Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Because Li Jing and I lived in such a remote corner, no one came to bother us. It was peaceful, at least.

Li Jing had been reluctant at first, but after spending one day in the clan school, he came back with his eyes shining.

It seemed lessons from a renowned scholar of the current dynasty truly were not something a village tutor could compare to.

Marchioness probably got a headache at the mere sight of me, so she excused me from paying my respects and told me to stay put and behave myself.

I was perfectly happy to spend my days at leisure.

All day long, I planted flowers in the little courtyard and set herbs out to dry in the sun.

The courtyard had been a barren mess before. After I pulled out the weeds and wildflowers, only a single magnolia tree remained.

At a glance, it looked cold, bare, and utterly lifeless.

As for the three rooms, they were even worse.

The main room had only one bed, with a chilly reed mat spread over it.

There was one set of bedding, but it had sat unused for years and had gone moldy.

The study was emptier still. Forget an antique display shelf-there was not even a decent desk.

The other side room held a bath barrel, so I supposed it was meant for bathing.

To be honest, after looking over those three rooms, I found it hard to imagine how the Eldest Young Master had lived here before.

Marchioness treated me as if I did not exist.

The maids and manservants of the entire Marquis’s Mansion also avoided me whenever they saw me.

Ordering them around was impossible, so I had no choice but to take my time furnishing the place myself.

Fortunately, the Marquis’s Mansion was fairly generous with the monthly allowance, leaving me with enough spare money to buy things I liked.

I bought two bolts of fabric and made a bed canopy for the main room, embroidered with a hundred butterflies weaving through flowers.

When Li Jing helped me hang it up, he shouted, “This is way too tacky!”

I looked at the canopy, bursting with flowers and springtime warmth, and was extremely satisfied.

How was it tacky? It was clearly lively and cheerful. Even sleeping beneath it would feel fragrant.

After Li Jing finished hanging it, he suddenly looked at me warily. “What did you hang in my room?”

I gave him a faint smile.

He rushed out to take a look, then fell into a despairing silence.

I went out for walks every day, and little by little, I filled up the three rooms.

Beside the bed in the main room, I set up a soft couch for resting.

When the window was opened, I could see all the flowers I had planted. When the wind blew, their fragrance was delightful.

On the soft couch, I placed a small table with pastries and candied fruits on it.

After an afternoon nap, eating a little to fill my stomach, paired with a cup of clear tea, was the height of comfort.

Speaking of which, I owed some of it to Nanny Zhang.

She found a carpet in the storeroom. I heard it had been purchased from the Western Regions.

Marchioness thought it was too gaudy and had discarded it without using it.

That worked out nicely for me.

Spread across the room, it was soft and comfortable underfoot.

The new bedding had been sunned and was wonderfully fluffy.

I also placed soothing, pleasant herbs inside an incense ball and thoroughly scented the room.

At night, when I fell asleep hugging a soft pillow, I felt blissfully happy.

Li Jing helped me set up the new candlesticks I had bought, then said without much enthusiasm, “You really don’t mistreat yourself. You’ve actually made this place your home. I heard at school today that the Eldest Young Master is coming back. You’d better think about what you’re going to do.”

I wiped my hair and said carelessly, “What Eldest Young Master? That’s your father. It’ll be perfect if he comes back. Then I won’t have to guard an empty room alone and suffer unnecessary loneliness.”

Li Jing grew even angrier when he heard that. He shouted, “I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for me, or for my mother! When I grow up, I’ll avenge Mother myself!”

As he spoke, his eyes reddened.

Li Jing walked over, hugged me, and said in a trembling voice, “Auntie, I’ve never forgotten how my mother went mad. I am the son of a beast. Filthy blood runs in my veins. One day, sooner or later, I’ll become strong enough to make that man pay the price he deserves!”

I waited as he silently cried for a while, then took out a handkerchief and wiped his face.

Outside, rain suddenly began to patter down.

My spirits lifted at once, and I ordered Li Jing about. “Quick, bring me that little red clay stove I bought the other day. Let’s sit under the veranda, boil tea around the stove, enjoy the rain, and look at the flowers.”

Li Jing snapped, “I told you this morning the sky looked bad and that it was going to rain. I told you to move those flowers under the eaves. But when I came back from school, they were still sitting in the courtyard! Good thing I’m diligent, or what flowers would you be admiring now? They’d have been beaten to pieces by the rain! You’d be crying over bare branches!”

I ruffled his hair and teased him. “You’re so young, yet you worry about everything. If the flowers really had fallen, then tonight we’d drink tea and play chess. Tomorrow, when the sun comes out, we can simply plant more.”

Seeing that I refused to take the bait, Li Jing drooped a little and said listlessly, “Li Zhichun, why are you always in the mood for such leisurely pleasures? We’re here for revenge.”

I tugged at his cheek and said, “Yes, we’re here for revenge. Why don’t you rush into that man’s courtyard right now and stab him? Then you’ll be branded a patricide, thrown in prison in chains, and have your whole life ruined. I’ll go squat in a cell too and suffer every hardship before dying a miserable, hasty death.”

Li Jing looked at me, the agitation in his eyes gradually fading.

It seemed he had taken my words to heart.

Revenge could not be rushed.

The Marquis’s Mansion was heavily guarded. Every gate in the outer courtyard had guards posted, and the inner courtyard was watched by sturdy servant women.

If I had not come here under my elder sister’s identity to seek kinship, I would never have been able to enter at all.

Today, I had used a packet of medicine to test the waters, and only then did I realize just how strict the rules of the Marquis’s Mansion were.

Even one old matron was difficult to fool. If I wanted to make a move against the Second Young Master, wouldn’t that be harder than climbing to heaven?

For now, the only plan was to remain in the Marquis’s Mansion and proceed slowly.

Fortunately, the one thing I had never lacked was patience.

Blushing, Li Jing apologized to me. “I was too reckless.”

I comforted him. “Some things can’t be hurried. Trust me. When the time comes for me to act, I’ll discuss it with you first. Right now, the most important thing for you is to study hard. You must become outstanding enough that the people of the Marquis’s Mansion can’t ignore you. If my impersonation of my sister is ever exposed, you’ll be the one who can support me.”

Li Jing remembered how he had just clung to me and cried, and grew a little embarrassed.

In a muffled voice, he said, “I understand. You once told me not to ruin my own life because of other people’s sins. I’ve always remembered that. I’ll go get the stove and boil tea for you.”

I yawned and burrowed under the covers. “The rain is about to stop. What tea is there to boil? See? Some beautiful things in life vanish in the blink of an eye. You delayed my rain-watching, so tonight you must feel so guilty you can’t sleep.”

Li Jing was infuriated by me. “In your dreams. I’ll sleep perfectly well!”

He huffed and puffed as he was about to leave, but when he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and turned back to light a fresh candle for me.

Li Jing reminded me, “If the lamp goes out, don’t get up. Call me. I’ll be able to hear you.”

When he saw that I ignored him, he came over and patted me.

I was desperately sleepy and mumbled a reply.

Sometime in the night, I suddenly opened my eyes.

The candle had gone out.

I felt under my pillow for a fire striker, and quickly lit a small candle.

I saw a tall figure standing beside the candlestick. He was the one who had blown it out.

When he saw the light, he glanced in my direction.

In a flat voice, he said, “Sleeping without putting out the lamp at night can easily start a fire.”

I sat up and gave him a gentle smile. “My husband is right.”