Chapter 92: Gentle and Cool, Kind and Distant
As Xiao Li helped Song Junzhan up, she replied to Ziyue, "Your driving skills are really something. You almost sent your Young Master to an early grave."
So as not to make Song Junzhan uncomfortable, Xiao Li climbed out of the carriage first. Only then did she realize that Ziyue had driven them right into a courtyard.
Manager Jiang was closing the gate, and it wasn’t hard to guess that the recent jolt had been the carriage bursting through the entrance.
"Thank you, Young Master and Ziyue, for coming to my rescue."
Song Junzhan said, "I can’t claim such ability. Ziyue was the one who saw you first."
Ziyue lifted his chin, looking quite pleased with himself. "I spotted you in a flash! It’s all thanks to my superb Qinggong, quick eyes, and fast hands. A hero saving a beauty."
Xiao Li smiled, then feigned a solemn, cupped-fist salute. "Thank you for the rescue, young hero. Your bravery, fearlessness, and powerful martial arts are so impressive I am in absolute awe."
Ziyue’s face instantly flushed red. "Well... I’m not *that* amazing..."
Manager Jiang looked at his Young Master’s unusually flushed face and Ziyue’s shy fidgeting, and couldn’t help but chuckle. ’This Miss Xiao certainly has a powerful charm.’
"Don’t just stand there. Hurry and invite Miss Xiao inside."
Ziyue was more than happy to oblige. "Hurry inside, miss!"
Obviously, this was where they lived.
Xiao Li shook her head. "I won’t come in. I was wondering if the Young Master might have a horse I could borrow?"
Song Junzhan asked, "Are you worried those men will find their way here, miss?"
The answer was obvious.
Xiao Li said, "You saved my life. I can’t bring trouble upon you."
"It’s no trouble." Having calmed down, Song Junzhan reverted to his usual gentle demeanor. "It’s too dangerous for you to go out alone now, miss. You should wait here for your escort. As for those assassins, they won’t be able to get here."
He finished with a faint smile, raising a hand in an inviting gesture.
At that moment, Song Junzhan wasn’t coughing and didn’t seem quite so frail. His faint smile held the calm confidence of someone with the situation entirely under control, giving him a sudden aura of strength.
’This man...’
Before Xiao Li could dwell on it, Ziyue was already pulling her forward.
"Come on, let’s go! Grandma made chicken soup, and it’s amazing. I can already smell it! I’m definitely having two big bowls."
Manager Jiang chided, "Ziyue, show some manners."
Ziyue paid him no mind, continuing to lead Xiao Li along with gusto.
And just like that, Xiao Li found herself seated at the dining table.
As a sign of respect, Song Junzhan insisted she take the seat of honor.
Now, she was seated with Ziyue to her right and Song Junzhan to her left. Before her was a steaming meal of three dishes and a soup.
The chicken soup Ziyue had mentioned was stewed with mushrooms, and its aroma was incredibly rich and fragrant.
Xiao Li: "..."
’A quarter of an hour ago... at most, a little more than a quarter of an hour ago, I was being assassinated and nearly lost my life. Now, in the blink of an eye, I’m sitting at a table drinking chicken soup.’
’Mmm, this chicken soup is delicious.’
’The assassination already feels like a dream.’
At Ziyue’s passionate recommendation, Xiao Li was more than obliging, finishing two whole bowls of rice until she was nearly bursting.
Song Junzhan led her to the rear courtyard for some tea to aid her digestion. The moment she stepped inside, she was met with a breathtaking expanse of gold.
A massive ginkgo tree stood in the courtyard. Its leaves had all turned yellow, and a gust of wind sent them scattering to blanket the ground.
The canopy wasn’t particularly wide, but its massive trunk would take two people to encircle with their arms.
"This tree must be three or four hundred years old, wouldn’t you say?"
Song Junzhan caught a falling leaf and gently set it aside. "Four hundred and seventy years," he said. "It was planted by a Song Family ancestor. The courtyard was later sold, but after changing hands for over a century, the Song Family bought it back. They discovered the ginkgo tree was still standing, and it has remained ever since."
Tea had already been prepared in the courtyard. Song Junzhan personally poured a cup for Xiao Li and passed it to her, then pushed a plate of pastries her way.
"These are pastries made from ginkgo nuts. They’re quite good. Please, try one."
Xiao Li couldn’t eat another bite, but she obliged him by trying a piece. It was surprisingly delicious, though now she was well and truly stuffed.
Peeking from behind the rockery, Ziyue watched the scene unfold. He cupped his cheeks and sighed wistfully, "It would be perfect if she became our Young Madam."
Manager Jiang’s hand shot out and yanked him away. "In your dreams. Now get back to work."
’I’ve been rescued, and now I’ve eaten their food,’ Xiao Li thought. ’This is no small favor I owe them.’
The tea’s fragrance filled the air, a refreshing and heart-gladdening scent. It was the very same fragrance she had caught on Song Junzhan amidst the chaos.
His scent wasn’t just tea, though. There was also a faint hint of medicinal herbs. The mixture wasn’t overpowering—in fact, it was very pleasant. It was just like the man himself: gentle yet cool, kind yet distant.
"The imperial examinations are a good thing," she began, taking the initiative. "They don’t just help scholars from poor families. They select the wise and promote the capable, benefiting the nation and its people."
She glanced at Song Junzhan. "But I wouldn’t advise you to pursue it."
Song Junzhan replied, "I would like to hear your reasoning."
Xiao Li said, "When a worthy official does not serve an enlightened ruler, all their passion is for naught."
’Xiao Jingyun is no enlightened ruler. He is unworthy of a fine official like Song Junzhan.’
"His Majesty views anyone who wants to revive the examinations as remnants of the former dynasty. He’s always believed that when the late Emperor killed all those people, it was to execute traitors. He refuses to speak of it. Don’t waste your efforts, because anyone who dares to bring it up will die."
The color drained from Song Junzhan’s face.
’He knew her identity. For her to speak so plainly, she must have sounded out the Emperor herself. So this was his stance.’
’If anyone brings up the examinations, not only will the aristocratic families suppress them, but the Emperor himself will not approve. The fate that awaits them is easy to imagine.’
’Song Junzhan, you see the examinations in too simple a light. It can never succeed.’
’That was what all his elders had told him. They knew about the examinations; they had even participated in them once. They were just the lucky ones who had escaped with their lives.’
’Song Junzhan had always assumed they had lost their courage to rise again after witnessing that bloodbath.’
’He had never considered that they might have been telling him the simple truth.’
’If the Emperor was not an enlightened ruler, then everything he was doing was in vain. It would only send more people to their deaths.’
’An image from seven years ago suddenly surfaced in his mind: his father in the study, frantically tearing books to shreds. He had knocked over a candelabra, setting the room ablaze, and in the inferno, he had screamed madly, "The heavens are blind! His Majesty is a fool! The heavens are blind!"’
’Afterward, the Imperial Army had stormed their home and seized the Song Family’s assets. His father and grandfather were beheaded; the rest of the family was exiled.’
’The road to exile was filled with suffering, but that wasn’t all. There were still those bent on the complete annihilation of the Song Family, who sent assassins after them.’
’If Uncle Jiang hadn’t grabbed him and leaped into a river to escape, he feared he would have died in one of those ambushes.’
’In the Heavenly Prison, his grandfather had gripped his hand with all his might and told him the whole truth.’
’The one who wanted to revive the examinations was the Emperor himself. But he couldn’t win against the aristocratic families, so they became the sacrifices.’
’His grandfather told him not to hate His Majesty. He said that if he managed to survive, reviving the examinations was more important than seeking revenge.’
’It was a matter of utmost importance to all the scholars in the realm—more important than vengeance.’
’He had always remembered that. He had striven for it ever since, even though he was met with failure at every turn.’
"His Majesty... won’t listen to anyone’s counsel..." he said, his voice strained. "Then what about Princess Xuanyang?"