Chapter 57

Chapter 57

He was so angry that he coughed.

“Enough nonsense. Get lost!” Zhou Wei forced the words out through clenched teeth.

Sheng Zhaoning shrugged, turned, and left.

For an instant, astonishment flashed through Zhou Wei’s eyes, as if he had never expected her to leave so decisively.

His gaze followed that figure all the way down the hillside, until she disappeared from sight.

Zhou Wei closed his eyes and slumped against the tree, his entire body ice-cold.

–

Sheng Zhaoning returned to the temple.

She had never liked wasting words with people. If someone told her to get lost, she got lost. Clean and simple.

She had originally estimated that after so much time, Old Madam Sheng and that “master” should have finished talking no matter what. To her surprise, she had still underestimated the two of them.

After waiting in the carriage for another incense stick’s worth of time, Old Madam Sheng finally came out of the side hall with joy written all over her face, unable to hide her smile as she climbed into the carriage.

“I told you just now that you should have listened to the master’s interpretation of the lot. It was a rare supreme fortune, an excellent omen. The master calculated that in next year’s Spring Imperial Examination, you are bound for the First-Class List, with a brilliant official career ahead of you!”

Old Madam Sheng sat inside the carriage, her face glowing. Her usually stern features rarely showed such open delight.

All the estrangement and distance of the past seemed never to have existed. She stared at Sheng Zhaoning’s face, liking her more the longer she looked.

How had she never noticed before that this grandson of hers was not only handsome, but also outstanding in learning and talent? In the future, he might very well become the Zhuangyuan personally appointed before the imperial court, dazzling and free-spirited, drawing the admiration of countless young ladies.

Thinking of what the master had said, Old Madam Sheng’s mood grew even better. Even the white hair at her temples seemed to brighten a little.

“So, Grandmother donated incense money?” Sheng Zhaoning asked, turning her head slightly.

Old Madam Sheng nodded. “Of course!”

Burning incense, worshiping the gods, drawing lots, and praying for blessings-how could one not donate incense money?

After a moment’s hesitation, Sheng Zhaoning asked, “How much did you donate?”

A hand stretched out before her, revealing five bright, obvious fingers.

Sheng Zhaoning understood. “Five taels.”

That was fine. Consider it the price of buying some happiness.

Old Madam Sheng looked at her as if she were staring at a pauper.

“What five taels? Fifty!”

Sheng Zhaoning: “…”

Outside the curtain, Song Fu, who was driving the carriage, heard this and couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Was it still not too late to turn around and ask whether the Confucian Temple needed workers?

The carriage swayed all the way back to Sheng Mansion.

After lunch in the front hall, Sheng Zhaoning was called by Sheng Yuanzhong to his room for a talk.

Toward this son, Sheng Yuanzhong had always felt both pride and guilt.

He had wanted to grow closer to her, but she had gone missing as a child and had not been by his side. After she returned, the brief two years that followed had been spent studying day and night, leaving father and son with very little time together.

Now she had become the Jieyuan and would soon travel far away to Capital City.

There were many words bottled up inside him, but he did not know where to begin.

Sheng Yuanzhong thought for a long while. In the end, he still could not bring himself to speak with fatherly tenderness, and could only say in a tone of instruction, “Your momentum is at its peak now. Not only in Xuzhou-even in Capital City, there are people watching your every move.”

Sheng Zhaoning listened quietly.

“After entering the Capital City, you must not act ostentatiously, and you must not stir up trouble.”

“If the Spring Imperial Examination goes smoothly, and you make the list in the palace examination, gaining the status of a Jinshi, then you will be a Student of the Emperor. Your future official career will be bright and boundless.”

Sheng Yuanzhong paused, looking at Sheng Zhaoning with unprecedented seriousness.

“Our ancestors left us this teaching: If any descendant of the Sheng Family enters the court as an official, they must not be greedy or corrupt, arrogant or rash, must not seek private gain, and must not become involved in factional strife.”

“These words are something our generation must naturally keep in mind. But at present, in the Capital City, only the Crown Prince governs the bureaucracy with clarity and discipline, treats the people with generosity and compassion, and has His Majesty’s protection. As your father, selfishly, I hope the one who will one day hold the world in his hands is such a wise ruler. Even more, I hope you can devote yourself to assisting him and help accomplish a great undertaking.”

Sheng Yuanzhong patted her on the shoulder, his gaze burning with intensity. “If the timing is right, you may try to get closer to the Crown Prince.”

These were heartfelt, private words that could never be overheard by anyone else. For him to lay them all bare before her now showed just how much thought he had put into it.

Although Sheng Zhaoning had infiltrated the Capital with an unspeakable purpose, she was not unmoved by his words.

She had grown up in absolute darkness. The nights in Liangzhou were too deep and too cold; the warm, gentle light spoken of by sages had never shone upon her. She did not know what a so-called peaceful and prosperous age looked like, and she had never yearned for one.

But the two years of stability in Xuzhou, compared to Liangzhou in the depths of war, were like a completely opposite world beyond the mortal realm.

There was no war here, no bloodshed, no countless soldiers dying in battle and leaving behind cold corpses, and none of the endless, boundless nights from her days as a Shadow Guard.

Just like that, she had come to love Xuzhou.

A secret hope had taken root in her heart. She wanted to stay here. She did not want to go to the Capital City, nor did she want to return to Liangzhou.

She only wanted to remain here as the Sheng Family’s eldest legitimate grandson-ordinary, unremarkable, and unknown.

But she could not.

She was not the real Sheng Zhaoning. A peaceful and stable age had never had anything to do with her.

She had grown up among blades and blood. The two years of peace she had stolen beneath the daylight were, in the end, only a fleeting blossom, as brief as a dream.

The Sheng Zhaoning of today could only enter the Capital City with the goal of overturning the world, cruelly bestowing chaos and war upon the people, and becoming a villain.

Not a loyal minister who served his sovereign and loved his country.

…

After returning from Sheng Yuanzhong’s place, Lady Lu called her over and spoke with her for a long while.

The Capital City was not mild through all four seasons like Xuzhou. Even after winter passed and spring arrived, the cold there was still hard to endure.

Lady Lu took her measurements, intending to have several more winter garments made for her to take along.

By the time Sheng Zhaoning returned to the Guanlan Waterside Pavilion, night was nearly upon them.

Biyun had prepared hot water in the bath barrel early on. The water was on the hotter side, and a thick layer of steam floated over its surface.

Sheng Zhaoning had not had a moment’s rest all day, and now a trace of fatigue showed between her brows.

Biyun brought over everything she would need for bathing. Sheng Zhaoning reached into the bath barrel to test the temperature, then said, “You may go out first.”

When she bathed, she never kept anyone by her side.

Biyun knew this. This time, however, she did not leave. Instead, she bit her lip, quickly lifted her eyes to glance at Sheng Zhaoning, and a blush spread across her cheeks.

“This servant will attend Young Master in the bath.”

After saying this, she shyly reached out to undo Sheng Zhaoning’s sash.

A pair of soft hands climbed to her waist. As the sash was tugged loose, Sheng Zhaoning frowned and stepped back, putting distance between them. “No need.”

Biyun’s hands froze awkwardly in midair.

She looked at the space Sheng Zhaoning had created by stepping back, then raised her eyes. Her once-flushed face suddenly turned pale.

“Does Young Master dislike this servant?” Biyun’s eyes reddened with tears, moisture welling in them.

Sheng Zhaoning looked at her in confusion. “No.”

Biyun was attentive and considerate. She had never made any mistakes, nor had she ever annoyed Sheng Zhaoning. Where had this talk of dislike come from?

“Then why would First Young Master… refuse this servant? Is it because this servant is ugly?”

Sheng Zhaoning truly could not make sense of it.

Was this not simply a matter of not letting Biyun attend her in the bath? How had it become about being ugly?

She had always been solitary by nature. She did not like coming into close contact with others, nor did she like having someone nearby when she bathed. It made her feel unsafe.

Moreover, she was now living under the identity of the Sheng Family’s eldest legitimate grandson, so she absolutely could not expose her female body before outsiders. Because of this, she always dressed and bathed herself, never allowing anyone else to help.

So she said at once, “Biyun, I have never liked others touching me. You know that.”

“But this servant’s feelings for Young Master are different from anyone else’s,” Biyun said, her eyes red.