Li Zhaoji had only turned away for a moment, and Tang Jiayu had already run into danger. She really was someone who couldn't be left alone for a second. Li Zhaoji released Tang Jiayu's arm and was about to tell her to be careful when he noticed she was staring at the man on horseback as if she'd lost her soul. Li Zhaoji narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.
He had rushed back at the sound of the horse's neighing to save Tang Jiayu, with no time to pay attention to anyone else. Only now did he notice that the man taming the horse was of low status, but his stance was steady, his bone structure excellent, and his legwork was decent.
But decent was all it was—far from outstanding. The only thing that could be called a merit on the man was that his face was passably handsome. Li Zhaoji had heard crude talk in the military camp about certain noblewomen who favored lovers of this sort. Li Zhaoji swept his gaze over the man critically, wondering what there was about someone like him worth paying special attention to.
Li Zhaoji's gaze settled quietly on Tang Jiayu. She seemed frightened senseless, staring motionlessly at that man. That look in her eyes made Li Zhaoji deeply uncomfortable—even more uncomfortable than when he'd learned Wei Chengjun wanted to force her into marriage.
The commotion of the startled horse drew much attention, and the townsfolk looked over, pointing and murmuring.
"Whose horse got loose? Good thing someone grabbed it—that could have been a disaster."
"Yes, and she looks like a young lady from a wealthy family."
The innkeeper hurried over, apologizing profusely to Tang Jiayu: "My apologies, miss. A guest's horse got spooked. Are you hurt?"
Tang Jiayu slowly shook her head. If this had been any other time, she would never have let it go so easily, but now her mind was entirely on Huo Zheng, and she had no patience to make trouble for the innkeeper. She steadied herself and asked, "I owe my life to this brave man who saved me. May I ask his name?"
Huo Zheng finished calming the horse, jumped down from its back, and stood silently to the side with his hands behind his back, like a speck of dust, staying quietly in the place where he belonged. Tang Jiayu suddenly asking about him surprised not only the innkeeper but Huo Zheng himself.
A young lady this beautiful, clearly from an distinguished family—the young man behind her was most likely her relative. The two of them, handsome man and lovely woman, with an air that transcended the mundane, were worlds apart from someone like him.
Why would she want to know his name?
The innkeeper's slanted eyes swept quickly over Huo Zheng, their meaning far from friendly. Afraid that the lowly horse groom might curry favor with nobility, the innkeeper immediately stepped in front of Huo Zheng, his face wreathed in smiles, and flattered Tang Jiayu: "Just a servant—his humble name isn't worth dirtying your ears, miss. The horse getting loose was his negligence in the first place; saving you was merely him making up for his fault."
Tang Jiayu glanced at the innkeeper and said coolly, "At least he made up for his fault. But your inn's poor management nearly let a horse injure people in the street—what fault is that? If I report this to the authorities, your inn won't be staying in business."
The innkeeper's face stiffened, unable to gauge what kind of person this young lady was or what she intended. Tang Jiayu looked at Huo Zheng again, a smile blooming on her face as she asked softly, "If not for my savior, I would be dead or crippled today. May I ask my benefactor's name?"
The shopkeeper could no longer stop him and signaled with his eyes for Huo Zheng to step forward and pay his respects. Seeing the shopkeeper's fierce glare, as if he could devour him alive, Huo Zheng knew he was in for more trouble. He stepped forward and bowed his head in an unrefined salute: "This humble one is Huo Zheng. I dare not claim to be your benefactor, madam. Even without me, the gentleman behind you would have protected you."
Li Zhaoji's gaze was icy as he let out an ambiguous laugh.
At least he knew his place.
Tang Jiayu did not see it that way. In her past life, he had seen her off on her journey; in this life, he had saved her once again. Such a great debt of gratitude must surely be the blessing of the Li family's ancestors. Tang Jiayu was in desperate need of capable people, and the moment she laid eyes on Huo Zheng, she had already entertained the thought of recruiting him for her own use. She had originally worried—with so many soldiers in the outer city, where would she find Huo Zheng? But by a twist of fate, heaven had delivered him to her side once more.
It seemed Huo Zheng had joined the army two years later, becoming the lowest-ranking stable hand in the outer city. Now, two years earlier than in her past life, he had not yet enlisted—he was merely a short-term hired hand tending horses at an inn. He was a free man, which made it much easier to claim him. But she was surrounded by watching eyes, and trying to slip a stable hand into the Tang residence would likely meet with the household's disapproval.
With the great task not yet accomplished, it was unwise to alert the enemy. However unwilling Tang Jiayu was, she could only ask for the inn's name and Huo Zheng's dwelling, then thank them and board the carriage to leave.
Sitting in the carriage, she kept thinking about how to recruit Huo Zheng, and remained unusually silent the entire way. Li Zhaoji toyed with the paper package of roasted chestnuts that had gradually gone cold, and cast her a faint, sidelong glance. "They've gone cold," he said carelessly. "Throw them away."
Zhandong hurried forward to take the package, but the Young Lord did not hand it to her. Zhandong studied the Young Lord's expression, then glanced at Tang Jiayu, and silently shrank into the corner, treating herself as invisible.
Tang Jiayu came back to her senses. What's gone cold? she wondered. She gazed at Li Zhaoji's jade-like profile—that jade statue was still proud and aloof, as if it cared about nothing—but looking closely, his brows were pressed together, and she knew the young master was displeased.
And very displeased at that.
Tang Jiayu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that she had been so absorbed in planning the future that she had neglected Li Zhaoji the entire way. She immediately broke into a smile and deliberately sat down beside Li Zhaoji. Li Zhaoji coldly shifted to the side. Tang Jiayu was undeterred and followed again, leaning directly against him.
"Thank you, husband." She took the paper package from Li Zhaoji's hands, untied the string, and complained while cracking open a chestnut. "I was scared to death just now—I've been in a daze for quite a while. If not for that strong man's rescue, I would never have seen you again, husband!"
She struggled to crack open a chestnut, but did not eat it herself. Instead, she held it up to Li Zhaoji's mouth. Li Zhaoji turned away, refusing to eat it. Tang Jiayu softened her voice and coaxed coquettishly, "Look, I've split my nails peeling them, and I can't even bear to eat one myself!"
Zhandong lifted her eyes for a glance, then silently lowered them again. Tang Jiayu endured the goosebumps and blinked her watery eyes at him. Li Zhaoji still held his chin up, frosty as ever, but when Tang Jiayu offered the chestnut meat to his lips again, he took it and ate it.
Tang Jiayu: "…"
He clearly enjoys it, so why pretend otherwise?
Once Tang Jiayu had settled Li Zhaoji down, she could not be bothered to wait on him anymore and peeled chestnuts for herself to eat. Li Zhaoji waited a while, and seeing that she no longer leaned in, gave a light snort and said discontentedly, "So it's all thanks to him for saving you?"
Tang Jiayu was rather taken aback and retorted, "Isn't it?"
Li Zhaoji scoffed, "Even without him, nothing would have happened to you. The horse was fine one moment and then spooked the next—how was he caring for the horse? Useless."
Tang Jiayu said, "It must have been someone at the inn who was careless. What does that have to do with him? He jumped onto the horse's back and calmed it down in just a few moves. He's really impressive."
Li Zhaoji raised an eyebrow, his tone cold enough to freeze: "You call that impressive?"
"Of course." Tang Jiayu ate a chestnut, full of admiration. "I like people who can ride horses the most. Being able to gallop on horseback—how dashing and heroic. But I don't dare go near horses, so I've always admired people who can tame them. Husband, can you ride a horse?"
Li Zhaoji's expression was indifferent as he said lightly, "I can."
"That's wonderful." Tang Jiayu, ignoring the crumbs on her hands, excitedly threw herself onto Li Zhaoji. "Will you teach me to ride a horse from now on?"
It was as if a feather had gently brushed across Li Zhaoji's heart, and his inexplicable irritation was soothed. He didn't agree, saying offhandedly, "We'll see when there's time."
Tang Jiayu and Li Zhaoji returned to the residence. Li Zhaoji did not possess the fine quality of helping a woman down from the carriage. He didn't even need a step stool—he nimbly jumped down and walked off straightaway, leaving Tang Jiayu alone behind, clutching her cloak and stumbling as she got off.
The gatekeeper greeted them from the side and asked in surprise, "Why were the lady and the young master gone so long?"
"We ran into some things on the road," Tang Jiayu said vaguely, not wanting them to know about Huo Zheng. She looked at Li Zhaoji's retreating figure and thought that if she wanted to bring Huo Zheng into the residence, she would still have to win Li Zhaoji over.
She couldn't let Li Zhaoji just leave like that.
"Husband!" Tang Jiayu chased after him. Even though Li Zhaoji walked swiftly and paid her no attention at all, she followed behind like a little tail, persistent and unrelenting. "Husband, your room is too cold. I had someone add charcoal for you. But the charcoal isn't ready yet, and waiting is still waiting—why not come to my room for a meal first?"
Li Zhaoji finally deigned to stop and turned to look at her. "Where to?"
"My boudoir." Tang Jiayu smiled. "My courtyard has a small kitchen, and the cooking is quite good. Would you like to come try it?"
Li Zhaoji thought of his mission, paused, and agreed. "Alright."
Tang Jiayu had only stayed one night at Qinglu and moved back to her own courtyard today. It wasn't Li Zhaoji's first time at Qinyu Garden, so logically there was nothing to feel uncomfortable about, but in broad daylight, under everyone's eyes, being pulled by Tang Jiayu into a boudoir full of feminine charm, he felt inexplicably awkward.
Tang Jiayu called over four maids and said to Li Zhaoji, "Husband, these are my personal maids who grew up with me. Their names are Zhenchun, Zhexia, Zhanqiu, and Zhandong. Hurry, come greet the young master!"
Chun Xia Qiu Dong exchanged a glance with Li Zhaoji, betraying no emotion, and stepped forward to bow as instructed. "Greetings, young master."
They struck just the right balance of respect and distance, exactly like maids meeting a new son-in-law for the first time. Tang Jiayu thought to herself that they were truly good actresses, each performing flawlessly. They acted with such effort—how could she fall behind? Tang Jiayu also smiled at Li Zhaoji and said, "They are the people I trust most. In name we are mistress and servants, but in truth we are sisters. In the future, if anyone in the Tang residence gives you trouble, find them to pass on a message, and I will come at once."
Li Zhaoji's eyelashes moved slightly, lowering just a bit, making it impossible to read the expression in his eyes. "Alright."
After saying this, Tang Jiayu personally went to the small kitchen to supervise the meal preparation. Despite it being her private boudoir, she left Li Zhaoji alone inside, showing complete trust without the slightest hesitation. Li Zhaoji's dark eyes swept across the room, quickly committing the layout and furnishings of Tang Jiayu's chamber to memory before moving toward the desk.
The maidservant cleaned the study daily, so there was unlikely to be anything new there. Li Zhaoji's target was the scroll basket. One painting had clearly been taken out and examined time and again. When Li Zhaoji unrolled it, he saw his own face.
He remembered now—it was the portrait she had drawn of him during the hunger strike. Li Zhaoji had only glanced at it that night, but he never expected it had been rendered with such exquisite detail and lifelike precision.
In her eyes, was this how he appeared?
Li Zhaoji looked at it one last time, then rolled up the scroll and tossed it back into place. She truly loved him, but unfortunately, her love would never come to fruition.