Chapter 87 Seducing but Being Seduced Instead Seducing but Being Seduced Instead……

Upon returning to the Qiu mansion, the first thing Yue Guanyi did was to send all the beautiful men bestowed by the Empress Dowager to a secluded courtyard. He specially arranged for people to guard the courtyard gate, not allowing anyone inside to come out without his permission. Daily meals were also arranged to be delivered by the gatekeepers, thoroughly eliminating any chance for these songbirds and swallows to get close to Qiu Shuzhi.

Such strong-handed measures had already spread within the Qiu mansion. Less than seven days after Yue Guanyi married in, he earned a resounding reputation as a ‘jealous husband’.

But Qiu Shuzhi was still unaware of this. Originally, she didn’t pay much attention to the affairs of the inner courtyard. After all, it was the duty of men in a matriarchal society to manage the household, so she entrusted the rights of household management to Yue Guanyi without worry.

At nightfall, she returned from the Imperial Guard camp. Seeing a warm orange lamp lit in front of her door, swaying in the rising autumn wind, she inexplicably felt a warmth.

As soon as she stepped through the main gate, she saw two people walking towards her.

One was Yu Lian, a servant from Qiu Qiushuang’s courtyard, and the other was Lan Er, a dowry servant from Yue Guanyi’s courtyard.

“Mistress, you’ve finally returned. His Highness has been waiting for you in the room for a long time!” Jiang Si’s voice was coquettish. He held a lamp, his light red clothes embroidered with a bunch of blooming peonies, showing a unique beauty in the dim light.

“Mistress, it’s been a long time since you’ve gone to see the young master. He misses you very much……” Yu Lian glared at Lan Er, wedging between the two.

“His Highness went to pay respects to the young master’s courtyard today, and also conveyed greetings on behalf of the mistress. Besides, the mistress is busy with official duties and doesn’t have much time. It’s not too late to visit the young master when the mistress has rested.” Lan Er intimately hooked onto Qiu Shuzhi’s arm. The red jade pearl tassel hairpin in his hair swayed slightly with his movement, catching the eye.

The warmth from Jiang Si’s body transferred to her arm, and a faint fragrance lingered in her nose, inexplicably reminding her of someone. She had smelled a familiar scent on that person before.

She smiled slightly at Yu Lian: “Go back and tell your young master that I’ll visit him in a few days when I’m off duty.”

“……Yes.” Yu Lian reluctantly agreed, glaring fiercely at the smug Lan Er.

No wonder he’s from the Crown Princess’s side, such a foxy and flirtatious air! It must be because of these personal dowry servants, one after another, occupying the mistress, that the mistress, who used to be so good to the young master, has become so cold.

Seeing Yu Lian leave angrily, Jiang Si smiled inwardly.

“Mistress, let’s go quickly. Don’t keep His Highness waiting anxiously.” He held Qiu Shuzhi’s hand, the red jade pearl tassel hairpin hanging by his temple, his skin as white as congealed cream, alluring and captivating.

Qiu Shuzhi silently looked at his hand holding hers, not refusing, but nodding in response: “Alright.”

Jiang Si held her hand with one hand and carried the lamp with the other, passing through the scenic wall where the babbling sound of flowing water could be heard from the garden, the pitter-patter of dripping water sounding more ethereal in the quiet night.

When they reached a plum blossom window, Qiu Shuzhi heard Jiang Si beside her suddenly call out softly and inarticulately, the lantern falling to the ground, and a pair of jade arms tightly embracing her waist.

“What’s wrong?” Qiu Shuzhi supported Jiang Si, only feeling as if something had tugged at her collar.

The faint light from the fallen lantern on the ground was about to go out, flickering in the night.

“Mistress… the tassel of this servant’s hairpin seems to have caught on your clothes.” Jiang Si leaned in her embrace, his coquettish voice tinged with a hint of panic.

Qiu Shuzhi remembered the hairpin in his hair, it must be the blood-red tassel pendant that had become entangled in her collar.

The two of them were pressed extremely close, with Jiang Si’s face nestled against her chest. The warm breath of his speech was fully exhaled onto her neck, wet and hot, making her feel somewhat embarrassed, and she turned her head away.

Jiang Si embraced her waist, trying to reach out to untangle the intertwined tassel, but the hair strands, disheveled by the tassel hairpin, kept brushing against her face and neck. His hand also occasionally touched her soft breasts.

Qiu Shuzhi couldn’t help but move a little.

Jiang Si immediately let out a low, coquettish moan: “It hurts— Mistress, please be gentle—”

Jiang Si’s voice was seductively alluring, worthy of being called a reincarnated fox spirit. An ordinary phrase, when uttered by him, sounded like some ambiguous talk, making one’s face flush and heart race.

Fearing that passing servants might hear this sound and misunderstand, she directly pulled the red jade pearl tassel hairpin from his head.

The hairpin fell to the ground, the red jade shattering into pieces, scattering like splashing raindrops.

Jiang Si suddenly knelt before Qiu Shuzhi. With the hairpin pulled out, his neatly arranged hair bun fell into disarray. The flickering candlelight from the fallen lamp illuminated his alluring features and graceful figure, like a peony flower spirit that had just taken human form under the moon, seemingly pure and innocent, yet always inadvertently releasing the most stunning and soul-stealing charm.

“This servant deserves death. This servant did not mean to offend the mistress, please forgive this servant.” Jiang Si’s voice carried a hint of weak sobbing.

Qiu Shuzhi crouched down, picking up the shattered red jade pearl tassel hairpin. Such a precious hairpin was usually beyond the means of ordinary palace servants. Although Lan Er had come out of the palace with Yue Guanyi, such a valuable item must have been extremely cherished by him. It was a pity that it was shattered by her hasty action just now.

She picked up the broken red jade in her hand: “It’s not a matter of offense or not. I was the one who broke this hairpin. Another day, I’ll ask Yue’er for a couple of hairpins to give you, as an apology.”

“No—” Jiang Si’s sobbing became more broken. He shook his head tremblingly, his eyes full of rippling fear: “Mistress, please don’t tell His Highness about this, alright? If His Highness finds out, this servant will surely wish for death.”

“Why? Aren’t you Yue’er’s personal servant?”

Jiang Si sobbed softly, seeming to want to speak but feeling too ashamed.

“Mistress, although I am His Highness’s personal servant, you are His Highness’s wife-master. His Highness has always forbidden us servants from approaching you even slightly. Even for ordinary conversation, if His Highness finds out, there will be no shortage of severe punishment. If His Highness learns of today’s incident, this servant, this servant……”

Jiang Si tugged at her sleeve, crying pitifully, his face full of tears.

“I know Yue’er’s temperament, but I didn’t expect him to treat his own servants like this as well.” Qiu Shuzhi sighed: “Get up first.”

Jiang Si dabbed away the tears from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief. The allure in his eyes, mixed with the watery gleam, seemed to spread out, becoming even more enchanting.

“If the mistress doesn’t agree to this servant’s request, this servant won’t get up.” With a crying nasal tone, his voice was like a delicate young master throwing a tantrum.

Qiu Shuzhi laughed helplessly, placing the broken hairpin back in his hand: “I promise you, I’ll buy a hairpin outside myself to apologize to you, alright?”

Jiang Si finally broke into a smile through his tears. His fox-like eyes still had teardrops hanging at the corners, his slightly downturned eyes resembling a delicate flower dyed with rain and rouge.

Qiu Shuzhi helped him up, inadvertently getting closer to him. That elusive fragrance became more noticeable as it entered her nostrils.

“Lan Er, what fragrance are you using? It’s so fragrant.” She finally couldn’t help but ask the question that had been puzzling her since the first day of the wedding. It was really too similar to her.

Jiang Si lowered his head coyly, biting his lip shyly: “In response to the mistress, this is just a fragrance this servant mixed himself. Freshly bloomed peonies, jasmine, begonias, and other flowers are ground into a rouge-like cream, then ground into powder. The fragrance lasts for a long time… If the mistress likes it, this servant will use this fragrance every day from now on… for you to smell…”

Jiang Si’s voice grew increasingly faint, the last part almost as soft as a lover’s whisper.

Qiu Shuzhi just smiled faintly, not answering him.

But Jiang Si became anxious. He timidly raised his eyes to look at Qiu Shuzhi: “Does the mistress also have knowledge of fragrances?”

Qiu Shuzhi shook her head. The mottled light, like flowing gold and scattered moonlight, cast upon her profile: “I just feel that the scent on you is very similar to someone.”

Jiang Si smiled with curved brows: “Could it be some man the mistress fancies?”

Qiu Shuzhi chuckled softly: “She’s a woman.”

“A woman?” Jiang Si’s smile abruptly ceased, his gaze looking at Qiu Shuzhi in astonishment.

“Yes.” Qiu Shuzhi sighed, her voice full of endless nostalgia.

Jiang Si’s hand holding the lamp trembled slightly: “I wonder what kind of woman she was, to make the mistress remember her for so long?”

Qiu Shuzhi raised her head, looking at the moon obscured by dark clouds, the moonlight filtering through was hazy.

“She was a beautiful woman, majestic and gorgeous, unparalleled in this era, just like the peony on your body, brilliantly unmatched, even surpassing men…… Unfortunately, she died… but I just can’t forget her.”

Jiang Si suddenly staggered, almost falling to the ground, but fortunately, Qiu Shuzhi was quick to catch him.

“Be careful, don’t fall.” He met a pair of eyes as cold and gentle as smoke-veiled plum blossoms, a clear and graceful voice sounding by his ear.

Jiang Si suddenly couldn’t control his blushing and racing heart. He had seen Qiu Shuzhi countless times and was long accustomed to her appearance, but for the first time, he realized how beautiful she was. Though untainted by worldly dust, she had a fatal allure, bewitching his heart.

In more than ten years of disguising as a woman and enduring humiliation, he had never been as flustered as he was now. He hurriedly pushed Qiu Shuzhi away.

“Mistress, we’re almost there. This servant’s hair is in disarray, so I won’t escort you in, lest His Highness sees and gets angry.” He found an excuse.

“Alright.” Qiu Shuzhi smiled gently: “I’ll present the apology gift tomorrow.”

Jiang Si looked at her eyes, bright as spring water, striving to steady his agitated breathing.

He quickly ran back to his own room, locking the door.

He cupped up the cold autumn water from the face basin and splashed it on his face. The copper mirror reflected his wet visage.

Jiang Si, ah, Jiang Si,

You were supposed to seduce Qiu Shuzhi, make her fall for you, manipulate her at will… How did it… He slapped himself hard, kicking over the basin stand in exasperation.

But,

He looked at the broken hairpin in his hand.

His mother viewed her as a discarded child, his father used him as a tool for currying favor, even his closest family members disregarded his life and death.

Only Qiu Shuzhi still remembered him,

Would recall him with such gentle eyes,

He stared at the broken hairpin, sitting on the ground in a daze. A drop of water fell from his wet face, indistinguishable whether it was water or tears.