Exclusively for the Marchioness – CH 007

Chapter 7

“Excuse me, do I know you?”

Upon hearing this, the man paused.

A group of people filed through the corridor, further obscuring the lights below. The light in the stairwell, along with the music, dimmed slightly.

Her gaze fell upon him, a mixture of confusion and scrutiny.

The man’s lips tightened slightly, his gaze lingering under her scrutiny.

“It’s my fault, I mistook you for someone else.”

His words and actions of admitting his mistake brought a sigh of relief to Du Lingjing.

Given his words and actions just now, if he hadn’t admitted his mistake, she should have been the one feeling uneasy.

But the man exuded an aura that inexplicably made her reluctant to approach him. Du Lingjing inexplicably didn’t want to get to know him better, so she gave a slight bow and turned to leave.

Just as she turned around, his voice sounded again from behind.

“However, Zhenyue Tower has indeed been a bit chaotic these past few days. Miss, you could sit and leisurely enjoy a drink at one of the small teahouses next to the Lantern Market; that would be much more pleasant.”

He even offered his advice.

Du Lingjing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, her expression slightly tense when she turned back to look at him.

The lights grew dimmer, the warm atmosphere of the bustling hall subsided, and a cool breeze swept through the stairwell.

The man paused slightly. “Of course… Zhenyue Tower has its own scenery, but it’s best not to linger too long.”

He finished speaking and said no more.

Du Lingjing didn’t know why this man had such a strong dissatisfaction with Zhenyue Tower, but she really didn’t want to get entangled with him.

“Thank you for informing me.”

Just then, Ruan Gong ran back from upstairs to meet her, and she turned and quickly left.

As she left, she took with her the faint scent of books lingering in the hallway.

The rotating lamp cast varying shades of light, shifting across the man’s face.

The man gently closed his eyes.

In a secluded corner nearby.

The guard, Chong-An, peered at his lord from behind and couldn’t help but whisper to his elder brother, Chong-Ping, “Brother, does Zhenyue Tower owe the Marquis money?”

Chong-Ping: “…No.”

“Then, did Zhenyue Tower give the Marquis vinegar? Why is the Marquis speaking so sourly?”

Chong-Ping barely managed to hold back his laughter, but then noticed the Marquis’s body stiffen slightly.

“Shut up!”

Before the words were finished, the man turned and asked.

“Did you also reserve a private room in the building? Where is it?”

Chong-Ping bowed and stepped forward to reply, “On the third floor of the west wing.”

Scholar Shao had reserved the most spacious private room in the east wing of Zhenyue Tower, so Chong-Ping could only reserve the best street view room in the west wing.

Seeing the Marquis at this moment, he continued walking upstairs.

“Come and sit down.”

*

In the east wing of Zhenyue Tower, Du Lingjing was led into a private room.

The room was elegant and spacious, almost occupying half of the teahouse. Painted screens, carved windows, fine porcelain, and fragrant tea—everything was exquisite. The person she was to see was already standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back, dressed in a deep purple brocade robe and wearing a gold and jade crown. For a moment, Du Lingjing couldn’t reconcile him with the person in her memory.

About eleven or twelve years ago, when she first met Shao Boju through the Hu siblings, the Shao family was struggling financially, and he always wore ill-fitting clothes of simple cloth.

Every season, when Hu Tingjun made clothes for her elder brother, she would also make a set for Shao Boju so he wouldn’t have to wear ill-fitting old clothes and be constantly looked down upon…

Things from over ten years ago were as blurry as the morning mist; turning back to recall them, they had long since vanished in the rising sunlight.

But now, Shao Boju’s demeanor was completely different from before, and Du Lingjing’s thoughts drifted for a moment. He turned around from the window.

His eyebrows were handsome, his eyes deep, and his gaze was spirited.

Du Lingjing stepped forward to greet him, and he raised his hand in a gesture of support. “Jing-niang has arrived; no need for formalities.”

Du Lingjing then stood up and noticed someone standing beside him, whose appearance bore a four- or five-point resemblance to him. Shao Boju introduced the man as his cousin, the fifth in his family, named Shao Wuxing.

Du Lingjing vaguely remembered that Shao Boju only had four uncles and brothers; she wondered when a fifth had been added. The man appeared to be around twenty years old, with a hooked nose and slightly sharp eyes.

“Greetings, Young Lady Du.”

Shao Wuxing greeted her, and Du Lingjing returned the greeting.

The three then sat down. The manager of Zhenyue Tower personally served tea, exchanged a few polite words with Shao Boju, and then left.

Shao Boju handled everything as usual, showing none of the embarrassment he had displayed years before.

Du Lingjing, of course, also perked up and exchanged a few pleasantries with him. She didn’t directly mention the marriage between the two families, but subtly shifted the conversation to the Hu siblings.

“I sent someone to check on Tingjun’s family earlier, and they said that Tingjun and her husband, along with Brother Hu and his entire family, have all disappeared without a trace. Does Brother Shao know anything about this?”

She asked, and Shao Boju responded knowingly, “I was wondering about that too. I sent people to search, but they haven’t found them yet. Xiao Wu,” he called to Shao Wuxing, “have you found any clues?”

Shao Wuxing shook his head. “Brother, I sent more men a couple of days ago, but there’s still no news. But I reckon it’ll be soon.”

Shao Boju instructed him, “Then send even more men.”

“Yes.”

After they finished speaking, Du Lingjing noticed Shao Boju looking at her.

“I will take care of the Hu family’s affairs. Jing-niang has just returned to the capital; why not go out and relax? Don’t worry too much.”

Du Lingjing nodded slowly, but the next moment, she looked up and fixed her eyes on Shao Boju.

“Brother Shao is right. However, Tingjun mentioned something in her letter that might be related to their current situation.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Shao Boju’s eyes narrow, while his cousin Shao Wuxing beside him almost imperceptibly squinted.

“What is it?” Shao Boju asked.

“In Tingjun’s letter, she said that if I came to the capital, I must find something in the woods west of Jishui Pool,” Du Lingjing said, a look of careful recollection on her face. “She said it was very important and that I must find it and keep it safe.”

After she finished speaking, she saw Shao Wuxing’s hooked nose twitch, while Shao Boju asked her directly.

“What is it? Did Jing-niang find it?”

Both brothers looked intently at her, but Du Lingjing’s face remained expressionless as she slowly shook her head.

“I sent people to search twice, but they found nothing.”

These words seemed to bring a sigh of relief to Shao Wuxing, and Shao Boju’s gaze softened.

Du Lingjing asked him, “Brother Shao, do you know what it is? Did Tingjun get it to the wrong place?”

“I don’t know what it is either. But since you sent people twice and found nothing, it’s clearly not here. There must be a mistake.”

Du Lingjing hummed in agreement.

The Hu siblings had been missing for over a month, yet Shao Boju spoke of such a serious matter to her as if it were nothing.

Du Lingjing silently looked at this scholar, whom she no longer recognized.

Shao Boju then brought up something else.

“As for the marriage between our two families…” He looked at Du Lingjing and smiled at her. “Jing-niang, you know about it, right?”

Du Lingjing nodded.

Shao Boju’s gaze softened slightly. “Rest assured, you won’t mistreat me.”

Was this a promise?

Du Lingjing had never heard of such a promise, so easily dismissed, like a transaction in a marketplace.

But following Shao Boju’s words, she lowered her eyes and said, “I understand.”

At this point, there seemed to be nothing more to discuss.

Their impending marriage was as superficial as that between a buyer and seller.

Shao Boju asked someone outside the door. His attendant replied that someone was waiting for him, so Shao Boju stood up.

“Jing-niang hasn’t been to the capital for many years. Since you’re at Zhenyue Tower, please enjoy yourself. However, I have important matters to attend to, so I won’t accompany you.”

Du Lingjing politely bowed and saw him out.

Once he left, Du Lingjing had no desire to remain in the exquisite yet stifling private room. She asked Ruan Gong to find a small table in the downstairs hall.

Night couldn’t veil the brightly lit Zhenyue Tower. Dancers, lanterns in hand, lingered on the stage, their songs and music filling the air.

Du Lingjing sat down at a small table by the window. “Let’s wait here,” she said.

Ruan Gong, beside her, agreed, then added softly, “I’ve already followed your instructions, Miss, and had Chang-Pu guard the Jishui Pool.”

Du Lingjing nodded, then stirred the tea leaves in her cup and took a sip.

The story of Hu Tingjun giving her a letter, instructing her to search for something at Jishui Pool, was completely fabricated. She had already told Shao Boju there was nothing there.

But if Shao Boju had still gone to Jishui Pool…

Du Lingjing slowly sipped her fragrant tea.

Zhenyue Tower was packed with people. Even though she sat in a somewhat secluded spot, it didn’t prevent her from listening to the lively conversation of the tea drinkers.

With one day left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was no other topic of conversation in the entire teahouse.

Someone mentioned the high-ranking families arranging marriages this year, saying, “…They’re all waiting for the Emperor’s decree; even the matchmaker isn’t as busy as the Emperor. But this year, the Emperor has to prioritize those two; he might not have time for anyone else.”

Someone directly asked, “Everyone says the third-ranked scholar is remarrying this year. Which noble family’s daughter is she? Is it settled yet?”

A person nearby said it was settled, “That family has already submitted their marriage card to the Imperial Clan Court!”

“Which family?” This person still hadn’t figured it out.

A man nearby told him directly, “It’s the Du family of Chengqing District, the former residence of Grand Secretary Du!”

The man was startled. “Hasn’t Grand Secretary Du been deceased for many years? Wasn’t it said he only had one daughter? Who is still unmarried?”

“No, her previous fiancé died before the wedding. With so many years of delay, how could she possibly have a proper marriage? She has to remarry. It’s just a coincidence that the top scholar is taking a second wife; this Young Lady Du is truly fortunate!”

“Oh, this is a high-status marriage! Normally, given Young Lady Du’s family background and age, how could she possibly marry into such a high family? She’d only be good for a remarriage to a local gentry.”

Ruan Gong muttered a few curses under his breath at the men, while Du Lingjing, who was about to “marry up,” remained calm and continued drinking her tea.

The group then moved on to something else. “…I heard the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion is welcoming a Marchioness this year, and it’s a sure thing.” He said that in Qianxing District, “Someone bet five hundred taels of silver that Marquis Lu will definitely marry a Marchioness this year! The imperial decree will be issued in two days!”

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped, attracting the attention of half the tea drinkers in the hall.

The group didn’t hold back. “Who made that bet? So sure? But I haven’t heard of any family wanting to form a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion.”

They counted all the possible high-ranking families, and indeed, several noble ladies were suitable matches for the Marquis, but no one could say for sure which one.

Someone said, “It certainly won’t be a fallen family like the Du family, nor an old maid who’s been engaged but hasn’t married!”

Ruan Gong’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t help but want to argue with them, but Du Lingjing quickly stopped him.

She chuckled softly. “What they said isn’t wrong.”

The powerful and influential Marquis of Yongding was bound to be arrogant. Of course, she had no intention of marrying someone else.

However, before she finished speaking, the noisy hall suddenly fell silent.

Everyone looked up at the third floor of the west wing.

Before the carved railing, a tall man stood, his dark blue brocade robe making him appear like a long, black jade sword, cold and noble. His gaze slowly swept across the hall below, pausing for a moment at the tea table by the secluded window.

Du Lingjing was startled.

It was him.

The one who had “kindly advised” her on the stairs.

She didn’t know who he was, but she heard someone whisper beside her, “So, Marquis Lu really came?”

Marquis Lu?

Du Lingjing was momentarily stunned.

The Marquis of Yongding, Lu Shenru?

She looked up, and the man’s gaze swept over the crowd and then somehow landed on her.

Du Lingjing was startled and instinctively turned her head away.

She didn’t look again, but out of the corner of her eye, she vaguely saw the man seem to linger by the railing for a moment before turning and leaving.

As soon as he disappeared, the hall quickly returned to its noisy chatter, but this time the tea drinkers couldn’t hide their excitement.

“So the Marquis really has come! The east wing of Zhenyue Tower has received Scholar Shao, and the west wing has invited Marquis Lu. What day is it? Who could have invited both of them here?”

There was still a day until the Mid-Autumn Festival, but Zhenyue Tower was already bustling with excitement beyond the festival itself.

Du Lingjing frowned slightly.

She had invited Shao Boju, but that Marquis…

For some reason, a man’s low, husky voice inexplicably echoed in her ears.

“There are no good people here; it would have been better if you hadn’t come.”

His palms were secretly burning, and the grip on her waist tightened rather than loosened…

Du Lingjing’s thoughts raced, and before she could retract them, Chang-Pu suddenly ran in from the doorway. He had returned from Jishui Pool.

Chang-Pu darted forward, reaching her ear.

After Chang-Pu finished speaking, Du Lingjing took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Ruan Gong carefully observed her thoughts, noticing her expression shift for a moment before suddenly asking a strange question.

“Aren’t there many people in Qianxing District betting on my marriage to Shao Boju?”

Before Ruan Gong could answer, Chang-Pu hurriedly said, “Yes, Miss, they’re all waiting for the imperial decree to bestow the marriage upon the Shao and Du families so they can make a fortune!”

But Ruan Gong saw the young lady smile faintly and slowly put down her teacup.

“Then I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed.”