Wind And Snow On The Jade Steps - Chapter 10

The Prince of Su was the Emperor’s sister, though they did not share the same mother. She was eloquent and well-liked, and as a result, the Princess Consort’s birthday banquet was a grand affair, crowded with guests and bustling with activity.

Shen Zhishu had been dragged there by Xie Jin.

She wasn’t familiar with the Prince, and even less so with the Princess Consort. Her father, Shen Hantan, lived in constant fear of provoking the Emperor’s suspicion, so he never associated with the imperial relatives and had not encouraged her to attend this banquet.

Shen Zhishu had already rejected Xie Jin’s request to “act in a play” with her. She had planned to spend the entire day at home doing handicrafts with Mother He, but she hadn’t expected Xie Jin to barge in again like a whirlwind, her first words being:

“If you don’t agree, I’ll hang myself.”

Shen Zhishu looked at her with composed indifference. After a moment, she thoughtfully handed over a coil of hemp rope.

Xie Jin: “…”

Xie Jin threw a tantrum: “Fine, then I’ll go roll around on the ground at your front gate, shouting that you’re ungrateful and that you abuse the elderly!”

Shen Zhishu: “?”

Shen Zhishu couldn’t afford such a public embarrassment. With a forehead full of black lines, she followed behind a triumphant Xie Jin. As she left, she turned to Mother He with mock tragedy, shedding a few dramatic tears: “Mother, I’m going. Once I leave, I don’t know when I’ll return. You must wait for me to come back before we string these beads together.”

Mother He smiled and nodded, seeing her off at the gate of the General’s Manor. Shen Zhishu turned back, wanting to chat a bit more, but as soon as her front foot stepped out of the side gate, Mother He—who hadn’t even left the house yet, slammed the door shut with a loud “thud.” She was so fast that Shen Zhishu didn’t even get a chance to grab her hand.

Shen Zhishu: “?”

Shen Zhishu: “…”

Xie Jin had known the Princess Consort since childhood and had been a Commander before leaving the capital for the war. Her social network was vast, and she knew most of the guests at the feast. Shen Zhishu, however, had been away for eight years. To her, the room was a sea of strangers, and she couldn’t match a single face to a name.

While Xie Jin moved through the crowd like a fish in water, Shen Zhishu’s face was beginning to stiffen from forced smiling.

By the time the sixteenth noblewoman, claiming to be the “eldest daughter of the Fang Manor” approached to exchange pleasantries, Shen Zhishu was deeply regretting her decision to accompany Xie Jin.

Miss Fang, a lover of literature, asked with a blink: “Does the young Master Shen enjoy reading in her spare time?”

Shen Zhishu’s brain, already fried from trying to remember names, simply glitched. She gave a “read but scrambled” reply: “I had wonton noodles this morning.”

Xie Jin whipped her head around: “?”

Shen Zhishu: “…”

Miss Fang’s face flushed, and she hid a smile behind her hand. “Master Shen is truly witty and humorous. Even your taste in literature is unique. I Had Wonton Noodles This Morning must be a most fascinating essay. I shall certainly seek it out to read another day.”

Shen Zhishu: “…?”

Wait, she can even find a way to praise that?

Maintaining her smile, she muttered, “You flatter me, it was just a bit of nonsense,” while secretly tugging on Xie Jin’s sleeve. Through gritted teeth, she whispered, “I’m going somewhere else to catch my breath. If anyone asks, tell them I went to use the latrine.”

Exhausted by the crowded and overly enthusiastic socialites, Shen Zhishu didn’t even want to take her attendants. She left them with Xie Jin and stepped onto the corridor alone.

The Prince of Su’s manor was massive, filled with sprawling halls and layers of courtyards. It was easy to get lost.

However, while the manor was large, it was also full of people. As she walked toward the northern part of the estate, Shen Zhishu heard dozens of greetings from various servants: “Greetings, Master Shen.”

She acknowledged them casually and eventually stopped a servant, asking softly, “Is there a garden in the manor? Could you show me around?”

The servant was more than happy to help. She shot a look at her companions, and Shen Zhishu could practically read her mind: General Shen only asked me and not you, the General and I are the best of friends.

Shen Zhishu smiled inwardly and asked, “Which way?”

The servant hurriedly trotted ahead to lead the way.

Shen Zhishu was in no mood for small talk, and the servant didn’t dare speak out of turn, so the atmosphere was quite quiet.

As they neared the garden, Shen Zhishu finally felt a spark of interest. She tilted her chin toward a figure standing in the distance and turned to the servant with a smile. “I’ve just returned to the capital, so I’m not very familiar with people or things. Do you know which official that is?”

The servant quickly replied, “That is the Princess Consort’s younger sister, the Third Miss Xiao.”

The Princess Consort’s sister?

Wasn’t that the target of Xie Jin’s “acting” plan?

“Oh,” Shen Zhishu murmured. Thoughtfully, she patted the servant’s shoulder. “Thank you, you’ve done me a great favor. Whose service are you in? I’ll put in a good word for you later.”

The servant’s breath hitched, her face turning red as she stammered, “I… I don’t serve a specific master. I usually work with the pots and pans in the small kitchen.”

“Then you’re quite important,” Shen Zhishu laughed. “They say food is the people’s heaven. It seems the ‘heaven’ of this entire manor is held in your hands.”

Her eyes were very light. As the daylight hit them at an angle, it pooled in the depths of her amber pupils, showing a hint of warmth that had nothing to do with romance.

The servant’s heart skipped a beat.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to steady herself. When she opened them again, hoping to chat more with the young General.

The young General was gone.

The young General was currently sprinting.

She flew back into the crowd, pushed through the dense gathering of guests, and locked onto Xie Jin with precision. Grabbing her sleeve, she started running.

Xie Jin was bewildered and followed mechanically for a while before finally snapping out of it. She shook off the hand and asked in surprise, “What’s the rush?”

“Don’t you want me to act with you? Now is the perfect time. The Princess Consort’s sister is wandering alone in the garden. Tell me, are we doing this or not?”

Xie Jin’s eyes lit up. “Of course we are!”

And so, two more people suddenly appeared in the garden.

“How do we do this?” Shen Zhishu asked in a low voice.

“Put your hand on my shoulder,” Xie Jin instructed.

Shen Zhishu complied. Then, Xie Jin wrapped an arm around her waist.

“General Shen, do you know that I have feelings for you?”

Shen Zhishu: “…?”

Wait, sister, you’re turning the intensity up to max right from the start?!

Shen Zhishu hissed through her teeth, “This is too exaggerated. Will she even believe it?”

Xie Jin was full of confidence. “Just trust me. Keep going, she’s looking over.”

Shen Zhishu: “…”

Having no way out, Shen Zhishu let out a sigh and said, “I know.”

“Then will you say yes to me?”

“Yes to what?”

“To being with me.”

Shen Zhishu: “…”

She lowered her voice again. “This direct? That girl isn’t stupid.”

Xie Jin replied, “Don’t question it, just keep acting. Quick, she’s watching us intently. Don’t show any flaws or she’ll get suspicious.”

Shen Zhishu: “…”

Shen Zhishu had no choice but to raise her voice. “Fine.”

Xie Jin’s hand on her waist tightened slightly. She whispered through gritted teeth, “Put some emotion into it!”

Shen Zhishu: “…”

With the energy of someone who could “uproot mountains with sheer might,” she declared loudly and passionately, “Fine! I accept!”

Satisfied, Xie Jin pulled her hand back and suddenly called out, “Who’s there?”

The Third Miss Xiao came trembling out from behind the bushes, greeting them properly with a “Sister Xie.”

Xie Jin feigned surprise and frowned. “Did you hear what I just said to General Shen?”

The girl gave a shaky nod.

Xie Jin sighed, putting on an act. “Miss Xiao, it’s not that I’m intentionally avoiding you. It’s just… as you can see, I already have someone in my heart.”

The girl’s eyes welled up. She could only manage a muffled, “I understand.”

Xie Jin added, “Miss Xiao, I have a request.”

The girl looked up sharply. “Yes?”

“It’s a bit forward, but… could you keep what happened today to yourself?” Xie Jin looked troubled. “Though Zhishu and I love each other, my mother does not approve.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Xie Jin scrambled for a reason before finally blurting one out, “Because my mother wants a grandchild, but Zhishu… she’s infertile!”

Shen Zhishu: “…?”

Miss Xiao froze. Her expression shifted instantly from grief to shock, then to a look of profound pity. She turned and bowed to Shen Zhishu. “Master Shen, please don’t be sad because of this. If you truly want a child, adopting one is easy enough.”

Shen Zhishu: “…Right.”

Miss Xiao left, looking back every three steps, repeatedly promising to keep the secret.

Xie Jin let out a long breath of relief. She turned around, only to meet Shen Zhishu’s cold, mocking gaze.

A second later, Shen Zhishu’s fist came flying.

Xie Jin: “…”

What do I do? My friend seems very angry.

It looks like today might be the day I die.

By the time a battered Xie Jin followed Shen Zhishu back to the entrance, the guests had already moved into the hall for the feast.

Shen Zhishu told a servant to take the gift to the door attendant, then lightly tugged on Xie Jin’s clothes. Getting a sudden idea, she said, “Hey, why don’t we just leave? We can just tell your mother we already ate.”

Xie Jin laughed. “I heard the Prince of Su got hold of some massive watermelons. Watermelons are common, but giant ones aren’t, and giant ones in winter are even rarer. If you want to go, go ahead, but I’m definitely staying for the spectacle.”

Shen Zhishu rolled her eyes. “I hope you choke on them.”

She turned to leave, but two people who had clearly had too much to drink stumbled out of the hall. Recognizing Shen Zhishu, their eyes lit up. They immediately rushed over, each grabbing one of her arms.

“General, the banquet is this way, not over there! The Princess and the Prince were just asking about you, saying you were here a moment ago and then vanished. Come with us, quickly.”

Shen Zhishu: “…”

Shen Zhishu thought to herself that she really shouldn’t have left the house today.

Inside the hall, the music was loud and the dancing was in full swing. Princess Royal and the Princess Consort sat at the head of the room, with the Prince of Su seated beside them.

Shen Zhishu only wanted to slip in quietly, but the two “attention magnets” beside her were far too excited. They dragged her straight into the center of the hall, looking like they were claiming a reward. “Greetings to the Princess Royal, and to the Prince and Princess Consort. We ran into General Shen while we were out clearing our heads. The manor is so large the General must have gotten lost, but no matter, we’ve brought her back.”

Shen Zhishu: …It matters a lot. I wasn’t lost, I just really didn’t want to be here.

Since she was already there, she had to make the best of it.

Shen Zhishu smiled broadly and bowed. “Forgive me, I am late.”

She could feel three pairs of eyes resting on her. The Prince and Princess Consort looked mostly respectful and curious, but the Princess Royal…

The Princess Royal spoke in a voice as clear as cold water. “It is no matter. Perhaps the General was delayed by someone. The General is young, it is only natural to linger a bit longer with a loved one.”

Shen Zhishu: “?”

Wait, excuse me??

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