Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Who Bullied You? The rain was still falling, and seemed to be getting heavier. Su Qingluo didn’t waste any more time with that pair of wretches. Without waiting for the carriage, she ran all the way back to Lu Residence through the rain. It was only two streets away, after all. But when she reached the alley by the side gate, she suddenly stopped. She didn’t want to go inside and couldn’t help bursting into tears as she clung to Ziyuan. When she was ten, both her parents died. She had followed her maternal uncle, Lu You, from Jinling to the Capital, to Old Madam Lu’s home with the Lu family. Though Old Madam Lu treated her more affectionately than she did her own grandchildren, Su Qingluo understood that this was still someone else’s home. Then Lu Yan came along. He was gentle and courteous, often giving her things young Misses liked: foreign perfumes, jade hairpins, decorative vases. The Su family had been Jinling’s wealthiest family. She had been used to such things since childhood, but she still felt that Lu Yan cared for her. Later, when Old Madam Lu and aunt arranged her engagement to Lu Yan, she didn’t object. She even began to look forward to having a home of her own, where she wouldn’t be lonely anymore. But now, all those hopes had come to nothing. Ziyuan had never seen her so heartbroken. She held her and kept trying to comfort her. “Miss, you must take care of yourself. Let’s go inside first.” Su Qingluo didn’t answer. Rain mingled with tears as they ran down her face. Fine threads of rain slanted down, weaving together when the wind blew. Su Qingluo felt like a rootless leaf, drifting and spinning in the wind, unable to settle. A luxurious sedan chair of purple sandalwood came into view. Four bearers carried it forward, followed by a line of attendants in blue robes. Their footsteps remained remarkably even despite the rain. A hand abruptly lifted the curtain. Its fingers were long and clearly jointed, a pale green jade thumb ring on its thumb. A cool voice, edged with impatience, followed. “Which servant is so ignorant of the rules?” Su Qingluo stiffened at the sound. She recognized that jade thumb ring. She was the one who had given it to him. Could it be… Lu Hengzhi? Six years ago, after her father died, her maternal uncle Lu You had come to help arrange the funeral. A sixteen-year-old youth had accompanied him: Lu Hengzhi. At the time, she knew Lu Hengzhi was a descendant of a collateral branch of the Lu family, whom her uncle had taken under his wing to train. On the journey back to the Capital from Jinling, they had encountered river bandits. Lu Hengzhi had been wounded by a blade protecting her, leaving a three-inch gash across his arm. After they returned to the Capital, she had sent him several gifts to thank him. This jade thumb ring had been among them. Who could have imagined that in just six short years, Lu Hengzhi would rise to become the Grand Secretary, a man wielding immense power at court and favored by the Emperor? Even the Lu family had to humble themselves and enter him in the legitimate branch of the clan genealogy, under the first branch’s name. After that, Su Qingluo had to address him as Third Brother, as propriety required. Though they lived under the same roof, he was a man from the first branch, while she was a young lady who lived mainly in the second branch. Apart from seeing each other from a distance during festivals, they had little to do with one another. From the few times she had seen him, Su Qingluo had only felt that his bearing had become more and more extraordinary, and that he had grown increasingly aloof and taciturn. She had also heard how Lu Hengzhi wielded influence at court and ruthlessly eliminated his political enemies. Once, he had even beaten a servant to death for stealing a book. Everyone in the Lu family feared this Cold-Faced Yama. So when she heard his icy voice, fear rose in Su Qingluo’s heart despite herself. She regretted acting on impulse and crying here. Surely he wouldn’t punish her for it. The curtain was only drawn back at one corner, so she couldn’t see the face of the person inside. Ziyuan was too frightened even to raise her head. Her voice trembling, she said, “To Third Master Heng: Miss Su of the second branch twisted her ankle by accident. She didn’t mean to offend you. Please forgive her.” There was no answer for a long while. Then, a moment later, the sedan chair was set down. Su Qingluo looked up. A pair of black boots stepped from the sedan chair onto the flagstones, and a man slowly emerged. An attendant immediately raised a white oil-paper umbrella over his head, while, almost at the same moment, another draped a white cloak over his shoulders. Lu Hengzhi wore a blue, imperial-granted python robe. His shoulders were broad, and a jade belt cinched his waist, lending him an air of quiet nobility and composure. Yet his eyes seemed born without warmth as they swept over her. Su Qingluo hurriedly lowered her head and wiped the raindrops from her face with her handkerchief, feeling utterly wretched. The next moment, Lu Hengzhi started toward her. He took off his white cloak and draped it over her, then accepted the umbrella and held it over her head himself. So startled that she forgot to refuse, Su Qingluo only realized what had happened once the cloak was already around her shoulders. It had been a long time since she had seen Lu Hengzhi from so close. He had matured, and grown much taller. Standing before her, he seemed to exert an indescribable pressure. The rain grew heavier, beating against the umbrella with a dull patter, like beans falling onto a drum. His voice struck her heart like raindrops. “Who bullied you?” His tone was calm, certain. The resentment Su Qingluo had managed to suppress welled up again. She could only say, “No one. I just twisted my ankle.” Lu Hengzhi lowered his head, his gaze fixed on her as if probing for the truth. She was beginning to feel unable to withstand it. “If there’s nothing else, Third Master, I’ll take my leave.” The rain filled her ears, falling faster and faster, like her heartbeat. After a moment, he gave a quiet “Mm.” Fortunately, he didn’t press her. As she turned to go, Su Qingluo remembered the cloak she was wearing and was about to take it off when she heard him say, “Keep it on.” His tone left no room for argument. Su Qingluo immediately stopped moving. “Then… thank you, Third Master.” Third Master? Lu Hengzhi looked down at her. It had been a long time since he had seen her from this close. The once delicate, elegant Miss had grown quite a bit. Fine black strands at her forehead were damp from the drizzle, and raindrops still clung to her face, making her skin look even fairer. Her pale yellow dress was paired with a rouge-red sash; her slender waist seemed hardly wider than a handspan. She had acquired a hint of a young woman’s charm. He had caught a hurried glimpse of her at a family banquet three years ago. Back then, Su Qingluo had obediently joined the others in calling him Third Brother. Now she addressed him so distantly as Third Master. A flicker of displeasure passed through Lu Hengzhi’s eyes. Was it because she was about to marry that man? Then why was she crying here, so aggrieved? Had he bullied her? Su Qingluo could clearly sense Lu Hengzhi’s expression darken, but she didn’t know why and didn’t dare linger. She bowed and was about to leave. Only as she turned did she realize that the oil-paper umbrella had been held over her shoulder the whole time. Half of Lu Hengzhi’s body was soaked. She was a little surprised. Lu Hengzhi didn’t seem as cold-hearted as people said. The rain came down harder, and several claps of thunder sounded. “You go first.” Though Lu Hengzhi’s expression was still dark, he handed her the umbrella. Then he stepped back, standing fully in the rain. Su Qingluo understood. He was a man, and it wouldn’t be proper for them to return together through the side gate. She instinctively didn’t want to take the umbrella, but seeing his displeased expression, she didn’t dare refuse. She accepted it and hurried away, feeling his gaze fixed on her back and quickening her pace with every step. Once she passed through the side gate, she finally let out a breath of relief and hurried back to her courtyard. Returning soaked through was terribly improper, but fortunately, she was barely more than half a mistress in the Lu family, and no one paid her much attention. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard a commotion outside, mixed with a housekeeper’s stern voice: “I’m telling you, the Grand Secretary himself—our Third Master Heng—is back. All of you, get yourselves in order. If anyone dares make a mistake while he’s here, don’t expect me to go easy on you.” For some reason, Su Qingluo suddenly felt uneasy. She couldn’t say why.