Chapter Eleven: So It Was Him

Release Date: 2013-05-13

Standing in the courtyard, Qiao Zhi watched Lian Yue’s retreating figure and let out a long sigh. After all, he had been out in the world honing his skills for several years now. As he reflected, a sliver of doubt crept into his heart. He glanced once more in the direction where Lian Yue had disappeared, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Judging by her demeanor, it didn’t seem as if she was feigning, yet something still felt off. He pondered for a while but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. In any case, a few snowballs should be enough to help her vent her anger.

Little did Qiao Zhi know that, at this very moment, Yue Lian Yue was in her room, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. As she washed up, she plotted in her heart how best to use the promise Qiao Zhi had made—he had invoked the Emperor Emeritus as his guarantee. First, she would ask about the man in white. With her plan set, she began urging Zi Ling to hurry.

When Yue Lian Yue returned to the courtyard, she found that Qiao Zhi, as expected, had not left. He was holding a snowball, with a neat pile at his feet. Lian Yue quietly counted them—exactly ten, not one more nor one less. She praised him inwardly: Though his peach blossom eyes made him seem unreliable, he actually kept his word. It seemed her tears had been well worth it. Pleased with herself, she couldn’t help but let her satisfaction show on her face.

Qiao Zhi looked at the girl who had been wailing moments ago and was now beaming with joy. He muttered to himself, “The ancients did not deceive me: truly, it is only petty men and women who are hard to please!” After this sigh, he put on an expression as if going to his doom. “Come on, all the weapons are ready for you.”

Yue Lian Yue showed no hesitation. She took a snowball and tossed it at Qiao Zhi’s cloak. As soon as she finished, he handed her another, and she threw it again. The process repeated—he handed, she threw—until the pile dwindled. With each throw, her strength lessened. In no time at all, the ten snowballs were gone. Lian Yue clapped her hands with lingering satisfaction and, seeing Qiao Zhi covered in snow, offered sheepishly, “Shall I have someone fetch you a change of clothes?”

Qiao Zhi shook his snowy cloak carelessly and said, “No need. I expected something like this would happen. When you went inside, I already had someone fetch another.”

Just as he finished speaking, a guard came over carrying a brocade and fur cloak. Qiao Zhi changed into it and continued, “It was just my bad luck to run into you today. But it’s fine—now that you’ve vented your anger, you must feel much better. I’ve taken my punishment, so I’ll be on my way before your mood turns again and I get implicated.”

Yue Lian Yue pouted in embarrassment. “I’m not as unreasonable as you say. But thank you for today. Does your promise still hold?”

“When have I ever gone back on my word? Wait—what exactly do you mean?”

“The thing you said—if I didn’t…” She still felt embarrassed to say “cry,” so she continued, “That whatever I say goes, and you’ll do whatever I ask.”

Qiao Zhi paused, recalling that he had indeed said such a thing in his haste. He was about to argue when Lian Yue cut him off.

“You swore on the Emperor Emeritus! You can’t take it back!” As she spoke, her eyes reddened once more.

Qiao Zhi pressed a hand to his forehead. What sort of person had he gotten himself entangled with? Worse yet, he had been the one pleading for her agreement. Resigned, he could only nod his acceptance.

Lian Yue, delighted to see him agree, pressed on, “Then tell me—who was the man in white with you that day?”

Qiao Zhi was taken aback by her question. “You don’t know him? Didn’t you once snatch his jade pendant, and both families tacitly agreed to your engagement?”

At the mention of the incident that had vexed her since childhood, Lian Yue’s face fell, and she unceremoniously dismissed him. “If you have nothing else, Your Highness, please leave.”

Watching her sudden change of mood, Qiao Zhi couldn’t help but sigh again, “The ancients truly knew the ways of the world.” Although he wondered why Lian Yue didn’t recognize Yu Wen Lingxi—her own fiancé—he also thought, if not for his curiosity about what sort of person Yu Wen Lingxi’s betrothed was, he wouldn’t have stopped his fourth sister-in-law’s carriage at the city gate, followed along, and muddle-headedly made such a promise. Inwardly, he blamed Yu Wen Lingxi for all of this and, before Lian Yue could truly lose her temper, took his leave from Lanxiang Garden.

How could the poor prince have known that, from the time Lian Yue was old enough to understand, this engagement had always been a source of teasing? After several outbursts, no one dared mention Yu Wen Lingxi in her presence. Anything to do with him, she would avoid from the start, so how could she ever recognize him?

Fuming, Lian Yue returned to her room. Wasn’t it just that, during her birthday divination, she had picked up the Yu Wen family’s ancestral jade pendant? How did that turn into an engagement with Yu Wen Lingxi, a matter that had become the subject of endless jokes? Then she paused, recalling what Peach Blossom Eyes had said—who was this man in white? Only then did she realize: it was him, Yu Wen Lingxi. She blurted out, “Zi Ling, where’s the Yu Wen family’s jade? Bring it here.”

But before Zi Ling could respond, Lian Yue changed her mind. “No need—forget it.” What was she even doing?

Zi Ling looked at her mistress in confusion, still utterly in the dark, and glanced at Lan Shui, who was equally perplexed. Though curious, neither dared to ask more.