He stood beneath a tall tung tree. Clad in a crow-blue brocade robe embroidered with dark patterns of cloud cranes, his raven-black hair, like ink, was simply tied up with a mutton-fat jade hairpin instead of wearing a cap.
The silver-threaded bamboo patterns on his cuffs were faintly visible in the moonlight. A green jade belt was lightly girded around his waist, from which hung a blue jade pendant. From afar, he looked like an ink-and-wash painting, with the right balance of shades and natural charm.
Tung blossoms, like snowflakes, scattered on his shoulders.
Amidst the fluttering "snow," he looked at Li Wanming and smiled gently.
"Why are you here? Didn't we say we're not supposed to meet before the wedding?" Li Wanming ran over and asked in surprise.
"You were frightened the other day. I had to come and check on you." As Xiao Jingnan spoke, he tightened the collar of her clothes with his hand. Then he frowned slightly and said, "It's cold at night. Why don't you even wear a cloak?"
Li Wanming raised her eyebrows and said carelessly, "I'm not that delicate. Don't forget, I'm the third miss of the Li family who can hunt tigers on the mountain and capture dragons in the water!"
"Yes, yes, yes..." Xiao Jingnan couldn't help but laugh. "My fiancée can write to pacify the world and fight to secure the country on horseback. Everyone in the world knows this."
"Don't divert the topic!" Li Wanming asked anxiously. "Is everything okay with your family? I hit Xiao Jingbai. Did your aunt make a fuss? How did you come here tonight? Isn't there any spy of the Empress Dowager watching you? The Princess Chengping invited me to go boating on the lake a few days ago. Do you know about it? Fang Zhi and Feng Xiao are going to get married. Did Feng Xiao come to you for help?"
Her questions came in a rapid succession, like a rushing mountain stream hitting the bluestone rocks, making a clear and crisp tinkling sound, extremely pleasant to the ear.
The night breeze was slightly cool, gently caressing her hair. The moonlight fell on the tip of her nose, like the snow about to melt on the mountaintop.
Xiao Jingnan looked at her, and a sweet and bitter feeling suddenly welled up in his heart. He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms and pour out his worries and longing of these days.
However, he managed to hold back in the end.
Although his relationship with Li Wanming had become a beautiful tale in the town, such tales could easily turn into widely-spread rumors with just a few exaggerated words.
Now that the wedding was approaching and he came at night, if anyone saw any inappropriate behavior from them at this moment, it might bring unnecessary trouble to Li Wanming.
Xiao Jingnan lowered his eyelashes, suppressing the flutter in his heart, and replied softly, "Everything's fine at home. Jingbai said he accidentally fell when he got back and didn't reveal the truth. Although my second aunt was suspicious, she didn't ask too much."
"I'm sorry..." Xiao Jingnan's voice was a bit solemn. The lantern on the eaves was swayed by the night wind, casting a faint light on his brow. "I've just started working in the Ministry of War recently. I've been really busy. I only learned about this today. I should have come to see you earlier..."
"It's okay!" Li Wanming waved her hand indifferently. "I can handle such a small matter myself."
Then she tilted her head slightly and asked anxiously again, "You've started working in the Ministry of War? Was it arranged by the Empress Dowager? How's it going in the Ministry of War? Did she make things difficult for you?"
"It's okay..." Seeing her concerned look, a ripple rose in Xiao Jingnan's heart. Like the spring breeze caressing, his eyes and brows were tinged with tenderness.
"I'm just a junior official in charge of map drawing and information collection in the Ministry of War for now. Since there's no major war in the court at present, there aren't many things that need my attention."
"Moreover, although the Ministry of War is under the control of the Empress Dowager, it has a close relationship with the army after all. My colleagues will take more care of me out of respect for my father."
Maybe the moonlight in the sky was really hazy, making his heart tremble uncontrollably. He suddenly leaned forward and couldn't help but hold her hand. "You don't need to worry about me."
The corner of his crow-blue robe accidentally brushed against the goosegrass in the brick crevices. The blue jade pendant on his waist swayed gently with his movement, like the glistening moonlight.
Li Wanming blushed and withdrew her hand. She spat at him softly, "Bah, who's worried about you?"
Xiao Jingnan smiled and began to answer her previous questions one by one.
"I've been working in the Ministry of War in a proper and hardworking way, without any misconduct. So although the Empress Dowager Kang still has people watching me, she's not keeping as close an eye on me as before. That's why I got the chance to come out and see you."
"I know that my aunt invited you to go boating on the lake. My aunt said that seeing you about to step into a dangerous situation without knowing it, she just couldn't stand it and had to give you a hint or two... Some things are not convenient for me to say as a son and a future husband, but she can. It's really the most appropriate for her to tell you."
"As for Feng Xiao..."
Xiao Jingnan paused slightly. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up, and a sly smile flashed in his eyes. "He came to me twice and poured out his grievances. He even said that if the Empress Dowager really forced him into marriage, he would leave home and would rather wander the world than submit. But in my opinion..."
His eyes twinkled, and the smile in them became even stronger. "He and Miss Fang might really be a pair of happy rivals! Feng Xiao has a lively personality. Ordinary gentle ladies are actually not suitable for him. Maybe only a feisty girl like her can match him."
Li Wanming remembered the lively scene on the East Lake that day. The two of them were at odds with each other, exchanging sharp remarks one after another. They were really well-matched.
Looking at it this way, this marriage... might not be that bad?
But thinking of what the Princess Chengping said, she still couldn't help but feel a bit worried. "But Fang Zhi and Feng Xiao are both unwilling. And Prime Minister Fang and General Feng don't really want to form this alliance either..."
"Did my aunt tell you that?" Xiao Jingnan raised one eyebrow slightly.
"Yeah." Li Wanming nodded and asked again, "Is there something wrong?"
"It's not wrong. It's just that in the court, people only care about interests and don't ask about the past when choosing sides."
Xiao Jingnan reached out his hand and picked up a tung blossom that had fallen into her hair. The flower crown was like snow, glistening and clustered. But in this late spring night, it already showed some signs of withering.
"General Feng only wants to recover the lost land in the southern border and hates the disputes and empty talks in the court. But he also knows that without the strong support from the court, the so - called recovery of the southern border will always be just an empty talk."
"Prime Minister Fang has deeper intentions. Sometimes even I can't figure out what he's up to. It's really hard to say whether he approves of this marriage or not..."
He loosened his fingertips, and the tung blossom fluttered down, like the cold moon scattered into the night with the wind, disappearing in the darkness.
"However, the Empress Dowager Kang is self - willed. She thinks that promoting this marriage will bring strong support to her side, but she doesn't know that with the passage of time, this move of hers may actually bring new variables to the court situation."
Hearing what he said, Li Wanming knew that this marriage was a foregone conclusion and couldn't be changed.
She sighed and asked, "Is their wedding date set?"
Xiao Jingnan said, "Yes, it's on the 26th of April."
After saying that, he couldn't help but smile and added, "The Ministry of Rites is going to be really busy recently! First, Lu Songyuan was made a concubine, then Su Xiaozhu entered the palace, and then there are two weddings within a month. These days, they'll be so busy that they won't even have time to catch their breath!"