Lin Yueming and Jiang Sheng had been delayed in the study and were now running late.
Nanny Cui, being experienced, didn’t utter a single complaint. Instead, she led the newlyweds through a garden path to take a shortcut to see Lady Jiang.
The flower-lined path was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Jiang Sheng walked ahead, with Lin Yueming trailing two steps behind.
Bai Zhi, a well-traveled maid, pretended not to notice that her mistress had changed her outfit after merely visiting the study. Instead, she urged her on:
“Mistress, Mistress!”
What a perfect opportunity, with all the servants watching!
Hurry up, Mistress! If you don’t show affection now, when will you?
If not for fear of her clumsy hands causing her mistress to stumble, Bai Zhi would have pushed her forward herself.
Lin Yueming had been somewhat angry earlier over Jiang Sheng deliberately dirtying her skirt.
Now, with the cool breeze blowing through the garden path, the lingering intimacy between the man and woman in the dimly lit room vanished completely.
She sobered up instantly.
Her life and livelihood were in his hands—what right did she have to be angry with the Marquis of Wu’an?
It was just a skirt. There would be many more days ahead in the Marquis’s Mansion—what did it matter?
Lin Yueming quickened her pace to catch up, intending to take Jiang Sheng’s hand and make amends.
Jiang Sheng seemed to sense her movement and turned to look at her, extending his hand.
Just as they were about to clasp hands, someone called out:
“Brother Yunqi!”
Two young women stood waiting for them at the end of the path.
Lin Yueming recognized both.
One was Jiang Sheng’s younger sister, Third Lady of the Jiang Family.
The other was the Empress’s younger sister, Qin Family Fifth Daughter.
Miss Qin called out again:
“Brother Yunqi!”
Though she addressed Jiang Sheng, her eyes were fixed on Lin Yueming.
In her youth, Lin Yueming had been inexperienced and unable to immediately decipher the meaning in others’ gazes.
Now, with just one glance and a brief exchange of looks, she could clearly see the hostility in Miss Qin’s eyes.
Back then, the Lu Family cousin had called Lu Chen by his courtesy name in front of her, just as affectionately:
“Brother Xingyi.”
After calling him, she would cast a complicated glance at Lin Yueming.
The way the two women looked at her was identical.
Lin Yueming withdrew her hand.
Jiang Sheng, quick-eyed and swift-handed, caught her retreating hand, pulled it closer, and examined it, asking:
“Is your hand sore? I’ll massage it for you later.”
Lin Yueming let him hold her hand and turned her gaze back to Miss Qin.
Jiang Sheng also looked over:
“Why aren’t you two with Mother? Is she urging us?”
Miss Qin’s eyes fell on their joined hands. She had intended to elegantly roll her eyes but failed, her eyes twitching instead.
Third Lady of the Jiang Family looked at Miss Qin with concern:
“Fifth Sister, what’s wrong? Are your eyes uncomfortable?”
Miss Qin snorted and glanced sideways again.
Third Lady of the Jiang Family grew even more concerned:
“Fifth Sister, why is your neck tilted? Did you sleep on too high a pillow last night and get a stiff neck?”
Jiang Sheng also expressed concern:
“If you’re unwell, you should see a doctor quickly. Why are you running around like this?”
These two wooden siblings!
Miss Qin snorted, turned, and walked away. Third Lady of the Jiang Family chased after her and grabbed her hand:
“Fifth Sister, didn’t you come to see my sister-in-law? Why are you leaving now?”
The two young women walked hand in hand, clinging to each other, openly gossiping.
Miss Qin said with exasperation:
“Now that your brother is married, he only has eyes for his wife and ignores us. In the future, he’ll only dote on his wife and not you. Let’s see if you can still laugh then.”
Third Lady of the Jiang Family giggled:
"My brother is married now, so there's one more person to care for me. You really don't know how to count your blessings."
…
The two young girls chattered away as they walked ahead, quickly moving to the front.
It wasn't appropriate to listen too closely to girls' private conversations, so Jiang Sheng held Lin Yueming's hand and walked slowly behind, gradually creating distance as he explained:
"Our family has deep connections with the Qin Family. Qinguo Gong showed me great kindness by recognizing my talents, and Lady of Duke Qin gets along well with my mother. When I'm away on military campaigns, it's the Qin Family who helps look after my mother and younger siblings. The bond between our two families is different from ordinary relationships. You should understand this for future interactions between our families."
Following his lead, Lin Yueming smiled and asked:
"I heard Miss Qin hasn't settled her marriage yet? Since the Qin and Jiang families are so close, hasn't Qinguo Gong considered arranging a marriage alliance between the two families?"
In the past, she had been too reserved. When it came to her cousin's affairs, since Lu Chen never spoke plainly, Lin Yueming pretended not to know.
But now with this Miss Qin, Lin Yueming had to ask.
She now depended on Jiang Sheng for her livelihood. If it were merely a matter of personal feelings—something Jiang Sheng wanted—as long as it didn't affect his status and position, she wouldn't interfere.
But the Qin Family wasn't just about personal feelings.
If the Marquis of Wu'an wanted to maintain the Emperor's favor and remain secure in his position as Imperial Guard Commander, any relationship with Miss Qin was absolutely impossible.
The Emperor rose to power from his Northern Frontier territory, and now guarding that frontier for him were Qinguo Gong and his two sons—the Empress's father and brothers.
The Qin Family already had an Empress, a Crown Prince, and a Qinguo Gong commanding heavy troops. The Emperor would never give the Qin Family an Imperial Guard Commander as well.
The Imperial Guard Commander controlled the capital's crucial military forces and was responsible for the Emperor's safety. Such power could never be placed in the Empress's hands.
Hearing her question about the Qin Family, Jiang Sheng patiently explained:
"First, Jiang Yuan is two years younger than Miss Qin, so it's not suitable. Second, a marriage alliance between the Jiang and Qin families wouldn't be appropriate either."
Who was asking about Jiang Yuan? She was clearly asking about him.
With the way Miss Qin looked at him, she couldn't tell whether he genuinely didn't understand or was pretending not to know.
If he was pretending not to know, then something that had puzzled Lin Yueming before suddenly made sense.
What had confused Lin Yueming was why the Jiang Family had rushed their marriage so urgently.
The Emperor bestowed the marriage in the twelfth lunar month, and when the Jiang Family first proposed to the Lin Family, they even wanted to complete the wedding that same month.
Among respectable families in the capital, to show the man's respect for the woman, there was typically at least a year between proposal and wedding.
Wanting to marry in less than a month completely disrespected the woman's family, almost inviting enmity.
Yet it was an imperial marriage decree, with the Empress personally delivering the proposal, and the Marquis of Wu'an offering generous betrothal gifts. It didn't seem like the Marquis wanted to create enmity.
Out of respect for the imperial family, Minister Lin negotiated persistently and managed to postpone the wedding date to the second day of the second lunar month, past the New Year—technically into a new year, preserving both families' dignity through this self-deception.
Because the wedding had been rushed so urgently, Lin Yueming had always suspected the Marquis of Wu'an resented this marriage. Now she wondered: could it have been because of Miss Qin?
Miss Qin's marriage prospects should have been the most favorable. She was the Empress's younger sister, nearly twenty years younger than the Empress, and had grown up in the fiefdom alongside the Emperor and Empress, earning their great affection.
It was said even her horseback riding had been taught by the Emperor himself. She might as well be considered half the Emperor's daughter.
Moreover, marrying Miss Qin offered the greatest advantage of enjoying the privileges of a consort without the constraints of the title.
Thus, all the talented young men across the capital were at Miss Qin's disposal.
Yet, after a year in the capital, she had not chosen a single one. Miss Qin was already eighteen, and her marriage remained unsettled.
It could only be that the person she wished to choose was beyond her reach.
Could it be the very person now holding her hand?
Knowing the impossibility between them, did he pretend ignorance, hastily marry, and thus sever her hopes, lest he delay her marriage?
Viewed this way, the Marquis of Wu'an seemed a considerate gentleman who thought of others.
Lin Yueming tightened her grip on Jiang Sheng's hand, looked up at him, and felt joy at having understood him a little better, believing her future days in the Marquis's Mansion would be brighter.
If he was a man of deep sentiment, as long as she treated him well, he would surely care for her in the future.
A person's emotions, if one pays attention, are always first noticed by those closest to them.
Though unsure why Lin Yueming suddenly smiled at him, Jiang Sheng looked back and unconsciously smiled as well.
The newlywed couple, hand in hand, walked through the gates of Fu'an Hall, smiling at each other.