Good Mood

Lu Yuxue lowered her gaze slightly. Her eyes were a little red.

She had just arrived and hadn’t told anyone she was coming. The coat draped over Zhao Zhi’s arm was definitely not for her.

“Where are you going, Cousin?”

“None of your business,” said Zhao Zhi with a frown as he stuck his chin out to motion to his guard. The guard immediately stretched his arms out to take the box of food from Lu Yuxue.

But Lu Yuxue moved her arm backward and did not hand it to him.

The guard thought that Lu Yuxue was feeling too cold to notice him, so he called out to her, “Cousin Young Mistress…”

But she still held it back from him.

In other words… she wanted Zhao Zhi to take it from her.

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly and snapped his fingers so that the guard wouldn’t walk away. “Lu Yuxue, don’t do such things in the future.”

Lu Yuxue bit her lip as she started tearing up. “I just… wanted to see you. Your work is important, but so is your health. You haven’t been home recently and Her Highness is very worried, and I… have missed you too.”

Zhao Zhi snorted. “I don’t need any of that.”

Lu Yuxue’s eyes widened. “Cousin… why are you like this…”

Zhao Zhi’s gaze suddenly turned nasty. “Lu Yuxue. You know why I’m like this.”

“Cousin…”

“Do not force me to get physical.”

Zhao Zhi’s words were short and sharp, his expression aloof. Once he put on the airs of a member of royalty, it felt as though he was shooting arrows made from ice at her. He came off as a completely heartless man.

Lu Yuxue’s fingers trembled as she smiled bitterly. “Xue’er just misses you and wants the best for you. If you don’t appreciate it, fine. Why… why do you have to be so hurtful?”

Meanwhile, Blackie was finally done with its wild ride out there. It was done galloping anywhere it liked and came back with Song Caitang.

Song Caitang had not directed it, made it go faster or forced it to go slower. She was just so amazed by it all.

Many stablemen said that only the older horses knew their way around, but even though Blackie was still young, it knew how to get back without any directing and even knew how to take shortcuts!

It took the shortest route back without making a single mistake.

Song Caitang couldn’t help but feel relieved that she hadn’t attempted to give any directions to the horse.

Blackie was the embodiment of that phrase - when quiet, it was like a puppy. When it moved, it ran like a mad dog. Now that it was done with playtime, it was calm and quiet again.

It seemed to enjoy having Song Caitang on its back, so even though it was done with having fun, it didn’t want to put her down again. It trotted along slowly and just stopped at the gate.

That was how Song Caitang ended up noticing Lu Yuxue.

As well as what she and Zhao Zhi were saying.

The falling snow, the long corridor, the branches of the red plum blossoms. The scene before her looked as pretty as a painting, but the atmosphere was not pretty at all.

The beautiful young woman was clearly concerned for Zhao Zhi, but Zhao Zhi’s expression was sullen and displeased…

Something was going on here.

Zhao Zhi’s brows were furrowed and his tone was icy, “You should leave.”

Lu Yuxue used a handkerchief to wipe her tears away. “You don’t like me doing such things, I’ll remember that. I won’t do it again. Don’t worry about things at home and focus on your work, I will take good care of Her Highness and make sure you don’t have to worry. If you think I shouldn’t be here, I will not visit your workplace again. But if you need anything, you must get someone to tell me.”

As she folded her hands in front of her, she broke into a brilliant smile. She looked so gorgeous in the midst of the snow.

Her voice was like the gentle spring rain, “You said before that Xue’er looks best when she smiles. I shouldn’t have said those things, I hope you won’t blame me for it. Since there’s nothing else for me to do here, I will head back.”

With that, she turned and started walking. She didn’t seem reluctant or awkward at all.

But Blackie was standing at the gate with Song Caitang on it.

It was hard to say if Lu Yuxue was in a daze or if she just wasn’t looking, she walked too quickly and dashed toward the gate without noticing the horse.

NEIGH! Blackie raised its front hooves high and neighed loudly, its stance both domineering and aggressive.

Lu Yuxue was so shocked and frightened, she froze.

Song Caitang quickly pulled on the horse’s reins.

At the same time, she found it rather strange. Blackie was a smug and cheeky young horse, so sometimes it would get overly excited and sometimes it was a little rude, but Zhao Zhi had trained it well, so it would not be frightened easily or frighten others for no reason. Lu Yuxue had approached it quickly, so she expected it to either not move or move to one side. After all, how threatening could a frail, young woman be? Why did it behave like this?

It didn’t like Lu Yuxue?

A full grown horse had its hooves high in the air while a frail woman stood in shock in front of it. This looked like a dangerous situation.

Everything happened too quickly, so Song Caitang couldn’t pull Blackie aside in time and the guards were too slow to prevent this. Zhao Zhi was the only one who could leap over to do something.

He knew that Blackie wouldn’t hurt Song Caitang, so he grabbed hold of Lu Yuxue’s arm and pulled her back.

As he had expected, Blackie didn’t hurt Song Caitang at all. It lowered its body again and made sure Song Caitang was seated safely.

Then it glared at its owner and snorted with displeasure.

Zhao Zhi immediately let go of Lu Yuxue once he had pulled her far enough from the horse.

Lu Yuxue seemed like she was still trying to recover from her shock and lost her balance when he let go of her, so she fell and landed in his arms again.

But she didn’t take the chance to do anything else. She forced herself to stand properly again and said, “I’m sorry, Cousin, my knees are feeling a little weak…”

Zhao Zhi looked up at Song Caitang.

Song Caitang sat on the horse and looked at him.

They were staring at each other very calmly, but their gazes seemed to be communicating many things to each other…

It was impossible for anyone else to participate at all.

“Cousin, I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking at where I was going and walked too quickly, so I frightened Snowstep. Please don’t be angry with me,” Lu Yuxue stood in between the two of them and apologized to Zhao Zhi first. Then she turned and walked toward Song Caitang, and apologized earnestly to her too, “Miss Song, I’m sorry, it was my fault. Are you hurt?”

Her apology, both in terms of her voice and her expression, seemed very sincere. Also, this was just an accident, so it wasn’t her fault at all. Song Caitang could see her from her seat on the horse, but she didn’t control the frightened horse well. Song Caitang should have been the one apologizing, actually.

The fact that Lu Yuxue had taken this responsibility upon herself should have made her look like a considerate person who wouldn’t make things difficult for others.

But for some reason, Song Caitang didn’t feel comforted at all. Instead, she felt somewhat like… she had been challenged.

Was it because of Zhao Zhi?

She glanced at Zhao Zhi.

By this time, she was quite sure that she and Zhao Zhi shared a past. Zhao Zhi had feelings for her, but he knew that she didn’t feel the same and did not come too close to her. He even tried to hold himself back. At most, if he couldn’t stand it at night, he would just sit on her roof the entire night. But he would never show any signs outwardly in public.

She was also trying to analyze the situation she was in right now. She hadn’t been especially close to Zhao Zhi, so why was this cousin being so… sensitive?

Then she recalled how Ling Qianqian had proudly talked about a “Xue-jiejie” to her. She must have been referring to this young woman.

A cousin… A girl who had grown up with him…

Zhao Zhi was a truly blessed man.

Song Caitang smiled faintly and said, “I’m sorry, this is the first snow of the year and I wanted to go out and look at the snow and the plum blossoms, so I rode the horse out for a while. I didn’t know there would be another young woman in the office when we returned. I’m sorry about that.”

After she said that, Blackie sneezed hard in Lu Yuxue’s direction.

It raised its neck high to show off that lightning bolt on its forehead. It looked impressive, but also rather rude.

But Lu Yuxue didn’t seem to mind. She smiled at Song Caitang without flinching at all, “Miss Song, you’re too kind. I’m not the only young woman in the office right now. I’ve heard all about how you’re smart and outstanding, you have no fear of dirt and filth and your dissection skills are unrivalled. Now that I’ve finally met you today, I see that you’re both pretty and kind, which is really admirable. My cousin is always busy at work, but you’ve helped him so much, so I would like to thank you on behalf of Consort Ping.”

Song Caitang’s smile faded slightly.

This “Xue-jiejie” looked weak and frail, but she was good at talking. She was good at insulting another person’s work without sounding rude.

After all, it was unbecoming for a woman to be working in such an office to begin with. And no matter how outstanding she was and how unafraid of filth she was, she was basically doing filthy, lowly work. Thanking her on behalf of a royal consort was asserting her position as someone of power and authority over her.

But the last part was the most important and the thing that stuck out the most to Song Caitang. So, Lu Yuxue was trying to show how close she was to Zhao Zhi? That she was much closer to him than herself?

In general, Song Caitang liked to talk to younger women. Everyone liked talking to a pretty girl, and anyone would enjoy spending time with someone that made them feel at ease. But while sounding cute and silly came naturally to some, it was something that others used for a specific purpose, like to gain the favor of men and not women. This Lu Yuxue made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

But back in Luanze, she had snorted at Ling Qianqian’s proud declarations and didn’t feel anything about the three words “Xue-jiejie”. So why was she now…

Lu Yuxue looked at the box of food that had fallen into the snow and sighed quietly. “It’s too bad that the food has gone to waste. I made them myself and they’re all my cousin’s favorites.”

“It’s alright! It’s alright! I brought more!”

Another person walked through the gate. Her clothes were so thick, she looked like a little ball. Her voice was crisp and her almond-shaped eyes were adorable. It was Guan Wan.

Guan Wan was the expert in cooking, and there was no way she was carrying it all by herself. Behind her stood at least a dozen maids and servants, and each of them held a huge box of food in their hands.

“I’m very familiar with Commandery Prince Zhao’s taste. It’s exactly the same as my cousin’s! How salty the food is, their preferred colors, the sweetness of the desserts – everything’s the same!” Guan Wan didn’t know Lu Yuxue at all, but she was still able to speak with ease. “Don’t you think that’s amazing?”

Lu Yuxue’s gaze moved from the box on the ground to the entire row behind Guan Wan as naturally as possible, but her smile stiffened. “I see…”

Guan Wan behaved like a child as she waved a servant over and opened his box to show Lu Yuxue. “Look! This box contains desserts. For the filling, I used red beans boiled in pure water, and the bread was made with an old starter, plus I’ve also only used a third of my usual amount of sugar…”

Lu Yuxue stared at the small and intricate desserts in the box that gave off such a tempting smell. Her expression stiffened even more.

This was really the sort of thing her cousin liked to eat!

But she didn’t let any of her dismay show. She smiled faintly and said, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” Guan Wan waved her arms about. “Don’t worry! Even though His Highness hasn’t been home lately, we can take very good care of him! He’s gained a couple of pounds even!”

This time, Lu Yuxue took a long time to respond. “In that case, thank you very much. Consort Ping’s residence will send some gifts to show our gratitude. I have to attend to matters back home, so I shall take my leave now.”

Lu Yuxue walked out of the gate, her shoulder and back straight, her neck long, her silhouette beautiful. She looked so graceful.

If the weather was better, she would have looked lovely. But walking alone in the snow made her look so lonely.

She probably felt terrible inside too.

As for Guan Wan…

Song Caitang shifted her position to get off the horse, but Zhao Zhi came over, put the fur coat around her and carried her off the horse.

Once she had set foot firmly on the ground, she looked at Guan Wan. “Wan’er?”

Did that girl do all of that on purpose just now?

She was surprised. This girl was normally so cute and seemingly out of it, but she was actually a strong fighter!

Guan Wan watched Lu Yuxue walk out of sight, then ran back and hooked her arm around Song Caitang’s. She smiled innocently and said, “Sis, it’s time to eat! You should come too, Commandery Prince Zhao!”

Song Caitang was a little confused now. She realized she had no idea if this smile on Guan Wan’s face was genuine or not.

As she stood there trying to sort out her thoughts, she felt something warm around her hand. Someone was holding her hand.

It was Zhao Zhi.

Song Caitang immediately frowned and shook his hand off.

Zhao Zhi was stunned for half a second, then took her hand again. This time, he held her hand tightly and resolutely. It was a grip that did not allow her to reject him. And the smile on his face was so bright, it could blind another person.

Song Caitang had never seen him smile this happily in public before.

“I’ve made so many delicious things today…” Guan Wan was busy instructing the servants as they began unpacking all the boxes of food and set the table. She didn’t notice what the other two were doing at all.

Song Caitang couldn’t get his hand off hers despite her best efforts, but she was afraid that someone might notice it, so she had no choice but to step hard on his foot.

Zhao Zhi leaned over and whispered in his deep voice, “Tangtang, I’m in a good mood.”

Song Caitang frowned at him. Had he gone mad? What could have suddenly put him in a good mood?

Because a pretty girl came to visit him today?

His lips curled into a mysterious smile. “Tangtang got angry because of me.”

And being angry meant that she cared.

Or rather, what Zhao Zhi was really trying to say wasn’t that she had gotten angry, but that she had gotten jealous.

Song Caitang glared at him, but for some reason, even though it was so cold, her palm was sweating slightly and her face was turning a little red and hot.

Blackie started hopping around and snorting loudly, as though it was saying, if you don’t bring me back to the stable, I’m going to run wild again!

The process of sorting out the information this time was complex and required a lot of attention to detail, but interestingly, it didn’t take that long. Zhao Zhi’s information network was also very impressive. It didn’t take long for a large amount of information to be put together and they were able to discover another major point in the case.

Compared to what he was like 18 years ago, Zuo Xiuwen had changed tremendously.

According to their information, 18 years ago, Zuo Xiuwen was a student. He was skinny, weak, had a poor constitution and was often ill. But the Zuo Xiuwen of today had never fallen sick before. He was in very good health.

In the past, Zuo Xiuwen enjoyed eating plain food, especially cold dishes. But now, he liked eating meat and fish cooked in thick sauces. The stronger the taste, the better. He hardly touched the cold dishes on the table.

Back then, he enjoyed reading, fishing and other quiet, relaxing activities. But now, he enjoyed hunting, soccer and anything that involved a lot of people and excitement.

But of course, that could be explained. Humans could always change. Not everybody only liked the same thing for their entire lives. Sometimes, life circumstances changed and one’s tastes and habits would change too. According to the information collected, he used to be very poor, so he couldn’t enjoy such food even if he wanted to. He might have had to eat plainer meals because he couldn’t afford it, not because he preferred it.

And if one didn’t eat well, then their health wouldn’t be in the best shape. And if one was not very healthy, they would fall sick often. If you were sickly, you wouldn’t want to move about too much, so you would choose to engage in quiet and relaxing activities. This cycle just kept going on and so, everyone’s impression of him was that he was a frail student.

But things were very different now. He was now a high ranking official with plenty of money. He could eat whatever he liked and do whatever he wanted. He didn’t have to hold himself back anymore and he could enjoy all of this anytime he liked.

But Song Caitang knew what Zhao Zhi was driving at.

The way he was emphasizing on these points and frowning as he continued thinking about them…

“You suspect that… the Zuo Xiuwen from 18 years ago is not the same person as the Zuo Xiuwen we know now?”