“My lord, Prince Qi has come to visit you…”
Suddenly, Yu Jing came in to report.
When Sheng Mingjian heard that Prince Qi had come to see him, he assumed the prince had heard about his exam failure and was stopping by to offer some comfort.
But when he noticed the look in Yu Jing’s eyes—like he had something to say but was too afraid to speak it—his brow furrowed tightly.
These two new servants seemed competent enough in their work, but they had absolutely no rapport with him.
Back in the day, with Gao Shan and Jing Xing, a single glance was all it took for them to understand what he was thinking…
He took a breath and said coldly, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Yu Jing bent his back a little lower. “On his way here, Prince Qi happened to run into the Sixth Young Lady. The two of them… were laughing and chatting as they headed toward the garden…”
The garden?
In the dead of winter, what was there even to see in a garden?
And laughing and chatting?
Sheng Mingjian felt a wave of fury shoot straight to his head.
Even though Mingzhu was now his “little sister,” and he’d never actually confessed his feelings to her, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t shake the irrational feeling that he’d been cuckolded…
He stormed off toward the garden in a rage. By the time he arrived, he saw Sheng Mingzhu and Zhu Qisheng walking side by side along the pond.
They stood close together, occasionally locking eyes.
Zhu Qisheng’s face was full of joy, while Sheng Mingzhu wore a gentle smile, her eyes soft with affection…
To Sheng Mingjian, that scene was blindingly painful.
He knew Mingzhu liked Zhu Qisheng!
But given Mingzhu’s current situation, there was no way she could become Zhu Qisheng’s primary consort.
In his dream, even as the primary consort, Mingzhu hadn’t found happiness—so how could she possibly be happy if she couldn’t even hold that position?
His plan had been to confess to Mingzhu once he’d passed the imperial exams. By then, he’d have a scholarly title and could promise her a lifetime of being each other’s one and only. He was sure she would accept.
Sheng Mingjian had always been confident and had never considered the possibility that Sheng Mingzhu might reject him.
But this exam failure had dealt him a heavy blow, and a deep-seated fear had taken root in his heart.
He was starting to dread the thought that even if he did achieve scholarly success in the future, what if Mingzhu still turned him down? What would he do then?
Seeing the two of them so lovey-dovey right now nearly shattered his composure entirely.
He almost let out an enraged roar, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to swallow the words he couldn’t say.
Prompted by Yuluo’s reminder, Sheng Mingzhu and Zhu Qisheng also noticed Sheng Mingjian.
Seeing the anger on her elder brother’s face and the strange look in his eyes, Sheng Mingzhu assumed he was upset about her lack of feminine modesty. A hint of embarrassment crept onto her face.
It wasn’t easy for her to see Brother Sheng these days.
She’d only come to “accidentally” run into him today because she’d heard he was visiting…
And besides, meeting and chatting in a public place wasn’t such a big deal—why did her brother have to give them such a sour look?
Her brother had been so confident about the metropolitan exam, and in the end, he’d failed.
If she could marry Prince Qi in the future, wouldn’t that also help her brother’s standing?
She really didn’t know what he was thinking, making things awkward for everyone.
Though annoyed, Sheng Mingzhu swallowed her frustration and put on a smile.
“Brother, you’re here…
“Sheng-gege and I were just about to go see you…”
“Mhm. Thank you for your concern, Prince Qi.”
Sheng Mingjian nodded, his expression stiff and his face still dark.
Even Zhu Qisheng started to feel uncomfortable.
Previously, his mother had said that children would find their own blessings and stopped meddling in his marriage.
Many young women had started looking at him with rather intense eyes.
Back then, though their gazes were a bit odd, their behavior was still proper.
But over the past couple of months, whenever he went out, his carriage would bump into another carriage shortly after setting off—and inside that other carriage would always be some young lady.
If he continued on, a little later, some other lady would faint right in the middle of the road…
If he got out and walked, things got even more exaggerated—winks, seductive glances, eyes practically dripping with longing…
Zhu Qisheng finally understood. Everyone had been watching closely ever since Xia Zhi entered his residence.
After a few months of observation, they’d confirmed that Xia Zhi really had become his woman…
And when they saw her decked out in gold and silver, traveling in style, living a life of luxury, those young ladies could no longer sit still. They all wanted to show off in front of him, hoping to catch his eye and leap into a life of wealth and status.
Zhu Qisheng had been so spooked that he’d recently confined himself to his own courtyard and rarely went out.
But after enduring for a while, his longing for Sheng Mingzhu grew too strong, so today he’d found an excuse to come over.
He could feel Sheng Mingjian’s entire aura practically pushing him out the door. Not used to being given the cold shoulder, he couldn’t stay either, so he exchanged a few perfunctory words and left.
Sheng Mingjian escorted Sheng Mingzhu back to Lotus Court. Once inside the room, he waved at Yuluo.
“Leave us.” Yuluo went out without a word.
Sheng Mingzhu sat sideways on the soft couch, her lips pursed in displeasure, refusing to look at Sheng Mingjian.
Sheng Mingjian felt that Mingzhu was angry at him for chasing away her sweetheart!
In that moment, a storm of emotions raged within him—anger, jealousy, heartache—all surging at once.
Unable to hold back any longer, he stepped forward, leaned down, and grabbed her hand. His voice carried a mix of bitterness and frustration.
“Mingzhu! Don’t fall for Zhu Qisheng! He can’t give you the position of primary consort, and he won’t treat you well—”
“Brother! What nonsense are you spouting—”
Sheng Mingzhu’s face changed dramatically as she cut him off.
Some things were better left unspoken—how could he just blurt them out like that?
She was a proper young lady, after all.
And what was her brother implying anyway?
That she wasn’t good enough to be Prince Qi’s consort?
That she didn’t deserve Brother Sheng’s kindness?
Furious, she tried to yank her hand free, but she couldn’t. Instead, his grip tightened.
She looked up and saw that Sheng Mingjian’s eyes were bloodshot.
He looked unhinged—almost terrifying.
Sheng Mingzhu was startled, and then her shoulder was seized as well.
“Is he that great? Worth you getting upset with me over him?
“Mingzhu, I’m the one who grew up with you, who’s always protected you, who’s treasured you like a precious gem—”
“Brother… what’s wrong with you…”
In the past, whenever Mingzhu threw a little tantrum, her brother would patiently coax her and cheer her up.
Why was he acting so strangely today?
Now she was genuinely scared. Her shoulder hurt from his grip, and she spoke in a soft, delicate voice.
“Brother, you’re hurting me…”
In the past, Sheng Mingjian would have let go immediately and apologized. But this time, it was as if he hadn’t heard her at all.
“Tell me—if you could only choose one of us, him or me, who would it be?”
Sheng Mingzhu’s mind went blank for a second. “Brother… I don’t understand… you’ll always be my brother…
“He’s… you’re different…”
“What if I don’t want to be your brother anymore? What if I want to be like him?”
Sheng Mingjian shouted.
Sheng Mingzhu’s pupils dilated, and her mouth fell open.
She understood.
The man before her had feelings for her—that kind of feelings.
A flicker of delight passed through her heart first, along with a hint of pride.
Her charm was so powerful that even Sheng Mingjian had fallen for her.
But right after that pride came a wave of disgust toward him.
