A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 63

Chapter 63: Privilege

Shen Zhishu stood under the eaves with her arms crossed, her eyes reflecting the wall lamps beside her.

Her gaze had no focal point. It was hard to say whether she was looking at Jiang Yu or past her at the trees hidden in the darkness behind her.

The wind rose from all four sides, ruffling the stray hairs on Shen Zhishu’s forehead.

When she came to her senses, Jiang Yu was already standing in front of her, calling out faintly, “General.”

Shen Zhishu lowered her arms, leaned against the door, and said casually, “A rare guest.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Yu asked. “I come every day, how can I be a rare guest?”

“I thought you weren’t coming tonight, after all, you were having a great chat with Vice Minister Wen. With her accompanying Your Highness, I suppose the long night is no longer long.”

“I am a person of my word,” Jiang Yu seemed indifferent to Shen Zhishu’s obvious teasing, and her gaze swept lightly over the tip of Shen Zhishu’s nose, which was slightly red from the cold. “I did chat with Vice Minister Wen for a little too long. The main thing is that it’s not good to stop halfway through a conversation, it has to be finished.”

“Then… what did Your Highness and Vice Minister Wen talk about? Can you tell me?”

“Is the General curious?”

“I am curious,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “So curious that I can’t sleep.”

“Since you are so curious, why didn’t you go and see for yourself?”

Shen Zhishu’s gaze shifted from Jiang Yu’s eyes to her opening and closing lips, and she said in a low voice, “I was afraid of disturbing Your Highness.”

“You wouldn’t have disturbed me. This matter is also related to the General.”

“Oh?”

“Vice Minister Wen came to report on the progress of the Martial Hall’s renovation,” Jiang Yu said in a faint voice. “I actually wanted to send someone to pick up the General. But—”

“Hmm?”

“I suddenly thought that when I left the General’s Manor, the General did not show any reluctance. I was thinking that perhaps I have been with the General all these days and have inevitably made the General tired. It’s better to be apart for a while, so as not to reach the point of ‘seeing each other and getting tired of it’.”

Shen Zhishu smiled, “There’s no such thing. We are friends, how can there be ‘getting tired of it’ between friends?”

Jiang Yu nodded slightly, her hair tinged with an ambiguous light color by the lanterns.

At this moment, she was raising her face, and the outline of the small mole at the corner of her eye was clear.

Jiang Yu did not answer, so the eaves suddenly fell silent, and some subtle movements were magnified—

For example, the familiar scent of cedar, and the clear and shallow breathing of a certain person.

Shen Zhishu stood in the silence for a while and continued her own words, “I heard from the attendants… that Vice Minister Wen is young and promising, handsome, and has an extraordinary demeanor. What does Your Highness think of her?”

Jiang Yu said in a faint voice, “She is indeed not bad. But what does the General mean by this?”

“To be able to get a word of praise from Your Highness, I suppose she must be of extraordinary character,” Shen Zhishu looked down at Jiang Yu. “If you have time, can Your Highness introduce me?”

Jiang Yu narrowed her eyes very lightly, “Oh? Is the General interested in her?”

“Mm.”

“Why?”

Shen Zhishu said in a low voice, “I want to know what the person who can win Your Highness’s favor and be kept at your manor for such a long conversation looks like.”

Jiang Yu took a shallow breath, “Two eyes and one nose, nothing else.”

“Is Your Highness unwilling to be a matchmaker for me?” Shen Zhishu blinked. “Forget it, I’ll definitely see her in the future anyway, so there’s no hurry.”

The night was silent, and not a sound of grass or trees could be heard.

After Shen Zhishu finished speaking, she lowered her head, glanced at Jiang Yu’s satin shoes, turned around, and said in a deep voice, “It’s so cold, Your Highness, please come in.”

After speaking, she did not wait for Jiang Yu’s response and stepped into the room first.

Jiang Yu stood at the door for a while before walking into the room.

The attendants had all been sent away by Shen Zhishu, and Jiang Yu had lifted the curtain and entered on her own. The slender white fingers that were holding the curtain, Shen Zhishu’s gaze lingered on them for a moment, then turned back to Jiang Yu’s face.

That face was outlined in a warm circle by the candlelight, which made it look a little more vivid.

So much so that Shen Zhishu thought that Jiang Yu had something to say.

She stood in the middle of the room, her gaze moving down a little, and landed on Jiang Yu’s sleeve, which was hanging by her side.

The sleeve was getting closer and closer to her.

But Jiang Yu still did not speak.

If she didn’t speak either, the two of them would probably look at each other in silence for a whole night, like they were acting in a silent play.

Perhaps it was because the scene of the two of them acting in a silent play in her mind was a little ridiculous, Shen Zhishu let out a very short laugh, and then, as a cover-up, she picked up the teapot and teacups on the table and poured two cups of tea.

And Jiang Yu finally made a move, “What is the General laughing at?”

“I was thinking of two cats fighting that I saw before, the scene was a little funny,” Shen Zhishu said without thinking, and then changed the subject. “Your Highness, try this tea.”

“What kind of tea is this?”

“Fuluo spring tea.”

Jiang Yu blinked, “I remember your attendant once mentioned that Fuluo spring tea is your favorite.”

Shen Zhishu was noncommittal, and after a moment, she said with a low laugh, “Which treasure sold me out? Was it the one who told you I was building a snowman in the backyard?”

Jiang Yu said in a faint voice, “Even if I tell you the name, you won’t be able to match it with a face.”

“You look down on me.”

“…” Jiang Yu glanced at her. “Then let me ask you, which one is Hongli?”

Shen Zhishu thought for a long time and said confidently, “The one with three small buns on her head!”

Jiang Yu: “…That’s Hanmu.”

“Then it must be the one who walks with a sway!”

“…That’s Shuangqi.”

“The one with the chubby face?”

“…That’s Lanshan.”

“I know! It must be the one with a birthmark on her right face.”

“…”

Shen Zhishu said, “Oh,” “You’re not refuting me, so I must be right!”

Jiang Yu couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “…That’s Xie Jin’s attendant.”

Shen Zhishu: …

Shen Zhishu pulled out a stool with a swish and sat down on it, muttering, “It’s not my fault.”

Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow, “Then is it my fault?”

“It is your fault,” Shen Zhishu smiled and turned the tables. “Who asked Your Highness to remember so clearly, which makes me seem careless.”

Jiang Yu gave her a deep look and said, “The General has said all the good and bad things.”

“I’m just telling the truth. By the way, how does Your Highness know the names of the people in my manor so well? Could it be that you want to turn the tables and one day squeeze me out and take over this General’s Manor?”

“I can turn the tables now,” Jiang Yu said in a faint voice. “I will go to the palace today and tell the Emperor to take back the General’s Manor.”

“Then Your Highness is being a little too unkind,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “In that case, I will have nowhere to go and will have to sleep on the street. It’s so cold, and I will be a corpse in the wilderness the next day, and then Shen Hantan will come to Your Highness to settle the score.”

“It’s alright. The General can hand over the General’s Manor and then move in with me,” Jiang Yu said. “I will give you half of the Eldest Princess’s Manor.”

“It’s clearly Your Highness who has taken my General’s Manor and left me with nowhere to live. Why do you say it as if ‘I’ve done you a great favor, and you should be grateful to me’?”

Jiang Yu said with a blank expression, “Just say whether you’ll live there or not.”

Shen Zhishu shrugged, “My home has been taken, and I have nowhere to go, so I have to live in the Eldest Princess’s Manor.”

“You’re not going back to the Shen Residence?”

“Oh, Your Highness doesn’t know,” Shen Zhishu sighed. “The Shen Residence is very good in other aspects, but my aunts are a little… too lively.”

“How are they lively?”

“Hmm,” Shen Zhishu made a tactful analogy. “Imagine ten Seventh Highnesses surrounding you.”

Jiang Yu thought for a moment, shook her head, and commented, “That’s too exaggerated. Ten Little Sevens are equal to three hundred ducks.”

Shen Zhishu laughed, “Who’s exaggerating? If the Seventh Highness knew that in Your Highness’s heart, she is equivalent to thirty ducks, she would probably cry herself unconscious.”

“She’s not that fragile. At most, she’ll just shout a few times.”

“That’s even worse. The shouts of thirty ducks can blow the roof off,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “Setting that aside, there’s another reason why I don’t want to live in the Shen Residence—I’m the only daughter in the Shen family, so my aunts can only pick on me. Alas, why didn’t my Mother Shen have a few more children? She’s at the age to be working hard!”

“It’s too hard on the old minister.”

“If it’s not hard on her, it will be hard on me,” Shen Zhishu said with a pained expression. “Your Highness, my upbringing and yours are complete opposites. You have no one around you, it’s cold and lonely; I have everyone around me, and my ears are buzzing all day long. If we could find a middle ground, that would be great.”

Jiang Yu paused, and after a moment, she said something in a low voice.

This sentence was extremely vague and quick, and it dissipated in the firelight in a flash, so Shen Zhishu did not hear it clearly.

She tilted her head, “Hmm?”

“I said,” Jiang Yu repeated half-lightly and half-heavily. “It’s pretty good now.”

“Your Highness is so easily satisfied,” Shen Zhishu nodded. “That’s right, contentment brings happiness. But perhaps life could be better?”

“Maybe,” Jiang Yu said. “But if life were to start over, I might not be able to meet the General.”

Shen Zhishu’s fingers, which were hanging by her side, curled.

She looked down at Jiang Yu’s emotionless face, and after a moment, she lowered her head, her gaze landing lightly on her own knees.

If life were to start over… would I want to meet Jiang Yu again?

I would.

Why?

I don’t know.

Do you want to know the answer?

I do.

Then… let’s hear what a certain person has to say.

“Your Highness thinks too highly of me,” Shen Zhishu said with a low laugh. “If it weren’t for the Emperor, you might have had many friends by your side, and you wouldn’t need me anymore.”

“I would,” Jiang Yu said matter-of-factly. “They are not Shen Zhishu.”

“Your Highness is so serious—”

“I’m not being serious,” Jiang Yu interrupted her. “The General is also surrounded by many people, but the General still chose to be friends with me. Then let me ask the General, if there were Li Yu, Zhou Yu, would the General still give me your attention?”

“Of course,” Shen Zhishu said without thinking. “They are not Jiang Wuya.”

Jiang Yu was quiet for a while, her attention shifting elsewhere, “The General seems to like to call me ‘Jiang Wuya.’ Why?”

“These three words are very cute to say,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “And… no one else calls Your Highness that, so it feels more intimate when I call you that. As your friend, I should have some ‘privileges’.”

Jiang Yu nodded slightly, “Now the General has privileges, but I, as the General’s friend, do not.”

Shen Zhishu immediately replied, “Then you can also call me by my courtesy name, Youzhi.”

“No,” Jiang Yu said. “Xie Jin also calls you Youzhi. I am not the only one.”

Shen Zhishu smiled, “Then what should I do? Do you want to give me a new courtesy name?”

Jiang Yu was eager to try, “Can I?”

“Why not?” Shen Zhishu raised an eyebrow. “Give me a nice one.”

Jiang Yu looked at the window paper in a daze, thought for a while, and said in a faint voice, “Actually, there’s no need to give a new courtesy name.”

“Hmm?”

“The courtesy name can just be combined with the General’s name,” Jiang Yu said. “I’ll just call you Shen Youshu.”