Besides, the man in her dreams had to be a high-ranking official. He was so sharp, he seemed like someone from the Ministry of Justice.

There were so many coincidences between them. ’Could my cousin be the man from my dreams?’

At the thought, a tremor ran through Zhi Wan’s heart, and she clenched her fists.

But after thinking about it, she shook her head.

’No, it’s impossible. How could my cousin be the man from my dreams?’

Zhi Wan dismissed her own absurd idea.

Her cousin was always self-disciplined and austere, showing no interest in women. There were even rumors that he preferred men. But the man in her dreams was completely different. In her dreams, he would kiss her, sometimes with a bone-deep passion. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him wantonly reckless. Moreover, that man was so domineering—he had even threatened her the night before last. Her cousin was nothing like him; he would never force or threaten her.

They were two completely different people.

’It’s all just a coincidence.’

Zhi Wan told herself.

"Miss, what’s wrong?" Shuang’er asked with concern. "You look so pale. Is your wound hurting again?"

Zhi Wan came back to her senses and shook her head. "I’m fine. I’m going to lie down for a bit. You should also go rest. I’ll call you if I need anything."

"Yes, Miss." Shuang’er cleared the fruit peels from the table and withdrew.

Zhi Wan lay down on the couch.

With the new ice box, the room was no longer so hot. Still, she tossed and turned, completely unable to settle down, feeling incredibly restless.

’If my cousin isn’t the man from my dreams, then why would he have Chen Jiu sabotage my marriage?’

Zhi Wan couldn’t figure it out.

’My cousin couldn’t possibly have romantic feelings for me, could he?’

The moment the thought entered her mind, she shook her head and dismissed it.

’No, that’s too absurd.’

She had always respected her cousin, and he had always doted on her like a real sister. How could she entertain such a profane thought about him? It was truly improper of her.

’I must be overthinking things. The incident with Dongxiang and Bai Yi... Chen Jiu must have acted on his own. It has nothing to do with my cousin.’

Zhi Wan’s head ached terribly. She rubbed her brow and forced herself to stop thinking about it.

...

For the next few days, Zhi Wan stayed in the mansion to recover and didn’t go anywhere. To her surprise, she didn’t dream of that man again. She assumed he had finally seen reason and given up, and would never bother her again.

A wave of relief washed over her.

One day, while Zhi Wan was taking her afternoon nap, Shuang’er came in with a strange look on her face.

"Miss, Miss Jinglan and Miss Lu Lan are back. And they brought someone with them."

Zhi Wan wasn’t surprised to hear they had returned.

Lu Jinglan had gone to Yangzhou for the Princely Heir, but he had left Yangzhou for Jiangning, so of course she wasn’t going to linger there.

"Who did they bring back?" Zhi Wan asked casually.

"I’ve never seen her before, but the girl is very beautiful, with an excellent figure," Shuang’er said. "I don’t know who started the rumor, but now everyone in the mansion is saying she served the Princely Heir in Yangzhou. Lady Wei has been summoned to Fushou Hall by Old Madam Lu. It seems they’re going to discuss giving this girl a formal status."

Zhi Wan was startled.

’A girl who served my cousin?’

’I was with him almost constantly in Yangzhou. How could I not know about a girl serving him?’

’Could it be one of those courtesans Liang Qixian sent over?’

’But my cousin only accepted them to put Liang Qixian off his guard. He never actually let them serve him.’

Thinking of this, she couldn’t sit still any longer. She stood up and said, "Let’s go take a look."

「Fushou Hall.」

Lady Wei sized up the girl standing in the hall. After a moment, she asked, "Did you serve my son in Yangzhou?"

Chuchu shyly lowered her head. "I was fortunate enough to be in Mr. Lu’s care for a time."

Seeing that the girl was indeed uncommonly beautiful, Lady Wei felt a flicker of doubt. Her son had always been chaste and disciplined. She had even offered to find him a few concubines, but he had refused every time.

Why would he take a concubine after a single trip to Yangzhou?

This wasn’t like her son at all.

Besides, even if her son really was involved with this girl, he would have written to inform her and let her handle the arrangements. He wouldn’t have had Lu Jinglan bring the person back.

Something was definitely amiss.

"And here I thought Jinzhi didn’t like women," Lady Lou, who was enjoying the drama from the side, chimed in mockingly. "It seems even the greatest hero is powerless before a beauty. For all his abilities, isn’t Jinzhi now utterly smitten with a girl from Yangzhou? I have to admit, this Miss Chuchu is quite a vision. If I were a man, I’d be smitten too."

Chuchu blushed and lowered her head even further.

Lady Wei shot Lady Lou a displeased glance. "Only someone uncultured would be so easily charmed by looks like hers. My Jinzhi has far more willpower than that. He can’t be bewitched by just any common girl."

Her words simultaneously mocked Lady Lou’s lack of worldliness and belittled Chuchu’s looks.

With a sorrowful expression, Chuchu said, "Mr. Lu is of noble status. It is true that I am unworthy."

Lady Lou sighed. "How heartbreaking. I can take it when my dear sister-in-law belittles me, but what has poor Chuchu done to deserve this? *Sigh*!"

"That’s enough," Old Madam Lu said, finally speaking up. "Since Chuchu has served Jinzhi, let her stay."

She had long been eager to hold a great-grandson, but Jinzhi had shown no intention of marrying over the years, and he didn’t even have a single concubine. She had pressed him several times, but this grandson of hers was very strong-willed; no amount of urging had any effect.

Now that a woman had finally appeared in his life, she was more than happy to see things develop.

It didn’t matter if the girl was of low birth. She could stay on as Jinzhi’s concubine. That was far better than him having no women at all.

"Mother, let’s wait until Jinzhi returns to discuss this matter," Lady Wei said with a frown.

Old Madam Lu said unhappily, "Who knows when Jinzhi will be back. Just do as I say and let Chuchu stay for now."

Lu Jinglan immediately chimed in. "That’s right, Sister-in-law. Chuchu traveled a great distance to come to the Capital City with Lan’er and me. She has no family or friends here. Where else could she go but the Duke Dingguo Mansion?

Just follow Mother’s wishes and let Chuchu stay for now.

Jinzhi has always been a man of his word. Since Chuchu served him, he will surely take responsibility for her.

His departure was sudden and hasty, which is why he had to leave Chuchu behind at the villa."

"Yes, Aunt," Lu Lan added. "Elder Tian also said Chuchu was with Big Brother. He didn’t just keep her at the villa; he even took her to Pan Yun Mountain Villa."

Lady Wei’s expression darkened. ’Neither of these two has good intentions.’

She was about to say something, but Old Madam Lu cut her off. "Enough. Haven’t you always been worried about Jinzhi’s marriage? You should be happy that he finally has someone. If you have reservations, you can arrange for Chuchu to serve as a maid in Jinzhi’s courtyard for now. Once he returns, we’ll hurry and arrange his wedding. After the new bride is in the mansion, we can elevate Chuchu’s status. It will be a natural progression, and no one will have grounds to gossip."