She didn't look up, but she could vaguely feel the man's gaze pause on her before he gave a soft "Mm."
Hearing his retreating footsteps, Zhi Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet she couldn't resist turning her head to sneak a peek at her cousin.
He was the Princely Heir of the Duke Dingguo Mansion and the Great Chen Country's youngest Minister of the Ministry of Justice. A high official of the Third Rank in the Court, he was a man of outstanding ability. Just five years ago, he was still a Junior Minister, but this year he had been promoted to the head of the Ministry of Justice. Rumor had it he was deeply favored by the Emperor, the one man all the young ladies in the Capital were scrambling over each other to marry.
Yet this favorite of the heavens was already twenty-five this year with no intention of marrying. He didn't even have a single concubine.
Her aunt often fretted over his marriage, but Lu Zhan wasn't the least bit anxious.
There were even rumors in the Capital that Lu Zhan preferred men...
Just then, Lu Zhan's footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
Zhi Wan saw this, and her heart skipped a beat.
'Did my cousin realize I was sneaking glances at him?'
At this thought, she hurriedly turned back around and secretly patted her chest over her thumping heart.
Ever since she first came to the Duke Dingguo Mansion and met this cousin of hers, she had felt intimidated by him.
Especially after hearing that he was self-disciplined and proper—a man who placed extreme importance on rules—she was even more afraid of acting out of line in his presence. She was terrified of accidentally offending him.
She avoided him whenever she could.
Fortunately, this cousin of hers was usually busy with official duties, and she preferred to stay in Yaoguang Pavilion, so the two of them rarely crossed paths. In fact, they hadn't seen each other for half a year. She just hadn't expected to run into him at Lan Courtyard yesterday, and then here again today.
"Why are you only just getting back? Were you up all night working on a case again?"
Just then, Lady Wei's voice sounded from behind them.
'Auntie is here.'
Zhi Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Zhan withdrew his glance from the young woman behind him, his thin, cold lips pressing into a line. "Yes."
Lady Wei's brow furrowed as she chided him, "Don't just abuse your body because you're young. Can't you handle these things during the day? Even a body of iron can't withstand the way you push yourself. You haven't rested for two nights, have you?"
"This case is of great importance, and the Emperor is pressing for a result," Lu Zhan explained.
Lady Wei sighed. "Alright, go on back and get some rest. Remember to eat something before you sleep."
"Alright."
Once Lu Zhan was a good distance away, Zhi Wan curtsied to the approaching Lady Wei. "Aunt."
A smile appeared on Lady Wei's face. She took Zhi Wan's hand and patted it. "Let's go."
"Yes, Aunt," Zhi Wan replied obediently.
Seeing her sweet demeanor, Lady Wei was utterly charmed. "Girls are so much better. Not like your cousin, who spends all day at the Ministry of Justice and is rarely ever home."
"That's because my cousin is highly valued by the Emperor," Zhi Wan said.
At these words, Lady Wei looked quite proud.
'Although her son had very little time to spend with her, he had been clever since childhood and was so ambitious. Now, at only twenty-five, he was already the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. How many people envied her for having such a wonderful son.'
"Come, come, let's go to Treasure Pavilion and pick out some beautiful jewelry for you," Lady Wei said cheerfully.
Zhi Wan froze.
'Pick out jewelry?'
She had thought her aunt was taking her out today to look at potential suitors.
A little disappointed, Zhi Wan didn't feel much like going out anymore. "Aunt, you've already bought me more than enough jewelry. Please don't get me any more."
Lady Wei laughed. "What girl ever complains about having too many clothes and accessories? It's not too much at all. Don't wear the old ones. We'll go pick out something fashionable. In a couple of days, I'm planning to host a flower-viewing banquet at the mansion. I'll be inviting all the young masters and ladies of the Capital, so you must be dressed beautifully for everyone to see."
Upon hearing this, Zhi Wan's eyes flickered with interest.
'A flower-viewing banquet?'
These days, when ladies hosted flower-viewing banquets, it was usually to select husbands for the younger women in the family, or wives for the young men.
'Auntie's banquet this time probably isn't just to pick a husband for me.'
'Her cousin's marriage is still up in the air, after all.'
Zhi Wan didn't refuse again. "Thank you, Aunt."
Lady Wei first took Zhi Wan to Treasure Pavilion to pick out fashionable jewelry, then to the most famous embroidery house in the Capital to choose the latest style of dress.
After they had chosen Zhi Wan's dress, Lady Wei picked up a man's robe and showed it to her.
"Wan'er, what do you think of this robe for your cousin?"
It was a moon-white, wide-sleeved robe with bamboo leaves embroidered in gold thread on the lapels and cuffs. It looked very refined and elegant.
Zhi Wan recalled seeing her cousin that morning. He had been wearing a dark blue official's robe, which made him look dignified and solemn.
She couldn't quite picture what her cousin would look like in a moon-white robe, but since he was handsome, it probably wouldn't look bad. "It should be fine, I think," she said.
Lady Wei nodded. "I think so too." At this, she couldn't help but grumble a bit, "Your cousin wears his official uniform all the time and rarely ever puts on casual clothes. Whenever I try to have clothes made for him, he always finds an excuse. Never mind, we'll just get this one."
By the time their shopping spree was over, it was noon.
The two of them then went to the Hundred Flavors Building for lunch.
It was already afternoon by the time they returned to the Duke Dingguo Mansion.
After walking around for half the day, Zhi Wan's legs were sore. As soon as she got back to Yaoguang Pavilion, she kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the daybed, unwilling to get up.
Shuang'er put away the newly purchased clothes and jewelry. When she turned around, she saw that her lady had already fallen asleep.
Shuang'er shook her head with an amused smile, fetched a thin blanket to cover her, then closed the door and went out.
After Zhi Wan drifted into a deep sleep, she found herself in a study.
The study was vast, its four walls lined with enormous bookshelves filled with books.
Behind a large desk, a man was sitting, fast asleep.
She stood in place for a moment before approaching the desk. She leaned down, wanting to get a look at the man's face. Suddenly, the sleeping man stirred. Before she could get a clear look, a powerful arm had already wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her onto his lap.
"You're here." The man's tone was familiar, yet it held an undisguised weariness.
Zhi Wan blinked. "Are you very tired?"
"Mm," the man replied in a low voice.
Zhi Wan paused, then suddenly reached out, wanting to touch the man's face.
'I can't see his face clearly, but I can at least touch it, right?'
But as soon as her hand extended, the man caught it. His voice deepened slightly. "Insolent!"
Zhi Wan pouted, thinking this man was being utterly unreasonable.
'Last time, he even untied the sash of my dress. Though in the end, he didn't pull my clothes off, just held me tightly.'
'But that was still going too far.'
'And now I just want to touch his face, and he won't even let me do that.'
Growing a little angry, Zhi Wan struggled free from the man and stood up. "Then don't hold me."
The man seemed to raise an eyebrow. "Angry?"
"Yes!" Zhi Wan planted her hands on her hips, her voice petulant.
'She didn't know if he could see her face clearly, but this was her dream, so she could do whatever she wanted.'
Seeing her like this, the man gave a low chuckle. But it seemed he had no intention of indulging her, so he picked up a book from the side and started to read, ignoring her completely.
At this, Zhi Wan's cheeks puffed out in a pout.
'This is my dream. What right does he have to be so arrogant?'