Chapter 22

“Is this… a portrait of my father?”

“Yes.” Shen Ji nodded. “I sought out the adjutants from back then, found records describing your esteemed father’s appearance, and sketched this based on their recollections. Unfortunately, my artistic skills are mediocre, so I don’t know how much of a resemblance it bears.”

Shen Ji had acted on a whim that day, only intending to give it a try, but he never expected to actually succeed.

It was also during this process that Shen Ji learned that General Su had sacrificed himself to protect his commander-in-chief. No wonder the personal guards who had gone through life and death with Jing’an Hou had such a deep impression of him. And no wonder the Gu family had taken his orphaned daughter into the Hou Mansion to be raised.

But, if that was the case, why did she have to conduct her worship in private?

At this thought, Shen Ji’s gaze darkened slightly.

Su Zhenyue, however, had already wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her expression earnest and sincere. “It’s a very good likeness. Thank you, Cousin.”

Her heart felt both sore and warm. In truth, after so many years, her father’s appearance had nearly faded from her memory; it wasn’t that she absolutely needed this portrait. But to think that someone would go to the trouble of placing her father’s portrait in her hands just because of a single remark she had made.

Su Zhenyue looked up at Shen Ji, thinking to herself, He truly is a very, very good person.

For a moment, a sense of shame washed over her heart, but she quickly and deliberately ignored it.

She would definitely repay him.

“Unfortunately, the portrait of your esteemed mother…”

“I know what my mother looks like,” Su Zhenyue interrupted him, a faint smile gracing her lips. “Everyone says I look just like my mother. The moment I look in the mirror, I know what she looked like.”

She carefully put the portrait away as if it were a rare treasure, then turned to look at the zither score.

The hole in the score had been mended so well that the repair was completely unnoticeable.

“It’s been mended so well,” Su Zhenyue said with a slight smile, not stingy with her praise.

“It’s not difficult. If you want to learn, I can teach you someday.”

“Alright.”

Remembering something, Shen Ji asked, “Your esteemed father’s death anniversary, isn’t it in a few days?”

“Yes. It’s tomorrow, the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.” Su Zhenyue remembered it clearly because her grandmother, before she passed, had mentioned many times that on the day after she gave birth to her father, the neighbors had brought not only brown sugar and eggs but also Laba Congee.

“Then do you want to go pay your respects to him tomorrow? I mean, at his grave.” Shen Ji had inadvertently learned that General Su’s grave was in the outskirts of the capital, just a few dozen li away.

Su Zhenyue was slightly taken aback. Pay respects at his grave?

Because the anniversary of his death and his death anniversary were very close, in previous years, she had always gone to his grave to pay respects only on the anniversary of his death, accompanied by Gu Yuanchen.

—It was called a grave, but it was really just a cenotaph. Of all the soldiers who died on the battlefield, how many had their bodies returned to their hometowns?

To be buried on the spot was already considered quite fortunate.

Seeing her crestfallen expression, Shen Ji hesitated. “If you don’t want to…”

“I do,” Su Zhenyue said. “As a child, it is my duty to offer sacrifices at his grave. But as you know, Cousin, I was targeted by assassins at the Zhuangzi not long ago, and the mastermind has yet to be caught. I’m afraid it would be dangerous for me to go out, and it would also cause trouble for the Hou Mansion. Besides, the Old Madam would not agree.”

Shen Ji frowned, disagreeing. “So if the culprit is never caught, you’ll just stay indoors for the rest of your life?”

There were indeed some women in this world who never stepped out of the inner courtyards their entire lives. But that was too pitiful.

“I…” Su Zhenyue thought to herself, It won’t be for that long. I just need to get through this current, greatest difficulty.

Seeing her wavering gaze and conflicted expression, Shen Ji sighed inwardly, feeling an even greater sense of pity for her difficult situation. He said earnestly, “If you trust me, I will accompany you and guarantee your safety. You can also bring your self-defense items.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Su Zhenyue mused that, in truth, she didn’t place much importance on the ritual of worship itself. As long as one’s heart was sincere, it didn’t matter where one was. If her father’s spirit was watching from the heavens, he surely wouldn’t want her to risk her life just to pay respects.

But right now, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse Shen Ji. It was obvious that on the night of the twenty-ninth of the eleventh month, he had seen her private worship and most likely believed that offering sacrifices to her father was extremely important to her.

Besides, a change of scenery might be more conducive to fostering their relationship. Perhaps after this, she could convince him to agree to an engagement as soon as the national mourning period was over.

In the span of a few breaths, numerous thoughts flashed through Su Zhenyue’s mind, and she finally made a decision.

Meeting Shen Ji’s gaze, she nodded lightly, her expression one of complete trust. “Alright, I’ll listen to you, Cousin.”

On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Zhenyue found an excuse to go to Qingfeng Courtyard.

Shen Ji had been waiting for a long time. “I’ve prepared everything. Go change your clothes first.”

“Change my clothes?”

“Of course.” Shen Ji looked her up and down. “You can’t possibly go out looking like this, can you?”

Su Zhenyue looked down at her own elegant dress and did not object.

—To avoid any complications, it was best not to alert anyone else in the Hou Mansion about this trip to pay respects.

So, she would change her clothes.

But these clothes looked a bit familiar.

Shen Ji explained, “These are the new winter clothes the Hou Mansion issued for Ping An. Don’t worry, they’ve never been worn; they’re brand new. You two are about the same height. They should fit.”

“Mm,” Su Zhenyue nodded.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Ji added, “These clothes won’t be given to Ping An to wear afterward. I’ll compensate him with a new set so he doesn’t lose out.”

Su Zhenyue’s cheeks flushed slightly. She hadn’t expected him to be so considerate as to think of even that.

She took the clothes and went into the Warm Pavilion to change.

It was warm inside the pavilion, so there was no need to worry about catching a cold. However, the thought that this was a place where Shen Ji usually spent his time made Su Zhenyue feel inexplicably ill at ease.

The doors and windows were shut tight. Su Zhenyue steadied her nerves, changed into the clothes, then undid her coiled hair and restyled it in a man’s fashion.

In the courtyard, Shen Ji stood with his hands behind his back, appearing calm, but his heart was already in turmoil.

Did she really trust him this much? She was placing her safety and her reputation entirely in his hands. Was she not afraid that he might be a bad person?

He supposed she must have extremely deep feelings for him to be able to do this.

Perhaps a short while later, or perhaps a long time later, the door to the Warm Pavilion opened, and Su Zhenyue walked out.

She was exquisitely beautiful, with a slender and graceful figure. In women’s clothes, she looked like a fairy descended to the mortal realm. Now, dressed as a man, although her bearing was poised, she was still a little too beautiful.

Shen Ji’s gaze flickered. His eyes swept over her porcelain-white face as he advised, “Put something on your face to disguise it a little. You’ll attract attention if you go out like this.”

Su Zhenyue came to a sudden realization; she had overlooked such details. No wonder she felt something was off.

“I’ll fix it right away.” She found a mirror and redid her makeup, managing to reduce her ten-tenths beauty by five or six-tenths.

Shen Ji was quite satisfied with her new appearance. “Not bad. When we go out later, don’t speak.”

Su Zhenyue simply nodded.

Shen Ji was staying with the Gu family as a “young master cousin” and would occasionally go out, either to attend literary gatherings or to visit teachers and friends. When the gatekeeper saw him leaving, his attitude was exceptionally attentive. “Young Master Cousin, shall I prepare a horse for you as usual?”

“Two.”

The gatekeeper glanced at the young servant behind him, who had his head lowered. “Very well.”

Before long, two horses were led over.

Shen Ji swung himself onto his horse and turned his head to look at Su Zhenyue.

He had been somewhat surprised earlier when she said she could ride, but on second thought, the Jing An Marquis Estate was, after all, a family of military nobility, and her father was an Adjutant General. It didn’t seem so strange that she would know how to ride.

Yet, at this moment, as he truly saw her mount the horse, his eyes still involuntarily revealed a sense of wonder and admiration.

Especially with her face smudged and unremarkable, the instant she sat upright on the horse, her eyes shone as brightly as stars.

“Giddy-up—” Shen Ji flicked the reins and urged his horse forward.

Su Zhenyue followed silently.

After they had traveled some distance from the Jing An Marquis Estate, Shen Ji noticed that her posture was stiff, as if she were unusually tense.

“You rarely ride?”

“Mm, this is the first time I’ve ridden since I learned how.”

Shen Ji’s brows twitched slightly. “When did you learn?”

“Two years ago.”

Shen Ji was slightly surprised; he had thought she learned while her father was still alive.

“At the time, the Heir Apparent was teaching Zhenzhen to ride, and I learned a little on the side,” Su Zhenyue quickly explained.

Shen Ji didn’t ask any more questions. He just rode alongside her, occasionally reminding her of things to pay attention to.

The weather was fine, and the surroundings were lively. Looking up, the sky was no longer a square patch. Su Zhenyue’s heart felt a rare sense of relaxation, though a random thought would occasionally flash through her mind: perhaps she should have pretended she couldn’t ride.

If she had, maybe she could have shared a horse with him. Wouldn’t that have made it easier for her to execute her plans?

Now, she would just have to think of another way.