Chapter 14
Chapter 14
A Skillful Act (1)
“Lady Zheng, please.”
The moment she entered, there was an eight-panel rosewood floor screen; she walked around it and was greeted by a maidservant dressed in lotus-coloured robes.
Zheng Wan took off her feathered cloak and handed it to her. Inside the house, there was a heated wall and copper fireplaces in all four corners. In a few moments, her hands and feet that had been chilled from the snow became warm.
“Princess, Lady Zheng, the County Princess and the Crown Prince have gone to the Fengbo Pavilion.”
“Huh? The Fengbo Pavilion is open?”
The Fengbo Pavilion was located in the backyard of Lanze Court, adjacent to the waterside pavilion and marble boat. It was long and winding, surrounded by water on all sides, with the famous Lisi Spring beneath it. Throughout the year, the temperature there was neither cold nor hot, neither dry nor arid—an extremely pleasant location.
But Rong Yi clearly remembered that neither the Fengbo Pavillion nor the waterside pavilion and marble boat were supposed to be open today—they had been set aside for one distinguished guest.
The maidservant bowed, “Yes, the State Preceptor sent a message. He said that since today is meant to be a celebration for all the officials, there’s no need to be concerned about him. All the guests then went in.”
“Oh, the State Preceptor sent a message?”
Zheng Wan turned her head and asked. By this time, she had already walked to the back door of the main room and stepped into the corridor leading to the back courtyard.
“Yes, my lady.”
“Did he mention anything else?”
“No, my lady.”
“Wan’niang, you——” Seeing that Zheng Wan was still about to proceed, Rong Yi stamped her feet and chased after her. She stammered, “The State– the State Preceptor is too scary. Wan– Wan’niang, you m-mustn’t go.”
“Because he is there, all the more I have to go.”
The corners of Zheng Wan’s lips curved when she saw Rong Yi squirming as she followed. “Go look for your mother later, don’t follow me.”
Rong Yi gave a weak note of assent.
The two of them continued along the corridor. In a few moments, they saw the waterside pavilion and marble boat, and the corner of the Fengbo Pavilion was just barely hidden behind it.
Presently, snow fell heavily overhead. Below them was the waterside pavilion and marble boat, where the Lisi Spring was flowing. Its heat made one feel the warmth of Spring, as if they were walking on the green willowy banks of Jiangnan in the misty rain.
Ladies and lords dressed in brightly coloured clothes shuttled through the corridors, drinking wine and composing poems. From the marble boat, came the music of stringed instruments and dance.
“Wan’niang, what are you thinking about?”
Rong Yi studied her cautiously.
Zhen Wan looked at the scenery before her. “I was thinking, this world is really ever-changing, and nothing is permanent. But——”
She suddenly broke into a smile, “I, Zheng Wan, don’t believe in fate.”
So what if she’s a character in a book?
So what if she wasn’t the protagonist?
Since the Heavens were willing to give her a chance to live, they would not completely block the road ahead.
If everything had gone according to the book, she would be drowning in the Lanpo lake, “rescued” by the Duke of Liang’s odious second son, lost her innocence in front of everyone, then also losing her ability to conceive.
But right now, she didn’t go to the Lanpo Lake, and instead, came here to Lisi Spring. In the book, the Fengbo Pavillion was not open, but now, it was. This goes to show that although an ant may be small, it has the ability to shake the earth.
Rong Yi looked at her in a daze, and suddenly murmured,
“Wan…Wan’niang, you are so… beautiful like this.”
Zheng Wan did not want to say more; she lifted her foot onto the steps of the waterside pavilion.
“Let’s go.”
Before she got to the second step, a sharp wind came from the side. A maidservant with a double bun passed by hurriedly, holding a fruit plate; she lost her footing as she went up the stairs, and fell with a “bam”.