Instead of responding directly, Xie Tian asked back, “Don’t you need to protect Miss Mu, my lord? After all, she’s your future marchioness.”
Xiao Liu exposed him mercilessly. “Brother Tian, you just want to watch the drama, don’t you?”
Xie Tian glanced back, maintaining a serious expression.
Xie Heng flipped to the next page of the documents. “You’ve investigated her personally. You should know she values her life dearly. If she dares to go out, she’s likely well-prepared. Just send someone to keep an eye on her.”
Xie Tian looked disappointed, but he still did as told and walked out to instruct a guard. “Stand watch outside the Mu Manor… don’t alert anyone, but intervene if the situation turns dangerous.”
When Xie Tian returned, Xie Heng was still in the same posture, his expression completely unchanged.
Xie Tian wasn’t surprised. Ever since the tragedy that nearly wiped out Zhenguo Duke Manor three years ago, the marquis seemed to have lost all feeling.
Thinking about the missing imperial edict, Xie Tian returned to his desk and continued combing through the documents.
But it wasn’t long before the silence of the Mingjing Bureau was interrupted by a breathless voice. “Oh, no! My lord! It’s bad!”
It was the guard Xie Tian had dispatched earlier.
Xie Heng set down his documents and rubbed his forehead. “What happened?”
The guard, panting heavily and visibly flustered, stammered, “Miss—Miss Mu, she—she…”
Xiao Liu immediately turned anxious, “What about Miss Mu? Is she in danger?”
The guard, still flustered, waved his hands. “No—no, it’s not that.”
Xie Tian stood up at some point. “Was she bullied by Third Miss Wu and her group?”
“N-no, not that either.”
Xiao Liu pressed on. “Then what’s the problem?”
The guard finally caught his breath and blurted out, “Miss Mu entered Qingfeng Pavilion’s east gate!”
Xiao Liu was confused. “What’s the big deal about entering through the east gate?”
Even Xie Heng showed a hint of curiosity.
Xie Tian was the only person whose expression turned subtle.
The guard hesitated before cautiously explaining, “Every year during Girls’ Day, Qingfeng Pavilion holds a special event for young ladies. There are separate areas for those who are married or engaged and those who are not. Qingfeng Pavilion divides them accordingly, and those who are married or engaged enter through the east gate. It’s said that the competitions on the east side involve both men and women and are designed to promote bonding between couples…”
Xie Heng’s hand, holding the documents, paused.
The guard dared not continue, so Xie Tian took over. “In addition, to prevent single young ladies from mistakenly entering, the east gate requires not only an invitation but also a pair of specially made silk flowers that must be worn. These flowers signify the couple’s bond and are said to have been blessed at the temple of the God of Marriage. Supposedly, they had this miraculous effect of ensuring a lifetime of love and harmony. Many engaged couples are eager to participate just for the flowers.”
“!!!!” Xiao Liu was stunned. Miss Mu, spending a lifetime of love and harmony with another man?!
Xie Tian seemed thoughtful. “No wonder Miss Mu never comes looking for the Marquis.” Turns out she already had someone in her heart?
Xie Heng: “…”
Xiao Liu cautiously asked, “My lord, what should we do?”
Xie Tian earnestly suggested, “We should probably go check on her. Our people didn’t follow her closely, and if Miss Mu encounters trouble…”
If not for the clear excitement in his eyes, Xie Heng might have believed he was genuinely concerned.
“Have you found the lead? Get back to work.”
Xie Tian: “…”
‘As expected of the Marquis, he’s able to even tolerate this!’
…
On the late morning of Girls’ Day, Mu Wan had just woken up from her beauty sleep when an excited Yunling dragged her out of bed.
“After years of training, today is finally the day this servant gets to show her skills!”
A bath, face mask, skincare, hair styling, dressing… the entire process took hours. By the end of it, Mu Wan was already numb.
It wasn’t until Yunling pulled her to stand in front of the mirror that her eyes widened in shock. ‘Oh my god! Who is that stunning woman in the reflection?’
“Yunling, you’ve outdone yourself!”
Yunling, overjoyed at achieving her long-time goal, was even more excited than Mu Wan. “Miss, your beautiful face can finally see the light of day! Today, you’re going to make an unforgettable impression on the world. Those who used to mock your plain appearance? Let’s see if they can still laugh!”
Mu Wan chuckled at her enthusiasm. “They won’t laugh, because they won’t be able to recognize me.”
Ever since she had witnessed a powerful official forcibly abduct a beautiful girl, Mu Wan had gone out of her way to keep her real looks concealed. She was barely eight that year, and she had never dressed up ever since. As such, she hadn’t anticipated how stunning a proper dress-up would transform her. Taking another glance at the beauty in the mirror, Mu Wan’s mood brightened.
“Let’s go, time to turn heads!”
“Miss, wear your veil first!” Yunling hurried to catch up.
Having learned from the previous lesson of being almost blocked by Lord Wu, Mu Wan parked the Mu family’s carriage in front of a fabric shop not long after she went out. Then, the pair squeezed in among a group of excited women who were buying fabrics under the special Girls’ Day promotion and went to the back door, where another carriage was already waiting.
Zhu Nanxi was gazing at the bustling crowd outside and sighed, “It’s impressive how they still keep tabs on you, even on a day like this.”
“This Girls’ Day sure is getting busier and crowdier, year after year,” she continued. “I remember it used to be lively, but nowhere near this level. Nowadays, it seems like all young women in the capital flood the streets for the entire day.”
“When did it start, I wonder? I think it began when Qingfeng Pavilion first introduced its Girls’ Day specials. People talked about it for an entire year, and since then, every store catering to women has followed suit.”
“And now, every Qixi Festival, from needles and thread to jewelry and accessories, everything women use is on sale. If you don’t spend the whole day shopping, you feel like you’ve missed out. It was busy enough a day, and yet they still made the effort to spy on you.”
Mu Wan removed her veiled hat with a smile. “It’s not like they’re personally spying. They’re just sending their servant girls and errand boys.”
“Even if it’s just their servants, they still have to stay on edge, no? They can’t even enjoy themselves properly…” Zhu Nanxi let the curtain fall back and turned to look at Mu Wan. Her eyes widened in shock. “My goddess! Who… who is this stunning beauty?!”
Mu Wan straightened her back, folded her hands gracefully, and raised her chin slightly, glancing at Zhu Nanxi with an imposing air, “Well, who do you think I may be, my dear Xiangjun?”
Zhu Nanxi took a deep breath. “Tell me honestly, did the Xie family send a tutor to teach you court etiquette? With your current demeanor—you could easily pass as the daughter of an aristocratic family.”
Mu Wan relaxed back into the carriage with a lazy smile. “Nothing that grand. I once knew a momo who once served in the palace. I learned a few things from her, that’s all—just enough to put on the air. After all, I’ve been determined to marry into a good family since I was young, so it’s necessary to learn the essentials.”
Knowing Mu Wan, Zhu Nanxi understood that her so-called ‘putting on the air’ was likely polished to perfection. She couldn’t help but sigh, “When it comes to preparing for the rainy day, I doubt anyone in the world can compare to you.”
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Her life of comfort will not be compromised by ANY flaw! LOLOL
The ‘secretly beautiful’ is of course a trope that’s worn its way down into the ground, but at least there’s a better explanation for it this time regarding the vulnerability of women in society. And tried and true tropes can still be fun depending on execution of course, when stories have more fleshing them out than just rote ‘recognize this?’ recitation going for them.