Chapter 20: Joy. It’s Settled, Just Like That?

And so, Shen Ji forced himself to stop in his tracks and opened the window instead.

Cold wind blew in, and the Warm Pavilion instantly became much cooler, no longer as stuffy as before.

Su Zhenyue let out a soft breath, but her cheeks were still faintly red, and her heart was more nervous than ever before.

Shen Ji turned back and noticed the wooden box she was holding. He frowned slightly. “Why did you bring this over again?”

Did he not like it?

Su Zhenyue composed herself, lowered her head to open the wooden box, and asked with a hint of confusion, “Cousin, you had someone send these over because…”

“Mm.” Shen Ji took a few steps closer and straightened his sleeves, his tone as light as a cloud, as if he were speaking of something utterly ordinary. “Weren’t we talking the other day about coating short arrows with Anesthetic? I didn’t have any extra Anesthetic on hand, but I gathered these and had someone send them to you first.”

He directly omitted the complicated process in between.

Su Zhenyue was momentarily stunned, then her eyes widened in disbelief. “Just… short arrows coated with Anesthetic?”

“What else?” Shen Ji raised an eyebrow, surprised by her reaction. “Didn’t Ping An tell you when he gave them to you?”

Wasn’t it obvious? Why was she so shocked?

“Ping An… Ping An did say to be careful when handling them,” Su Zhenyue said sheepishly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

She had thought there was some special meaning behind Shen Ji having someone deliver arrows so early in the morning. After all, he had heard her “unintentional” monologue last night.

So they really were just short arrows, coated with a layer of Anesthetic.

It wasn’t that the gift was bad; it was just so far beyond her expectations. And to think she had been racking her brain, recalling every poem she knew that contained the word “arrow.”

Who knew he had no special meaning in mind at all.

Su Zhenyue’s feelings were complicated. She pressed her lips together, a rare hint of disappointment showing on her face, but at the same time, she felt a little relieved.

She optimistically consoled herself: It’s fine, it’s fine. At least it’s not an outright rejection or him distancing himself.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Ji keenly noticed the change in her expression.

“No, it’s nothing.” Su Zhenyue forced a smile and quickly adjusted her mood, putting on a look of someone who was both moved and reluctant to accept. “I just feel that these are rare. Cousin should keep them for his own use. It’s too much of a waste to give them to me.”

Shen Ji smiled, unconcerned. “What’s so wasteful about it? You use them for now. Next year, when I’ve gathered enough medicinal herbs, I’ll send you some more Anesthetic.”

Well, perhaps next year they would be married, and they would be one. There would be no talk of sending or not sending then.

“Mm,” Su Zhenyue nodded, looking utterly trusting, but a sliver of doubt lingered in her heart. Did he hear what I said last night or not?

Why was the situation different from what she had guessed? Had she misjudged the distance?

Yet she couldn’t just ask him directly.

“Then…” Su Zhenyue had just hesitantly uttered a single word when she heard Shen Ji’s voice. “The Wintersweet from last time is about to wither…”

“Hm?” Su Zhenyue was slightly surprised, not understanding why he had suddenly brought this up.

Shen Ji smiled faintly, gazing into her eyes, and said unhurriedly, “The blooming season isn’t over yet. Why don’t you cut two more branches for me?”

His tone was gentler than ever before.

Su Zhenyue was still lost in her own thoughts. Hearing this, she blinked in a daze and answered slowly, “Oh, alright.”

Since they had met, Shen Ji had rarely seen her look so stupefied. He found it novel and adorable, and it even made his heart itch with the impulse to reach out and affectionately pat her head.

But the moment the thought arose, he suppressed it.

No, stop. We have no official standing with each other right now. I mustn’t be presumptuous.

Su Zhenyue, however, was gradually piecing things together. Wait, he’s taking the initiative to ask me to cut more Wintersweet for him? This is definitely not the action of someone who wants to draw a clear line between us!

Perhaps his sudden gift of arrows was a kind of overture?

The arrows themselves had no meaning, but the sudden gesture might not be without significance. After all, he had never promised to do this before.

Judging by his usual way of doing things, both of these actions were highly abnormal.

At this thought, Su Zhenyue’s heart began to pound, a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Her eyes glinted as she called out softly, “Cousin—”

The young lady’s eyes were shimmering, her voice soft and gentle, as if she had something to say but was holding back.

Shen Ji’s heart trembled. He felt an unfamiliar itch rise from the very marrow of his bones.

He thought to himself that he truly had been slow-witted not to have noticed her feelings for him earlier, letting her suffer from such lovesickness.

Forget it. Since I’ve already decided to ask for her hand in marriage, why not let her know sooner? It will put her mind at ease.

The Warm Pavilion seemed a little hot again. Shen Ji walked a few steps to the window. The cool breeze caressed his face, and his mind became crystal clear. Without looking at Su Zhenyue, he said, word by word, “The Spring Examination is imminent, and it is also a national mourning period. Right now, I must focus on preparing for the imperial exam…”

Su Zhenyue was taken aback, and then her heart plummeted.

Had she guessed wrong?

Was he about to tactfully reject her?

However, she saw him turn his head back to look at her seriously, his tone shifting abruptly. “After the results are announced, I will ask the Old Madam to make the arrangements.”

“Arrange what?” Su Zhenyue’s eyelids twitched.

“The marriage,” Shen Ji answered simply.

Su Zhenyue’s face turned snow-white, her lashes trembling lightly. Her voice also carried an unconscious tremor. “With whom?”

A ghost of a smile played on Shen Ji’s lips. He didn’t answer, but asked in return, “Who do you think? Cousin.”

This was the first time he had called her “Cousin” in this way. His voice was clear and crisp, and this single word carried a rare hint of teasing and intimacy.

Su Zhenyue’s red lips parted slightly in astonishment, and her jet-black pupils suddenly lit up.

She stood up, feigning an excited and flustered look. “Cousin, you, I…”

But her heart was already thumping wildly in her chest.

The corners of Shen Ji’s lips curved up. “However, this is ultimately my one-sided wish. Whether it can come to pass still depends on your feelings, Cousin.”

She is a young lady, after all, and thin-skinned. I might as well lower my stance and take all the initiative upon myself.

Su Zhenyue’s mind went blank for a second. She secretly pinched the palm of her hand to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

Something I’ve worked so hard for, is it settled, just like that?

Shen Ji clasped his hands behind his back, a smile on his face as he took in the changes in her expression. He asked slowly, “So, what are your thoughts, Cousin?”

Su Zhenyue steadied herself and shot him a quick glance, the blush on her cheeks yet to fade. “I… I am very happy.”

“Mm.” Shen Ji was not at all surprised. He only said, “That’s wonderful.”

Just then, Gu Yuanjing’s voice suddenly rang out from the courtyard. “Where’s Cousin Shen? Cousin—”

He had been completely engrossed in revising his painting just now and had vaguely heard Cousin Shen say something to him, but he hadn’t paid much attention. When he finished his revisions and wanted to ask Cousin Shen for his opinion, he turned around to find him gone.

So, Gu Yuanjing had come out into the courtyard.

Shen Ji frowned slightly. Why did he have to pick this moment?

But Su Zhenyue said, “Cousin, you should go attend to your business. I’ll go back to cut the wintersweet in a little while.”

“Alright.”

Hearing the commotion, Ping An hurried over to Gu Yuanjing’s side. “Fourth Young Master, my master, he…”

He had only gotten a few words out when Shen Ji walked out of the Warm Pavilion and cut him off, calling out, “What is it?”

“My master is over there,” Ping An said with a grin, swallowing the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Gu Yuanjing didn’t press for details, only looking at Shen Ji. “Cousin Shen, I’ve finished revising the painting.”

“Oh?” Shen Ji raised an eyebrow and returned to the study with him. He carefully examined the revised areas and offered a few practical and pertinent comments.

Gu Yuanjing nodded as he listened, deeply convinced.

After a while, he belatedly remembered something. “Cousin, did you have something to attend to just now? I wonder if now…”

At that moment, Shen Ji’s gaze was drawn to the departing figure in the courtyard. His eyes flickered. “It’s fine.”

Since our hearts are now promised to each other, there’s no need to be concerned about this brief moment.

He was in an excellent mood today, even taking the initiative to offer to help Gu Yuanjing transcribe a copy of a painting manual from a previous dynasty.

Gu Yuanjing was both surprised and delighted, thanking him profusely.

“It’s a small matter,” Shen Ji said with a simple smile.

Who could blame him? He was in a good mood today.

…

When Su Zhenyue returned to the West Wing Courtyard, she didn’t rush to cut the flowers. Instead, she threw her arms around Nanxing.

Suddenly pulled into a full embrace, Nanxing was completely astonished, her hands hovering awkwardly. “Miss?”

Su Zhenyue was brimming with joy. It took her a good while to release Nanxing. She let out a light laugh, the pearl hairpins in her hair swaying and glittering. “Nanxing, I am just so happy.”

Through her unremitting efforts, Shen Ji had taken the initiative to propose a marriage contract with her.

The only slight complication now was that Shen Ji wanted to discuss the marriage after the examination results were announced, while she needed it to be formally settled as soon as the national mourning period was over.

There was a certain difference in their timelines.

But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t a big problem. It could all be resolved.

Mwah mwah mwah mwah, update tomorrow at 9 PM
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