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The scorching summer sun blazed overhead, distorting the air with rippling waves of heat. The lake and mountains shimmered faintly, as though veiled in a hazy illusion.
Pei Xueqing exchanged greetings with her brother, excusing herself so as not to disturb him and his friends. She left the pavilion with Zhuyue and waited by the shaded shore, staring anxiously at the center of the lake. For what felt like an eternity, Shen Yuance didn’t resurface. Growing increasingly worried, she paced back and forth, finally crouching down to peer into the depths of the water.
Just then, a splash broke the surface, and a dripping-wet head emerged. Shen Yuance tilted his face upward, water streaming down his features.
Pei Xueqing’s heart finally settled. “You scared me half to death!”
Under the blazing sun, his dark brows and eyelashes glistened, his lips were flushed red, and he grinned widely, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. “What’s there to be afraid of? I’m an excellent swimmer. I even managed to pluck a lotus flower while I was down there.”
As he spoke, he pulled himself onto the shore with one hand, producing a freshly picked lotus blossom seemingly out of thin air. Its green stem and delicate pink-tinged petals sparkled with droplets of water.
Pei Xueqing blinked slowly. “…It was growing perfectly fine in the lake. Why did you pick it?”
“For you,” he said, meeting her gaze without blinking. “Isn’t there a line of poetry that says, ‘When flowers bloom, pick them without delay; do not wait until there are no flowers left to pluck only empty branches’?”
Pei Xueqing stared back at him, momentarily losing herself in the reflection of her own bewilderment in his eyes.
Coming back to her senses after a brief pause, she quickly retrieved a handkerchief and raised it to dry his face. “…Even after all this, you still had the leisure to pick flowers. Let me wipe your face a bit—you should hurry home and change your clothes.”
“Alright, as Miss Pei commands.” Shen Yuance smiled and handed the lotus to Zhuyue, allowing her to finish drying his face.
After drying him off, Pei Xueqing bid him farewell by the lakeside. Though she climbed into the carriage to return home, her ears still echoed with Shen Yuance reciting that line of poetry.
If she couldn’t understand the meaning behind his words today, she might as well have wasted all those years of reading.
Even Zhuyue had caught on, asking her: “Miss, isn’t Young Master Shen showing interest in you? Is he testing whether you feel the same way about him?”
“What do you think?” Pei Xueqing asked Zhuyue.
“I think he definitely is. Young Master Shen is worried that you don’t reciprocate his feelings. If a marriage proposal doesn’t work out, you two wouldn’t even be able to meet here as friends anymore. That’s why he’s testing the waters first. But given Young Master Shen’s current reputation, it’ll be difficult to win over Lord Pei and Lady Pei. What’s the point of testing you if they won’t approve?”
Pei Xueqing lowered her eyes.
If only she could tell everyone what the real Shen Yuance was like.
If he didn’t have to wear that detestable mask, he would be someone who chased after thieves on the street, helped elderly people struggling to walk, and bent down to speak kindly to mischievous children.
He would study diligently at the academy, train rigorously in martial arts with his father, accompany his mother to the market, make dumplings, and massage her back. If he had younger siblings, he would protect and care for them too.
There would be no need for matchmakers to exaggerate wildly—perhaps he would already be the dream of countless young women.
Pei Xueqing remained silent for a long while before voicing her concern: “Father and Mother’s opinions are matters for later. But today, when he tested me several times, I avoided answering. Do you think he might misunderstand and assume I look down on him?”
“From what I can see, Miss, it’s not that you look down on Young Master Shen—it’s clear you’re too shy to even look at him directly. Whether or not Young Master Shen realizes that is another story…”
After returning home, Pei Xueqing placed the lotus flower in a porcelain vase and spent days contemplating the matter. She began to regret evading the topic when she had the chance.
One day, while opening her medical kit, she realized she had forgotten to return Shen Yuance’s belt and jade pendant. Holding them as if they were hot coals, her thoughts grew restless.
“When flowers bloom, pick them without delay; do not wait until there are no flowers left to pluck only empty branches.” Regardless of how others viewed Shen Yuance, she at least owed it to him to let him know she didn’t look down on him.
After days of deliberation, Pei Xueqing couldn’t wait for their next meeting. Deciding to use the return of his belongings as an excuse, she planned to arrange an earlier rendezvous. Just as she was pondering how to send him a message, she coincidentally received a note from Shen Yuance, inviting her to the pavilion the next day.
This time was different from all their previous meetings. That night, Pei Xueqing tossed and turned for most of the night, filled with both anticipation and anxiety. She expected to be yawning endlessly the next morning—but instead, she woke up unusually alert, and from grooming to stepping out the door, she didn’t feel a trace of drowsiness.
Shen Yuance was already waiting for her at the pavilion, but today, he hadn’t brought any military texts. As soon as he saw her approach, he rose from the balustrade and glanced toward Zhuyue.
Understanding his unspoken request, Zhuyue discreetly withdrew.
Inside the pavilion, Pei Xueqing looked nervously at the man before her. “You called me here—is there something urgent?”
“It’s urgent. Very urgent,” Shen Yuance nodded solemnly.
Every hair on Pei Xueqing’s body seemed to tense, but just then, he said, “Did I leave my belt and jade pendant with you?”
She faltered, her racing heart suddenly calming. Opening her medical kit, she replied softly, “…Yes, I brought them for you.”
“Why do you look so disappointed?” Shen Yuance teased, observing her expression closely.
“I’m not… disappointed,” Pei Xueqing cleared her throat, attempting to steer the conversation elsewhere. “I heard you haven’t been to the gambling den these past few days. Did you catch a cold from falling into the lake the other day?”
“I haven’t been to the gambling den because I’ve been thinking things over at home,” Shen Yuance paused thoughtfully. “After returning that day, I reflected carefully. There’s still a long road ahead, and I’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove myself and change people’s perceptions. But some things, if not said now, might slip away forever. Today, I invited you here to say these words.”
Pei Xueqing’s heart leapt again, and she held her breath, staring at him intently. “What words?”
Shen Yuance’s playful smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. “Pei Xueqing, I admire you deeply. If one day I, Shen Yuance, am fortunate enough to marry and start a family, I sincerely hope that person will be you.”
Pei Xueqing locked eyes with him, her heart pounding so fast that her breathing trembled, her lips quivering.
Shen Yuance seemed equally nervous, his chest rising and falling subtly as he took a quiet breath before continuing: “But right now, my reputation is in shambles, and the emperor frowns upon alliances between scholars and warriors. It may take a long time for me to change this situation. I fear that openly proposing marriage now might drive Lord Pei to avoid me like the plague and hastily arrange another match for you. So I wanted to tell you first—if you find me acceptable, when suitors come knocking in the future, compare me to them. If you think I’m better than them, wait for me. If I fall short, then—”
“There’s no need to compare.” Pei Xueqing interrupted him.
“Am I really not even getting a chance to be compared?” Shen Yuance scratched his ear, feigning disappointment.
“That’s not what I meant…” Pei Xueqing shook her head hurriedly. “I mean, there’s no need to wait for the future. I already know—you’re better than anyone else.”
Shen Yuance froze, his lips pressing together tightly as if trying to suppress a smile. “Aren’t you being a little rash? You don’t even know who might propose to you in the future.”
“But I know this much: No one in Chang’an can compare to you.”
Shen Yuance stared at her for a moment, then abruptly turned his back to her.
Confused, Pei Xueqing leaned forward to peek at him. She saw him covering his mouth with a clenched fist, his lips stretched into a grin so wide it nearly reached his ears.
“What are you laughing about?” Pei Xueqing asked, unable to hold back her own laughter as she finished speaking.
Shen Yuance turned back to look at her, his smile softening. “Then why are you laughing?”
The two of them stared into each other’s eyes and burst into laughter together.
After a long while, Shen Yuance cleared his throat and returned to the matter at hand: “With your words, I’ll definitely work hard.”
Pei Xueqing confirmed, “So does this mean that what we’ve done now counts as—privately pledging our future?”
“If you say it counts, then it counts.”
“There’s still one more step,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eye. “To privately pledge our future, we need to exchange tokens of trust.”
Pei Xueqing smiled brightly and took out a jade pendant. The snow-white tassel matched her name, and on the smooth, creamy jade was intricately carved the character “Pei.”
“This jade pendant bears my surname, and the color of the tassel reflects my given name. Let me give it to you as a token of my promise.” She handed it to him.
Shen Yuance seemed surprised for a moment, hesitating before accepting it. “I don’t even have a matchmaker in sight yet. How can I dare accept such an important token from you?”
“It’s precisely because it’s important that it will remind you of the promise you made today.”
Under her insistence, Shen Yuance finally accepted the jade pendant and examined it carefully. “Can this pendant be split into two halves?”
Pei Xueqing nodded. “Snow-green is the color of moonlight on snow. This pendant was crafted with some clever thought—the part with the ‘clothes’ radical is shaped like a crescent moon, symbolizing its meaning.”
Shen Yuance pondered for a moment. “Then give me this half for now. When I’m able to openly propose to you, you can give me the other half.”
He turned the mechanism, splitting the pendant in two, and handed the non-”clothes” half back to her.
Pei Xueqing accepted it with a smile. “Alright. Then what about your token for me?”
“I only came here today to talk to you—I never expected you’d agree so soon. I didn’t prepare anything…” Shen Yuance patted his waistband awkwardly, eventually pulling out a dagger.
Pei Xueqing’s eyes lit up. “Is this the dagger you used to kill that wolf when we first met?”
Shen Yuance nodded. “If you like it, it’s yours.”
“I do like it. I want it to be my token.”
“Then that settles it. Now the exchange is complete, and neither of us can go back on our word.” Shen Yuance handed the dagger to her with a grin.
“A promise worth a thousand pieces of gold—I won’t renege.”
The dagger’s black-and-gold scabbard shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, refracting a blinding golden glow. As Pei Xueqing reached out to take it, the light momentarily blinded her, and she instinctively closed her eyes.
In the darkness, the lingering brilliance distorted into sharp flashes, piercing her pupils. It took a long time before she could slowly open her eyes again.
The cicadas’ chirping outside suddenly vanished. Before her lay a medical text, its black characters stark against white paper. Pei Xueqing slowly straightened herself from where she had been leaning on the desk, dazedly looking around.
The pavilion no longer held Shen Yuance—only Zhuyue remained by her side.
Outside, it wasn’t the summer filled with lotus flowers but a bright spring day instead.
“Miss, you’ve woken up,” Zhuyue said, quickly pouring her a cup of tea.
Pei Xueqing stared blankly at Zhuyue. “Was I… asleep just now?”
“Yes, Miss. You fell asleep while reading your medical book.”
Pei Xueqing’s gaze drifted hazily toward the medical text on the table. After staring at it for a long while, she finally came to her senses—
It wasn’t the summer of the eighth year of Xingwu; it was the third day of the second month in the first year of Yongning, five years later.
She had been dreaming again—dreaming of those days long past…
Pei Xueqing closed her eyes and gently covered her face with her hands.
Ever since she learned of his passing a year ago, every time she entered this pavilion and fell asleep, she would dream of him.
The first time she woke from such a dream, she cried uncontrollably and avoided coming here for a long time.
But one day, she happened upon the story of Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly—unable to tell whether it was Zhuangzi who dreamed of becoming a butterfly or the butterfly who dreamed of becoming Zhuangzi.
She suddenly wondered—if this place allowed her to relive the most beautiful moments of her life, why did she need to distinguish so clearly between dreams and reality?
Using the dagger he had given her as a token of their promise, she personally executed Fan Denian. After returning to Chang’an, whenever she had free time, she would come here to sit for a while.
When she opened her eyes, she thought perhaps it wasn’t Pei Xueqing of the first year of Yongning dreaming of Pei Xueqing of the eighth year of Xingwu—but rather the other way around.
If Pei Xueqing of the eighth year of Xingwu were to dream of Pei Xueqing of the first year of Yongning and learn of the future events, perhaps she could help the Xuan Ce Army avoid the devastating defeat of the eleventh year of Xingwu.
After the victory, Shen Yuance could stay in Hexi, and she would go to Hexi to find him. Meanwhile, Yuan Ce could return to the capital to do the things only he could accomplish—and still meet Zhiyi.
Perhaps, in the end, they wouldn’t have to go as far as assassinating the emperor. The two brothers, along with her and Zhiyi, could join hands, their combined strength cutting through anything.
Pei Xueqing no longer cried like she had the first time she woke from the dream. She composed herself after a moment, drank the tea Zhuyue offered, and said softly, “Zhuyue, let’s head back to the city.”
Zhuyue blinked in confusion. “Miss, aren’t you going to wait anymore?”
“For what?”
“For Young Master Shen.”
Pei Xueqing froze. “Who?”
“Noble Servant means Young Master Shen. Didn’t you send a note to the gambling den, asking him to meet you here?”
Pei Xueqing blinked very slowly, her voice faint. “Have you also fallen asleep and gotten confused? What nonsense are you talking about… Let’s pack up and head back to the clinic.”
“The clinic? What clinic? Aren’t we returning home?”
“The clinic will open in a few days. I need to check if there’s anything left to prepare.”
Zhuyue looked at her as though she’d seen a ghost, visibly frightened. “Miss, what are you saying? I don’t understand…”
Pei Xueqing stared blankly at Zhuyue, sensing something amiss.
Why was Zhuyue still wearing the double-bun hairstyle of her youth? Over the years, she had clearly switched to a single bun.
And when she looked down at herself—why was she wearing old clothes she hadn’t worn in years?
Even the medical text on the table was one she had finished studying many years ago.
…Was she still dreaming?
Pei Xueqing blinked hard, taking another look at Zhuyue in front of her, the medical text on the desk, and her own clothes. Confused, she glanced out the window and realized that the weather wasn’t the overcast sky from earlier—it was a clear, cloudless sunny day.
“What day is today?” Pei Xueqing asked blankly.
“The third day of the second month.”
“The third day of the second month of which year?”
“Miss, don’t scare me like this—it’s the eighth year of Xingwu!”
It was as if a thunderbolt had struck her. Pei Xueqing sat stunned for a moment, her lips trembling as she stammered, “You’re saying today is the third day of the second month in the eighth year of Xingwu? The day I’m supposed to thank Young Master Shen for saving my life and tend to his wound?”
“It seems you’ve finally remembered,” Zhuyue said, letting out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she turned her head and spotted someone. “Miss, Young Master Shen is here!”
Still reeling, Pei Xueqing abruptly raised her head and looked toward the wooden bridge.
In the shimmering spring light, the elegantly dressed youth sauntered lazily across the bridge, his steps unhurried as he approached the pavilion.
Pei Xueqing’s heart pounded wildly. Hesitantly, she rose to her feet, her movements unsteady as she slowly walked forward. Squinting, she fixed her gaze on the young face drawing closer, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
The youth stopped in front of her, startled by her tear-filled eyes. When she didn’t speak, he raised a hand to signal her to stop. “No need to get emotional. That day was just your luck, Miss Pei—me, a blind cat catching a dead rat once in a millennium. Didn’t you say you wanted to return my dagger? Where is it?”
Shen Yuance held out his hand expectantly.
In that instant, tears streamed down Pei Xueqing’s face. She rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
【—End of the Pei-Shen Arc—】
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