Lady Wei paused. Thinking Zhi Wan didn’t know that Lady Lin had come to demand her as a concubine, she was afraid her niece would dwell on it and decided not to elaborate. "Your uncle has already handled the matter," she said. "The Fu family didn’t get away with it."

Lady Lin had given Wang Shuya the idea to cause a scene at the Inspectorate. As a result, Lu Zhenbei was reprimanded by the Emperor and forced to allow Wang Shuya and her son into the household. But Lu Zhenbei was no pushover; he sent a letter of denunciation straight to the Inspectorate.

Marquis Xuanping was implicated in embezzling military funds, and the Emperor had ordered a thorough investigation.

Now, the Fu family was in utter chaos and could be held to account by the Emperor at any moment.

Zhi Wan saw that her aunt was reluctant to say more, so she didn’t press the issue. But in her heart, she understood that Lady Lin’s actions must have been related to her.

’She just couldn’t understand. She had nothing to do with Fu Hongyi, so why was Lady Lin so intent on hounding her?’

’Was I wrong to refuse to become a concubine for the Fu family?’

Over the next few days, Zhi Wan accompanied Lady Wei to meet several potential suitors. However, the candidates Lady Wei found this time were not as good as the last, and Zhi Wan wasn’t impressed by a single one.

Those men were either glib and oily or obsequiously fawning. Some seemed honest on the surface, but a background check revealed they had a penchant for shady dealings.

Although her standards for a live-in husband weren’t high, she refused to compromise on character.

"...It’s all right. We can take our time," Lady Wei comforted her. "A lifelong commitment can’t be rushed; we have to choose carefully. If there’s no one suitable in the Capital, we’ll look elsewhere. Or we can wait until after the autumn examinations. When the scholars travel to the Capital for the spring examinations, we might find a suitable candidate among them who is willing to marry into the family."

Zhi Wan nodded, but ’she knew in her heart that men who qualified for the spring examinations in the Capital were all exceptionally talented. Why would any of them be willing to marry into the family of an orphan like her?’

However, she didn’t voice her thoughts. She didn’t want to discourage her aunt, who had already gone to great lengths for her sake. They would just have to keep looking.

One day, Ouyang Zhenzhu paid a sudden visit to the Duke Dingguo Mansion.

"Wanwan, I brought a friend over! Do you want to meet them?" Ouyang Zhenzhu said excitedly the moment she entered Zhi Wan’s room.

Assuming the friend was a young lady, Zhi Wan readily agreed. "Of course! Where is she?"

"I had him wait in the side hall of the front courtyard," Ouyang Zhenzhu said.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan quickly stood up. "Then we should hurry over. We shouldn’t keep them waiting."

Ouyang Zhenzhu’s eyes flickered. She pulled her back and stammered, "It’s not a lady. It’s... it’s a man."

"What?" Zhi Wan stared at her, astonished.

Ouyang Zhenzhu hastily explained, "He’s a distant cousin of mine named Chen Junyu who has been living with my family. He’s very learned; I’m sure he’ll pass this year’s autumn examinations and succeed in next year’s spring examinations as well. It’s just that his family is poor and he doesn’t have a place of his own. But he’s very ambitious, and his character is decent. I told him you were looking for a live-in husband, so he came with me.

You can have Madam Lu take a look with you. If he’s not a good fit, we’ll just forget about it. You don’t even have to show your face."

At this, Zhi Wan sat back down.

Seeing her silence, Ouyang Zhenzhu thought her presumptuous actions had upset her and said anxiously, "That was thoughtless of me. I should have asked you first before bringing him here.

If you don’t want to see him, I’ll go send him away right now."

Zhi Wan took her hand. "Since he’s already here, there’s no harm in taking a look." ’She had already seen so many candidates recently; what was one more? Besides, Zhenzhu meant well.’

"Shuang’er," Zhi Wan said, turning her head, "go and tell my aunt, and ask her to join us in the front courtyard."

Shuang’er hurried away.

Ouyang Zhenzhu breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Zhi Wan wasn’t blaming her.

The two of them went to the front courtyard together.

Lady Wei arrived soon after.

After learning about Chen Junyu from Ouyang Zhenzhu, she had Zhi Wan take Ouyang Zhenzhu to a nearby pavilion for tea while she and Nanny Fang went into the side hall to meet the young man.

When Lady Wei entered, she saw a scholarly-looking young man sitting upright on a chair. His robes were somewhat worn, but he sat with a straight, dignified posture, not the least bit stooped.

"You must be Chen Junyu, the cousin that girl Zhenzhu spoke of?" Lady Wei asked.

Seeing her, Chen Junyu rose unhurriedly and bowed respectfully. "I am Chen Junyu. It is an honor to meet you, Madam Lu."

Lady Wei had a good first impression of him and nodded. "Please, sit."

Chen Junyu sat down again only after she had taken her own seat.

"Who else is in your family?"

Chen Junyu shook his head sadly. "There is no one left. I am all alone."

...

In the pavilion, Zhi Wan and Ouyang Zhenzhu had just finished a cup of tea when Nanny Fang approached with a smile. "Miss, my lady has instructed this old servant to lead you in through the back door for a look."

Seeing Nanny Fang’s expression, Zhi Wan knew that ’Chen Junyu must be quite decent; otherwise, my aunt wouldn’t have asked me to come see for myself.’

She nodded and readily stood up.

"Wanwan, my cousin is quite handsome, you know! Hurry up and take a look," Ouyang Zhenzhu urged, wiggling her eyebrows.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan grew even more curious.

She followed Nanny Fang through the back door of the side hall and sat behind a screen to observe Chen Junyu.

Zhi Wan was satisfied, seeing that he answered her aunt’s questions with a calm confidence, neither servile nor arrogant, and that he spoke with refinement. When she got a look at his face, she was even more pleased.

Although the screen partially obscured her view, she could still make out his general features.

Once she had seen enough, she slipped out the back door. Just as she was about to circle back to the pavilion, she heard a servant shout excitedly.

"The Princely Heir is back!"

’Cousin is back?’

Zhi Wan froze, thinking she must have misheard. But the servant’s voice had been loud and clear, and it was still echoing in her ears.

Her feet moved before her mind caught up, and she quickly ran out.

THUD!

In her haste, she ran straight into the arms of a man walking in through the mansion gate.

"What’s the rush?"

The man’s deep, familiar voice sounded from above her. Zhi Wan’s butterfly-wing lashes fluttered once as she lifted her head, staring blankly at the man before her.

The man was backlit, and as she looked up at him, his features seemed blurry and indistinct.

She was unexpectedly reminded of the man from her dreams.

That man’s face was also always a blur, impossible to see clearly no matter how hard she tried.

At this thought, Zhi Wan froze.

’Her cousin and the man from her dreams... in this moment, they seemed so alike...’

Seeing her suddenly dazed expression, Lu Zhan paused before speaking lightly, "It’s been a while. Does my cousin not recognize me anymore?"

His words finally brought Zhi Wan back to her senses. Only then did she realize that her cousin was still holding her shoulders. She immediately felt awkward and said softly, "Thank you, Cousin."

Hearing this, Lu Zhan paused for a moment before dropping his hands.

Zhi Wan took two steps back. Sensing the awkwardness in the air, she quickly tried to defuse it. "Cousin, what brings you back?"

Lu Zhan remained silent, his gaze fixed on her pretty face. He noticed a few strands of hair clinging to her cheek, and his fingers twitched with the urge to brush them away. Just then, his mother, Lady Wei, called out, "Ah Zhan, when did you get back?"

Lu Zhan let his hand fall. He turned to Lady Wei, gave her a bow, and replied, "I just arrived." As he spoke, he noticed the young man standing behind her. Though his robes were old, his posture was as straight as a pine, and he carried himself with quiet confidence.

Lu Zhan paused and asked coolly, "And this is...?"

Only then did Lady Wei remember Chen Junyu standing behind her. She smiled and introduced him, "This is Chen Junyu. He’s Zhenzhu’s cousin. He just arrived with her a little while ago."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan seemed to understand something, and his sharp brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He tilted his head to look at Zhi Wan, his voice low and laced with a hint of displeasure. "You were just meeting with him as a suitor, hmm?"

Meeting her cousin’s ink-black eyes, Zhi Wan’s heart skipped a beat. She felt an inexplicable sense of danger. Twisting her handkerchief, she nodded uncomfortably. "I... suppose you could say that."