Chapter 10 – She Changed Her Lip Rouge

She smiled and chatted with that man, but her laughter wasn’t sincere. Still, watching her like that left him distinctly displeased.

As if sensing something, she suddenly froze, turned her head, and met his gaze. Panic flickered across her eyes. She quickly looked away, excused herself from the man, and returned to the banquet with her head bowed.

The Madam Dowager smiled. “Snowjun rarely visits. You must accompany her well…”

Xie Xianyu replied, “I just came from the imperial prison. I’ll change my clothes first.”

At this, Madam Dowager frowned. She glanced at his spotless robes, but in the end nodded. “Then be quick.”

Xie Xianyu saluted and left.

Wanru felt her heart lurch. Was it her imagination, or had his departing glance swept over her with a chill?

Her thoughts spun wildly. Had he somehow sensed that something was off about what happened with Third Madam today? Had he seen through her schemes?

Just then, Suyue approached and whispered into Wanru’s ear, “The young master asks that you return.”

Wanru could only nod.

Fortunately, she was never one to draw attention; her leaving the banquet went unnoticed.

At Songhe Residence, Xie Xianyu was already waiting by the window, hands clasped behind his back.

Wanru entered. “Cousin.”

He turned, his dark eyes piercing as though to strip her bare.

A pang of unease rose in her chest. Carefully, she asked, “Why did cousin summon me?”

He stepped closer, that seemingly gentle gaze carrying a forceful pressure that made her instinctively want to retreat.

Wanru’s hand inside her sleeve clenched tight. She pressed her lips together and stood her ground.

“Who was that man?”

Wanru blinked. “What?”

It took her a moment to realize—he wasn’t asking about Yuan Zhao.

Relief washed over her. She quickly answered smoothly, “The one who spoke to me earlier? Just a candidate attending the banquet. I don’t know his name. We merely crossed paths in the peach grove—he asked me for directions, that’s all.”

She downplayed it, for nothing of consequence had actually happened.

But he raised his hand, brushing his thumb across her lips, staining it faintly with vermilion. His gaze deepened. “Is that so?”

Her heart clenched, her breath short. “Why? What’s wrong?”

She loathed this feeling. To others, Xie Xianyu was a gentleman as gentle as jade, a paragon of virtue. Only she knew he was mercurial, vindictive, and adept at tormenting people.

Sometimes, she regretted ever choosing to seduce him.

She had thought him the easiest to handle among the Xie family, but instead he had proven the most dangerous. This past year, every moment around him was spent on edge.

His eyes lingered on her lips. “I remember you never liked wearing such vivid colors.”

Tonight, she not only wore bright lip rouge but also powdered her face, carrying with her the faint fragrance of jasmine.

Usually she dressed plainly, with the simplest makeup and the dullest gowns. She never wore the jewelry he gifted her, always striving to turn herself into a transparent shadow in the Xie household, terrified of notice.

The last time she had bothered to dress up like this was a year ago, the very first time he met her.

Wanru froze. Such a small detail—unnoticed by anyone else—he had perceived immediately.

Forcing calm, she explained, “It’s the Spring Banquet today. I just thought I’d try for good fortune. If cousin dislikes it, I won’t wear this lip rouge again.”

But his expression remained dark, far from appeased.

Her own patience snapped. She bit back her restraint. “Or does cousin think I don’t even deserve a woman’s ordinary wish to look beautiful? At today’s banquet, every girl was dressed in red and green, dolled up in her finest. I didn’t outshine anyone. I don’t understand why you insist on picking on me!”

She was at the point of wanting to break with him entirely.

He pressed his lips together. “I wasn’t trying to find fault.”

Wanru was stunned. Since when was he so easily placated?

“What about Third Madam?” he asked.

Wanru blinked innocently. “Third Madam? Do you mean the matter of the intruder?”

He studied her. He had rushed home upon hearing there was a thief in the household, and it was she who had discovered it. He suspected the incident wasn’t simple.

But since she chose to feign ignorance, he couldn’t be bothered to press further. It wasn’t, after all, a matter worth pursuing. Let her stir trouble if she pleased.

His stare unnerved her, and she averted her gaze. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go…”

But he seized her arm, pulling her back. Leaning close to her ear, he murmured in a low voice, “Be more careful. Don’t leave others with evidence against you.”

Then he released her and strode out.

Wanru stood frozen, staring blankly after his retreating figure, bewildered.

She prided herself on reading people’s hearts, yet she could never see through Xie Xianyu.

Today she had indeed done something underhanded. She thought he would interrogate her harshly about the “thief” incident, since it touched upon the Xie family’s honor. Yet he had let it go lightly.

Instead, he had fixated on the lip rouge she had secretly changed—utterly baffling.

Back at the banquet, many guests raised their cups, eager to flatter him.

Though Xie Xianyu had only been in office for three years, he already held a key position. His success in resolving the Jiangnan salt-tax case had made him a rising star, and everyone wanted to curry favor.

Surrounded by a crowd, he quickly disappeared from view.

Wanru, however, did not linger. She had already accomplished what she intended today. After a token bite of food, she quietly left. This was never a gathering she belonged to.

Night fell, and the banquet finally dispersed.

“Xian’er.” Madam Dowager, just having seen off the guests, called him.

“Mother.”

“What do you think of Snowjun?”

“Mother may decide,” he said evenly, clearly lacking patience for such talk.

He knew his marriage was merely about finding a suitable matriarch for the clan. His mother, who had been the Xie family matron for half her life, understood better than he what kind of woman fit that role.

“And what of Princess Chang’s daughter, the Commandery Princess Duanmin?” she pressed. “The Princess values you greatly. But I fear the girl is too spoiled—hardly fit to shoulder the responsibilities of a matron.”

His brow furrowed. He recalled the princess, whom he’d met once at court, indeed arrogant and domineering. If she became the main wife, Wanru’s days would be miserable.

“She’s of the royal clan, inevitably entangled in factional struggles. With the crown prince unsettled and the court in turmoil, best not to involve ourselves with the royals.”

Madam Dowager nodded. “By that reasoning, the Jiang family is most suitable. They’ve always been loyal officials, never involved in factional strife.”

A trace of irony flickered in his eyes, but he said nothing more. “I leave it to you, Mother.”

She watched him go, her expression complicated, muttering, “The older he grows, the harder he is to read.”

Zhuqing stepped forward. “Young Master is in the thick of court affairs now. Naturally he must be more cautious than before. Madam needn’t worry. Didn’t he just entrust his marriage choice to you?”

Madam Dowager curved her lips faintly. “Perhaps I overthink it.”

Xie Xianyu returned to Songhe Residence, his expression dark, a heavy gloom pressing over the atmosphere.

The servants all waited on him with great care. Qing’an carried in tea and, testing cautiously, asked: “Shall I fetch the young lady cousin to you?”