Chapter 25: A Secret Meeting

After leaving the Gu residence, Mei Xianghan, accompanied by his personal attendant Chunxi, made his way to Mirror Lake in the southern part of the city. By the lakeside stood the Misty Wave Pavilion. Moonlight shimmered upon the water, and a solitary figure stood waiting by the shore.

Mei Xianghan signaled for Chunxi to keep watch from a distance and walked toward the pavilion alone.

"Aozhu!" Mei Xianghan called out, his voice dripping with tenderness.

Jian Aozhu turned quickly, her eyes shimmering like ripples in a pond. Like a gentle kitten, she rushed forward and buried herself in his embrace. "My lord... I was so afraid you wouldn't come."

While in his arms, Jian Aozhu seized the moment to have her system check Mei Xianghan’s reputation score. It remained at 8,500 points—the highest among all the young talents in the capital—a clear sign that he was destined for the highest echelons of power, fated to become a marquis or even a prime minister.

With the soft, fragrant girl in his arms, Mei Xianghan closed his eyes, greedily drinking in the scent of her skin. "Forgive me, I am late."

"You are not late. I would wait for you for a lifetime," Jian Aozhu murmured, her voice laced with honeyed devotion.

Haitang, Jian Aozhu’s personal maid, hid a smirk behind her sleeve and quietly retreated from the pavilion. The two held each other tightly, as inseparable as glue and lacquer, as sweet as honey mixed with oil.

After some time, Mei Xianghan withdrew a golden hairpin from his robes. The piece radiated a noble, golden luster, adorned at the tail with snow-white, lustrous pearls from the South Sea—each one incredibly precious.

Jian Aozhu could not tear her eyes away. As a concubine-born daughter in her family, she had never owned such extravagant jewelry. She had often lavished praise on the piece when she saw Gu Xingwan wearing it, a subtle way of letting Mei Xianghan know how much she coveted it.

"Is this the dragon-pearl hairpin you gave to Xingwan?"

"Yes. Aozhu, my ties with Gu Xingwan are severed. I went there tonight specifically to retrieve this hairpin to give to you."

Jian Aozhu took the hairpin gently, her expression one of deep, emotional conflict. "My lord, I cannot accept this. Xingwan is my dearest sister; she would be heartbroken if she knew I had taken it."

"That shameless, brazen woman, Gu Xingwan—and you still speak up for her?" From beginning to end, Jian Aozhu had not uttered a single word against Gu Xingwan. How virtuous she was!

"You... you know everything?"

"Hmph! Shameless harlot." A knot of bitterness tightened in Mei Xianghan’s chest.

Jian Aozhu’s lips curled into a smirk. She had originally intended to "accidentally" let slip the news of Gu Xingwan’s tryst with Lu Lan, but it seemed she had been saved the trouble. She sighed with feigned heartache, "Do not blame her. She must have had her reasons to be so foolish. To abandon a heaven-sent talent like you—any woman would find that a difficult choice to make."

Mei Xianghan paused. The dignity that Gu Xingwan had ground into the dust was suddenly restored by Jian Aozhu’s praise. "Aozhu, I was not mistaken; you truly are the best. As for that wretch, I, Mei Xianghan, will never forgive her. If you do not accept this hairpin, I shall throw it into Mirror Lake. Only you are worthy of it."

As he raised his hand as if to cast it away, Jian Aozhu hurriedly stopped him, unable to bear the loss. "My lord... then... I shall reluctantly accept it."

"Good!" Mei Xianghan pulled her into an embrace, kneading her shoulders, his brow finally smoothing. "Have you made your decision? When will you have your parents go to the Zhang family to call off the engagement?"

Having secured the dragon-pearl hairpin she so desired, Jian Aozhu’s heart was bursting with joy. Yet, she still knitted her willow-leaf brows in a display of reluctance. "Young Master Zhang has been so kind to me. Must I truly break his heart?"

Jian Aozhu was betrothed to Zhang Yan, the son of the General of Martial Virtue. Both were military families, and they had known each other since childhood. She had already stolen Zhang Yan’s reputation score once; it was a mere 330 points—a dead end with no hope for advancement. She was consumed by ambition, having been suppressed in her family since childhood; she longed to rise to power and see all those who had tormented her destroyed.

"A mere brute—what does he know of cherishing you? We are soulmates. I have broken with Gu Xingwan for your sake; do you not wish to spend your life with me?"

Mei Xianghan’s words were filled with disdain for Zhang Yan.

"I..." Jian Aozhu hesitated, before finally nodding with great difficulty. "I will listen to you, my lord."

Mei Xianghan exhaled in relief and pulled her tighter. "That is good. We shall have a future together. I will certainly place first in the imperial examinations. My father has already begun maneuvering; three of the chief examiners for this year's special session are his close friends. There is no lack of support among the scholars in court, and with my brilliant essays, the top rank is mine."

With his illustrious family background, powerful connections, and literary talent, there was no reason he should not become the top scholar. "Once I attain the highest office, I will secure a title of honor for you."

Jian Aozhu savored the grand promises Mei Xianghan fed her. His vows were tangible, rooted in a smooth path to power. She could almost see a life of luxury and glory ahead. Yet, when she spoke, she chose a different tone.

"My lord, you know I do not care for such things... My heart longs for the freedom of the world beyond the court. I am with you only because I admire your talent and character. If one day you grow weary of the strife in the capital, we shall ride off together, swords at our sides, to a place where no one knows us—to live amidst the flowers, with our children playing at our knees."

Mei Xianghan’s heart was gripped by her words. He had not expected to find such a refined, detached, and noble woman in a world driven by greed. She was nothing like that wretch Gu Xingwan, who craved the riches of the Duke of Yu’s estate and had cast aside all sense of shame.

"Aozhu..."

As Jian Aozhu and Mei Xianghan whispered endearments in the Misty Wave Pavilion, oblivious to the world, the sky remained dark before the dawn. Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distance.