Chapter 13: Beloved

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Bei Zhi recalled carefully.
“After the Duke agreed to this marriage, the young master came to the residence to formally propose and handed over the relevant documents. It was you, Madam Su, who received them!”
Madam Su also remembered: “Yes, I recall. The young master is also from Luxian County, Qingzhou!”

Upon hearing this, Nanyan’s face turned even paler, drained of all color.
How could she not know where Meng Boji’s original hometown was? The Meng family rarely spoke of their past, so Nanyan hadn’t connected the dots at first.
In truth, the moment Jiang Li asked, she realized it, but her heart still fled from the truth, unwilling to face it.

“…So what?” Nanyan’s voice trembled slightly. “There are so many people in Qingzhou; what does it prove?”

Silence fell over the room. The officials and the two masters exchanged glances, as if only now realizing that Nanyan was indeed Lady Meng Boji.

Jiang Li looked at her for a long moment without speaking.
Even Madam Su and Bei Zhi clearly understood that Meng Boji must have known Xia Qingfei long before he sought to marry Nanyan.
Whether there was more between them, no one knew.
But no one dared to break the delicate silence, including Nanyan herself, for it would be too devastating.

If Meng Boji and Xia Qingfei had already been involved, why had he knelt before the Duke’s mansion in the pouring rain, begging to marry her?

“All right.”
Jiang Li did not press her further, instead turning to the two masters.
“For the past three years, Xia Qingfei has been at Yanzi Tower. You two must know her well?”

The dance supervisor nodded. “When she first arrived, she was very unsettled, often wiping tears alone. Later I understood—it was because she missed her lover.”

At this, Nanyan trembled violently.
“Xia Qingfei once had a good engagement. Her lover back home was a scholar, and she believed he would surely pass the imperial examination.”
“But her father was heavily in debt and did not approve of her marrying a poor scholar, so he sent her to Yanzi Tower.”

Nanyan’s hands began to shake.
Jiang Li glanced at her pale face and continued: “Do you know who her lover was?”

“Well…”
The dance supervisor, a woman who could understand Nanyan’s feelings, looked at her worriedly. Receiving Jiang Li’s silent cue, she reluctantly continued.
“She never said explicitly. She always called him… ‘Meng Lang.’”

With a sharp sound, the handkerchief in Nanyan’s hand tore in two. Alarmed, the dance supervisor stopped speaking.

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But Nanyan spoke up, asking, “When was all this?”
“Three years ago, before summer, around late April.”

Nanyan took a deep breath and asked again, “And then?”

“Later, Qingfei seemed to reunite with her lover, probably around the Dragon Boat Festival three years ago.”
“After entering Yanzi Tower, she lost interest in practice and cried constantly, but during that time she changed—she became quite cheerful.”

Even the music supervisor nodded repeatedly. “I thought she had moved on, but the dance supervisor told me it was because she reunited with her beloved.”
“That was good for her. She practiced diligently and improved quickly.”
“But not for long… just after the Dragon Boat Festival, she suddenly became sad again, crying every day.”
“From what she said, it seemed her lover… was going to abandon her.”

Nanyan clenched the torn handkerchief, her expression changing.
The Dragon Boat Festival, three years ago—that was the day she met Meng Boji.

At that time, Meng Boji was just a poor scholar, barely having a place to stay thanks to the shelter of Baohua Temple, living a hard life.
That day, Nanyan went to Baohua Temple to fulfill a vow and accidentally bumped into him, knocking the book from his hands.
When she looked back, he bent down to pick up the book and looked up—their eyes met, and he stared blankly.

He did not blame her. Nanyan apologized with a few simple words and left her name.
The next day, she received a poem from him, expressing his ambition to serve the country.
His handwriting was neat, his aspirations lofty, and there was a delicate care beneath the lines. Nanyan admired his talent and replied.

Letters passed between them, and they became acquainted, even going on outings together.
Until Meng Boji suddenly confessed his feelings, admitting he had long been enamored with her. Nanyan was stunned.
She was just a thirteen-year-old girl who simply admired his talent.
When he spoke of admiration, she did not understand what it meant, nor how to respond.

Meng Boji made a vow: after passing the upcoming autumn examination, he would return to marry her, worthy of the Duke’s legitimate daughter.
His solemn promise deeply moved Nanyan, though she was still uncertain whether this was truly love.

During this time, Meng Boji studied hard, determined to succeed in the imperial exams.
Coincidentally, this was also when Xia Qingfei was heartbroken.
Back then, Meng Boji was extremely diligent in his studies, shutting the door to visitors.

His life was harsh. Nanyan occasionally gave him some financial support, which he politely refused, so she would leave silver coins quietly.
From the window, she could see him studying hard, and her heart was stirred.
But she never imagined another woman was grieving for him at the same time.

If all this was true… did Meng Boji abandon Xia Qingfei for her?

Nanyan gritted her teeth and forced out two words: “Continue!”

The dance supervisor hesitated but, prompted by Jiang Li, continued.
“She was down for a long time but gradually recovered. She paid more attention to her practice, but…”
“I always felt she was different.”
“She used to be a simple girl, but then she seemed… scheming, and said many strange things.”

Nanyan raised an eyebrow. “What kind of things?”

“Things like… ‘Loving someone doesn’t mean you have to have them immediately,’ and…”
“She no longer wanted to be a mere insignificant sparrow; she wanted to become a phoenix perched on the highest branch… and that someone would help her.”

Nanyan bit her lip silently. That person—the one who would help her—was surely Meng Boji, wasn’t it?

“Gradually, she began to spend lavishly, as if she really would fly to the top.”
“At that time, she wasn’t very famous. Her monthly income was only two taels of silver, barely enough to buy flowers for the performers, yet her expenses were much higher than others.”

Hearing this, Nanyan interjected, “That must have been after the Mid-Autumn Festival, near the Double Ninth Festival, right?”

“Yes, yes!” the dance supervisor nodded eagerly. “Afterward, she slowly gained fame and finally became the top performer this year.”

That was roughly everything. Nanyan closed her eyes and took a deep breath: “Anything else?”

The dance supervisor suddenly hesitated, seeming reluctant to continue.

“It’s okay, please speak.”

Since Nanyan asked, the dance supervisor had no choice but to speak.

“Actually, many girls at Yanzi Tower were more skilled than Qingfei, but… Lady Meng, the matron, really liked her.”

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