The Ning Duke frowned, clearly displeased with his son’s defiance.
“What’s wrong with it? Your mother has done so much for you. Lichu is her most beloved niece, and the Shen family of Yuhang is a prominent clan. Are you really going to go against your mother’s wishes?”
Lu Shiji set his teacup down on the desk with a crisp ding.
The Duke felt an odd chill along his back, and his eyes hesitated.
But when he looked at Shiji, his son’s face was calm, eyes clear and still—completely unreadable. The surge of intensity he thought he’d felt a moment ago seemed almost like a trick of the mind.
“I went to Dingzhou to suppress the rebellion and captured the rebel leader alive. He’s being interrogated in the imperial prison. From what he confessed, there are still his allies hiding within the court.”
The Duke’s heart tightened. “Who?”
“They haven’t been identified yet, but once they are, they’ll face total ruin—execution and the seizure of their entire family estates.”
The Duke’s lips moved slightly. “The Shen family wouldn’t—”
“This case is far-reaching. Better for the Lu family to stay uninvolved for now, just to be safe.”
The Duke thought it over and realized Shiji made sense. With the Emperor’s favor on him, Shiji probably knew as much as he did.
“Very well. Then we’ll put this matter aside for now. Once the case is resolved, you and Lichu can arrange your engagement properly.”
Shiji lowered his eyes, hiding the faint coldness in them.
Lichu had dressed carefully, wearing a spring gown of ginger-yellow silk and fine gauze, her hair in twin buns with long yellow ribbons trailing down, pearls pinned above the buns, looking both lively and charming.
She tilted her head in the mirror, satisfied, and stepped out to the front garden.
“Miss, are you sure this will work?” Chunxing asked, unsure.
“Of course,” Lichu said confidently. “I already found out this path is exactly the one my cousin takes when he returns to Wenlan Garden. I’ll be here enjoying the flowers; he’ll pass by and see me for sure.”
A mischievous smile curved Lichu’s lips, her eyes sparkling.
“When he sees me under the flowers, swaying trees and falling petals around me, he’ll be struck as if a goddess has appeared. And yet I’ll seem melancholy beneath the blossoms. He’ll approach and ask why I’m sad. I’ll wipe my tears and say the flowers are pitiful and heartless… and he’ll be deeply moved.”
Chunxing blinked. “Miss… where did you learn that?”
Lichu winked. “It’s from a storybook!”
Chunxing groaned. “…”
“But storybooks are one thing, reality is—”
Lichu patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all figured out.”
“Alright then…”
Lichu settled in the octagonal pavilion by the garden and sent Chunxing to watch for him. She had learned the time Shiji usually returned from court—it would be any moment now.
After nearly half an hour, Chunxing spotted a tall figure at the end of the corridor, with a maid greeting him, “Your Highness.”
Chunxing ran back to Lichu, breathless. “Miss, miss! The Young Master has returned!”
Hearing this, Lichu immediately jumped up and slipped into the nearby flower bushes.
As Lu Shiji entered the corridor, he noticed a faint rustle at the far end. His eyes narrowed, instinctively alert—was this an agent or assassin sent by someone?
Then he caught the flash of ginger-yellow hiding in the flowers. In that moment, he remembered: last life, Lichu had been hiding there at this very spot.
Sure enough, as he walked along the corridor toward the bushes, Lichu appeared with a surprised expression.
“Cousin! What a coincidence!” she exclaimed.
Shiji looked at her, seeing the clumsy performance on her face, and his expression remained cold.
He almost forgot how stiff her acting had been at first, only later improving enough to even fool him.
That day, she had clutched his sleeve nervously, begging him to stay a moment, her eyes red as she apologized, saying she was sorry.
Then, without hesitation, she had driven the dagger straight into his chest.
Lu Shiji’s hand tightened inside his sleeve, his expression still calm. Years of experience had trained him to hide all his emotions.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Lichu looked sad, trying to make her sorrow seem real. “I’m picking flowers,” she said.
“Is that so?” His voice remained even, but his eyes drifted to the rose in her hand.
She waited a while, but he didn’t ask why she looked so melancholy. So she took the initiative, speaking with forced sadness: “The falling flowers… they’re heartless. Watching them fall breaks my heart. They rot into the soil… everything is just fate.”
Her performance was deliberate—her soft, round face puckered slightly, lips pressed together, and her almond-shaped eyes, so untouched by worldly hardship, were made to look mournful.
In his previous life, seeing this, he had felt nothing but cold hatred.
The Shen family had stepped over his mother’s grave to rise in power, raising such a carefree, innocent daughter. He had crawled out of hell only to witness her acting so falsely before him.
Later, he finally saw her truly sad, her once-bright eyes dimming, leaving only a careful, anxious fear.
Lu Shiji’s lips pressed into a straight line, a flicker of frustration rising in him.
He wasn’t sure if it was because he was annoyed by her act, or because he remembered the fearful Lichu from his past life.
He turned sharply and walked away.
Lichu froze. Wait… he’s leaving?
Then, she felt something soft wriggle on the back of her hand.
Looking down, she saw a large, fat insect crawling out of the rose in her hand, moving across her skin.
“Ah!” she screamed, dropping the flower and flailing wildly, hopping back to get away.
“Miss!” Chunxing hurried over with a cloth to shoo the insect away.
Lichu stomped the rose into the mud with both feet, nearly crying from fright. She hated bugs more than anything.
Chunxing comforted her quickly. “Miss, don’t be afraid. The bug is gone now.”
Lichu sniffed, holding back tears, stomping angrily. How embarrassing!
Back in her room, she immediately took a bath, scrubbing her delicate skin with scented soap three times until her white skin was pink. Only then did she relent.
“It’s all my fault,” Chunxing said, brushing her hair, feeling guilty. “I should have cleared the flower bushes of bugs first.”
Lichu waved her off. “It’s not your fault! Who would have thought such a beautiful rose could hide that awful bug?”
She turned in the bath, leaning on the edge, sparkling eyes peeking up. “Do you think Cousin looked at me differently today?”
Chunxing swallowed. “It… doesn’t seem like it.”
Lichu frowned. “It’s all that damned bug’s fault!”
Remembering how cold Ning Shiji had seemed today, Chunxing tried again. “Miss… maybe you should just let it go?”
“Let it go? No way!”
“I just… he’s so distant. I’m worried you’ll get hurt.”
Lichu lifted a finger and wagged it. “You don’t get it. Men who seem cold on the outside are the gentlest inside! His aloofness is just armor. Once he opens his heart, it’ll be completely different!”
Chunxing blinked. “You read that in a story too, didn’t you?”
“Of course!” Lichu said, determined. “I refuse to believe I can’t win him!”
She grinned, showing a row of bright white teeth. “If one path doesn’t work, we’ll just find another!”