***
Lu Zhixing had been reading for a long time when he finally remembered someone was waiting outside. He rubbed his temples and gestured for the steward to bring the person in.
Following the order, the steward opened the door and ushered Shen Ruoyu inside.
Incense burned within the study, the charcoal brazier glowing brightly, making the room significantly warmer than the outside. Shen Ruoyu had been exposed to the biting wind for so long that her hands were stiff with cold. Even in the warmth of the study, she couldn't stop shivering.
If it weren't for her younger brother, Shen Ruoyu would never have set foot in this grim place. Within this very study, she had witnessed her brother die by Lu Zhixing's sword more than once.
“Shen Ruoyu, are you here for your brother? I’m even more anxious than you are. But do you know who that masked man is? He is Helian Yi, the deposed emperor of Southern Yue.”
In the Li Dynasty, the Prince Yu’s estate held immense power. But Southern Yue was a different story—it was a nightmare from Lu Zhixing’s youth, a remnant of the time he’d accompanied his father on a military campaign. If he could, he would never set foot on that land again. Even now, years later, Helian Yi's cold mask still haunted his dreams.
Shen Ruoyu had heard of this name. She knew him to be a ruthless man, one who had killed his father and brother, and hadn't even spared his own mother. But he had long been deposed, a powerless former emperor. What was his purpose in coming to the capital? And what did it have to do with her brother?
“Your Lordship, he is the monarch of an enemy nation. How did you come to know him?”
Lu Zhixing lowered his head and drew his sword with a cold laugh. He gripped the hilt and pressed the sharp blade against Shen Ruoyu’s waist. “Shen Ruoyu, I advise you to refrain from such inquiries. That is my secret. Those who already know are all dead. If you wish to inquire further, you must be prepared to never leave this estate alive.”
The sword still bore traces of unwashed blood, and now it slightly snagged the fabric of her clothes. Despite her curiosity, Shen Ruoyu knew better than to provoke him at this moment. "Oh? If Your Lordship doesn't wish to speak of it, then I won't ask. All I want now is for my brother to return safe and sound."
With a clang, Lu Zhixing tossed his beloved sword back onto the table. “Rest assured, no one can harm him, not even Helian Yi.”
“Since Your Lordship has given your word, I won't impose any further. I shall return to my residence and await your good news.”
Shen Ruoyu smiled gently, but inwardly she seethed: Lu Zhixing, what fantasy are you living in? In this lifetime, I will never let you harm my brother.
“In that case, get out.” Lu Zhixing turned his back, not bothering to look at her. He was troubled by both the matter of Helian Yi and the matter of Rong Yan. Could the person he truly loved be the same person Rong Yan loved?
He knew that A’Yan was betrothed to Shen Ruoyu, and they seemed harmonious. But Shen Xinghuai, that gentle lamb, didn’t seem like he was lying…
Lu Zhixing was about to call Shen Ruoyu back to try and glean some information from her, but when he turned, she was gone.
He hadn't wanted her to enter the estate, and she hadn’t wanted to stay. He had deliberately made her wait outside, leaving her shivering in the cold. She held grudges. She would repay the offense he inflicted upon her today a hundredfold.
Having fled the estate, Shen Ruoyu urgently wanted to send someone to investigate the past between Lu Zhixing and Helian Yi. Perhaps this was his hidden shame, his weakness, his downfall.
Her carriage was waiting a short distance from the estate. As Shen Ruoyu approached, a little girl suddenly appeared from nowhere and rushed into her arms.
Shen Ruoyu reacted quickly and caught the child. Assuming the girl had simply stumbled, she patted her head. “What a lovely little girl! But you must be careful when you walk, or you might bump into someone.”
The little girl smiled and took Shen Ruoyu’s hand. “You’re very pretty too, Sister! I sell flowers. A strange older brother in that alley over there bought all my red plum blossoms and said they were for you.”
Shen Ruoyu was bewildered. What strange older brother? Why would he send her red plum blossoms?
“Here, Big Sister, for you.” The little girl handed Shen Ruoyu a bouquet of trimmed red plum blossoms.
Shen Ruoyu accepted the flowers in a daze, then pulled some loose silver from her purse and gave it to the girl. “You’re such a sweet child. Thank you. I’ll buy you some candied hawthorns. Can you tell Big Sister what this strange older brother looked like?”
The little girl tilted her head in thought, then leaned in conspiratorially and whispered in Shen Ruoyu’s ear, “That brother wore all black, he was very tall, and he wore a silver mask!”
A silver mask? Helian Yi!
Unwilling to overlook any clue, Shen Ruoyu followed the little girl’s directions and found the alley. It wasn’t hidden, situated on a busy street not far from the estate.
The alley was empty; there was no silver-masked man. Just as Shen Ruoyu thought she had been tricked, a figure suddenly appeared behind her.
Arms encircled her waist from behind. Shen Ruoyu felt the man’s imposing height.
A cold male voice spoke from behind her. “I thought you would be ugly. Unexpectedly, you’re a little beauty. Would you like to be my concubine? I might consider letting you bear me a b*stard son…”
A cold mask brushed against Shen Ruoyu’s face. The man’s accent was strange, not like someone from the capital.
She drew a concealed dagger and slashed back at the man’s arm. Caught off guard, he cried out as a deep gash opened on his arm, bleeding profusely.
“Is this how people in the Li Dynasty greet each other?” The sharp pain in his arm made Helian Yi abruptly release his hold. He frantically tore a strip of cloth from his clothes to bind the wound.
The smell of blood filled the alley. Shen Ruoyu gripped her dagger. “Is it? I also didn’t expect greetings in Southern Yue to be so…forward.”
“Why did you kidnap my brother?”
Helian Yi’s eyes, visible beneath the mask, flashed coldly. He stated his purpose directly. “You discovered my identity quickly… Miss Shen, how about we cooperate? Don’t tell me you don’t want to get rid of Lu Zhixing?”