In Shen Yuezhuang’s memory, Liu Yun had never been someone who could listen to others judging her without reacting.
She was acerbic. She was sharp-tongued. She was sarcastic…
But now, Liu Yun’s tone was casual and peaceful. So peaceful, it was as if what happened in the past was already over. So peaceful, as if this was simply a reunion of old acquaintances.
Her peacefulness was unfamiliar, and it only made Shen Yuezhuang feel that the person in front of her was even more estranged.
Shen Yuezhuang had initially felt a bit of guilt for having her tied up. But now, that infuriating attitude roused all her old defiance.
She tilted her head up slightly. The bone structure beneath her radiant skin was sharp and imposing. The waywardness that had been lying dormant in her brow lifted again, like a sword unsheathed after being covered in dust.
Shen Yuezhuang’s beauty was aggressive. Liu Yun had known that for a long time.
Back then, when she had galloped down the long street in a red dress, she had instantly topped the Capital’s beauty rankings the next day—a breathtaking sight!
Now, that breathtaking presence, here in this tiny carriage, made Liu Yun’s heart pound violently.
Liu Yun held her breath for a moment. Her pupils dilated slightly. Her gaze, as if filtered through a thousand days of sunlight and moonlight, the most restrained and the most manic thread, landed without a sound on that face, which was like a luminous pearl in a dark room.
“I’m just a profligate, unfit for any elegant occasion. If Your Grace wishes to discuss serious matters, you should find someone else. You’ll only delay Your Grace’s future by looking for me.”
The so-called old acquaintance was the one who knew best where to plunge the knife to hurt the most.
[Miss Shen, you are pampered and spoiled. But I am someone who must avenge my Liu family. If I follow a profligate like you, am I supposed to wait until I’m dead to find my enemy and demand retribution?]
[I don’t want stability. I want that supreme position. I want to one day cut down my enemy myself. Your childish games are best kept for amusing children!]
[What’s wrong with being a palace consort? Fine clothes, fine food, surrounded by attendants. Shen Yuezhuang, you’ve never suffered the misery of sleeping with rats and bugs in a prison cell. You’ve never suffered the hardship of eating chaff and swallowing weeds. That’s why you think all these riches and honors are just a joke.]
[Shen Yuezhuang, the friendship you speak of is utterly laughable compared to my future.]
[Miss, if you truly wish me well, then wish me steady promotions.]
[Your peace talisman… take it back…]
All the past scenes flashed by in an instant. The raging waves in Liu Yun’s heart crashed down heavily. She pursed her lips almost imperceptibly, subconsciously looking for a teacup to hide the embarrassment of her flustered heart. But in the end, she only tightened her fingers.
Having said that, Shen Yuezhuang was about to get up and leave. But with her butt in the air, she had reached the carriage door. Seeing that group of Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix at the entrance of the alley, she only then remembered this was her own family’s carriage.
Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix: “…”
Shen Yuezhuang: “…”
Seeing that Crouching Dragon was about to speak again, Shen Yuezhuang immediately wiggled her butt back inside.
However, as everyone knows, walking backward in this position makes it very easy to trip over your own clothes.
Shen Yuezhuang’s foot, clad only in a plain sock, stepped on the long back hem of her outfit. A loud “bang” followed, and then the Empress Dowager’s voice, tinged with barely concealed worry and urgency, came belatedly.
“Careful!”
“Miss!”
The commotion was quite loud. Chun Rui, startled, dropped the shoe and rushed over.
The carriage curtain was lifted. Inside, their young miss, wearing a bluish-gray cloak, was lying on her back on the wooden floor of the carriage.
As for her most critical part… her head: it wasn’t resting on the floor. It was hooked by the tip of the Empress Dowager’s foot, dangling a hand’s span above the ground.
Shen Yuezhuang: “…”
Life really is full of surprises everywhere!
It was still cool in the early morning. Shen Yuezhuang was wearing a cloak. Although the fall had been loud, it didn’t really hurt.
She was just holding a torn piece of blue fabric in her hand, questioning her life choices.
Chun Rui’s gaze followed Shen Yuezhuang’s head, down to that straight, slender leg, and then to the leg’s owner.
Chun Rui didn’t connect it to the expression of humiliation on her young miss’s face. She simply breathed a sigh of relief and earnestly gave a thumbs-up.
“Your Grace certainly has good legs!”
Shen Yuezhuang glared at her fiercely. Chun Rui jolted. “Oh no, Your Grace certainly has long legs!”
The long-legged Empress Dowager watched as Shen Yuezhuang grabbed a nearby bench and sat down cross-legged on the floor with her back to her. Liu Yun’s brow relaxed slightly, and she gracefully withdrew her long leg.
She leisurely examined the torn corner of her robe that Shen Yuezhuang had ripped off, her fingertips rubbing against the torn edge. A faint smile she hadn’t even noticed herself was in her eyes.
“Just now…”
“Thank you for just now, Your Grace. If you have nothing else, please return.”
Shen Yuezhuang’s attitude of refusal showed no sign of softening. She tilted her head to look at the sky outside. “Chun Rui, call the driver. It’s noon. Time to go home and eat.”
She gathered her voluminous skirts and sat on the bench beside her, not looking at Liu Yun’s crestfallen face. Instead, she frowned at Chun Rui and scolded, “Where are my shoes? Has the Marquis Manor only taught you how to flatter people?”
The insinuation in her words was very clear. Now, no matter who heard it, they could tell that Shen Yuezhuang was truly angry.
Chun Rui didn’t dare to joke around anymore. She hurriedly went back to the entrance of the alley to pick up Shen Yuezhuang’s shoes.
Inside the carriage, seeing that Liu Yun still showed no sign of wanting to leave, Shen Yuezhuang grinned. “What, is Her Grace waiting for the imperial procession to arrive before she moves?”
In this reunion today, Shen Yuezhuang had spoken only three sentences to her. But each one made Liu Yun’s heart ache with pain.
Liu Yun met Shen Yuezhuang’s eyes, her gaze complex. Hearing the hurried footsteps of Chun Rui returning outside, Liu Yun let out a low sigh.
Her shoulders sagged. She raised a hand to rub her brow. The blue sleeve slid down, revealing a slender, delicate wrist.
Before this meeting, Liu Yun had planned, no matter what cold words Shen Yuezhuang said, to avoid matching her sharpness. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have hesitated and lingered in front of the list at North Street.
She said she was reading the list, but in truth, she hadn’t fully prepared herself to see Shen Yuezhuang.
But no one had expected that Shen Yuezhuang’s groom-snatching would end up catching her!
While Liu Yun found it both irritating and amusing, she also breathed a sigh of relief.
Such an unusual meeting. No one but Shen Yuezhuang could have pulled it off. With this opportunity, Liu Yun had hoped that the two of them could at least sit down and talk properly… even if it was just about serious matters.
But then… that wrist dropped again.
In the dim carriage, the wrist was dazzlingly white. The shallow scratches didn’t make it look any more fragile; instead, it carried a kind of fierce, blood-soaked dominance.
“Stop.”
After years of being in a position above others, the power she had deliberately concealed finally showed a bit of its edge. She halted the footsteps outside, and before Shen Yuezhuang could flare up again, she spoke. “I came to find you about a serious matter. It concerns your maternal grandfather, Grand Preceptor Huo. After discussing it with the Emperor, we believe it’s necessary for you to come to the Palace.”
