As spring arrived, the weather fluctuated between cold and hot. It seemed like more people around were falling ill.
Luo Lingyu initially wanted to visit Zhou Yangling to return the chime bells. She hoped to use this opportunity to get closer to “Zhou Young Master,” whom she had feelings for. However, Zhou Young Master was sick and couldn’t receive her.
Soon after, Luo Lingyu learned that Lu Xian was also ill. Living in the Lu family home, she was always a considerate cousin. As soon as she heard about his illness, she went to visit him. She even prepared soup, wanting her sick cousin to see her thoughtfulness.
The Lu family’s madam, Lu Xian’s mother Zhang Minglan, didn’t particularly like this elegant young lady who spent her days endlessly attending banquets and going on outings. However, she was satisfied with how attentively Luo Lingyu cared for her son.
The madam’s only worry was that her son might marry this overly beautiful cousin. Her son was acting very strangely lately. If Luo Lingyu could get him to speak more, Madam Lu would be very grateful to this young lady.
“Second Cousin, the doctor said you need rest. Your cold is better now, and after taking a few more doses of medicine, you’ll be able to get up. But I think you should exercise more regularly,” Luo Lingyu spoke softly like a spring breeze. She sat on the couch by the bed, furrowing her brows with concern. “Since I came to the Lu family, I’ve seen you fall ill twice. Look at Third Cousin – he never gets sick.”
Lu Xian, who had been silent until now, twitched his eyebrow when Luo Lingyu mentioned Lu Yun. He raised his dark eyes and spoke hoarsely: “Cousin, are you… very familiar with Third Brother? You seem to know everything about him?”
In the world of his dreams, didn’t his cousin and third brother have quite a few private interactions?
Luo Lingyu’s eyes flickered slightly as she replied casually: “Not at all. Both cousins are the same in my eyes.”
Lu Xian fell silent again. In his dream, Luo Lingyu had said the same thing—she never admitted to anything between her and Lu Yun.
Lu Yun never admitted to anything either.
Lu Xian felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his fist clenched under the blanket. The veins on his forehead trembled, and his face grew paler. It was precisely because these two never admitted to their private relationship that so many misunderstandings occurred. Regardless of whether his dream was true or false, some things were now urgent. No matter what would happen in the future, he needed to take active steps…
Luo Lingyu observed his expression, her beautiful eyes flickering again. She was a lady who liked to study people’s expressions, always watching others’ reactions closely. She noticed Lu Xian was hiding something and seemed very worried.
She tilted her head, wanting to probe him further. But just as she leaned forward to speak, she heard footsteps outside the window curtain.
“My lady, my lady! Your servant has something urgent!” Lingxi paced anxiously outside.
Luo Lingyu’s heart raced. She had sent Lingxi to look after Wan’er. Though her sister was playful, she spent all day in “Snow Trace Court” and shouldn’t have gotten into any trouble.
Besides caring for the young miss, Lingxi had another task recently – helping her find buyers for the glass bracelets. There had been no news for a long time. Could it be that Lingxi had finally found someone willing to buy her glass bracelets?
Luo Lingyu was delighted and couldn’t help wanting to go out to ask her maid. She had been dragged into this “Flower Goddess Selection” whirlpool, spending money much faster than usual, yet still couldn’t figure out the connections among Jianye’s scholars.
If she could sell the glass bracelets, her pressure would ease somewhat.
As Luo Lingyu stood up, she heard Lu Xian’s maid announce from outside: “Young master, the Prince of Hengyang is here to see you.”
Lu Xian gripped the corner of his blanket tightly, his eyes narrowing: “…!”
Why did the Prince of Hengyang come?!
He nervously looked at Luo Lingyu. Unlike his usual attempts to matchmake them, his mind was now in chaos. He feared the entanglement between the Prince of Hengyang and Luo Lingyu from his dream would happen in reality.
He looked at Luo Lingyu, about to make an excuse, but heard her speak first: “Second Cousin, you have a guest. I won’t disturb you.”
Lu Xian: …his cousin was always so considerate.
As she spoke, Luo Lingyu turned to leave the room, eager to meet with her maid Lingxi about the glass bracelet matter. As she left, the curtain was lifted, and a young man with a cold expression and fierce eyes entered with a stern face.
Liu Mu caught a glimpse of Luo Lingyu as she approached. His fierce gaze hadn’t fully softened when he saw her gracefully smile at him as she passed—he was stunned for a moment and nodded slightly to her.
Liu Mu originally didn’t want to visit Lu Xian, but when the Emperor heard Lu Xian was sick, he asked the Prince of Hengyang, who seemed closer to Lu Xian recently, to visit him. The Lu family was powerful, and even the royal family needed their support.
Liu Mu found this annoying and was full of anger: Are you blind? Which eye saw that Lu Xian and I were close? He’s the one always pestering me, insisting on promoting his cousin to me!
Though speaking of his cousin… she was indeed… hmm…
Liu Mu’s eyes met Luo Lingyu’s, and he suddenly remembered her scholarly display that night. Clever and talented… The young Prince of Hengyang’s interested gaze followed the lady, but before he could start a conversation, she had already bid farewell and brushed past him.
Liu Mu’s words caught in his throat: “Uh…”
He turned back and saw Lu Xian’s strange, nervous, and vigilant look. Liu Mu: “…”
He angrily said: “I specially came to visit you while you’re sick. What’s with that look? You think I’m meddling?”
Lu Xian felt complicated emotions as the desperate prince from his dream overlapped with the arrogant, fierce young man before him. He sighed. “Your Highness comes to visit, I am deeply honored. How could I deserve this?”
The Prince of Hengyang’s expression finally improved somewhat, and he sat down with a flick of his sleeve. He was already impatient about the visit, and seeing that Lu Xian’s illness didn’t seem serious, he became even more casual.
Liu Mu suppressed his dislike for the noble families and chatted with Lu Xian about various things, inadvertently bringing up recent major events in Jianye.
Liu Mu’s lips curled with some amusement: “I’ve been away from Jianye for many years. I didn’t know the ‘Flower Goddess’ was now so important to Jianye’s ladies. These past few days, Liu Tang, Chen Xiu, Wang Ling… all sorts of ladies have been trying to find connections to me, asking for my evaluation.”
“You’re quite free. Being sick means no ladies come to find you anymore.”
“I see many ladies trying to make connections, all wanting to talk with scholars. How about it? These days, your Lu family must be very lively too? Ladies must all be running over to find Lu Yun, right? I promised little Liu Tang I’d help her meet with Scholar Jiang, let her get acquainted. Ladies are all making connections, but why don’t I see your cousin making any moves? Does she think one Lu Yun is enough, and she doesn’t need to meet other scholars?”
“Anyway, I’m taking little Liu Tang to meet Scholar Jiang. If your cousin is free, she could come along…”
Liu Mu spoke very casually. He was indeed impressed by Luo Lingyu’s “Journey to the Moon” dance that night, genuinely interested and willing to help her…
Unexpectedly, Lu Xian, who had been promoting his cousin to him just days ago, now had an extreme reaction. Before Liu Mu could finish expressing his intention, Lu Xian excitedly sat up from his sickbed and grabbed the Prince of Hengyang’s hand.
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, bloodshot and intense: “No!”
“Don’t go with her!”
Liu Mu was startled and leaned back: “…”
Then he darkened his face and said: “…if you don’t want to go, then don’t. You’re acting like I’m forcing you to do something.”
Hearing Liu Mu wasn’t concerned about this matter anymore, Lu Xian breathed a sigh of relief, lay back down, and continued staring at Liu Mu while pondering his own worries.
Liu Mu felt unsettled by that direct stare and thought: He’s sick.
All the Lu family is sick.
—
The moon rose above the willow tips as people met at dusk.
When Lu Yun returned to his quarters in the evening, his maid Jinyue handed him a floral note from the young lady. It was again her self-made floral paper, peach-red in color, with ink seeming to bleed into cloud-like patterns. The note was clear and pristine, with elegant small characters – how refined it looked.
Jinyue sighed again: “The young lady is truly impressive. Such beautiful floral paper is rare even in Jianye.”
Lu Yun’s lips held a smile as he put away the note, already understanding Luo Lingyu’s invitation. Without saying more to Jinyue, after dinner, Jinyue and the other maids saw their master go to his study. They didn’t know Lu Yun had only briefly visited his study. When all was quiet and voices had dimmed, Lu Yun had already climbed over the wall, swiftly leaving “Clear Court” and heading toward “Snow Trace Court.”
Similarly climbing over the wall into the courtyard, standing behind the magnolia tree in the yard, seeing all the buildings had extinguished their lights, Lu Yun’s lips curved: Not a single servant in sight, cousin really prepared thoroughly.
Lu Yun rarely came to “Snow Trace Court.” He didn’t walk far, just stood under the wall and put his fingers to his lips, making a clear whistling sound. The whistle wasn’t loud, just one note, but it was clear and bright.
Lu Yun waited barely a breath before raising an eyebrow. Through the flowers, he saw the main door quietly push open, and a lady in fitted long-sleeved dance clothes tiptoed out, looking worried. When she reached the courtyard and looked around, Lu Yun stepped out from behind the flowering tree.
He looked her up and down and clicked his tongue: “It’s just dancing, yet you sneak around as if we’re having an affair.”
Luo Lingyu glared at him.
She still nervously looked around, and seeing his unconcerned attitude, whispered: “How can a noble lady dance like a dancing girl for others to see? If someone saw, I couldn’t live with the shame. All alone, how embarrassing…” Her words trailed off as she saw Lu Yun’s face darken, and she quickly tried to save the situation in a coquettish tone, “…but Xuechen brother is different. Dancing for you is not the same as dancing for others.”
Luo Lingyu raised her eyes to smile at him while tugging at his sleeve.
When she smiled, spring filled her phoenix eyes with waves of emotion. As she tugged at his sleeve again and again, Lu Yun’s expression softened. He put his arm around her shoulders, leading her forward, teasing: “Little sister Lingyu, you’re so mischievous.”
Behind his back, Luo Lingyu rolled her eyes—
Lingxi had already told her that an unfamiliar glass shop was willing to buy her bracelets. She just needed to keep Lu Yun happy now. Once she won “Flower Goddess” and her financial situation improved, she wouldn’t have to submit to Lu Yun’s threats anymore.
—
Though she had agreed with Lu Yun that her score might be in his hands, even though she always felt embarrassed about this cousin and didn’t want to face him with her true self again and again, Luo Lingyu still gave it her all, showing her greatest enthusiasm in dancing for him.
Under the moonlight, the courtyard was empty. The young master sat quietly and casually on the corridor railing, watching through the shrubs as the lady twisted her waist in dance, her clothes clinging to her body.
His eyes were quiet, black, bottomless. He sat behind the shrubs, making no sound, just staring at her. Though Luo Lingyu had her back to him, she could feel his burning gaze on her lower back. That gaze seemed to pierce through her, and every time she looked back, she met his eyes. Luo Lingyu bit her lip, closed her eyes pretending not to see him, and concentrated on remembering how to dance her choreography.
Her hands bloomed like orchids, her waist flowed like duckweed.
Her sleeves rose like flying snow, her glance back held deep emotion.
It wasn’t exactly the same as that day’s “Journey to the Moon.” That day Luo Lingyu had worn her hair in a celestial maiden style, but today, perhaps without maid’s help, she couldn’t manage such a complex hairstyle. Today’s appearance was much simpler overall, much clearer. In ramie-woven snow-white clothes, her long hair was only held up with a jade hairpin, wisps of hair swaying by her cheeks. She closed her eyes and spun, her waist twisting slightly, her quiet and elegant appearance like a jade magnolia, especially moving.
Luo Lingyu’s dance skill was average, but her grace and charm made up for it.
Her waist moved gently like a water snake; her jade-like chest was full like snow on mountains. Every eyebrow movement, every glance, every raised hand, every turn… Lu Yun watched her quietly, his gaze sometimes moving away, but only for moments before returning to her. Then moving away again, returning again…
As Luo Lingyu danced, she heard complete silence around her, as if Lu Yun’s presence had completely vanished. This made her relax, and she immersed herself fully in the dance. Suddenly, in the silence, she heard a gentle, clear musical note rise, cool and fragrant, behind her.
Luo Lingyu opened her eyes and looked back, damp hair clinging to her face, to see at the corridor pillar, the handsome young master sitting among deep flowers, eyes lowered as he played an ocarina. The ocarina’s sound was low and gentle, accompanying her dance, supporting her spirit. When she stared in surprise, she saw the young man with beautiful features raise his eyebrows, his fine features seeming to say: Keep dancing.
He would accompany her with the ocarina.
Luo Lingyu’s heart rippled, and she smiled slightly at him. When he played the ocarina, that difficult, annoying Lu Yun in her mind retreated, and the graceful, handsome Lu Yun emerged. His eyes watched her, his eyelashes long, his eyes deep. In that moment, Luo Lingyu truly understood why Jianye’s ladies liked him.
The young Lu Yun, like her, was multi-talented. The ladies’ fondness for him must have started then…
Luo Lingyu closed her eyes and, accompanied by his ocarina, stood again in the moonlight, raising her sleeves to dance.
Flower petals fell rustling from the branches, spinning in the wind, lingering in the quiet moonlight. All around was silent, hearing only the desolate and vast ocarina sound, seeing only the beauty dancing under the moon. A vague, subtle atmosphere floated, like seaweed growing silently under water, surrounding them. One sat in the corridor, one turned in the courtyard, both with clothes and hair covered in flower petals.
The garden was full of magnolias, the jade hall rich and noble.
The ocarina sound slowly fell, and the lady’s dance also reached its end.
Stopping, Luo Lingyu caught her breath, her chest rising with her rapid breathing. She wasn’t used to movement; just this one dance left her full of fragrant sweat, the hair clinging to her cheeks completely damp. Luo Lingyu felt relieved in her heart – she had fulfilled Lu Yun’s request, now she just waited for Lu Yun to fulfill his promise.
A satisfied smile rose in her eyes as Luo Lingyu turned, but unexpectedly found Lu Yun standing right behind her. Suddenly seeing the young master’s handsome face almost touching hers, Luo Lingyu was startled and stepped back, clutching her chest.
Luo Lingyu complained: “What are you doing… you didn’t say anything, you scared me to death.”
Lu Yun’s deep gaze watched her, making her gradually uneasy.
He walked toward her, and for some reason, pressured by Lu Yun’s aura like that of a king of the night, Luo Lingyu retreated somewhat timidly. He approached with an expressionless face step by step, and Luo Lingyu anxiously backed away.
Retreating until there was no way left, Luo Lingyu’s foot caught on the steps behind her, making her stumble. As she cried out about to fall, Lu Yun, who had been forcing her to retreat, raised his arm and supported her waist.
His eyes lowered slightly, staring at her chest.
Luo Lingyu stepped onto the stairs, and he suddenly pushed her against the corridor pillar behind her. As her head hit the pillar, Lu Yun’s hand propped against it, trapping her beneath him. This situation seemed inappropriate, and Luo Lingyu pushed at him, somewhat annoyed but carefully probing: “Xuechen brother, are you satisfied with my dance?”
Lu Yun lowered his eyes, his slightly raised eye corners naturally showing charm. His voice was cool and low: “Satisfied. I give you ‘Grade Lower A’.”
Luo Lingyu smiled.
Standing on the steps, she was finally at eye level with him. She saw his thick long eyelashes lift slightly, his black eyes staring at her. Lu Yun said softly: “I’ll give you a second request.”
Luo Lingyu raised her chin confidently: “Please speak.”
“Now, if you let me kiss you, I’ll not only give you ‘Grade Upper A’, I’ll personally take you to meet the other four scholars, help you make connections. I’ll count to three, you consider it.”
Luo Lingyu’s eyes widened: “…!”
Trapped in his arms, pressed against the pillar, her mind suddenly panicked as she started calculating. Her mind was in chaos as she calculated whether it was worth it, how just now it was “Grade Lower A”, how did the second condition skip “Grade Middle A” and become “Grade Upper A”. If this was the second condition, what would his third condition be? He actually wanted to make this kind of exchange with her…
Luo Lingyu’s mind was quite chaotic as she watched Lu Yun’s curved lips. His breath almost touched hers, his eyelashes lowered again, his well-shaped lips moved, giving her no time to think. Lu Yun said softly: “Three, two, one… should I kiss you…”
Luo Lingyu had no time to think. As he started to turn away, she threw her arms around his neck, letting his lips press against hers.
The flowers from the tree scattered lavishly, falling toward the young man and woman embracing and kissing at the head of the corridor.
Behind the half-moon door leading out of the courtyard, Lu Xian stared at them in shock: “…”
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