After Lu Yuan left, Shen Si turned around and looked up at the high plaque bearing the four characters for “Strict Discipline and Upright Principles”. The sunlight filtering through the window illuminated the dancing dust motes. Shen Si stood there for a long time, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking.
However, Wen An, who had been standing outside the screen all along, could detect a hint of the unusual.
Regarding the last sentence the Lord just said to Lord Lu—he had followed the Lord for many years, and when had the Lord ever praised anyone? When had he ever paid attention to an insignificant student from the Imperial Academy?
Those words were clearly meant to drop a hint to Lord Lu.
Over all these years, no matter how much face someone had when coming to plead with the Lord, it was almost impossible.
The Lord was usually so busy. Now, calling Lord Lu over to hold him accountable for such a trivial matter truly caught him off guard.
Then he thought of the woman he had bumped into yesterday; it seemed the Lord had paused for her a moment longer as well…
Wen An’s thoughts were a mess, and the more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed. He quickly stopped himself.
In the afternoon, Xie Jin made a trip to Ji Hanyi’s place.
However, when she arrived, the main room was empty. Upon asking, she found out Ji Hanyi was in some back room study, and sent someone to call her.
Ji Hanyi was sitting perfectly in her chair, looking at the accounts she hadn’t finished reviewing yesterday, so she could clear up her own properties and belongings to plan for the future.
Hearing a servant report that Xie Jin had arrived, Ji Hanyi kept flicking the abacus in her hands without even lifting her eyes over it.
Rong Chun, who was behind her packing up the things brought from the main room today, heard this and couldn’t help but step closer to Ji Hanyi and whisper, “She’s here to cause trouble for the Young Madam again.”
“Putting on airs to lecture the Young Madam again.”
Ji Hanyi finished calculating the last account with her fingertips, wrote down the number on the ledger, and finally set down her brush.
She looked at Rong Chun and asked, “Are you done packing?”
Rong Chun nodded hurriedly, “Everything is put away. The Young Madam doesn’t have many things; even if we are to leave, it only takes a moment to pack.”
Ji Hanyi nodded, thinking she should write a letter to her maternal grandmother later.
Rong Chun asked worriedly, “What if the Eldest Young Master doesn’t agree to the divorce?”
Ji Hanyi smiled, “Rong Chun, he didn’t want to marry me in the first place; he will agree.”
Saying this, Ji Hanyi leaned against the back of her chair. She thought about how Li Mingrou was still not engaged. Xie Yuheng dragging out the Divorce Agreement was merely dragging down Li Mingrou as well; she wasn’t afraid to string this along.
Even if Xie Yuheng truly didn’t agree, she would just have to find other ways to make him agree.
She added, “Go out and reply. Tell her my cold is severe, and I’m afraid of passing the illness to her, so it’s inconvenient to see her.”
Rong Chun also felt there was no point in seeing these people at a time like this. Even if they met, nothing good would come out of that mouth.
Especially this Eldest Miss Xie. Every time she came to see the Young Madam, she would either complain that the Young Madam did this poorly or that wrong, and even interfere with the room’s furnishings.
She also frequently inquired about bedroom matters. In the past, the Young Madam endured it, but now with the upcoming divorce, there was no need to tolerate it.
When she went out, the servant waiting at the door had been there for quite a while. Seeing Rong Chun come out, the servant asked softly with a worried face, “Sister Rong, you know the Eldest Miss has a big temper. Having waited this long, I’m afraid she will lose her temper.”
Rong Chun curled her lips—who doesn’t have a temper? She said, “My Young Madam is very ill and it is inconvenient to see anyone right now. Just go and tell her exactly that.”
The maid froze, but didn’t dare to ask more, and hurried off.
On the other side, Xie Jin sat in the main room waiting for a long while, only to have a maid come and deliver the message that it was inconvenient to see her. Her face immediately sank.
It had been almost three years since the marriage. She fretted about the matter of children and came to deliver a prescription for her, yet Ji Hanyi actually put on airs and refused to see her!
She sneered coldly. When the time comes and she angers Yuheng and her mother, she better not come crying to beg for mercy.
Folding her sleeves, without saying a word, she simply left.
Seeing this posture, the maids in the room knew Eldest Miss Xie was angry. Worried that she would speak poorly of the Young Madam in front of the Eldest Young Master, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.
This Eldest Miss Xie was used to being arrogant and wanted everything to revolve around her. She never considered the harmony between the Eldest Young Master and the Young Madam and often stoked the flames of discord. It was only because the Young Madam could endure it; if it were someone who couldn’t, then every time the Eldest Miss visited, the courtyard would be turned upside down.
Ji Hanyi, naturally, did not care what Xie Jin would say to Xie Yuheng. On the contrary, she was worried she *wouldn’t* stoke the flames.
It would be best if Xie Yuheng, in a fit of rage, signed his name directly on the Divorce Agreement.
Remembering the shredded Divorce Agreement from last night, Ji Hanyi only felt it was a pity. She had written it stroke by stroke, and now she had to write it again.
Rolling out the paper, Ji Hanyi checked the sky outside. The sky was darkening. She calculated the time in her heart, then turned her head and whispered to Rong Chun, “In an hour, go out and hire a carriage. Have it wait for me at the back gate.”
Rong Chun asked curiously, “Doesn’t the Xie Manor have carriages?”
Ji Hanyi lowered her head and started writing the Divorce Agreement, saying softly, “It’s inconvenient.”
The Xie Manor’s carriages all bore the Xie family’s plaque, which was indeed inconvenient.
When Ji Hanyi left, it was exactly the Hour of You.
Seeing Ji Hanyi leaving at this hour, the older servant woman in the front yard couldn’t help but come over to ask when she would return, so the kitchen could prepare her meal.
Ji Hanyi replied, “There’s no need for the kitchen to prepare the dishes. I will be back late.”
The servant woman didn’t dare ask more. Watching Ji Hanyi’s back, she wondered if the Young Madam’s mother was gravely ill again.
The carriage at the back door was already prepared. When Ji Hanyi got in, a brazier had been placed inside, filling the cabin with warmth.
That brazier was naturally specially prepared by Rong Chun.
The driver up front asked where to go, and a low voice passed through the curtain, “The Shen Residence at Yongming Lane.”
The Capital City’s most noble location, filled everywhere with high officials and dignitaries.
By the time they arrived, the sky was already dark.
The Shen Residence’s plaque hung high. Standing beneath it, Ji Hanyi remembered how she used to often come here with her father when she was little.
Years had passed, and standing here again, the situation was completely different.
Actually, at this time it was not early anymore. In winter, the sky darkened early, and the lanterns had already been lit, illuminating the majestic gateway.
But the servant at the gatehouse said Shen Si had not yet returned. Ji Hanyi could only go back to the carriage to wait.
Because carriages were not allowed to stop right in front of the Shen Residence, she retreated to the entrance of the alley.
She looked down at the jade in her hand. The jade was warm and of excellent quality, a connected jade ring made of top-grade emerald green jade.
This jade pendant actually should have been Shen Si’s accessory; she got it purely by accident.
Shen Si had been noble since childhood; all the items and provisions he used were always the best.
Although Ji Hanyi was the only daughter of the Ji family and naturally enjoyed fine provisions, whenever she went to Shen Si’s place as a child, there were endless good things to see, and she was always curious to touch whatever she spotted.
That year, Ji Hanyi was exactly twelve years old. She went to the Shen Residence with her father. Her father went to the study with the Old Grand Secretary. Her father and the Old Grand Secretary often stayed there for a whole morning, so the servants naturally led her to Shen Si’s study.
At that time, Shen Si was sixteen, having just placed first in the imperial examination. She heard her father say he didn’t even need to take the exam and could have entered the Hanlin Academy directly, but Shen Si didn’t want to use his family’s connections and signed up for it himself.
In truth, Ji Hanyi didn’t see Shen Si often when she was young. Her father only visited every two or three months, mostly to discuss official business, and she didn’t manage to see him every time.
But perhaps it was a habit formed from her memories starting at six or seven years old; she liked to look at Shen Si’s tall, slender figure and his breathtakingly handsome face, involuntarily wanting to seek him out.
Shen Si didn’t like her much at first. Although Ji Hanyi was little at the time, she intuitively understood whether others liked her or not. But she couldn’t resist Shen Si’s good looks, and there were too many treasures in his room.
The Old Grand Secretary was gentle and always told her with a smile to go play with Shen Si more, saying that Shen Si was always alone and it was too quiet, asking her to pester him to go out for a walk.
Spoiled by her father back then, she knew no fear. Although she had never successfully dragged Shen Si out, at least she wasn’t kicked out of his study when she entered.
When he read in the study, she would go to his curio shelf to look at his treasures. When he sat down to write, she would lean on the desk opposite him and watch him write.
Shen Si didn’t allow her to touch him, but when she proactively pulled his sleeve, he never pushed her away.
That day was early autumn, but the light was bright and clear. The twelve-year-old Ji Hanyi already understood the strict boundaries between men and women and didn’t lean in close to Shen Si. She loved calligraphy and painting, and Shen Si’s study was full of calligraphy and scrolls by great masters. While he read in the inner room, she looked at the ancient paintings he collected outside, separated by a screen.
After she turned twelve, the two of them hardly ever spoke. Even when in the same room, there was no interaction.
Shen Si was indeed too detached. If you didn’t proactively approach him, he would always be cold, never taking a step closer to you.
But that day, when Ji Hanyi unrolled a scroll by a famous master she liked, she saw that connected jade ring inside it.
The emerald green jade was beautiful. The two jade rings strung together clinked when moved. Ji Hanyi liked it immediately upon holding it. But this was Shen Si’s belonging. For him to allow her to view these ancient paintings was already an impossible thing for someone of Shen Si’s temperament.
She absolutely shouldn’t take his things without permission.
She had someone take the jade pendant inside to Shen Si, thinking that perhaps Shen Si had accidentally rolled it up into the painting.
But not much later, the servant went in and came out, handing the jade back to her. The servant relayed Shen Si’s words: since she found it, it was given to her.
But Ji Hanyi always felt that it was because she had touched the jade pendant that Shen Si no longer wanted it.
Since those few days coincided with her thirteenth birthday, and she really loved the jade, she accepted it.
Later, after she returned, she specially wrote a letter of thanks to Shen Si. Unfortunately, he never replied. But Ji Hanyi was already used to it; if Shen Si had replied, she would have suspected it wasn’t him.
The last time they met that year was during the few days of the New Year.
The Old Grand Secretary had many pupils, and many people came to visit.
The snow was falling heavily that day, rustling down so intensely that umbrellas were needed.
She followed her mother to the back courtyard, joining other visiting female dependents to pay respects to the Old Grand Secretary’s wife.
When she came out from the bright hall, she saw Shen Si standing alone not far away in the back courtyard, looking in her direction. She didn’t know what he was looking at, but she had to follow her mother. Moreover, she was no longer a child and could no longer approach him as she did when she was younger.
But that day, Shen Si unexpectedly sent someone to tell her to wait for him under the large pine tree in the back courtyard.
Ji Hanyi thought the sun was rising from the west.
When she arrived, Shen Si was already there, although she didn’t know how long he had been waiting.
In truth, Ji Hanyi hadn’t looked at Shen Si this closely in a long time. Looking closely, she noticed he had grown much taller and even more handsome. No wonder women in The Capital City would always scramble to look wherever Shen Si passed by.
Wherever he stopped, others would invariably stop as well.
That day, Shen Si’s face remained as cold as ever. Ji Hanyi could never see through what he was thinking.
He was icy and aloof. As she grew from a youth to an older age, the older she got, the more she felt an innate awe of him.
She didn’t quite understand that awe herself. She felt Shen Si was like a deity from the ninth heaven, devoid of worldly desires, without joy or sorrow, like a ruthless Buddha scrutinizing and seeing right through everything, making everyone instinctively cautious in his presence.
When Shen Si’s gaze rested on her, Ji Hanyi felt nothing but panic.
She always felt she must have done something wrong.
That day, Shen Si pointed at the jade pendant on her waist—the connected jade ring he had given her, though it hardly counted as a gift.
Shen Si pointed at the jade pendant and told her that from now on, she was not allowed to wear it in front of others.
Ji Hanyi thought Shen Si was unhappy that the jade pendant had been given to her. Feeling extremely anxious at the time, she hurriedly untied the jade pendant to return it to him.
But when her hand extended mid-air, frozen red from the cold, Shen Si did not take it.
Only after a long while did he say that the jade pendant given to her was her birthday present.
In the future, if she ever had trouble, she could find him with the jade pendant, and he would help her.
That day, sixteen-year-old Shen Si, with his tall frame, took a step toward her, bent down to look at her, and whispered in her ear that she only had one chance.
Even if it was an immense request, even if it was a request that went against an agreement, he would grant it to her.
As long as she wanted it.
That day, Ji Hanyi was thoroughly shocked. She didn’t understand what Shen Si meant.
She couldn’t figure out what an “immense request” could possibly be.
And what request could she come up with that “went against an agreement”?
What agreement did she even have with anyone?
The only thing she had was a marriage contract.
The marriage arrangement her father had set for her since childhood.
Although she had never met the young master of the Xie family, she had always heard her father praise him. Ji Hanyi had never thought of backing out of the marriage contract with the Xie family.
At that time, Ji Hanyi couldn’t figure it out, and even the Ji Hanyi of today still couldn’t figure out why Shen Si had said those words to her that year.
Perhaps her past self did hold some special place in his heart. After all, the Old Grand Secretary had once told her with a smile that she was the only one who could stay in Shen Si’s study for a long time.
But the spring of the second year after that time, she accidentally fell into the water at the Shen Residence. Her mother told her that Shen Si had saved her, carried her into his room, and she only woke up in the middle of the night.
However, Ji Hanyi completely forgot everything after falling into the water, without even a single scattered memory of the incident.
She only knew that she never saw Shen Si again after that.
She was never allowed into his study again, either.
Counting the years now, unexpectedly, more than six years had passed.
Her train of thought abruptly ended here.
Who knows how much time later, Rong Chun carefully nudged her from the side and whispered nervously, “Young Madam, it seems Lord Shen has returned.”
The sound of carriages came from outside. Ji Hanyi told Rong Chun to stay in the carriage, hastily lifted the curtain, and stepped outside. Amidst the heavy, swirling snow, she saw the extremely cold and supremely noble man slowly stepping down from his carriage, surrounded by numerous servants.