Chapter 156: Jealousy

To be honest, although Zhang Zhe hadn’t been in the Ministry of Justice for very long, anyone with eyes could see what kind of person he was.

Last year, Vice Minister Chen Ying hosted a banquet at Xichen Pavilion.

In such a setting, it was inevitable to call in some beautiful women to “serve drinks.” Some libertine officials, accustomed to debauchery, began to grope and flirt with these girls on the spot.

Master Zhang, with his dignified features and cool demeanor, sat among the crowd but seemed out of place.

The courtesans couldn’t help but be intrigued.

After all, some who appeared to be righteous gentlemen were actually more lascivious than those who were straightforward. If he came to such an occasion, he couldn’t be entirely pure. Even if he were a true gentleman, wouldn’t it be more interesting to tease him?

So, a couple of the girls, as if boneless, tried to lean towards him.

But before they could get close, he stood up.

The others immediately jeered.

Master Zhang lowered his eyes and calmly stated that he couldn’t hold his liquor, and didn’t want to spoil the mood, so he excused himself.

After saying this, he turned and left.

At that time, everyone in Xichen Pavilion looked at each other in astonishment.

Even Vice Minister Chen’s expression was not very pleasant.

After that incident, there were whispers in the Ministry of Justice, saying that Zhang Zhe was neither sensible nor tactful.

The two constables had of course heard about it.

They had also heard about Zhang Zhe’s broken engagement with the Yao family’s young lady.

It was almost finalized, but one day it was called off. Although it was unclear which side initiated it, with the Yao family being of high status and Zhang Zhe coming from a humble background, it couldn’t have been Zhang Zhe who foolishly called it off, right? After all, he had agreed to the engagement back then. So, it was most likely that the noble and beautiful Miss Yao Xi disliked his dullness and lifeless face, thus breaking off the engagement.

They knew all too well what kind of person Master Zhang was.

He never showed a hint of a smile all day long.

In the Ministry of Justice, he was often the first to arrive and the last to leave, spending his days dealing with case files, murder investigations, prisons, and legal statutes. Even if some modest young ladies fancied him, they were repeatedly rebuffed by his unapproachable and unromantic demeanor. Over time, no one paid him any attention.

But now…

The two constables could hardly believe their eyes!

Just now, at the Shuxiang Inn, they had already seen Jiang Xuening. After all, such a beautiful girl was truly stunning, catching their eyes at a glance and making it hard to look away, more beautiful than any woman they had ever seen!

Compared to her, the girls from Yihong Tower and Weicui Pavilion were all inferior!

If not for being on duty, they would have lingered to admire her.

But they never expected that shortly after they left, this girl would chase after them.

And she called out…

Master Zhang?!

The constables’ initial shock quickly turned into pity as they looked at Jiang Xuening: What a pity! Such a beautiful girl, but her mind wasn’t sharp! With such good looks, she could marry anyone and rise to prominence, so why did she have such poor judgment to fall for Zhang Zhe and even give him something on New Year’s Eve?!

Pedestrians and carts moved along the street.

The two stood facing each other, motionless.

Like two stones submerged in a gentle stream.

Zhang Zhe thought he had already made up his mind and repeatedly warned himself, but when he saw her again, the high wall he had built in his heart began to shake and slowly collapse.

His body was still, but his mind was restless.

He had never imagined that Jiang Xuening would chase after him, nor did he expect her to cast aside her restraint and ask him so directly. But on second thought, wasn’t this just like her? She was bold, domineering, and bright, never one to hold back. If she were timid and hesitant, it wouldn’t be like her at all.

Jiang Xuening looked up at him slightly, her eyes full of light with a hint of frustration and grievance, but she didn’t voice it. Instead, she repeated her question somewhat imperiously, “Master Zhang, did you receive it?”

Her words were full of concern, but to Zhang Zhe, each word cut like a knife.

He stood before her, seemingly unaffected, but his heart was bleeding, and he had to squeeze the roll of the painting in his hand tightly to keep his voice steady, “I received it.”

The two constables exchanged glances, almost doubting their ears. Seeing Master Zhang’s seemingly normal expression, they still sensed something unusual.

After all, Zhang Zhe was currently favored by the emperor.

If they didn’t know their place and eavesdropped on private matters, who could say he wouldn’t hold it against them in the future?

They bowed and quietly retreated. Even as they walked away, they couldn’t help but look back, their curiosity barely contained.

Jiang Xuening didn’t notice them. When she heard Zhang Zhe’s affirmative response, her heartbeat quickened, but a sense of foreboding pricked her heart like a hidden needle.

A voice in her head screamed, “Don’t ask anymore, don’t ask anymore.”

Wasn’t it clear enough already?

But the persistent pain made her feel like she couldn’t breathe, and she stubbornly ignored that voice, “Did you read it? Did you see it, Master Zhang?”

Zhang Zhe replied, “I saw it.”

Jiang Xuening smiled, more honest than ever, “Others say you are cold and unfeeling, difficult to get along with. But on the journey to Tongzhou, I was fortunate to be cared for by you and came to know that you are pure-hearted and principled. Zhang Zhe, I have feelings for you.”

Zhang Zhe, I have feelings for you.

There was no shyness typical of other women, only a determined courage that would not back down.

Zhang Zhe felt as if she was about to cry, but the faint smile on her slightly pale face never faded, as if she believed she would get the answer she wanted.

The bustling market and worldly clamor suddenly brought him back to his previous life.

In that past life, Jiang Xuening had also uttered similar words.

Back then, she couldn’t stand him because he was archenemies with Zhou Yinzhi. Inside and outside the palace, whenever there was a chance, she would gleefully tease and embarrass him, enjoying it immensely when his usually stoic demeanor cracked under her provocations.

That winter day, courtiers were summoned to the palace for discussion. He lived farther away, and the slippery road delayed his arrival. Upon reaching the Ganqing Palace, he found several high-ranking officials, including the Grand Tutor Xie Wei, waiting in the side hall.

Xie Wei, known for his aversion to cold, stood on the steps calmly when an elderly official entered, puzzled: “Wasn’t His Majesty summoning us to discuss matters at this hour? Why are so many kept waiting outside?”

Xie Wei, unperturbed, replied, “Her Majesty the Empress is inside.”

The officials exchanged glances in surprise.

The elderly official hesitated briefly, muttered something under his breath, and said no more.

Zhang Zhe glanced into the Ganqing Palace and inexplicably felt uneasy.

They waited for almost half an hour until Zheng Bao, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies, finally emerged with someone.

It was Jiang Xuening.

Dressed in elegant attire with a high bun, holding a delicate gold furnace, her fair cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. Her cherry lips, slightly lighter than usual, hinted at a faint loss of lipstick.

She first noticed Xie Wei on the steps and quickly flashed a hint of disdain in her eyes before turning away. It wasn’t until she descended the steps that she saw him.

Her eyes suddenly lit up mischievously, deliberately arching her eyebrows and smiling, but she refrained from causing trouble in front of so many courtiers, walking lightly with her attendants.

Soon after, Shen Jie summoned them into the hall for discussions.

As they paid their respects and rose, Zhang Zhe happened to notice the young and refined emperor, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve that had turned up, a faint blush of cherry powder lingering subtly on the edge of his right ring finger’s transparent nail, as if a residue of tender affection still lingered.

He didn’t know if anyone else noticed.

But during the hour-long discussion, although he responded eloquently, there was an imperceptible heaviness in his silence compared to his usual reticence.

As everyone left the Ganqing Palace, Xie Wei suddenly stopped, glanced at him, and remarked, “The cheating case in the southern imperial examination involves many. Minister Zhang, your words today are fewer than usual.”

Zhang Zhe and the Grand Tutor were not acquainted.

But at that moment, he couldn’t help but shiver inwardly.

He replied, “This matter is of great importance, and I naturally speak less, lest I speak unwisely.”

Xie Wei’s face always bore a hint of a smile, and he was adept in social interactions, often making people feel as if they had basked in a warm spring breeze even in winter.

But after hearing this, he didn’t respond further.

The elderly official nearby happened to invite him to the cabinet, and Xie Wei acted as if nothing had been said, joining the other ministers to go to their duties.

Zhang Zhe stood under the steps for a moment before heading towards the Wenyuan Pavilion to investigate the intricate cheating case in the imperial examinations, which even involved several former examination officials, necessitating discreet inquiries.

However, along the way, his mind seemed strangely elsewhere.

Whenever Zhang Zhe passed by, he never noticed when Jiang Xuening and her palace maids came close. Therefore, he naturally couldn’t avoid them.

It seemed she had just visited the Imperial Garden, followed by several palace maids. One held scissors, while the others carried branches of snowy plum blossoms.

The weather was cold, and the plum blossoms were blooming vibrantly.

Some were red, some white, and some yellow.

In Jiang Xuening’s hand was a slender branch, about a foot long, tilted slightly, with a rare pale green color like beans, quite unique.

It was said that in the eastern corner of the Imperial Garden, there grew a rare green plum tree, planted by the National Preceptor Yuanji and the Imperial Tutor Xie Wei after Emperor Shen Lang ascended the throne a year earlier, as a result of losing a bet. Every cold winter, its petals bloomed in a light green hue.

The palace servants cherished it greatly and dared not disturb it.

However, in Jiang Xuening’s hands, she casually plucked and admired it, showing no signs of its preciousness.

He knew encountering Jiang Xuening was never a good thing. After bowing respectfully to avoid trouble, he intended to pass on the left and leave from the side.

Unexpectedly, when he moved left, Jiang Xuening stood to his left; when he moved right, she stood to his right.

No matter what, she managed to block his path perfectly.

Zhang Zhe realized she was teasing him again. His normally cold and stern face grew even more expressionless. When he caught her smiling at him with her rosy lips, he felt even more annoyed.

He said, “I have urgent matters to attend to, Your Highness, please allow me passage.”

Jiang Xuening waved her hand, gesturing for her palace attendants to stay far away, deliberately blocking his path. She looked at his stern brows and held onto the green plum branch, lifting her pointed chin to examine his face, teasingly saying, “Lord Zhang, your temper is as foul as ever, but your eyebrows are quite handsome. What if I refuse to let you pass?”

Was this the demeanor of a empress who ruled the country?

Zhang Zhe finally brushed past her, his face solemn and icy. He said, “Your Highness is the mother of the nation, with an esteemed position. Your conduct should be appropriate, both as a wife and as a sovereign. Such frivolous words may invite criticism from court and country.”

Jiang Xuening seemed surprised by his words.

At first, she was stunned, then suddenly seemed to find something amusing. She clapped her hands and exclaimed, “I thought you were just a unsociable bore, like dealing with you was as dull as dealing with Xie Ju’an. Who knew you also have moments where you can’t hold back your temper!”

Is there anything else you would like to know or discuss about this passage?

Zhang Zhe remained unmoved, saying only, “Your Majesty acts in such a manner, but where does it place His Majesty, where does it place your humble servant, and where does it place propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor?”

The first time he saw Jiang Xuening at the Ganqing Palace, it was like this.

Little did he expect that Jiang Xuening, upon hearing his words, maintained her playful demeanor outwardly unchanged, yet her eyes betrayed a hint of hostility, which unexpectedly enhanced her allure. 

Walking up to him, she almost touched her toe against his, teasingly saying, “Since when did I, upon seeing you for the first time, take a liking to Minister Zhang?”

These words, which should have been tender and affectionate, turned frivolous and sarcastic when spoken by her, carrying a sharp edge of mockery!

At that moment, Zhang Zhe’s patience reached its limit.

Knowing she was teasing him, he stepped back and lowered his gaze, saying, “I, as an upright man, fear no gossip. However, Your Majesty’s words and actions may not escape the tongues of others. Criticism from the court and the people may not be something you enjoy. Please, Your Majesty, tread carefully.”

With his gaze lowered, he could only see the embroidered phoenix tail on Jiang Xuening’s sleeve.

There was a moment of silence.

Then several green plum blossoms entered his sight, with one plum blossom branch pointed at the corner of his eye by Jiang Xuening herself. As he raised his eyes slightly, the thin branch tip of the plum blossom had a faintly cold and sharp thorn, leaving a very fine bloodstain at the corner of his eye.

The pain was subtle but real.

Jiang Xuening changed her expression to one of contemplation, looking at him and asking, “Minister Zhang, known for your adherence to propriety and integrity, and your usual patience, why couldn’t you endure a few random words from me today?”

Zhang Zhe remained silent.

Jiang Xuening’s plum branch did not retract; it continued to point at his eye corner. Her gaze moved to his stern and silent eyes, scrutinizing him for a long time. 

A smile appeared on her lips, as if she couldn’t believe it herself, and she asked, “Are you jealous?”

At that moment, Zhang Zhe’s patience seemed to reach its limit. He turned and left without a word.

Behind him, Jiang Xuening bent over laughing.

Back at his residence, Zhang Zhe tried to convince himself that Jiang Xuening was just trying to disturb his peace of mind as she had done in the past. He flipped through documents, but the absurd idea that Jiang Xuening secretly supported Zhou Yinzhi, who was a threat to the court, and how he might be jealous because of her flirtatious words, lingered in his mind.

But as he flipped through page after page, he found no evidence to support these suspicions.

A solitary lamp illuminated the long night, and in his mind appeared the pale lip color staining the emperor’s fingernails with cherry blossom powder.

Zhang Zhe hated himself for lacking insight into these details.

Even the slightest trace of evidence could give him a glimpse of the iceberg, causing his heart to flutter anxiously. 

Unable to read another word, he could only think: How could there be such a wicked woman in the world?

However, much later, when he was imprisoned, looking out through a small iron window at the clouds beyond, all the resentment had faded away. Instead, he kept recalling that day when she had teased him with a mocking and sharp smile, saying those playful words:

“Since when did I, upon seeing you for the first time, take a liking to Minister Zhang?”

At that moment, the mockery and sarcasm, the hostility and ridicule, all faded from the memory of that face, leaving only a clear and agile spirit, like the light green snow plum.

She had teased him and challenged him;

She had mocked him and occasionally revealed her soft side.

She had dragged him into turmoil, yet the woman who feared death had ultimately given up her life to save him…

And now, in this moment, across two lifetimes, she stood before him not as a empress and he not as a minister.

They were supposed to be together.

Zhang Zhe felt as though fate had split him with a blunt knife: one half of him revealed, cold and rational; the other half plunged into hell, miserable and hopeless.

It felt like the day they visited Tongzhou once again.

In this life, Xie Wei stood in his Daoist robe, fluttering in the wind on the rugged mountainside, asking him, ‘Do you also have feelings for her?’

He paused, silent for a long time, and said word by word, ‘I deeply love her.’

That was perhaps the most candid moment of his two lives, even shedding all burdens, experiencing a complete sense of liberation.

But Xie Wei’s eye twitched slightly, laughing once, seemingly curious as he asked, ‘Isn’t it strange, how Lord Zhang is more candid with others than with his beloved?’

He stood there for a long time, locking eyes with Xie Wei.

Xie Wei sneered lightly, devoid of warmth, and said casually, ‘Ning’er is a fool. If you have reservations, it’s better not to provoke her.’

The wind was no longer cold on his face. In the streets of the capital, people had donned new spring clothes, and the willows beside the street were faintly tinged with green.

But while all flowers bloomed, had the cold plum blossoms all withered away?

Zhang Zhe snapped back to reality.

Jiang Xuening looked at him, sensing in his eyes a struggle that seemed eternal, faintly familiar.

But she didn’t delve into it.

Because in the next moment, Zhang Zhe’s words caused her mind to go blank, buzzing loudly, feeling as if she was walking on cotton.

Zhang Zhe stared at her and slowly said, ‘Miss Jiang, please forgive me. I already have someone in my heart.

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