Chapter 2781: The Capital (Part 137)

"Let me think about it," You Rong hesitated. "This is a significant matter. I need to consider it carefully."

Wu Yan knew this required patient, gradual work and felt no need to press her. She whispered, "Make up your own mind. Just be sure to have a long-term plan."

Their conversation having reached a natural conclusion, You Rong mentioned she was feeling drowsy and wished to take a nap.

"Go rest in the guest room at the back. It's quiet both inside and out—no matter how loud the noise, nothing can be heard." Wu Yan gave a mischievous wink.

You Rong's face flushed. The two women rose, and You Rong led the way. Exiting through the side door of the courtyard, they entered a passageway. A short distance along it stood a small door.

Pushing it open, she found an exceedingly compact courtyard with three rooms. Within the courtyard was another door, but it was locked.

When female relatives from prominent households came to burn incense and needed temporary rest, nunneries of any considerable size maintained guest rooms for their use. Ganlu Nunnery naturally had two such courtyards. Though small, they were arranged with elegance and cleanliness, wonderfully tranquil.

"I won't go in," Wu Yan laughed. "Go on by yourself. Just don't lose track of time!"

You Rong nodded, but her heart was pounding wildly. Since Granny Shi had acted as go-between and arranged the affair here at Wu Yan's establishment, the two lovers had met no more than three or four times. Yet each encounter left her with endless aftertaste.

It wasn't that she craved the love between man and woman, but her previous master, Zhou, had possessed very little charm. Though his manner was amiable and his treatment generous, he rarely spoke with her or Yui on ordinary days. On the occasional instances when he did chat, he spoke in strange, incomprehensible ramblings. It was fine for Yui, who was illiterate, but You Rong had received some education—yet she couldn't understand him at all.

This Master Pan was not only refined but also understood a woman's heart far better. A few words, a single gesture, could set her heartstrings trembling. This kind of comfortable, pleasant feeling was something she had never experienced in Master Zhou's household.

She pushed open the door and entered. Within the skywell stood a flower bed planted with pear trees, now bare in winter. The tile-paved ground exuded the distinctive flavor of Jiangnan, swept immaculately clean. Standing beneath the eaves was the very lover she had longed for day and night.

The two clasped hands, exchanged gazes, and smiled—all their affection conveyed without words.

Pan Cheng'an lifted the door curtain for her and led her into the main room. A fire wall heated the chamber, making it warm as spring indoors. A pot of New Year Peony bloomed in vivid splendor. At the center stood a square table meant for four, though only two fine rattan armchairs were positioned beside it. Upon the table sat twelve dishes of dried and fresh fruits alongside various wine appetizers. On a small red clay stove, yellow wine was being warmed. The fragrance of wine mingled with the fruity scent from the large basin of Buddha's hand citron on the table, intoxicating without a single sip.

"This Wu Yan certainly knows how to live well!" You Rong laughed.

"Even my own home doesn't have such refinement," Pan Cheng'an replied with a smile. "One of winter's delights in the Capital is this fire wall and fire kang. Once heated, the room feels like springtime. In Jiangnan, the damp cold would leave one shivering."

"Were it up to me, I'd rather wear a silk-floss padded jacket and shiver," You Rong laughed.

Pan Cheng'an smiled. Though men were not described as possessing beauty that could "overturn cities and kingdoms," his smile was enough to inspire admirers to "fill carts with thrown fruits." That single smile alone set You Rong's heart racing wildly.

"Let's remove our outer garments, share a few cups, and drive away this winter chill together," Pan Cheng'an said.

They promptly shed their cotton robes and outer jackets. The two poured wine and drank together.

A private meeting between man and woman naturally carried an air of secluded intimacy, especially in the depths of winter. Outside, white snow blanketed the world and the north wind howled; inside, the red clay stove kept the room warm as spring, with fine wine and a beloved partner at one's side. It could truly be called the ultimate joy of the mortal world.

One cup of wine down her throat, You Rong's cheeks turned rosy. Pan Cheng'an, however, harbored other intentions.

The You Rong before him—from when Granny Shi first introduced her—had occupied his attention for three or four months now. This private meeting at Ganlu Nunnery was their fourth. During this period, he had spent roughly one hundred taels of silver.

Spending such a sum naturally demanded an excess return. With You Rong's beauty, taking her to Jiangnan for resale could fetch at least two hundred taels. But having gone to such elaborate lengths, that small sum was far from enough to satisfy his appetite.

You Rong was a wealthy family's concubine and had borne a son. By all logic, she would have accumulated considerable private savings and jewelry. If he could persuade her to gather her belongings and elope with him, all of it would be his.

Over these past days, he had come to understand You Rong's situation and the Zhou family almost completely. Currently, the master's whereabouts were unknown, his fate uncertain between life and death. This was precisely the moment when the future seemed murky and she found herself at a loss—the perfect opportunity to persuade her to flee with him.

Moreover, she had just revealed her homesickness.

He had originally adopted the persona of a Jiangnan native simply to cultivate an elegant, refined image; now it had hit the mark by fortunate accident. In this way, "eloping" also carried the meaning of "returning home," making You Rong far less resistant to the idea.

Just as he was contemplating this, he heard You Rong ask, "Master Pan is from Jiangnan—which place exactly?"

You Rong came from a Thin Horse background. Though lacking in worldly experience, her mind was quite shrewd. Pan Cheng'an recognized that her question carried the intent of investigating his background.

He was secretly delighted; in their previous encounters, she had never asked such things.

If she had regarded him as merely a "dew marriage"—a fleeting affair, a dream of the Southern Branch—there would have been no need to probe deeper.

It seemed the groom had affection, and the concubine had intent as well.

Abductors like Pan Cheng'an were chameleons. Their life histories consisted of several fabricated sets, seamless when recounted and absolutely devoid of flaws. He said, "My ancestral home is in Jingjiang County, Changzhou Prefecture."

"Since there's an ancestral home, there must also be a current residence?"

"Yes, the new residence is in Wujin County. The old estate is in the countryside—spacious, with farmland and ancestral graves. One must tend to it occasionally. The elders find the prefectural city too noisy, so they mostly reside there now."

"Since Master is from Changzhou, the accent doesn't seem quite right..."

No matter how clever Pan Cheng'an was, mastering numerous dialects was impossible. Fortunately, he had long prepared an excuse. "My family aren't natives. Our ancestral home is actually Huguang. Grandfather's family was poor, so he traveled to Jiangnan to make his fortune, eventually building up a family estate. Thus we settled there. To this day, the elders and old servants in the household still speak the Huguang dialect. I can't speak a word of it, but neither can I speak proper Jingjiang or Wujin dialect either..." He laughed. "Hahaha."

"Master's Mandarin is spoken better than most officials," You Rong praised. "Where does your father hold his post?"

"Grandfather originally wanted Father to pursue studies and enter officialdom, but alas, after thirty years of study, he remains only a Xiucai..." Pan Cheng'an deliberately sighed.

"A Xiucai is the root from which Prime Ministers grow; it's no small achievement."

"Though Father never passed the Juren examination, the family's ancestral business wasn't neglected. So the household has maintained comfortable circumstances."

"If Master's family is merely comfortable, then my household must be positively destitute!" You Rong laughed.

"There are many extremely wealthy families in Jiangnan; a household like mine can only be called comfortable."

"Yes, Jiangnan truly is a wonderful place." You Rong sighed, her voice touched with melancholy.

Pan Cheng'an recognized her homesickness and seized the opportunity. "Is Miss from Yangzhou?"

"Strictly speaking, not really. My family merely held Music Household registration in Yangzhou. Actually, my home is in Xinghua County, Gaoyou Prefecture." You Rong nodded. "It's been several years since I left. I wonder if the scenery remains unchanged? Now with warfare and turmoil everywhere..." As she spoke, worry clouded her features.

"The turmoil is real, but Jiangnan remains a blessed land," Pan Cheng'an offered in comfort. "Xinghua isn't far from Changzhou Prefecture—just across the river. If you have any letters or items to send home, simply entrust them to me."

"That's right, you're returning to Jiangnan." You Rong's voice carried a note of loss. "When will you depart?"

"As soon as the river ice melts." Pan Cheng'an watched her expression carefully.

"Once you leave, will you never return?"

"That... is difficult to say." Pan Cheng'an feigned hesitation. "My original purpose in coming to the Capital was to seek future prospects. If opportunity arises, I may return in the future."

The implication was clear: there was little chance of his returning.

Though knowing from the start that this was but a fleeting affair, the two had grown deeply attached over these few months. Now, on the eve of parting, You Rong couldn't help but feel dejected and sorrowful.

Pan Cheng'an said, "Truth be told, I too am reluctant to part... Ah!" He released a long, deliberate sigh.

"Reluctant to part with what?" You Rong asked, though she already knew the answer.

Pan Cheng'an lowered his voice. "Do you truly not know?"

"I'm not a worm in your belly—how could I know?"

The man sighed softly, as if murmuring to himself: "My heart... are you still unaware of it?"

You Rong pretended not to hear, only lowering her head to sip her wine delicately. After a lengthy silence, she asked again, "You've been away from home for so long; you must miss it."

"My wife is in poor health, and both children are still young, so naturally I worry." Pan Cheng'an spoke frankly. Given his age and supposed background, claiming to be unwed would have been implausible. "Fortunately, my aged mother looks after them at home, so I can rest somewhat at ease."

"With such a large household, have you not taken any concubines?"

"Concubines I have, but both are women of rural backgrounds—hardly presentable." Pan Cheng'an continued, "They can only help manage household affairs. If something truly important arose, they'd have no judgment to offer."

You Rong fell silent. After contemplating for a long while, she said abruptly, "This journey to the Capital to seek your future—has the matter been accomplished?"

"Naturally it has." Pan Cheng'an's face showed a proud expression. "Money can make ghosts push the millstone. Besides, what I sought was merely admission as a student of the Imperial Academy—it required little trouble."

"Might I see the documentation?"

"Why would I carry the appointment document from the Ministry of Rites on my person? It's kept at Yun'er's place. If you wish to see it, I'll bring it next time."

"I fear there won't be a next time..." You Rong murmured.

"Why not?" Pan Cheng'an affected a surprised expression.

You Rong immediately recounted the matter of Xu Yong. "From his manner, I suspect the master's household already has suspicions—they simply lack evidence."

Pan Cheng'an's face turned anxious—and this was no pretense. He had made inquiries about You Rong's master's family; they were absolutely figures he could not afford to provoke. If they truly caught him, his life would not be spared.

"If that's the case, we must make plans early to be safe." The words escaped him involuntarily.

"What plans does Master Pan have?" You Rong fixed her gaze intently on his face.

In the space of a lightning flash, Pan Cheng'an had already calculated everything in his mind: matters having come to this point, there was absolutely no reason to simply let her go. At worst, he would avoid coming to the Capital for "business" over the next few years.

He met You Rong's eyes with a look of resolve and said, "My mind is made up. I wonder what Miss thinks?"

(End of Chapter)