Mei Jiu felt a pang of panic. "An Jiu, An Jiu."
Still, there was no response.
She raised her hand to press against her chest, wincing at the sharp pain from her earlier injuries. Could it be that An Jiu had... vanished because of this?
The thought unsettled her deeply.
An Jiu was just a wandering soul, never truly belonging to her. In fact, Mei Jiu had once been terrified of her existence. At first, An Jiu's menacing words had nearly scared her out of her wits. But over time, she realized that despite the sharpness in every word, there was a raw honesty to them. Gradually, her fear faded. Yet, when had she begun to rely on An Jiu so much?
Now that An Jiu was gone, it felt as though her backbone had been ripped away.
Tears welled up uncontrollably. Having grown up secluded in a small courtyard with few people to interact with, Mei Jiu cherished every person in her life. The sudden disappearance of someone, as if they had never existed, felt like a pillar of her world had crumbled.
Her sobs aggravated her injuries, sending waves of numbness through her body until she eventually passed out from exhaustion.
An Jiu was speechless.
Severely weakened from the ordeal, she couldn’t even muster the energy to control Mei Jiu’s body. At this moment, she loathed Mei Jiu so much she couldn’t bear to acknowledge the fool.
Yet, Mei Jiu’s tears inexplicably doused An Jiu’s fury. She despised herself for it—how cheap were Mei Jiu’s tears? The girl could cry buckets over the slightest fright!
Once calmer, An Jiu pondered: Why was it that in the same body, her own soul suffered severe damage from the injuries, while Mei Jiu could cry so energetically, seemingly unaffected?
What was the reason?
Night deepened, and An Jiu drifted into sleep while mulling over the question.
She never expected to sleep for over forty days!
Due to her severe injuries, Mei Jiu missed the Clan School’s end-of-month exams. Mei Tingyuan, also excused for a wounded right hand, was too heartbroken over her siblings abandoning her during the crisis at the mass graves to pick fights, granting Mei Jiu rare peace.
Winter arrived, blanketing Plum Blossom Village in snow while crimson plum blossoms blazed across the landscape, ushering in the liveliest season of the year.
Nobles from the capital flocked to the village, reveling in snow-viewing and poetry beneath the blossoms, breathing sudden vitality into the once-dreary hamlet.
In the warmth of Jade Serenity Residence’s study, Mei Jiu bent over her desk, meticulously painting a noblewoman admiring plum blossoms.
As she set down her brush, Yao Ye remarked, "Young Miss paints even better than Sixth Master!"
The artwork depicted a woman in fur-lined robes gazing up at a profusion of blossoms. Unlike the delicate, willow-browed beauties typical of such paintings, this woman, though dressed in aristocratic finery, exuded a spirited vigor beneath her serene appreciation of the flowers.
Yao Ye asked, "Who is this lady in the painting?"
After a long pause, Mei Jiu replied, "Someone in my heart."
Yao Ye blinked in surprise before giggling behind her sleeve. "To think Young Miss’s heart dwells not on a gentleman!"
Mei Jiu smiled faintly, adding an inscription to the blank space: "Unaware, she recalls Chang’an."
An Jiu studied the figure in the painting and scoffed at the poetic line. "What a waste of time."Mei Jiu was just signing her name when the sound made her hand pause, causing a drop of ink to fall after the character "An," blooming into a dark flower. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
"Madam?" Yao Ye called out in concern, but then saw her smiling through her tears and relaxed slightly, puzzled. "What's wrong, Madam?"
"It's just... a sudden emotion," Mei Jiu replied, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
In her heart, Mei Jiu asked, "You're back?"
"What do you think," An Jiu retorted, impatient as always with Mei Jiu's meaningless opening questions.
Mei Jiu felt a joy akin to recovering something lost, completely unfazed by the sarcasm in her words.
The comforting feeling of security was real and tangible. Mei Jiu pressed a hand to her chest, her mood lifting.
Yao Ye found it all rather inexplicable, but since Mei Jiu had been gloomy for many days, any happiness was a good thing, no matter the reason.
"Madam," a maid announced from outside the door, "Third Madam has sent word that members of the Hua Clan are coming to admire the flowers and will be staying in Plum Blossom Village for a few days. She asks that you refrain from visiting the Great Plum Garden for now."
"Understood," Mei Jiu replied.
Yao Ye opened the door to find the messenger already gone. "Madam, aside from attending Clan School, you hardly ever step outside the inner courtyards. Why would they specifically send someone to warn you? There must be a reason."
Mei Jiu said, "Third Madam is the head wife. It’s not unusual for her to make routine announcements."
"This servant will go and inquire," Yao Ye suggested. "Third Madam is sharp with major matters but careless with minor ones. Besides, our household isn’t strict with the young masters and ladies. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t bother with such trivialities."
Mei Jiu thought it over and agreed. Since arriving at the Mei residence, aside from Clan School, she had never heard of any strict household rules. "Go then, but be careful not to give anyone cause for criticism."
"This servant understands," Yao Ye replied. She called two maids to wait outside and then left Jade Serenity Residence.
"Is the Hua Clan very famous?" An Jiu recalled the young man she had encountered in the mass graves who had confidently announced his surname as "Hua."
Mei Jiu answered, "Yes, everyone in the Great Song knows of the Hua Clan. Their family has a Chief Councillor and a Military Commissioner in court, and many of their descendants hold high-ranking positions. Their influence is immense."
"Even someone as ignorant as you knows about them—they must be really famous," An Jiu concluded.
Mei Jiu rarely went out and indeed had little worldly experience, but she couldn’t help muttering a small rebuttal, "You didn’t know either."
"Idiot, I’m not from your Great Song!" An Jiu shot back. Then she asked, "How many sons of particularly high status do they have?"
"How would I know that?" Mei Jiu’s face flushed slightly. "Why would I inquire about their young masters for no reason?"
An Jiu couldn’t fathom why such a question would warrant embarrassment!
After a while, Yao Ye returned, dismissed the maids outside, and mysteriously closed the door behind her.
"Madam, it’s good news," she said with evident delight. "I heard the Hua Clan intends to arrange a marriage with our family. This servant must inform Yan Niangzi immediately."
Both An Jiu and Mei Jiu felt a strange sensation. If they were to continue sharing one body, then...
Seeing Mei Jiu’s odd expression, Yao Ye assumed she was merely shy and paid it no mind. She continued, "They’re seeking a bride for the Hua Clan’s eldest son. His given name is Zihong, courtesy name Rongtian, and he’s twenty-six. He was previously married and has a son and a daughter. Though it’s a second marriage, becoming a Hua Clan bride is no ordinary match."An Jiu vaguely sensed there was more to the story. She had just encountered a Hua Clan disciple at the mass graves that day, and now their family was seeking to marry a Mei Shi woman—wasn't that too much of a coincidence?
Or was it that the Hua Clan youth had gone there specifically for the Mei Shi?
If that were the case, how had the Hua Clan known someone from Mei Shi's Shadow Academy would be training at the mass graves that night? Was there a traitor in Mei Shi?
Why was the Hua Clan investigating Mei Shi?
Countless questions flooded An Jiu's mind at once. She couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but one thing was certain—the Hua Clan's marriage proposal wasn't as simple as it seemed. (To be continued...)
PS: Sorry for the late update. I stayed up until 2-3 AM last night but was too unfocused and only wrote 200-300 words. Getting up to continue today was worse than just going to bed early yesterday. ┭┮﹏┭┮
OpenNovel