Chapter 16: Out of Control

The current situation was a bit beyond his control.

Su Zhenyue came to a stop in the courtyard.

Perhaps because of the cold, her cheeks were faintly flushed.

Shen Ji’s focus sharpened, and he rose to walk outside.

The moment she saw him, Su Zhenyue’s eyes lit up, her face filled with an unconcealable joy. “Cousin!”

Shen Ji descended the steps. “It’s so cold. Is there something you need?”

“Can’t I come looking for you even if there’s nothing I need?” The young woman tilted her head, her eyes glinting as her voice turned soft.

Shen Ji wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but her tone seemed to carry a hint of petulance. It was like a grievance, yet also like coquetry.

—This was not the attitude one should have toward a distant cousin.

But in the next instant, she slipped off her Hand Warmer, placed the Chiseled Flower Hand Warmer on the stone table, and carefully removed the specially made Bracelet. In a businesslike tone, she said, “Cousin, I had someone polish this Bracelet again. Its range is a bit farther than before, but it’s still not far enough. Is there still a problem somewhere?”

“Hm?” Seeing her turn to serious matters, Shen Ji took a few steps closer and reached for the Bracelet.

At the same time, his peripheral vision fell upon the sea-green Hand Warmer.

He hadn’t been mistaken; it was identical.

The only difference was that this Hand Warmer had a crescent moon embroidered on the inside with silvery-yellow thread.

He remembered her name: Su Zhenyue.

Without a doubt, this crescent moon represented herself.

Shen Ji took the Bracelet, not rushing to inspect it. Instead, he looked at the Hand Warmer, then back at her, his expression strange.

Su Zhenyue blinked her almond-shaped eyes, her expression both puzzled and innocent. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with this Hand Warmer?”

“There’s no problem with the Hand Warmer,” Shen Ji denied. After a pause, he said, “It just looks a bit like the one you gave me.”

“You noticed?” Su Zhenyue looked pleasantly surprised and smiled faintly. “I made two identical ones. One for you, and one for me.”

Shen Ji was momentarily at a loss for words.

Wait, didn’t she find this a bit too intimate?

After a moment of silence, Shen Ji asked, “Why make them identical?”

Could it be that this was the only style she knew how to make?

“Because I want to use the same one as you, Cousin,” the young woman blurted out. Then, perhaps regretting her slip of the tongue, she glanced at him quickly, the tips of her ears flushing red as she showed a rare hint of bashfulness.

She bit her lip gently and said, as if to cover it up, “I—I was just joking. I just think this style is pretty and warm, so I…”

Shen Ji froze. The suspicion he had suppressed earlier began to grow wildly in his heart, like vines after a spring rain.

Su Zhenyue had only been a little suggestive to test his attitude; she hadn’t intended to expose her feelings completely. Thus, she hastily changed the subject in a fluster. “Right, Cousin, look at this Bracelet. Is there anything else that needs fixing?”

—She had the heart to flirt with him, yet was unwilling to leave any obvious evidence against herself.

“Let me see.” Shen Ji came back to his senses and lowered his head to study the Bracelet.

Su Zhenyue stood to the side, watching him quietly. When he inadvertently looked up, she would smile at him with a touch of shyness.

What had been mere speculation for Shen Ji was now becoming a certainty, combining her behavior today with all their previous interactions: Miss Su probably had feelings for him.

That was why she had specifically sought his help and would give him small gifts from time to time.

This conclusion made his heart tremble with a strange, tingling numbness.

But with the task at hand, he forcibly pushed aside his chaotic thoughts and focused on examining the Bracelet in his hand.

After a moment, Shen Ji handed it back to her. “It’s the same problem as last time. I’ve tightened the knob here for you. Give it a try.”

“Okay.” Su Zhenyue took it and tried as he instructed.

The range was less than thirty paces, but it was much better than before.

“Is this the farthest it can go?” Su Zhenyue was a little disappointed. She remembered that sleeve arrows could reach up to fifty paces.

“From the looks of it, this is the farthest it can go for now,” Shen Ji explained. “Its advantage is that it’s concealable and convenient, allowing for surprise attacks. In terms of power alone, it’s certainly not as good as a sleeve arrow. And a sleeve arrow is not as good as a proper crossbow bolt. If you really want to increase its power, you’ll probably have to coat the darts in poison…”

“Coat them with Anesthetic? Like yours, Cousin?” Su Zhenyue’s eyes lit up.

Hearing the words “like yours, Cousin,” Shen Ji couldn’t help but think of the nearly identical Hand Warmers. An unnatural look flashed across his face. “Mm.”

Su Zhenyue had always been fascinated by the power of that Anesthetic. But she had heard from Ping An that it was extremely difficult to obtain. Therefore, she didn’t dare to dream of asking Shen Ji to prepare it for her, only secretly thinking that it would be wonderful if she could get her hands on some in the future.

Unexpectedly, Shen Ji said nonchalantly, “A few key ingredients for that Anesthetic are not easy to gather. If you want some, you’ll probably have to wait a year or so before I can make it for you.”

“You’ll prepare it for me, Cousin?!” Su Zhenyue’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The surprise in her eyes was so obvious that Shen Ji couldn’t tell if it was because of the Anesthetic or because he was the one who would help her.

He was slightly taken aback, surprised at his own soft-heartedness toward her, but the words were already out, and there was no taking them back.

Thus, Shen Ji said, “The ingredients aren’t complete, so I can’t do it now.” He then added nonchalantly, “Besides, I need to use it myself. I’m not making it specifically for you.”

“Thank you anyway, Cousin.” The smile in Su Zhenyue’s eyes did not diminish.

Even if it was just a byproduct, it was still a great kindness.

Shen Ji lowered his gaze and helped her adjust the other Bracelet. “It’s cold. You should head back early.”

“Okay.” Su Zhenyue obediently agreed and did not linger. She put on her Bracelets, held her hand warmer, and left with a beaming smile.

Qingfeng Courtyard returned to its previous quiet.

But Shen Ji pressed his fingers to his brow.

The moment he closed his eyes, the young woman’s surprised and joyful face appeared before him.

He faintly realized that the current situation was a bit beyond his control.

Shen Ji had become famous at a young age and was handsome. Back in Qingzhou, it wasn’t as if no woman had ever expressed admiration for him; even his teacher had offered to act as a matchmaker. But he had politely refused them all, never taking it to heart.

But Miss Su was different from the others.

He probably couldn’t bring himself to say those words of rejection to her.

But on second thought, perhaps it was just gratitude, not admiration. After all, she had never overstepped any boundaries when they were together.

Why should he trouble himself over this?

…

After Su Zhenyue returned to the West Wing Courtyard, she was still thinking about what had just happened.

She had revealed a hint of her feelings today, but she couldn’t quite figure out Shen Ji’s attitude.

Without a doubt, Shen Ji was very good to her and had helped her a great deal. He was even willing to help her without her asking, but it didn’t seem to carry any hint of romance.

Was she not being obvious enough? Or did he simply have no feelings for her in that regard?

Su Zhenyue knew she was being a little too hasty. They had only known each other for a little over a month. But time waited for no one; it was already the eleventh month. She couldn’t afford to take things slowly.

The weather improved the next day, and the Wintersweet in the West Wing Courtyard bloomed. Tender yellow blossoms hung from the branches, their cold, sweet, and secluded fragrance filling the air.

Su Zhenyue cut several branches of Wintersweet and had Doukou and Nanxing deliver them to Qingfeng Courtyard and Gu Yuanzhen, respectively.

Shen Ji wasn’t home, so Ping An accepted them on his behalf.

After receiving the Wintersweet, Gu Yuanzhen came to play with Su Zhenyue, bringing a Nine-Nine Cold Dispelling Picture with her.

“It’s so boring,” Gu Yuanzhen said, propping her forehead on her hand. “Sister Su, let’s sneak out and have some fun, shall we?”

Su Zhenyue shook her head gently. “I don’t really dare to.”

“You don’t dare? Are you afraid of…” Gu Yuanzhen made a throat-slitting gesture.

Su Zhenyue answered vaguely, “Yes.”

Of course, the main reason was that she was living under someone else’s roof, and her status was already awkward. At such a critical time, it was best not to cause any trouble.

“Alright then.” Gu Yuanzhen didn’t insist, but she hesitated before bringing up another matter. “Sister Su, my mother told me that in a few days, after the Empress Dowager is buried, no matter what my brother thinks, he has to go to the Princess Manor and bring Wen Shan back.”

“Zhenzhen, you should call her Sister-in-law, not by her full name,” Su Zhenyue gently corrected.

Gu Yuanzhen grew a little anxious. “Don’t worry about that right now, I’m talking about something serious. If she really comes back, what will you do?”

Su Zhenyue sighed. “What else can I do? She’ll live her life, and I’ll live mine.”

“What if she makes things difficult for you?”

“I’ll avoid her. Don’t worry, she won’t be able to do anything to me.”

Unlike Princess Chengping, Wen Shan was, after all, the story’s heroine and wouldn’t actively harm people. Besides, in that long dream, she and Wen Shan really didn’t have much interaction during this period.

The one Su Zhenyue feared was never her, but her mother, and the supreme Emperor behind her.

“But what if?” Gu Yuanzhen was still worried.

Su Zhenyue smiled faintly. “There won’t be a ‘what if’.”

However, Gu Yuanzhen’s words served as another reminder. The hundred-day national mourning period was already almost halfway over. She had to speed things up. It would be best if, by the time Chang Le Princess returned to the Gu family, she and Shen Ji were already “mutually in love.”

…

It was already getting dark when Shen Ji returned to the Jing An Marquis Estate.

—A fellow townsman from Qingzhou had come to visit today for a small gathering, so he had returned a little late.

He first went to Chunhui Hall to pay his respects to Old Madam Wen and had dinner with the Old Madam before returning to his study in Qingfeng Courtyard.

The moment he pushed the door open, he smelled a secluded fragrance amidst the cold air of the room.

He lit the lamp and, sure enough, saw a single branch of Wintersweet standing elegantly in a tall-necked white porcelain vase on the desk.

“Young Master!” Ping An hurried in. Seeing his young master staring at the Wintersweet on the desk, he quickly said with a smile, “Oh, Miss Su had someone send that Wintersweet over this afternoon.”

Shen Ji’s brow twitched. “Miss Su?”

“That’s right. She said there’s an old plum tree in the West Wing Courtyard that just bloomed today and smells wonderful. Miss Su cut a branch herself and had someone deliver it. Isn’t it fragrant?”

Shen Ji’s gaze was profound. “Mm, it is very fragrant.”