Chapter Sixty-Four: Parting Ways Here

Upon hearing this, Su Mingxiu raised his gaze to look at Madam Su. "Why?"

Madam Su kept her eyes level and replied expressionlessly, "Your health was already poor to begin with, and now that you've had a major illness, it is time for you to recuperate properly and clear your mind."

Su Mingxiu understood in his heart that his parents made this arrangement precisely to ensure he would never see Jiang You'an again.

"I am not going."

Madam Su had been angered to the point where she no longer had the energy to flare up at him these days. She only said coldly, "Your parents would not wish to harm you; such an arrangement is the best thing for you. You are still young, and there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome, no person who cannot be forgotten. The south of the Yangtze River is a land of outstanding people imbued with spiritual energy—you should go and take a look."

With that, she stood up and left.

Once outside the room, she instructed Qingsong, "Take good care of the Young Master."

Qingsong glanced toward the room and gave a timid assent.

Su Mingxiu remained sitting there in a daze, leaning against the desk as he slowly closed his eyes.

He knew his parents were afraid that if he and Jiang You'an were to marry, Li Zhengfu would still harbor malicious intentions and use his power to trouble him. However, Li Zhengfu might not necessarily disregard his own reputation to the bitter end. He did not want to easily give up on Jiang You'an simply because of such an uncertain conjecture.

He opened his eyes, his calm gaze falling upon the painting in his hands. He remembered the soft, radiant smile on Jiang You'an's face when she had gifted him the painting; she was the person he held dearest in his heart.

He had to go and see her. He was unwilling to let their relationship end in nothingness.

...

Jiang You'an walked all the way back to the Lu residence. Just as she stepped into the Hall of Longevity and Blessings, she saw Lu Xuanheng standing by the doorway with a gloomy expression. The two maidservants who had been watching her and Qiulan, who was dressed in Jiang You'an's clothes, were all kneeling on the ground.

When Lu Xuanheng saw her, he strode quickly toward her.

He had merely stepped out for a while, yet Jiang You'an had actually slipped away. She must have gone to find Su Mingxiu!

"Didn't I tell you to stay in your room and properly recover from your illness? But look at you—so full of crafty ideas, running off the moment I let down my guard."

Jiang You'an had no desire to pay him any mind and walked straight into the room on her own.

Seeing her soul-deprived appearance, Lu Xuanheng figured the outcome must have been unfavorable, which made him feel a bit more at ease.

He dismissed everyone else and followed Jiang You'an inside.

Without a word, Jiang You'an kicked off her shoes of her own accord and lay down on the bed.

Lu Xuanheng sat down beside her and probed tentatively, "You've seen Su Mingxiu?"

Jiang You'an faced inward and offered no reply.

Lu Xuanheng felt he had a grasp of the situation and said to her, "Since you've given up hope, I'll have Grandmother go to the Su family and call off the marriage."

Seeing that she remained silent, Lu Xuanheng pressed further, "Breaking off an engagement isn't good for your reputation, after all. You should go避避风头 (keep a low profile / avoid the limelight) for a while recently. That residence at Mount Canghong was prepared for you and has been vacant all along. You should move there to live for a spell; it will also be a good place to convalesce."

"Is locking me up here not enough for you, that you now want to lock me up over there as well?"

"There, you will be all by yourself, free to do whatever you please."

"Is it so that you can do whatever *you* please?" Jiang You'an turned her head to look at him, her gaze icy. "Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. Even if my engagement is broken and I can never marry for the rest of my life, I will never become your concubine."

Lu Xuanheng wore an open and unconcerned expression. "I have no such intention; I merely want you to live more comfortably."

Jiang You'an knew what kind of thoughts he harbored; in any case, he wouldn't be so kind-hearted.

Yet she was now exhausted in both body and mind, and she also wished to calm down. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that Li Zhengfu might not try something else against her, so going away to avoid trouble for a while might not be a bad idea.

Su Mingxiu... she would also need some time to forget him.

Jiang You'an covered herself with the quilt and muttered muffledly, "Do as you please."

Lu Xuanheng's mood brightened. "Then you should pack your things over the next couple of days."

...

Two days later, it was a bright and sunny day.

Lu Xuanheng came to instruct Jiang You'an to have people prepare whatever items she needed as soon as possible, as they would set off for Mount Canghong this very evening.

Jiang You'an looked indifferent, sitting listlessly on the soft couch in a daze.

A maidservant was tidying up the contents of her bookcase and asked her, "Mistress, should these paintings be taken along?"

Jiang You'an walked over and unfolded those paintings.

They were painted for her by Su Mingxiu, depicting a pair of flying swallows, symbolizing a pair of lovers staying together forever.

Pity that such a thing was impossible in this lifetime.

Seeing these, Jiang You'an could not help the sourness rising in her nose. She packed the paintings neatly and asked the maidservant to help her pack them to take along.

As she was folding her clothes, Qiulan suddenly entered.

Qiulan was holding a few parcels of pastries in her hands. She glanced at the nearby maidservant, then walked quickly to Jiang You'an's side. "Mistress, these are the pastries you asked me to buy. Take a look and see if they are the kinds you wanted to eat."

Jiang You'an wanted to say there was no need, but upon seeing the unusual expression on Qiulan's face, she took the parcels and unfolded the oiled paper.

Tucked within the pastries was a slip of paper with the words written upon it: "At the third quarter of the Wei hour [approx. 2:45 PM], meet me at the back door of the Lu residence."

Jiang You'an glanced at Qiulan and said in a raised voice, "I remember the mimosa flowers in the garden are in bloom. Let's go pick a few branches to take with us."

The two of them walked out with their arms linked, while the little maidservant urged them, "Mistress, remember to return early so as not to miss the time."

Jiang You'an uttered a "Got it" and went toward the garden together with Qiulan.

Once they reached a secluded spot where no one else was around, Qiulan said, "When I went to the street to buy the pastries, I happened to run into Qingsong, who serves beside the Young Master Su. He shoved that slip of paper into my hand."

The dying embers in Jiang You'an's heart suddenly reignited. "It must be Mingxiu. It's almost the third quarter of the Wei hour right now, let's hurry."

She broke into a trot all the way to the back door, and just as she was looking around in all directions, she heard someone calling her in a low voice.

"Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang!"

Jiang You'an looked over and saw Qingsong standing in a shadowy nook, waving at her.

She hurried over. "Is Mingxiu looking for me?"

Qingsong looked anxious. "Miss Jiang, time is pressing. Please get into the carriage with me first."

Jiang You'an agreed and brought Qiulan onto the carriage. As Qingsong drove the carriage, he explained to Jiang You'an, "Miss Jiang, the last time you came to the Marquis's estate and asked me to go in and find the Young Master, I... at the time, I was somewhat afraid that you would implicate my Young Master, so I reported it to the Madam."

No wonder...

Jiang You'an did not hold it against him and asked, "What about that letter..."

"That letter wasn't written by the Young Master. I often handle writing brushes and ink by the Young Master's side and can imitate his handwriting; the Madam had me write that letter."

"Then what on earth does Mingxiu mean by all this?"

"The Young Master has been thinking of you constantly. Previously, he managed to sneak out once, solely to see you, but before he even caught sight of you, he was dragged back again."

Jiang You'an froze. She had been completely unaware that Su Mingxiu had actually come to look for her, and that he had never given up on fighting to be with her.

Qingsong continued, "To make the Young Master give up hope, the Madam arranged for him to go to the south of the Yangtze River. The Young Master was unwilling, but the Madam gave orders that even if they had to knock him unconscious, they were to put him on a boat tomorrow. The Young Master has been harboring resentment over this and has been on a hunger strike for two days now. You know the Young Master's health isn't good; I was truly terrified that he wouldn't be able to hold on and couldn't bear to watch any longer, so I helped him escape today. Right now, he is waiting at Tianjing Temple in the southern part of the city."