The Prime Minister's White Moonlight - Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Lanterns
After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Hanbi claimed illness and secluded herself in Zhaoyue Palace. Only Linglong occasionally brought her news from Shen Zhuo.
Three days later, Shen Zhuo’s letter arrived, stating that he had already investigated Zhao Pei’s matter and found it was related to people under the Grand Commandant. He had informed Zhao Yan, and Zhao Yan naturally considered it a good opportunity to suppress the Grand Commandant’s faction, instructing him to proceed without restraint.
Hanbi finished reading the letter and put it to the fire, turning it into ashes. Before long, Hua Wu announced that Princess Xuancheng had arrived. Hanbi slightly frowned, thought for a moment, and instructed Ningzhi, who was waiting outside, to prepare tea. She then personally went to greet Princess Xuancheng.
Seeing Hanbi, Princess Xuancheng quickly said, “I heard Zhaoyi was ill, so I specifically came to visit.” Hanbi covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief and lightly coughed before replying, “It was only a slight cold caught during the palace banquet. I apologize for troubling the Princess.”
Princess Xuancheng recalled the palace banquet. Due to the separation of men and women, she had only glimpsed Liu Jiran from afar that day. Although he was invited to sit with the Jinshi (successful candidates), he did not appear complacent, and he chatted pleasantly with the person next to him, leaving a decent impression on Princess Xuancheng.
“It’s no trouble at all, just a short trip,” Xuancheng naturally replied. The two exchanged pleasantries for a while.
Hanbi observed that although the Princess was young, she could not avoid planning for herself. However, most members of the royal family were probably like this. Zhao Yan, for instance, though not her full brother, still bore a slight resemblance to her.
After sending off Xuancheng, Hanbi continued to contemplate Liu Jiran’s matter. In a few days, Zhao Yan and the various censors would select the top candidates. She wondered about Liu Jiran’s result. In a few months, the Ministry of Personnel would likely assign official posts to everyone. Only then would her hidden piece in the court be effective, but she still needed to proceed cautiously.
When Shen Zhuo returned to the mansion, an old servant stepped forward and said to him, “Young Master, the Master wants you to go to him.” Shen Zhuo handed the memorial he hadn’t finished writing to Mo Chi and instructed, “Put it in the study.”
Shen Zhuo followed the old servant, passing through a bamboo grove and over a stone bridge before arriving at the door of Lord Shen’s residence.
The old servant waited at the door, while Shen Zhuo stepped inside. He observed that the furnishings around him hadn’t changed, but time had passed, and people and circumstances were no longer the same.
Lord Shen was practicing calligraphy. Seeing Shen Zhuo, he put down his wolf-hair brush and said, “You’ve arrived?” Shen Zhuo nodded slightly. This was the first time he had seen Lord Shen since returning to the capital. Lord Shen and Madame Shen were estranged and did not eat together, so Shen Zhuo didn’t much feel like seeing him.
“I heard that the case you investigated regarding the examination fraud led to someone under the Grand Commandant.” Lord Shen’s tone was slow and deliberate, but his imposing manner was not weak.
“Yes. But His Majesty is already aware of this matter,” Shen Zhuo replied to him, speaking very formally, not at all like a son to a father.
Lord Shen looked at him and snorted. “I know. You are holding a grudge against me over the Cui family matter. But I must tell you, I did it for the Shen family. If that marriage with the Cui family had truly happened, the Shen family would have been doomed.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhuo felt a lump in his throat. “Given the Cui family’s loyalty, Father, do you truly believe the Cui family would have rebelled?”
“Whether the Cui family rebelled or not is not important. What’s important is that the late Emperor believed the Cui family would rebel,” Lord Shen said indifferently. Shen Zhuo looked at him, feeling that Lord Shen’s face had become as blurred as he had felt Cui Furen’s was strange at the time.
“Father, our paths are ultimately different,” Shen Zhuo sighed. He wanted to protect the Shen family, which was not wrong, but the Shen family had stood by and watched the Cui family’s demise. As a member of the Shen family, he felt he had let down Lord Cui, Hanbi’s biological father, and Hanbi herself.
“In these few years you’ve been away, you’ve become more and more pedantic!” Lord Shen was displeased. “That Cui Hanbi is already His Majesty’s concubine. You had better abandon that thought quickly.”
Shen Zhuo did not reply. A wave of helplessness suddenly surged within him. “If there is nothing else, I will take my leave.” Shen Zhuo bowed and walked out.
Mo Chi saw Shen Zhuo return looking distracted and asked with concern, “Young Master, what is wrong?” Shen Zhuo regained his senses and said, “Nothing.” He sat back down at his desk to write his memorial, but his heart couldn’t settle down.
He thought for a moment, then decided to get up and go out for a walk to clear his mind. He instructed Mo Chi to keep a close watch on the study. Mo Chi naturally obeyed.
Today was the Lantern Festival. The streets were crowded with people at night. Lan Suxin also dressed up elaborately today and was sitting in a carriage, watching the lanterns.
Her maidservant, Qingdai, with sharp eyes, quietly pointed outside the carriage window and said to her, “Miss, look, isn’t that Young Master Shen?”
Lan Suxin looked closely. It was indeed Shen Zhuo. He was still wearing white clothes today, like a handsome and noble gentleman. She immediately ordered the coachman, “Stop the carriage.” The coachman had no choice but to comply. Lan Suxin got out of the carriage, adjusted her clothing, and asked Qingdai, “Is there anything improper about me today?”
Qingdai covered her mouth and laughed. “There is nothing improper.” Lan Suxin then stepped forward and called out sweetly, “Young Master Shen.”
Shen Zhuo turned to look at her. Seeing it was the Miss Lan he had seen before, he politely said, “Miss Lan,” out of courtesy.
Lan Suxin insisted on lingering. “Is Young Master Shen also here to enjoy the lanterns?” Shen Zhuo hadn’t known tonight was the Lantern Festival. He nodded slightly. “I was just feeling bothered and came out for a casual walk. I don’t particularly enjoy watching lanterns.”
Lan Suxin was surprised. She had heard that Shen Zhuo loved watching lanterns and never missed a single large or small lantern festival. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone out in the carriage tonight.
However, she forced a smile and said, “The scenery tonight is excellent. How can we waste it? Young Master Shen, please accompany Suxin to watch the lanterns.” Shen Zhuo initially wanted to refuse, but then he remembered the rumors of her infatuation with him, so he decided it was better to speak clearly. He finally agreed.
Along the way, there was none of the ambiguity or romance Lan Suxin had hoped for. Shen Zhuo maintained his distance from her the entire time. As the Lantern Festival was about to end and fireworks rose into the sky, Lan Suxin wanted to ask Shen Zhuo to look, but she saw that he still kept his distance from her.
Lan Suxin’s eyes turned red. “Young Master Shen, could you please tell Suxin if I have done anything wrong?”
Shen Zhuo was unmoved. “Miss Lan has done nothing wrong. However, Miss Lan is still an unmarried maiden. This is for the sake of your reputation.”
Lan Suxin sobbed upon hearing this. “Does Young Master Shen not understand my sincere feelings?” This statement was quite bold. Fortunately, there were not many people around. Shen Zhuo frowned almost imperceptibly. “How can Miss Lan speak so carelessly?”
Lan Suxin also realized that she had spoken wrongly in her excitement, but at this moment, she desperately wanted Shen Zhuo to understand her sincerity, so she confessed to him, “Since the first time I saw Young Master Shen at the banquet, you were different from everyone else.”
She was the eldest daughter of the Lan family, and countless people tried to flatter her. Thus, after seeing Shen Zhuo once at a banquet, she remembered that he was unlike those vulgar people, speaking elegantly and courteously at the table.
She had given up when she heard he was engaged at the time, but unexpectedly, a turning point appeared, and her heart, which had been like dead ash, rekindled.
Shen Zhuo asked her in return, “Different? Does Miss Lan’s family intend to strongly facilitate a marriage between the Shen and Lan families?”
Seeing his reaction, Lan Suxin said, “What’s wrong with that? The Lan family and the Shen family are considered well-matched in social status.”
Shen Zhuo looked at her with profound eyes. “What if I were not a member of the Shen family? What if I was determined to leave the Shen family?” Lan Suxin was speechless for a moment. She seemed not to have expected him to question her in this way.
“Thank you for Miss Lan’s kindness, but I already have someone in my heart,” Shen Zhuo said.
Lan Suxin felt dejected upon hearing this. She didn’t ask who that person was, nor did she cry anymore, because she knew Shen Zhuo would not relent.
Shen Zhuo then thought of Yun Li and sighed inwardly before saying, “I will not speak of what happened today, but I hope Miss Lan will cherish herself and find a good husband soon.”
Qingdai saw Lan Suxin leave happily, but she returned with red, swollen eyes, looking as if she had been crying.
Qingdai quickly asked, “Miss, what happened?” Lan Suxin said, “I’m tired. I’ll talk about it when we get back to the mansion.” Qingdai had no choice but to support her and help her into the carriage.
Upon returning to the Lan Mansion, Lan Suxin cried again, burying her face in the pillow in her boudoir. Qingdai had to comfort her for a while and learned from the scattered words that she had been rejected by Shen Zhuo. Qingdai frowned slightly. “How can Young Master Shen be so unappreciative?”
Lan Suxin wiped her tears with a silk handkerchief and said, “It’s my fault. I humiliated myself. Let’s not mention this matter again in the future.”
Lan Suxin could vaguely guess who the person Shen Zhuo had in his heart was, but since Shen Zhuo had no feelings for her, she would naturally not cling to him.
“I’m tired. Qingdai, go wait outside,” Lan Suxin instructed her. Qingdai obeyed. Lan Suxin took off her clothes and lay down on the couch. Perhaps due to exhaustion, she soon sank into a dream.
Lan Suxin surveyed her surroundings. This seemed to be the banquet where she first met Shen Zhuo. Although she was the eldest daughter of the Lan family, she had lived with her maternal aunt since childhood and was only brought back to the Lan family at the age of fifteen, yet she was not as favored as her younger sister.
The host of today’s banquet was extravagant, ordering a dish of roasted lamb. However, Lan Suxin had never eaten this dish since she was young. Although the Lan family was luxurious, she hadn’t eaten it because she was out of favor. She seemed a little awkward. Chen Qian then mocked her at the table. “Sister Lan probably hasn’t eaten this dish before. But it’s not Sister Lan’s fault. After all, you grew up in a humble household. What kind of good food could you have eaten?”
After speaking, Chen Qian covered her mouth and laughed. Everyone, considering Lan Suxin’s dignity, wanted to laugh but couldn’t.
The Chen and Lan families had always been on bad terms. The Lan family looked down on the Chen family for obtaining patronage by sending their daughters into the palace, while the Chen family felt that the Lan family, which was once a prominent clan, was now engaged in business, making them reek of money.
Lan Suxin, having suffered this ridicule, immediately felt her eyes sting, but she refused to lose face in front of her rival and the crowd, forcing back her tears, yet unable to refute.
After a long time, Lan Suxin finally fabricated an excuse to leave the table. She lay down under a jacaranda tree, hugging her knees and crying. She had suffered many grievances since returning to the Lan family. Chen Qian’s ridicule ignited it all, and she let out all her suppressed emotions.
Suddenly, Lan Suxin heard footsteps and quickly stopped crying in alarm. It was likely a man. She dared not look directly at him; her appearance at the moment was too disgraceful.
The person’s voice was gentle. He handed her a handkerchief and said, “Wipe your tears.” Lan Suxin looked up. She found that the person was more handsome than everyone she had ever met combined, causing her to freeze in a daze.
Lan Suxin took the handkerchief with a blank mind, wiped her tears, and said, “Thank you.” She wanted to hand it back to him but then remembered how improper that would be. The other party seemed to know what she was thinking and said to her, “No need to return it. For the sake of your reputation, it’s better to burn it.”
Later, Lan Suxin learned his name was Shen Zhuo, but he was already engaged. She thought his fiancée must also be a very well-matched person for him, and she had only been dreaming foolishly.
The grown-up Lan Suxin looked at her younger self. It turned out she was not infatuated with Shen Zhuo; she had merely naturally become dependent on the person who extended a helping hand to her. Even if that person wasn’t Shen Zhuo, she would probably have naturally become dependent. Thinking this, her heart brightened considerably.