Bao Chan recalled the man’s handsome face, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “It’s dry now, and it even carries a faint scent of pine.”
Xue Ning remembered that when Li Changche had saved her years ago, he seemed to have carried the same scent—fresh, clean, and deeply reassuring.
“Put it away carefully in the trunk. When I meet him again, I’ll return it to him.”
Seeing her mistress lost in thought while gazing at the cloak, Bao Chan teased, “Will you really meet that gentleman again, miss?”
“Yes,” Xue Ning replied with a soft, certain smile. “As long as I remain in Dongjing, I will surely meet him again.”
Bao Chan didn’t fully grasp the wistfulness in her mistress’s tone, only regretting that Xue Ning hadn’t had the chance to thank the gentleman properly. “It’s a pity we only know his name, not where he’s from. He said his name was Li Changche. Miss, do you think he might be from the Li Clan?”
In the current Dayong Empire, scholarly clans were numerous, but the Wang, Xie, Su, and Li clans stood out as the most powerful among the Four Great Scholarly Clans.
The Wang Clan had withdrawn from the world years ago, their descendants no longer involved in court politics, content with a life of leisure and wealth.
The Su and Xie Clans, in recent years, had flourished like a roaring fire, wielding immense influence. Many of their talented members had entered officialdom, thriving in the bustling Dongjing City. Even the imperial family held them in high regard.
As for the Hejian Li Clan, they were the most low-key among the four great clans.
The main branch of the Li Clan still resided in the Hejian region, where their roots ran deep.
Every year, descendants of the Li Clan would travel to Dongjing to take the imperial examinations and enter the court.
The Li Clan had once enjoyed great glory but had wisely retreated at the height of their power, leaving fewer and fewer clan members in Dongjing.
In recent years, as the imperial family declined and the empire faced numerous disasters and hardships, more members of the Li Clan had gradually made their way to the capital.
In her previous life, Xue Ning had been confined to the inner quarters, her heart and mind wholly devoted to Su Zhan. How could she have paid attention to anyone else?
She only remembered that when she was under house arrest in the old estate in Yongzhou, she had heard the locals speak of a legendary genius who had emerged to save Dayong.
He was said to be both scholarly and martial, wise and courageous, and highly praised as an official.
Upon taking office, he had cracked three major cold cases in succession.
Within a year, he had cleared the names of many wrongfully accused individuals. During snow disasters and floods, he personally traveled across the land, rescuing countless people from suffering. Later, when the Beidi troops attacked and breached Jialing Pass, and Su Zhan’s army was nearly defeated and destroyed, it was Li Changche who led five thousand light cavalry to rescue them. With just five thousand men under his command, he eliminated the enemy leader and returned triumphantly to Dongjing by year’s end, earning the title of Dayong’s God of War, renowned throughout the land.
Everyone praised him as an official who fought for the people.
He was an undefeated general, a ruthless and unapproachable Inspector Li.
And he was also a man of deep devotion, who for years refused to remarry, guarding the memorial tablet of his deceased wife.
Later, he rose to the highest ranks of the court, becoming a favorite of the emperor and gradually rivaling Su Zhan, opposing him at every turn in court affairs.
At that time, worried about Su Zhan’s future, Xue Ning had often lain awake at night.
Fearing that the ruthless Li Changche might harm him, she would remind Su Zhan in every letter to stay vigilant and, if necessary, eliminate him to secure his own safety.
Who would have thought—
Xue Ning’s thoughts swirled with complexity. She let out a helpless smile, leaning against the low couch, her eyes growing warm with unshed tears.
Who would have thought, after all these twists and turns, it was Li Changche who had saved her from the freezing Suiye River in Yongzhou in her previous life.
And now, reborn, it was him again who rescued her from the lotus pond at Zhenguo Temple.
If one were to truly consider it, how could this not be considered a kind of fate?
"Young Master Li's appearance is excellent in every way, but I don't know about his family background. Just looking at his attire, he seems a bit down on his luck."
Bao Chan took a handkerchief to dry her hair, already starting to make plans for her young mistress.
Xue Ning asked, "What's wrong with being down on his luck?"
Bao Chan muttered, "Those who are down on their luck have no money. Living requires gold and silver."
The little maid was quite practical, just like in her previous life at the old residence in Yongzhou, well-versed in how to get by.
Xue Ning looked at Bao Chan with affection, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth. She bent her index finger and tapped Bao Chan's forehead. "Where would Young Master Li even look at someone like me? What are you thinking about, you silly girl?"
Bao Chan pouted. "I was just saying it casually."
Xue Ning had thick, black, and glossy hair.
The mistress and maid sat by the charcoal fire, taking nearly half an hour to dry it completely.
"The Shizi is really…" Bao Chan complained softly. "In the past, whenever the young mistress wanted to read storybooks, the Shizi would always scold her with a cold face, saying she shouldn't read such idle books. Yet, whatever Princess Xiuning says goes—how come she can read those storybooks?"
Xue Ning pulled back her thoughts, her expression quite calm. "It's fine. Not reading them won't cause me to lose a piece of flesh."
Bao Chan had a lively temperament. Seeing that her young mistress showed no sorrow or sadness, she brightened up again. "Young mistress, you were really bold today. I was completely stunned."
"Was that considered bold?"
"When you said you wanted to marry the Shizi, my heart nearly jumped out of my throat. Young mistress, didn't you say you didn't want to marry the Shizi anymore? Why did you say that again?"
Xue Ning smiled. "I didn't truly mean to marry him. I just wanted to use him to warn the Old Madam."
Bao Chan was simple-minded and couldn't figure it out even after thinking for a long time.
But Xue Ning had lived through it before. Even if she hadn't understood the Old Madam's intentions in her previous life, having been reborn, she now saw things more clearly than ever.
The old lady didn't want a troublemaker like her to marry her eldest legitimate grandson, but she also didn't want to give up her flower-like beauty.
After all, she had been raised in the Marquis's residence for many years; keeping her for another year wouldn't be a big deal.
Besides, putting everything else aside, her face was indeed peerless.
If used properly, it might very well become a sharp weapon.
In any case, most noble ladies in Dongjing City were merely bargaining chips for political marriages.
What made her, Xue Ning, so special?
Her hair had been wet all the way back, and Xue Ning's head still ached a little.
But no matter how much it hurt, the matters that needed to be resolved tonight could not be postponed until tomorrow.
After redoing her hair and changing her clothes, she took Bao Chan to Qiushui Garden.
After what had happened at Zhenguo Temple, Madam Jiang couldn't sleep at all tonight and was waiting for Xue Ning to finish bathing so she could talk to her.
Before she could go, Xue Ning came to her on her own.
The wind and snow outside the curtain were fierce. Madam Jiang quickly pulled her into the bedroom.
Marquis Su was staying with a concubine and not at Qiushui Garden. The room was warmed by high-quality golden-thread charcoal, and the lamps were still lit.
Xue Ning performed a proper bow. "Mother."
All the maids and elderly servants withdrew from the room. Only then did Madam Jiang, wrapped in a thick beizi, pull Xue Ning to sit on the luohan bed outside the green gauze cabinet. "You child, what exactly happened at Zhenguo Temple? Let your mother know so I can have some peace of mind."
To Madam Jiang, Xue Ning recounted everything in detail.
Madam Jiang frowned and said, "So, someone deliberately wanted to harm you?"
Xue Ning did not give a definite answer, only saying, "When the incident happened, that Nanny Hao was guarding outside my meditation room the whole time."