Chapter 25

Proofreader: Mim

In the end, Li Zhi left the bracelet with Xie Lanxu.

It was an item she would protect with her life, and Li Zhi believed Xie Lanxu understood this perfectly—why else would he have someone secretly buy it back?

By keeping the bracelet, he essentially held a hostage that could be used to threaten her.

Li Zhi didn’t mind giving him a sense of security.

After all, she had long decided to tie her fate to Xie Lanxu.

—-

A few days later, Li Xiangsheng passed the critical stage of his illness and could walk on his own again.

Jia Sui, ever thoughtful, managed to procure a fish from the small kitchen in Fufeng Courtyard. After Li Zhi finished her duties in the Bamboo Courtyard, she returned to find a pot of milky-white fish stew prepared.

The three Li siblings and Jia Sui sat together around the small square table in Li Zhi’s side room.

“Xiangsheng has just recovered from a serious illness, so the fish belly should go to him,” Li Zhi said with a smile, using her chopsticks to place a tender piece of fish belly into her brother’s bowl.

“…Thank you,” Li Xiangsheng said tersely, returning the gesture by placing another piece of fish belly into Li Zhi’s bowl. “Sister should have some too.”

Li Cien giggled as she watched them, teasing, “No one’s giving me anything, so I guess I’ll have to serve myself.”

“No worries. I’ll take care of you,” Jia Sui said warmly, placing a piece of fish belly into Li Cien’s bowl.

After a few rounds of chopsticks, the fish belly was reduced to bare bones.

“I heard that Fufeng Courtyard is already preparing for the spring hunt,” Li Zhi remarked. “Every year, the young master takes quite a few maids and servants with him. I think the fish belly should go to those who’ll need their strength.”

Li Zhi moved the piece of fish belly from her bowl into Jia Sui’s, reaching instead for the fish’s eyes with her chopsticks.

“These fish eyes? They’re perfect for me!” she said in an exaggerated tone.

“I can’t just eat the fish belly and let you… Banban, eat the eyes,” Jia Sui protested, flustered, and tried to return the fish belly.

“Enough! It’s already been moved around twice. There won’t be a third,” Li Zhi said, feigning annoyance.

Jia Sui froze, her chopsticks hovering midair, unsure whether to take or reject the food.

“There are plenty of fish in the lake… Once I’m fully recovered, I’ll catch some,” Li Xiangsheng said.

“Exactly. It’s just a piece of fish,” Li Zhi said with a laugh. “As long as we have each other, there are better days ahead.”

Hearing this, Jia Sui finally lowered her chopsticks.

The fish stew was eventually devoured clean, leaving each of them with a small bowl of fish soup. The warm broth chased away the winter chill, spreading warmth throughout their bodies.

Though the February wind howled outside, Li Zhi felt a warmth greater than sitting beside a brazier.

After eating, the four gathered around the table for idle chatter.

“I heard from the other maids in the courtyard that in previous years, the young master always distributed the spoils of the hunt among the servants,” Jia Sui said, her eyes lighting up. “If I can get some deer or roe meat, we can stew it with sweet potatoes and cabbage. Even the vegetables would taste like meat!”

Li Cien leaned on the table, captivated by Jia Sui’s vivid descriptions, and unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

“…As long as it’s not bugs,” Li Xiangsheng said.

The twelve-year-old boy’s delicate face still bore traces of frailty from his recent illness.

“Hunting wouldn’t include bugs,” Li Cien said, clearly horrified.

“Don’t assume it’s impossible,” Li Xiangsheng replied. “Have you forgotten those fried bugs we saw at the market?”

Li Cien wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Fried bugs at the market?” Li Zhi exclaimed, startled by this new information.

“They’re only at the morning market,” Li Xiangsheng explained. “When I went to sell firewood, I saw people catching bugs in the morning and selling them. Buyers would fry them in oil and eat them.”

“Mingyue Tower is a blend of Han and Hu cultures,” Li Zhi said. “It’s not surprising to encounter customs we’ve never seen before. I read something similar in a travelogue—the locals claimed eating bugs is even more nutritious than eating fish.”

“I’d still rather eat fish,” Li Cien said, pouting.

“Me too,” Jia Sui agreed.

“What if there’s nothing left to eat but bugs?” Li Xiangsheng asked.

Li Zhi couldn’t help but recall the time during their exile when she had broken the heads off insects just to survive.

In the end, the four of them wrapped up their conversation about fish versus insects, dispersing as the night deepened.

What once loomed as a hellish nightmare in people’s minds—the Mingyue Tower—had gradually shed its sinister mask in Li Zhi’s heart.

The tower boasted abundant water sources, vast lands, Han leadership, and harmony between the military and civilians. As far as places of exile went, it was far from the worst.

During the day, Li Zhi worked at Xuan Zhi Courtyard, tidying rooms or occasionally reading with Lu Xuan. In the evenings, she hurried to the Bamboo Courtyard to pass time with Xie Lanxu, who continued his feigned illness and refusal to leave the confines of the room.

When night fell, she would return to her quarters under the starlit sky, her path illuminated by the flickering shadows of lanterns.

The crooked jujube tree in Li Zhi’s courtyard, once bare and frosted, now had tender green buds sprouting on its branches.

Without realizing it, Li Zhi had grown accustomed to this life.

—–

One day after the start of spring, Li Zhi finished her shift at Xuan Zhi Courtyard and was about to head to the Bamboo Courtyard when Pei’er, Lu Xuan’s personal maid, stopped her.

“The young lady wants this book returned to the young master. I’m busy, so you’ll have to run the errand for me,” Pei’er said.

Li Zhi could only agree.

She carried the book quickly to Fufeng Courtyard, hoping to deliver it and leave. Unfortunately, the gatekeeper was a meticulous young man who insisted on flipping through the pages, inspecting them one by one.

Li Zhi wasn’t confident that Lu Xuan had left the book undamaged and had no choice but to wait patiently.

The boy was not only slow but also chatty. “It’s not that I’m being difficult,” he said. “This book is rare—there’s likely no other copy left in the world. Our young master repeatedly emphasized its importance…”

What could Li Zhi say?

She smiled politely and replied, “That’s only proper.”

Just as the boy finished checking the last page, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Li Zhi turned her head and met the gaze of Lu Congruan as he stepped over the threshold, accompanied by two similarly aged servants.

Caught off guard by their eye contact, Lu Congruan nearly stumbled on the doorstep.

“Young Master is back!” the boy exclaimed joyfully.

Li Zhi lowered her head and properly curtsied in Lu Congruan’s direction.

It was her first time seeing him. Aside from his darker complexion, he looked no different from the noble sons she had seen in the capital.

“And this is?” Lu Congruan asked.

“A maid from the young lady’s courtyard, here to return your book,” the boy answered.

“Oh, so it was a book I lent my sister. Go ahead and put it away,” Lu Congruan said.

“I’ll take care of it,” the boy replied, taking the book inside.

Seeing that her task was done, Li Zhi decided to leave quickly while no one was paying attention.

“You’re one of my sister’s maids? How come I haven’t seen you before?” Lu Congruan asked.

Li Zhi had avoided interacting with him before. To steer clear of trouble, she responded even more deferentially than usual.

“This servant was assigned to Xuan Zhi Courtyard two months ago, Young Master. I mainly handle cleaning, so it’s only natural you haven’t seen this servant.”

When Lu Congruan didn’t say anything further, Li Zhi curtsied again and started toward the door.

Just as she crossed the threshold, his voice called out behind her. “What’s your name?”

Li Zhi paused briefly but didn’t turn back. “Li Zhi.”

Li Zhi didn’t think much of the encounter. When she arrived at the Bamboo Courtyard, Xie Lanxu was playing a game of chess by himself.

She greeted him as he placed a black stone on the board.

“What delayed you today?” Xie Lanxu asked lazily, as if the question was only half-serious.

“The head maid at Xuan Zhi Courtyard asked me to return a book to Fufeng Courtyard, which caused a slight delay.” Li Zhi knew he disliked waiting, so she entered with a bright smile. “I’ve prepared a gift for Your Highness.”

Xie Lanxu glanced at her, his expression indifferent, as if to ask, “Where is it?”

“Your Highness, hold out your hand,” Li Zhi said.

Xie Lanxu eyed her suspiciously but extended his hand.

Li Zhi revealed her right hand, hidden behind her back, and placed a small grasshopper woven from wild white daisies into his palm.

Xie Lanxu stared at the grasshopper silently.

“Does Your Highness not like it?” Li Zhi asked, pressing the grasshopper’s tail so it bounced out of his hand and onto his robe.

Xie Lanxu picked up the grasshopper and examined it with a complicated expression.
“It’s… unusual.”

“Your Highness has likely received countless treasures, but a grasshopper like this must be a first,” Li Zhi said. “If Your Highness likes it, I can make other things for you.”

“You can make more?”

“Baskets, embroidered balls, rings, qinghao-scented sachets…”

“You’re quite the skilled craftsman, Miss Li Zhi,” Xie Lanxu remarked with a faint smile.

Having placated him, Li Zhi asked with a grin, “What would Your Highness like to do tonight? Read a book or play chess?”

“Pick a book and read,” Xie Lanxu said, relaxing and finding a comfortable position on the couch.

Delighted, Li Zhi eagerly selected a travelogue from the bookshelf that piqued her interest.

As she read aloud with emotion, Xie Lanxu reclined, gazing at the dim window. He traced the patterns on the bamboo leaves in his mind, accompanied by Li Zhi’s voice recounting the majestic landscapes of the world.

The night wind whispered outside, and stars filled the sky.

Slender bamboo leaves swayed within the window frame. The young man gradually closed his eyes, feeling a tranquility he had never known before.