That evening, just as Shen Lingwei was about to go to bed with An’an, Chen Shitou came running over again, drenched in sweat.
“Madam Shen, the second young master refuses to eat again tonight. Anyone who gets close makes him scream. Your method with the stone mill worked during the day—please come and take a look again!”
Shen Lingwei frowned. “Wasn’t dinner already delivered?”
“It was, it was,” Chen Shitou said anxiously, “but the second young master only glanced at it and turned his head away. He didn’t touch a single bite. The doctor said his body is weak and he can’t go hungry for long. We wanted to ask if you might have another solution.”
Just as Shen Lingwei was about to get up, An’an grabbed her sleeve. “Mother, I’m afraid of the dark. I want to go with you.”
Afraid she might offend someone of status, Shen Lingwei comforted her. “Be good, An’an. I’ll go out for a moment and be back soon.”
But An’an refused to let go, her small eyes full of stubbornness.
Chen Shitou rubbed his hands nervously. “How about… bring her along? I’ll help you keep an eye on her.”
After a brief pause, Shen Lingwei nodded and bent down to pick An’an up.
“Then you must promise Mother—when we get there, you’ll wait by the door and not run around.”
An’an nodded vigorously.
Halfway there, Chen Shitou suddenly slapped his thigh. “Oh no! I forgot—Nanny Zhang told me to fetch something from the storeroom for the second young master tomorrow. If I’m late, the storeroom will be locked…”
“Madam Shen, what should we do…”
“It’s alright,” Shen Lingwei said. “You go take care of it first. I know the way—I’ll go by myself.”
Chen Shitou nodded repeatedly, gave a few more instructions, then hurried off.
Shen Lingwei carried An’an and continued forward.
When they reached a fork in the path, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes, followed by a few meows.
Shen Lingwei paused, her expression changing slightly.
How could a stray cat appear near Jinghe Courtyard?
She set An’an down on a clean stone and said softly, “Be good, An’an. There seems to be a stray cat nearby. The second young master is easily startled. Mother will go chase it away and come right back.”
“Mother…” An’an said timidly.
“Be good. There are insects and mice in the woods, and it’s not convenient to take you there. Sit here under the lantern, don’t move, and don’t make a sound, alright?”
“Just a moment. I’ll be quick.”
Though frightened, An’an nodded obediently. “Mother, come back quickly.”
Shen Lingwei glanced at her once more, making sure her daughter was standing in the bright light, then picked up a branch and hurried into the bamboo grove.
Yet in that brief moment, when she returned and turned past a pillar—
The sight before her made her heart seize!
Under the lantern light, An’an’s small body stood stiffly, trembling.
In front of her stood two figures. The one in front was tall, dressed in a dark brocade robe, wearing a jade crown. Even the night could not conceal the sharp, commanding aura around him.
A name immediately surfaced in Shen Lingwei’s mind.
The Marquis of Dingyuan—Pei Jinzhi.
Her mind buzzed, alarm bells ringing loudly.
“An’an!”
Without thinking, Shen Lingwei rushed forward, pulled An’an into her arms, and dropped to her knees.
“Greetings, Marquis. My daughter is young and ignorant. If she has offended you, please forgive her!”
Held tightly in her arms, An’an froze, not daring to move.
Silence fell all around, as if the air itself had solidified.
The warm orange glow of the lantern shone down, illuminating Shen Lingwei’s kneeling figure.
Her head was lowered, revealing only the top of her hair and a stretch of her neck, pale and luminous under the light.
Having run in haste, her chest rose and fell slightly, her collar loosened just enough for a faint glimpse of soft curves beneath, the light outlining a fullness that seemed ready to spill free.
From her lowered gaze, Shen Lingwei could only see a pair of black boots and the cloud-pattern embroidery on the hem of his robe.
After a long while, a low voice came from above—like the night wind passing through ancient pines, cold and heavy.
“Raise your head.”
Shen Lingwei stiffened slightly, then slowly lifted her face.
Under the moonlight, Pei Jinzhi’s face—so perfect it seemed unreal—came into view inch by inch.
His bone structure and features were impeccable. Deep-set eyes held a darkness like an endless night, his nose was high and straight, his lips thin and tightly pressed, and his sharp facial contours looked as though carved by blade and axe.
Simply standing there, he carried an aura as steady as a mountain, commanding without anger.
Though his features were strikingly handsome, the coldness about him was enough to make one afraid to meet his gaze.
Like a blade sheathed in its scabbard—still hidden, yet already brimming with sharpness.
Shen Lingwei only dared a fleeting glance before lowering her eyes again, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
At the same time, Pei Jinzhi was observing her.
Under the lantern light, the beauty knelt with slightly disheveled hair, a slender, snow-white neck, and clear eyes filled with both fear and forced composure.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed from running, her collar slightly open, revealing just enough to hint at her alluring curves—soft yet eye-catching.
Pei Jinzhi’s gaze lingered there for two seconds before he forced himself to look away.
But the next moment, when he clearly saw her face, he froze.
Those usually calm and unfathomable eyes contracted for the first time.
That face…
The shape of her brows, her eyes, even the gentle curve of her jawline—it was astonishingly similar to the figure he had buried in his heart for five years.
So similar that, for a moment, his breathing stopped.
The composure he had cultivated over years in court seemed to crack open at the sight of her.
There was pain, shock, hesitation—and even a fleeting distraction he himself did not notice.
Pei Jinzhi’s throat moved slightly. The wind, the lantern light, the night—all seemed to fade away in that instant.
“…Yu Niang? Is it you?”
His voice was hoarse, laced with unease and lingering fear.
Behind him, Chen Fan was equally stunned upon seeing Shen Lingwei, as if struck motionless.
Alike!
Too alike!
That face, those brows and eyes—it was as if they had been carved from the same mold.
As his gaze moved downward, Chen Fan’s eyelids twitched.
Though she knelt in a humble posture, the shape beneath her plain cotton clothes could not be concealed.
Further down, the faintly visible curves were especially striking under the moonlight.
And her figure—full in certain places, yet with a slender waist cinched by her sash, making it seem even more delicate.
Chen Fan’s throat went dry, and he quickly averted his gaze.
Not alike.
This figure was completely different from Madam’s.
Madam had been gentle and slender, the delicate thinness of a refined lady. How could she be like this… like this…
As Chen Fan thought, he couldn’t help but glance again, then suddenly snapped back to his senses.
“Ahem,” he coughed softly.
Pei Jinzhi stiffened, his awareness instantly returning.
He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the crack in his gaze had vanished, returning to a deep, unfathomable calm.
His eyes settled once more on Shen Lingwei’s face.
That face was still very similar—but the expression was wrong.
When Yu Niang looked at him, her eyes were full of tenderness, attachment, and complete trust.
But this woman… her head was lowered, her lashes trembling, her body tense like a rabbit ready to flee at any moment.
And when she looked at him, it was not the gaze of someone seeing an old acquaintance.
It was the gaze of someone looking at a beast.
Pei Jinzhi was silent for a moment, his voice returning to its usual cold tone.
“Who are you? Why are you here at this hour?”