Chapter 1 It would have been better not to meet at all
In the second year of Anhe, in late spring and early summer.
A heavy rain had fallen the night before, and several wet patches remained on the wide street. The carriage wheels rolled over them, splashing water everywhere.
In the East Market, shops lined both sides, bustling and noisy, full of the lively atmosphere of everyday life.
On the second floor of the elegantly decorated teahouse, by the railing facing the street, leaned a graceful figure.
She wore a soft, smoky-colored gauze dress with a flowing hem and a belt that cinched her waist, outlining her captivating figure.
She held a round fan in her slender, pale fingers and fanned herself listlessly.
The girl had a beautiful face and her long, black hair was styled in a bun, like a married woman's hairstyle.
On the street below the teahouse, children were jumping in and out of puddles left by the rain.
Her eyelashes were lowered, her gaze fell on the child, and the corners of her lips were slightly curved.
It looked like they were watching intently, but it also looked like they were just killing time.
"Miss Shen, the shop owner happens to have some excellent Biluochun tea in the shop, it will be served shortly."
A warm voice came from behind her, and the girl slowly straightened up, her demeanor and expression returning to normal.
She was Shen You, the dignified and gentle eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengde.
Shen You turned his head to look at the person who came and thanked him, "Thank you for making this trip, young master."
The young man in front of her gazed at the woman's outstanding appearance, his smile filled with infatuation.
The next moment, when he saw her perfectly styled woman's bun, a clear look of regret flashed in his eyes.
It's a pity that such a beautiful woman, as lovely as a pearl, is divorced.
However, he quickly composed himself and said politely, "Miss Shen, you are too kind."
"It is my honor to share a pot of tea with you today."
Although the emotion in his eyes was fleeting, Shen You still noticed it.
But she didn't say anything, only a faint, ambiguous smile appeared on her lips.
After thanking him, Shen You did not return to the tea table, but remained standing by the railing.
"I suppose Aunt Shen has already told Miss Shen about my situation," the man beside him continued enthusiastically. "I am the second son in my family, and my father holds the official position of Imperial Censor..."
As he spoke, he glanced up at the girl in front of him.
Seeing that Shen You's expression was gentle but without a smile, he paused and then said, "Today I interrupted your plans to listen to the music. If you don't mind, how about we go to the Pear Garden together tomorrow?"
When the topic of Peking Opera came up, Shen You blinked, as if she was remembering something.
"I remember there was a performer in the opera troupe named Xiao Xingchun. When it was her turn to perform, the theater would be packed." Old Madam Shen used to really like Xiao Xingchun's performances, so she often invited her to the mansion.
Shen You sighed softly, "It's a pity that Xiao Xingchun no longer sings. I heard that someone bought her a house."
She spoke casually, but her tone was tinged with emotion as she thought of the old lady and Xiao Xingchun's ultimate fate.
What is said unintentionally may be taken to heart by the listener.
The man beside him suddenly changed his expression, and the panic in his eyes was obvious.
Shen You raised an eyebrow slightly, suddenly understanding.
The person in front of me is the one who built the house for Xiao Xingchun.
It's truly laughable that he redeemed a courtesan, bought her a house, and kept her as a mistress, yet now he comes to look at her.
According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, men may take concubines from respectable families.
However, keeping a mistress is a shameful act.
It not only humiliates the legal wife, but also prevents the other woman from having a legitimate status.
Shen You's originally gentle and clear eyes turned somewhat cold. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the other side of the wide street.
Hearing the noise, her gaze fell on the street.
From the direction of the city gate, several men rode in on horseback. The one in front was dressed in a dark red brocade robe with narrow sleeves. He had outstanding features, deep-set eyes, and a handsome and rugged appearance.
With just one glance, Shen You was stunned, his legs seemingly frozen in place.
I never expected to see him again under these circumstances.
Her gaze was too direct. The man next to her followed her gaze, his eyes lit up, and he immediately changed the subject.
“I never expected to see the Duke of Zhenguo on the street today,” he said excitedly. “Miss Shen, you may not know, but the Duke of Zhenguo is a hero of our Great Qi and a role model for us all.”
"When Marquis Zhenwu risked his life to remonstrate, he was sentenced to have his entire family executed, including their young daughter."
"The heir of the Marquis of Zhenwu was in a military camp at the border at the time and was about to be escorted back to the capital for execution. But later... it is said that he was helped by a kind person on the way. He endured humiliation and went to the south to bide his time. Later, he was able to kill the tyrant and treacherous officials and restore peace and prosperity to the people of Qi."
"After returning to the capital last month, His Majesty appointed him to head the Criminal Investigation Department and also promoted the title of Marquis of Zhenwu. Now everyone must respectfully address him as Duke Zhenguo..." At this point, the young master seemed to remember something and smiled.
“I remember now. Aunt Shen said that last month, Miss Shen went to Nian'en Temple for a vegetarian stay and missed the palace banquet held by His Majesty for the promotion of the Duke of Zhenguo. She probably doesn’t know about these things.”
Shen You's eyes flickered slightly, and she pursed her lips.
How could she not know?
Her decision to stay at Nian'en Temple and skip the palace banquet was entirely deliberate.
She couldn't quite describe her feelings at the time; she just knew that upon hearing he was coming back, she instinctively ran away.
The sound of horses' hooves downstairs was still there, almost exactly the same as she remembered.
Back then, she would come out to greet him every time he returned from hunting in the mountains.
Hearing the sound of horses' hooves filled her with joy.
But every time she tried to take the things from his hands, he turned away with a cold expression.
Who said that the past is like the wind, it can be blown away?
But she clearly remembers it so clearly.
Even the snorting of the horse, the man's tall, steady yet cold and lonely back, and the osmanthus tree in the courtyard that could never be saved...
I remember everything perfectly.
Indelible.
She thought that people's hearts were made of flesh and blood and could be warmed, but two years of sweet nothings only earned her a letter of divorce from him.
If you have too high expectations, they will eventually turn out to be empty and futile.
Since we've already divorced, we should live separate lives from now on, so why bother seeing each other again?
It would be better not to meet at all.
But Lin'an City is only so big, how could she not know that Chu Xiao had been promoted to Duke of Zhenguo?
I had only heard that he had been promoted to a noble rank not long before the emperor sent him out to handle an important case, but I didn’t expect him to return so quickly.
The young man beside him continued talking, as if he had countless words of praise for Chu Xiao whenever he mentioned him.
He had only spoken for a short while, and seeing no agreement from the girl beside him, he looked over in confusion, only to see that Shen You's gaze remained fixed on the tall figure below.
He paused for a moment, then casually asked, "Does Miss Shen know the Duke of Zhenguo?"
The man on horseback had a sword strapped to his saddle, and his black gold boots rested on the stirrups.
With a pull of the reins, the horse slowed down.
It was as if she heard people talking about her, or as if she noticed the undeniable gaze from the second floor.
He looked up and stared straight at him.
His long, narrow, dark eyes squinted slightly in the sunlight, the light and shadow dancing between his sharp brows.
Shen You had no time to dodge and bumped directly into his line of sight.
Immediately afterwards, she heard herself deny it, "I don't know him."
Her ex-husband was that hunter, not some damned Duke of Zhenguo.
Downstairs, the reins were pulled back, and the horse came to a complete stop, no longer moving forward.
Chu Xiao had obviously heard the question and answer, and his gaze was even colder and sharper than she remembered.
The burn scar on his cheek was gone, but the imposing aura he exuded was even more pronounced.
Finally hearing the girl beside him answer his question, the second son of the Imperial Censor's family showed surprise and delight.
I have no idea what he was thinking.
Perhaps wanting to learn more about Shen You, he impulsively asked, "I heard that Miss Shen has been to the south before. I wonder if you are used to living there?"
Many people in Lin'an City knew that Shen You, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengde, had married a hunter from the south six years ago.
In just two years, he returned to the capital with a divorce agreement in hand.
Shen You paused for a moment, gazing at the pair of dark, narrow eyes on horseback, and replied, "I'm not used to it."
"I'm not used to the food there, and I'm not used to the lifestyle there."
"I'm not used to the people there either."
As she finished speaking, she looked with satisfaction at the man's thick, sword-like eyebrows furrowed together.
The girl's voice was soft and gentle, yet her words were clear and distinct.
Chu Xiao sat upright on his horse, staring at her intently.
The first time the two met after four years of divorce was unexpected; they saw her looking at someone else.
He gripped the reins tightly, and the veins on the back of his tanned hand bulged slightly.
He didn't even answer when his attendant asked him if he wanted to return to the mansion.
In early summer, the sunlight is gentle, as if coating the girl with a layer of pearly light.
If only there wasn't that eyesore of a person standing next to me.
Having not been looked at by those intense eyes for a long time, Shen You felt a little uneasy and turned around to return to the inner room of the tea house.
Unexpectedly, as soon as her toes turned to the side, the sachet that was originally tied around her waist was caught on a barb on the railing, and the tie loosened slightly.
The sachet fell, landing straight on the back of the tall, magnificent horse.
Beside the man's strong and powerful hands.
Shen You: ......
I should have known better than to speak ill of him in front of him.
The fact that the sachet fell was something no one present had expected.
Seeing this, the second son of the Imperial Censor's family volunteered, "Don't worry, Miss Shen, the Duke of Zhenguo is a reasonable man and will not make things difficult for you."
"I'll go down and retrieve it for you."
"Sigh..." Shen You didn't even have time to stop him; she could only see the young man's back as he eagerly went downstairs.
It only takes a few breaths to go from the second floor of the teahouse to the street.
The second son of the Imperial Censor ran even faster than Shen You had imagined.
He stood beside Chu Xiao's tall, fine horse, and respectfully bowed with his hands clasped.
She wanted to demonstrate her etiquette to the Duke of Zhenguo, and also to show her demeanor to the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengde.
"My name is Li Yu, and I greet the Duke of Zhenguo."
Chu Xiao didn't speak, his gaze shifting from the delicate and charming face by the second-floor railing to the person in front of him.
The somber atmosphere made Li Yu feel like he couldn't breathe.
Li Yu dared not look up directly, but only stared at the apricot-white sachet held in the man's hand, and said, "Just now, my friend's sachet accidentally fell. Thank you, Duke Zhenguo, for catching it, so that the sachet would not have been covered in dust."
After saying that, he stretched out his hands, without saying anything explicitly, but the meaning was clear.
They wanted to get the sachet back.
But Chu Xiao remained motionless, not even moving a finger.
The apricot-white sachet stood out starkly against the man's tanned palm.
A faint fragrance of osmanthus wafts from the sachet.
Shen You stood by the second-floor railing, her gaze filled with eager anticipation for him to return the sachet.
But Chu Xiao did not do as she wished.
In a short while.
He looked up, glanced at her, and then looked back at Li Yu.
Then he said, "A sachet is a very important item for a woman. Is Young Master Li sure that you are familiar enough with that girl to retrieve her sachet?"
"This..." Li Yu was embarrassed, and even a little sweaty.
This was due both to Chu Xiao's imposing aura and the fact that what he said was indeed true.
Today was the first time Li Yu met Shen You. Even though they were looking at each other, and even though he didn't mind her status as a second-time bride, it was a fact that he and Shen You were not familiar with each other.
He couldn't deny it.
For a long while, he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
Upon seeing this, Shen You gripped his fan and prepared to go downstairs to retrieve the sachet himself.
The moment he turned around, he heard Chu Xiao's cold and deep voice.
He said, "This sachet is such an important item, I will keep it safe for you. Please ask Young Master Li to tell the owner to come and retrieve it herself."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs and rode away.
The horse's hooves swiftly pounded across the puddles, splashing up tiny droplets of water.
The children scattered, for without water, there was no fun, and they all dispersed.
Li Yu failed to retrieve the sachet and could only return to the second floor of the teahouse in a huff.
This little incident did not diminish his desire to continue his relationship with Shen You. He rubbed his face and put on a smile, "Miss Shen, today was a bit of an accident. How about we go to the Pear Garden to listen to music together tomorrow?"
Upon hearing this, Shen You smiled gently, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Young Master Li, is that right?"
"I suppose you must be a regular at this pear garden to be able to coax Xiao Xingchun to leave. However, the affairs of your inner quarters are delayed and cannot be resolved. In that case, my Shen family is not worthy of your patronage."
What use is such an irresponsible man?
Shen You had been "tricked" into coming here today, and as soon as she said this, she turned around and left.
Li Yu was left standing there dumbfounded, cold sweat pouring down his face.
He knew perfectly well that once Shen You found out about his affair, the marriage was off the table.
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