After Becoming the Hero's Ex-fiancée

Spring Wave (3)

Luodai glanced carefully at her mistress; she was expecting to see a disheartened young lady, but instead, her mistress’s eyes were curved happily, with a smile as sweet as honey.

Could, could it be that something has gone wrong with her mistress after suffering the blow?

The way Luodai saw it, her mistress was deeply in love with the State Preceptor, which was why she would follow him even without any name or status. Now that the State Preceptor had refused to come, she was afraid that she would be enormously hurt.

“It’s a good thing that he won’t be coming.” Zheng Wan looked at her befuddled handmaiden and tapped her nose. “Ah, you don’t understand.”

That the Sword Sovereign, who was unmoved by all things, would refuse to meet her——was better than him acting as if nothing had happened after kissing her on his own initiative.

It’s just that she couldn’t let him hide away for too long, lest he becomes a frozen block of iron again after chanting the Heart Clarity Sutra2. Of course, Zheng Wan didn’t think that a little seduction could make Cui Wang cast his armour aside, but with his nature, if something really happened, he would definitely take responsibility for it.

Zheng Wan picked and chose, deciding to select a good gentleman as a provocation, to observe the ensuing reactions. After all, even the big yellow dog raised by the doorman, Lao Li, knew how to circle and secure his territory—she didn’t know if this Sword Sovereign would also stamp his seal on her.

————————

In the following seven to eight days, Cui Wang really did not come by.

He didn’t come, and Zheng Wan didn’t go either. She just wrote a letter every day and had Luodai get someone to deliver it to the State Preceptor’s doorman. It wasn’t any sticky sweet love poem and the like, but a daily record of what she had done, what she had eaten, occasionally expressing her day’s mood, whether it was good or bad, happy, or unhappy. Occasionally, she would ask about him, but no matter what she wrote, she would always add a sentence at the end:

“I look forward to seeing you.”

Luodai didn’t know what her mistress had written, but the letters were delivered ostentatiously to the State Preceptor’s residence without any attempt at concealment. Yet, the door of the State Preceptor’s residence remained shut, and there was not a single reply. This made everyone in the capital start to doubt the rumour that “Lady Zheng is favoured by the State Preceptor”, and the rumour of “Lady Zheng’s one-sided wishful thinking” began to spread.

“Have someone send this to the State Preceptor’s residence.”

Zheng Wan placed a letter into a sandalwood box along with the sword tassel she made recently and handed it to Luodai.

“My lady——” Luodai’s face was full of reluctance, “If you want to send it, let’s do it quietly. In the capital, in the capital…”

“Are the rumours very unpleasant?”

Zheng Wan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Even if they are, leave them be. Haven’t we heard much worse in recent times? Moreover, what they say isn’t wrong…”

She sighed faintly. “Mister Cui, towards me…”

Luodai’s heart ached for her mistress who was so troubled with love. She racked her brains for some strange news from the capital to distract her.

“My lady, do you know, recently, the Duke of Liang’s second son has been so terribly unlucky. First, he didn’t see the path clearly when he got up at night, and fell into his residence’s lotus pond. He broke his arm and leg. Afterwards, the doctor looked at his leg, and it seems like it will be useless from now on, his career as an official is also done for.”

When she finished, she saw the young lady’s eyes shining brightly, and the corners of her mouth curled up high.

“Oh? Is that true?”

“Of course it’s true. Lao Li’s son saw it when he delivered the letter the day before. Come to think of it, it’s really strange. Some of the tyrannical young masters from other families have also been having bad luck, either falling on flat ground and breaking their faces or getting into conflicts with others in the brothel and then beaten up…”

“Dok dok dok——”

At this point, Yanzhi, who had been standing by outside, knocked on the door and entered. She handed over an invitation. “It’s Princess Rong Yi’s birthday, she will be having a big celebration at Yanchun Gardens the day after tomorrow. She requests for my lady to be sure to attend!”

“Hmm? In previous years, the Princess never held any big events for her birthday.”

“What’s so strange about that? She will be coming of age3 next year. The Eldest princess is already looking for prospects, so things have to hurry along.” Zheng Wan took the invitation, opened it and took a glance, then told Yanzhi to reply that she would definitely attend.

But something else came to Luodai’s mind.

“My lady, nowadays, the rumours in the capital aren’t so good, and just across the street from Yanchun Gardens is the State Preceptor’s residence. If the State Preceptor goes, my lady you…”

“Mister Cui will not attend.”

Zheng Wan said with certainty, but on the letter paper the next day, she seriously detailed her yearning and anticipation for the banquet, only at the end, she dropped a bit of sorrow on the paper.

Footnotes:

2 Heart Clarity Sutra: 清心诀 jingxin jue; a scripture used in the practice of Taoism.

3 coming of age: 及笄 ji ji; The word used in the novel is “wear a pin”—in ancient China, girls came of age at 15 and would wear their hair up, held in place with a pin (ji). It signifies that they are of marriageable age.