Chapter 009: A Guilty Conscience

The carriage rolled on, its two passengers, brother and sister, wrapped in their own thoughts and remaining silent. Half an hour later, it drew to a halt before the gates of the Marquis of Dingyuan’s residence.

Wu Qinglin was the first to alight.

Under the eaves, Xingzi, ever sharp-eyed, immediately called out, "The young lord has returned!"

At that moment, the rain had begun again. The stone path outside the gate was uneven, puddles gathering in its hollows. As Wu Tan clambered out, gripping the carriage door, Wu Qinglin simply lifted her bodily, not allowing her feet to touch the ground, and carried her beneath the shelter of the eaves.

Cheng Cheng hurried in behind, clutching an umbrella.

Xingzi noticed that Wu Tan’s clothes had been changed and her hair, half-wet, hung loose about her shoulders. She exclaimed in alarm, “Miss, what happened to you?”

Wu Tan had left with Wu Qingqiong early that morning; Qingqiong had returned after lunch, but she had not. As dusk fell and Xingzi grew anxious, she had run out to wait at the gate.

Now, waiting alongside her was the house steward, Uncle Qin.

Wu Qinglin, setting Wu Tan down, turned toward him. “Uncle Qin? Why are you here? Is something the matter?”

“The Marquis instructed that you are to go to his study at once upon your return. I feared delay, so I simply came to wait here,” Uncle Qin replied, already ordering the side gate opened so the carriage could be brought in.

“Very well! I’ll go at once,” Wu Qinglin nodded, adding, “This carriage was lent by Huangfu Qi. It’s late; have someone return it first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, I understand,” Uncle Qin said, bowing.

“Go about your business, then. I’ll see Father now,” Wu Qinglin said.

“Of course!” Uncle Qin replied. He greeted Wu Tan with a kindly smile before going inside.

Wu Qinglin turned back to Wu Tan. “Hurry back, take a hot bath, and dry your hair. I’ll come as soon as I’ve seen Father.”

“Alright,” Wu Tan nodded obediently.

Wu Qinglin suspected that Wu Xun’s urgent summons had to do with her marriage, so his expression could not hide a trace of agitation. Taking the umbrella from Mu Song, he strode off into the rain.

“Brother!” Wu Tan watched his retreating figure, hesitated, then hurried after him a couple of steps.

He stopped and turned.

She gazed at him and, from a distance, broke into a pure, radiant smile. Her voice was clear as she called, “Brother, about what you told me earlier—I am willing. You and Father need not worry. I am a daughter of the Wu family; it is my duty to uphold the family’s honor.”

The emperor needed to seal the Wu family’s loyalty to the Xiao imperial line through marriage; otherwise—

Only by curtailing their power and suppressing them could the ruler truly rest easy.

Wu Tan, though unversed in the intrigues of the court, understood the weight of “outshining the monarch.” The Marquis of Dingyuan’s house had endured for four generations, each marked by a lifetime of warfare and sacrifice. Her great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather had both died on the battlefield; her grandfather survived, but only at the cost of a body broken by early campaigns. He did not live to a ripe old age.

Now, her father had guarded the borders for over twenty years, surviving countless battles, narrowly escaping death on several occasions. Her brother, too, had followed him to the front as soon as he turned sixteen three years ago.

Their family was unlike any other. The honor of their house was not something any of them would willingly set aside unless absolutely necessary.

As a daughter of the Wu family, Wu Tan could not bear it either.

Thus, she understood the true weight of Wu Qinglin’s words to her.

The lantern hanging from the eaves swayed gently in the wind, its light flickering.

Across the rain, Wu Qinglin watched the beautiful young woman standing in the shifting glow.

In his heart, she had always been a little girl, to be protected and indulged. Yet—

No matter how reluctant he was to admit it, she had grown up.

“Go inside,” he said, before turning and vanishing swiftly into the rainy night.

“Miss, what exactly happened to you? Whose clothes are these? Why did you only just…” Xingzi, at her side, was full of questions she could not piece together.

Wu Tan snapped out of her reverie. “Has Grandmother gone to bed?”

“The old lady hasn’t much energy in the evenings; by this hour, she should already be resting,” Xingzi replied.

“Good,” Wu Tan said, lifting her chin and winking mischievously. “Go and see where Wu Qingqiong is. If she’s still with Lady Meng, come back and tell me at once!”

“What for?” Though Xingzi didn’t understand, she immediately sensed this was the prelude to some mischief and dashed off with the little umbrella.

“Hey!” Cheng Cheng called after her, but Xingzi was already gone. She had to give up and turned to Wu Tan. “Miss, shall we go back now?”

“Yes, let’s. I’ll bathe and change.”

Cheng Cheng still carried the umbrella that Xiao Yue had lent them. The rainy night was laced with a chill, so they hurried back to Wu Tan’s courtyard.

Passing by the main residence where the old lady lived, Cheng Cheng suddenly recalled, “Miss, should we keep what happened at the palace today from the old lady?”

“What’s the point? Grandmother still attends social gatherings. Should we wait for her to hear gossip from outsiders instead?” Wu Tan shrugged indifferently.

Cheng Cheng pressed her lips together, unable to argue.

Hot water had already been prepared on Xingzi’s orders. Wu Tan returned to her room and bathed at once.

Cheng Cheng was just bringing her clean clothes when she saw Wu Tan already climbing out of the bath. She quickly wrapped her in a robe, grumbling, “Why not soak a little longer to drive off the chill?”

“I’ll worry about it later,” Wu Tan replied, saying no more.

Since Wu Qinglin had said he would come by soon, Cheng Cheng helped her dry off and dress.

Wu Tan sat cross-legged on the beauty couch in the outer room, letting Cheng Cheng wring out her hair. Her gaze fell on the umbrella standing nearby, and she could not help thinking of the man she had met that afternoon—

Prince Sheng? The emperor’s younger brother, the crown prince’s uncle?

He was rather handsome, though his temper didn’t seem very good… and that was all she could recall.

Her interest quickly waned. She crawled over, dragged the umbrella close, and examined it.

It was an ordinary umbrella, the surface a dark gray, smooth and unadorned.

It appeared to be old; the wooden handle had been polished smooth by years of use, and at its end hung a seed from the nine-dragon vine.

The seed was smaller than those she’d seen before, about the size of a pendant, and its color suggested it had aged for some years. Hanging from the handle, it was unobtrusive.

Wu Tan fiddled with it absentmindedly, but her fingers unexpectedly found fine lines etched on its surface. She looked more closely and saw two characters carved there:

Zi Yu!

Zi Yu? What did that mean?

Her thoughts were drifting when Wu Qinglin’s voice came at the door. “Tan’er!”

“The young lord is here!” Cheng Cheng quickly set down the towel and went to open the door.

Nothing seemed amiss, yet Wu Tan, on a whim, swiftly detached the seed and hid it up her sleeve.

In her haste, she forgot to put the umbrella back.

Wu Qinglin entered and immediately noticed the umbrella she held in her arms. His gaze darkened.

Only then did Wu Tan realize—clutching a man’s umbrella, she felt an inexplicable embarrassment and guilt.

———Author’s Note———
[This is a little chaotic interlude…]

Lanbao: [With elderly satisfaction] Mm, our heroine certainly has a sense of collective honor…

Xinbao, who wrapped filming ages ago: [Forcibly appearing] This scene is oddly familiar. Suddenly I remember that my Yanling also lent me an umbrella once?

Lanbao: He did, but after he lent it, I forgot all about it… and then… well, that was the end of it. o（╯□╰）o

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