Chapter 13: Learning to Behave
The man wore a dark ink-green official robe, a leather belt cinched tight around his lean waist, outlining a tall, striking figure sharp enough to make people instinctively tense.
His presence was cold and austere, carrying an indescribable edge of killing intent. A faint chill lingered in his brows and eyes. The moment he stepped inside, the room noticeably quieted.
“Brother Heir, why are you back from court so early today?”
Xie Ningtang smiled brightly and stood first, stepping forward to take the official hat he handed her.
“There wasn’t much to deal with today.”
“It’s snowing so heavily outside, Brother Heir. Come warm yourself by the fire.”
Xue Ning lowered her head at once and silently slipped the bracelet back beneath her sleeve.
Su Zhan greeted the elders in the room, his gaze sweeping over the osmanthus cakes on the table—and the girl sitting there with her head bowed low. An inexplicable irritation rose in his chest.
For several days now, she had behaved herself, carefully avoiding him and no longer appearing before him all the time.
After that illness, he had thought she had finally learned her lesson.
Who would’ve guessed it was only a tactical retreat?
How many days had it even been?
Now she was running to Qiushui Courtyard again every other day—bringing pastries one day, soup the next, sometimes even staying through dinner before leaving.
If it wasn’t for the sake of seeing him on purpose, then what else could it be?
Still, with so many elders present, it wouldn’t be appropriate to reprimand her openly.
So he merely sat down on the luohan couch with a cold expression and lifted a cup of hot tea to his lips.
Warmth slid down his throat, slowly driving the chill from his body.
Xie Ningtang naturally moved closer to him, asking whether anything interesting had happened recently at the Ministry of Justice.
Su Zhan had always been restrained and indifferent by nature, never particularly enthusiastic toward women. But Xie Ningtang was the fiancée Madam Jiang had personally chosen for him, and on top of that, she bore the Xie surname—daughter of Prince Yi, who held military power in his hands. As such, Su Zhan treated her with slightly more patience than he did other women.
“Tokyo has been fairly peaceful lately. Nothing worth mentioning.”
Women tended to enjoy gossip and household chatter. Men usually had little interest in such things.
Xie Ningtang was sensible enough not to press further. Instead, she changed the subject.
“Brother Heir, the thing I asked you to buy yesterday—did you manage to get it?”
Su Zhan pulled a small brocade box from his sleeve and handed it to her. “Mm.”
Xie Ningtang eagerly opened it.
Inside lay a delicate magnolia hairpin.
The expressions around the room immediately became varied and complicated.
Su Qing glanced sideways at Xue Ning before deliberately praising it aloud.
“Sister Tang, that hairpin is gorgeous. Brother Heir really has excellent taste. It’s such a shame—he never buys things for me. Only for you.”
The words were clearly meant for Xue Ning to hear.
A blush spread across Xie Ningtang’s face as she carefully slid the hairpin into her coiffure.
Madam Jiang and the others immediately began complimenting how lovely she looked.
Xie Ningtang was delighted. Her watery eyes lingered on Su Zhan, filled with the tender affection of a young girl in love.
Madam Dong teased with a smile, “Once Ningning’s family recognition banquet is over, I’m afraid our household will soon be welcoming its first great celebration.”
The Su family held considerable prestige in the capital.
Old Madam Xie came from the illustrious Wang-Xie clan, and her elder brother was Prince Yi—the only non-imperial prince of Great Yong.
Marquis Su stood at the head of the scholarly officials, and under his leadership, the Su family had long become one of wealth and influence.
Especially after Su Zhan achieved the rare honor of placing first in all three imperial examinations, the Su clan’s prominence had only grown greater—flourishing like blazing oil atop a roaring fire, more respected than noble families who possessed wealth but no real authority.
Nowadays, among the aristocratic households of the capital, any family with an unmarried daughter of age practically craned their necks hoping to marry into the Su family.
But Old Madam Xie had found none of them satisfactory.
That was why she had personally brought Xie Ningtang from the Prince Yi residence in Linzhou to the capital, allowing her to stay at the marquis estate and cultivate feelings with Su Zhan.
Madam Jiang naturally understood the old matriarch’s intentions.
Privately, she had asked Su Zhan about it. He hadn’t objected.
And so the matter was more or less settled. In a few days, the two families would exchange birth cards and make the engagement official.
Madam Liu glanced at Xue Ning and smiled lightly.
“Zhan’er is the eldest grandson. Naturally, his marriage is the most important among the younger generation.”
Madam Dong quickly continued, “After October, there’ll be plenty of auspicious dates. We should choose one carefully and settle the heir’s marriage first. Once the new year passes, we can welcome the bride into the residence.”
Great families valued heirs and lineage above all else. Su Zhan was already twenty, yet he still had no wife—not even a maidservant in his courtyard to warm his bed.
The thing Old Madam Xie cared most about was his marriage and future children.
Xie Ningtang’s delicate face flushed crimson. She stole a timid glance toward Su Zhan.
But she didn’t dare look too long before lowering her eyes shyly again.
Su Zhan, meanwhile, remained calm and unmoved. To him, marrying and having children was simply fulfilling the duties expected by his grandmother and parents.
“Then I’ll trouble Mother and my two aunts with the arrangements.”
Madam Dong smiled ingratiatingly. “Oh, what trouble could there be? It’s only what we ought to do.”
Su Zhan shifted his gaze, somewhat surprised that Xue Ning had remained silent the entire time.
The young girl kept her head lowered throughout, making it impossible to see her expression.
Who knew whether those almond-shaped eyes hidden beneath her lashes were quietly brimming with tears?
Still, he wasn’t particularly concerned with the thoughts of a little girl.
After sitting in his mother’s courtyard for a while longer, he rose and headed toward the study.
Only after everyone left did Xue Ning finally let out a quiet breath and slowly lift her head.
The date for her recognition banquet had more or less been decided, and Madam Dong and Madam Liu soon took their leave as well.
…
By the time they exited Qiushui Courtyard, Su Zhan had already gone ahead to the study.
Xie Ningtang hurried after him through the wind and snow for several steps but failed to catch up. Pulling her fox-fur cloak tighter around herself, she stopped where she was.
Su Qing linked arms with her, the two girls walking together at the rear.
“Sister Tang, you should’ve seen Xue Ning’s expression just now.”
Xie Ningtang’s face remained unreadable. “What expression?”
Su Qing laughed.
“Her face was practically black with jealousy. Didn’t you notice she didn’t say a single word all evening? She’s probably back at Qiyun Pavilion crying her eyes out right now.”
Xie Ningtang tugged faintly at the corner of her lips.
“You all keep saying she likes the heir. Is it really true?”
Su Qing snorted. “Of course it’s true. Ever since she was little and came to the marquis estate, the people she clung to most were Eldest Aunt and Brother Heir. Once she got older, she started bringing him food every day—handkerchiefs, sachets, clothes, shoes… Honestly, I’ve never seen a girl so shameless. How could I not understand what she’s thinking? She’s just an orphan trying to cling to Brother Heir so she can become mistress of the Marquis Manor one day. Thank goodness the one she’s set her sights on is my eldest cousin. If she’d targeted my brother instead, I’d really be doomed to have a sister-in-law like that.”
Su Qing’s full-blooded elder brother was named Su Mai, third in line among the younger generation of the marquis household.
He had recently returned to the ancestral estate in Yongzhou on family business.
For some reason, Xie Ningtang suddenly remembered the day she had visited Su Zhan’s study and noticed the corner of his cloak that had been carefully mended.
It was obviously done by a woman.
And not a particularly skilled one, either.
“…Then does Brother Heir like her?”
Su Qing answered without hesitation.
“He doesn’t. He finds her annoying, if anything.”
