'I was so, so careful, but I still got discovered in the end.'
Chen Yi immediately threw his hands up, terrified the cold, gleaming sword edge would slice him.
"Don't attack."
Hearing his voice, Xiao Wan'er looked over. Seeming to recognize Chen Yi, she walked a few steps closer and said:
"Huatang, put away your sword. This is Jinghong's husband."
"Yes, Young Miss."
The woman named Huatang sheathed her long sword but remained standing behind Chen Yi, as if waiting for him to make a move so she could run him through.
Chen Yi relaxed and looked straight at Xiao Wan'er, his eyes lighting up.
Before, the garden had been filled with shifting shadows, and he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of her. But now that he saw Xiao Wan'er's face clearly, a tremor ran through his heart.
'In my previous life, I'd seen my fair share of the world,' he thought. 'But compared to Xiao Wan'er, all those other women were just common beauties.'
'How could I even begin to describe her beauty?'
Her oval face, with its jade-white skin, seemed to be veiled in starlight. Even in the dim light of the garden, her beauty was strikingly clear.
As he thought, a line of poetry surfaced in his mind—'Jade Steps and Jade Trees, a beauty like yours is rarely seen in this world.'
Seeing him standing there silently, Xiao Wan'er assumed he was frightened and asked in a gentle voice, "I didn't startle you, did I?"
Chen Yi averted his gaze and shook his head. "No."
Although Xiao Wan'er was curious why he was in Jiaxing Garden, a glance around told her this wasn't the place to talk. She hesitated, then said, "Well, why don't you come inside for a cup of tea first."
"Alright."
Chen Yi didn't refuse. Things had already come to this, so he might as well be direct.
A few moments later.
Chen Yi was escorted into the reception room of the wooden building.
He sat in a Grandmaster's Chair, feigning calmness as he observed his surroundings, but his mind was racing.
Over the past few days, the person he'd heard about most from Xiaodie was "Xiao Wan'er." He knew she was the chief steward of the Marquis's Mansion.
She not only managed the daily expenses for every branch and courtyard of the family but also oversaw the Xiao Family's external businesses, farmlands, and more. Aside from the old master, Xiao Yuan, she was arguably the most powerful person in the household.
In some respects, not even Xiao Jinghong, the general who had taken over the Duke Dingyuan's military position, held as much sway as Xiao Wan'er.
'Getting caught by her after sneaking out... I wonder what the consequences will be.'
'I can't have just been released from my chambers only to be sent right back, can I?'
Just as Chen Yi was taking everything in, Xiao Wan'er approached, escorted by the female guard with the long sword at her waist.
Xiao Wuge still trailed behind her, his head hanging low.
"Brother-in-law, please forgive us. Huatang is my personal guard. She only acted that way because she didn't know who you were. I hope you won't hold it against her."
Hearing this, Chen Yi secretly raised an eyebrow. 'Her tone makes it sound like she isn't going to punish me for sneaking out of Spring Lotus Garden.'
"Of course not. I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry for the disturbance so late at night."
The formal, literary tone felt a bit unnatural to him, but he pressed on with his excuse anyway.
"Well, tonight... the night was long and I couldn't sleep. I heard someone shouting 'runaway groom' over and over, so I came to see..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Wan'er's lovely brows furrowed slightly. "Brother-in-law, do you know who was saying that?"
Xiao Wuge also lifted his head to look at him, his eyes filled with a hint of grievance.
"It was that Crown Prince, of course." Chen Yi glanced at the boy and said with a smile, "The Young Master is a well-behaved and sensible boy. He only fought with him because he couldn't stand it anymore."
"I see," Xiao Wan'er's brow relaxed, and a gentle smile graced her jade-white face. "It seems I wrongly blamed Wuge."
"It was his fault to begin with..." Xiao Wuge shot Chen Yi a grateful look, not forgetting to mutter under his breath.
Xiao Wan'er gave him a reproachful look. "What are you waiting for? Thank your brother-in-law."
"Wuge thanks you, brother-in-law." Xiao Wuge paused, then stepped forward and bowed. "As for you trying to run away from the wedding before... as far as Wuge is concerned, it's all forgotten."
The smile that had just appeared on Chen Yi's face instantly vanished. "Haha... forgotten is good. To err is human, after all, isn't it?"
'This brat... always knows just how to touch a sore spot.'
Xiao Wuge gave a shy smile and looked at Xiao Wan'er, not noticing that she was watching Chen Yi with an appreciative gaze.
'My brother-in-law really is a learned man.'
Thinking of this, Xiao Wan'er smiled and said, "Wuge, from now on, you should spend more time with your brother-in-law."
"Your brother-in-law is a renowned scholar in Jiangnan Prefecture. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask him for guidance."
"Yes, Big Sis, Wuge will remember."
But Chen Yi looked at Xiao Wan'er, completely baffled. 'How did the conversation suddenly change direction?'
'What learning do I have? I haven't even fully mastered what my predecessor knew.'
'It's fine if he doesn't ask me anything. But the moment he does, my cover will be completely blown.'
Even by the time the maid named Shen Huatang escorted him back to Spring Lotus Garden, Chen Yi still couldn't figure out Xiao Wan'er's intentions.
'She can't seriously think Wuge can learn anything from me, can she?'
'Get real. The only thing he could learn from me is probably how to fish.'
Before Chen Yi could figure out Xiao Wan'er's motives, Shen Huatang spoke. "Sir, the Young Miss is kind-hearted and doesn't hold grudges, but I feel it's necessary to remind you of something."
"Hm?" Chen Yi came back to his senses and looked at her.
With the "pearl and jade" of Xiao Wan'er before him earlier, he hadn't paid much attention to this sword-wearing maid. Only now did he realize how extraordinary she was.
With Chen Yi's shallow Qi Mechanism cultivation, he couldn't discern Shen Huatang's level, but he could sense a faint, sharp aura emanating from her, like that of a sheathed long sword.
"Guard Shen, please speak freely."
"I hope that you will behave yourself within the Marquis's Mansion. Incidents like tonight's must not happen again, lest you bring harm to yourself and others."
After speaking, Shen Huatang gave a slight bow, then headed straight back to Jiaxing Garden, closing the door at the end of the corridor behind her.
CLICK. The lock turned.
Chen Yi frowned to himself. 'Is she telling me not to implicate Xiao Wan'er, or is it something else...?'
"Sir, you... what are you doing here?"
Just then, Xiaodie came running over, a short coat thrown over her shoulders and a panicked look on her face. Her small, delicate frame looked as if it could be swept away by a gust of wind.
"You weren't planning to run away again, were you? Even if you run, you can't go to Jiaxing Garden! If you accidentally offended the Young Master and the Young Miss, you... you..."
Chen Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Relax. I just... heard people arguing in the middle of the night and came to take a look."
'Tell a lie two or three times, and it starts to feel true even if it isn't.'
Xiaodie gave him a suspicious look. Only after confirming that he seemed serious did she pat her own rather ample chest in relief.
"Sir, you can't sleep?"
Chen Yi shook his head and walked ahead, saying:
"Xiaodie, from now on, stop with all the formal 'yous'. It makes me uncomfortable. Just act like you did before when you're with me."
"But Sir, things are different now," Xiaodie said, stunned.
"How are they different? You're still you, and I'm still me. Just listen to me. If I hear you use that formal 'you' again, you'll face the family discipline!" Chen Yi threatened playfully.
"...Oh."
Xiaodie tilted her head and followed behind him, racking her brain for a moment. She nearly short-circuited her little brain but still couldn't figure out what had gotten into her master.
After Xiaodie had gone to sleep in the adjacent room, Chen Yi found he couldn't sleep.
One moment he was thinking about the night's events, the next he was mulling over the Fist Technique manual in his mind, planning his future cultivation.
But mostly, he kept replaying his encounter in Jiaxing Garden: the Young Master, the Crown Prince, Xiao Wan'er, and that Shen Huatang.
Apparently, the Marquis's Mansion was far more complex than he had initially imagined.
After tossing and turning for over an hour, Chen Yi was still wide awake. He finally threw a blanket over his shoulders, went to the study, lit an oil lamp, and began to pour water to grind ink.
Lately, as his calligraphy improved, he'd discovered that writing could calm his mind, which was a blessing.
Chen Yi composed himself, lifted his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write on the Yunsong Paper.
At first, it was just meaningless phrases.
Like following "Fallen petals are not unfeeling things" with "A light boat has passed ten thousand mountains."
Or writing "The east wind blew again in my small chamber last night," followed by "Only at that time, I was already lost in a daze."
Unconsciously, the image of Xiao Wan'er appeared in his mind. His wolf hair brush paused, then began to move with fluid grace as he wrote:
Snow's soul is cut from clouds to form her temples,
Icy silk is rinsed in moonlight to make her eyes.
At Kuimen, the starry river swells at night,
Spilling the jade-white light over a thousand peaks.
Sword Qi first condenses in the dark green of her brows,
A crane's shadow secretly crosses the skies of Shu at dawn.
Jade Steps and Jade Trees, a beauty like yours is rarely seen in this world...
Chen Yi was so engrossed in his writing that he didn't even notice the minuscule amount of Qi Mechanism in his body being drawn into the characters. Wisps of a profound essence began to rise gracefully from the words.
[Characters naturally formed. Calligraphy: Wei Qing's Style, has broken through to Mastery Level. You have gained a glimpse into the meaning of the Calligraphy Dao.]
[Calligraphy Dao: Minor Success, progress +60, reaching...]