Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 77

Upon hearing that the Marquis of Yuanning had only sprained his ankle, Jiang Wanshu’s heart settled. However, the thought of him riding a horse made her chuckle. “It’s no wonder the Marquis, a civil official, got injured while riding. Perhaps he was simply flirting with his wife again.”

“Why would you say that?” Zhou Yan asked. His anxiety had gradually ebbed away since things couldn’t be explained in a hurry anyway; instead, his curiosity for gossip was piqued.

Jiang Wanshu covered her mouth with a laugh before continuing. “That would have to start with Madam Yun Ling. Speaking of which, you and she are quite destiny-bound—you both come from the same place.”

Zhou Yan didn’t interrupt, listening intently as Jiang Wanshu told the tale.

“Madam Yun Ling was originally the daughter of a merchant from Xirong. In her youth, while traveling with her father for trade, she saved the Marquis of Yuanning, who back then was merely a young scholar who had placed third in the imperial exams.”

Jiang Wanshu’s left hand grew tired from propping herself up on the bed, so she switched to her right.

“Xirong people are like you—straightforward and bright. She took one look at the young scholar and declared she would ‘marry’ him back to Xirong. At first, the scholar looked down on her, leaving her utterly heartbroken. Later, he regretted it deeply and chased after her, only for Madam Yun Ling to mock him, saying he wasn’t as good as the Xirong men who excelled at horsemanship and archery. Because of that, every January since that year, the Marquis insists on riding his horse to the imperial court just to prove to her that he is no lesser than a Xirong warrior.”

Jiang Wanshu smiled gently. “By the way, ‘Yun Ling’ is a Central Plains name she chose for herself.”

She summarized the story briefly, trying to give Zhou Yan the gist of their romance in the shortest time possible.

“Madam Yun Ling is from Xirong?” Even though Zhou Yan had told himself not to dwell on his past, he remained instinctively sensitive to any news related to his origins.

He looked up, his expression clouded with doubt.

Jiang Wanshu nodded. Recalling her suspicions, she placed her hand on his arm and knelt up, looking down at him as she spoke softly. “Zhou Yan, do you think… could Madam Yun Ling be related to the matter you want to verify?”

She wanted to suggest directly that Madam Yun Ling might be his long-lost mother, but she feared that if the truth were otherwise, it would only cause him unnecessary grief.

Zhou Yan remained indifferent, glancing momentarily into the distance before fixing his gaze back on her. “I don’t know. But if we are to investigate, I will need your help, Wanwan.”

“What do you want me to do?” she agreed naturally.

Zhou Yan sat up, leaning his back against the wall, and pulled her into his embrace. “Wanwan, would you find a time to arrange a meeting with Madam Yun Ling?”

“Of course,” she replied, finding a comfortable position in his arms.

Seeing her settled against him, Zhou Yan reached up to twirl a lock of her dark hair. “Then I shall trouble you, Wanwan.”

“It’s no trouble. But… why do I feel like you aren’t very invested in this?”

It wasn’t surprising she felt this way. For most people, finding clues about their biological parents would be a cause for frantic excitement. Yet here he was, telling her to “find time” whenever it was convenient. Since he wasn’t anxious, she felt anxious for him. She decided she would arrange the meeting tomorrow.

Zhou Yan pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. “Wanwan, if I told you I don’t actually feel much about this, would you believe me? I only want to find them to know if I am truly a child of ‘man and wolf,’ as the men on the grasslands say.”

He continued, “You know I grew up without my parents. When I needed them, they weren’t there. Now that I am grown, I no longer need them.”

These words silenced Jiang Wanshu instantly, her eyes turning red with unshed tears. She realized how independent—and how profoundly lonely—Zhou Yan had been in the years without his parents.

She sat up from his arms, her eyes brimming with emotion. She reached out to clasp his shoulders and pulled him into her own embrace. “It’s okay, Zhou Yan. You have me now. I won’t let you be lonely anymore.”

She admitted to herself that her heart ached for him—this man who had grown up with no father or mother to rely on.

Zhou Yan didn’t try to take the lead this time. He lowered his head, resting it against her chest, and lightly wrapped his arms around her waist as she held him. The large, imposing man now made himself small in her arms. From afar, it looked like a fierce wolf hiding in a rabbit’s embrace to lick its wounds—strange, yet exceptionally harmonious.

“Mm. I still have you by my side.”

He remained indifferent toward the search for his parents, but he chose to show weakness before her, wanting her to pity him for a while. After all, he had never seen her look at him with such tender hesitation and compassion.

Jiang Wanshu gently patted his back, her voice soft. “This matter should be handled with some urgency. I’ll arrange to meet Madam Yun Ling tomorrow, alright?”

Because it concerned him, she didn’t think twice.

That was until Zhou Yan spoke up with a hint of jealousy, “Then you mustn’t use Zhou Shu’an to arrange the meeting.”

He hadn’t forgotten that when she wanted to enter the palace before, she had gone to Zhou Shu’an first.

Jiang Wanshu glanced at him, a light smile playing on her lips. “Fine, I’ll listen to you.”

As she spoke, she ran her hand through his dark hair. His hair was soft and smooth; as she stroked it, she realized it felt as satisfying as petting a kitten. She widened her eyes in surprise. No wonder Zhou Yan loved touching her hair so much—given the chance, she enjoyed it too.

Zhou Yan leaned against her chest quietly for a long time, inhaling her faint, lingering fragrance.

And so, the night passed slowly.

The next morning, the Lanyue Hall was filled with the sounds of laughter. Jiang Wanshu, dressed in a pale blue cloud-patterned silk dress, walked slowly into the main hall.

Upon entering, she saw Jiang Yun playing with the various curious folk trinkets Zhou Yan had brought back for her. Her face lit up with a smile as she hurried over. “Yun’er, if you like those, you can take them.”

Jiang Yun was tempted for a second but ultimately refused. “Forget it, Sister. If I take these back to the palace, Mother will scold me for neglecting my studies.”

Remembering their mother’s strictness, Jiang Wanshu didn’t want to ruin the mood. She crouched down and placed a Luban lock in Jiang Yun’s hand. “It’s alright. Whenever you want to play with these, just come to my hall. I’ll keep them safe for you.”

Finally, a spark lit up in Jiang Yun’s eyes. “Okay, Sister!”

Then, Jiang Yun brought up the reason for his visit. “Sister, today is my day off from school. I told Mother I’d be playing here with you today. Does your promise still count? You said when I had free time, you’d let Brother Zhou take me out of the palace to play.”

Seeing the anticipation in Jiang Yun’s eyes, Jiang Wanshu nodded. “Of course it counts. But before that, you have to ask Brother Zhou if he’s willing to take you out.”

She didn’t mind him going out, but Zhou Yan was different. Even though they had shared their feelings for one another, she felt she had no right to make decisions for him.

“Brother Zhou will definitely agree!” Jiang Yun said smugly, having secured his sister’s verbal consent. Now that his sister had said yes, how could Brother Zhou possibly say no?

“Sister, where is Brother Zhou now?”

Seeing his eagerness to leave the palace, Jiang Wanshu’s voice softened. “He is at the Liuyun Pavilion, the place Mother used to take you to.”

Before Jiang Wanshu could even reach for his hand, Jiang Yun was already racing toward the Liuyun Pavilion with joyful strides. Jiang Wanshu laughed softly and followed after him.

Within the Liuyun Pavilion, which was shrouded by thin veils of gossamer, they arrived just in time to witness the final stroke of Zhou Yan’s martial practice.

His sharp sword flew with him as he leapt into the air, spinning with the blade before landing gracefully. This display instantly earned him a devoted fan.

Excited and amazed, Jiang Yun ran into the pavilion, clapping his hands. “Wow! I didn’t realize Brother Zhou’s martial arts were so incredible!”

He had assumed that the only reason Brother Zhou could protect them that day was simply because he was tall and looked strong; he hadn’t realized the man possessed such genuine, profound skill.

Zhou Yan sheathed his sword at the perfect moment and stood firm. He glanced at the newcomers, set his sword down, and looked toward Jiang Yun.

“A-Yun, why are you here?” he asked, using the affectionate name he called the boy in private.

Jiang Yun looked up. “I have the day off today, so I came to find you, Brother Zhou.”

Zhou Yan walked over to the boy, lowered his gaze, and knelt on one knee. “Do you want me to take you out of the palace to play?”

Jiang Yun nodded vigorously.

“But Brother Zhou has things to do today.” Zhou Yan felt a bit conflicted. On one hand, he truly had business to attend to, and taking the boy out required Jiang Wanshu’s consent. On the other hand, Jiang Yun was Jiang Wanshu’s younger brother and was so well-behaved that Zhou Yan didn’t want to break the boy’s heart.

At that moment, Jiang Wanshu finally caught up to Jiang Yun. As she reached out to lift the veil, she overheard their conversation. “My appointment with Madam Yun Ling isn’t until the Hour of the Monkey (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM); there is still plenty of time until then.”

Seeing the woman who occupied his every thought, Zhou Yan stood up and walked to her side.

Since Jiang Yun was already aware of their relationship, Zhou Yan didn’t hide it. He took her hand in his large palm. “Then Wanwan, will you join us?”

Since the appointment was still a while away, taking the boy out wasn’t impossible. However, for a grown man to take a child out alone would be quite dull; it would be much better if Wanwan could come along.

“Yes, let’s go together,” Jiang Wanshu replied cheerfully.

She had promised Jiang Yun earlier and was already prepared for this.

After waiting for Zhou Yan to bathe, the three of them left the palace together for a brief excursion. As the Hour of the Monkey approached, they returned to the palace.

Exhausted from the fun, Jiang Yun went straight to her bedroom to rest. Now, she and Zhou Yan were at the Yunyu Pavilion, awaiting Madam Yun Ling’s arrival.

Regarding the search for clues, they had decided to take the most direct approach.

By the time Madam Yun Ling arrived, Zhou Yan was already hidden in a nearby, dense bamboo grove.

The faint scent of bamboo leaves lingered in the air as voices drifted from the decently sized Yunyu Pavilion. From a distance, one could see the woman approaching Jiang Wanshu. She had an exotic, foreign beauty; despite being over thirty, she remained radiant and charming.

“Greetings, Princess Highness,” Madam Yun Ling said, performing the Central Plains etiquette for Jiang Wanshu.

Jiang Wanshu reached out to support the woman’s arm. “Please, excuse the sudden invitation. Recently, I heard a story about the grasslands from the palace servants that moved me deeply. Remembering that Madam was originally from the grasslands, I couldn’t wait to share it with you.”

Madam Yun Ling nodded, looking at Jiang Wanshu with focused eyes. She liked the Princess and was naturally happy to be in her company. “Please, Princess, do tell.”

Jiang Wanshu led Madam Yun Ling to a stone seat. Simultaneously, in the bamboo grove, the man moved closer, straining his ears to catch every word spoken inside.

“I wonder, has Madam ever heard of the accidental loss of a child on the grasslands?” Jiang Wanshu looked at the woman intently.

The moment those words were spoken, Madam Yun Ling’s hands tightened against her lap. Her expression lost its composure, replaced by a stunned, dazed look. “I… I have never heard of such a thing.”

Jiang Wanshu watched her closely, trying to analyze every flicker of emotion. “Then, may I share it with you?”

She felt that, given the character of Madam Yun Ling and the old Marquis, if Zhou Yan truly were their son, they must have lost him by accident.

“Very well… I would be troubled for the Princess to tell me,” she replied, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremble.

Without much preamble, Jiang Wanshu went straight to the point, recounting a story that matched the circumstances of Zhou Yan’s loss on the grasslands, though she added a fictional reason to bridge the gaps.

She spoke for a long time, only stopping when the birds resting on the branches flew off to another spot.

Under the pavilion shaded by the bamboo grove, silence fell after she finished her tale. Jiang Wanshu looked down just in time to see Madam Yun Ling weeping; the woman was using a handkerchief to dab away the tears falling from her eyes.

Seeing this, Jiang Wanshu stepped forward to comfort her, asking a question she already knew the answer to: “Madam Yun Ling, whatever is the matter?”

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