Chapter 13: An Itch in the Heart

He seemed to be rejoicing at her arrival…

In Qingzhou, it was common for young men and women to exchange embroidered pouches to express their affection.

If it really was an embroidered pouch, that would be troublesome.

After all, he had come to the capital for the Spring Examination and had neither the intention nor the energy to develop anything with a young lady.

Shen Ji frowned slightly. “This is…”

“Oh, it’s a pen case I made,” Su Zhenyue explained with a smile, her demeanor poised and graceful. “I thought that since Cousin is a scholar, you would have use for it.”

“A pen case?” Shen Ji was slightly surprised.

This thing looked so much like an embroidered pouch, yet it was a pen case?

Were pens this short?

“Yes, look, Cousin.” Su Zhenyue undid the hidden clasp, and the square-shaped cloth pouch suddenly lengthened.

Looking at it now, it did somewhat resemble a pen case. Moreover, the interior was divided into compartments, a rather novel and interesting design.

Su Zhenyue smiled gently and shyly. “It’s just a small token of my regard. Unfortunately, I’m not skilled at needlework, so it’s not very well made.”

—This pen case, which at first glance looked like an embroidered pouch, was a spur-of-the-moment idea, deliberately crafted. It was just like her previous ambiguous and subtle little schemes.

“No, it’s quite well made.” Shen Ji’s eyelids twitched. As he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, a strange, indescribable feeling stirred within him.

Alongside the relief, there seemed to be a sense of shame and something else.

He didn’t dwell on his feelings. After a pause, he politely declined, “It’s just that I already have quite a few pen boxes. You should take this back…”

“Does Cousin find the craftsmanship crude?” Su Zhenyue cut in, her fine brows furrowing slightly as her clear eyes misted over.

Shen Ji frowned. “Hm?”

Had he said that? He had clearly just said, “it’s quite well made.”

“Then is Cousin trying to draw a clear line between us?” Su Zhenyue asked again.

Before Shen Ji could answer, she continued, “That Longwei Inkstone from before, Cousin said it was a family heirloom. But this pen case isn’t, is it? If Cousin won’t even accept this, are you trying to tell me not to seek your help again in the future?”

The young lady spoke softly, her pace unhurried, her limpid autumn-water eyes fixed on him.

Shen Ji was silent for a moment before finally saying, “…Fine. Just this once.”

It was only a pen case, nothing significant. If he kept refusing, it would make him seem affected and strange.

A smile instantly bloomed in Su Zhenyue’s eyes. She said nothing, only nudging the pen case a little closer to him.

He was the one who said “just this once”; she had never agreed to it.

Having achieved her goal for the trip, Su Zhenyue did not linger. After thanking him again, she left with the wooden box in her arms.

Only after she had gone did Shen Ji take a serious look at the pen case.

It was clear that a lot of thought had gone into it; it wasn’t a common style. The thought that she had been working on this pen case while also tinkering with the sleeve arrow these past few days made him feel a little strange.

Suddenly, a hidden pattern on the inside of the pen case caught his attention.

Shen Ji looked closely and saw that it was a crane with its wings spread as if about to take flight, rendered with lifelike detail.

His heart trembled as if some strange emotion had just brushed past its depths.

Shen Ji, courtesy name He Ming.

Was she embroidering a crane, or was she embroidering his name?

For some reason, Shen Ji was suddenly reminded of the gilded peony on the plate that day.

His chest felt as if something had lightly pricked it, a faint, numb itch that vanished in an instant.

Was it a coincidence?

It must be a coincidence.

Shen Ji closed his eyes, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind. He did not use the pen case, instead storing it away in a drawer.

In the blink of an eye, it was late October. The weather grew colder, and the sky remained gloomy for several days in a row.

Tang Yuan was listless, hiding in its room and refusing to go out.

Su Zhenyue always kept the matter of getting close to Shen Ji in mind, but she couldn’t be too obvious about it. After all, a person’s thoughts were hard to guess. Whenever she sought him out, she had to find a seemingly legitimate reason.

Otherwise, what if he thought she was frivolous and wanton?

The best way was to make him fall for her of his own accord, to make him believe they were mutually in love. Only then might he be willing to secretly pledge his life to her during the national mourning period.

After much thought, Su Zhenyue felt that the “sleeve arrow” was a good topic. He would most likely be interested, and it would be of great benefit to her.

Last time, with Shen Ji’s guidance, she had successfully created a sleeve arrow. Unsatisfied with that, she had tried to hide the short arrow inside a bracelet upon her return.

Su Zhenyue drew a design and had a jewelry shop make a pair of bracelets, which she received several days later.

“Is the young miss going to wear this?” Doukou asked curiously.

Holding the bracelet, Su Zhenyue replied casually, “I won’t wear it now. I’ll wait a few days.”

The newly forged bracelet was made of refined iron plated with a layer of gold. An extremely exaggerated butterfly design covered the bracelet, and it came with a matching ring.

Although the jewelry was beautiful, its beauty was somewhat gaudy and vulgar. It was a stark contrast to Su Zhenyue’s clear, elegant, and refined temperament.

Yet she showed great interest, putting the bracelet on her wrist and showing it to Doukou. “How does it look?”

Doukou replied, somewhat against her conscience, “It’s alright.”

Su Zhenyue chuckled and said in a low voice, “It’s ‘alright’ now, but in a few days, it will be ‘very good’.”

“Why?” Doukou was puzzled.

Su Zhenyue smiled faintly. “You’ll know when the time comes.”

For the next few days, she studied how to hide the hidden arrow inside the bracelet and how to launch it.

She disassembled and reassembled it, then reassembled and disassembled it again.

After repeating this cycle many times, she finally achieved some small success.

That afternoon, the weather was beautiful for a change.

Su Zhenyue put on the bracelet with the hidden arrow and headed for Qingfeng Courtyard.

Ping An was still sunbathing. The moment he saw her, he smiled. “Miss Su is here?”

—After a few interactions, they had become quite familiar with each other.

“Mhm, is Cousin in?”

“He is. He just got back from outside,” Ping An said with a grin. “Miss Su, you have no idea. When it got cold a few days ago, I was quick enough to move the Hibiscus mutabilis branches indoors. They’re perfectly fine.”

Su Zhenyue remembered those branches. She nodded and said sincerely, “Thank you for your hard work.”

That large flowerpot looked anything but light.

“What’s so hard about it? Don’t mind my small stature, I’m very strong.”

Su Zhenyue chuckled in agreement. “Indeed you are.”

After a few simple pleasantries, she stepped inside.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Shen Ji coming out of the study.

—In truth, Shen Ji had known she was there the moment she appeared at the entrance of Qingfeng Courtyard.

Ping An’s voice had been a bit loud, and his slightly surprised “Miss Su is here?” had carried clearly to Shen Ji’s ears.

He had been in the study at the time. Hearing the commotion, he had subconsciously stood up and started walking outside.

A few moments later, he belatedly realized something was amiss.

He seemed to be rejoicing at her arrival.

This thought was like a pebble tossed into a lake, suddenly creating a ripple.

But Shen Ji quickly adjusted his mindset.

I was probably just too bored in the study, so I was happy to hear a guest had arrived, he thought.

It was a normal reaction, nothing to be surprised about.

Composing himself, Shen Ji walked slowly out of the study.

“Cousin!” Seeing him, Su Zhenyue immediately quickened her pace. Her eyes were sparkling, and her jade-like cheeks were full of smiles. “I have something good to show you.”

Shen Ji was taken aback. “What?”

Hadn’t she come empty-handed?

In that moment of hesitation, Shen Ji had already stopped in his tracks.

Su Zhenyue gracefully walked to his side, smiling as she extended both hands in front of him. “Look.”

Her skin was as white as snow, her hands especially so. Having been pampered all her life, her fingers were long and fair, with rounded dimples at the knuckles.

They were a very beautiful pair of hands.

But for some reason, Shen Ji felt a little flustered. He knitted his brows and quickly averted his gaze. “Look at what?”

“The bracelet, of course.” As if she hadn’t noticed, Su Zhenyue presented it like a treasure, even shaking her wrist lightly.

A white shadow flickered, accompanied by a soft clinking sound.

“Hm?” Shen Ji froze for a second, only then realizing he had misunderstood her intentions. His gaze shifted slightly, and he noticed the garish bracelet on her wrist.

For a moment, guilt mixed with shame washed over him. He cleared his throat, his tone softening considerably. “What’s wrong with the bracelet?”

The design was unique, very pretty.

“Just watch,” Su Zhenyue said softly. As she spoke, she turned the ring. With a swoosh, a short arrow shot out from the bracelet and embedded itself in the ground. She tilted her head to look at Shen Ji and asked with a grin, “How was that?”

Her watery eyes were bright, her brows and eyes curved with a smile.

It was as if she were being coquettish, yet also seeking praise.

Shen Ji’s gaze lowered slightly, avoiding her eyes. “You made it yourself?”

“I drew the blueprints and had a jewelry shop make it. It took a long time to figure it out,” Su Zhenyue sighed softly, then looked troubled. “Unfortunately, the range is very short, and I don’t know where the problem is. It can only shoot about ten paces.”

“Ten paces? Let me see,” Shen Ji said instinctively.

“Mhm.” Su Zhenyue nodded, raising her hand to show him the bracelet on her wrist.

As she moved, a sweet, faint fragrance wafted over. Four words suddenly surfaced in Shen Ji’s mind: a subtle fragrance fills the sleeves.

An unnatural expression flashed across his face as he averted his gaze. “Take the bracelet off and let me see.”

“Oh, oh.” As if she had just realized, Su Zhenyue hurriedly took off the bracelet and ring and carefully handed them to him.

Shen Ji reached out to take them.

In that moment of giving and receiving, he felt a sudden itch in his palm, which sent a wave of tingling numbness through him. Her fingers had accidentally brushed lightly against his palm.

In that instant, it was as if a soft feather had grazed his heart, leaving a slight itch in his chest.

Just then, Ping An’s voice, suddenly raised in surprise, rang out from the gate: “Heir Apparent, why have you come?”