me that as long as I said some words to it when planting it, the sapling would listen to it, remember it, and grow into a towering tree... Later, my mother did not lie to me."
Zhou Weikan's heart skipped a beat. He had already sent people to carefully investigate her family affairs.
From how she drove away several teachers when she was a child, to how she was ostracized by the elite ladies, even to the point of being covered in blood, she naturally knew that she had lost her mother at a very young age.
He didn't speak for a moment, but just looked at her quietly. He watched her eyes sparkle, more dazzling than a sky full of stars.
"So what did you say to this sapling?"
After thinking about it, he still asked the question.
Lin Xu blinked, her smile gentle yet tinged with a hint of sadness. He only heard her soft voice, gently whispering in his ear.
"I told the sapling that I hoped it would grow up soon and provide shelter from the wind and rain. I also told it that I hoped it would bless Uncle Zhou with a smooth and peaceful life, free from worries year after year."
He felt as if a stone had exploded in his heart, leaving him utterly shocked. He opened his mouth, but when their eyes met and he saw the resolute determination in her eyes, he understood perfectly well—
She was speaking from the heart.
But it was also a farewell to him.
He forcibly pulled her to his side, pretending not to see the sorrow in her eyes every day—a selfish act in itself. There was even a dark corner in his heart where he wanted to disappear with her, living in anonymity, never to see the world again, hiding away in a place where no one knew him. He didn't care that she was carrying another man's child; he only wanted to see her day and night.
Even if she desperately wanted to leave, he would not hesitate to act like a despicable person and forcibly keep her there.
If he wanted to, even the Crown Prince couldn't do anything to him. Let alone a mere Dou Yanxun who had no real power.
The Dou family treated her so cruelly; they all deserve to die.
But when her eyes held only tenderness as she gazed at him quietly, all the scheming and plotting in his heart vanished instantly. She believed he wasn't a bad person. That was enough.
Even if he wasn't, he was willing to be a true gentleman for her sake.
Zhou Weikan's eyes flickered, and after a long while, he slowly released her fingers.
"if……"
"I will take good care of myself, Third Master."
He gave a wry smile. She was so intelligent; even without him saying it, she understood. She understood everything.
He lowered his head and took a jade pendant from his waist. This was something he had wanted to give her back then on the night of Qixi Festival. After so long, he could finally place it in her palm.
"This is no ordinary jade pendant."
Seeing her confusion, he turned the smooth, lustrous object over. Sure enough, there were several raised patterns on it.
"This is a key. If you ever regret it, I will be here, under the tree you planted, waiting for you to come back."
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