The night was quiet, shrouded like a thin mist over the silent estate.
A faint breeze swept through the bamboo grove in the courtyard, sending rustling sounds through the leaves. Moonlight cast shifting shadows that swayed gently in the dark.
Inside the room, candlelight flickered, illuminating the scene.
Wen Shuyu sat by the window at a writing desk, dressed in a moon-white robe, intently reviewing the mountain of memorials before him.
His slender, fair hand held a vermilion brush as he occasionally furrowed his brows and marked down responses on the documents.
Under the candlelight, his profile appeared sharp and cold, almost untouched by the mortal world, like a saintly figure untainted by dust.
Wen Shuyu was not only the Grand Tutor of the current court, but also bore the responsibilities of Chief Minister, assisting the young emperor in governance.
Recently, movements from the Prince Xian faction had become increasingly frequent. Intelligence reports from embedded spies indicated they were plotting a major operation in the capital, causing unease throughout the court and prompting repeated memorials urging precaution.
Outside!
Under the cover of moonlight, a slender figure silently appeared beneath the courtyard wall of the Wen residence.
Tang Li placed her hands on the wall’s edge and pushed off lightly with her feet. Like a nimble little cat, she vaulted over the wall.
She carefully peeked into the courtyard. Confirming there were no patrolling servants, she landed quietly inside.
The shadows of bamboo leaves swayed across her body as Tang Li crouched low, lifting the hem of her pale yellow dress. She moved lightly through the night toward the main building without making a sound.
“?”
Wen Shuyu inside seemed to sense something. He suddenly looked toward the window.
Fortunately, Tang Li reacted quickly and hid behind a rock.
The man at the desk narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint, unreadable smile appearing at the corner of his lips. Then he set down his brush.
The next moment, Wen Shuyu hardened his expression and spoke coldly.
“Who dares to sneak around here? Guards…”
Before he could finish, a soft figure suddenly appeared.
“Don’t shout! I’m not a thief!”
A warm small hand covered his mouth.
Wen Shuyu froze slightly. In front of him were bright, deer-like eyes.
“If you are not a thief, then who are you? Why are you climbing walls at night?”
His voice came muffled through her palm.
Only then did Tang Li realize she had acted too impulsively. Her cheeks flushed red as she quickly withdrew her hand.
“I live in the neighboring courtyard. I saw a new neighbor move in…”
As she spoke, she pulled out an oil-paper wrapped box from her chest. It was a batch of pastries she had finally succeeded in making after blowing up her kitchen five times.
“So I made some specialty pastries and wanted to bring them to you…”
“No need.”
Wen Shuyu refused coldly.
“I do not like pastries.”
His gaze turned icy, like shadows seeping into the damp air.
“You are not here to meet a neighbor. If you do not tell the truth, I will call the servants.”
“Wait, wait, I’ll tell you!”
The girl lowered her head, her ears tinged with red.
“I… I actually… I like you!”
Wen Shuyu paused.
“?”
The girl’s face burned with embarrassment, yet she spoke everything in one breath.
“The moment I saw you yesterday from afar, it was love at first sight. I could not sleep all night, nor rest peacefully. After drinking some wine, I finally gathered the courage to confess my feelings…”
A faint fragrance drifted through the air, like an aged plum wine opened after being forgotten, sweet yet slightly bitter, spreading through the room.
Wen Shuyu’s eyes flickered with brief surprise, but it vanished quickly.
“Full of lies. Guards!”
He turned to leave, intending to have her removed.
Panicking, Tang Li stepped on the hem of his moon-white robe without thinking.
“Sir!”
“My feelings are true… my heart for you is as firm as stone, unchanging…”
Under the dim candlelight, Wen Shuyu fell silent for a moment as he looked at her.
Then he spoke slowly.
“Madam Shen, you are drunk.”
“Drunk?”
The candlelight spun and blurred her vision. Tang Li swayed, her surroundings turning in circles.
“I am not drunk. If I were drunk, I would be able to see the person I want to see… A-Yu… I miss you…”
Everything tilted further. Before darkness swallowed her, she seemed to hear a faint sigh.
“Madam Shen… you are a married woman. Please conduct yourself properly.”
Pei Ying carried the unconscious Tang Li back to her neighboring courtyard before reporting to Wen Shuyu.
“I understand.”
Wen Shuyu, sitting quietly under the candlelight, returned to himself and picked up the oil-paper package from the ground. Inside were shattered pastry fragments.
“Master, you really kept your subordinates busy tonight.”
“You insisted on dismissing all servants, leaving the courtyard gates open and staying alone inside. Of course that would attract intruders.”
“And it was a female intruder at that!”
“….”
“Maybe she’s an assassin sent by Prince Xian?”
“Wait, no one would send such a foolish assassin. She didn’t even draw a weapon before fainting, haha…”
Wen Shuyu glanced at him coldly. Though his face showed no expression, Pei Ying suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Something was wrong. His master seemed particularly displeased tonight.
Women admiring Wen Shuyu could circle the capital three times. He was usually gentle when rejecting them. This was the first time he looked so cold.
Pei Ying quickly realized he should leave.
“I will not disturb you further. This pastry should be discarded, Master. It may be dangerous.”
Wen Shuyu said flatly, “You talk too much today.”
Pei Ying froze. He fled immediately.
The courtyard returned to silence. Wind rustled the bamboo, making soft sounds that reminded Wen Shuyu of wind chimes beneath an old roof from childhood.
Inside a dim gambling house, an oppressive silence filled the air.
Golden lacquered wooden tokens slammed onto the table with heavy sounds.
Dice rolled and bounced before finally stopping.
“You lose, Wen Gongzi.”
Tang Li studied his profile.
His expression was calm, like an unfathomable deep pool. He casually pushed forward more gold pieces.
“What fun is it to only increase the stakes? Since you brought a dancer, how about a penalty drink?”
Wen Shuyu said nothing.
He was here investigating a case when he unexpectedly encountered Tang Li and had to disguise her as a dancer.
But the other party kept pressing.
Hua Gui narrowed her sharp gaze, suspicion growing in her eyes.
“Could she be…”
Tang Li suddenly spoke softly.
“Sir, allow me to serve you…”
She lifted a silver cup filled with wine and offered it to him.
Wen Shuyu did not move. Hua Gui’s gaze darkened further.
Tang Li felt a chill. She suddenly recalled the dancers she had seen earlier, swaying among guests with wine cups between their lips.
Her heart pounded. She bit the rim of the silver cup shyly and tremblingly, slowly bringing it toward him.
Wen Shuyu watched her intently.
Why did he look even more nervous than her?
Tang Li thought it must be her imagination.
Her leg had gone numb from sitting on him. She tried to adjust her posture, but lost balance.
Wen Shuyu immediately reached out, steadying her chin and pulling her closer.
Heat rushed to her face.
Her leg slipped. The cup fell and shattered.
Wine soaked Wen Shuyu’s robe, releasing a faint fragrance.
Tang Li lost balance and fell forward.
Her lips brushed past his cool lips like a feather.
Both froze. Time seemed to stop.
Tang Li’s face turned completely red. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
She panicked and tried to pull back, but instead fell fully into his arms.
Their eyes met.
Wen Shuyu’s lashes trembled slightly. He could feel her warm breath near his neck.
“S-sorry… I…”
She tried to push away, but the surrounding gamblers burst into teasing laughter.
The tense atmosphere of the gambling house vanished.
Wen Shuyu came back to himself. He turned his head away, took a breath, and released his hold.
“Get down.”
Back at Wen residence.
Wen Shuyu sat in the quiet courtyard, staring at the untouched memorials, lost in thought.
He had not been able to ask why she was at the gambling house before she vanished like oil.
And that incident…
His fingers unconsciously touched his lips again, the soft sensation lingering in his mind.
“Master!”
Pei Ying flipped in through the window.
“People at the gambling house said Shen Mo was there. Madam Shen likely went to find her husband…”
Wen Shuyu’s expression froze.
He removed his mask and tossed it onto the table with a cold sound.
“I understand.”