Chapter 20: Hidden Feelings (Part 2)
Perhaps due to the summer heat and restlessness, or perhaps from consuming overly inflammatory foods recently, Shen Yu lay awake until midnight before summoning a maid.
Tonight's watch fell to Rui Xue - a chamber maid originally serving his late wife Madam Zhou. After her mistress's death, Rui Xue had naturally remained to attend Shen Yu.
Having already retired to the outer room, Rui Xue hastily threw on clothes when summoned. She rushed to intercept Shen Yu as he reached for the water pitcher, retrieving the teapot from the warmed tea bucket instead.
The height difference between them proved striking. Summer's thin garments revealed Rui Xue's crimson camellia-embroidered underbodice beneath her loosely fastened peach-pink jacket, its untied sash rendering the outer layer purely decorative.
Shen Yu jerked his head away as if scalded, startled by his own reaction.
The afternoon's forbidden memory surged unbidden - Ji Cheng's lake-soaked dress clinging to her form, that white camellia blooming across her chest binding.
Icy blue gauze had misted the snow-white blossom like haunting frost, transforming the pristine embroidery into something bewitching. Though barely fifteen, Ji Cheng's figure surpassed twenty-year-old Rui Xue's curves.
His mind treacherously recreated the scene: translucent fabric molding to her wasp waist, every crease along her abdomen and hips etched with obscene clarity. Never had Shen Yu imagined himself debased enough to lust after his own cousin.
"Are you unwell, Young Master?" Rui Xue stood on tiptoe to check his fevered brow, but he evaded her touch.
"Leave." Shen Yu moved toward bed, then abruptly recalled her from the doorway.
Come morning, Rui Xue's trembling legs betrayed the night's excess. Though accustomed to her master's vigor, never had he shown such wolfish hunger - tearing at her clothes with three days' starvation in his hands.
Blushing at the memory, she nearly collided with Lan Xiang in the courtyard.
"Such wantonness!" The other maid smirked, noting Rui Xue's limp. "The whole compound heard your theatrics last night. How you shame our late mistress's memory!"
Both had served Madam Zhou, but Lan Xiang's greater beauty made her dangerous. Passed over for promotion during Madam Zhou's pregnancy, Lan Xiang's resentment festered through widowhood - clinging to the household under pretense of caring for young Honggeer while scheming to seduce Shen Yu.
Rui Xue paled. She'd restrained cries initially, but Shen Yu's later frenzy broke her resolve. Humiliation burned through her as she fled past Lan Xiang.
Meanwhile, Ji Cheng's chill worsened into proper illness. Well-wishers from the Shen family compounded her exhaustion until she lay listless for days, her fragile beauty heightened by translucent pallor.
At Dongshan Academy, Shen Jing monitored household reports between studies. Ji Cheng's uncharacteristic silence confirmed his fears. When term recess arrived, he persuaded her brother Ji Yuan - usually too dedicated to leave campus - to accompany him home.
They reached Tiemao Hutong at dusk. During evening greetings, Aunt Ji Lan urged Ji Yuan: "A-Cheng misses you. Visit her quickly."
"Has Cousin not recovered from her chill?" Shen Jing interjected, following before Ji Lan could object.
Moonlight silvered the courtyard where Ji Cheng reclined on bamboo lounger, attendants fanning away mosquitoes beside fruit-laden tables. Ji Yuan approached directly while Shen Jing hesitated at the moon gate.
From this vantage, she glowed like a pearl wrapped in cherry-blossom mist - luminous enough to make approach feel sacrilege. Closing the distance revealed her layered gossamer gown, its silver cloud patterns floating through pink silk like dawn haze.
Her face had sharpened, morning-fresh complexion replaced by the fragile white of steamed rice cakes - translucent yet glowing with inner light.
"Sister Cheng, are you feeling better?" Shen Jing felt deeply guilty toward Ji Cheng. Having seen her unclothed form that day yet lacking the courage to take responsibility, he'd caused her to fall ill from shock. The more he dwelled on it, the more he despised his own cowardice. Yet he couldn't help admiring how Ji Cheng, despite her delicate health, had leaped into the water without hesitation to save someone - a testament to her remarkable kindness.
If only he could defy his mother, Shen Jing thought bitterly. But until passing the imperial exams, he stood no chance against Ji Lan's marriage arrangements. Even with a scholar's rank, filial piety would chain him to obedience.
Perhaps if he proved capable of rising without aristocratic connections, a sliver of hope might remain for him and Ji Cheng. But the chance seemed vanishingly small - so small he dared not bare his heart, reduced to watching over her from afar.
"Thank you for your concern, Jing表哥. I've nearly recovered and shall return to the academy soon," Ji Cheng replied with a faint smile.
Shen Jing's words died unspoken as he noticed their audience. He stood silently while Ji Yuan advised his sister on convalescence.
When Ji Cheng mentioned boredom from confinement, Shen Jing seized the opening. "I've several books - poetry collections, travel journals, accounts of the capital's customs. Shall I send them to ease your days?"
Ji Cheng thanked him promptly.
The next day, a maid delivered Shen Jing's books. A slip fluttered from the pages: "I'll never speak of that day's matter."
Though unfamiliar with his handwriting, she burned the note immediately. Foolish man! This clandestine message could ruin them both if discovered. What exactly did he mean by "that day's matter"? The ambiguity itself posed danger.
Ji Lan learned of the book delivery too late. Suspecting covert communication, her resentment toward Ji Cheng grew. She resolved to hasten marriage arrangements for both, severing any improper notions.
By early May, Ji Cheng recovered just in time for Dragon Boat festivities. During her morning greetings, Ji Lan detained her: "At the Flower Banquet, did you note which maidens showed exceptional character?"
Ji Cheng waited, understanding dawning.
"Such effort to have your cousin leave the academy that day!" Ji Lan lamented. "Yet the bookworm hid in the gardens with his cousins, sipping tea while eligible girls paraded before him! Nearly all suitable matches in the capital attended - what wasted opportunity!"
She sighed thrice before continuing. "As Third Branch's eldest son, his marriage demands utmost care. You and A萃 must observe those girls closely during your interactions. Help ensure he doesn't choose poorly."
Ji Cheng nodded obediently.
"Such a sensible girl." Ji Lan patted her hand approvingly.
Sensible girls didn't scheme to marry their cousins.
Yet with the Shen brothers' excellence and family prominence, such cousinly admiration proved inevitable.
As Dragon Boat Festival approached, Dongshan Academy closed alongside government offices. The Shen estate buzzed with activity, its gardens filling with visiting young ladies.
Madam Huang's niece Lu Yuan arrived under the pretext of familial visits. Daughter of General Shuo Bei stationed at the northern borders, her true purpose became clear - at marriageable age, she'd come husband-hunting.
The unmarried Shen sons glittered like prime cuts before hungry relatives. Though Ji Cheng noted Madam Huang showed no interest in making Lu Yuan her daughter-in-law; likely, the Lu family sought closer ties with the main branch.
To accommodate Lu Yuan, the matriarch moved all young ladies to garden residences - ostensibly for summer retreat, truly to gather them like chattering finches. Ji Cheng admired Lady Shen's impartial kindness, which treated even someone of her status equally.
Efficient servants completed the relocation by May 2nd, spurred by Shen荨's impatient催促. While others chose quarters, Ji Cheng simply followed Shen萃 - though this time, under Ji Lan's guidance, Shen萃 cleverly selected the same courtyard as Shen芫.
Though expansive, Qinyuan's suitable residences clustered together to foster interaction. The move consumed days, compounded by festival preparations that suspended classes. Under Auntie Fu's tutelage, the girls crafted Dragon Boat trinkets.
Shen芫 fashioned colored silk zongzi smaller than fingernails. Shen荨 created crepe-paper spiders and phoenix headdresses for fifth-day wear. Su Yun's embroidered sachets overflowed with artistry - particularly the rooster-chasing-rabbit design for Second Branch's Hong哥儿, whimsical yet exquisite.
Ji Cheng's needlework lagged, her childhood wildness giving way to rushed cultivation of more refined arts. She settled for braiding longevity threads - simple five-colored strands for wrists, though capital fashion demanded elaborate variations. During her illness, she'd learned basic knots from Shen芫's maid Green Oriole, barely completing hers in time.
(End of Chapter)
