Chapter 27

Proofreader: Mim

“By the way, how did you end up being called here?” Jia Sui finally found the opportunity to ask a question that had been on her mind.

“It was the young master who summoned me,” Li Zhi replied. “Yesterday, I went to deliver books to Fufeng Courtyard and happened to meet him. Today, he ordered me to accompany him on this trip.”

“I think I know why,” Jia Sui said knowingly. “Every time the young master goes out, he brings the prettiest maid from the courtyard. It’s said that these noble young lords take pride in whose maids are the most beautiful. Before, the young master always brought Xunfeng along.”

“This might cause trouble. Xunfeng will definitely hold a grudge against you,” Jia Sui said worriedly. “The young master may be easygoing, but Xunfeng is extremely competitive.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t provoke her,” Li Zhi said casually.

“Still, it’s best to be cautious,” Jia Sui advised.

A while later, the servants busied themselves setting up a tea table and a canopy on the wildflower-filled grassland.

Li Zhi knelt on a soft cushion, carefully controlling the heat for brewing tea.

Just a few steps away, Xie Lanxu, Lu Han, and the others sat around the tea table, chatting.

“It’s been a while since we last met, at Wenxin Restaurant. Today, I toast to Your Highness with tea instead of wine,” the Moqi family head laughed heartily, downing his tea in one go with bold and carefree energy.

“I’m new here and still have much to learn. I’ll be counting on your guidance, sir,” Xie Lanxu replied with a smile.

Li Zhi focused on observing the water in the teapot while listening to the occasional bursts of laughter from behind.

It seemed Xie Lanxu was already on good terms with the Moqi family—especially with that fiery phoenix-like girl. If he wanted to strengthen ties with the Moqi family, marriage would undoubtedly be a profitable choice. The Moqi family head would likely support such an alliance.

However, Xie Lanxu’s ambitions appeared to be far greater, and he likely wouldn’t offer the position of his main wife to a daughter of the Moqi family.

Unbeknownst to her, Xie Lanxu had been stealing glances at her from the crowd.

He was well-acquainted with the concept of jealousy—his half-brother had envied him, and his father’s concubine had been hostile toward his mother. Based on that knowledge, he assumed that Li Zhi must also be burning with envy at this moment.

She’s putting on quite the brave face, Xie Lanxu thought to himself.

After refilling the tea for the group under the canopy twice, Xie Lanxu excused himself, claiming exhaustion, and returned to the carriage to rest.

This left only Lu Han and the Moqi family head, whose conversation soon shifted to the one who had just left.

“…If the Crown Prince could see His Highness like this, who knows how much pain it would cause him,” Lu Han remarked.

“The Emperor spared his life only for the Crown Prince’s sake,” the Moqi family head said, still shaken. “After all, treason is a capital crime…”

“Do you really believe the Crown Prince committed treason?” Lu Han asked. “This entire matter was suspicious from the start…”

“What’s done is done; discussing it now is pointless,” the Moqi family head sighed. “We’ve finally got the chance to come out here—why just sit and drink tea? Want to see who can catch the best prey?”

“Fine, let’s do it! You think I’m afraid of you?”

The two stood up, dusted off their sleeves, and mounted the fine horses their servants brought forward.

“Hyah!”

The two horses galloped off, one after the other.

Li Zhi wasn’t sure if she should continue tending to the tea stove. While she hesitated, a young man on horseback stopped in front of her.

He was one of the Moqi youths who had been racing horses with Lu Congruan earlier. He looked as proud as his steed, but his gaze was shifty as he stared at Li Zhi.

After a long moment, he finally squeezed out a question. “Are you a young lady of the Lu family?”

Realizing his misunderstanding, Li Zhi stood and curtsied.

“Young master, you’ve misunderstood. I am merely Miss Lu’s maid. Our young lady isn’t here today.”

“You’re a maid?” The young man dismounted, circling around Li Zhi twice with a look of disbelief. “You must be lying.”

“I truly wouldn’t dare lie to you,” Li Zhi said.

The young man scratched the back of his head, still unconvinced but at a loss.

While they were at an impasse, a few more young men on horseback rode over, stopping next to the first youth before dismounting.

“Well? What’s going on, little brother?” asked the tallest and eldest-looking one with a laugh.

“She says she’s a maid, not a young lady,” the first boy replied, flustered.

“I told you, she couldn’t possibly be a Lu family lady,” said another boy in a green robe. “Han ladies of status don’t do their own work!”

The first youth, evidently the youngest of the group, became the target of his brothers’ good-natured teasing for his impulsive actions.

“So what if she’s a maid?” the eldest youth laughed. “Our Moqi family doesn’t care about such things!”

“Exactly!” the youngest boy said enthusiastically. Turning to Li Zhi, he asked, “Would you like to ride horses with me?”

“You haven’t even introduced yourself!” the boy in green reminded him.

“I’m Moqi She,” the youngest boy said promptly. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Li Zhi,” she replied politely. “Thank you for your kind offer, Young Master She, but I still have tasks to attend to and cannot accept.”

“What task? I’ll have someone else do it for you—come ride with me!” Moqi She insisted.

As Li Zhi struggled to come up with an excuse, Xigua, one of Xie Lanxu’s maids, arrived to help her out.

“His Highness wants the tea you’ve brewed. I’ll watch the water here—you’d better take a pot over quickly.”

“Excuse me,” Li Zhi said with relief. She bowed to the disappointed Moqi She, picked up the tea pot, and walked toward the carriage.

Only then did the group of young men disperse.

When Li Zhi reached the carriage, someone inside pulled back the embroidered curtain—it was Taozi, dressed in her usual blue ruqun.

Xie Lanxu was reclining leisurely against the wall of the carriage, holding a steaming cup of tea. He didn’t look the least bit tired.

Just as Li Zhi was about to step in with the tea pot, Xie Lanxu spoke.

“I don’t feel like drinking tea anymore. Push me around for a while.”

When the master gave an order, the servants had to comply. Taozi and Li Zhi, the two young women, struggled to move the perfectly capable Xie Lanxu from the carriage into his wheelchair.

By the time they were done, Li Zhi had broken out in a light sweat. As she pushed the wheelchair, she asked, “Where does Your Highness wish to go?”

“Anywhere,” Xie Lanxu replied nonchalantly.

And so, Li Zhi simply pushed him aimlessly forward…

“Your Highness, you didn’t ask me what did Commander Lu and Head of the Moqi family talk about after you left?” Li Zhi asked.

“What you heard were only things they wanted you to hear,” Xie Lanxu chuckled softly. “Do you think Lu Han doesn’t know you’re my person?”

“Your Highness means that Lu Han has ulterior motives?”

“Just a little thought, nothing particularly malicious,” Xie Lanxu replied. “He hopes that through you, I’ll understand he has no ill intentions towards me.”

Li Zhi continued to push Xie Lanxu’s wheelchair aimlessly across the grassland. Soon, a small stream appeared ahead of them. The water was crystal clear, and the pebbles at the bottom were easily visible. Occasionally, a small fish darted through the water, its movements quick and fleeting.

Li Zhi stopped by the stream. Both of them silently enjoyed the gentle breeze that brushed past their faces.

“The one who just spoke to you is the youngest son of the Moqi family, Moqi She,” Xie Lanxu remarked. “The ones standing beside him were his older brothers, Moqi Ji and Moqi Li. The three of them share the same mother.”

“Moqi She has just reached the age of adulthood, but he’s still entirely clueless when it comes to matters of love. The Moqi family head has tried to arrange matches for him several times, but every effort has failed. Yet today, he unexpectedly took the initiative to speak to Miss Li Zhi,” Xie Lanxu added with an amused tone. “With your cleverness, Miss Li Zhi, becoming the wife of a Moqi noble wouldn’t be too difficult.”

Li Zhi picked up on the sarcastic undertone in his voice.

“A mere servant like me would never dare to dream of marrying into the Moqi family. Please don’t tease me, Your Highness,” Li Zhi replied with a smile.

Xie Lanxu’s expression grew sharper. “Oh? By your reasoning, then… would a mere servant dare to dream of the Imperial grandson?”

Li Zhi looked at his face carefully, trying to gauge his mood before responding tentatively.

“This servant is wrong. From now on, I will not indulge in any foolish fantasies,” she said.

Xie Lanxu shot her a frosty glance, his expression unreadable.

Li Zhi, however, wasn’t intimidated. She walked around to his side, grinned mischievously, and tugged lightly at his sleeve.

“Of course, I was joking, Your Highness. Surely you know that I’m the boldest and most audacious of them all.”

Xie Lanxu let out a soft, disdainful snort.

Kneeling on the grass, Li Zhi picked two stalks of foxtail grass and began weaving them together with nimble fingers. Before long, she had shaped the grass into a small rabbit’s head.

“Your Highness, give me your hand,” she said, looking up at him with a smile.

Xie Lanxu extended his hand slowly.

Li Zhi slipped the makeshift rabbit-shaped ring onto his finger and said with a bright, teasing smile, “No matter what your identity is, no matter whether you can return to the capital or not—”

She met his eyes directly, her tone serious yet soft, as if challenging him to discern whether her words were true or false.

“to me Ah-Li will always be different from everyone else.”

Xie Lanxu stared at her for a long moment, his gaze deep and unreadable.

—-

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the Lu family’s carriages and horses finally began their leisurely journey back home, loaded with the spoils of their hunt.

Back at the estate, the various courtyards all received gifts of game meat sent by Lu Congruan. As one of the servants who had participated in the hunt, Li Zhi received an extra share.

She and Jia Sui prepared several dishes with the wild game and invited her younger brother and sister, Li Xiangsheng and Li Cien, to her small servant’s quarters for a hearty feast.

Meanwhile, Lu Congruan did something highly unusual—he paid a visit to his sister Lu Xuan’s Xuan Zhi Courtyard.

“What? You want Li Zhi?” Lu Xuan was stunned.

“I absolutely won’t let you suffer any losses! Whatever kind of maid you want, I’ll find one for you,” Lu Congruan said with a flattering smile as he stood beside her, kneading her shoulders. “Just let me have Li Zhi, alright?”

“What do you even want Li Zhi for?” Lu Xuan asked suspiciously. “Don’t you already have enough beautiful maids in your courtyard?”

“Who would ever complain about having too many treasures in their collection?” Lu Congruan said with a grin.

“No way. You can have any other maid, but not Li Zhi,” Lu Xuan said firmly. “I still need her to keep me company when we discuss books.”

“She can still keep you company even if she’s in another courtyard! I promise, whenever you want her to chat about books, I’ll let her come to you. How about that?”

“Still no—”

“Please, dear sister, just say yes! I hardly ever ask you for anything. You know what kind of person I am—Li Zhi would live a good life in my courtyard. I’m not one to abuse my power or mistreat people. What are you so worried about?” Lu Congruan added another bargaining chip with a sly smile. “If you agree to give me Li Zhi, I’ll give you that rare book you’ve been wanting for ages.”

Lu Xuan hesitated, her expression wavering. Seeing her reluctance start to crumble, Lu Congruan knew he had won.

After much coaxing and bargaining, he finally got his way.

Later that evening, just as Li Zhi was cleaning up after a hotpot meal, a message arrived from Xuan Zhi Courtyard: she had been reassigned.

Lu Congruan had personally negotiated with Lu Xuan to have her transferred.

From now on, she would serve in Fufeng Courtyard.

Li Zhi didn’t want to move to Fufeng Courtyard, but as a servant, she had no right to refuse.

The next morning, she went to bid farewell to Lu Xuan. Seeing that Lu Xuan made no effort to stop her, Li Zhi understood there was no way to undo this decision.

Without wasting further words, she silently packed her belongings and moved into Fufeng Courtyard.