HMHSE - 69

Outside, a soldier’s report suddenly came: “Boss, the handover is complete.”

Shan Zong, still with his head lowered, had his conversation interrupted, so he didn’t ask further. He rubbed the tip of Shen Rong’s nose, then stood up with a smile. “Understood. Go back to the official post and wait first.”

The soldier retreated. Shan Zong’s hand touched her lower back, leading her through the obstructing drapes, and then sat down behind the table.

Shen Rong asked, “Handover of what?”

Shan Zong sat close to her, one arm resting behind her. “I came here with a mission.”

Only then did Shen Rong notice the dust on his Hu-style robe and riding boots, realizing he must have traveled day and night to get here.

“What mission?”

Du Xinnu had already prepared wine and water on the table. Shan Zong picked up a wine cup and took a sip, as if clearing his throat, then said, “Your brother has already smelted the first batch of gold. Although the quantity is limited, it is, after all, the first batch, and it needs to be sent all the way to Chang’an. Someone has to escort it.”

Shen Rong’s eyes slightly lifted at the corners. Only now did she understand why he was here; otherwise, he would have broken his rule of not leaving Youzhou again.

“Indeed, I also deduced he must have smelted it by now.”

She thought for a moment and then asked, “What did my brother say?”

Shan Zong’s lips curved upward. “He’s certainly not happy.”

Changsun Xin had achieved results in gold smelting within a month and wished to present it to the new emperor as soon as possible. He specifically sought Zhao Jinlian to discuss the matter of sending the gold to the capital.

Zhao Jinlian, now knowing Shan Zong’s intentions, naturally suggested that he make this trip.

Although Changsun Xin was unwilling, he also had no other reliable person available. That day, encountering Shan Zong in the mountains, he said irritably in front of him, “No wonder you kept saying you’d help me smelt the first batch of gold quickly! You had this planned all along!”

Shan Zong recalled this and smiled again; he had indeed planned it all along.

Shen Rong assumed the same. No letter for so long, perhaps he was also displeased with what she had left unsaid that day.

Remembering the letter, she glanced at Shan Zong. “My mother didn’t read your letter.”

She didn’t directly say it had been burned.

Shan Zong slightly shifted his sitting posture, one arm resting behind her, the other on his knee. His eyes lowered. “Mm,” he responded. “I could probably guess as much.”

Shen Rong’s eyes shifted. “What exactly did you write in the letter?”

“I wrote what needed to be written.” Shan Zong said, then suddenly smiled languidly. “Don’t worry, I only wrote that it was my own wish. I didn’t write about what you did to me. Even if Lady Pei had read the letter, she wouldn’t have blamed you.”

Shen Rong immediately bit her lip, frowning as she looked at him. “What do you mean ‘what I did to you’? What did I do to you?”

Shan Zong’s eyes were dark and deep, fixed on her. A few strands of hair by her ear were slightly disheveled, a result of her struggle in the drapes earlier. His hand behind her reached out and brushed them, his voice low. “What did you do to me? Do I need to help you recall?”

Those deliberate provocations, those tricks she had played on him.

Shen Rong only felt that his expression was both wicked and mischievous. She turned her head to avoid his hand. “Don’t be so smug.” The spot her finger had touched by her ear was already hot.

Shan Zong put his hand back, remembering that Lady Pei hadn’t read his letter, and his gaze lingered on her profile.

What did he have to be smug about? Now was her time to be smug.

It wasn’t until night fell outside that Du Xinnu returned to the door of the room.

Before she could ask if there was anything else to attend to, the people inside had already emerged.

Shen Rong came out first, glanced back, and Shan Zong followed closely.

She straightened the pibo (silk scarf) on her arm and walked out.

Zirui and Donglai immediately followed her.

Du Xinnu looked at her retreating figure and bowed to Shan Zong. “Did the Young Master and the noble lady have an unpleasant conversation?”

Shan Zong didn’t answer, only smiled, and followed Shen Rong.

As Shen Rong boarded the carriage, she heard a horse neigh outside. Shan Zong’s figure on horseback appeared outside the window, drawing near.

She was startled. “You’re coming with me?”

Shan Zong nodded. “Why not? Let’s go.”

The carriage immediately started moving. Shen Rong watched his figure outside the window. The lights of Chang’an street flickered, making his waist appear even narrower, and his legs, in riding boots, sturdy and long as he sat on the horse.

She looked several times, thinking, He’s truly audacious and unrestrained, does he think this is his Youzhou?

She had thought he would change direction once they reached the road to the official post, but he didn’t.

Shan Zong rode his horse, guarding the carriage, all the way to near the Duke of Zhao’s mansion.

Shen Rong ordered the carriage to stop. She looked out and quietly reminded him, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

The dim lamplight obscured the bluestone paved road ahead. Shan Zong, on his horse, looked towards the direction of the Duke of Zhao’s mansion, his voice low. “What’s the rush?”

Shen Rong followed his gaze and saw a faint figure ahead.

“There’s someone,” she whispered, worried about being seen. “You should go.”

Shan Zong suddenly swung his leg over, dismounted, and then, with a lift of the carriage curtain, he entered the carriage directly.

Shen Rong was pulled into his embrace without warning, his mouth already firmly covering hers.

Her heart leaped instantly. Her jaw was suddenly gently lifted by his hand, and his lips immediately fell to her neck.

His hand rested heavily on her waist, from her side to her lower back, stroking.

Shen Rong gasped lightly, reminding him again, “There’s someone.”

“Then don’t make a sound,” his voice was deep by her ear.

Shen Rong’s neck flushed hot. This kind of delicate, dense kiss was like a net. She whispered, both distressed and unwilling, “You keep bringing up what I did to you, but you clearly did worse things to me.”

Shan Zong kissed her ear. “In front of me, you just refuse to admit defeat, don’t you?”

“Absolutely not,” Shen Rong murmured, her heart suddenly pounding.

He had sucked on her earlobe, then suddenly kissed down hard, as if deliberately using force.

It wasn’t until Shen Rong could no longer bear it and was about to cry out that Shan Zong finally let her go.

“I’ll go first,” his voice was so low only they could hear it. “See you later.”

Shen Rong was still breathing heavily. In the dimly lit carriage, his expression was unreadable, but she felt his voice was consistently deep, as if somehow different from usual.

The carriage curtain lifted and fell, and he swiftly exited.

Almost simultaneously, the carriage continued to move forward.

Shan Zong swung onto his horse, his figure concealed in the shadows by the roadside, watching Shen Rong’s carriage move forward. He glanced at the figure he had just seen ahead, who was still lingering there.

A figure in brocade robes and a jade crown—that was Pei Shaoyong, Shan Zong recognized him at a glance.

Although Shen Rong hadn’t said where she came from earlier, he had likely guessed. He had heard Pei Yuanling mention Pei Shaoyong’s Burning Tail Feast today, so she had come from the banquet.

Shan Zong’s deep gaze swept over the figure, then he looked at Shen Rong’s carriage again, before turning his horse and departing.

The carriage stopped in front of the Duke of Zhao’s mansion. Only then did Shen Rong slowly calm her rapid breathing. The carriage was silent outside, so she acted as if nothing had happened, lest she be discovered.

“A-Rong.”

A sudden call. Shen Rong immediately snapped back to attention, lifted the carriage curtain, and leaned out. Pei Shaoyong hurried from the front of the Duke of Zhao’s mansion to the carriage.

“You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you.”

Zirui placed the footstool by the carriage and helped Shen Rong down.

In this brief moment, Shen Rong’s mind had already raced through the possibilities. She even glanced in the direction Shan Zong had come from. Only when she didn’t see his figure did she feel settled. As her shoes touched the ground, a faint smile appeared on her face. “Second Cousin, is there something you need, waiting here?”

Pei Shaoyong had come without even changing out of the brocade robe he wore at the banquet. He had dismissed his attendants and was alone here. He said softly, “I just saw aunt and uncle back. I heard you hadn’t returned yet, and I was worried you were displeased about what happened earlier, and also worried you misunderstood my intentions. I had to wait for your return.”

Shen Rong walked towards the open main gate. “Second Cousin, you exaggerate. Why don’t you come inside and speak? You’re my cousin, how can I neglect you at the mansion gate?”

Pei Shaoyong stopped her. “I dare not disturb aunt and uncle. I just want to say a few words to you.”

Shen Rong could only purse her lips and look back.

Zirui immediately understood, quietly nudged Donglai beside her, and then signaled the servants holding lanterns at the main gate to retreat.

The attendants led the carriage to the back gate, and soon only the two of them remained at the main entrance.

Shen Rong walked up the wide steps in front of the mansion gate and stopped. “Second Cousin, speak.”

Pei Shaoyong used the high-hanging lamps at the mansion gate to observe her expression. Her profile was turned to him. There seemed to be a faint flush on her ears and neck, but he couldn’t see it clearly. He hesitated, then after a long while, said, “I wasn’t trying to trick you at the banquet today.”

Shen Rong turned her face towards him, paused, and her gaze became distant, making her appear even more cold and alluring. “Then that’s even worse. Second Cousin, please don’t do such things in the future. If you were truly teasing me, it would be nothing, but to act this way without teasing me is simply unacceptable.”

Pei Shaoyong was stunned for a moment. She had already walked directly into the mansion gate.

He didn’t get a chance to say another word of what he had intended.

Shen Rong lifted the hem of her robe and walked quickly back to her room, then turned and closed the door.

She had hoped to be mistaken, but she wasn’t.

Slowly organizing her thoughts, she frowned again. Her mind suddenly shifted to Shan Zong. Did he see it just now?

________________________________________

This small commotion did not disturb the Duke’s mansion.

The next day, when Zirui came to help Shen Rong get up, she specifically mentioned, “Young Mistress, you can rest assured. The mistress and the Duke haven’t heard any rumors.”

Shen Rong didn’t ask if she meant about Shan Zong or Pei Shaoyong, nor did she want to elaborate, merely responding casually.

As Zirui was tying the silk ribbon on her ruqun, a servant came to the door, saying the Young Mistress was requested to see the Duke.

Shen Rong glanced at him; it was an attendant of her father’s.

Zirui heard this and couldn’t help but cautiously glance at Shen Rong.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll go see.”

The Duke of Zhao sat in his study, dressed in a deep crimson loose robe. His clean-shaven, pale face was set in a slightly stern expression.

Shen Rong saw this as she entered. She had been back for so long, and father and daughter met almost daily, discussing her reconnaissance trip to the region beyond Youzhou many times. Yet, never had she seen him with such a serious expression.

Her thoughts stirred slightly. She took two steps forward and curtsied. “Father, you asked for me.”

The Duke of Zhao seemed to be thinking about something. He only looked at her when he heard her voice. “Mm, sit.”

Shen Rong only heard that one sound, with no further words, which made her feel even stranger. She sat on the soft couch beside him.

As she looked up, she saw her father pick up a visiting card from beside him. With just a glance, she saw two powerful characters on the cover, and her heart tightened.

Shan Zong.

“The first batch of smelted gold has been sent from Youzhou, handed over, and submitted to the imperial treasury. The Saint will likely choose a day to commend it,” the Duke of Zhao said, holding the visiting card.

Shen Rong nodded faintly, her hands resting on her lap. “That’s good.”

“You should be able to guess who escorted this batch of gold into the capital.”

More than just guessing, she had already met him. Shen Rong remained silent.

The Duke of Zhao tossed the visiting card onto the table, stood up, and paced back and forth in front of her. “Shan Zong. I didn’t expect that boy to still dare to send a visiting card to request an audience. Do you know what he intends?”

Shen Rong pinched the hem of her clothes and gently opened her lips. “What does he intend?”

“He intends to come to our home to propose marriage to you.”

Shen Rong’s heart immediately raced. He really dared.

The Duke of Zhao slowly paced, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression still stern. “He said he conceived this intention after reuniting with you in Youzhou. I haven’t told your mother yet, to avoid upsetting her. I called you here first to inform you. You don’t need to worry.”

Shen Rong remembered what Shan Zong had said at Du Xinnu’s place; he had indeed absolved her of any involvement, making it entirely his own affair.

Now, her father was actually comforting her.

She looked up, her tone very calm. “Then will Father see him?”

The Duke of Zhao picked up the visiting card, glanced at the signature, frowned, and threw it back down. “Even setting aside his past actions, he still presumes to propose marriage as the Youzhou Militia Commander. That’s simply wishful thinking. There’s no need to see him.”