Chapter 32: Temptation. So This Is Your Undying Devotion?

The midday sun had been pleasant, but unexpectedly, the sky turned overcast in the afternoon.

After leaving Zhongmo Study, Su Zhenyue headed toward the West Wing Courtyard, her thoughts occupied with Shen Ji.

If Shen Ji truly refused to forgive her, she couldn’t force the issue. No matter what, he had saved her life; he was her savior. If she kept pestering him and it affected his imperial examinations, she would be repaying kindness with enmity.

As for the calamity in his fate, she would find a chance to tell him after the exams, helping him avoid it. That would be her repayment and compensation to him.

As she rounded a bend in the path, she saw a group of people approaching from a distance.

The woman in the lead was a beauty dressed in simple, elegant clothes, a worried look on her face. It was none other than Princess Changle Wen Shan.

The book mentioned that she loved her husband deeply and had even changed her style of dress to cater to his tastes. She, who had once loved magnificent brocades, now wore only plain and simple garments.

Upon seeing the group, Su Zhenyue didn’t even think before ducking behind a nearby rockery. She planned to wait for them to leave before heading back.

The national mourning period would be over in another month, and she didn’t want any trouble. For now, it was best to avoid it if she could.

Unexpectedly, after walking a few brisk steps, Wen Shan stopped near the rockery and complained in a low voice to Sun Momo beside her, “Momo, really. Who told you to go find her? What do I usually tell you?”

Su Zhenyue froze. Could the “her” they were talking about be her, Su Zhenyue?

In front of Princess Changle, Sun Momo always maintained a kind and honest demeanor. “This old servant was just heartbroken for you, Your Highness. I couldn’t bear to see that little slut acting so brazenly.”

“I know you mean well, but with you going and causing a scene like that, others will surely think I’m deliberately making things difficult for her. The Heir Apparent already suspects me. Won’t this just make it…” Wen Shan sighed heavily, feeling utterly wronged.

Earlier today, her mother-in-law, Madam Zhou, had summoned her. Her attitude had been polite and her words tactful, but the meaning between the lines was that she should not give Su Zhenyue a hard time.

There are no walls that can keep a secret forever; Sun Momo’s big scene from the morning had eventually reached Madam Zhou’s ears. Madam Zhou’s intention wasn’t to discipline her daughter-in-law, but rather to prevent her son and daughter-in-law from fighting again and disturbing the peace of the household.

Even though her mother-in-law’s attitude had been very good, Princess Changle still felt awkward and embarrassed.

Sun Momo hung her head, her apology swift. “Your Highness, this old servant knows her mistake.”

Wen Shan sighed. “Forget it. I’m also at fault, I can’t put all the blame on you. Just don’t ever do this again.”

“Yes,” Sun Momo replied. She hesitated for a moment, then had the maids step back before lowering her voice. “Your Highness, that slut surnamed Su…”

“Momo, don’t say that. It’s too unpleasant,” Wen Shan interrupted with a frown.

It was so vulgar. Besides, what would people think if they overheard?

“Yes, Your Highness. This old servant’s trip wasn’t entirely in vain. That Su person said she already has a sweetheart and will leave the Marquis’s residence as soon as the national mourning period is over. If that’s true, then that slu—then she knows her place. It saves us from dirtying our hands.”

“Momo!”

“Yes, yes.” Sun Momo said quickly. “Look at this mouth of mine, I don’t know how to speak.”

Wen Shan knew Sun Momo was in the wrong, but seeing her at her age, still worrying so much for her, she couldn’t bear to blame her. After a long moment, she only said, “Don’t do this again in the future.”

“Rest assured, Your Highness. This old servant will remember.”

In Wen Shan’s eyes, although Sun Momo was overbearing, fierce, and crude, her loyalty was a rare and precious quality. Seeing that she now knew her mistake, Wen Shan’s attitude softened. “You just said that Miss Su already has someone in her heart?”

“That’s what she said.”

Wen Shan murmured, “Is that true? I wonder who that person is…”

She couldn’t imagine who, after the Heir Apparent, could possibly catch that Miss Su’s eye.

“This… this old servant doesn’t know. I forgot to ask at the time.”

“No matter who that person is,” Wen Shan clasped her hands together, praying devoutly, “may the heavens bless Miss Su and her beloved with a harmonious and loving life.”

When it came to Miss Su, Wen Shan’s feelings were complicated. On one hand, she felt a little indebted; on the other, she felt a certain aversion. She had had nightmares several times, dreaming that the Heir Apparent, casting aside all decorum, insisted on marrying Miss Su as a co-wife of equal standing. Now, hearing that Miss Su had a sweetheart and would soon be leaving, Wen Shan felt a true sense of relief.

If Miss Su found another good match, the Heir Apparent should be able to let go, right?

Let the past be the past. If she treated him with sincerity, the Heir Apparent would surely come to see her good qualities.

Sun Momo praised her with genuine sincerity, “Your Highness is truly kind-hearted. If it were me, I wouldn’t be so generous.”

Hiding behind the rockery, Su Zhenyue remained silent, thinking to herself, Of course she’s kind-hearted. A lofty princess like her never has to do anything bad herself.

Fall in love with a man, and her mother would procure an imperial decree for their marriage.

Suffer a grievance, and a trip home to cry to her mother would be enough for her mother to step in and solve her troubles.

The greatest pain in the first twenty years of her life was merely that her husband didn’t love her.

Su Zhenyue felt that if she were in Wen Shan’s shoes, she’d be kind-hearted too.

…

Wen Shan’s mood improved, and she didn’t continue the topic. “It’s getting a little cold, Momo. Let’s go back.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The group gradually walked away.

Only when their figures had completely disappeared did Su Zhenyue carefully move her body.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to leave directly, but she had been hiding motionless behind the rockery, and now her legs were a bit numb.

To think that after her grandmother’s death, she had lived under someone else’s roof for eleven years, only to still have to hide and sneak around.

But it was alright. She just had to endure it for a little while longer.

Su Zhenyue let out a long breath and was about to step out from behind the rockery.

Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, a person would appear before her, no more than a few feet away.

His features were clear and handsome, his figure tall and graceful.

It was Shen Ji.

Seeing him, Su Zhenyue couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment. How did he get here? And how did he so accurately find her behind the rockery? At this time, shouldn’t he still be in Zhongmo Study?

But now was not the time to think about that. Shen Ji was staring at her intently, his gaze heavy, his expression strange.

Meeting his eyes, Su Zhenyue felt an inexplicable flicker of fear in her heart.

She composed herself and apologized in a gentle voice, “Cousin, I was wrong about what happened before. I hope you can be the bigger person and not hold it against me…”

Before she could finish, he cut her off. “What were you discussing with Gu Si today?”

“Hm?” Su Zhenyue paused, blinking, and gave a perfunctory reply. “We weren’t discussing anything. We were just talking about some calligraphy and paintings.”

Seeing that she was unwilling to answer truthfully, Shen Ji didn’t bother beating around the bush and asked her directly, “Let me ask you, did you seek out Gu Yuanjing to have him get engaged to you after the national mourning period?”

Su Zhenyue was aghast. “You… how did you know?”

Was it that obvious? She thought she had been discreet enough about it. Besides her and Gu Yuanjing, no third person should have known.

Shen Ji gave a derisive laugh.

So it was true. He hadn’t guessed wrong. She was switching targets.

Guessing it was one thing, but hearing her tacitly admit it was another entirely. Even though he had been mentally prepared, he still felt a surge of frustrated anger.

Seeing his strange expression, Su Zhenyue couldn’t help but feel a little panicked, secretly wondering if he thought she was toying with Gu Yuanjing’s feelings and had come specifically to stop her.

She remembered that Shen Ji and Gu Yuanjing seemed to have a pretty good relationship.

With this in mind, Su Zhenyue quickly tried to explain, “Cousin, please don’t misunderstand. Fourth Brother is different from you, he knows that I…”

A knot formed in Shen Ji’s chest, and he almost laughed in anger. Was she really carefully comparing them?

Before Su Zhenyue could finish, he swiftly cut her off. “He knows what? That you originally planned to get engaged to me? Or that you intended to use him? Switching targets so quickly, Miss Su. So this is your undying devotion?”

“Huh? No…” Su Zhenyue was baffled. What undying devotion? Wasn’t she switching targets because she knew the path with him was a dead end?

Was she supposed to beg for his forgiveness until the national mourning period ended?

What if he never forgave her?

What if he forgave her but was unwilling to marry her?

She couldn’t hang herself from a single tree.

She had to think about her own life.

But Su Zhenyue didn’t immediately retort or try to explain herself. In front of Shen Ji, she did, after all, feel a little guilty.

The moment the words left his mouth, Shen Ji regretted his slip of the tongue. The way he’d said it sounded like he was accusing a faithless lover. He had come to find her on proper business, so how had he ended up talking about this?

Shen Ji closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He said patiently, “It doesn’t matter what he knows. Go and tell Fourth Young Master Gu that the matter you discussed is off.”

“Cousin?!”

“After the national mourning period ends, I will get engaged to you,” Shen Ji said, looking at her and enunciating each word.

He said it so casually, but Su Zhenyue’s heart pounded upon hearing it. She suspected she had misheard. “What did you say? You’ll get engaged to me?”

“Yes.” Once the most important sentence was out, the rest came more easily. Shen Ji took a step closer and said slowly, “Since I said I would marry you, I will certainly do it. You don’t need to find someone else.”

Su Zhenyue’s eyes went wide with a mixture of shock and confusion, making her slightly incoherent. “But, didn’t you say… and Fourth Brother…”

“What? Do you think Gu Yuanjing is a better choice than me?” Shen Ji frowned. He had said this much; surely she wouldn’t still insist on choosing Gu Si?

“No, not at all,” Su Zhenyue shook her head honestly.

Among all the people she knew, Shen Ji was undoubtedly the most suitable. It was just that she had thought he was furious about her deception and that their previous agreement was long void.

Shen Ji let out a soft scoff, the crease between his brows relaxing slightly. He analyzed calmly, “He is a Gu family member, after all, and brothers with the Heir Apparent. Living under the same roof, you’d be seeing each other all the time. Since you want to get far away from all this, I am certainly a much more suitable choice than him. We’ll get engaged once the mourning period is over. Hmm, we could also marry directly. At that time, we can use starting a family as a reason to move out sooner.”

He was well aware of his advantages. Unhurriedly, he used a few sentences to paint a beautiful future, with every word striking a chord in Su Zhenyue’s heart.

To be completely free of all this, not just temporarily avoiding an arranged marriage—for Su Zhenyue, this was undoubtedly a huge temptation.

Her expression was dazed, finding it hard to believe. “Cousin, you don’t blame me for deceiving you before?”

Was she dreaming?

Shen Ji glanced at her, his tone inscrutable. “Did I ever say I don’t blame you?”

Of course he blamed her. At first, he had been so angry he never wanted to see her again in his life. But he was a smart man and had quickly understood what he truly wanted.

What he wanted was never her apology. What he wanted was her, and her true, undying devotion.

The most urgent matter at hand was to stop her from marrying someone else. As for the score between them, they could settle it slowly after their status was official.

After all, once they were married, he would have all the time in the world.

Su Zhenyue was confused. “If you blame me, then why are you…”

“A gentleman honors his word. I never go back on a promise,” Shen Ji said, offering a noble-sounding reason instead of mentioning his own complicated thought process.

His words made Su Zhenyue feel even more ashamed, and she subconsciously apologized, “I’m sorry…”

Shen Ji looked at her coldly. “I’ve heard you apologize many times already. There’s no need to repeat it. What you need to do now is go back to Zhongmo Study and tell Fourth Young Master Gu that your agreement is completely void. That you have someone else you intend to marry.”

However, Su Zhenyue neither spoke nor moved. She just stood there, a troubled look on her face.

Shen Ji’s brow furrowed slightly. “You’re unwilling?”

Su Zhenyue shook her head.

“Then what is your meaning?”

Su Zhenyue peeked at his expression and said in a small voice, “I’m a little scared.”

“Scared? What are you scared of?”

Su Zhenyue hesitated for a moment before saying carefully, “A few days ago when you were angry, you said you were taking it back. Now you say you’ll honor our old agreement. I’m afraid that if I make you angry again, you’ll take it back again.”

Shen Ji’s brow twitched violently, his face turning extremely grim. How had he never realized before what a talent she had for infuriating people?

She only mentioned his anger, but why didn’t she think about why he had been angry in the first place?

Shen Ji closed his eyes. “Then what do you want? Shall I write you another pledge?”

“No, no.” Su Zhenyue waved her hands. She was too embarrassed to say that she was afraid he was fickle. What if he changed his mind again at the critical moment? Then she wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

Therefore, she didn’t dare to so easily reject the path with Fourth Brother Gu. Of course, there was another reason. She had just made the arrangement with Fourth Brother Gu today. Not even an hour had passed, and she was going to break her word. Wasn’t that just messing with him?

Shen Ji let out a derisive laugh. For all his pride in his good self-control, he was thoroughly incensed by her now.

He untied the jade pendant he carried with him and shoved it directly into her hand. “This jade pendant was a gift from the Old Madam to my mother when she married, and my mother then gave it to me. It is one of a kind in this world, and the Old Madam recognizes it. I’m giving it to you now as a pledge.”

After a pause, he added, “Or we can go to the Old Madam right now to explain the situation and let her be the judge?”

As he spoke, he made a move as if to pull her toward Chunhui Hall.

Su Zhenyue, still holding the jade pendant, hurriedly refused. “No, no, no! We’re still in the national mourning period, we can’t get engaged. What if it affects your imperial examinations?”

She believed he was being sincere now.

Shen Ji didn’t speak, only watching her quietly, his gaze profound.

Under his stare, Su Zhenyue relented. “Alright, I’ll go talk to Fourth Brother and make it clear.”

She was, after all, in the wrong when it came to him. And besides, she really couldn’t resist his “temptation.”

Shen Ji’s jaw shifted slightly, his tone uncharacteristically forceful. “Go now. I’ll go with you.”

“Oh.” Su Zhenyue clutched the jade pendant, momentarily unsure of where to put it.

She didn’t really understand how Shen Ji’s attitude had changed so suddenly. Just yesterday, he had burned her letter of apology.

But the current situation was too advantageous for her to refuse, and she had no time to think too deeply about it.

Right now, she had a more pressing concern: how was she going to break the news to Fourth Brother?