Jin Xuan nodded and, together with Minru, helped Madam Yu out. Suddenly, Yu Changxuan let out a faint, indistinct sound. Jin Xuan was startled, but Madam Yu hadn’t heard clearly and anxiously asked, “What did Changxuan say?” Jin Xuan quickly replied, “He just moaned a couple of times—it didn’t sound like words.”
Qixuan, standing nearby, said, “It sounded like he said something about… some army…”
Jin Xuan brushed it off, saying, “He must still be preoccupied with matters at the Army Ministry.” As she glossed over the issue, Minru wiped tears from the corner of her eye and added, “I thought it sounded more like a person’s name.” Jin Xuan cut her off, saying, “Probably not. Sister-in-law and I both heard clearly—he was murmuring something like ‘jun,’ not a full name.”
Minru pursed her lips, about to speak, but Madam Yu, who had long been astutely aware of the friction between her daughters-in-law, was too agitated to humor either of them. Frowning, she snapped, “What kind of time is this for you two to bicker over such trivialities? Both of you, be quiet!”
That silenced both Jin Xuan and Minru. They accompanied Madam Yu to the north hall, where Jin Xuan asked Qixuan and Minru to stay with her. Meanwhile, Jin Xuan, with her own concerns in mind, slipped out of the north hall and saw the adjutant Wu Zuoxiao still standing by the staircase. She approached him and lowered her voice to ask, “What’s going on? What happened between Changxuan and Pingjun?”
Wu Zuoxiao replied, “Well… Second Miss, you’ll have to ask Fifth Master about that.”
Jin Xuan gritted her teeth in frustration and said, “How can I ask him in his current state? Go check on your Fifth Master—he’s still hung up on that woman. Just tell me, what really happened? He’s so delirious, and if he says something he shouldn’t in his sleep and my mother hears, how am I supposed to cover for you?”
Seeing that he couldn’t hide the truth, Wu Zuoxiao recounted everything that had happened at Maple Terrace more than ten days earlier. Jin Xuan was visibly shocked and, after a long pause, said, “Such a thing actually happened? Where is Pingjun now?” Wu Zuoxiao replied, “She’s gone. At first, we thought Miss Ye had gone to her mother’s place at East Benevolence Bridge, but later, Chief Guard Gu sent someone to investigate and found that the house at East Benevolence Bridge was empty too. She and her mother have both left.”
Jin Xuan stood there, stunned, and after a moment asked, “What did Changxuan say?”
Wu Zuoxiao said, “After Miss Ye left, Fifth Master returned to the official residence and never mentioned her again. None of us dared bring it up, thinking he had forgotten about it. But who would have guessed that today, something like this would happen…”
After listening for a while, Jin Xuan finally understood the cause and effect of the day’s events. Her heart ached for her brother, and she felt even more sorrow for the unborn child. She pulled a handkerchief from the button of her cheongsam and dabbed her tear-filled eyes, murmuring softly, “He hasn’t forgotten. This was the one time in his life he was truly serious—how could he ever forget?”
It took nearly half a month for Yu Changxuan’s injuries to heal enough for him to get out of bed and take a few steps. As soon as his condition improved slightly, he insisted on returning to Maple Terrace. Madam Yu tried to stop him but had no choice but to relent. Dr. Dai then visited Maple Terrace daily to change Yu Changxuan’s dressings and reported back to Madam Yu at the official residence.It had just rained, and the windows in the room were open. The dark green Western-style curtains swayed gently in the breeze, alternating between warm and cool gusts that brushed against the skin, stirring waves of restlessness.
Yu Changxuan lay on the bed, staring fixedly out the window. The scenery outside seemed veiled in a haze, gradually blurring. The light in his dark eyes appeared scattered. He felt cold—a chill radiating from deep within. The light outside fell upon the ebony lattice, fragmented and broken.
On the huanghuali wood dressing table hung a long mirror carved with intricate patterns. He still remembered how she looked while doing her makeup before it, just like that first night they spent together. He had woken from sleep to find her sitting by the moonlight at the dressing table, slowly combing her long hair, her pale fingers brushing through the dark strands.
He called her name, "Pingjun." She turned her head toward him silently, her eyes misty with moisture. He whispered to her, "I will always treat you well."
The pillowcase still seemed to carry her lingering fragrance, faint and delicate, like blooming Hosta flowers. He recalled every night they spent together—how she would curl up childlike in his arms, her long eyelashes resting against her soft, fair skin as she slept with even breaths. He was intoxicated by her scent, gazing at her sleeping face for what felt like an eternity, afraid to move even slightly lest he wake her.
He loved her so deeply.
The room was utterly silent until a few soft knocks sounded at the door. Gu Ruitong's voice came from outside, "Fifth Master, we've found Miss Ye."
In the evening, he saw her outside a flower shop near the South Gate.
She walked over carefully holding a small pot of white camellias, cradling it gently. Beside her was Bai Liyuan, who kept grinning and reaching out to pluck the perfectly bloomed camellias. She shielded the flowers while dodging Bai Liyuan, a gentle, serene smile on her face.
He watched her from the car as his aide-de-camp reported, "Among Miss Ye's classmates is one named Bai Liyuan, whose father is the principal of Mingde Girls' School. She helped Miss Ye open a small flower shop in the alley up ahead."
He murmured softly, "She's smiling."
The aide-de-camp hesitated, unsure of his intentions, and asked uncertainly, "Fifth Master..."
He watched her figure gradually recede into the distance. The broad street was bustling with people, and the horizon was painted with brilliant sunset clouds. The air was as warm as a heavy quilt pressing down, everything hazy like a dream. He leaned back slowly against the car seat and whispered, "Don't disturb her."
He would eventually come back for her—just not now.
Through storms and affections, he saw her once more.
The rainy season in Golden Mausoleum passed quickly. The bright sun of midsummer, the fragrant golden autumn, and the harsh withering of winter snows—time slipped away, and before they knew it, another winter had arrived. This year was exceptionally cold; by early December, it had already begun to snow. Though the temperature in Golden Mausoleum was slightly higher than in the north, the snowflakes turned to droplets before they even touched the ground, making the chill pierce to the bone.In the Tao residence, the eldest daughter Tao Yayi was draped in a black woolen cloak, with only a jeweled gold chain visible on the lapel, slanting across to the other side—a style most fashionable among the official wives of the Jinling Government. Her lips were painted with crimson rouge, the latest Parisian shade called "Miss" for the season. Seated steadily on a Western-style soft chair, she spoke unhurriedly, "Jiang Xueting is no longer the man he used to be. My father-in-law has acknowledged him as an adopted son, so he is now part of the Mou family. With his current position as the Minister of Propaganda in the government, his future is limitless. He treats you well enough, so why do you give him such a disdainful look the moment he arrives? If you don't marry him, who else do you plan to marry?"
Tao Ziyi, who had returned home on leave, stood nearby impatiently tugging at a pearl curtain. Lifting her head, she declared, "I'll be frank with you—I want to be the Fifth Master of the Yu family's wife!"
Tao Yayi snapped angrily, "Nonsense! Have you even considered that the Chu family has no heir left and will never rise to prominence? In the end, it will be the Yu and Mou families vying for power. Since I've married into the Mou family, you should forget about the Yu family's Fifth Master. How can our Tao family have one sister with the Yu family and the other with the Mou family? Where would that leave our father when he has to choose sides?"
Tao Ziyi tossed her head and turned to sit at the nearby piano, striking the keys one by one in a fit of pique. "Father can stand wherever he wants. I don't care."
Hearing this, Tao Yayi flared up, rising to her feet and pointing at her sister as she scolded loudly, "You have no right to care! Even if you want to marry Yu Changxuan, you should consider whether he'll make it back alive from the front lines. He's been leading troops against Xiao Beichen since early autumn, losing nine out of ten battles. Now, he's tightly surrounded by the Xiao Family Army. The Yu family has suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Xiao family in Jiangbei, and you still expect him to turn the tide?!"
Tears immediately streamed down Tao Ziyi's face. She slammed both hands onto the piano with a loud "crash," then turned around, crying and shouting, "I won't let you curse him like that! He will come back. I won't marry anyone—I'll return to England and stay out of your muddy waters. Is that acceptable?"
Tao Yayi trembled with rage, letting out a bitter laugh. "How lightly you speak, Second Sister! You call this muddy water, as if you're too pure for it. Why don't you think about me? For the sake of our Tao family, I even married that fool from the Mou family. And here you are, crying and carrying on—do you think you have more grievances than I do? Who can I cry to?!"
Seeing her sister's anger, Tao Ziyi—who had always been somewhat spoiled—burst into loud sobs. She turned and ran toward the door, crying as she went, "I said I didn't want to come back to the country, but you all insisted. Now I see it was all a scheme to make me marry that Jiang fellow. What is he, anyway? He has his own name and family, yet he goes and acknowledges someone else as a father. I won't marry him—I absolutely refuse!"
The servants downstairs, seeing the second young lady running out in thin clothing and soft satin embroidered slippers, hurriedly tried to stop her. Bursting with resentment, Tao Ziyi dashed straight out of the hall, through the inner gate, and into the family's small garden. In her haste, she collided head-on with someone. Startled, both stepped back. Tao Ziyi glared at the person before her and demanded angrily, "Who are you?"Ye Pingjun wore a simple cotton dress with a few wispy bangs framing her forehead. Her jet-black hair was braided into a long plait down her back, tied at the end with a pale yellow velvet ribbon. Though her attire was plain and unadorned, it was immediately clear she was not one of the Tao family’s servants. Hearing Tao Ziyi’s question, she smiled and replied, “I’ve come to deliver flowers. Someone from your household ordered a pot of Hosta flowers from our shop yesterday.”
Tao Ziyi was already fuming with anger. Sure enough, she spotted Ye Pingjun holding a pot of Hosta flowers, clearly on her way to the greenhouse. She snatched the pot from Pingjun’s hands and snapped, “I’ve always loved yellow roses best—why would anyone order Hosta flowers? Are even you people trying to bully me?!” With that, she hurled the pot of Hosta flowers onto the muddy ground, then stomped on it furiously, grinding the plant under her heel as she raged, “I’ll have your life! I’ll have your life! I’ll have your life!”
Ye Pingjun stood frozen on the stone slab, watching as the Hosta flowers were crushed to pieces in moments. Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached—servants from the Tao family rushed out to coax the second young mistress inside. Tao Yayi’s voice carried over, “It’s freezing out here—this is no way to throw a tantrum. Come back inside at once. Can’t we talk this over properly?”
The servants quickly surrounded Tao Ziyi and escorted her away. Ye Pingjun remained standing on the stone slab as the clamor of voices faded into the distance. She stared down at the mangled Hosta flowers, lost in thought, until a voice from behind broke the silence: “Miss Ye.” It was the elderly woman who tended the greenhouse, making her way over. Before Pingjun could offer an apology, the old woman sighed, “No need to explain—I saw everything. That Second Young Miss Tao… ah…”
Ye Pingjun then asked, “Could you lend me a small shovel? I’ll clean this up.”
The old woman nodded and soon returned with a trowel and a small bag, helping Pingjun gather the broken roots and scattered soil. “Look—the roots are still intact,” the old woman remarked. “Over there is a small shrine built for the devout mistress, with a few Hosta plants growing beside it. Though they’re withered now, if you plant these roots there, they might just survive.”
Pingjun nodded and soon buried the roots in the flowerbed beside the shrine. Only then did she turn and leave the Tao residence, returning to the small flower shop her family ran in West Gate Alley. The modest shop actually belonged to Li Yuan’s family—it was only thanks to Li Yuan’s support that Pingjun and her mother had a place to call home.
As Pingjun entered the shop, Madam Ye happened to step out from the inner room, holding some coins. Spotting Pingjun, she smiled and said, “That big customer is here again.”
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