Chapter 137: This Hatred Has Nothing to Do with Wind and Moon (Part Four)

Lord Helian, the Deputy Minister of Justice? Helian Qi? A wave of aversion, perhaps mixed with weariness, rose in Chu Xiu’s heart. Lazily, she said, “Inform Lord Helian that it is too late tonight to meet.”

“Yes, sir.” The steward responded respectfully from behind. Chu Xiu then entered the mountain villa. Approaching the guest reception room, she deliberately took a detour. From afar, she could still see the faint candlelight inside, and a tall, upright silhouette was cast against the window paper, exuding patience and steadiness.

Chu Xiu took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped again, instructing the steward, “If Lord Helian comes again, find any excuse to send him away… no need to report back.”

*****

The next morning, Jingzhou, Prince Cheng’s mansion.

Nie Peixiao had finished his morning meal but lingered at the table, chatting idly with a few advisors, casually inquiring about various affairs during his absence from the capital. For instance, which officials had been promoted or demoted? Any changes in the offices of the Left and Right Prime Ministers? What major events had occurred in Jingzhou?

Just as he was engrossed in the conversation, his guard Feng Fei returned with a report. Alert, Nie Peixiao dismissed the others and allowed only Feng Fei in, asking, “What news?”

“Just as you expected, Madam Chu Xiu first visited the Chasing Rainbow Garden upon arriving in the capital… then took residence at Liuyun Villa.” Feng Fei paused, then reminded his lord, “That’s the Liuyun Villa adjacent to the ancestral Helian residence.”

Adjacent to the Helian ancestral home? Nie Peixiao recalled the strange interactions between Helian Qi and Madam Chu Xiu, and a thought flashed through his mind. Could it be that Madam Chu Xiu and Helian Qi had some private affair? Or… no, he knew he was overthinking it, but Helian Qi’s behavior the other day was too conspicuous for the “mistaken identity” excuse to hold.

Irritated, Nie Peixiao quickly dismissed the wild thoughts and asked Feng Fei, “Any developments with Helian Qi?”

“At dusk yesterday, Lord Helian visited Liuyun Villa to see Madam Chu Xiu. But he left late that night without meeting her. The villa sent word saying that Madam Chu Xiu has instructed that from now on, Lord Helian is to be avoided whenever he comes to visit.”

“A complete avoidance?” Nie Peixiao repeated, frowning. “What deep grudge could cause Madam Chu Xiu to avoid him like this? She shouldn’t behave so… After all, the Helian family has been noble officials for generations, producing many civil and military talents. Helian Qi is the eldest legitimate grandson and will surely lead the clan one day.”

Feng Fei shook his head. “That would be a question for Madam Chu Xiu herself. From what I know, she is firm in managing family affairs but remains courteous toward outsiders.”

Nie Peixiao nodded thoughtfully. “That’s precisely why this is strange.” If he didn’t get to the bottom of this, it would gnaw at him. Helian Qi and Madam Chu Xiu—two seemingly unrelated people—what old grievances, or perhaps old feelings, could there be?

Feeling increasingly uneasy, he told Feng Fei, “You may go. I’ll think it over myself.”

Feng Fei took his leave. Just outside the dining hall, he brushed past the steward, who slowed down deliberately, then entered the dining hall and informed his lord, “Your Highness, Madam Chu Xiu, the matron of the Lixin Marquis’s household, requests an audience.”

Madam Chu Xiu has come? What a coincidence. Feng Fei could almost predict that his lord would feel both joy and reluctance, struggling inwardly for a while longer. He wanted to laugh but held back, only to hear his lord’s voice tinged with nervousness: “Please invite Madam Chu Xiu in… prepare my robes!”

This was no longer the proud, dashing Prince of Cheng before others. Suppressing a smile, Feng Fei quickly withdrew.

*****

Half a cup of tea later, Nie Peixiao, dressed in a robe embroidered with gold and purple, entered the guest reception room. Before stepping inside, his eyes caught Madam Chu Xiu’s radiant, rosy face. Today, she wore white like pure snow—simple in color but layered with delicate gauze and silk, complex and dignified yet graceful. The pale green cuffs bore exquisite embroidery with fine stitches woven with gold thread. From a distance, she looked like a white peony resting on a leaf dripping with emerald dew—so beautiful she seemed a celestial fairy fallen to earth.

No wonder even the haughty Lixin Marquis could not resist her… Madam Chu Xiu’s beauty was not superficial. It was the deeply ingrained aura that truly captivated—sometimes dignified, sometimes charming, sometimes delicate, sometimes alluring.

“Yun Wuxin as Chu Xiu,” thinking of the origin of her name brought a pang of bittersweet sorrow to Nie Peixiao’s heart.

At that moment, Madam Chu Xiu stood gracefully, slightly lifting her head, gazing at the plaque above the door inscribed with the characters “Purple Qi Rises from the East,” lost in thought. In fact, she was familiar with that calligraphy style. Long ago, there was a poem called “Broken Red Strings” written in this cursive script, full of swirling clouds and thunder, strokes like dragons and snakes—much like this plaque.

Remembering that poem, Madam Chu Xiu smiled faintly—a smile that to others would seem a masterpiece, painted by a divine hand depicting a fairy descending into the mortal world.

Nie Peixiao watched her silently for a while. Seeing her still smiling dreamily, he cleared his throat and entered the room with hands behind his back. “Madam’s esteemed presence honors me greatly.”

Only then did Madam Chu Xiu come back to herself and bowed gracefully. “I apologize for this sudden visit. Please do not blame me, Your Highness.”

Those words brought immense satisfaction to Nie Peixiao. He sat upright in the main seat, extending his hand toward her. “I wonder if there is any matter on which I might be of service.”

“To serve is too great an honor,” she smiled softly, signaling the attendant Zhu Ying to bring in a gift box. “I have come with two matters. First, my household accidentally found a peerless jade flute, which I hope Your Highness will kindly accept.”

Before she finished speaking, Zhu Ying had already presented the gift box to the steward, who then handed it to Nie Peixiao. He took the embroidered box but did not open it immediately, instead pressing it on the table and smiling, “Madam is too gracious.”

“It is well known that Your Highness plays the flute beautifully. This jade flute is of no use to me. Better it find a worthy master,” Chu Xiu replied with a smile.

In the past, Nie Peixiao would never have opened a gift in front of the giver. But this time was different—the giver was Madam Chu Xiu, and he was eager to see what kind of jade flute had caught the matron’s eye. Could it possibly surpass his own?

“Forgive me, I am already impatient to see it,” Nie Peixiao said with a smile.

Chu Xiu gently extended her hand. “Please.”

Nie Peixiao opened the embroidered box and saw a jade flute shimmering with a vibrant green hue. Its luster was radiant, the color warm and smooth, the jade of supreme quality—surpassing his own flute by far! Unable to resist, he lifted the flute to his lips and played a few notes casually. The sound that emerged was mournful, like a lament.

Whether in quality of jade or tone, it was truly rare—a flute unlike any he had ever seen.

“A flute indeed worthy!” Nie Peixiao was reluctant to part with it and carefully placed it back in the box, sincerely thanking her. “I am most grateful, Madam.”

Perhaps it was fate. He had given up a flute because of Madam Chu Xiu, only to receive another from her hand. What was lost in the east was gained in the west—indeed, a marvel to behold.

Chu Xiu, unaware of all these inner thoughts, smiled gently. “I hope Your Highness does not dislike it.”

How could he dislike it? He loved it already! Nie Peixiao thought but did not say aloud. Instead, he continued her words: “It would be my honor if I could accompany Madam in a duet with flute and zither.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Did this not clearly reveal that he knew Madam Chu Xiu was skilled in the zither? His expression turned awkward, and he quickly laughed, “I’m only guessing… just a guess.”

If Madam Chu Xiu discovered he was the masked man who intruded that night, she would surely see him as a rude scoundrel. Nervous, Nie Peixiao glanced at her casually. Seeing no reaction, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

In truth, Nie Peixiao’s heart was torn. He hoped Madam Chu Xiu would guess that he was the one playing the zither with her, yet also hoped she would not. This contradiction tormented him; his heart hung suspended, neither here nor there.

Unexpectedly, Chu Xiu did not ponder his meaning but instead tensed briefly, then smiled sadly. “Your Highness esteems me too highly. I am but a commoner who only manages household matters and knows nothing of music, chess, poetry, or painting.”

“Nothing of music, chess, poetry, or painting?” Nie Peixiao’s smile faded from his handsome face until it vanished entirely. “Madam, are you jesting?”

“Not jesting,” Chu Xiu lowered her eyes, deliberately hiding her sorrow. “I was born lowly and once a servant in the Yun household. I learned to write and manage accounts from my late husband, but I truly have no knowledge of refined arts… I can only watch from afar.”

Watch from afar? Was that how she evaluated her own musical skill? Nie Peixiao’s expression darkened, puzzled by her self-deprecation. Recalling how she always called Yun Ci “late husband,” he felt even more uneasy.

On the journey back from Yanlan City to Jingzhou, he had already sent people to inquire. Four and a half years ago, Shen Yu had sent Chu Xiu to Yun Ci, who brought her to Jingzhou. There was a time when he doted on her, and she even conceived his child, but to marry Lady Xia, Yun Ci forced her to abort. Later, only after Lady Xia’s entry did the entire Yun household learn that Yun Ci favored Chu Xiu because her appearance resembled Lady Xia’s by seven parts.

Nie Peixiao also heard that in order to please Lady Xia, Yun Ci relegated Chu Xiu to the laundry room. When Lady Xia drowned, Yun Ci’s grief aggravated an old illness, and with no heir in sight, Chu Xiu’s pregnancy came just in time. Before his death, Yun Ci hastily wrote a marriage certificate to legitimize her.

Yun Ci’s decision was so sudden that even the marriage witnesses were lacking; it was only after his death that Shen Yu completed the official papers.

Nie Peixiao had no involvement in any of this; he considered himself an outsider with no say. Yet, upon hearing Madam Chu Xiu’s story, he grew suspicious of the so-called compassionate Lixin Marquis. How could such a man be so cruel to a woman?

What angered him most was that even now, whenever Madam Chu Xiu spoke of her late husband, there was no bitterness—only deep affection and sorrow. How could he not be angry? Not only angry, but also feeling that Madam Chu Xiu was undeservedly wronged.

At this point, Nie Peixiao lost the mood to banter further and masked his expression, asking calmly, “Madam, have you come solely to present this flute to me?” He knew this jade flute was but a prelude; she had a request.

Seeing Nie Peixiao take the initiative, Chu Xiu no longer avoided the topic. Blushing, she lowered her eyes and said softly, “To be frank, I do have a matter to ask… it concerns my brother-in-law, Shen Yu.”

Regarding Shen Yu? Nie Peixiao almost anticipated her next words and felt displeased. “Please speak, Madam.”

“I wish to ask Your Highness to look after my brother-in-law and recommend him for official service despite his crimes.”