Moonlit Reunion

Pei Ji Ya was carried away by the Kunzhou Pei Family's servants, who dared not voice their anger. Had it been anyone else who dared lay hands on the sole precious young master of their generation, those burly bodyguards would never have been so lenient. However, the one who struck was Wu Zhen. Even their unruly young master couldn't handle this cousin of his—what could the Pei Family's guards and servants do but quickly carry away their feigning-death master?

Better to flee than fight.

After Mei Zhuyu spoke those few words, he had no chance to intervene, only watching in shock as Wu Zhen leaped up and kicked her cousin away. He hadn't expected Wu Zhen to react so fiercely—she didn't even listen to explanations before mercilessly beating him up. Mei Zhuyu was half-convinced the frail Pei cousin would be beaten to death.

Only after the Pei entourage hastily departed did Wu Zhen's expression soften. Noticing Mei Zhuyu's look, she raised a brow and said, "Why are you staring at me like that? I went easy this time. Even though nothing happened to you, my cousin genuinely intended to kill you. For that alone, I'll never let him set foot in Chang'an again."

Her tone was unusually cold, almost unlike her usual self. Given her typical temperament, Pei Ji Ya would likely never step into Chang'an territory again in this lifetime. Mei Zhuyu was momentarily at a loss for words. Truthfully, when he spoke earlier, he hadn't intended to tattle—he simply believed in being forthright and saw no reason to hide such matters. Wu Zhen ought to know, and he wanted clarity, so he spoke.

Now that it was said and done, there was no point dwelling on it. Mei Zhuyu let it go. Wu Zhen reached out to steady her husband and finally smiled. "Alright, let's go. We should check on how our gosling is doing. It's been in Niu Yi and Niu Er's care these past few days—who knows if they've raised it properly."

Only then did Mei Zhuyu remember the two ox-demon attendants forgotten at an inn, along with the little gosling Wu Zhen had bought on a whim during their journey.

The three were doing fine. When Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu found them, the gosling was trailing behind the inn's chickens, scavenging for food. Wu Zhen grabbed it by the neck and lifted it up. The startled gosling viciously snapped its beak to peck, but Wu Zhen swiftly pinched its bill shut, tied it with a thin string from a nearby tree, and then gleefully played with the fluffy little creature.

The innkeeper chuckled as he approached, mentioning how the tiny gosling had even fought with the dogs there—no one knew how such a small thing could be so fierce.

As for the two intimidating-looking attendants, Niu Yi and Niu Er, they had been docile and well-behaved, waiting obediently without causing trouble. They had merely reverted to their true forms to graze on the nearby hillside, leaving a patch of grass bald.

With their business concluded, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu leisurely returned to Chang'an, taking even longer than their outbound journey. Wu Zhen's belly had begun to swell, and the couple grew cautious, traveling slowly. Ironically, Mei Zhuyu had expected the fearless Wu Zhen to remain restless even while pregnant, but to his surprise, she was unexpectedly responsible and conscientious. Apart from refusing to drink tonics, she never did anything inappropriate. Even if she occasionally got carried away, she would quickly remember her condition and restrain herself.This gave Mei Zhuyu quite a shock, followed by an involuntary softening in his heart. Whenever he saw her bored and restless, he couldn't help but want to do something to cheer her up—like catching interesting little monsters for her to see, or picking beautiful flowers by the roadside to give her, mimicking the tricks Wu Zhen had used before. Though his attempts were clumsy and silly, Wu Zhen was still delighted. The joy didn't lie in the things her husband brought back but in watching him rack his brains to please her.

Concerned that the Chang'an Demon Market was being managed by Snake Lord and a few assistants alone, Wu Zhen didn’t feel right about taking the opportunity to wander around. She obediently returned to Chang'an with her husband, not even making a detour. Yet despite this, by the time they arrived in Chang'an, it was already nearing the tenth month.

"This year's osmanthus has already bloomed," Wu Zhen remarked suddenly as they entered the city. Only then did Mei Zhuyu realize the faint, elusive fragrance in the air was the scent of osmanthus. He didn’t pay much attention to such things, but Wu Zhen, who adored all things elegant and poetic, noticed it immediately.

Not only did she notice, but she also enthusiastically told Mei Zhuyu, "When it comes to osmanthus, the best in Chang'an is in the Osmanthus Garden of the Daming Palace. Unfortunately, that’s not a place one can visit freely. Next time I go to the palace to listen to music, I’ll bring back a few branches for you to put in a vase—they’ll scent the room for days."

"After the Daming Palace’s osmanthus, the next best is in Huang Siniang’s garden in Anrenfang. Huang Siniang is skilled with flowers, but her osmanthus trees are her pride. She’s quite stingy—every year, she only picks a little to make wine and rarely shares with others, guarding those trees like treasures." Wu Zhen recounted these details with familiarity, and seeing Mei Zhuyu listening attentively, she blinked playfully, as if showing off. "But I reserved some wine with her last year. She’ll save two jars for me this time—you’re in for a treat."

Mei Zhuyu watched her quietly, a faint smile on his lips. He was increasingly struck by how Wu Zhen resembled the city of Chang'an itself—both carried an innate, unrestrained grace and charm.

Wu Zhen could effortlessly list all the best seasonal delicacies, sights, and pastimes in Chang'an. This breadth of knowledge was accumulated over more than a decade of carefree indulgence. Only such a prosperous land could nurture a woman so free-spirited, with romance flowing in her veins.

"There’s another great place to admire osmanthus in Chang'an—in Jinchangfang. It’s a private garden, but the owner is an acquaintance of mine. The osmanthus there should be blooming around now too. We’ve returned just in time for the best viewing. I’ll take you to see the golden osmanthus in a couple of days, and we’ll pick some to have the cook make osmanthus pastries. There’s a type of sweet dumplings made with osmanthus honey water that I love—you must try it..."

Before they even reached home, Wu Zhen had already planned their activities for the next few days. Mei Zhuyu could only respond with an "Mm" as she chattered on.

The ox cart slowly arrived at their doorstep as dusk approached. The Mei family’s old servant was overjoyed to see the masters return and hurried to have the kitchen prepare a meal, but Wu Zhen waved him off."Being away from home for so long, of course we should have some good food now that we're back. The ladies at home shouldn’t trouble themselves—let’s order plenty of delicious dishes for everyone to enjoy together." As she spoke, she sent someone to her usual restaurants and taverns to buy a lavish feast. On the road, covered in dust and grime, they had to make do with whatever was available, but now that they were home, it was time to resume their old habits. When conditions allowed, Wu Zhen was the most fastidious.

After a lively and long-awaited satisfying meal, the only regret was not being able to drink. Wu Zhen patted her stomach, suppressing her disappointment with great reluctance.

After dinner, they took a thorough bath, washing away the dust of the journey and the fatigue of travel. Even Mei Zhuyu felt a bit lazy—such was the comfort of home.

"We’ve been too exhausted these past days. Let’s rest early," Mei Zhuyu said.

But Wu Zhen shook her head, strolling leisurely under the corridor with a round fan in hand, the wooden clogs beneath her feet tapping slowly. Mei Zhuyu had no choice but to accompany her, walking by her side.

The moon rose, casting the shadows of bamboo in the courtyard at their feet. Wu Zhen fanned herself softly and murmured, "It should be about time."

Hearing her mutter, Mei Zhuyu asked curiously, "What’s about time?"

Wu Zhen covered half her face with the fan and smiled mysteriously. Calculating the time, she pulled Mei Zhuyu to his study, then pushed open the large sliding doors on one wall, grinning at him.

At first, Mei Zhuyu didn’t understand what she was doing—until she opened those doors. Then he saw what she wanted him to see.

In the courtyard facing the doors, over a dozen night-blooming cereus had been planted at some point. Now, most of them had bloomed. Large white flowers unfurled quietly in the night, exuding an intoxicating fragrance. Even in the darkness, the luminous petals of the cereus stood out vividly, so beautiful that Mei Zhuyu was momentarily entranced.

When he turned to look at Wu Zhen, she met his gaze, shifting her eyes from the flowers to him with a smile. "Beautiful, isn’t it? Before we left Chang’an, I secretly had them transplanted here, thinking that by the time we returned, they’d be blooming—perhaps giving you a surprise. I didn’t expect the timing to be so perfect."

"Their blooming period is very short. A day earlier or later, and we might have missed it. It seems we truly are lucky."

Before they left Chang’an, Wu Zhen had once been invited to a friend’s home, where she saw these cereus. Unlike ordinary ones, this variety had been acquired by her friend through sheer chance. Their blossoms were larger and more fragrant than usual, with petals so delicate they seemed to overlap in thousands of layers, creating an ethereal beauty. Hence, they were called Thousand-Petaled Snow.

Chang’an’s climate wasn’t ideal for growing them, but after seeing them in bloom, Wu Zhen found them so exquisite that she wanted her husband to see them too. Thus, the secret planting had begun. To obtain these dozen or so precious plants, she had haggled endlessly with her friend, finally managing to bring them back—all for this moment.

As Wu Zhen basked in self-satisfaction, Mei Zhuyu felt both touched and amused. He couldn’t help but think that she never forgot such things, even back then—she had still been thinking about showing him these flowers upon their return."Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you like it?" Wu Zhen leaned closer, scratching Mei Zhuyu's chin. Mei Zhuyu held her hand and replied softly, "I do."

It's just that he liked it too much, unsure how to express it—not even a single sweet word could come out.

Wu Zhen could clearly see that he liked it; she had only asked deliberately. Seeing her husband's gentle expression, his eyes filled with focused brightness, she chuckled inwardly—indeed, planting these flowers had been the right choice.

If it could bring her husband even a moment of joy, then all her effort was worth it.