Chapter 18: Rival in Love

As Jiang Qionglin walked, the sky gradually darkened, and the bustling streets began to empty. Before long, the road was completely deserted.

He realized he was lost.

Jiang Qionglin wasn’t in a hurry. As he continued walking, he noticed a faint light ahead. Approaching it, he realized it was a clinic. The sign above the door read two characters: Jian Su (見素).

Jiang Qionglin found the name vaguely familiar and knocked on the door. “Is anyone there?”

The door creaked open, and Wen Yao cautiously peeked out. In an instant, she froze.

Jiang Qionglin’s face—enough to bring calamity to a nation—she would never forget it, even in death.

“Master Jiang? What brings you here? It’s chilly outside—come in and talk!” Wen Yao immediately stepped aside to make room for him.

“Thank you, miss,” Jiang Qionglin said, then hesitated. “Do you know me?”

“Of course! You’re famous far and wide! Both my mistress and I adore you! You even selected my mistress during the Kaiyuan Night Selection!”

After Wen Yao spoke, Jiang Qionglin’s expression changed. “Your shopkeeper—her name is Di Jiang?”

“Yes!” Wen Yao nodded absentmindedly, then sighed. “Unfortunately, she went out today. Otherwise, you two could have caught up!”

“That day... why did she leave?” Jiang Qionglin finally voiced the question that had troubled him for so long. Wen Yao scratched her head, puzzled. “Leave? What do you mean?”

“That day, she didn’t even enter my room.”

“But the shopkeeper didn’t return that night!” Wen Yao exclaimed, sensing gossip brewing. She grinned wickedly. “When she returns tomorrow, I’ll definitely interrogate her about what happened!”

Jiang Qionglin nodded and said, “I rarely go out, but today I got lost and accidentally ended up at your clinic. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“No, no, your presence honors us greatly!” Wen Yao patted her chest proudly, pulling him upstairs. “It’s late, and there’s a curfew outside. Master, please stay here tonight. The shopkeeper won’t return tonight—you can rest assured.”

“This...” Jiang Qionglin glanced at the window and hesitantly nodded. “Alright then, I’ll impose on you tonight.”

“Not at all, treat it like your own home!” Wen Yao finished speaking, opened Di Jiang’s door, ushered him in, and then went downstairs to bring up fruit, snacks, and tea. They chatted for a while until the second watch sounded outside the window, at which point she reluctantly returned to her room to sleep.

After Wen Yao left, Jiang Qionglin removed his outer robe, preparing to wash up.

Meanwhile, outside the clinic, a man with an incredibly conflicted heart paced back and forth.

Wu Rui’an hadn’t returned the key to the coffin shop, nor had he sent Di Jiang the fiftyfold rent he had promised. He was simply giving her a reason to seek him out. Even if she didn’t come, it gave him an excuse to visit her.

It had been half a month since they last met. To say he didn’t miss her would be a lie. Moreover, with the recent imperial examinations and people constantly approaching him to curry favor, not to mention the Turkic delegation still lingering, his social schedule had been packed. Today, finally stealing some free time after dinner, he declined all invitations and brought a bag of gold bars to the Jian Su Clinic.

By this time, the clinic’s main door was already locked, and the candles on the first floor had been extinguished. He intended to knock but stopped mid-motion as his hand hovered over the door.

What was he doing?

Hadn’t he already given enough?

Where was his dignity?

A series of doubts echoed in his mind. After much deliberation, he finally lowered his hand, turned around, opened the door, and entered the coffin shop.

“Creak—” The door opened, releasing a familiar musty scent mixed with mildew. Though somewhat dirty, it gave him an inexplicable sense of comfort and ease.

He placed the gold beneath a pile of paper figures and found paper and pen to write a note, which he slipped through the clinic’s door crack, informing Di Jiang to retrieve it herself.

After finishing everything, just as he was about to leave, he noticed that the candlelight in Di Jiang’s room was still lit. He paused, turned around, and climbed up to the second floor of the coffin shop.

After returning to the bedroom where he had stayed for half a month, he sat cross-legged on the bed, opened the window, and quietly observed Di Jiang’s room as he used to do.

Suddenly, another “creak” pierced the silence of the night. Across from him, a window abruptly opened. Jiang Qionglin stood elegantly by the window, originally intending to admire the moonlight visible from ordinary households. Who could have guessed that across the way, in a pitch-black room, someone would be leaning against the window, staring at him with a pitiful expression under the moonlight.

Both were startled.

Wu Rui’an was driven by surprise and anger, while Jiang Qionglin felt only shock.

In a room without lights, a man concealed in the darkness, peering into his room—how could it not be alarming?

Once the initial shock wore off, the two began to dislike each other at first sight.

Especially for Wu Rui’an, this felt like meeting a rival in love—his eyes burned with jealousy.

Not only had Jiang Qionglin stolen the spotlight from him in front of Di Jiang, but in just a few days, he had already become a regular visitor!

What was he wearing? A single-layer robe—the kind worn for sleeping!

What was he doing? Could it be that he had already...

No, no, Di Jiang wouldn’t be with him...

Could it be that Di Jiang wasn’t cold-hearted and indifferent? Could it be that she was only cold toward him?

Jiang Qionglin stood in the opposite room, stunned as he watched the myriad emotions flicker across the other man’s face. With just a few glances, the astute Jiang Qionglin understood the thoughts of the person across from him.

This late at night, with the window open, he clearly wasn’t looking at himself. His appearance was merely an unexpected intrusion.

What he cared about, perhaps, was the original owner of this house.

A playful thought crossed his mind, and he smirked lazily, letting out a yawn. With deliberate provocation, he said, “Master, you should rest early. My lady and I are also retiring for the night. Goodnight.” With that, he closed the window and extinguished the candle.

Leaving Wu Rui’an standing alone across the way, trembling with rage, utterly disarrayed.

If their first meeting was like encountering a celestial being, their second meeting turned them into rivals in love. By their third meeting, they had become sworn enemies, and Wu Rui’an vowed never to forgive him!

Wu Rui’an swore that as long as he lived, he would ensure Jiang Qionglin never knew peace for the rest of his life!

Fuming, Wu Rui’an stormed downstairs and pounded furiously on the clinic’s door. However, the occupants seemed to be fast asleep; no matter how much noise he made, no one answered. Instead, neighbors on the street began to grumble in annoyance.

“What’s all this racket in the middle of the night!”

“You’re not familiar with others, yet you want to sleep! Settle this tomorrow!”

After being scolded repeatedly, Wu Rui’an felt even more miserable. But no matter how angry he was, he had to suppress it. Moreover, if the commotion continued, it might attract the night patrol guards, and if the matter escalated to the capital prefecture, everyone involved would lose face. After weighing the pros and cons, he reluctantly decided to give up.

Wu Rui’an also had no intention of leaving. He sat quietly in the coffin shop all night until dawn broke and saw Di Jiang dragging her exhausted self around the street corner. Only then did he realize that last night, Di Jiang hadn’t stayed in the same room as Jiang Qionglin!

“Damn male prostitute, how dare he deceive me like this!” Wu Rui’an clenched his fists, ready to storm downstairs for an explanation. But after a moment’s thought, he stopped.

What right did he have to judge Jiang Qionglin?

If he were to make a scene now, it would only make Di Jiang despise him even more.

Wu Rui’an took a deep breath, watching as Di Jiang entered her room. Then, taking advantage of the sparse pedestrians and the break of dawn, he returned to the Wu Royal Residence, walking under the morning glow.

He hadn’t slept all night, and still, he felt no drowsiness.

He quickly changed into his court robes and solemnly wrote a petition, intending to present it before the entire court to accuse Huan Yi Pavilion of moral corruption, claiming it promoted prostitution and thievery, tarnishing the nation’s morals.

In truth, such things had happened since ancient times, and they rarely amounted to much. He simply wanted to use the pretext of upholding morality to settle a personal vendetta.