Moonlit Reunion

Prince Li Shuzhang of Jiaoshan was the son of the emperor's younger brother, with his fiefdom in Jiaoshan. He would come to Chang'an every autumn. A spoiled noble accustomed to tyranny in his own domain, he found himself overshadowed by Wu Zhen in the capital. Proud of his imperial bloodline, Li Shuzhang couldn't stomach being bested by someone outside the royal family—especially a woman. He was determined to teach her a lesson.

Since first accompanying his father to Chang'an at twelve, Li Shuzhang had clashed with Wu Zhen every visit. Her temper matched, if not exceeded, his own, and their enmity only deepened over the years. Had Wu Zhen been an ordinary noblewoman, it might not have mattered. But she was the beloved younger sister of the empress, Duke Yu's cherished daughter, and secretly the overseer of the Chang'an Demon Market—a veritable demoness who could turn the world upside down when angered. Poor Li Shuzhang was no match for her.

In her youth, Wu Zhen had been far more domineering and hot-tempered than she was now. Li Shuzhang lost to her every time, often disastrously. Even when he appeared unscathed on the surface, she made sure he suffered in secret. More often than not, he didn't even realize her hand in his misfortunes.

Two years prior, during the autumn hunt, Li Shuzhang had slapped a Lady Peng in Wu Zhen's retinue after an argument. That was the last straw. Wu Zhen didn't hesitate to brawl with him right then and there, breaking his leg in full view of the crowd, humiliating him utterly. The incident reached the emperor, who punished Wu Zhen with a month of house arrest and a fine—nothing more. Li Shuzhang, meanwhile, returned to his fiefdom to recuperate, missing last year's trip to Chang'an and taking a full two years to recover.

And now, as fate would have it, they crossed paths again.

Was it truly a chance encounter? Not entirely. This time, Li Shuzhang had deliberately sought out Wu Zhen's whereabouts to settle the score.

Still seething over his broken leg and the leniency of her punishment, he was determined to reclaim his pride. If Wu Zhen dared to cripple him, he would return the favor—even if it meant months of confinement in his fiefdom afterward.

Among the many noble youths of Chang'an, Wu Zhen's circle was just one faction. Others who didn't mingle with them had joined Li Shuzhang's side. When the two groups met, their leaders' long-standing grudge ensured tensions flared before the hunt even began.

"Wu Zhen, dare you face me in a fight?" Li Shuzhang glanced at the hostile noble youths behind her, at least maintaining some semblance of propriety by offering a pretext.

But before Wu Zhen could respond, her entourage erupted. A-Xiu, the girl with the leopard, stepped forward furiously: "Have you no shame? My sister Zhen is with child! Challenging a pregnant woman to a fight—how can you even say such a thing?"

A-Xiu's mother was the emperor's elder sister, and as a late-born daughter, she was doted on by the entire family. Though she and Li Shuzhang were cousins, she stood firmly with Wu Zhen. His nose twitched with anger at this traitorous cousin, but her words gave him pause.Wu Zhen was actually pregnant?! Li Shizhang only now noticed the slight bulge in Wu Zhen's abdomen and nearly laughed out loud. Excellent—today he would make sure Wu Zhen experienced the pain of losing a child! Having made up his mind, his expression softened slightly as he smirked and said, "Since you're pregnant and afraid to fight me, as a man, I naturally can't force you. Very well—since you're married, let your husband compete with me instead."

Li Shizhang cast a contemptuous and disdainful glance at the tall, slender man beside Wu Zhen, thinking to himself that revenge should be drawn out, not settled too easily. Before dealing with Wu Zhen, he might as well start by making an example of her husband. He had done his research beforehand—this Mei Zhuyu was just a minor official in the Ministry of Justice, a mere scholar who looked refined and frail, possibly even incapable of wielding a sword. Dealing with someone like this would be child's play.

Didn't Wu Zhen cherish those around her? Today, he would humiliate her thoroughly—right in front of her, he would break her husband's legs!

Li Shizhang was certain Wu Zhen would be in a dilemma: refusing would mean losing face, while accepting would mean waiting to be beaten. But to his surprise, Wu Zhen wore an odd expression, as if saying, "Are you really this eager to die?"

With rare consideration, Wu Zhen asked, "Are you sure you want to fight my husband? I'm afraid two years of recovery won't be enough—you might need five."

Li Shizhang sneered, stubbornly clinging to his pride. Let's see how long you can keep up this act.

"Well? Do you dare accept?" As he spoke, the men behind him slapped their swords and cracked their whips, jeering loudly.

"Come on, give us a straight answer! If you don't dare, just kneel and apologize to Prince Jiaoshan—take a couple of lashes, hahaha!"

Not only did Li Shizhang's side believe Wu Zhen was bluffing, but even some of her own companions who were unaware of Mei Zhuyu's true capabilities grew worried. A young girl named A-Xiu huffed, "We're here for a hunt. If you have the skill, let's compete in hunting—why resort to martial contests?"

As soon as she spoke, several young men chimed in to help defuse the situation, adding, "Exactly! We're all here to hunt—let's settle this with a hunt."

But Li Shizhang had come specifically to teach Wu Zhen a lesson personally and had no intention of letting her off so easily. With a glance at one of his men, the latter narrowed his eyes and released a leopard he had been restraining, giving it a slight provocation. The leopard immediately went berserk, charging straight toward Wu Zhen's mounted party. Wu Zhen was at the front of the group, making her the first target.

If the leopard startled her horse unexpectedly, there was a good chance Wu Zhen would be thrown off, possibly even losing the child. This was precisely Li Shizhang's plan—to stir up chaos first. But to his shock, the leopard never even reached Wu Zhen's horse. A sharp whistling sound cut through the air as a longsword pierced the leopard's leg, pinning it firmly to the ground.

It was a longsword—after impaling the leopard's leg, only the hilt remained visible above the earth, the rest buried deep in the soil.

Everyone froze in stunned silence, the scene momentarily still.What happened? Who threw the sword? Since everything occurred so quickly, many people didn't even realize what was going on. But Li Shizhang had been watching Wu Zhen closely and clearly saw that it was the frail-looking scholar Mei Zhuyu—whom he considered incapable of even lifting heavy objects—who drew the sword from his horse and hurled it at the leopard, pinning it to the ground.

The motion had seemed effortless, almost weightless, yet carried tremendous force. Li Shizhang broke into a cold sweat at the sight, even doubting his own eyes. How could a person possess such terrifying strength?

Li Shizhang wasn't the only one who saw it. After murmuring among themselves, the crowd figured out who had thrown the sword, and all eyes turned to Mei Zhuyu. Yet whether ignored or now the center of attention, Mei Zhuyu remained expressionless.

The young girl A-Xiu glanced at the wailing leopard on the ground. Having raised leopards herself, she knew exactly how strong and fast these creatures were. To pin one down with a single throw of a sword wasn't just impressive—it was downright extraordinary! Clearing her throat, she called out to Li Shizhang, "Ahem, alright then. Since you want to compete with our brother-in-law, let's have a match."

The boys who had earlier agreed with her quickly changed their tune. "Yes, yes, we accept. Let's get started already." Their faces were practically glowing with eagerness to kick someone while they were down.

Li Shizhang's expression twisted. After witnessing that display, he wasn't about to gamble with his life. He was here for revenge, not to get beaten up. Cursing the informant who had given him such faulty intelligence, he forced a smile and hastily backtracked, "I don't want to cause any major trouble today. How about we stick to what you suggested earlier—a hunting competition between our two groups."

Once the terms were settled, the groups split up to hunt. Before Li Shizhang's team had even left, Wu Zhen's young companions burst into laughter. "Did you see his face? When he first challenged brother-in-law, he looked so smug and sinister. But after seeing that move, he was practically dripping with cold sweat! Hahaha!"

The boys crowded around Mei Zhuyu, peppering him with questions—how he trained to achieve such skill, whether he accepted disciples, and so on. They kept calling him "brother-in-law," completely forgetting that they weren't actually Wu Zhen's younger brothers, nor was he their legitimate brother-in-law.

Mei Zhuyu remained as taciturn as ever, answering briefly. Only when his cousin Mei Si also addressed him as "brother-in-law" did his expression turn indescribable. He asked Mei Si, "What did you just call me?"

Mei Si scratched his head under his cap and realized, "Oh right, you're my cousin, not my brother-in-law."

Wu Zhen was thoroughly amused, laughing so hard she nearly fell off her horse.

Meanwhile, Li Shizhang's group slunk away in far less cheerful spirits. With a dark expression, Li Shizhang listened to the laughter still ringing behind them. In a fit of rage, he lashed out with his whip at the leopard handler and snarled, "Useless fool."

"Prince of Jiaoshan, are we really going to let them get away with this? If you can swallow this insult, I certainly can't."Li Shizhang sneered, "Endure? Hmph, of course not. If we can't make her suffer openly, then we'll act in secret. This hunting ground isn't exactly peaceful—anything could happen here."

After his sinister remark, he pointed to a few servants skilled in archery. "You, come with me. Follow Wu Zhen and the other one. When they're alone, we'll strike."

"Wu Zhen, I was going to spare your life, but you just had to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. If you end up crippled or dead here, don't blame me." Li Shizhang clenched the bow on his back tightly, veins bulging on his forehead as he barked, "Move out!"

After traveling some distance, Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu separated from the other young men and women. The youths were all focused on hunting more game to surpass Li Shizhang. When Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu decided to split off, a few concerned individuals tried to dissuade them, but Wu Zhen shooed them away.

Soon, only Wu Zhen, Mei Zhuyu, and a few Stout Servants from Duke Yu's estate remained.

Wu Zhen casually glanced at the thicket behind them and said to Mei Zhuyu with a smile, "I mentioned earlier that I'd take you somewhere. Let's go now."

Mei Zhuyu nodded. "Alright."

As they moved farther from the hunting youths and their numerous attendants, the path grew increasingly remote. The shouts from the hunt faded, and eventually, they had to dismount and continue on foot.

The two rested under an ancient tree, while their guards stood at a distance. From the nearby thicket, a glint of cold steel emerged, aimed at the unsuspecting pair chatting cheerfully under the tree.

Wu Zhen tilted her head up and whispered to Mei Zhuyu with a smile, "Don’t you think wearing ginger-yellow robes embroidered with gold thread for hunting is ridiculous? Even hiding in the grass, they’d gleam when firing a sneak shot—so stupid I can hardly bear to watch."

Somewhere in the distance, Prince Jiaoshan Li Shizhang, clad in his gold-threaded ginger robe: "Perfect chance—they're completely off guard!"