Qi Yubai had a pair of twin brothers under his command, one named Tianqing, the other Zhusheng.
When Old Master Qi bought them from the streets, they were only three years old. Originally, he had intended to have them serve as Qi Yubai’s bookboys because of their good looks.
However, when Qi Yubai was seven years old, the late emperor confiscated the Qi family’s assets. His father and grandfather both passed away on the road to exile, while his mother, overcome with grief, passed away in the same year. The Qi family, once a distinguished household of poetry and propriety, vanished overnight from the elite circles of Bianjing.
Qi Yubai and his grandmother depended on each other for survival.
From Bianjing to Jinling, aside from a few old servants by his grandmother’s side, the only ones who remained were the pair of brothers who refused to leave no matter what.
At that time, staying alive was more important than anything else. Fearing something might happen to him, his grandmother spent a great deal of money to send the two to learn martial arts. The brothers were grateful to the Qi family and followed Qi Yubai from a young age, never leaving his side.
However, three years ago, Qi Yubai entrusted Zhusheng with a certain task.
This task was known only to the two brothers— even Qi Yubai’s grandmother was unaware.
Zhusheng was just about to speak when he saw the man in the carriage, dressed in a gray robe, suddenly raise his hand. Zhusheng paused. Before he could ask what was the matter, he heard the man say, “Get out.”
Only then did Zhusheng understand that his master was worried the other attendants might overhear and tarnish Miss Gu’s reputation. Though these attendants were all trusted confidants who would never betray their master, as long as the matter concerned Miss Gu, his master was always exceptionally cautious.
“Yes.”
He had no objections.
The attendants responded in unison and quickly withdrew, retreating to a distance of thirty zhang (100 meters). Once they had left, Qi Yubai lowered his eyes and looked at Zhusheng. “Continue.”
“Yes.” Zhusheng did not conceal anything. He recounted everything that had happened in the Xiao household in full detail. “Today, Young Lord Xiao brought Miss Gu’s younger sister home.”
Understanding his master’s sentiments, he and his brother always referred to Gu Lanyin as “Miss Gu,” even though she had been married for three years.
Sensing the air around him grow tense, Zhusheng’s heart tightened. With his head lowered, he could not see what kind of expression his master was wearing, nor did he dare to look. He could only brace himself and continue, “There were many guards at the Marquis’s residence, so I dared not get too close. But not long after, Young Lord Xiao left with his personal attendant, his face dark as stone.”
“At the end of the Shen hour (3-5 PM), Miss Gu also left the Marquis’s residence with her servants, taking several carriages to the estate in the countryside. From what I gathered from the servants in the Marquis’s residence, Miss Gu left behind a letter of divorce today—she has divorced Young Lord Xiao!”
At this point, Zhusheng suddenly grew excited, even raising his voice slightly without realizing it. He was about to remind his master to seize this opportunity when he heard the man’s hoarse voice ask, “What did you say?”
Thinking his master was overjoyed, Zhusheng laughed. He and Tianqing were nearly identical in appearance, save for his prominent canine tooth, which gave his smile a more youthful and playful air than his elder brother’s. “You wouldn’t have expected this either, right? Even I was stunned when I heard the news. Miss Gu has always been such a gentle and dignified person, yet this time, she left without the slightest hesitation.”
“When Young Lord Xiao returns, he’ll surely be in for a shock.”
“But he brought it upon himself! Abandoning such a precious pearl for a worthless fish eye.” Zhusheng’s expression was filled with ridicule, even schadenfreude. Thankfully, Young Lord Xiao was a fool; otherwise, how would their master ever get a chance? He certainly didn’t want his master to be lonely for the rest of his life.
“I took advantage of the chaos and sneaked into the Marquis’s residence to investigate. That letter of divorce may have been written a year ago, but it bears the official seal—it’s valid!”
“Master, this is a great opportunity. Why don’t we go to the eastern outskirts tomorrow and propose to Miss Gu?”
He chattered on, eagerly offering his suggestions.
Yet, Qi Yubai remained silent.
The silk lantern in the carriage, having burned for too long, was no longer bright enough to illuminate his lowered face. It could only cast light upon those strong and powerful hands—one hand rested casually on his knee, with long and forceful fingers slightly suspended. On the left side of his middle finger, there was a small, inconspicuous mole. The other hand still grasped the carriage curtain, and the deep red tassel hanging from the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist contrasted starkly with the pale skin of his lean arm.
These were the hands of a literate and well-read scholar.
Yet, the thin calluses at the base of his thumb and fingertips revealed that he was not unfamiliar with martial arts.
Outside, the dark blue sky had a few wisps of floating clouds drifting away from the obscured full moon, gradually dispersing in all directions. The world suddenly became much brighter, yet the man inside the carriage remained in the same posture.
His head lowered, lips pressed together, silent.
Only this time, the man removed the Buddhist prayer beads from his wrist.
Hearing the beads rotating, Zhusheng immediately knew that his master was deep in thought.
Three years ago, his master had visited a temple, and when he returned, he had these prayer beads on his wrist. Since then, whenever he encountered something he could not figure out or a matter he could not resolve, he would take off the beads and slowly turn them in his hand. However, in these past three years, this only ever happened when he saw that Miss Gu.
Qi Yubai was indeed deep in thought.
He had not expected this outcome.
He had anticipated that Xiao Ye’s trip to Hangzhou this time would result in him bringing a Gu family girl back home. He thought Zhusheng had come to report on this, to voice his indignation, but he had not expected this…
She had divorced Xiao Ye and left the Xiao family.
How was this possible? In that past life, at this time, she had still deeply loved Xiao Ye.
Unless…
A sudden “clack” sounded—two of the prayer beads had collided, the noise especially distinct in the boundless silence of the official road, where not even crows or sparrows could be heard.
“Master, what is it?” Zhusheng looked up.
But the curtain had already fallen, and he could not see what was happening inside.
After a long moment, a man’s cold and unchanging voice came from within, “Nothing.”
Yet, if one listened carefully, they would notice that his voice was not as steady as usual.
After another pause, Qi Yubai spoke again, “Continue to stay by her side. Report any developments immediately.”
“Alright!” Zhusheng had already regarded Miss Gu as his future mistress, so he responded with great enthusiasm. He was just about to set off for the eastern outskirts when he heard another voice from inside the carriage.
“Without my orders, do not act rashly.”
This meant that he still refused to let Miss Gu know of his presence.
Zhusheng did not understand. He wanted to ask, but looking at the still and quiet stone-blue silk curtain, he hesitated and did not dare. He could only respond with doubt in his heart and leave.
The sound of horse hooves gradually faded into the distance.
Yunkuo arrived with the other attendants.
“Master.”
No one spoke.
Yunkuo and the others simply bowed their heads and stood silently, waiting for his orders.
Only when a voice from inside said, “Let’s go,” did the group respond and set off.
The carriage continued moving toward the city gate.
The carriage curtain swayed, revealing glimpses of a refined yet dignified face under the moonlight. At this moment, the owner of this elegant countenance still had his eyes closed, the prayer beads slipping through his fingers, his thoughts unknown.
—
“At this hour, why is the city gate suddenly open?” Xiao Ye’s attendant, Zhou An, looked ahead at Nanxun Gate, which should have been tightly closed but was now unexpectedly open, and couldn’t help but feel curious.
Riding at full speed was forbidden in the city.
Xiao Ye slowed his horse’s pace upon hearing this and glanced in the direction of Nanxun Gate. Seeing a procession of people and horses approaching from afar, he paid it no mind and simply said indifferently, “Perhaps some official has just returned from duty.”
After saying that, he intended to leave.
Zhou An, however, remarked, “It looks like Lord Qi from the Court of Judicial Review.”
He recognized the attendants by Qi Yubai’s side.
There were many people in Bianjing with the surname Qi, but there was only one Lord Qi in the Court of Judicial Review. Thinking of that young official who was widely praised and highly respected among scholars and intellectuals, Xiao Ye suddenly found himself momentarily distracted.
In that brief moment of distraction, the carriage and horses had already drawn near. Leaving now would inevitably seem discourteous, so Xiao Ye remained on horseback and greeted the person inside the carriage, “Lord Qi.”
Yunkuo called out, “Shizi (Young Master),” then turned his head slightly and informed the person inside the carriage, “Master, it is Shizi Xiao.”
Xiao Ye had planned to leave immediately after greeting him. Although he and Qi Yubai served in the same court, they were not acquainted. Moreover… he always had the feeling that this Lord Qi held some inexplicable prejudice against him. Every time they encountered each other, the way Qi Yubai looked at him made him inexplicably uncomfortable.
Yet, when he thought about it carefully, there was no past grievance between them, so he dismissed it as a mere misperception.
“I heard the Shizi recently traveled to Hangzhou on official duty?”
A hand adorned with prayer beads lifted the curtain from within. Contrary to his expectations, Qi Yubai, who usually wouldn’t even acknowledge him, actually initiated a conversation this time.
Xiao Ye was a little surprised but did not dwell on it. He merely nodded and looked at the man inside the carriage—dressed in a simple robe, yet unable to conceal his elegant and distinguished demeanor—and replied, “I just returned today.”
“Later than expected. Did the mission not go smoothly?” Qi Yubai twirled the prayer beads in his hand, as if making idle conversation.
His demeanor made Xiao Ye take a second look. The man who never even greeted him before was now inquiring about his affairs. Xiao Ye scrutinized him a bit more closely, but the other man still bore the same cold and indifferent expression as always, unchanged from before.
Xiao Ye suppressed the odd feeling in his heart. “I appreciate Lord Qi’s concern. The mission went without issue. It’s just… personal matters, that’s all.”
“I see…”
Qi Yubai nodded slightly as he continued turning the prayer beads in his hand, not pursuing the topic further.
The street lamps on either side cast a soft glow upon his exquisitely refined face. Inside the carriage, the man remained seated with the prayer beads in his grasp, still and quiet, yet his deep phoenix eyes, as cold as a secluded pond, rested upon the black-robed man seated high on his horse.
Being stared at like that, Xiao Ye once again felt that inexplicable discomfort rise within him.
He furrowed his long brows, his thin lips pressing together, just about to ask something when he heard the other man say, “The night is deep, and the dew is heavy. I shall take my leave.”
Though he addressed himself as a subordinate officer, there was not a trace of humility in his tone. Still seated inside the carriage, he merely nodded his head in a reserved manner and, without waiting for any response, released his grip on the curtain, letting it fall.
The carriage passed before Xiao Ye’s eyes.
Watching the departing procession, a vague unease lingered in Xiao Ye’s mind. However, there were already too many things burdening him tonight. The troubles at the Gu household had yet to be fully resolved, and then there was Lanyin…
At the thought of Gu Lanyin, the smooth line of Xiao Ye’s brow furrowed once again. More and more, he found himself unable to understand this wife of his.
“Freshly roasted sweet potatoes! Warm and sweet—does anyone want some?”
A voice carried by the wind called out. Following the sound, Xiao Ye saw an elderly man pushing a cart, making his way toward them from the distance.
The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted through the air. As Xiao Ye took in the scene before him, he suddenly recalled the first year of his marriage to Lanyin. Back then, Lanyin was not as composed as she was now—she would still get shy, her face would still turn red.
He remembered their first Lantern Festival after getting married. He had taken her and Siyu out to stroll the streets. Siyu had bought a pile of food, completely disregarding her image as she happily clutched it all in her arms and ate with great delight. Lanyin, however, had bought nothing at all. Just as they were about to leave, she had stood there staring at one spot.
Only when he followed her gaze did he realize that what was being sold was roasted sweet potatoes.
He knew that if he asked her, she would definitely say she didn’t want any.
His wife had been known as a model lady in both Jinling and Hangzhou since childhood. Her manners were so impeccable that even the strictest palace governess would be unable to find fault. So that night, he secretly bought one and handed it to her only after they had gotten into the carriage.
Thinking of how, that night, her eyes had first been filled with astonishment and then gradually brightened into a dazzling sparkle, Xiao Ye’s heart suddenly softened.
“Go buy a roasted sweet potato.” He instructed Zhou An.
Zhou An was momentarily stunned but did not ask any questions. He simply acknowledged the order and went to make the purchase.
Carrying the warm roasted sweet potato back, Xiao Ye’s expression had noticeably relaxed compared to when he left home. The frustration in his heart seemed to have been scattered by the evening breeze. Come to think of it, she was only twenty this year, the same age as Qing’er. It was only natural for her to act a little willful at times.
When he got home, he would coax her properly.
She had always been the easiest to coax.
As he reminisced about Lanyin’s gentleness over the years, a trace of warmth crept into Xiao Ye’s deep eyes. “Hyah!” Under the night sky, in the spring breeze, he smiled as he raised his long whip and sped toward home.
The night wind lifted his ink-black hair and swept up the hem of his robe.
Fearing that the night dew would make the sweet potato cold and ruin its taste, he carefully tucked it inside his robe, wondering what kind of expression she would make when she received it.
Yet, when he returned home, brimming with anticipation, what awaited him was news of Lanyin’s departure.