Chapter 24 He was shocked to learn that, because he felt the same way, he could no longer hate this person…
Yan Hengdan had a dream.
The courtyard in my dream was desolate, the night was dark, and the moonlight was bright.
There was a slender and graceful woman who always had her back to him.
Yan Hengdan stood in the room, staring at her back, and an indescribable sense of familiarity welled up inside her.
"Dan'er, come here." The woman's voice was soft and gentle.
As the woman finished speaking, a tiny snowball, no bigger than half a dot, passed through Yan Hengdan's body and ran forward eagerly.
He called out "Mother" in a soft, sweet voice, but his tone had a heavy nasal quality.
The woman, who had been facing away from Yan Hengdan, slowly turned to the side, revealing a corner of her face.
She was a woman with light eyebrows and pale lips, like a pear blossom shrouded in mist, but now her face was pale and flushed, and even the slender fingers that were pinching the pearl earring were trembling slightly.
"Mommy can't put them on properly, Dan'er will put them on for Mommy, okay?" The woman coaxed the little dumpling, her gaze gently sweeping from the strands of hair sticking up on his head to his adorable cloth tiger shoes.
"Okay!" the little dumpling replied softly, took the earring from the woman's hand, and reached up on tiptoe.
The little dumpling helped her mother put on the pearl earrings, then complained about the bitter taste of the medicine today, before snuggling into her mother's arms in a spoiled manner.
He didn't see that with just a slight bump from his plump body, the woman fell backward, unable to bear the weight.
Even so, the woman, being a mother, simply embraced him gently and hummed a soothing lullaby to lull him to sleep.
Not long after, the maid who had been hiding in the shadows came and took away the half-asleep child.
"No, we can't leave!" Yan Hengdan, who had been in a daze, suddenly rushed forward to snatch the little dumpling back from the maid's hands, but only managed to grab empty air.
He watched as the maid pushed open the door, stepped out of the room, and walked further and further away. When he turned around again, there was a man in the room, who was the Marquis of Jixiang.
The arguing grew louder and louder as it came from inside the room, but Yan Hengdan couldn't make out what they were arguing about.
Suddenly, Marquis Jixiang vanished into thin air.
The woman sitting by the bed choked back tears.
Yan Hengdan tried very hard to wipe it, but her outstretched hand passed right through the woman's face and couldn't touch her.
"Mother," Yan Hengdan called out in a hoarse, weak, and desperate voice, "Look at Dan'er, Mother."
But the woman ignored him, silently untied the gossamer-like white gauze draped over her body, twisted it into a single strand, tied one end to the headboard and the other around her neck, and with tears streaming down her face, used all her strength to roll off the bed.
"Mother!" Yan Hengdan cried out in a sobbing voice, a painful feeling of weightlessness washing over her instantly.
"Young Master, Young Master," Qiu Man called out, waking him up.
At this moment, the room was brightly lit. Yan Hengdan opened his eyes in a daze. It wasn't until Qiu Man brought water and used a soft silk towel to wash his face that Yan Hengdan realized that his face was covered with tears.
"I dreamt of my mother," Yan Hengdan said, her eyelashes drooping with tears, her voice hoarse.
Qiu Man paused in her washing of his face, then softened her voice: "Young Master must have seen Fifth Miss burning her manuscripts to mourn her mother, which must have moved him to tears. It is only natural that he would dream of Madam."
Yan Hengdan described the dream to Qiu Man, enunciating each word carefully.
Qiu Man believed that the matter had already been decided by the imperial family and there should be no problem.
Yan Hengdan slowly clenched her fist, remained silent for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile and said sadly, "Yes, he has already passed away."
"Whether she hanged herself or died in a fire, from the moment my mother was favored by him as the wife of the Marquis of Jixiang, death was inevitable."
"Young Master, we must always look forward." Qiu Man comforted him, then soaked the soft silk handkerchief in hot water again, wrung it out, and gently applied it to Yan Hengdan's slightly swollen eyes.
Yan Hengdan slowly closed her eyes, her thoughts racing. After a long while, she grasped Qiu Man's hand: "No, Qiu Man, I don't think that was a dream. It must be a memory I've forgotten. Have you forgotten? After my mother died, I lost all my memories until I was six years old, when I finally started living like a human being."
Yan Hengdan's voice trembled more and more. Qiu Man met his increasingly morbid and obsessive gaze, opened his mouth, but could not speak. He could only nod silently.
"I won't let them get away with this." Yan Hengdan said this softly, which sent chills down Qiu Man's spine.
"Young Master." Qiu Man touched his lips, filled with fear and worry, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words to persuade Yan Hengdan to let go.
He knew better than anyone how Yan Hengdan had managed to hold on until now, and how she had received imperial favor.
Yan Hengdan released Qiu Man's hand, closed her eyes wearily, and said nothing more: "Turn off the light, I'm going to sleep."
The next day, Zhu Xuanning got up early to do her makeup, but she wasn't in a good mood.
She had planned it very well, using a half-true, half-false self-inflicted injury scheme to get close to Yu Xuan. She had put a lot of effort into her clothes, makeup, and hairpins. She had clearly inquired about Yu Xuan's whereabouts and knew that he would come out early, but to her surprise, it was Yan Hengdan who arrived at the small garden first.
It's like casting a seductive glance at a blind man.
Frustrated, she slammed the hairpin in front of the mirror.
"Is Miss still angry?" Po Mo sighed helplessly, took back the comb that Zhu Xuanning had thrown away, and skillfully ran his fingers through her black hair to tie it up.
"Anyone will do, except for that Yan Wu. He's really wasting my time." Zhu Xuanning was only using his weakness to prevent Yan Hengdan from interfering with her. As for winning Yan Hengdan's heart?
Forget it, she couldn't stand his personality. Even if he didn't look like he had many years left to live, she wasn't going to force herself to marry him.
"It's my fault. If you're still angry, Miss, feel free to punch me. Don't upset yourself." Po Mo said, taking Zhu Xuanning's hand and slapping it against his own face.
"How can I blame you?" Zhu Xuanning quickly withdrew her hand, snorted, and still gritted her teeth when she mentioned Yan Hengdan: "That villain is just incompatible with me. He always ruins my plans. It has nothing to do with you."
As Zhu Xuanning spoke, Po Mo had already finished styling her makeup.
Po Mo held Zhu Xuanning's shoulder and asked her to look in the mirror.
The girl wore a lotus-colored silk skirt layered with a misty blue shawl. Her beautiful eyes seemed to be naturally misty, with two glistening beads perfectly placed on her cheeks. When she turned her head to look around, the pearl tassels at her ears swayed gently.
The most exquisite detail is the single pearl hairpin at Zhu Xuanning's temple, its silver threads creating a precarious, almost drooping effect. Whenever she moves, it draws frequent glances and compels one to reach out and steady it.
"I'm leaving." Zhu Xuanning was extremely satisfied. She got up, walked to the table, took out a book that had been marked with many circles, and then walked out the door.
As she was walking, Zhu Xuanning spotted a grand spectacle in the distance.
Before she could even see the person clearly, a bad feeling welled up in her heart.
“Take the back road.” Zhu Xuanning bit her lip and whispered to Po Mo before turning around and walking away quickly.
"Stop." A light, lazy voice reached Zhu Xuanning's ears through the dappled dense forest. The sedan chair was moving faster than Zhu Xuanning had expected.
Zhu Xuanning assumed the other person wasn't calling her and continued walking forward with small, quick steps. If it weren't for the obvious attempt to escape by lifting her skirt, she would have already run away.
"Zhu Xuanning." The rising tone of his voice revealed a hint of gloom, forcing Zhu Xuanning to stop in her tracks.
She rolled her dark eyes upwards, took a deep breath, and then slowly turned them back.
"Young Master Yan." Zhu Xuanning bowed her head, her curtsy perfectly executed.
"Hmm, why are you running?" Yan Hengdan turned her head, raised her slightly pale fingertips, and picked apart a lush green bamboo branch, looking at her mockingly.
Zhu Xuanning downplayed the issue, saying, "I saw your entourage from afar and didn't want to offend you, so I thought I'd take a detour. I was preoccupied with something and didn't notice you calling me."
Yan Hengdan let out a soft laugh that was extremely uncomfortable: "Collision? How many times have we collided since we met? You actually know how to write the word 'collision'?"
Zhu Xuanning pursed her lips, wondering how to reply.
"Are you going to find Yu Er?" Yan Hengdan looked her up and down, her gaze finally settling on the book in Zhu Xuanning's hand.
Zhu Xuanning could only nod; she was already prepared for Yan Hengdan to ridicule her for being shameless and greedy.
Strangely, Yan Hengdan didn't say that. She just stared at her for a moment before saying, "It's obvious that only Yu Er would put on a show to appease you."
Then, he stretched out his thin finger and beckoned, "Give it to me."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Xuanning looked up at him in surprise, her hands instinctively tightening their grip on the book.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"I told you to bring the book over. Which word didn't you understand?"
Seeing that Zhu Xuanning remained unmoved, Yan Hengdan's annoyance was immediately replaced by a slight anger.
He's really gone mad; he's trying to meddle in this person's business.
Zhu Xuanning felt that Yan Hengdan was crazy, but she couldn't show her annoyance, so she could only move forward reluctantly and hand the book to Qiu Man.
Upon seeing that it was a copy of the "Classic of Filial Piety," Yan Hengdan paused. He calmly opened it and, seeing the familiar small regular script in the annotations, asked, glancing thoughtfully at Zhu Xuanning, "You're quite capable."
That meaningful gaze almost pierced through Zhu Xuanning's soul, and she subconsciously trembled.
Fortunately, Yan Hengdan only glanced at her and didn't mention it again.
Following the small regular script annotations are characters in a style between running script and regular script.
It is serene, elegant, and naturally beautiful.
The annotations further elaborate on parts of the text that were briefly mentioned in the small regular script, demonstrating considerable ingenuity, and also included some personal insights.
Yan Hengdan was taken aback. He looked at it again and again, and when he looked up again, the expression in his eyes had changed: "You want to ask Yu Er a question?"
Zhu Xuanning couldn't deny it, so she pursed her lips and answered, "Yes."
Yan Hengdan closed the book, the dappled shadows of the trees obscuring part of his emotions. He said to Zhu Xuanning, "No need to look for him, just ask me."
Zhu Xuanning suddenly bit her lower lip with her fine teeth, cursing Yan Hengdan in her heart.
"What? You're not happy about it?" Yan Hengdan's mood changed very quickly. He sneered, stepped onto the deerskin stool, and got off the sedan chair.
The cool, medicinal scent forcefully invaded Zhu Xuanning's olfactory world. Yan Hengdan, carrying a book, walked gracefully to her side, leaned down slightly, and whispered in her ear: "Do you look down on a fallen nobleman like me, thinking that only a scholar-official like Yu Er is someone you can climb up to?"
Zhu Xuanning looked at him suddenly. No matter how calm she had been before, her hands, which were tucked into her sleeves, were now trembling slightly.
Yan Hengdan's eyes flickered, and she stared at her for a moment with a half-smile. The sentence she uttered made Zhu Xuanning even more alarmed: "Miss Zhu, don't you want to bring down the powerful and influential even faster?"
Suspicion, horror, and vigilance.
A mix of emotions welled up in Zhu Xuanning's heart, and she knew that she had no choice but to go with Yan Hengdan this time.
"How could that be?" Zhu Xuanning's face paled in surprise, but she still smiled gently at Yan Hengdan: "I was just too surprised that you would put aside past grievances and be willing to give me some pointers, so I was stunned and didn't respond for a moment."
The two were so close that Yan Hengdan was momentarily distracted when she met Zhu Xuanning's smiling face.
"You certainly have a silver tongue." Yan Hengdan scoffed, then distanced herself from her, turned around, and raised her chin: "Let's go."
Zhu Xuanning followed closely behind, not forgetting to give Po Mo a reassuring look.
The morning light slanted through the carved window lattice, dividing the study floor into two sides of light and shadow.
Zhu Xuanning followed behind Yan Hengdan, glancing at the layout of the study out of the corner of her eye.
The ebony bookshelf was filled with numerous books, and the rosewood desk was unadorned, with only a map held down by a paperweight. Next to the inkstone, there was a white porcelain bowl with crackled glaze.
A brocade velvet blanket with rolled-up edges was piled under the armchair, while the back and seat of the chair were covered with layers upon layers of snow-white velvet cushions.
Upon entering the study, Yan Hengdan slumped back in her chair as if she had no bones, casually pointed to a seat and told Zhu Xuanning to sit down, and went straight to the point: "Who are you going to take revenge on? Zhu Yuli or his wife?"
Having done a cursory investigation into Zhu Xuanning's background, Yan Hengdan knew that she grew up in a remote village in the south. In such a tiny place, the highest official she could meet was a county magistrate.
If it were just some insignificant official, the Zhu family could easily smooth things over by sending someone to fetch her, and she wouldn't be able to cry that it was the powerful and influential who forced her mother to her death.
Yan Hengdan was just guessing casually, but to her surprise, Zhu Xuanning actually fell silent.
Upon seeing Zhu Xuanning's reaction, Yan Hengdan immediately understood. A fleeting look of surprise crossed his eyes. What had initially been an impulsive thought born of empathy now gave rise to a desire to delve deeper into the matter.
“Young Master Yan, I don’t understand, what do you want from me?” Zhu Xuanning took a deep breath. The other party had repeatedly revealed her deepest secrets, forcing her to take Yan Hengdan seriously.
Zhu Xuanning didn't believe that the other party was only showing kindness because she had also lost her mother; this was unlike Yan Hengdan's style.
The nascent enthusiasm was extinguished by Zhu Xuanning's wary and defensive attitude. Yan Hengdan glanced at her, his attitude turning cold: "Besides that pretty face, what else do you have to offer that I would even covet?"
He sneered, and Zhu Xuanning, feeling stung by his words, relaxed instead.
Such a reaction naturally caught his eye. Yan Hengdan felt that Zhu Xuanning deserved to be scolded and that he had to scold her a few times before she would soften her attitude.
Thinking this through, Yan Hengdan had another idea: "If you really want to exchange something with me, why don't you make a deal with me?"
Zhu Xuanning listened, straightened her posture even more, and became more serious: "Young Master Yan, please speak."
"How about abandoning Song Zhaohan and trampling his heart into the mud?" Yan Hengdan's fingertips unconsciously tugged at the soft velvet cushion, a subtle smile curving her lips as she glanced at Zhu Xuanning as if watching a good show.
Zhu Xuanning's eyes flickered slightly as she glanced at Yan Hengdan out of the corner of her eye. After a moment of silence, her thoughts racing, she finally asked, "Does it really have to be this way?"
Yan Hengdan was surprised that Zhu Xuanning hesitated. She thought that Zhu Xuanning had some genuine feelings for her and was about to make a few sarcastic remarks when she heard Zhu Xuanning say, "If I were to do something even more ruthless and let Young Master Yan vent his anger, would Young Master Yan give me even more?"
Yan Hengdan's hand, which was gripping the velvet cushion, suddenly stopped. He smiled and said, "Of course."
“Okay.” Zhu Xuanning stood up: “I want to draw up a contract as proof.”
Yan Hengdan's smile turned cold as he stared at Zhu Xuanning. Zhu Xuanning, unfazed, met his gaze.
After a brief standoff, Yan Hengdan finally scoffed, took a step back, and said coldly, "You do have a brain; you even thought of making a contract."
Yan Hengdan straightened up from her chair, lazily walked to her desk, spread out paper and pen, and ordered Zhu Xuanning to grind the ink.
Zhu Xuanning remained silent and walked to Yan Hengdan's side to begin grinding ink.
Yan Hengdan stood in front of the table and pressed down the Xuan paper.
The two were close together, and a faint fragrance wafted from Zhu Xuanning. Yan Hengdan frowned and glanced in her direction.
Zhu Xuanning lowered her eyelashes, her misty blue shawl slipped down slightly, and her slender white hands held the lotus-root-colored cuffs. The pearl chain on her wrist tapped lightly with the rhythm of grinding, the sound gradually slowing down and then speeding up. The window lattice cut the sunlight into floating fragments of gold, and made the pearl in the girl's hair glow with a dazzling rainbow.
Yan Hengdan was stunned for a while before realizing that, since what happened last night, he found it hard to dislike this beautiful but scheming person anymore.
"Take another look. If there are no omissions, then sign it. Make two copies." After the contract was completed, Yan Hengdan handed it over.
After carefully reading through the document, Zhu Xuanning felt there was nothing more to add, so she wrote her name on the document and affixed her seal.
Zhu Xuanning didn't find fault, and Yan Hengdan's attitude improved considerably.
“When Song Zhaohan returns from Jiangnan, he will tell his family about what happened between us. Whether it works out or not, I will tell him how I schemed against him,” Zhu Xuanning said to Yan Hengdan.
"What if he really manages to obtain an imperial edict?" Yan Hengdan asked. "Are you going to disobey the edict?"
Zhu Xuanning neither agreed nor disagreed, and said calmly, "Why not?"
Yan Hengdan glanced at her in surprise. This girl was smart; she must know the consequences of disobeying imperial orders.
"You're ruthless." For some reason, Yan Hengdan's gaze slowly became complicated.
He hated them so much that he was willing to be hanged rather than be exiled to the Zhu family as a slave. It seems that the inside story is deeper than he thought.
Zhu Xuanning didn't respond to Yan Hengdan's words, but she sneered inwardly.
Do you really think she's stupid? The more effort Song Zhaohan puts into getting something, the less likely she is to let her die if she doesn't get it.
The Zhu family hasn't fallen, and those who deserved to die haven't died, so why should she die?
Besides, she has more than one card to play. As long as she can keep Ji Yucheng occupied, he will definitely not let Song Zhaohan ask for this imperial decree.
"What do you want to investigate?" Yan Hengdan asked, her tone more gentle than usual.
Zhu Xuanning's words were like a thunderbolt. Yan Hengdan abruptly pulled off the jade pendant that was tied to her waist, staring at Zhu Xuanning in astonishment: "Do you know what you're saying?"
Yan Hengdan never imagined that Zhu Xuanning would be investigating matters related to the imperial examinations.
Cheating in the imperial examinations was never a trivial matter; once investigated, it would require countless executions to suppress it.
If the prefectural examination is involved, then it is something that only a fourth-rank official in power can exert pressure on. If even the provincial and metropolitan examinations are affected, then this person already has a huge, deeply entrenched power behind him, the kind that even his cheap father cannot immediately investigate and eliminate.
Zhu Xuanning didn't speak, but just looked at Yan Hengdan. Her red lips were slightly curved, as if she was mocking herself or being sarcastic, which was irritating to Yan Hengdan.
Yan Hengdan fell silent. At this moment, he understood why Zhu Xuanning had suddenly changed her mind and wanted to curry favor with Yu Xuan.
In this matter, no nobles, military generals, or imperial relatives could intervene as easily as the head of the civil service.
"My people can only investigate the prefectural examination, do you understand?" Yan Hengdan rarely spoke so frankly to Zhu Xuanning, revealing his true intentions. If they dug any further, he would not be able to use his people.
"That's enough." Zhu Xuanning deliberately exaggerated, just to find out if Yan Hengdan could do it. For now, it was enough for her to find out about the prefectural examination. She could leave the rest to others.
"Is your mother's death related to Zhu Yuli's prefectural examination?" Yan Hengdan could only guess that, and he couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm." Zhu Xuanning only answered with one word. Even after many years, when she heard others mention this matter, Zhu Xuanning's heart still ached. She maintained a calm expression on her face, but the emotions in her eyes could not be concealed.
Yan Hengdan glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, but she was also affected by this emotion, her brows furrowed and she looked somewhat listless.
He didn't like the atmosphere and was about to speak up to drive Zhu Xuanning away when he heard the girl's voice, which had been silent for a while, float lightly like paper, as if it came from a distant memory: "Not only my mother, but all sixty-three people in the village died here."
Zhu Xuanning knew that since she had asked Yan Hengdan to investigate, he would eventually find out.
The things she had kept hidden in her heart were now laid bare.
Zhu Xuanning appeared calm, but as she finished speaking, tears silently streamed down her face. Only when they dripped onto her clenched, white fingertips did she belatedly realize it.
She lowered her head blankly, not understanding why she was crying at this moment, when a handkerchief appeared in her blurred vision.
Yan Hengdan held the handkerchief up and handed it to him, remaining silent.
"Thank you." Zhu Xuanning took it, and almost hastily turned her back, as if she didn't want Yan Hengdan to see her crying.
Even though Yan Hengdan's gaze only briefly swept across her profile, he could still see the tears welling up in her eyes.
"I just don't want people to misunderstand and think I'm targeting you again." Yan Hengdan refused to admit whether it was a momentary impulse or just stubbornness; his mood wasn't much better.
Zhu Xuanning held up a handkerchief to suppress her tears. Her misty eyes glanced back briefly, like a dragonfly skimming the water, before she lowered her gaze again.
Yan Hengdan saw this and stopped talking.
"Quickly calm down and go back to your own courtyard." Yan Hengdan's attitude changed again. His emotions inexplicably became agitated. He turned cold and shooed Zhu Xuanning out of the house.
She didn't want to take it back and was also struggling with what to do with it.
Yan Hengdan wanted to tell Zhu Xuanning to throw it away, but after a moment of strange silence, she said coldly, "Leave it here, I'll have someone take care of it."
After Zhu Xuanning left, the room fell silent again.
Not long after, Qiu Man entered quietly. He saw Yan Hengdan sitting at his desk, his face pale from deep thought. He then reached out and pressed his acupoints to relieve his pain.
Yan Hengdan's brows gradually relaxed, and she took a breath before asking, "Do you have any recollection of what happened in Lingchuan Prefecture in the tenth year of Jinghe?"
"But what about Lingchuan Prefecture, where pirates massacred the entire village?" Qiu Man asked, seeking confirmation.
Yan Hengdan suddenly gripped the brush tightly, the trembling ink ruining a character. It wasn't until Qiu Man called him several times that Yan Hengdan came back to his senses.
Yan Hengdan lowered her head, her lowered eyelashes casting a dim shadow, her tone so light that it was almost impossible to discern her emotions.
Author's Note: Years later, recalling how he had maliciously assumed Zhu Xuanning's intentions and made things difficult for her, Yan Wu woke up in the middle of the night: I deserve to die. [Clown][Clown]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
