Chapter 26: Testing the Waters

That night, outside the Duke Ning residence, in a small house on West Street.

The door was pushed open from the outside, and a gust of cold wind swept in, carrying snowflakes into the room. As the door closed, a man’s voice sounded from the inner chamber.

"Mother, you're back?"

The woman who entered was in her forties, dressed relatively well; she was Nanny Song.

She replied, "Did Fu'er study today?"

A thin, upright-looking man with a scholarly air walked out from the room.

"I did, I did. Mother, why are you back so late today?"

Nanny Song poured some tea and sat at the table. "I was accompanying the masters to watch the ice lanterns..."

The man, whose full name was Fulu, became visibly excited upon hearing this. He sat down beside his mother, his eyes gleaming. "Did you see Miss Yanxi?"

Nanny Song, seeing his lovestruck expression, felt a sense of frustration and gave him a sharp look. "Look at you! Have some dignity!"

Fulu chuckled, completely unbothered by his mother’s scolding. "She is truly too beautiful. I liked her ever since she first arrived when we were children! Why didn't you let me go to Suzhou with you back then, Mother? If you had, wouldn't I be able to see her every single day?"

He grabbed his mother’s arm, his eyes growing brighter and more urgent. "Didn't you say when you got back that you had a way to help me marry her? She’s already betrothed to someone else now, and I still haven't seen that plan of yours! What exactly is your plan? Is it still going to work?"

The more Nanny Song heard him, the more annoyed she became. "What kind of plan could there possibly be now!"

"What?"

Fulu let go of her, clearly crestfallen. Nanny Song ignored him.

Originally, she had indeed been scheming. Although that young girl was the niece of a disgraced official and, despite holding the title of a daughter of the Lu family, she could not marry into a high-ranking household; no one would be willing to take her. But that was true for the high-ranking nobility and the scions of prestigious families. For people of their status, she was a prize—not just a prize, but a rare treasure!

If her son married her, it would not just be a stroke of luck; it would be a meteoric rise! If he became a son-in-law to the Lu family, both of them would be set for life.

Her plan had been sound: she wanted to find an opportunity to design an accident where the girl would fall into the water, allowing her son to heroically jump in to save her in front of everyone. With them both soaked and in physical contact, how could she avoid marrying him?

Moreover, her Fulu had been a companion to the Third Young Master of the second branch since childhood. He was handsome and clever; often, he would understand what the tutor taught before the Third Young Master did. If he could eventually pass the imperial examinations, coupled with the support of his father-in-law and brother-in-law, his future would be limitless.

Who would have thought that such a seemingly simple task would never present an opportunity? In just over two months, the girl had become betrothed to the Heir of the Jiang family.

The more Nanny Song thought about it, the angrier she grew. Especially today, seeing the Heir treat her with such care and speak with her alone for so long, she regretted not having tried harder.

As she sat there feeling frustrated, Fulu added fuel to the fire. "Mother, is there really no way?"

Nanny Song replied impatiently, "No, there isn't!"

Fulu tugged at her sleeve and cried, "Mother, how can that be? How can it just be gone? What were you planning? What were you planning?"

Nanny Song looked at his pathetic display with disdain. "What was I planning? She just needs to fall into the water again, and you save her! It's not like it hasn't happened before!"

Fulu’s eyes widened, a sudden realization dawning on him.

***

Late at night.

Most of the candles in the room had been extinguished, leaving only one by the bedside. Qinglian and Taohong had already retired to their rooms, leaving Yanxi alone.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After much thought, she got up and, relying on her memory, reached under the mattress to retrieve the crumpled note. By the dim candlelight, she read it one last time, then got out of bed, put on her embroidered shoes, and burned it.

The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt. To avoid suspicion, it made sense that he hadn't given her the jade bracelet directly, but this note... it was unnecessary. He could have easily told her the contents that evening. That man was cunning, suspicious, and deeply calculating. He was likely testing her.

She had indeed almost fallen for it, nearly keeping the item to leave a clue for Uncle Lu. Since she dared not oppose him openly, she could only rely on secrecy. He was likely using this to test her. If she wasn't mistaken, he would come searching for this note tomorrow.

As Yanxi thought about this, her heart raced; she felt as if she had walked the edge of the abyss. After a long while, the girl finally returned to her bed.

The next day, she did not immediately go to pawn the bracelet. There was no other reason than the fact that the Duchess met with her in the morning, and Jiang Zhiyan came by in the afternoon. Fortunately, that man was not at the residence when Jiang arrived. Yanxi, trembling with fear, spent only a short while with Jiang Zhiyan before hurriedly making an excuse to leave.

The day passed, and she hadn't found the time to go out. As night fell, everything was silent, and the moon climbed to the center of the sky. The later it got, the more terrified she became.

Sure enough, when the time came, the man arrived right on cue.

In an instant, an aura of icy dread filled her small courtyard. The maids inside and out were filled with anxiety. He stepped inside, his presence as imposing as a looming mountain, casting a suffocating pressure that made it hard to breathe.

Upon entering, his eyes fell directly on Yanxi.

The man lowered his eyes as he undressed and asked in a flat, emotionless tone, "Did you pawn it?"

This was a question to which he already knew the answer. Whether she had gone out or not, he was perfectly aware.

The girl shook her head and replied softly, "No, I didn't have the chance to go out. I will try tomorrow."

The man stepped toward her.

The closer he got, the faster Yanxi’s breath became. He walked toward her with a faint, indiscernible smile, casually flipping through the items on her vanity before lounging in a chair. He called the maids in, and while toying with one of her hairpins, he said coldly and nonchalantly, "Change the bedding."

Yanxi trembled slightly and said softly, "It was newly changed during the day."

Lu Zhi lifted his eyes, smiling with refined cruelty. "Was it?"

Yanxi nodded.

The two maids who entered were his people. Yanxi could see clearly from the corner of her eye that they weren't changing the bedding at all; they were searching for something. She was both shocked and terrified, yet also relieved.

The girl opened her mouth. "What are you looking for?"

The man raised his eyebrows and smiled again, but he had no intention of speaking, clearly waiting for her to continue.

Yanxi said, "I destroyed it; I would never leave it behind. What use would it be? I don't have the courage to sneak it under Uncle Lu’s nose to report you and expose you. If I hid it in this room, it would be meaningless, as you would surely have someone search every inch of this place after I’m gone. I already told you, since I agreed to go with you, I will not go back on my word or play games. Besides, I am no match for you. What if you caught me? You could let A-Tai go before, but you could just as easily capture him again, and what good would that do me?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi slowly raised his hand.

The two maids saw the gesture, stopped, neatly smoothed the bedding, and quietly retreated.

The man stood up and walked toward her. When he reached her, he scooped her up in his arms. Yanxi let out an involuntary cry, her face burning red instantly, her hands having nowhere to rest. Compared to him, she was very