Moonlit Reunion

Although Wu Zhen had planned to rest for a couple of days after returning and then go out with her husband to admire the osmanthus flowers, her beautiful vision was quickly shattered. From the second day of their return, she became so busy that she had no time to even think about such leisurely activities.

First, Duke Yu, upon hearing his daughter had returned, immediately rushed back from the monastery. He didn’t bother questioning why Wu Zhen had left in the first place, nor did he care to listen to her nonsensical excuses. The old man had one clear goal—to scold his daughter thoroughly. Wu Zhen, desperate to escape, resorted to using her pregnancy as an excuse.

However, this tactic backfired. Learning that she had been running around while pregnant only made Duke Yu angrier. The patience he had cultivated through monastic life was utterly useless when dealing with his youngest daughter. Left with no choice, Wu Zhen sat blankly in front of her father for hours, enduring his lecture while absentmindedly cradling her belly.

Next came Zhao Langjun and the other young men who often followed Wu Zhen around. She hadn’t informed them before leaving Chang’an, and it wasn’t until two days after her departure that they realized she had vanished without a trace. They complained bitterly about her lack of consideration.

But unlike Duke Yu, these youngsters lacked the authority to make Wu Zhen submit. Having watched them grow up, she easily silenced their grievances with a stern look, then sweetened the deal by promising to take them all on an autumn hunting trip—enough to pacify the rowdy bunch.

The only oddity was Mei Si’s absence. Perhaps he was holed up at home again, obsessively painting ghosts and deities.

Visitors streamed in throughout the day, leaving Wu Zhen no time to herself. Evenings were no better, as she had no opportunity for romantic moments with her husband—the Demon Market demanded her attention.

Three exhausting days passed without a moment’s rest. On the third day, an imperial summons arrived. The empress and imperial consort wanted to see her, concerned about whether she and Mei Zhuyu had switched back. As for the emperor, he had always enjoyed Wu Zhen’s company, frequently summoning her to the palace to critique music and dance. Having missed her during her absence, he naturally wanted to catch up. Thus, Wu Zhen spent yet another full day in the palace.

Mei Zhuyu, meanwhile, had returned to his post at the Ministry of Justice the day after their return, resuming his quiet duties as a ministry secretary. This time, however, he found that Vice Minister Xu—who had previously gone out of his way to make trouble for him—had been transferred. Without that nuisance, his days at the ministry became even more tranquil. No one bothered him, but neither did anyone seek his company.

His unexplained long leave and seamless return to work left his colleagues puzzled. Whispers spread about what the reclusive official had been up to. But before the gossip could gain traction, palace attendants arrived at the ministry bearing a large vase filled with over a dozen fragrant osmanthus branches. The sweet scent trailed all the way from the Daming Palace, leaving no doubt about the imperial favor he enjoyed.The leading eunuch had a round face and a kindly smile as he addressed Mei Zhuyu, "These are fragrant osmanthus branches from the Osmanthus Garden. Both His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress are particularly fond of the osmanthus there. Today, Lady Yiguo was also present when they discussed these flowers, so His Majesty gifted this bottle of osmanthus branches to you, Magistrate Mei, so you may enjoy them together."

The 'Lady Yiguo' mentioned by the eunuch referred to Wu Zhen. After her grand wedding, she was granted the title of State Lady. Given her status as the empress's younger sister, it was only natural for her to receive the first-rank title of State Lady, especially since the emperor also held her in high regard. Thus, Wu Zhen's rank was technically higher than Mei Zhuyu's, though no busybodies dared to mock this fact. Since the founding of the dynasty, many mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law of princesses, and relatives of empresses and imperial consorts had been granted the title of State Lady as imperial favors.

The dynasty was known for its liberal customs. During Emperor Ruizong's reign years ago, five sisters of a favored consort's family were all granted the title of State Lady. In those cases, their husbands' ranks were similarly inferior—such occurrences were commonplace.

A more domineering man might have taken offense at idle gossip and quarreled with his wife, but to Mei Zhuyu, such trivialities were beneath notice. As he accepted the vase of osmanthus branches, he recalled how, late last night, Wu Zhen had returned exhausted from the Demon Market and slumped lazily against him, lamenting with regret, "If I don't take you to see the osmanthus soon, we'll miss the best time."

Mei Zhuyu didn't understand what constituted the "best time" for flower viewing. To him, the best time was simply having Wu Zhen by his side. Yet clearly, she had taken the matter to heart. Unable to personally accompany him to see what was reputedly the finest osmanthus in Chang'an at the Osmanthus Garden, she had gone out of her way to send these branches. He wondered how she had persuaded the emperor and empress to dispatch someone to the Ministry of Justice just to deliver a few sprigs of osmanthus.

After the messenger left, Mei Zhuyu placed the flowers beside his desk. The sweet fragrance lingered throughout the day, making him glance at them frequently—each glance reminding him of Wu Zhen. Work that usually took him an afternoon remained less than half-finished by day's end.

Despite the unfinished tasks, Mei Zhuyu left promptly when office hours ended, carefully carrying the flowers home. Worried that riding might shake the delicate blossoms loose, he led his horse back on foot.

Not long after he returned, Wu Zhen arrived home and immediately asked, "Well? Do the osmanthus smell nice? I specifically picked the branches with the most blooms."

Of course, she had chosen the finest blossoms from the best tree—so much so that the emperor's pained expression had been impossible to hide, drawing laughter from the empress. Even the usually reserved imperial consort had smiled and teased whether His Majesty was reluctant to part with them. With both his wives watching, the emperor had no choice but to watch helplessly as Wu Zhen snipped several branches, leaving one nearly bare.

Unaware of these details, Mei Zhuyu had already refreshed the water and arranged the branches beautifully in their room. Wu Zhen, having spent the day surrounded by osmanthus fragrance at the garden, could hardly smell anything else and wasn't keen on more of it at home. Not wanting her husband to notice, she subtly steered him toward the study to admire the night-blooming cereus instead. Though most had already bloomed a couple of days prior, a bud or two remained. While not as spectacular as before, watching the flower slowly unfurl in the night held its own charm."Are you still going to the Demon Market tonight?" Seeing Wu Zhen's weary expression, Mei Zhuyu pressed his fingers against her wrist with concern, intending to check her pulse.

Wu Zhen playfully flipped her hand to catch his, clasping it in her palm with a grin. "Of course I am. That little snake left me a mountain of tasks. If I don’t show up, she’ll probably drag me out of bed by midnight."

She was joking, but Mei Zhuyu didn’t find it amusing. "If there’s work to be done, I can help," he said.

Just like yesterday—when Wu Zhen had mentioned going to the Demon Market to handle some matters, Mei Zhuyu had offered his assistance, only to be refused. Her excuse then was that his injuries hadn’t fully healed and he needed more rest. Though Mei Zhuyu’s wounds were nearly recovered, Wu Zhen had sternly insisted that until the scabs fell off, he wasn’t truly healed. Before he could argue, she had slipped away, leaving him no chance to stop her.

Truthfully, Wu Zhen just didn’t want her husband to witness her being scolded like a fool by the little snake at Yan Tower. That would be far too embarrassing—absolutely unacceptable!

But tonight, Mei Zhuyu was adamant. Studying Wu Zhen’s tired face, he decided to accompany her to the Demon Market.

Wu Zhen spent an entire meal trying to persuade him, but he remained silent, making it clear there was no room for negotiation. Reluctantly, she agreed to take him along, now only hoping that the little snake would spare her some dignity and avoid slamming the table and yelling like yesterday.

Fortunately, Liu Taizhen knew when to hold back. Seeing Mei Zhuyu arrive with Wu Zhen, she reverted to her usual icy demeanor, not uttering a single harsh word—though she did assign Wu Zhen a particularly troublesome task.

When Wu Zhen saw the assignment—cleaning up the drowned wraiths from the canals and waterways throughout Chang’an—she knew the little snake was still angry. Liu Taizhen was well aware that Wu Zhen despised this tedious chore.

After leaving the Demon Market, Wu Zhen mentioned that she would be clearing the waterways of drowned wraiths that night. Mei Zhuyu’s expression darkened, his brows furrowing in disapproval. "Chang’an has countless canals, and drowned wraiths lurk beneath the water. You’d have to dive in to find them. In your current state, how can you handle such exhausting work?"

Wu Zhen thought, That’s exactly why the little snake gave me this task—because she knew you’d come with me and wouldn’t let me do it. So now it’s your job.

She sighed inwardly. Clearly, Liu Taizhen was displeased with their recent escapade. Still, as longtime friends, Wu Zhen understood that the little snake was just worried about her, thinking she acted too recklessly. There was no point arguing. Clearing her throat, Wu Zhen said, "Actually, I’ve done this job in previous years. It’s not that tiring." Besides, most drowned wraiths were cleared out in the eighth and ninth months. It was already the tenth month, so there couldn’t be many left. The little snake had calculated this well—she wouldn’t actually put Wu Zhen in any real danger.

Mei Zhuyu remained unhappy. "I’ll handle it. You need to rest. You’ve been overworked these past few days."

Seeing his expression, Wu Zhen didn’t dare refuse. So that night, she lounged lazily along the canals and lakeshores, watching as her husband efficiently hauled out clusters of drowned wraiths from the water. Even the ancient wraith lurking in Qujiang Pool—who knew how many years it had been hiding there—was dragged out and dumped onto the bank. The massive, soggy mass squelched underfoot as Wu Zhen strolled over it, amused by the squishy sensation. She paced back and forth, deliberately stepping on the wraith until it emitted a grating, creaky noise.The riverbank was littered with drowned puppets—monsters that could entangle swimmers and drown them. These creatures were troublesome in the water, but once ashore, they were as helpless as fish out of water, weak and vulnerable. By the next morning, under the sun's rays, they would dissolve into nothingness.

Mei Zhuyu approached everything with diligence, and even in catching these drowned puppets, he worked tirelessly through the night, thoroughly clearing every stretch of the river. As dawn approached, the two headed home. Wu Zhen sighed, "Seems we won’t need to catch drowned puppets next year."

Mei Zhuyu wrung out the corner of his robe, his damp black hair clinging to his temples. "Next year, I’ll still help you with this."

Unusually, he didn’t reach for her hand—his body was chilled from the long hours in the water, and he didn’t want the cold to seep into Wu Zhen. She didn’t respond to his words, only smiled and said, "I’m exhausted. Can’t walk anymore. Carry me home, husband."

Mei Zhuyu hesitated. "I’m wet."

Wu Zhen playfully rubbed her waist, feigning exhaustion. "Ah, so tired." Then she peeked at him slyly.

Mei Zhuyu lifted her into his arms, holding her steadily.