Chapter 232: FLASHBACK 1

Flashback

In the peaceful courtyard of her family’s home, a young Meiyun, who would one day become Duchess Xi, walked quickly toward the main hall after her father, the Count, called for her.

As she reached the heavy wooden doors, she stopped. The loud, angry voices of her father and two older brothers carried through the windows.

"Father, you cannot agree to this!" her eldest brother argued, slamming his hand on the table. "Marquis Xi is just a puppet! The Empress only brought him into her family to use his soldiers for her own dirty plans. The moment he isn’t useful anymore, she will throw him away!"

Her second brother spoke up next. "He has power right now, but who knows how long that will last? When the Empress decides to ruin him, she will push him right off the roof! We cannot let our little sister marry a man like him!"

Their father, the Count, let out a long sigh. "I know. But the Empress sent this marriage proposal herself. Still, Meiyun is my only daughter. I will ask her opinion first. If she refuses, I will reject the proposal and face the Empress myself."

Outside the door, Meiyun took a deep breath.

She pushed the doors open and walked inside.

The three men turned to look at her in shock.

Meiyun stood tall and looked her father straight in the eyes. "Father, brothers... I accept. I will marry Marquis Xi."

Her eldest brother rushed over, grabbing her shoulders. "Meiyun! Do you even know what you are saying?! Do you even know him?! How could you accept?!" ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Meiyun looked back at her brother without any fear or hesitation.

"I know what he is," she said softly, remembering the lonely, pale soldier she had seen walking through the crowds long ago. "And I am willing to marry him."

Her brothers looked at her with worried eyes, begging her to rethink.

"Meiyun, please think about this again," her eldest brother pleaded, holding her shoulders tighter. "This is your entire life you are throwing away on a dangerous man!"

Meiyun looked at her brothers and her father, her gaze steady and calm. "Then let me go out with him for a day," she suggested softly. "I will spend one day with him, and after that, I will finalize my decision."

Her two brothers exchanged silent, hesitant looks before looking over at their father.

The Count stroked his beard, thinking quietly for a long moment while considering his daughter’s request. Finally, he gave a heavy nod.

"Very well," the Count said. "I will have a letter sent to his household today to arrange it."

A few days later, they agreed on a date for their meeting.

Meiyun dressed in a simple red and white hanfu. A private carriage dropped her off near a busy market, right in front of her favorite tea house, the spot she had chosen for them to meet.

As she stepped down from the carriage with a happy smile, a thief suddenly sprinted past her. With a swift yank, he snatched the embroidered money pouch right off her waist and took off into the crowded street.

"Hey! Stop! Thief!" Meiyun shouted.

She tried to chase him, while her carriage maid called out in panic, "Young Mistress! Wait!"

Knowing her heavy shoes were slowing her down, Meiyun kicked them off right there on the street. Dressed in her fine silk, she ran barefoot through the dirt as fast as her legs could carry her, shouting for the thief to stop. Her two servants chased after her, desperately calling her name.

The crowd of shoppers stood in shock, staring at the rare sight of a noble lady sprinting barefoot through the dirt market like a street child.

Meiyun pushed herself to run faster, but her foot caught on an uneven cobblestone.

THUD!

She hit the ground hard, her knees and palms scraping against the rough dirt. Pain shot through her legs, and tears immediately spilled down her cheeks.

It wasn’t the loss of the money that hurt her so deeply. It was the pouch itself, she had spent an entire month embroidering every single thread with her own hands.

As she sat on the dirt road weeping quietly, a dark shadow suddenly fell over her, blocking out the bright afternoon sun.

Meiyun looked up, squinting against the harsh light.

Standing above her was a tall man dressed in a dark blue robe. He looked so familiar. He reached out his hand, dangling the silk pouch right before her eyes.

"Does this belong to you?" he asked, his voice low and quiet.

The moment she saw the pouch, a bright smile broke across her tear-stained face. She scrambled to stand up quickly, but a sharp groan escaped her lips as her sprained ankle gave out beneath her.

Before she could hit the dirt a second time, the man moved with lightning speed, catching her firmly by the waist.

He pulled her close against his chest to steady her, holding her securely until her feet were settled. With their faces now mere inches apart, Meiyun looked up into his dark eyes, finally getting a clear look at his face.

It was Marquis Xi.

"You must be Lady Lin," Xi Jianyu said softly, his dark eyes searching her face. "Are you alright?"

Meiyun’s cheeks flushed bright crimson. Realizing how tightly she was leaning against his broad chest, she quickly pulled her hands away and staggered back, trying to stand properly on her own two feet.

Before she could say a word, her panicking servants finally caught up through the crowd.

"Young Miss! Are you alright?!" her maid cried out, rushing to her side. "Oh goodness, your knees! Your hands!"

Meiyun looked at her servants and held up her silk pouch, trying to play it off with a sheepish smile. "A thief snatched my pouch! How else was I supposed to react? I spent a whole month stitching this!"

While Meiyun was busy talking to her maids, Jianyu quietly motioned to his guard standing nearby. He whispered a quick command, and the guard immediately darted off into the busy market.

A few moments later, the guard returned carrying a brand-new pair of soft red silk shoes.

Without a single word, Jianyu knelt down on one knee in the middle of the dusty street. He reached out and gently lifted Meiyun’s bare, dirt-dusted foot into his warm hand.

Meiyun froze mid-sentence. Her jaw dropped, and her maids gasped in utter shock, covering their mouths.

"Marquis Xi—" Meiyun stammered, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Jianyu ignored the staring crowd and carefully wiped the dirt from her skin with his thumb. With incredible gentleness, he slipped the new red shoe over her foot, making sure it fit comfortably before doing the exact same for her other leg.

He stood up, looking down at her flushed, speechless face. "A noble lady shouldn’t walk barefoot on cold stone," he said quietly, his low voice calm and steady. "Shall we head to the tea house now, Lady Lin?"

Meiyun’s mind was still completely blank with shock. Her cheeks burned like fire as she stared up at him, her lips slightly parted.

"Can you walk, or do you need help?" Jianyu asked softly, looking down at her.

Meiyun just nodded half-mindedly, still too dazed to process his words.

Before she could even realize what was happening, Jianyu bent down, slid one strong arm beneath her knees and the other around her back, and effortlessly lifted her right off the ground in a bridal carry.

Meiyun gasped out loud, her arms instinctively wrapping tight around his neck to keep from falling.

"M-Marquis Xi!" she squeaked, her face flushing a deep, chaotic red.

Her two maids nearly fainted on the spot, squealing under their breath as they covered their faces. The surrounding market crowd whispered in excitement, watching the handsome, stern young Marquis carry the blushing noble lady down the street like she was made of precious glass.

Jianyu didn’t seem to care about the staring eyes at all. Holding her securely against his broad chest, he took long, steady strides toward the entrance of her favorite tea house.

Lin Meiyun leaned against his broad chest, her panic slowly melting away as she stared up at his sharp side profile. His jawline was strong, his dark eyes staring straight ahead, and his face was entirely emotionless, like a carved statue of cold jade.

Yet, looking at him this close, the noisy market crowds and whispering onlookers completely faded into background noise. The world narrowed down to just the two of them.

"So good looking..." Meiyun muttered half-mindedly, completely unaware that she had voiced her thoughts out loud.

Jianyu’s long strides faltered for a fraction of a second.

A subtle, nearly imperceptible twitch touched the corner of his lips. He didn’t turn his head to look at her, but his deep voice echoed right beside her ear, calm and laced with a faint hint of amusement.

"Is that so, Lady Lin?"

Meiyun’s eyes snapped wide open. Her breath hitched in her throat as her face flushed even hotter than before, turning a vibrant shade of crimson.

"I—I didn’t—That wasn’t—" she stuttered frantically, burying her burning face directly into the crook of his neck to hide.

Jianyu let out a low, quiet hum, his chest vibrating against hers as he carried her smoothly through the grand entrance of the tea house.