Outside Raocheng, the village sat halfway up a mountain, and the road was difficult to traverse—especially after rain.
Two days had passed since the last downpour, yet the western side of the river remained a muddy quagmire. Granny Li had set out from the city before dawn, and by the time she arrived, the jostling journey had nearly rattled her bones apart.
She frowned, glaring at her newly made clothes and shoes, now splattered with mud. A surge of anger flared in her chest. If not for the fact that this errand promised more profit than several years of her usual earnings, she wouldn’t have come to this godforsaken backwater. Half a year ago, she’d barely escaped this village with her life after the unruly villagers nearly drove her out with clubs. This time, fearing she’d be spotted, she’d taken the back paths—leaving herself in a sorry state, her outfit utterly wasted.
But at the thought of gleaming silver, Granny Li quickly forced a smile back onto her face.
She was just about to call out in her shrill voice, “Xie—”
A sturdy washing bat rose high into the air, its polished surface catching the afternoon sunlight and flashing so brightly that Granny Li, who had barely steadied herself, couldn’t open her eyes.
Then came a wet, forceful smack as the bat struck the water, splashing the still-blind Granny Li from head to toe.
Afraid that opening her mouth would let filthy water in, Granny Li didn’t even dare take a deep breath. Her cheeks quivered with rage as she wiped her face dry and shot a venomous glare at the woman crouched by the riverbank, washing clothes.
What a brazen village woman—seizing the chance to put her in her place.
The first time she’d come, she’d made inquiries in a neighboring village and been told that this Xie woman was extraordinarily beautiful but honest and meek.
Meek?
Hardly, it seemed!
“Madam Xie? Madam Xie!”
The waterwheel by the shore churned and splashed, its roaring sound drowning out Granny Li’s calls.
Granny Li assumed Xie Yunzhen was putting on airs, but in truth, Xie Yunzhen simply hadn’t heard her.
She gripped the washing bat and gave it a light swing, her mind on Ning Yankui’s injuries even as she thought that this newly made bat just wasn’t as good as her old one.
A bit too heavy—hard to wield with proper force.
She was about to strike again when she heard a faint voice calling her through the rush of water. Turning around, she saw it was Granny Li, who had come only two days prior.
A flicker of unease passed through Xie Yunzhen’s eyes: hadn’t they agreed she’d have three days to think it over?
She glanced around nervously, and only when she saw no one else did she stand up, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a face bare of any makeup yet strikingly vivid and lovely—a pair of upturned, luminous eyes sparkling with lively, clear light.
Granny Li’s eyes lit up instantly.
Even though she’d only seen her once before, she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: truly a stunning beauty. Word had it she’d fled as a refugee to Ning Village, and despite years of exposure to wind and sun, her skin remained fair and delicate—nothing like the typical village woman.
No wonder the noble patron in the city had specifically requested her.
The smile on Granny Li’s face deepened the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She naturally reached out and grasped Yunzhen’s hand. “Good wife, about what I mentioned the other day—have you made up your mind? Yes or no, just give your auntie a straight answer.”
Granny Li’s hand was coated in scented balm, her skin cool and wrinkled, carrying a cloying fragrance that sent goosebumps prickling across Xie Yunzhen’s skin. Uncomfortably, she pulled her hand free and crouched back down, rubbing at the clothes. “Didn’t we say tomorrow? Why have you come today?”
Granny Li was a well-known matchmaker in Raocheng. As for why her fame reached their small Ning Village, it was naturally because she was a proper matchmaker on the surface, but behind closed doors she engaged in improper dealings, specializing in “connecting the threads” for certain people and certain improper relationships.
She narrowed her eyes and smiled: “I’m just doing this on someone else’s behalf. The noble patron has given the order—today is the day you must enter the residence. I have no choice but to come. Madam Xie, some matters cannot wait. Look at your current situation—who else can help you? Accept this and you’ll rise straight to the top. Such an exalted noble patron—even several Magistrate Lius or Master Rongs couldn’t compare. If the noble patron hadn’t named you specifically, I’d have fought for such a fine opportunity for my own daughter.”
The two people Granny Li mentioned were the Raocheng county magistrate and a famous wealthy merchant in Raocheng.
Xie Yunzhen felt somewhat vexed inside. Though Granny Li’s reputation wasn’t the best, what she said did make sense.
Money was needed everywhere right now—she’d borrowed from everyone she could, yet it was still a drop in the bucket. If not for this, why would she have come to such a pass… not to mention she still wanted to…
Granny Li kept chattering on about how many benefits there were in accepting this matter—how the noble patron wasn’t old in age, how she didn’t engage in the kind of heartless business of tricking young girls into marrying sixty or seventy-year-old men…
Xie Yunzhen remained silent, staring at the shimmering surface of the creek without a word.
Little fish frolicked and played in the water, so carefree.
Seeing that she was turning a deaf ear, Granny Li grew anxious, afraid of botching this affair. She was about to pour on more pressure when she saw the village woman suddenly stand up and decisively utter a single word: “Fine.”
Granny Li’s face immediately lit up with joy: “Ah! That’s the way!”
Hurrying into the city, the slowly closing city gates completely cut off any possibility of Xie Yunzhen regretting her decision—which instead gave her, who had been distracted the whole way, a feeling of things finally settling into place.
Arriving at the side gate of the residence, she barely had a chance to set foot on the ground before being transferred from the carriage into a soft sedan chair.
The sedan chair traveled for some time before suddenly stopping. Xie Yunzhen’s breath caught, and then a pair of slightly rough, large hands reached in. She instinctively shrank back, but saw that the owner of the hands merely lifted the curtain gently.
A young and kind face appeared before Xie Yunzhen’s eyes.
So this was that noble patron?
Xie Yunzhen suddenly felt relieved—he seemed like an easy person to get along with.
But meeting the principal party face to face all at once, her heart pounded wildly. The young man bowed slightly and said with a smile: “Madam Xie, please.”
Xie Yunzhen’s curled fingers tightened, and she lowered her head as she stepped out of the sedan chair.
The first thing that met her eyes upon looking up was a towering gate. The man led the way ahead, walking at a very quick pace that Yunzhen could barely keep up with. She felt somewhat uneasy, unsure whether she should first confirm the matter of payment, when several maidservants walked over from the side corridor on the right, respectfully greeting the man and calling him Steward Wen. Only upon hearing this did Xie Yunzhen realize she had mistaken the man’s identity, and silently blushed.
Of course—what important person would personally come to receive a country woman from the fields?
Xie Yunzhen’s mind wandered for a moment, and before she knew it, a wave of bloody stench hit her in the face. The faint smile that had risen from her embarrassment froze at the corners of her mouth.
Two young servants hurried past through the garden on the left. Xie Yunzhen caught a terrified glimpse of them carrying a man in disheveled condition, covered in blood, passing before her eyes—the man lay face down, eyes tightly shut, whether dead or alive unknown.
Wen Lu noticed Xie Yunzhen stopping in her tracks, looking as if she had been frightened stiff. He walked toward her considerately and reminded her in a gentle voice, “Madam Xie, my master is still waiting.”
Having suddenly seen such a bloody figure, Xie Yunzhen hadn’t yet recovered her senses. She followed Wen Lu forward in a daze.
She asked nothing, but Wen Lu glanced obliquely behind her and spoke up on his own initiative, his voice calm and light: “Madam need not be afraid. It’s merely a thing that betrayed its master.”
A warm smile still hung on his face, but there was no trace of mirth left in his eyes.
Xie Yunzhen followed Wen Lu absent-mindedly to a dwelling. The interior was quite spacious. She dared not look around too much—she stole a quick glance and lowered her head again, guessing this was probably the noble lord’s study.
Wen Lu stopped abruptly, and a pair of deerskin boots entered Xie Yunzhen’s field of vision. The style was refined and lightweight, likely meant for indoor wear.
This… this must be the noble lord, then?
She had heard his surname was Pei, that he came from a distinguished noble family and was a high official in the capital. She wondered why he had come all the way to such a distant place as Rao City…
At this thought, Xie Yunzhen couldn’t help but hold her breath, her hands hidden in her sleeves quietly clenching.
Wen Lu said, “My lord, Madam Xie has arrived.”
Xie Yunzhen’s heart rose to her throat—
She did not hear the noble lord’s voice, but in the next instant, she felt a scorching gaze sizing her up. It moved slowly, deliberately, roaming up and down. Wherever it lingered, every inch of her exposed skin gave rise to an irresistible, subtle shiver.
“Take her away.”
Though she had already come before the noble lord, the scene in the garden earlier had been truly horrifying. She was still fraught with anxiety when she suddenly heard these four words, and panic seized her—so much so that she momentarily forgot her fear.
After all, as Granny Li had said, whether this matter ultimately succeeded depended on the noble lord’s clear and explicit nod of approval.
But he was the one who had specifically requested her, and she had swallowed her pride to come here—how could it simply end like this?
Xie Yunzhen bit her lip, her face reddening as she hurriedly raised her head, ready to argue her case—only to freeze in that instant.
This… this man was truly… truly too handsome and too young…
Xie Yunzhen had never received a proper education; she had only been coaxed by her mother into recognizing a few characters. Even if she scraped together every bit of knowledge in her mind, she could not find a single adequate word to describe the man before her.
She figured Granny Li must never have seen the noble lord’s true face—otherwise, she would not have only mentioned his high position and great power without saying a word about his appearance.
Though he was seated, he possessed an aura and stature that could not be ignored. He lounged lazily against the desk, wearing nothing more than a plain green robe, yet his extraordinarily handsome face and bearing elevated him to an air of ineffable nobility.
Xie Yunzhen secretly thought that even the imperial princes far away in the capital could not compare to him…
She stared in a daze until she caught a barely perceptible flicker of admiration and amusement in the man’s eyes. Only then did she hurriedly lower her head again.
His gaze… didn’t seem like he wanted her to leave either…
Fortunately, Xie Yunzhen did not have to embarrass herself by speaking up—Wen Lu’s frantic expression answered for her.
“My lord, the aphrodisiac drug in your body cannot wait!”
As a personal attendant who had served him since childhood, Wen Lu naturally understood what Pei Shu meant by his words. But what time was this to be so particular and picky? It was precisely because the situation was urgent that he had personally gone to find the matchmaker before dawn, telling her to bring the woman from Ning Village the moment the city gates opened.
It was all that damned old bastard’s fault. Relying on his connections, he dared to pull such filthy tricks behind his master’s back the moment they arrived in Raocheng. The imperial physician who had accompanied them from the capital had examined him, and every physician in the city—famous or not—had been summoned, yet not one could neutralize this aphrodisiac drug!
That old bastard even brazenly sent wave after wave of beauties to their doorstep. His master refused them all, relying on his years of martial training, thinking that if he endured the drug’s effects for a few more days, it would naturally dissipate.
But who knew what kind of savage medicine that quack doctor had concocted? His master was vomiting blood every day now, and the condition only seemed to be worsening. Especially at night—it tormented him all the more.
He feared for his master’s health, or that it might delay the continuation of the family line. Once they returned to the capital, how could he face the ancestors?
Besides, with beauties right at his doorstep, how could he remain seated?
Wen Lu’s mind churned, just thinking of how to persuade him, when he saw Pei Shu coldly set down his teacup. “Leave.”
Wen Lu silently sighed and turned to Xie Yunzhen: “Madam Xie, follow me. I’ll have Nanny Zeng attend to your bathing and change you into something more comfortable.”
Hearing that she wasn’t being sent away, Xie Yunzhen didn’t think much of it and followed Wen Lu to a side chamber around the corner. Only after she had finished bathing and Nanny Zeng brought over a gown of lustrous jade-pink silk for her to change into did she belatedly realize:
He—he actually found her current attire distasteful!
After a brief flash of mortification, fearing that lingering too long would anger the nobleman, Xie Yunzhen quickly dressed and was led once more to the study door. She took a deep breath and slowly pushed it open.
When the man saw her enter with graceful, gliding steps, the hand holding his book unconsciously lowered.
Yunzhen was afraid of such silent yet strangely burning gazes. She wanted to say something to break the odd atmosphere, but after thinking it over, all that came out in the end was a single: “My lord…”
Xie Yunzhen hadn’t meant to put on airs. She was naturally blessed with a beautiful voice, as melodious and pleasing as a forest bird’s song. But she was overly nervous, and she hadn’t expected that the words “my lord” would come out carrying an inexplicable hint of coquettish entanglement.
“Is it pretty?”
Out of nowhere, Pei Shu suddenly asked. Xie Yunzhen quickly raised her head, then shyly averted her eyes, her voice trembling: “It’s—it’s pretty.”
“Hm?”
Thinking Pei Shu was dissatisfied with her answer, she hastily added: “It’s pretty. My lord is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
The atmosphere suddenly froze, then a teasing light laugh sounded from within the room: “Oh? But I was asking about your dress.”
He knew this village woman had little worldly experience, but Pei Shu had to admit—he was nonetheless pleased by the flash of admiration he’d just seen in her eyes.
“Do you know why you’re here?”
Yunzhen blushed, nodding timidly.
“Raise your head.”
“From now on, when you see me, you are not to lower your head.”
The village woman had eyes of breathtaking beauty, yet she always cowered behind her own brows and lashes. What a terrible waste.
Hearing this, Xie Yunzhen’s lashes trembled slightly. Summoning her courage, she raised her head again. Her eyes held shyness and timidity, her cheeks flushed with a delicate pink like peach blossoms—a sight most striking. She wasn’t deliberately trying to please, yet her natural demeanor made Pei Shu perceive a seductive, silk-threaded allure.
He leaned slightly against the armrest of his chair, brows raised lightly, his gaze deepening. He made no attempt to hide the way his eyes possessed her, his long, slender fingers tapping quietly against the desk.
Tap, tap. Tap, tap. Each knock struck against Yunzhen’s heart.
A sudden, plunging impulse surged in her chest, and in a daze she heard him speak, his voice full of seduction:
“Take it off for me.”