Chapter 6: He Really Didn’t Need to Explain to Her

In his previous life, Song Mi had investigated a case on his own without asking Lu Feng for help. He went to the Hongxiu House alone, and in order to lower the suspect’s guard, he had to sit in a private room, feigning flirtation and raising glasses with a courtesan for a whole half-hour.

In this life, Song Mi had dreamt about his past misery and had no intention of making such sacrifices for the state again. So, he called upon Lu Feng, the most experienced man in such worldly affairs.

A few drops of tea spilled from the cup. Ju Chen quickly wiped the table.

Song Mi casually watched her movements.

In their previous life, other than their childhood encounter at the Princess’s residence, Song Mi had not met Ju Chen again until two years later—when she had been demoted and sent away. By that time, she had become a highly competent court lady, but how she had gotten there, he never knew.

When they met again at the height of their careers, they were political adversaries.

He had only understood her as an opponent, never as a friend.

Even now, they couldn’t be considered friends. At best, they were… bedmates.

The main dishes were served. Lu Feng picked up a wine jug to pour for Ju Chen. She lifted her cup in response, but Song Mi reached over and stopped him.
“There’s no need for a lady to drink outside.”

Lu Feng belatedly smacked his forehead and corrected himself, pouring her a cup of green tea instead.
“You’re right. That was rude of me. Tea is better.”

He then filled his own cup to the brim and downed it as a late apology for arriving late.

The three began eating.

Ju Chen kept her head lowered as she ate but occasionally snuck glances across the table. She noticed that Song Mi wasn’t completely silent—at least, for every three sentences Lu Feng spoke, he would give one casual reply.

Noticing Ju Chen’s gaze, Lu Feng poured more tea for her and said with a smile,
“Ju Chen, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? We’ve both been in the capital all this time, yet we never run into each other. I think the last time I saw you was at the Princess’s wedding.”

Still slightly tipsy, Lu Feng didn’t watch his words. He sighed:
“You were sitting in the corner that day, crying your heart out.”

Ju Chen paused in the middle of picking up food. She usually didn’t mind a little teasing, so she wasn’t too uncomfortable with Lu Feng’s bluntness. But Song Mi’s gaze shifting toward her made her feel like needles were pricking her back.

“I even searched all over for a handkerchief to give you. The next thing I knew, you already had one, and then poof—you were gone.”

Ju Chen flushed.
“I had too much to drink that day… just went home to sleep it off.”

“Understandable. You weren’t the only one who vanished—this guy disappeared too. I looked all over for him and found him the next day sleeping in a side room on the west side.”

Song Mi didn’t lift his eyelids. “I drank too much. It was the wedding of Young Prince Yuan and his niece. Very joyful.”

“Yeah right,” Lu Feng sneered, noticing that Song Mi’s tone had dropped as his gaze shifted across the table again.

Ju Chen didn’t dare look up. She could feel her scalp burning under his gaze. Her chewing slowed.

When she finally swallowed, she picked up another bite—only to accidentally grab a piece of cherry-stuffed pastry she absolutely hated. She choked a little on it.

Song Mi silently handed her a glass of water. Glancing at her slightly disgusted expression, he asked,
“You don’t like cherries?”

Ju Chen couldn’t very well throw up in front of him, so she just shook her head, her eyes tearing up from choking.

Lu Feng was quicker with his mouth:
“What do you mean she doesn’t like cherries? I remember back at the Princess’s residence, she fought over a basket of cherries with another girl and got pushed into the water.”

Ju Chen: “……”

Lu Feng was lost in nostalgia.
“Back then, Ju Chen was the most dazzling girl at the residence—countless admirers. Even some guy who was already engaged wanted to call off the engagement after just one look at her.”

Ju Chen: “!!!”

Seeing her face turn pale, Lu Feng frowned.
“You seriously don’t remember?”

“Did that really happen?” Ju Chen brushed her hair aside, blocking Song Mi’s icy gaze with her arm.

Even if she knew she had no reputation left in his eyes, she didn’t want him thinking she’d always been some coquettish flirt.

Lu Feng continued,
“It was the fourth young master from the Earl of Yongchang’s family. Fell in love at first sight. You arranged to meet him at the bridge at dusk and asked for his cherries. He gave them to you right away. But they were from his fiancée—those inch-wide cherries were imperial tribute, very rare. She rushed over and pushed you into the water for seducing him.”

“You don’t have to call it seduction,” Ju Chen covered her face, feigning itchy eyes, and rubbed them as an excuse to sneak a glance at Song Mi.

Unfortunately, the moment her eyes met his, he looked back straight at her, sharply.

“It looked exactly like that!” Lu Feng laughed heartily.

Ju Chen felt he was truly drunk and hastily called out, “Waiter,” practically begging for the hangover soup to arrive sooner.

“I’m fine,” Lu Feng waved it off.

Ju Chen insisted,
“No, you’re drunk.”

The waiter brought the soup and informed Ju Chen that someone downstairs had asked for her.

She really needed a breath of fresh air to calm herself. Without asking who it was, she nodded to the two men and quickly left.

She didn’t want to endure another second of Song Mi’s cold stare.

The private room door slammed shut behind her. Watching her leave, Lu Feng murmured,
“Her memory’s gotten really bad… If she can’t even remember being pushed into the water, how is she going to serve the Empress Dowager properly?”

He was just muttering to himself, not expecting an answer.

Song Mi was silent for a moment, then tapped the table:
“Your soup’s getting cold.”

Ju Chen walked down the stairs, and Li Wanyu stood at the bottom. As she approached, for the first time, Ju Chen didn’t find her face so annoying.

But remembering everything that had just happened, she felt utterly hopeless again.

Li Wanyu had supposedly come looking for her but kept glancing upstairs.
“Big Sister, why are you here? Who’s upstairs? Wasn’t it Miss Liu Shan who invited you?”

Ju Chen gave her a look.

Li Wanyu straightened up.
“I didn’t mean to find out where you were. I just happened to see the Lu family’s carriage at the gate. So—who else is up there?”

“Second Young Master Lu. We’re catching up.”

“And?”

Li Wanyu kept peeking at the man sitting beside Lu Feng.

Ju Chen sneered,
“Weren’t you going to the palace banquet? Why are you back so early?”

“….” Li Wanyu opened her mouth but said nothing.

“What? The Crown Prince didn’t like you?”

Li Wanyu immediately argued,
“He didn’t just reject me!”

The Crown Prince hadn’t shown up at all that night.

She lowered her head and glanced upstairs again.

Ju Chen had no patience for her. She waved a hand in front of her face.
“It’s getting dark. A young lady shouldn’t wander around. Go home.”

Li Wanyu pouted, unwilling to be lectured. Her sister was out eating with a man late at night and she was the one being scolded?

If not for the increasingly liberal atmosphere in the Liang Dynasty and the Empress Dowager’s gender equality reforms, her sister’s behavior would be considered scandalous.

But Ju Chen didn’t care. She turned and walked away.

Li Wanyu couldn’t follow, so she huffed and muttered toward her sister’s retreating figure.
Why did her always-proud older sister’s silhouette look… kind of dejected?

Ju Chen climbed the stairs and let out a long breath. Forget it, she thought. Her reputation was already bad anyway—she’ll just fix it slowly.

Forcing a smile, she reentered the private room and found Lu Feng had dozed off at the table.

One pot of hangover soup from Drum Tower always guaranteed a nap.

Song Mi pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit and eat some more. Ju Chen noticed he had already set down his chopsticks, so she said she was full too.

He didn’t insist. Lifting Lu Feng over his shoulder, he led the way downstairs and paid the bill before Ju Chen could.

Just as they stepped outside, Lu Feng opened his eyes.

If he weren’t genuinely a noble, Ju Chen would have suspected he had faked being asleep—just to avoid paying.

A carriage was already waiting outside, with the Lu family’s lantern hanging.

Song Mi helped Lu Feng into the carriage. Ju Chen followed behind and watched Lu Feng lean down and call out to her.

“I’ll take you home.”

Before Ju Chen could respond, Song Mi slowly extended a hand between them.
“I’ll take her.”

Lu Feng stared, stunned. He had never expected Song Mi to play the gentleman.

---

“How about I take her home instead?” Lu Feng offered after thinking a moment.

He knew his friend never liked riding in the same carriage with women, and he didn’t want to put him in an uncomfortable position because of this.

Song Mi said plainly, “You’re drunk. That’s not safe.”

Lu Feng chuckled, “Didn’t think you’d worry about me.”

Song Mi furrowed his brows and pointed to Ju Chen, “I meant she wouldn’t be safe.”

Lu Feng: “……”

Just then, another carriage arrived behind them.

The white horse leading it was tall and handsome, needing no reins to guide it. Its bright eyes looked directly at Song Mi, then glanced past Ju Chen and completely ignored Lu Feng.

Lu Feng couldn’t help but snort, “Zhengzhi, we’ve known each other for over ten years, and this horse still acts like it doesn’t know me. Did you not train it properly? But I guess it has learned to appreciate beauty.”

Song Mi said coolly, “It doesn’t look at beautiful women.”

It only looks at her.

Lu Feng blinked, then laughed, “The lady is right here, could you at least be a little more subtle? Ju Chen, don’t take it personally.”

But before he even finished, Ju Chen had already gracefully lifted the curtain at the back of the white horse’s carriage. She turned back, met his gaze, blinked playfully, smiled gently, and said, “Take care on the way.”

Lu Feng: “……”

All he could think was—handsome men really do get all the forgiveness in the world.

Before leaving, Lu Feng instructed Song Mi to return Ju Chen safely, and Song Mi simply patted his horse’s flank to send him off:
“Thanks, but unnecessary.”

---

The carriage wheels rolled steadily along Zhuque Avenue.

Ju Chen wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but it felt like the white horse was especially leisurely tonight—more like they were taking a moonlit stroll than heading home.

It had been a while since they’d seen each other. She knew he’d been busy lately and hadn’t disturbed him. Now, by chance, they met again, and she couldn’t resist the urge to talk to him—but didn’t know how to begin.

Eventually, she remembered he’d paid for the meal earlier and awkwardly said, “Sorry to make you spend money just now…”

Song Mi glanced at her with a faint, amused expression.
“So if Lu Feng had paid, it wouldn’t have been a waste?”

Ju Chen paused, realizing belatedly that her opening line had completely flopped.

Lu Feng’s earlier teasing wasn’t entirely false. Ju Chen did attract a lot of attention from men. She had always known she was blessed with striking looks, and it hadn’t taken her long to figure out what expressions, what glances, could effortlessly charm men—neither fawning nor overt, yet devastatingly effective.

Even if only used for playful teasing, she had never failed.

But for some reason, around him, she always became tongue-tied.

After a long internal struggle, she finally calmed herself enough to explain that she hadn’t expected that kind of gathering—that it was truly Lu Yun (Lu Feng’s sister) who had given her the invitation.

Song Mi had heard long ago that Miss Lu San had a similar temperament to her brother—always meddling. That she would play matchmaker so randomly didn’t surprise him in the least.

But the fact that the target was Ju Chen… did irritate him a little.

Though he didn’t show it obviously, his expression cooled slightly, and Ju Chen, perceptive as she was, noticed it.

She assumed his indifference meant he didn’t care, and thinking of their earlier moments at Drum Tower, her heart sank a little.

Her past behavior with him was hardly commendable. She already knew she’d left a poor impression.

She had hoped to turn over a new leaf in this life, to become a graceful and gentle lady—someone who would let him realize, eventually, that she was only like that for him.

But now, he probably already knew all the worst things about her.

Should she explain? Would he think she was just making excuses?

It was her own fault for being reckless and ruining her reputation. Even if she wanted to fix it now, it might be too late.

Li Juchen, you brought this on yourself.

Ju Chen wailed internally, but outwardly still tried to smile and said considerately, “You really didn’t have to send me home. Lu Feng was drunk—he’s the one who might’ve needed help.”

She assumed Song Mi was simply worried about his friend.

Song Mi lifted his eyes, “Lu Feng?”

Ju Chen froze, waving her hands nervously, “I didn’t mean to act overly familiar! That’s just what I called him as a kid—wait, no, I—”

Why did it feel like she was just making it worse?

She stammered, her teeth chattering in frustration, and finally mumbled, “We’re… not even that close…”

Seeing how distraught she looked, Song Mi wondered if he had been too stern and scared her. His voice softened, “He’s a frequent guest at Hongxiu House. Their wine wouldn’t trouble him.”

Ju Chen nodded obediently.

Then Song Mi looked at her again. “Today, I went to Hongxiu House because—”

Ju Chen quickly cut him off, not wanting him to break imperial confidentiality:
“You don’t need to explain. I understand.”

“You understand?”

She looked at him earnestly. “It’s a normal thing.”

“A normal thing?”

She nodded firmly.

Lu Feng had already shattered her reputation tonight—she had to act more magnanimous. She couldn’t afford for Song Mi to think she was both loose and clingy, full of questions and suspicions. What if he decided she was too much trouble and wanted nothing more to do with her?

He really didn’t need to explain.

Song Mi gave a faint “Mm,” his expression turning cold again. He looked away, closed his eyes, and began massaging his temples.

The night was quiet and cool. Inside the carriage, the only sound was the soft rumble of wheels on the road.

Ju Chen quietly peeked at him. His brows were slightly furrowed—he seemed both troubled and tired.

Not wanting to disturb his rest, she held her breath, trying to make even her breathing silent.

But her gaze couldn’t help lingering on his face.

No matter how slow the ride, the journey had an end.

The white horse stopped at the corner of Baoning Lane.

As beautiful as he was, she had to look away now. Ju Chen let out a quiet breath and prepared to get off.

But he was sitting to the side, his long legs casually blocking her way.

She wanted to ask him to move but couldn’t bring herself to wake him. After hesitating, she lifted her skirt slightly, intending to climb over.

As her clothes rustled softly and her delicate scent brushed past his nose, Song Mi suddenly opened his eyes. His arms shot forward—and in one swift move, he caught her.

Ju Chen let out a startled yelp, and before she could process what was happening, she was already seated on his lap, his hand gripping her slim waist.

Outside, the night was cold as water—but not colder than the man holding her.

Song Mi’s gaze was unreadable. One hand slowly slid down her waist, the other lifted her chin.

“Go home,” he said in a low voice,
“and tell your family you’re spending the night studying at the archive.”