Destined Hearts of Mu and Yu (GL) - Chapter 27

“Lord Su, I’ll personally deliver the Aoki-era records to your residence another day.” Wei Hanyu’s tone was calm and courteous as she spoke to Su Ze beside her.

Su Ze immediately snapped his long-gaping mouth shut, dazedly nodding before turning to leave. He had only come to the library on a simple errand, but instead had stumbled upon far too much information to digest. He needed to return home and process it all.

Qin Mu rushed forward, about to explain, but Wei Hanyu only offered her a faint smile. She pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and pressed it gently against Qin Mu’s lips.

“Look at you, running out in such a panic the moment you saw me. You didn’t even realize you had ink on the corner of your mouth.” Her voice was soft, almost indulgent.

“Really?” Qin Mu asked blankly, staring at her in a daze. It was the first time she had seen Wei Hanyu this tender, and the sudden rush of happiness left her unguarded.

From behind came Su Wanying’s voice, dripping with jealousy.

“The Princess and her little pet are truly enviable. The whole palace already knows that Wei Hanyu, the First Princess of Wei, has a handsome boy toy—one she treasures above all else.”

“Indeed. If he can’t see me for even a moment, he becomes so flustered.” Wei Hanyu smiled faintly, drawing Qin Mu behind her with effortless ease.

“Oh~.” Su Wanying deliberately dragged out the sound, her fox-like eyes sweeping over them both before settling on Qin Mu. “Little Mu, that book you recommended earlier—Spring Boudoir Solitude and Love Aflame on an Autumn Night—I suddenly feel interested again. Fetch them for me.”

Qin Mu’s face turned scarlet. Recommended? She was the one who came every day demanding such books; Qin Mu had merely pointed her to them. Yet now Su Wanying was shamelessly twisting the story. And… well, Qin Mu had just suggested those very titles. Shoulders slumping, she trudged toward the back shelves like a deflated balloon. She knew Wei Hanyu must have misunderstood, and her heart sank.

With Qin Mu gone, only Wei Hanyu and Su Wanying remained, their gazes locking like blades.

“I warn you—stay away from her.” Wei Hanyu’s brows drew together, her eyes sharp and icy.

“Heh. Princess, what an amusing threat. I am your father’s concubine. How could I possibly consort with a eunuch?” Su Wanying covered her lips with her sleeve, laughing like a sly fox.

“She’s no eunuch. She is mine.” Wei Hanyu gripped her sleeve tightly, each word deliberate and clear.

“And yet, you know well—what I enjoy most is taking what’s yours.” Su Wanying’s laughter rippled, her silk scarf fluttering like petals as she spoke.

When Qin Mu returned with the books, Su Wanying received them with a flourish, tossing Qin Mu a deliberately suggestive glance before leaving gracefully.

Only Qin Mu remained, pale and uneasy, while Wei Hanyu’s face stayed as composed as ever.

“Dear Mu, fetch me the Aoki-era records,” Wei Hanyu said with a faint smile, noticing Qin Mu wringing her sleeves with nowhere to place her hands.

Qin Mu looked up, searching Wei Hanyu’s eyes. Seeing no trace of anger there, she finally let out a quiet sigh of relief and hurried to the shelves. She returned to find Wei Hanyu seated at her desk, holding the very ledger that recorded all of Su Wanying’s past book borrowings.

Qin Mu’s face flushed crimson. She rushed forward and handed over the records.

“These are all the books she’s borrowed recently?” Wei Hanyu asked lightly, brows arched.

“Yes,” Qin Mu whispered, her head lowered so far she dared not meet her eyes. She had promised to avoid Su Wanying, yet she was forced into contact with her almost daily. The guilt weighed heavy on her chest.

“I only wonder,” Wei Hanyu said, her slender fingers tapping the ledger, “whether she can truly finish so many books in a day.”

“Ah…” Qin Mu glanced up. Wei Hanyu gave her a gentle smile, and Qin Mu’s heart melted all over again.

“Even if she could finish, I doubt she could endure it.” Wei Hanyu chuckled softly, then looked out the window at the dimming sky. “If I leave now to deliver these records to Lord Su, I should still make it back for dinner.”

“Wait for me,” she said quietly to Qin Mu as she gathered the scrolls, before stepping out. Qin Mu gazed at her retreating figure, her heart swelling with the thought—the woman I love is simply too perfect.

***

When Qin Mu returned to Biyue Pavilion that evening, she found a feast laid out across the table—every dish one of her favorites. Her chest warmed with emotion.

Yin’er, however, kept staring at her with a peculiar look. Finally, Qin Mu frowned and asked, “Yin’er, do you have something to say to me? Just say it.”

Yin’er rarely looked so serious. She lowered her brows and said, “Master Qin, you’ve been living here in Biyue Pavilion for over a month now. Do you know what the palace is saying about the Princess?”

Qin Mu’s heart gave a sharp jolt. “No…” She shook her head, listening intently.

“They say the Princess keeps a lover. That she neglects her duties and spends her nights in pleasure.” Yin’er’s gaze fell on Qin Mu, whose face burned red. “She may laugh it off, but it concerns her reputation. She is, after all, the First Princess of Wei.”

Qin Mu bit her lip, lowering her head. Until Yin’er told her, she hadn’t realized just how much gossip Wei Hanyu bore because of her. A dull ache spread in her chest. She knew she had no right to dream of being with Wei Hanyu. Simply staying by her side, day by day, was already more than enough.

“Master Qin, what do you plan to do?”

“My relationship with Elder Sister Hanyu isn’t what outsiders imagine,” Qin Mu said softly, sighing.

“Then you’re not sincere toward her?” Yin’er pressed.

Qin Mu shook her head firmly.

“Then why?” Yin’er’s eyes narrowed in confusion. The Princess had already done so much for Qin Mu, and Qin Mu clearly cared deeply as well—yet both danced around the truth. Truly, Yin’er thought, this is like the saying: the Emperor is calm, while the eunuch frets himself to death.

She poured Qin Mu a cup of wine. “They say wine loosens the tongue. Drink a little, then tell me the truth.”

Qin Mu drained the cup in one gulp. Her mind was a storm already. Three cups later, her head hung low, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I… I’m not worthy of Elder Sister Hanyu.”

“Not worthy? And only now you say this?!” Yin’er slammed the table, irritated. “If the Princess cared about status, would she have chosen you? There are countless young nobles lining up for her hand.”

“You don’t understand…” Qin Mu muttered, pouring herself two more cups. Her head spun with dizziness. “The truth is, I’ve been staying in the library to prepare for next month’s imperial examinations. I want… to become an official.”

“But an official cannot marry into the royal family,” Yin’er frowned. In Wei, those who wed into the imperial clan were forbidden from taking part in politics.

“Then I’ll remain as I am now—nothing. Do you think the Emperor would ever marry his daughter to me?” Qin Mu’s voice rose, strained with frustration. She met Yin’er’s gaze, saw her hesitation, and gave a bitter smile.

“Right now, compared to the Princess, I’m nothing but dust.”

She slumped onto the table, rolling the cup in her hand. When she finally lifted her head again, Yin’er was gone. Alone, Qin Mu staggered to her feet, wine jug in hand, and wandered outside into the courtyard.

The night sky stretched vast above her, stars gleaming. Looking up at the moon, Qin Mu sighed. “She is the moon in the heavens, and I am the grass beneath her feet.”

Her steps wavered until she collapsed into the grass, lying flat on her back. She reached a hand toward the cold, perfect moon, but it was far beyond her grasp. Instead, her hand brushed against something warm.

Startled, she drew her hand back and forced her blurred eyes to focus.

There, bending over her with half-lidded eyes, stood Wei Hanyu.