The sunlight was just right, tracing a golden outline along Lu Zhiyao’s profile. Paired with his gentle, stunningly beautiful face, anyone who saw him would think an immortal had descended to earth.
Yet Li Ruoshui’s focus was on his lips.
They were as red as cherries. With the golden light spilling over them, they looked even more… delectable.
They barely moved when he spoke. The distinct peaks of his upper lip were slightly smoothed out, the corners upturned as if smiling.
Not long ago, she’d tasted them—soft and sweet, and she’d even felt his momentary tremor then.
……
Li Ruoshui sat up abruptly, trying to shake these terrifying thoughts and strange thoughts from her mind. But they seemed to have taken root, growing clearer the more she tried to suppress them.
If she thought about it carefully, his appearance truly fit her aesthetic preferences perfectly.
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So she needed to clear her head.
“This is probably some kind of herb…” Li Ruoshui pushed back the covers, got out of bed, and put on her shoes. “I—I’m going to find Zheng Yanqing.”
She was just looking for an excuse to leave and had blurted out the first name that came to mind.
Looking at Zheng Yanqing wouldn’t stir those worldly desires. She urgently needed him to help her calm down.
As Li Ruoshui stood, her wrist was caught. She didn’t dare look at Lu Zhiyao’s face, fixing her gaze out the window instead. “W-What is it?”
“Aren’t you going to take a closer look at them?”
Lu Zhiyao sat sideways on the footstool, eyes closed, presenting the herbs to her again. “They’re quite beautiful.”
Hearing this, Lu Zhiyao laughed softly again, his thin lips parting slightly before the words seemed to catch in his throat. “But I have urgent business with Zheng Yanqing. I’ll talk to you later.”
Li Ruoshui brushed his hand away, her ears burning red as she hurried out the door.
Listening to the tap-tap of her retreating footsteps, Lu Zhiyao remained silent for a long time. He gathered the herbs in his hand, his lips parting several times as if to speak, but no words came out.
Then, frowning, he reached out and tapped his chest a few times, feeling an inexplicable tightness there. It was a feeling he never felt before.
“I should go see a physician.”
Lu Zhiyao placed the herbs in a cabinet. When he stepped out, he took a few steps in the direction Li Ruoshui had gone before catching himself. He then went straight up to the roof and took the familiar path he was used to.
Li Ruoshui didn’t need to ask for directions. She ran straight to the Zheng residence’s library and, as expected, found Zheng Yanqing there.
The Zheng family library was sizable, with over a dozen bookshelves lined up, holding many classics and famous works. A desk sat in the center of the room.
“Miss Li, you’re awake.”
Zheng Yanqing put down the travelogue he was reading, looking at her with pleasant surprise. “You slept for a full day and night and no matter what, you wouldn’t wake. You gave us quite a scare.”
“Sorry for worrying you.” Li Ruoshui fanned her slightly flushed cheeks, randomly picking up a book and flipping through a few pages. “…Does your family’s study have any Buddhist sutras? The ‘form is emptiness, emptiness is form’ kind.”
Li Ruoshui’s expression was utterly earnest, comparable to a pilgrim seeking scriptures.
Zheng Yanqing paused, then turned to fetch a book from a shelf and handed it to her, a faint smile on his lips. “I never imagined Miss Li enjoyed reading Buddhist sutras.”
Li Ruoshui took the book, ready to expel all the lingering romantic images from her mind, and replied offhandedly, “I never imagined Young Master Zheng, while studying, didn’t read the classics but preferred travelogues.”
Li Ruoshui knew Zheng Yanqing’s situation. Her remark was just playful banter, but Zheng Yanqing took it to heart. “They’re all books. What’s the difference between travelogues and classics? Everyone says I was gifted since childhood, but no one ever asked what I actually liked. They just shoved the Book of Songs and famous treatises at me.”
The heat on Li Ruoshui’s face had mostly subsided, her mood considerably calmer. “Then what do you like?”
“I like going out to travel and explore. But ever since I accidentally passed the child scholar exam as a boy, I’ve never been on a long trip again.”
He let out a long sigh, the light in his eyes dimming. “If my health improves even a little, I won’t be able to escape the Provincial Examination in a few months.”
“You’re being silly,” Li Ruoshui said, looking at him incredulously. “I’ve only ever seen people who want to pass but can’t. I’ve never seen someone who wants to fail but can’t.”
“What do you mean?” Zheng Yanqing stared at her, dumbfounded.
“Go to the Provincial Examination when it’s time. The exam location isn’t in Cangzhou anyway. Use the opportunity to travel and see the sights. Come back and just say you failed. Simple.”
Li Ruoshui cleared her throat, looking away to cover her expression. “I’m not trying to corrupt you.”
In the original story, Zheng Yanqing’s condition—his weak constitution and occasional difficulty breathing—wasn’t real. He was simply being poisoned.
Lu Feiyue did catch the poisoner: a scholar who had long been jealous of Zheng Yanqing. His family had some wealth and had bribed a servant to administer the poison.
But it wasn’t that simple. The Zheng household was strictly managed, and the servants were loyal. Logically, bribing someone for so long would require a substantial sum. Moreover, this person surfaced at a very convenient time, as if delivered on a platter.
Lu Feiyue also felt something was off, but Zheng Yanqing’s parents were furious. After reporting the family to the authorities and driving them out of Cangzhou, they focused entirely on preparing for Zheng Yanqing’s Provincial Examination. No one brought up the topic again.
If the family itself didn’t care, Lu Feiyue, an outsider, naturally couldn’t force her way in. The matter was considered closed.
Of course, while reading the novel, Li Ruoshui had balked at their reaction. Did the Zheng family really care about their son or only their future top scholar?
Zheng Yanqing had been estranged from this merchant family since childhood. His parents, on one hand, spoke grandly of money and strategized about expanding their shops, while on the other hand, told him, “All occupations are base and meaningless. Only becoming a scholar is meaningful. Money is nothing but dung on the floor.”
His parents confined him to the courtyard and hired the best tutors. Though they lived in the same mansion, they claimed they barely saw him a few times a year.
His older brother traveled for trade; his older sister was a leading figure in Cangzhou’s silk and satin industry. Yet he was told family matters had nothing to do with him. His sole duty was to study.
His name was Zheng Yanqing, but no one truly treated him as a child of the Zheng family.
Zheng Yanqing looked at her thoughtfully, as if genuinely considering the possibility.
She’d said what she said, but Li Ruoshui still asked the most crucial question. “You want to explore now because you lack for nothing. But if you really go out in the future and your parents don’t give you money, what will you do?”
Her ability to focus on the romance strategy now was partly because the System’s rewards included silver. With frugality, she didn’t have to worry about food and clothing. Otherwise, forget trying to romance Lu Zhiyao—survival itself would be a challenge.
Zheng Yanqing smiled bitterly. “It’s true, apart from reading, I don’t know how to do anything else.”
“You can learn if you don’t know how,” Li Ruoshui patted his shoulder with a smile. “No one is born knowing how to read.”
After saying this, Li Ruoshui paused, suddenly struck by a thought. She looked down at him and asked, “Do you know a good place in Cangzhou to learn how to swim?”
Zheng Yanqing loved travelogues and had a thorough grasp of the geography and scenic spots of the current dynasty. He immediately provided an answer. “There’s a small river at North Mountain, clear enough to see the bottom. It’s a good spot.”
“Thanks.” Li Ruoshui nodded, handed the Buddhist sutra back to him, and darted out of the library.
Her own words had just enlightened her. If you don’t know, you can learn. No one is born knowing everything.
Then, if Lu Zhiyao doesn’t understand love… he can learn too.
“Your pulse is steady. No major issues. Stick out your tongue and let me see.”
The physician with the graying beard was unmistakably the same one who had bandaged Li Ruoshui’s hand that day. He recognized Lu Zhiyao the moment he walked in today.
Not seeing Li Ruoshui with him, the physician sighed silently. So the world loses another pair of star-crossed lovers.
Lu Zhiyao obediently opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.
“Your diet is poor. Dark circles under your eyes—you don’t sleep well. Some liver fire, but overall, no major problems.” The physician shook his head, attributing his condition to heartache. “Just try to think more openly.”
Lu Zhiyao touched his chest, somewhat puzzled. “Is there nothing wrong here either?”
“What’s wrong there?”
“Palpitations, chest tightness. Sometimes it beats very fast, other times a dull ache. But I’m not poisoned. What illness is it?”
Lu Zhiyao wasn’t afraid of death, but he disliked the feeling of his body being out of control.
The physician felt his pulse again and shook his head once more. “No problem. I’ve practiced medicine for decades. I’m quite confident in my skills.”
“That’s truly strange.”
“What were you doing when these symptoms occurred?” the physician asked carefully, hoping to spot something he’d missed.
“I was with Li Ruoshui every time. Especially when she kissed me. Not only did my heart beat wildly, but my limbs went weak too. It didn’t feel like myself at all.”
Though a smile played on his lips, Lu Zhiyao spoke with utter seriousness, devoid of any suggestive undertone. The elderly physician’s face flushed slightly.
“You, this…you.”
Sigh.
The physician struggled for a long moment, repeatedly getting stuck on the same word: ‘you’ and getting nowhere.
He had initially thought it was some hard-to-detect serious illness, but it turned out to be a matter of this nature.
“Though I considered the possibility of poisoning, there’s truly no sign she poisoned me.”
Lu Zhiyao spun the medicine pestle on the table, as if deep in thought.
The physician licked his lips, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly before finally speaking. “You’re not poisoned. This is just because you’re too tired. Get more rest.”
Since that young lady has already married into the Zheng family, best not tell him the truth. No need for another heartbroken soul in this world.
“I won’t charge you for this consultation.” The physician tucked his hands into his sleeves, looking at him with profound world-weariness. “Of course, if you really can’t figure it out, go listen to storytelling at the teahouse in Yanliu Alley.”
That place loved telling tales of romance, past and present. Perhaps it could teach him something.
Lu Zhiyao pressed his lips into a faint smile and didn’t press further. Instead, he brought up another topic. “I know my eyes are beyond saving…” His eyelashes trembled slightly, a genuine smile curving his lips. “But could you tell me, what does Li Ruoshui look like?”
The physician’s heart ached even more. This is probably a young man experiencing first love. I mustn’t let him sink deeper.
“That young lady…” The physician silently apologized to Li Ruoshui and picked up some medicinal herbs nearby. “Has drooping eyebrows like the Codonopsis flower, mung bean shaped eyes, and bamboo leaf lips. In short, not pretty.”
He felt like he had committed a huge sin. The physician’s conscience twinged with unease.
In reality, Miss Li was radiant as the morning sun, bright as the stars, and full of liveliness—a rare and wonderful person. And here he was, describing her like this.
Lu Zhiyao reached out and touched the various herbs, a smile lingering on his lips. “She sounds… interesting-looking.”
Physician: “…”
“Thank you.”
Lu Zhiyao still left some silver behind and turned to leave. Outside, he stopped someone, his expression gentle. “Excuse me, where is Yanliu Alley?”
TLN: Our girl was too shocked to react smh. She missed the most important goods she came to get when it was right in front of her face.
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