Chapter 26

Proofreader: Mim

The next day, as usual, Li Zhi arrived at Xuan Zhi Courtyard before dawn to report for duty.

However, something was different—Pei’er looked at her with a strange expression as she entered.

Li Zhi was about to pick up her tools and begin cleaning when Pei’er stopped her. “Hold on. The young lady wants to see you.”

Perplexed, Li Zhi set down her tools and headed toward the inner room.

Lu Xuan had just woken and was still sitting on her bed while two maids assisted her with dressing and washing.

The warm towel had barely brushed her face when she seemed to regain full awareness. She glanced at Li Zhi, who waited respectfully.

“Yesterday, you went to Fufeng Courtyard?”

“Yes, Young Lady. I went there to return a book,” Li Zhi replied with her head bowed. “Sister Pei’er was occupied, so she asked me to take her place.”

Lu Xuan moved to the embroidered stool in front of her bronze mirror as two more maids entered to style her hair.

“You met my elder brother?” she asked, watching her reflection.

Unsure of what she was after, Li Zhi answered truthfully, “I saw him briefly when I was returning the book, as he had just arrived.”

“My brother wants me to lend you to him for a day,” Lu Xuan said. “I agreed.”

Li Zhi was startled. “What does the Young Lady mean?”

“He’s going hunting in Xipeng Grasslands today. He said he needs a maid to brew tea. Since you were a young lady from the capital, you must have some knowledge of tea preparation.”

“I haven’t formally studied it, but I know the basics,” Li Zhi replied.

“That should suffice. My brother isn’t exactly a tea enthusiast,” Lu Xuan remarked. “You’ve been at Mingyue Tower for some time and haven’t ventured outside the residence, have you? Take this opportunity to enjoy the scenery beyond the estate.”

“Yes, I understand,” Li Zhi said.

“You should go now. My brother and his people are already preparing to leave.”

Li Zhi bowed and withdrew from the room.

Though the assignment was unexpected, Li Zhi didn’t mind the chance to leave the estate and see more of the world beyond its walls.

She made her way through the corridors and courtyards to Fufeng Courtyard, where a servant led her into the hall.

Lu Congruan stood dressed in a regal sapphire hunting robe, his eight-treasure cap perched neatly on his head, exuding energy and enthusiasm.

“Greetings, Young Master,” Li Zhi said, lowering her head in a respectful bow.

“Didn’t Xuan’er tell you what we’re doing?” Lu Congruan asked in surprise.

“She did,” Li Zhi replied. “The Young Lady said the Young Master is going hunting in Xipeng Grasslands and needs a maid to brew tea.”

“Then why are you dressed like that?” Lu Congruan frowned. “You do realize there will be other young masters and ladies on this outing. Dressed as you are, you’ll embarrass the entire Duhu Mansion.”

Li Zhi glanced down at her plain cotton garments. While not flattering, they were practical for the work of a maid.

“I don’t have other clothes,” she said.

Lu Congruan shook his head. “Xunfeng!”

“Yes, Young Master?” A beautiful maid in a light pink ruqun emerged from the inner room.

Were it not for her address, one might have mistaken her for another noblewoman of the estate.

“Find her something more presentable to wear,” Lu Congruan instructed.

“But…” Xunfeng’s eyes darted to Li Zhi, her gaze full of hostility. “For women’s attire, I’d have to borrow from Xuan Zhi Courtyard…”

Li Zhi could sense the tension in the air.

“Young Master,” she interjected, “I am but a humble servant. These clothes are well-suited for my work. If my attire is unfit for the occasion, perhaps it would be better to send another maid in my place, so as not to delay your plans.”

“How would that cause any delay?” Lu Congruan snapped impatiently. “Xunfeng, stop making excuses and lend her one of yours. I’ll buy you a new set later.”

Seeing no room for argument, Xunfeng shot Li Zhi a glare before reluctantly leaving the room.

She returned shortly with a light green ruqun. Judging by its subdued pattern and color, Li Zhi suspected it was the simplest set in her wardrobe.

Li Zhi accepted the ruqun, changed into it in a side room, and returned to the hall.

Lu Congruan’s eyes lit up as he looked at her. “Now that’s more like it—”

He scrutinized her appearance further, as though something was still missing.

Spotting Xunfeng nearby, he took the silver butterfly hairpin from her head and placed it in Li Zhi’s hair before she could protest.

Xunfeng’s expression darkened, while Lu Congruan smiled in satisfaction.
“Perfect. Let’s go.”

Following him out the door, Li Zhi caught a glimpse of Xunfeng shooting her a venomous glare once Lu Congruan’s back was turned.

Li Zhi sighed inwardly.

Outside the Duhu Mansion’s gates, three carriages awaited.

Among the servants standing by was Jia Sui, who, upon seeing Li Zhi at Lu Congruan’s side, widened her eyes in shock but said nothing.

Li Zhi looked at the three carriages with some confusion. Are there really so many people in Fufeng Courtyard that three carriages are needed?

She soon got her answer.

The Commander of Mingyue Tower; Lu Han and Xie Lanxu appeared, surrounded by a crowd of attendants.

Xie Lanxu was seated in a wooden wheelchair, being pushed slowly from behind by Taozi. Lu Han walked alongside him, speaking to him in a respectful tone.

Li Zhi was just pondering what Xie Lanxu might think when he saw her, when her gaze met his.

As expected, the moment he spotted her dressed in a ruqun with a silver hairpin adorning her hair, Xie Lanxu’s expression shifted slightly—subtle, yet complex.

He quickly averted his gaze, pretending not to recognize her.

Lu Congruan bowed to Xie Lanxu and then said to Lu Han, “Alright, everyone’s here—let’s move out.”

The group divided into three and boarded the carriages in succession. Li Zhi was just about to follow Jia Sui when Lu Congruan called out to her.

“Li Zhi—” Lu Congruan had one foot on the carriage step and the other still on the stool as he raised his brows and looked at her. “You’re the tea-brewing maid. Get on the carriage.”

Everyone present, even the other servants, knew full well which courtyard Li Zhi worked in. So when the eldest young master of the Lu family personally called her onto his carriage, it naturally gave rise to some speculative glances.

Under the weight of those curious and varied gazes, Li Zhi lowered her head and got into Lu Congruan’s carriage.

The carriage interior was spacious. Lu Congruan sat facing the door, with Xunfeng seated to his left. Li Zhi chose a corner on his right side and settled there.

The driver flicked the reins with a crisp shout, and the carriage began to move slowly forward.

Inside the carriage, Lu Congruan broke the silence.

“Since you’ve been at Mingyue Tower for so long, have you ever gone beyond its walls?”

“I’ve been to the nearby town a few times,” Li Zhi replied.

“That’s a shame,” Lu Congruan said. “People like to call Mingyue Tower a living hell, but I think it’s more like a paradise on earth. The grasslands and snowcapped mountains here are second to none.”

Li Zhi put on a polite expression of attentive listening.

“When this servant first came here, I couldn’t get used to it. But now, I wouldn’t want to return to that big cage of a capital. Life here is much free and more joyful,” Lu Congruan remarked.

“Your open-mindedness, young master, is truly rare,” Li Zhi said lightly.

“Once you’ve stayed here long enough, you’ll understand—this is a good place,” he said.

Lu Congruan reached for some sunflower seeds on the small table, but Xunfeng quickly interjected, “Allow me, young master.”

The beautiful maid skillfully peeled the sunflower seeds and fed the white kernels to Lu Congruan. He opened his mouth without hesitation, accustomed to such treatment.

Li Zhi lowered her eyes, her expression blank as she feigned disinterest, trying to blend into the background.

Compared to Xie Lanxu, who was two years younger than him but far more composed, Lu Congruan seemed every bit a spoiled child in her eyes.

The carriage sped away from the town, and after traveling for about an hour, Li Zhi finally saw a vast expanse of grassland through the window.

It was her first time seeing the true Mingyue Tower.

“We’ve arrived. Time to get off,” Lu Congruan said as he stood and stepped down from the carriage.

Li Zhi was the last to disembark. As she stepped out, her gaze was met with an ocean of green stretching endlessly before her.

The azure sky was dotted with drifting clouds. The wind moved the clouds, brushing over the verdant meadows. Beneath the morning sun, streams winding through the grassland reflected hues of white, pink, and pale purple wildflowers. As the sunlight broke through the clouds, the streams glittered with golden ripples.

Born and raised in the capital, this was the first time Li Zhi had encountered such an unfettered and majestic landscape.

She gazed at the beauty before her, momentarily overcome with silent awe.

The passengers from all three carriages had also disembarked, marveling aloud at the grassland scenery.

“Hyah! Hyah!”

The sound of whips cracked in the distance, and soon, a dozen riders emerged from the foot of the nearby mountains. Upon spotting the group from the Commander’s mansion, the riders spurred their horses forward without hesitation.

Lu Congruan watched them approach, his interest visibly piqued.

“The Moqi family’s people are here already. Bring me my horse!”

A servant quickly brought his horse forward, and with a nimble movement, Lu Congruan mounted it effortlessly.

“Hyah!”

The brown horse under him neighed and dashed forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Not far away, Lu Han said to Xie Lanxu, “My son’s recklessness must have given you a poor impression, Your Highness.”

“There are no unworthy sons in a tiger’s den. Young Master Lu’s skill in horsemanship and hunting shows that he will someday be an asset on the battlefield,” Xie Lanxu replied with a faint smile.

Though Lu Han offered modest words of denial, he couldn’t hide the pride on his face.

Before long, the dozen riders returned, accompanied by Lu Congruan, galloping back toward the group. Trailing behind them were two tall and ornately decorated carriages.

When Lu Congruan dismounted before Lu Han, Li Zhi got a clear look at the others.

The riders were all young nobles, both men and women, ranging in age from their late teens to early twenties. Their features were distinctly different from those of the Han people—high brows, deep-set eyes, and bronze skin.

Among them, the most striking was a young woman clad in red riding attire. Her large, enchanting eyes, framed by long double eyelids, sparkled with energy. She resembled a fiery, lively phoenix.

She was the first to dismount, and as she approached Xie Lanxu, her demeanor shifted. The fiery phoenix became a fluttering red bird, circling around him with unconcealed affection.

The doors of the two ornately patterned carriages opened, and several individuals stepped out, all sharing the same distinct ethnic features. At the forefront was a man around Lu Han’s age, who walked over with a hearty laugh. After first bowing to Xie Lanxu, he greeted Lu Han warmly and began exchanging pleasantries.

“That’s the head of the Moqi family, one of the local noble clans,” a voice said softly beside Li Zhi.

She turned to find Jia Sui standing next to her.

“Moqi?” Li Zhi echoed, the name striking a familiar chord. “Is it the same Moqi family that remained in Mingyue Tower years ago?”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Jia Sui whispered conspiratorially into her ear. “The Moqi family here and the Moqi clan in Yizhou were once the same household.”

Li Zhi fell into thoughtful silence.

This all dated back to the time when Yizhou was still called the Kingdom of Yi.

The last emperor of the Kingdom of Yi launched a disastrous war, the aftermath of which led to the territory being annexed by the Great Cui Empire and turned into Yizhou Province.

Although Yizhou had once been a sovereign kingdom, when the current emperor ascended the throne, he rejected the Yi King’s plea for independence, incorporating Yizhou into the jurisdiction of Mingyue Tower’s Commander.

The Yi King was none other than the royal family of the former Kingdom of Yi, bearing the surname Moqi.

The Moqi clan residing in Mingyue Tower were the descendants of those royal members who had been sent as hostages and left behind after swearing allegiance to the Cui dynasty.