The New Year had passed, and Shi Jun followed Xie Changxi back to the Yingchuan Marquis Manor, though this time she brought Lingxiang and Lanfang along as well.
Upon returning to the Eastern Courtyard, Xie Changxi placed it under her management. But before they had even returned, Lady Cui had already dispatched a stewardess to the Eastern Courtyard.
This left Shi Jun in an awkward position—neither fully in charge nor entirely out of it.
Shi Jun had considered dividing responsibilities, but Lady Cui's people refused to cooperate. They made all the decisions on their end, leaving little room for her input. Besides, this was the Marquis Manor after all, not as free and easy as Jiangling.
One evening, Shi Jun emerged from the kitchen carrying pastries she had made. She had barely taken two steps when she saw Hua Qiu looking at her with an air of superiority, her voice sharpening as she spoke.
Hua Qiu was pretty, with slender arched brows like willow leaves and a face like a silver platter—she had the look of good fortune about her.
"Yingyue, where did you come from? Can you really take good care of the young master?" Hua Qiu snorted. "The young master has never had the habit of eating late-night snacks since he was a child. I imagine you took it upon yourself to bring these bad habits in."
Shi Jun held the pastries in her hands, feeling that tonight she could neither deliver them nor not deliver them.
Hua Qiu continued to berate her, her cherry-like lips opening and closing.
Seeing Shi Jun standing there like a wooden post, Hua Qiu felt a surge of irritation and raised her voice again: "I don't know what the young master sees in you—you have none of the bearing of a household manager!"
With that, Hua Qiu strode forward and snatched the plate from Shi Jun's hands.
"Don't just stand there gaping. The Eastern Courtyard has no need of you. Go rest." Seeing that Shi Jun neither fought nor argued, Hua Qiu found it hard to press further, so she swayed her slender waist and carried the pastries back to the Eastern Courtyard.
If Hua Qiu was willing to handle these matters for her, Shi Jun was happy to be free of them. As long as Xie Changxi had no other instructions, she would rather Hua Qiu take over all the work. What was there to fight over? Why compete over who did more work for someone else?
After spending the New Year in Jiangling, they returned to the capital in early March. The winter snow in Bianjing had long since melted, though early spring still carried a hint of chill.
Shi Jun returned to her side room, her mind unsettled as she thought about the matter of being released from servitude. Strange as it was, ever since returning to the Marquis Manor, she rarely saw Xie Changxi, and Hua Qiu often blocked her way. Now, even the duties of personal attendance had been taken over by Hua Qiu.
The more this happened, the more anxious Shi Jun became.
At the very least, someone should give her a definitive answer.
The next day, with nothing to do, Shi Jun went to the greenhouse to tend to the orchids. Who should follow her but Hua Qiu, still wearing that overbearing expression.
"Yingyue, you certainly know how to shirk your duties. The young master hasn't touched a single bite of your pastries. I'd advise you to spend less effort on such things and not go doing anything shameful." Hua Qiu raised an eyebrow as she sized up Shi Jun.
Hua Qiu had previously served by Lady Cui's side and had never seen Shi Jun before. If Shi Jun had been someone from within the manor, Hua Qiu might have shown some restraint. But Shi Jun was someone the young master had brought back himself.
Hua Qiu's dark eyes shifted. She thought of how she had been sent by the mistress to manage affairs—that gave her more standing than Shi Jun's unorthodox arrival.
Shi Jun noticed the smile hanging at the corners of Hua Qiu's eyes and brows, but had no idea what she was thinking, so she turned back to tend the orchids.
After a long moment, Hua Qiu slowly approached. A hand appeared suddenly before Shi Jun's eyes, then swept backward—followed by a startled cry.
The flowerpot hit the ground with a crash, loose soil splattering onto Shi Jun's skirt.
Shi Jun's gaze froze. She felt both heartache for the orchid that had suffered and a sense that Hua Qiu was too cruel.
"Oh dear! Miss Yingyue, you really are careless."
The cry seemed to vibrate from the depths of Hua Qiu's lungs. The maidservants near the greenhouse came running at the sound, only to see Hua Qiu and Shi Jun standing inside.
Hua Qiu feigned concern, taking Shi Jun's hand and turning it over to examine it. "Miss Yingyue, are you hurt anywhere?"
Shi Jun looked at Hua Qiu impassively. She had underestimated the intrigues of the Marquis Manor. Hua Qiu's skill at changing her expression and framing others was likely second to none.
With only the two of them in the greenhouse, Hua Qiu had struck first. Even with ten mouths, Shi Jun would find it hard to explain herself.
"Look at you—don't you know the young master loves orchids the most? How could you be so careless?" Hua Qiu smiled provocatively, then turned to dismiss the maidservants and matrons outside the door.
Shi Jun bent down and picked up the orchid, saying coldly, "I don't know how I've offended you. Why do you target me at every turn?"
Hua Qiu curled her lips. "Haven't you heard that two tigers cannot share one mountain? Why would the Eastern Courtyard need two managers? Don't say I didn't warn you, Yingyue—I was sent by the mistress, so naturally I have her protection. What do you have?"
"Don't think that just because you have some looks, the young master will protect you. Give up that notion while you still can." With that, Hua Qiu snorted. "You broke the orchid, so no dinner for you tonight. Think long and hard about your behavior."
Shi Jun said nothing, only repotting the orchid in a new pot.
Because of Hua Qiu's words, Shi Jun was blocked from eating dinner by Hua Qiu's people. Helpless, Shi Jun simply turned and went back to her room.
The longer she stayed at the Marquis Manor, the more uneasy Shi Jun became. She took out the wages she had saved over nearly a year and counted them—fifteen taels in total. There were also the fabrics Xie Changxi had gifted her earlier; if she pawned those, they would bring in additional income.
"Sister, I've brought some snacks."
A soft voice sounded from outside the door.
Shi Jun rose and opened the door. Seeing it was Lingxiang, she drew her inside.
Lingxiang took out the pastries wrapped in oil paper and stared at Shi Jun with a worried expression.
Lingxiang said in a low voice, "Lanfang originally wanted to come see you too, but she's holding a grudge—she blames you for not contending with Hua Qiu."
Shi Jun smiled bitterly inwardly and said softly, "Contend over what? I won't be staying much longer anyway. Lingxiang, you've come at the right time—there's something I need to ask of you."
Lingxiang was puzzled and asked, "What is it, sister?"
Shi Jun took out some fine fabrics. "I want to pawn all of these. Last year, the master promised me that once we returned to Bianjing, he would grant me my freedom. I was thinking these things won't be of use to me in the future, so I'd rather exchange them for silver to feel more secure."
Lingxiang took them, reluctant to part with them, and stared blankly at Shi Jun.
"Sister, do you really have to leave? What's so good about the outside world?" Lingxiang didn't understand. "Well, since you've made up your mind, I'll do as you say."
For several days in a row, Shi Jun didn't see Xie Changxi at all. Could it be that he'd forgotten his promise to grant her freedom?
If she kept waiting like this, who knew how long it would take.
One night, taking advantage of Hua Qiu having returned to the main courtyard, Shi Jun used the pretext of serving tea to enter the study.
The candlelight in the study flickered. After returning to the capital, Xie Changxi had been appointed as Director of the Right Bureau in the Department of State Affairs, concurrently acting as Prefect of Kaifeng. Piles of case files lay on his desk, and he leaned against the edge of the desk reading them.
Shi Jun carefully presented the tea.
Xie Changxi's gaze followed the teacup as it gradually rose, landing on Shi Jun's plain and serene features. The irritation from the tedious case files suddenly receded.
He hadn't kept count of how many days they'd been apart, but seeing her now felt somewhat refreshing.
Lady Cui had sent Hua Qiu to manage the Eastern Garden—what was her intention?
Xie Changxi knew full well, just as he knew that Hua Qiu had been targeting Shi Jun at every turn.
At first, Xie Changxi hadn't wanted Hua Qiu to manage the Eastern Garden. For one, he was accustomed to Shi Jun attending to him; for another, Hua Qiu was calculating by nature—how could he feel at ease keeping someone like that close?
But he was somewhat curious about how Shi Jun would handle it, wondering what she would do.
He knew Shi Jun had a soft temperament, overly kind.
Perhaps under Hua Qiu's pressure, she would come to him seeking justice or to pour out her grievances.
But Shi Jun had done none of those things—she simply endured in silence. Since she was willing to bear it, he would let her bear it to the full.
"What is it?" Xie Changxi set down the case file, leaned back, and looked up at her.
Shi Jun wore a moon-white long jacket with embroidered vines and a plain silk skirt, standing quietly in the moonlight. When she was still, her brows and eyes always lowered, like the Guanyin in a temple.
"Master, I've come about a matter from before," Shi Jun said, her brows lightly furrowed, speaking tactfully in an especially soft voice. "Last year, you said you would make arrangements for me. Now that the Jiangling matter is concluded, I wished to ask when you intend to settle this."
Xie Changxi's gaze suddenly darkened, and a surge of irritation rose in his chest. Even his tone turned cold and heavy as he said, "You came all this way for this?"
Shi Jun nodded, her gaze resolute.
"How diligent of you to keep this matter on your mind day and night. Is there anything else?" With that, Xie Changxi no longer looked at Shi Jun. The features that had seemed so pleasing moments ago now struck him as vexing.
From her, he once again saw that unbreakable, unseverable pride.
Shi Jun pressed her lips together and said in a low voice, "Master is busy with official duties—it's only natural that a man of importance forgets small matters. This may be a trivial thing to you, but to me it is a major matter in life, and I cannot forget it."
"No matter how major a matter is, can it be more pressing than what's right before your eyes? Setting your sights too far ahead is nothing but borrowing trouble." Xie Changxi's tone was heavy.
Shi Jun didn't know what matter Xie Changxi was referring to, so she simply followed his words. "You're right, Master. Then what I wish for at this moment is for you to give me a definite date—when will you let me leave?"
Xie Changxi could afford to wait, but she didn't dare remain in the marquis's residence a single day longer, for fear of unknowingly offending someone again.
Xie Changxi's brows knitted even tighter. Shi Jun's words were growing more grating to his ears—round and round, always the same meaning.
Why was she so stubborn? Could she not see that he didn't want to hear these things?
That was what Xie Changxi thought, but Shi Jun knew nothing of it. She looked up at his expression and could discern nothing—it was as calm and mild as usual.
If there was any difference at all, perhaps his brow was lowered by a millimeter.
Xie Changxi said casually, "There's no hurry for this matter. Once I take a wife, I will naturally release you."
He hadn't taken in a single character of the case file before him. He thought again of how Shi Jun had never once mentioned Hua Qiu's behavior—she evidently didn't regard him as a master to rely on. Anger rose in him unbidden.
"Is there anything else?" Xie Changxi asked.
Shi Jun shook her head.
"Very well. It seems you don't regard me as your master, letting others bully you as they please." Xie Changxi tossed aside the case file and said coldly, "You need not enter the study again from now on."
Shi Jun's brow twitched. She truly couldn't tell what had provoked Xie Changxi's anger.
In all her years serving him, when had she ever seen his tone turn so icy, even that gentle face of his darkening?
The early spring evening breeze carried threads of chill that burrowed into her back. Shi Jun felt cold in body and spirit alike. Suppressing the unease in her heart, she turned and left the study.
Only when Shi Jun's figure had drifted into the distance did Xie Changxi come back to himself. He had always been skilled at composure, never revealing joy or anger on his face—yet just now, he had failed to restrain his temper.
He asked himself whether he had ever treated Shi Jun unfairly, so why was she so determined to seek her freedom and leave.
Judging by what happened in Jiangling, she was clearly a woman of gentle temperament—kind-hearted yet unable to read people. A woman like her, once out of the household, would only be skinned alive and devoured whole.
He had treated her so well, and yet she was dead set on being released from servitude.
At this thought, Xie Changxi lost all interest in the documents before him. He raised his hand to pick up the teacup, only to find the tea had gone cold.
He tilted his head back slightly and downed the cold tea in one gulp.