News reaching the Zhang family indicated that only one night passed between the bandits’ uprising and General Xue Shen’s suppression.  Yu Zhiguang must have suffered greatly in that time.

Her family wanted to break off the engagement, but she hesitated.

Zhang Anrong sighed, “Miss Yu looks thinner than last time. I wonder if it’s from the recent fright or the gossiping.”

“I’m fine now, thank you, Third Brother. As for the rumors…” Yu Zhiguang looked up. Her parents had said that if the Zhang family kept their engagement, the rumors would naturally cease; otherwise, they would only worsen.

Her voice trailed off, and Zhang Anrong offered a plan.

“Third Brother has an idea that might stop the rumors, but it depends on whether Miss Yu is willing to cooperate.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know who young Master Cheng’s archery instructor is?”

“…Who?”

Young Master Cheng, the son of the Princess and the Duke Zhen Guo, was still a child, but his status was high.  His archery instructor would be no ordinary person.

Yu Zhiguang had a vague answer in mind.

Zhang Anrong looked intently into her eyes: “Xue Shen.”

Xue Shen.

The night of torrential rain in the bandit stronghold, the strange, simple wooden house, the bed with its musty smell…the strong, imposing man who had held her shoulders, his large frame blocking most of the light, his shadow completely enveloping her.

Just two words brought her back to the night of her abduction.

Yu Zhiguang’s face turned pale.

Zhang Anrong probed, “The Princess asked the young master to demonstrate his skills later. Miss Yu, will you come with me to watch?”

“I…I know very little about archery.”

“Watching is secondary. We can ask the Princess to witness it, and have General Xue publicly clarify the rumors. Then, Third Brother guarantees no one in the capital will dare to say another word against you.”

Zhang Anrong thought, if the Yu family’s claim that she was unharmed was true, Yu Zhiguang would dare to see Xue Shen and ask the Princess to vouch for her.

If Yu Zhiguang had something to hide…

The petite figure before him took a step back.

“General Xue…he’s coming too?”

“The archery competition starts in two quarters of an hour. He should be arriving soon.”

“Third Brother, I…I drank some fruit wine at the banquet, and I have a headache, so I’m hiding here to avoid the wind. I won’t go.”

“You really won’t go?”

“No, Third Brother, you go.”

“The Princess’s banquet today has many distinguished guests. General Xue is a busy man. If you miss this chance, there may not be another.”

Zhang Anrong’s usually gentle tone grew firmer.

“I was reckless then and offended General Xue. In the future, unless necessary, I won’t appear before him again to upset him.”

“General Xue is a man of honor. He wouldn’t hold it against you.”

Zhang Anrong didn’t believe it.

The Yu family had spoiled Yu Zhiguang, making her naive and carefree. Even when gossiped about, she simply hid in a quiet corner. How could she have the courage to offend a fierce warrior like Xue Shen, and how could she have offended him in the first place?

Failing to persuade her, Zhang Anrong left disappointed.

Yu Zhiguang had no time to ponder his strangeness. She found a servant of the Princess’s mansion to convey her excuse of feeling unwell and leaving early, then lifted her skirt and hurried across the East Garden.

Yuanbao, who had been guarding in the distance to give them privacy, was called back just as she was leaving.

“Miss, where are you going…aren’t we waiting for the magistrate to see us off?”

“I’ve been to the Princess’s mansion before, I know the way. Hurry up and follow me.”

There were two paths to the Princess’s mansion gate: a neat, clean stone road, and a winding path of grass and cobblestones.

The stone path was rarely used, so she wouldn’t meet Xue Shen, but because it was neglected, weeds sprouted between the stones, stained with rainwater and mud, sure to dirty the new shoes her sister-in-law had embroidered for her.

They were brand new, but her cotton socks were old.

Yu Zhiguang looked around.  It was quiet and secluded, with artificial hills on either side. She took off her embroidered shoes, holding them in her hands, and stepped onto the cobblestone path in her thick cotton socks.  She walked quickly, breaking into a sweat.  She just needed to round that bamboo grove to reach the gate screen.

“Miss, slow down, be careful you don’t fall. You didn’t run this fast even when Wufu chased you in the Yun City ancestral home…”

“More terrifying than Wufu! I absolutely cannot…meet General Xue…”

Yu Zhiguang’s voice died in her throat.  She couldn’t hold her precious embroidered shoes anymore; they dropped onto the cobblestones with a soft thud.

A tall figure stood behind the bamboo grove.

Even in the cooling evening, the man wore summer clothes. The thin fabric outlined his broad shoulders and chest, his waist lean and strong, with a square iron token and a large bunch of keys fastened to his belt.

The man had strong brows and bright eyes.

Yu Zhiguang’s face flushed, her toes curled in her socks. She quickly lowered her skirt to cover herself, feeling guilty like a student who hadn’t done their homework.

“I…I greet General Xue.”

“Miss Yu.”

Xue Shen held a richly feathered arrow, his long eyes glancing at her skirt. With a single look, he stepped aside to let her pass.

Yu Zhiguang continued walking, her head held high.

Suddenly, she heard Xue Shen’s deep voice: “Miss Yu.”

She froze.

He simply said, “Your shoe.”

“Yuan…Yuanbao, pick it up for me.”

Yu Zhiguang’s voice was barely a whisper.  She didn’t dare look back. Yuanbao, seeing Xue Shen for the first time, was also a little apprehensive and responded slowly.

Yu Zhiguang walked with difficulty. The short cobblestone path felt like walking through fire. Finally, she saw the screen with the Eight Immortals’ birthday celebration carving.

She breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the screen, letting Yuanbao fix her shoes and socks.  Feeling like she had survived a disaster, she glanced back. Xue Shen’s tall figure turned and disappeared behind the hanging flower gate.