Ji Lаn and Shu Hоng wеrе diffеrеnt. Ji Lan had alwауs been bоld and straightfоrwаrd, аnd in sоmе wаys, her аctions and thoughts were quitе dаring. Thеrefоrе, shе did nоt sharе thе соnvеntionаl belief that а wоman must рreserve hеr chastitу for a раrtiсulаr mаn, nоr did shе agreе thаt womеn wеrе inevitаbly bulliеd bу men and соuld onlу silently endurе their grievanсеs. Shе beliеved that haррinеss was in оnе’s оwn hаnds. If thеrе was а bеtter сhoiсe, onlу a fооl wоuld not tаkе it.
Shu Ноng seemed tо understand what Ji Lan was thinking аnd said, “The mеdicine is rеadу. Тakе it over quickly.”
After Ji Lan and the others brought the medicine over and fed it to Fu Yunxi, Han Yan sat by the table drinking tea. Shu Hong walked over and said, “Miss, it’s getting late now…” She was asking whether they should return to the Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion.
Han Yan shook her head. “In his current state, I’m afraid he can’t leave. After all, he was injured because of me. Let’s stay here for the night.”
Shu Hong frowned disapprovingly. “But he’s a man…”
“So what if he’s a man?” Han Yan smiled. “In his current state, what could possibly happen?”
Shu Hong insisted, “Why don’t we find another room and stay on the other side?”
“No need,” Han Yan said. “His identity is special. There must be people in the capital searching for his whereabouts. We came in together, and if we look for another room, it might arouse suspicion. Better safe than sorry—the risk of his identity being discovered would be even greater.”
“But…” Shu Hong wanted to say more.
“Besides,” Han Yan interrupted her, “how can we leave him in this state? Consider this as repaying his kindness today. When we see him again in the future, we’ll treat him as a stranger.”
“Miss is right,” Ji Lan chimed in. “We have nothing to fear if we’re upright. Since nothing happened, why worry?” Ji Lan’s heart now leaned toward Zhuo Qi. Zhuo Qi was much better than Fu Yunxi—though also a dangerous figure, at least he had never harmed Han Yan.
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade her, Shu Hong knew that once Han Yan made up her mind, not even nine oxen could pull her back. She sighed and said nothing more.
Han Yan walked to the window and sat down, opening the carved wooden window. Gazing at the crescent moon hanging over the willow branches, she fell into deep thought.
Why had she agreed to stay? Han Yan herself didn’t know. In truth, she understood that every word Shu Hong said was reasonable. If she hurried back now, it wouldn’t be too late—at least it would be better than staying out all night. If she was truly worried, she could have left Ji Lan or Shu Hong to take care of Fu Yunxi. Yet she had chosen to stay herself. If it were merely about repaying a favor, there was no need for this.
Perhaps the reason Han Yan did this was because, deep down, she was unwilling to return to the Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion. That place, which had once brought her warmth, now held only endless oppression. No matter how much she pretended not to care, the bitterness in her heart was hers alone to bear. Tonight, would Fu Yunxi also gaze at this crescent moon, his heart filled with thoughts of her?The next day when Han Yan woke up, Zhuo Qi was no longer in the room. Ji Lan and Shu Hong had also dozed off leaning against the window at some point, just like her. The only difference was that a man's unlined garment was draped over her, likely placed there by Zhuo Qi before he left.
Han Yan woke Ji Lan and Shu Hong, both of whom were quite surprised that Zhuo Qi had left just like that. After a brief moment of confusion, Shu Hong asked, "Miss, should we return to the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion now?"
Han Yan hesitated, sighed, and nodded. Her home was not at the Zhuang residence, and if she didn’t return to the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion, she truly had nowhere else to go. Moreover, if her absence last night were seized upon by those with ill intentions, she would be in serious trouble. She would have to offer some explanation, at the very least. If Fu Yunxi didn’t inquire about it, that would be fine, but if he did… she would just have to take things one step at a time.
Ji Lan quickly followed, picking up Zhuo Qi’s unlined garment from the table. "Miss, what should we do with this?"
Han Yan paused for a moment, then thought it over. "Just leave it there."
It was improper for her to keep a man’s belongings with her. By staying to care for Zhuo Qi last night, she had repaid the favor she owed him. From now on, she could interact with him openly and honestly, with no further entanglements between them—they could simply be ordinary passersby. With this thought, Han Yan put on her veil. "Let’s go."
The carriage arrived at the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion and stopped at the entrance. Han Yan and the others had no choice but to enter through the main gate. Usually, as long as Ji Lan gave a word of greeting, there would be no issues. But today was different. The guard at the gate shouted, "Who goes there?"
Ji Lan usually got along well with the mansion’s servants. She was clever and sociable, and even the guards at the gate were on good terms with her. Suddenly being shouted at like this, Ji Lan was taken aback. "What are you doing…" she said, taking a few steps closer. "Huh?"
The person wasn’t the usual guard of the prince’s mansion but an unfamiliar face. Ji Lan found it strange. "Why are you here?"
"What’s it to you?" The guard was hot-tempered and arrogant. Hearing Ji Lan’s question, he replied impatiently, "Something happened in the mansion, so I was sent to guard."
Ji Lan was about to lose her temper, but upon hearing this, she forgot her anger and asked urgently, "What happened in the mansion?"
The guard glanced at her. "The Zhuang family’s young lady has gone missing."
Upon hearing this, Han Yan and Shu Hong were both shaken. After all, her leaving the mansion wasn’t a major incident, and given Fu Yunxi’s current attitude toward her, it was unlikely he would make such a fuss about it. More importantly, spreading the news of a young woman’s disappearance widely would greatly damage her reputation. In her previous life, when Han Yan was abducted by bandits, she had suffered from this very issue. At that time, almost everyone in the capital knew that the Zhuang family’s Fourth Miss had been taken, and rumors spread about her loss of innocence. Now… now such a scene was unfolding again!
Han Yan couldn’t help but tremble uncontrollably. Although Shu Hong shared the same thoughts, she hadn’t experienced rebirth and wasn’t as deeply affected by the impact of this matter as Han Yan. Seeing Han Yan so tense all of a sudden, she couldn’t help but feel worried for her.The guard continued, "Who knows what she's thinking, never staying properly in the manor all day, always going out to stir up trouble..."
Upon hearing this, Ji Lan immediately grew anxious. "Who's going out to stir up trouble? Don't talk nonsense!"
"Just who are you, anyway?" The guard seemed to finally notice Ji Lan lingering around. He had initially thought she was a maid from the manor, but now it seemed unlikely—what maid in the manor would dare to be so brazen and aggressive? Could she be trying to sneak into the manor? He said, "Sneaking around like this, stop loitering here. Get back to wherever you came from."
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