Moonlit Reunion

Mei Zhuyu looked at Wu Zhen and said, "They invited me here with good intentions, but I've ended up making everyone unhappy."

Wu Zhen chuckled, crossing her arms as she asked with interest, "You don't seem like someone who enjoys such occasions. Why did you agree to come? Was it Mei Si who dragged you here?" It must have been—after all, they were cousins, and it would have been awkward to refuse.

To her surprise, Mei Zhuyu turned his head away and replied, "I wanted to see what kind of place you like. And since we... will be husband and wife in the future, if it's something you enjoy, I’ll learn to get used to it."

"And drinking. I heard you like wine, but I’ve never had any before. I’ll get used to that too."

Wu Zhen’s smile faded. She couldn’t bring herself to laugh anymore, even unconsciously furrowing her brow. When she had agreed to this marriage, she hadn’t given it much thought—which, in her case, meant she hadn’t cared much either way. If the marriage worked out, fine; if not, they could part ways. It wasn’t a big deal. She hadn’t spared much consideration for how they would get along in the future, nor had she been particularly concerned. Many had said their marriage wouldn’t last, that they were ill-suited. Wu Zhen never responded to such remarks, but deep down, she might have shared the same doubts.

She wasn’t familiar with Mei Zhuyu—they had only met a handful of times. Her understanding of him was superficial at best, aside from knowing he might have harbored some affection for her early on. Their interactions had been comfortable, but beyond that, she knew little.

She had assumed Mei Zhuyu was the stubborn, self-assured type—somewhat like Censor Liu, with an inherent air of aloofness. Men like that rarely changed their ways or opinions for others. And based on her first impression of him, she had also assumed he wouldn’t enjoy the things she loved—fine wine, beautiful companions, music, and banquets. Yet here he was, earnestly telling her he would learn to adapt, to accept.

If someone was willing to try embracing things they disliked for another person’s sake, it meant they were serious—no matter how you looked at it. Wu Zhen had always been helpless in the face of sincerity, especially when it was directed at her. Suddenly, it struck her that perhaps this young man liked her even more than she had imagined.

This earnest devotion made her slightly uneasy, as if she hadn’t treated his feelings with the respect they deserved. She was older than him, and after their engagement was settled, she had thought of him as just another younger brother to look after. But now, she realized—he wasn’t someone she could simply treat as a little brother. This young man wanted to stay by her side for a long time, possibly even a lifetime.

Wu Zhen didn’t dare dwell on that thought. It was too abstract, too unsettling.

Her silence seemed to have been misinterpreted by Mei Zhuyu. His gaze dimmed, and he fell quiet. Sensing this, Wu Zhen cleared her throat and said, "The wine you just drank is called Amber Light—it’s strong and easy to get drunk on. Next time, I’ll bring you some sweet rice wine and the milder Frozen Spring Wine. But you should still drink, because..."

She looked at him openly, smiling. "At our wedding banquet in two months, you’ll have to drink quite a bit. Might as well start getting used to it now."

Mei Zhuyu was taken aback, but his eyes slowly brightened again.Wu Zhen inwardly sighed in relief and continued lazily flicking the horsewhip as she said, "Actually, you don't have to play with Mei Si and the others. They're all my younger brothers, but you're not—aren't you my husband? From now on, just accompany me when I go out to have fun. I know plenty of interesting places. If you'd like to go, I'll take you there alone later."

"There's no reason for a married couple to go out with a whole troupe of troublemakers tagging along, don't you think?"

Wu Zhen wasn't sure how these comforting words had slipped out, but after saying them, she didn't regret it at all—in fact, she felt rather expectant. Perhaps it was because the young man's earlier sadness had been too obvious. She was somewhat afraid that this usually composed and resolute man had become so unsettled just because of a few words from her.

After speaking, she waited for Mei Zhuyu to say "yes," but after a long pause, all she got was a slightly bewildered "huh?"—uttered in a questioning tone.

Mei Zhuyu then asked her softly, "Did you agree to this marriage?"

Wu Zhen: "If I hadn't agreed, how could our marriage have been arranged?"

Wu Zhen: "Husband of the Mei family, you should know that there probably isn't anyone in this world who can force me to do anything. Our marriage happened because I consented. I thought the wild geese I sent you back then made my stance clear."

Mei Zhuyu took a deep breath, as if trying hard to restrain himself, but Wu Zhen, who had been watching him closely, still caught the smile that broke out on his face.

Wu Zhen hadn't expected that this ordinarily handsome young man could look so—so captivating when he smiled. The genuine joy radiating from him melted away the usual reserved coldness on his face, as if this grown man had suddenly burst into bloom.

Unfortunately, the smile was fleeting. The moment the young man realized she was staring at him, he immediately schooled his expression back into one of mature composure.

By now, the two had arrived in front of Mei Zhuyu's residence. Seeing that the young man had calmed down, Wu Zhen suddenly said, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Mei Zhuyu: "What is it?"

Wu Zhen grinned, leaned close to his chest, and whispered, "Young husband, your name is very beautiful. I like it a lot."

...

The old servant attending to Mei Zhuyu's residence noticed that his master was copying that tedious scripture again—this time even lighting incense to help focus his mind.

"Master, it's so late. Aren't you going to rest?"

Mei Zhuyu acknowledged with a sound, set down his brush, and stared blankly at the character "Zhen" he had absentmindedly written next to the Scripture of Clarity and Tranquility . He thought he finally understood why his fellow disciples at the temple always warned against getting too close to women—because when you're near them, your heart can't stay calm. And if that's the case, how can you cultivate the Dao?

Even now, remembering how that person had leaned in today, her voice laced with laughter as she gazed straight at him, his heart still raced uncontrollably. It was as if he had completely forgotten the Scripture of Clarity and Tranquility he had recited since childhood. No matter how many times he repeated the words "clarity and tranquility" in his mind, he couldn't achieve any semblance of peace. He couldn't even recall the first line of the scripture—all he could see was the delighted light in her eyes.

When she smiled like that, she was truly beautiful—so captivating that one couldn't look away, just like the first time he had seen her.

...

Zhao Songyan, Zhao Langjun, returned home with a deeply troubled expression. His parents, seeing his sullen mood, anxiously asked what was wrong. Zhao Songyan brushed them off with a few vague words, ate little at dinner, and went straight to his room to lie down.Today, they invited that Mei Jia Dalang to the music house, and he couldn't hold back his temper, saying a few unpleasant things that made the situation awkward. It was one thing for the others to blame him, but later, when Sister Zhen returned, she pulled him aside alone and told him to go apologize to Mei Jia Dalang tomorrow.

Zhao Songyan deeply respected Sister Zhen, but the idea of apologizing filled him with reluctance. He already disliked Mei Jia Dalang, and now that Sister Zhen was protecting him like this, he disliked him even more. The Sister Zhen who had always been by their side might truly be taken away by a man now—this feeling was unbearable.

Unlike Mei Si and Cui Jiu, who had grown up following Wu Zhen since childhood, Zhao Songyan had lived with his parents in Xunzhou during his early years and only returned to Chang'an at thirteen, where he met Wu Zhen. Frail and sickly since childhood, he had a particularly bad temper. When he first arrived in Chang'an, he suffered quite a bit, bullied many times.

Later, he met Wu Zhen. Though she was a woman, she wasn’t like most of the timid and obedient women he had seen before. Wu Zhen did whatever she wanted, never caring about others’ opinions. Zhao Songyan envied that freedom and ease.

After that, Wu Zhen took him under her wing, teaching him horseback riding, hunting, and ball games, leading their group of boys up mountains and down rivers. Somehow, his illnesses gradually faded away.

Zhao Songyan had long regarded Wu Zhen as his own elder sister. He couldn’t understand why the others could so easily accept their Sister Zhen getting married. He couldn’t accept it—he only wished things could stay as they were forever.

Yet, no matter how much resentment and reluctance he felt in his heart, when Sister Zhen spoke, he had no choice but to lower his head.

Sister Zhen said, "Go apologize to him, or I’ll have a headache."

Seeing Sister Zhen’s expression, Zhao Songyan suddenly realized—Sister Zhen seemed to genuinely like this Mei Jia Dalang. She had had a few fiancés before, but she had never been this invested. This one was different.

This realization left Zhao Songyan feeling low and melancholic, a mood he couldn’t shake all evening. From noon, when he led his horse out, Zhao Songyan lingered hesitantly near the imperial city. Mei Jia Dalang worked in the Ministry of Justice and would only leave the palace in the afternoon after his duties. Zhao Songyan waited here to apologize to him.

When the man finally emerged, Zhao Songyan hesitated to approach, trailing unhappily behind Mei Zhuyu, thinking he could delay a little longer. But this delay led to trouble.

As Mei Zhuyu passed by the East Market, Zhao Songyan spotted Lü Zhi. Lü Zhi had once been engaged to their Sister Zhen, and later, because of Lady Huzhu, the two had even fought. All of them who followed Sister Zhen deeply despised this Lü, who was always causing trouble for her.

Zhao Songyan watched as Lü Zhi, accompanied by two burly servants, followed Mei Zhuyu with ill intent. Then, as they passed a quieter alley, Lü Zhi hid to the side and sent his servants to corner Mei Zhuyu into the alley.

From a distance, Zhao Songyan understood immediately—Lü Zhi was here for revenge. That scoundrel had lost to Sister Zhen time and again over the years, never gaining the upper hand. Now that he couldn’t beat Sister Zhen, he was trying to take it out on her man."Damn it!" Zhao Songyan didn't like Mei Jia Dalang, but no matter what, he was still his sister Zhen's man. How could he let that dog Lü Zhi bully him? Without a second thought, Zhao Songyan sprinted toward the alley.

He had assumed that someone as inexperienced as Mei Jia Dalang would be pinned to the ground and beaten if he arrived even a moment late. But when he reached the alley's entrance, he was stunned to find that the supposedly helpless Mei Jia Dalang, whom he had imagined would be lying on the ground wailing, was standing perfectly fine. Instead, the two burly servants—one was already down, and the other was being slammed against the wall by Mei Jia Dalang, his hand gripping the back of the man's head.

Zhao Songyan saw it clearly—when the cold-faced, displeased young lord looked up at him, his face was unmistakably splattered with bright red blood.

Zhao Songyan braced himself against the wall, his mind blankly forming a single thought—"Did Mei Jia Dalang just kill someone here? If this gets discovered, he’ll definitely be arrested. And if he’s arrested, how will I explain this to Sister Zhen? No, I have to help cover this up—quickly!"