CXD - 16

In the eastern courtyard of the Shen residence, Yuan Ce carried the “cocoon” on his shoulder through the gate and continued inward. Along the way, Qingsong panted and rushed ahead to clear the area, muttering under his breath about avoiding impropriety as he herded all the night watch servants back to the rear quarters.

Jiang Zhiyi felt like she was going to be sick from being jostled on Yuan Ce’s shoulder. She had given up kicking since it only hurt her feet more against his solid frame, leaving only her mouth to resist stubbornly: “...My husband, Jiang Zhiyi’s husband, could never be a fickle or frivolous man... I could never endure a life filled with endless sisters and concubines! If I cannot have one person for life, I would rather spend my life alone...”

Realizing how lonely that sounded, she quickly shook her head under the cloak and corrected herself: “And it’s not like I can’t live without you... There are countless young men in Chang’an who admire me—some from wealthy families, some handsome as Pan An, others excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, poetry, and more. Couldn’t I choose any of them if I wanted?”

Even the thick cloak couldn’t muffle her incessant chatter.

Yuan Ce rubbed his earlobe, which was growing calloused, striding briskly through the corridor. He pushed open the door to the wing room, set down the cocoon on his shoulder, and peeled away the outer layers.

Suddenly bathed in light, Jiang Zhiyi steadied herself by grabbing onto a bedpost. After recovering from her dizziness, just as she opened her mouth to speak—

Her head was abruptly turned toward the inner part of the room.

A middle-aged man lay pale as paper on the bed, his forehead an ominous shade of black, resembling a corpse.

Seeing him, Jiang Zhiyi’s soul nearly fled her body. She hastily let go of the bedpost and jumped behind Yuan Ce.

Yuan Ce turned his head, looking at the person clutching their chest in shock: “Take a good look. My ‘lover.’”

Jiang Zhiyi blinked twice, catching her breath before cautiously peeking out again. Her gaze landed on the wrinkled, stick-like hand and she instinctively held her breath.

Though he appeared to be in his thirties or forties, those were unmistakably the hands of a dying man. It was hard to imagine what kind of emaciated, skeletal body lay beneath the covers...

Shivers ran down Jiang Zhiyi’s spine. She quickly averted her eyes, steadied herself, and asked, looking up: “What happened to him?”

“Six months ago, he was ambushed by the Northern Jie. To protect me—” Yuan Ce paused.

“Hmm?”

Yuan Ce turned his head, staring at the ashen face on the bed, his lips twitching slightly: “He sustained severe injuries protecting me and has become a living corpse, kept alive only by herbal medicine.”

Only then did Jiang Zhiyi notice the strong medicinal smell permeating the room, mingled with an indescribable stench.

The more she focused on it, the more nauseated she felt. Jiang Zhiyi covered her nose but realized this gesture might seem inappropriate. Hesitating, she glanced at Yuan Ce.

He seemed unfazed, crossing his arms and stepping between her and the bed: “The Xuan Ce Army split into two groups entering the capital. The second group arrived yesterday after escorting him. All records are documented. If you still suspect I have a lover, feel free to investigate.”

So everything he said earlier about the male deputy general was true…?

Before Jiang Zhiyi could decide whether to believe him, she looked up and met his condescending gaze, her brows furrowing first: “What do you mean? It sounds like I’m the one making trouble here... You’re the one who mentioned lovers first, and now you’re changing your story. How am I supposed to know which version to believe?”

“When did I say anything about a lover?” Yuan Ce raised an eyebrow.

“...Stop nitpicking!” Jiang Zhiyi flushed with anger. “Even if you didn’t explicitly call him a lover, you personally shattered the jade pendant. How do you explain that?”

Silence fell over the room. Qingsong, waiting outside, couldn’t help but sweat nervously for his master.

That’s right—how was he supposed to explain this? Not even a celestial being could fix this!

As Qingsong fretted over his master’s silence, he suddenly saw Yuan Ce make a tactical retreat, coldly stepping out of the wing room and heading toward the study.

Peering inside, the exalted princess pointed a slender finger at his retreating figure, visibly fuming through every pore: “…He just left like that?”

Qingsong hurried forward to smooth things over: “Princess, Master thought this room wasn’t clean enough and feared it would offend your delicate sensibilities. He invited you to the study to talk. Please, please follow…”

Jiang Zhiyi scowled, flung the edge of her cloak aside, and walked out.

Every moment delayed bought time—perhaps Master would come up with an idea soon. Qingsong nodded and smiled obsequiously, offering compliments along the way. Unexpectedly, as soon as the princess entered the study, her expression darkened further.

Jiang Zhiyi pursed her lips, standing at the threshold, her gaze slowly sweeping over the familiar furnishings—

The curio cabinet missing a porcelain vase.

The screen that almost cracked her skull.

The words “Quiet or Not” on the wall.

Each item was irrefutable evidence of his cold treatment toward her.

Looking now at the silent figure standing tall with his back to the door, Jiang Zhiyi shook her head in utter disappointment: “Forget it. You don’t need to explain anymore… Whether you broke the token or treated me coldly these past weeks since returning to the capital—it’s all true. Even if there’s no other lover, you’ve changed!”

Yuan Ce’s hand behind his back moved slightly, as if he had made up his mind. Turning back to Jiang Zhiyi, he smirked: “I’ve changed? I suspect it’s you who’s changed. If I hadn’t treated you coldly, how could I test whether you truly remained untouched despite moving through countless admirers?”

“Test me for what?” Jiang Zhiyi was stunned. “When have I ever moved through countless admirers…”

Yuan Ce’s scrutinizing gaze fell on her. He gestured to Qingsong: “Bring the gift list from the princess’s birthday.”

Qingsong was equally surprised but quickly retrieved a thick ledger from the drawer and handed it to Yuan Ce.

—This list was compiled recently by General Mu while researching what gifts to send the princess.

Yuan Ce held the ledger with one hand, tilting his chin: “Start from the beginning.”

Qingsong glanced at the bewildered princess, hesitated, and began unfolding the ledger, searching for the “beginning.”

One fold, two folds, three, four, five, six, seven, eight folds, nine, ten… Qingsong unfolded the long ledger, walking from one end of the study to the other until he hit a wall. With nowhere else to go, he turned around and walked back…

Just as Jiang Zhiyi stared in disbelief, the lengthy ledger finally reached its end.

Qingsong cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and loudly announced: “Young Master Wang, a pair of white jade ruyi scepters! Fourth Young Master Li, a pillow shaped like a wish-fulfilling ruyi with pearl-ground floral patterns in white glaze, and ten bolts of soft misty silk in rain-washed sky-blue color!”

Jiang Zhiyi: “… “

“Young Master Zhao, a hanging screen embroidered with birds and flowers made of ivory threads—!”

“Young Master Zhang, a green-glazed flower-patterned ewer paired with emerald-green glass tea cups—!”

“Young Master Zhou, two palace fans embroidered with butterflies and flowers, a sandalwood chessboard, and a set of black-and-white jade chess pieces—!”

...

Amidst the recitation of gifts, Yuan Ce’s gaze grew increasingly oppressive until Jiang Zhiyi couldn’t bear it and averted her eyes.

Upon doing so, she suddenly realized she had nothing to feel guilty about. Frowning, she turned back and lifted her chin defiantly: “Don’t twist things around. What’s wrong with receiving birthday gifts?”

The misty silk was merely used to cover windows, and the ruyi-shaped pillow was just for resting feet. Most of the gifts ended up gathering dust in storage!

Yuan Ce cast a disdainful glance at her: “While I fought battles far away, I didn’t even care whether the rabbits I hunted were male or female. Yet here you are, basking in the admiration of noble sons in the capital, exchanging gifts without hesitation. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Jiang Zhiyi’s mouth opened and closed, leaving her speechless.

She had impulsively accepted those gifts from noble sons without considering propriety. She had been sincere in her feelings for him, so why did she overlook this detail?

Besides, when her birthday came, the Xuan Ce Army was already on its way back to the capital. Why hadn’t Jingzhe reminded her?

Yuan Ce waved his hand for Qingsong to put away the ledger and fixed his gaze on the speechless figure before him.

At this point, he genuinely wanted to ask on behalf of his brother—

Yuan Ce chuckled softly: “Among all these young masters, which one is from a family richer than Midas? Which one rivals Pan An in looks? Which one excels in music, chess, calligraphy, poetry, and more?”

“…………”

After a long silence, Jiang Zhiyi stamped her foot in frustration: “I have nothing to feel guilty about. If I wanted to indulge in such a life, I could bask in their admiration. Why would I chase after you for so long?”

“So—” Yuan Ce flicked his eyelids. “How would we know without testing?”

Jiang Zhiyi stared at him blankly, processing his words in her mind before vaguely understanding.

Because he heard about her accepting those gifts before entering the capital, he deliberately treated her coldly upon returning to test her feelings?!

Absurd!

Simply... too absurd!

Jiang Zhiyi was both shocked and dumbfounded, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Her face alternated between red and white: “You... You actually doubted me to this extent…”

Qingsong discreetly signaled to Yuan Ce—

Here comes another reconciliation failure. Say something nice, quick!

Yuan Ce turned his head toward the window, as if contemplating something difficult to articulate. After a long while, he took a deep breath, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky: “Who can blame someone—”

“With beauty that eclipses the moon and shames the flowers,”

“Whose grace makes fish sink and geese fall,”

“With peerless heavenly charm and unparalleled elegance,”

“Who draws attention and admiration wherever they go—?”

Yuan Ce slowly turned his head. Ten paces away, the peach-faced maiden blushed, touching her burning earlobes.

Their eyes met, and the candlelight in the room flickered suddenly, creating ripples in the calm air.

An instant later, one looked to the sky, the other to the ground, averting their gazes simultaneously.

Yuan Ce coughed lightly: “In conclusion—”

Jiang Zhiyi secretly perked up her ears.

“After observing you during this period, I believe your heart remains unchanged—” Yuan Ce crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. “Jiang Zhiyi, congratulations. You’ve passed my test.”