Chapter 5: The veil beneath the curtain was parted

Silks and brocades filled his view, shimmering with emerald light, yet Pei Huaian’s gaze fixed only on that cluster of luminous moon-pearl pear blossoms beneath the gauze canopy. An odd feeling struck him swiftly, catching his breath short, and he found himself walking toward her, unable to help it.

But in his hand, he still clutched a Hong Parrot. The stall owner quickly called after him, “Young master, you haven’t paid yet!”

Pei Huaian glanced down and saw the Hong Parrot struggling furiously in his grasp. He hurriedly handed the little creature back to the stall owner. “How much?”

The stall owner named the price, and Pei Huaian took out some silver and handed it over. “Keep this pair of parrots here for now. I’ll come back for them later.”

“Of course.” The stall owner agreed cheerfully.

In just a brief moment, when Pei Huaian turned to look again for the young lady from before, the white figure at the bookstall had already disappeared.

He searched all around and discovered she’d simply walked over to a nearby stall.

Shen Youran was originally accompanying her elder sister to select calligraphy and paintings, but her sister’s discerning taste led her to reject most pieces. After a long while spent in boredom, Youran happened to notice that, in the corner of the book fair, there was a stall selling Mohele. These were unlike the little clay Buddha figurines she’d seen at the other stalls. Here, the Mohele were crafted as figures from stories set in pavilions and towers, adorned with rice paper silk, gold, silver, pearls, and jewels. The tiny figures leaned on carved wooden railings, lifelike and exquisitely made.

Shen Youran tugged her sister over to look. When she asked the price, even the cheapest was three taels of silver, and the expensive ones were ten taels.

No wonder there were so few people at this stall—it was enough to scare everyone away.

Her sister refused to buy one, saying if they bought a Mohele, there wouldn’t be enough left for a calligraphy scroll.

But Shen Youran truly liked the Mohele at this stall, and lingered there, unwilling to leave. She looked at this one, then that, but she wasn’t greedy—she didn’t choose the most expensive or the prettiest, only the one she liked best. Pointing at the Mohele, she tugged on her sister’s sleeve and pleaded with practiced charm, “I want that one, it’s only five taels, buy it for me…”

She’d thought she’d have to wheedle her sister for a while before getting her way, but unexpectedly, in the very next moment, a hand as smooth as jade handed a piece of silver to the stall owner, then picked up the very Mohele she’d chosen and offered it to her.

“Here, for you…”

Wait a minute.

That wasn’t her sister’s hand, nor was it a girl’s voice.

Stunned, Shen Youran looked up along his arm and was startled to see a rugged, fierce Nuo mask staring back at her. Her legs went weak, and she took a few steps back in fright, only to bump into a passing stranger, stumbling and nearly falling.

A long, slender arm reached out and caught her around the waist just in time.

“Sorry, did I scare you?” The voice was clear and crisp, with a playful lilt—he couldn’t be very old.

“N-no, it’s fine…”

After helping her regain her balance, Pei Huaian withdrew his hand, intending to remove the Nuo mask from his face. But before he could take it off, the girl in front of him, like a startled fawn, turned to run.

He had no choice but to abandon the idea of removing his mask and reached out to catch her again, grabbing her wrist and pressing the Mohele she had picked into her hand. “You forgot this.”

Shen Youran’s face was crimson as if painted with rouge. She wished she could disappear on the spot—she’d just acted coy in front of a stranger. How humiliating!

She struggled to free her wrist from his grip and protested, “Thank you, but I don’t know you. I can’t accept your gift.”

“When I give something, I never take it back.” He insisted, stubbornness creeping into his tone. “Take it. I said you could.”

Even though Shen Youran had read plenty of storybooks and knew all kinds of tales about men and women, being tugged by a strange man in public didn’t feel romantic at all, not like the stories.

She rarely interacted with men outside her family and, faced with such a situation for the first time, had no idea how to respond. All she could think was to find her sister. “My sister has money. I’ll call her over to pay you. Please let me go…”

She looked all around for her sister, but just then, someone lifted the gauzy veil of the canopy. Startled, her eyes widened.

“So it really is you…”

Just now, he’d only caught a fleeting glimpse, but these eyes he remembered—only now, instead of calmness, they brimmed with fear and vigilance, a hint of panic in her trembling lashes as she gazed at him.

She looked all the more pitiful.

His heart gave a faint jolt. Pushing his luck, he reached out and tugged away her veil.

Her blushing face was now completely exposed before his eyes.

She was even prettier than he’d imagined.

Pei Huaian had always been generous to beautiful girls. “No need to call your sister. I have plenty of money. Since I said I’d give it to you, you can accept it without worry…”

But no matter how generous he was, it didn’t excuse his recklessness. Shen Youran was both ashamed and angry at his behavior, and his constant “young master” talk was so flippant that she could only think he was a slick-tongued, dissolute rogue. All the more she refused his gift—what if he decided to entangle himself with her…

She glared at him fiercely, trying to show she wasn’t to be trifled with. “I already said I don’t want it! Can’t you understand human speech…”

Just then, she caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw by his tall build and familiar clothes that it was the Liang family’s sixth young master, whom she’d met behind the Heavenly King Hall that morning.

The distance was too far to see Liang Sixth’s expression, but she saw Liang Madam shake her head and say something to her son. The two of them then turned and walked away.

It wasn’t hard to guess—they must have misunderstood her relationship with this man and thought she was a fickle woman, which disappointed them so much they left.

She was wronged!

Both angry and upset, she pushed the man in front of her away with all her might and lifted her skirt, fleeing quickly.

“Hey, why are you running?” Pei Huaian hadn’t even had time to ask her name before she disappeared into the bustling crowd.

He weighed the Mohele he’d failed to give away in his hand. Though a bit regretful, he didn’t pursue her further. Well, if fate wills it, they’ll meet again.

Shen Youran darted behind a large tree draped with calligraphy scrolls. After hiding for a while, she finally poked her head out and, seeing that the masked man hadn’t come after her, let out a long sigh of relief.

She soon spotted her sister in the crowd. Her sister, veiled, looked anxiously about, the light fabric swaying with her movements—clearly searching for her.

Shen Youran carefully scanned the area again. Seeing no sign of that rogue, she hurried to find her sister.

“Where did you go? I was just—” Shen Yunshu began to scold her for wandering off, but Shen Youran interrupted.

“Sister, I just ran into a scoundrel! It’s not safe here—we should go home.”

Hearing her sister’s voice, trembling on the verge of tears, Shen Yunshu could see she was still shaken, so she didn’t say anything more. Forget the calligraphy—they left hand in hand for the temple gates.

The fine horse trotted on, wheels clattering. In the carriage, Shen Youran clung to her sister’s arm and, pouting, recounted the whole encounter with the scoundrel and how the Liang family mother and son saw her being pulled and shoved by the man.

“Such bad luck! Liang Madam and Sixth Young Master must have misunderstood me. I need to explain to them…”

After hearing this, Shen Yunshu felt both fear and remorse. At the Mohele stall, when her little sister had insisted on buying that finely crafted figurine, she’d intended to quickly select a painting and come back with any leftover money. But she’d gotten distracted at a bookstall by a rare ancient text, then spent more time at the art stalls, losing track of time. Amidst the throng, she hadn’t realized her sister had been entangled by a rogue.

“Let Father handle the explanation. You’ve been frightened enough—no need to go in person…”

After the sisters returned home, they waited until evening for their father. When he came back, Shen Yunshu recounted the day’s events in full detail.

Shen Tingyu, serving in the same court as Liang’s father, found a chance to walk with him after court the next day.

Liang’s father, prompted by his wife, had planned to end the engagement between the children. Only after hearing Shen Tingyu’s explanation did he realize his wife and son had misunderstood the young lady.

The misunderstanding was cleared up, but the engagement was still off. Although the Liang family seemed to accept the explanation, who could say for sure if they truly believed there’d been a mistake or thought it a convenient excuse? Better to cancel the match altogether.

As for Shen Tingyu, he also felt his daughter had been harassed by a scoundrel. If only Liang Madam and her son had stayed a bit longer, they’d have seen Shen Youran trapped, unable to escape. But they turned and left, causing his daughter such fright. Luckily, nothing worse happened…

The broken engagement left Shen Yunshu guilt-ridden, but Shen Youran, carefree as ever, felt not the least regret. In fact, she was secretly delighted not to have to marry so soon, her happiness lasting several days, and she soon forgot all about the trouble caused by that scoundrel.

The sixth day of the sixth lunar month, Tian Kuang Festival, wasn’t much of a holiday, but the Pei family still sent gifts to show their regard for Shen Yunshu, soon to marry into their household.

Soon after Tian Kuang Festival was Old Madam Pei’s birthday. As the Pei family’s future in-laws, the Shen family naturally received an invitation.

On the day of the birthday banquet, Shen Yunshu brought along a scented sachet she’d embroidered herself and attended with her stepmother, Madam Wei.

Shen Yunshu had never told her own mother about her engagement, fearing her stepbrother Lu Yi would try to ruin the match. But by now, her mother and stepfather should be arriving in the capital as well. Fortunately, her betrothal to Pei’s eldest son was already set in stone, or she might have worried her stepbrother would meddle…

The carriage stopped at the gate of the Pei residence. Shen Yunshu and Madam Wei alighted together, and Granny Jiang, Old Madam Pei’s trusted attendant, was already waiting at the door. Seeing them arrive, she greeted them with a warm smile and ushered them inside.

The birthday banquet was held in the manor’s flower hall. This year, since Old Madam Pei was celebrating a major birthday, nearly everyone in the Pei family had come—except for Pei Huaijin, who was stationed far away in Lingzhou, and Third Master Pei Yuanzhou, busy with business in Quanzhou. The five-hall flower hall was packed with Pei family members and relatives, and Shen Yunshu’s arrival as the future primary wife of the eldest grandson drew all eyes.

As soon as she entered, countless glances—some obvious, some discreet—fell on her. Shen Yunshu lowered her eyes, steadied her nerves, and walked straight to Old Madam Pei, where she respectfully bowed and presented her gift. Then, introduced by Old Madam Pei, she greeted Lady Zhu, her future mother-in-law, and the other elders at the table.

Two seats remained open at Old Madam’s left—one for her and one for her stepmother.

The wine was fine, the flowers fresh. After the banquet began, laughter and congratulations filled the hall. As attention gradually drifted away from Shen Yunshu, the maids went about pouring wine—fruit wine for the ladies, light and fragrant. Shen Yunshu drank a few cups, her nerves easing, and sat quietly with a gentle smile, listening to the elders’ conversation.

But her future mother-in-law wasn’t in the best health. Halfway through the banquet, she had a maid help her back to rest.

After she left, someone casually asked, “Why isn’t Miss Meng with her today?”

It was a lady from a collateral branch who spoke.

The second branch’s lady answered, “Miss Meng left the other day—went back home to wait for her wedding…”

“Her marriage is settled? Who is the groom?”

“The Fifth Young Master of the Marquis of Changxing’s family…”

The wine’s pleasant haze left Shen Yunshu slightly tipsy, but when she heard “Fifth Young Master Lin from the Marquis of Changxing’s household,” she recalled—hadn’t this Lin Fifth once come to propose to her third sister two years ago?

Back then, she’d learned that Lin Fifth kept a favored concubine and, fearing her sister would be wronged, had her father refuse the proposal. Two years had passed, and she’d thought he would have married by now, but he was only just now engaged—and to her future mother-in-law’s maid, no less.

Shen Yunshu had never met Miss Meng, but she’d heard of her as the lady-in-waiting to her future mother-in-law. She hadn’t expected her to accept Lin Fifth’s proposal. She could only hope Lin Fifth had changed his ways and wouldn’t favor his concubine over his wife.

“I thought with how much our eldest sister-in-law liked Miss Meng, she’d marry her to her own son…” No sooner had she spoken than Old Madam Pei shot her a look, and she quickly amended, “I mean your third branch’s Seventh Young Master—they’re close in age…”

In fact, everyone knew Lady Zhu had once planned to marry Miss Meng to her own son, but Old Madam Pei had set her sights on Shen’s eldest daughter, and the idea was dropped.

Sensing the awkwardness, the second branch’s lady quickly changed the subject with a smile, “Speaking of which, where’s Seventh Young Master? I heard he’s prepared a secret birthday gift for Old Madam, hiding it in his room, refusing to show anyone…”

Everyone started teasing the Third Branch’s Seventh Young Master—a sixteen-year-old known for his rakish ways, whose reputation even Shen Yunshu had heard of.

Just as they spoke, a flash of pale yellow entered the flower hall, and in an instant, he was at their table.

Shen Yunshu couldn’t help but look up. She saw a youth in a double-collared, Su-embroidered half-sleeve robe, hair tied high, his features delicate and lively. The moment he spoke, his voice was carelessly cheerful—surely the Seventh Young Master they’d just been discussing.

He was holding a birdcage, inside which, perched on a crossbar, was a pair of glossy-feathered Hong Parrots. He teased them with a grass stem, and they vied to call out blessings.

“Blessings to Old Madam!”

“May Old Madam have health and long life!”

“Long life and a hundred years!”

“Long life and a hundred years!”

The parrots’ mimicry, though repetitive, made Old Madam Pei beam with delight as she fondly looked at her youngest grandson. “You little rascal, always up to these tricks…”

Everyone at the table laughed along.

Surrounded by elders, Shen Yunshu was the only young maiden at the table, drawing Pei Huaian’s attention.

He turned and looked at her—and abruptly froze. “It’s you!”

Shen Yunshu was taken aback, her face puzzled.

His eyes swept her face, then his brows drew together in faint disappointment. “Oh, not you…”