CHAPTER 022
Three days later, at the Prince Yun's Manor, in the back garden.
The sky was clear and the weather fine, with flourishing flowers and abundant grass. Fish played in the green waters, and a gentle breeze carried a faint floral fragrance.
Su Qingwan, whose face was flushed with color, sat calmly in a pavilion at the center of a lotus pond, fully engrossed in his work. His head was slightly bowed, and his slender fingers held a needle, stitching a magnolia flower on a handkerchief. The shyness between his brows as he lowered his head filled the handkerchief with a lingering sense of affection.
As he thought about returning to the Imperial Academy tomorrow, Su Qingwan couldn’t contain his excitement. His eyes shimmered with evident longing.
Xiaoyuan stood quietly beside him, staring blankly at the young heir who had fallen deeply in love. That day, after closing the door, he hadn’t left but had waited outside, listening to the young heir’s heartbroken sobs throughout the night.
From that moment on, he knew that the Scholar held an unparalleled place in the young heir’s heart.
The next day, before dawn, the heartbroken young heir, with red and swollen eyes, set off for the Imperial Academy to wait for the Scholar to apologize to him. However, not long into the morning, the Academy sent word that the young heir had fallen ill and was sent back to the Prince Yun’s Manor.
Hearing that the young heir was sick had frightened him, but to his surprise, the pale young heir still had a faint smile on his lips, and it wasn’t hard to guess the reason.
During these past few days since returning to the manor, the young heir hadn’t complained about the bitterness of the medicine as he used to. He obediently took his medicine each time and even secretly visited the music house.
But after returning from the music house, he began to take up embroidery again and no longer needed servants to attend to his daily needs. He even asked Xiaoyuan to teach him how to serve others.
The young heir had a noble birth and an excellent appearance, making him a sought-after young lord among many noble families. Given his esteemed status, it should be easy for him to find any woman he desired, yet he had fallen deeply in love with the Scholar.
Moreover, apart from her impeccable appearance, the Scholar was of rather humble standing.
In terms of status, she had gone from the daughter of a once-glorious general to an impoverished, virtuous woman. In terms of family background, she had transitioned from the daughter of a prominent military family to one who now lived a quiet, humble life.
Why would the young heir lower himself to win the favor of such an ordinary woman?
It could only mean that the young heir was truly and completely in love with the Scholar, leaving no room in his heart for anyone else.
"It’s been so long since I’ve done embroidery that my hands have become rusty," Su Qingwan said, finishing the final stitch and pulling the thread tight. He raised the handkerchief with the embroidered magnolia, showing it off to Xiaoyuan with a look of delight. "Xiaoyuan, what do you think? Is my work still good?"
Xiaoyuan’s gaze fell on the handkerchief. He knew that the young heir had always been skilled at embroidery but had stopped after the Lord’s passing, only to resume now, seemingly transformed by his feelings for the Scholar.
As long as the young heir was happy, Xiaoyuan would support him in anything, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy about the Scholar. The thought of that awkward woman made his eyes flicker with concern.
He was just about to offer praise when the voice of Butler Chen rang out, "Young heir, what are you up to?"
Xiaoyuan looked toward the corridor where Butler Chen was approaching and bowed, "Butler Chen."
Su Qingwan, with a bright smile, displayed the handkerchief to Butler Chen as well, his eyes sparkling with joy. "Aunt Chen, what do you think of my magnolia embroidery? Is it pretty?"
Xiaoyuan, standing beside him, looked uneasy and hesitant to speak.
Butler Chen glanced at the handkerchief, a hint of surprise in her eyes. She knew that since the Lord’s passing, the young heir had stopped doing embroidery and had shown no interest in the activities expected of a future wife.
But recently, she had heard from the servants that the young heir had taken up embroidery again, so she came to see for herself. To her surprise, it was true.
This sudden change puzzled Butler Chen, but she still smiled and said, "Yes, it’s very pretty."
The Lord had been a virtuous, talented, and skilled man, and the young heir, having grown up by his side, naturally inherited his excellent embroidery skills.
Just as she spoke, her approving gaze suddenly caught sight of the characters embroidered in the corner of the handkerchief. Apart from the character “Qing,” there was another character, “Yun,” closely following it.
Who is this person?
Butler Chen’s eyes flickered with concern as she realized that the young heir was growing up and beginning to have feelings. After chatting with the young heir for a while, she headed straight to the study on the east side of the northern courtyard.
As Butler Chen walked away, Xiaoyuan immediately spoke up, "Young heir, Butler Chen surely saw the characters you embroidered on the handkerchief. This..."
Su Qingwan, his eyes full of tender affection, lowered his gaze to the handkerchief, gently stroking the embroidered magnolia with a calm and determined expression. "So what if she saw it? My feelings for Sister Yun’er are nothing to hide. To me, the only opinion that matters is Yun’er’s."
Since being reprimanded by the Imperial Academy’s Vice Chancellor, Lu Yun’er’s class load had been halved, with other assistants taking over some of her courses, leaving her with much more free time.
This afternoon, with no classes scheduled, Lu Yun’er exited the dining hall, carrying a food box as she walked toward the southern courtyard.
The day after returning from the sports ground, Lu Yun’er had moved into the southern courtyard of the Imperial Academy.
The southern courtyard served as accommodation for the female staff of the Academy, and since the rooms were assigned based on rank and seniority, Lu Yun’er didn’t get a room in a good location.
However, what Lu Yun'er didn’t expect was that she was assigned to a small, secluded courtyard that was even further than the South Courtyard.
Pushing open the door and entering the courtyard, she was greeted by an orange-colored large dog that immediately dashed out from somewhere upon hearing the faint sound. The dog enthusiastically wagged its tail and approached her. Lu Yun'er closed the door behind her, smiled at the dog, and made a “shh” gesture, whispering, “Juzi, inside.”
Juzi, understanding human gestures, obediently followed her inside.
Lu Yun'er opened the food box, placing the prepared cooked meat, vegetables, and a few pork bones into Juzi's dedicated bowl. The bones were something she had specially requested from the kitchen staff. Most of the meat had been stripped off, leaving some bits of meat clinging to the bones. After making broth with the bones, they didn’t serve much purpose, so the cooks were happy to give them to her without asking why.
On the first day after moving into the courtyard, the place was covered in dust, cold, and desolate.
After cleaning, it turned out to be a decent little courtyard. However, apart from one habitable main room, the other rooms either leaked during rain or had drafts blowing through them.
The basic living conditions were still met, though it worried Qiu Yi greatly.
Of course, Lu Yun'er was also aware of the subtle discrimination behind this arrangement, understanding it all too well.
To be honest, when she first transmigrated here, she had no desire to become an official. Although she wasn’t fabulously wealthy, she had enough to live a carefree life.
Becoming an official was something she couldn’t refuse due to the Emperor’s command, and entering the Imperial Academy was fulfilling her sister Yan Zhi’s wish. She didn’t want Yan Zhi to return only to find her gone from the Academy.
Since high school, Lu Yun'er had lived in dormitories, so she was capable of independent living.
After Qiu Yi helped her settle in and left, Lu Yun'er stepped into the courtyard, looking around. There was a stone bench and table for resting, some scattered wildflowers blooming in the corner of the yard, and a tall locust tree with clusters of flower buds beside a dried-up well. By April or May, it would be competing with the other flowers. Judging by the sturdy trunk, it seemed suitable for making a swing.
Just as Lu Yun'er was planning how to renovate the place, she suddenly heard a short, sharp bark from the locust tree near the wall.
As she approached, she discovered a thin, dirty adult female dog, about two or three years old, with orange fur. The dog was staring at her with wary black eyes, filled with caution.
This place seemed to have been uninhabited for some time, possibly becoming a temporary refuge for this dog.
The courtyard’s kitchen hadn’t been used yet, so Lu Yun'er suddenly remembered a large bag of food Qiu Yi had prepared for her. She got up, went inside, and searched through it, finding only bananas that were edible. She peeled one, crouched down, and fed it to the dog, breaking it into small pieces in her palm.
Lu Yun'er had kept dogs before and knew that they could eat bananas, but only in moderation.
At first, the dog didn’t eat, but eventually, hunger got the better of it, and it ate. After receiving the food, the dog realized that Lu Yun'er meant no harm and soon sat up, wagging its tail.
Seeing this, Lu Yun'er smiled. Up close, the dog reminded her of the Shiba Inu she used to have.
After feeding the dog and playing with it for a while, the dog began visiting her daily. Each time, Lu Yun'er brought food from the dining hall. The dog, realizing that it could get food here, eventually returned one day with a bundle of items in its mouth, seemingly bringing all its belongings, ready to settle down here for good.
It seemed like a stray dog, likely slipping through a hole in the wall from the back of the courtyard.
Although the Imperial Academy strictly forbade keeping pets, this dog looked very much like the Shiba Inu Lu Yun'er once owned. So she decided to secretly keep it for a few days and then send it back to the Lu residence.
She named it “Juzi” and kept it as her companion in the somewhat secluded courtyard.
Lu Yun'er found Juzi to be very smart, with keen senses and a strong alertness to its surroundings. In the future, it could serve as a good guard dog at the Lu residence. So, whenever she had free time, she practiced dog training techniques with it.
After feeding Juzi and playing with it for a while today, Lu Yun'er returned inside to tidy up. With the polo match approaching, she had been practicing at the field lately, but the equipment felt unfamiliar in her hands. She decided to return to the Lu residence to fetch her own polo gear and take the opportunity to check on things at home.
She had arranged for Qiu Yi to pick her up today. As soon as she reached the main gate, she saw Qiu Yi waiting for her, and her eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile, “Qiu Yi.”
The moment Qiu Yi, who had been missing her, saw her lady, she jumped with joy, “My lady.”
On the carriage, Lu Yun'er responded to Qiu Yi’s inquiries about her well-being, and the two chatted leisurely along the way.
Upon arriving at the Lu residence, just as Lu Yun'er got off the carriage and was about to enter, a strong voice from behind asked, “Excuse me, are you the Scholar Lu Yun'er?”
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