The Zhang Family of Shangjing placed great importance on reputation. Rarely had any member of the clan been entangled in a scandalous affair without proper name or status — they had always been a model for the noble families of Shangjing.
Yet on a clear afternoon, the streets and alleyways suddenly erupted into an uproar.
“Have you heard? The Zhang Family’s second young master has violated the precepts of Buddhism, engaging in a tryst with someone inside a temple.”
“Heavens, whose daughter is so bold?”
“Apparently someone from the Military Enforcement Bureau under his command — surname Chen.”
“This is exciting — isn’t he still supposed to be marrying the princess?”
The rumors spread throughout all of Shangjing with the speed of thunder before one could even cover their ears.
Zhang Yuanchu was so furious his vision darkened. He brought the whip down hard across Zhang Zhixu’s back — a sharp crack split the air, and everyone else present in the ancestral hall involuntarily flinched.
“When you first brought that person home, did I not tell you to conduct yourself with propriety and observe proper decorum?”
The man kneeling on the ground said nothing.
Another lash fell, even louder: “What did you promise me? You said it was a debt of saving your life — nothing more.”
He kept his back stiffly straight and did not move.
Zhang Yuanchu struck again with full force: “And this is what you called ‘nothing more’!”
Gong Lan, unable to bear it, threw herself forward to stop him, glaring furiously at her own husband: “Are you trying to beat him to death?”
“If I beat this shameful wretch to death, I’d be rendering a service to the Zhang Family.” Zhang Yuanchu paced back and forth in agitation, pointing with the whip in hand. “Look at him — is there even the slightest hint of remorse on his face?”
Zhang Zhixu’s back was already a bloody mess. His face had gone pale, but his lips were pressed tightly shut — not a word of protest.
Gong Lan said urgently: “Ningsu has already explained it to you — he was saving someone. It wasn’t what it appears.”
“What good does explaining to me do? The whole city already knows.” Zhang Yuanchu grew more incensed the more he thought about it. He shoved his wife aside and brought down another lash. “How do you expect me to account for this to every branch of the Zhang Family?”
Zhang Zhixu felt a sudden, dazed sense that these past few months had been nothing but a dream — that time had never moved at all — and he had simply returned to this suffocating ancestral hall.
No matter what grievances he had suffered, no matter what circumstances he had endured, he must first give the Zhang Family an accounting.
“Fengqing, quickly apologize to your father.” Gong Lan blocked Zhang Yuanchu and turned back to give him a meaningful look. “Just say that from now on — from now on — you and Baoxiang will have no further dealings.”
The ancestral hall fell into dead silence. Her words seemed to drop into mud, producing no echo whatsoever.
Zhang Yuanchu raised his hand again in fury.
·
Chen Baoxiang hurried to the Mingzhu Tower.
The place was as magnificent and imposing as before, yet the recent rain had lent it an inexplicable bleakness.
She left her oiled paper umbrella at the entrance on the ground floor, gathered her skirts, and climbed upward floor by floor.
The wind and rain howled. On the sixth floor, the doors were thrown wide open, and gauze curtains thin as mist swayed and drifted.
The man was seated on a soft daybed by the window, a plain gauze robe draped carelessly about him. A vessel of clear liquor sat within reach, and he had already drunk most of it in one long tilt of the head. His dark eyes swept over to her, catching sight of her with effortless ease.
Chen Baoxiang hesitated slightly: “Ningsu, are you certain I’m the one who can talk some sense into him?”
Ningsu, who stood nearby, nodded: “Please give it a try, my lord.”
She had woken up that very morning fretting over how to ease the tension between herself and Zhang Zhixu — and here the opportunity had simply delivered itself to her door.
And yet the man looked so distant — like cold moonlight reflected in a mirror, a still pond emptied of warmth — and she found herself at a loss for where to begin.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Baoxiang stepped through the doorway, walked over, and reached for the liquor vessel in his hand.
Zhang Zhixu was badly injured, but his strength had not left him. His fingers closed around the vessel and he refused to let go.
She shrugged helplessly, and simply used his hand as leverage to pour herself a cup, then tipped her head back and drank it in one swallow.
“…” Zhang Zhixu looked at her, baffled.
She smiled: “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such fine liquor. One sip and you can tell it’s expensive — a single vessel must cost at least two taels of silver.”
He was not particularly inclined to engage with her — perhaps because some anger still burned in his chest, perhaps because the wound on his back hurt too much.
But his mouth answered on its own: “Five taels.”
“That expensive?” Chen Baoxiang drew a sharp breath and immediately pressed her cup forward to be refilled.
The liquor burned down her throat. Her body warmed, and her nerve steadied. She clicked her tongue, set down the cup, rubbed her hands together, and said: “All right then. Let’s begin.”
Zhang Zhixu instinctively edged back by several inches.
“What are you afraid of — I’m not going to kiss you.” She clicked her tongue again, produced the medicinal ointment Ningsu had given her, scooped out a dollop, and spread it across her palms. “Take off your outer robe.”
“…” That was somehow worse than a kiss.
He turned his face away and said stiffly: “I don’t need you.”
“I know you’re cross with me, but this medicinal ointment came from the medicine chest you gave me — it works well.” She pressed a hand firmly to his shoulder, clearly intending to simply force the matter.
Zhang Zhixu caught her hand and looked up at her with undisguised irritation.
She studied his expression, let out a resigned sigh, and dropped herself down beside him on the daybed: “Still angry?”
“Yes.” He nodded emphatically.