Chapter 52: Why does her handwriting resemble his?

Xiao Jingyuan still ended up reading the letter Shen Shuangning wrote to Xie Lin.

She wrote a beautiful hand, graceful and pretty, and also very neat.

But strangely, Xiao Jingyuan actually sensed a hint of familiarity from her handwriting.

However, at this moment his attention was entirely on the letter's content, and he did not pay much heed to this.

He read ten lines at a glance.

The letter mostly contained expressions of care and admonition, without any mushy words, but the final line "May you return safely" truly stabbed Xiao Jingyuan's eyes.

In his previous life, she seemed never to have sent him a letter, or perhaps she had, but he had not dreamed of it.

But if there had been, seeing her now write a letter caring for another man would still be rather ironic.

Moreover, Song Xizhi said she was so anxious upon hearing Xie Lin was injured that she almost cried; I wonder if, in his previous life, when he was wounded in military campaigns, she might have shed two tears for him?

Shortly after, Xiao Jingyuan put down the letter in his hand and rubbed his forehead.

He shouldn't keep thinking about this.

He knew clearly that Xie Lin had fallen into an ambush, but he also knew Xie Lin had done it deliberately, in order to let the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold lower their guard.

Xie Lin is not a reckless bravo; if he were truly seriously injured, he would certainly block the news and keep it secret.

Given Shen Shuangning's intellect, she wouldn't fail to guess this; it's just that there's a saying, "care brings confusion."

Danzhou is far from Jingcheng; to wait for a reply would take at least seven days.

When Shen Shuangning went to the Garrison Office, she realized that Xie Lin's injury must have some other circumstance; otherwise Xiao Jingyuan would not have remained inactive, but writing to the Young Marquis was also not wrong—at least he would be pleased to receive it.

Before Shen Shuangning even received a reply from Xie Lin, she first got a letter sent by Mr. Chen of Jiangting Farm.

The letter said the soil and water of Jiangting were ideal for planting potatoes, so she could rest assured there would be a harvest in summer; Mr. Chen also chatted a few words about Jiangting's local customs, inquired after the Fourth Miss's well‑being, and finally asked about his mother who was still in Jingcheng.

Mother Chen's waist had been ruined by years of labor; Shen Shuangning had already sent someone to look after her, but Mother Chen was unaccustomed to others' care, insisting on doing everything herself—a stubborn old lady, who in some ways resembled Chen Jia.

Fortunately, Mu Yu administered acupuncture to her, and Mother Chen's waist injury has improved somewhat.

Shen Shuangning personally wrote back to him, basically to let him stay at ease there, and she would go visit him after a while.

However, this letter was not sent directly to Jiangting; instead it was intercepted and first delivered to Xiao Jingyuan here, for him to examine.

After all, he did not fully trust her.

This time, Xiao Jingyuan finally realized why Shen Shuangning's handwriting gave him a subtle sense of familiarity.

Simply because her handwriting is somewhat similar to his.

Xiao Jingyuan furrowed his brows—could it be a coincidence?

He quietly kept this in mind.

Immediately after writing a letter to Chen Jia, he then handed both Shen Shuangning's letter and his own to a subordinate to send to Jiangting.

Two days later, Shen Shuangning, on the pretext of going to chat with Pei Qing to relieve boredom, was at the Manor of the State-Guarding Duke preparing the Grand Princess's birthday banquet together with Pei Zhi.

Pei Qing also prepared a prayer dance; Shen Shuangning played the zither, Pei Zhi blew the xiao, and Pei Qing accompanied the dance, and the few of them worked together very harmoniously.

At first Shen Shuangning came with the mindset of completing a task, but gradually she began to enjoy it, largely because it gave her the feeling of seeking a kindred spirit amidst lofty mountains and flowing waters.

Pei Zhi is gentle and meticulous, with excellent propriety, knowing when to draw near and when to withdraw.

This person not only has high IQ but also high EQ; getting along with him feels completely different from being with Xie Lin.

Xie Lin is like a blazing sun, bringing pure, fervent vitality, whereas Pei Zhi is like a gentle stream—warm and moist, silent yet possessing strength, which subtly lets your heart calm down without you noticing.

Shen Shuangning thought that if she didn't still harbor a bit of apprehension, she might be able to become a bosom friend with him.

As for what happened last time at Zichen Pavilion, since Pei Zhi didn't want to talk about it, Shen Shuangning didn't press further.

After the piece ended, rain began to fall outside again, and while they rested they stood under the eaves to watch the rain.

"Does the Third Young Master also like watching the rain?" Shen Shuangning glanced at him.

Pei Zhi was dressed all in white, resembling bamboo and jade; he looked somewhat frail, yet not skinny.

His gaze pierced the rain curtain, as if sinking into some memory, and he slightly opened his lips to say: "I like it."

"Watching the rain makes one's mind tranquil." He added softly.

Shen Shuangning then laughed: "The Third Young Master doesn't look like someone who needs to stay calm."

Only then did Pei Zhi turn his head to look at her, smiling faintly: "Is that so?"

At that moment, Pei Qing personally brought over a fruit platter.

"Sister Ning, Third Brother, don't just stand there—come eat some fruit."

Shen Shuangning went over first, looked at the fruit on the table, and suddenly felt it was familiar.

She reached out and tried one—sure enough, it was the "wild fruit" she had eaten at Hanshan Temple!

"Where did you get this fruit?"

Pei Qing sat beside the stone table, grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth, cheeks puffed out: "I just took it from the manor; I don't know where they got it from, they said it's called fùpénzǐ? That seems to be the name."

When Pei Zhi saw the plate of bright‑red fruit, his eyes flickered slightly.

Shen Shuangning almost instinctively glanced at Pei Zhi, her gaze somewhat suspicious.

And Pei Zhi's expression had already returned to normal; he stepped forward, casually picked up a fruit and took a bite, then

nonchalantly gave his assessment: "Sweet‑tart and juicy, with a mountain‑wild air; it must be a kind of wild fruit from the hills—I guess his mother brought it back from the temple."

Madame Pei indeed went to the temple yesterday to pray for blessings.

"So this is called fùpénzǐ." Shen Shuangning said softly.

Every time she went to Hanshan Temple, a little monk would give her one, and she thought she was lucky; but now it seems it might not be so.

Shen Shuangning saw through but said nothing; she sat down beside Pei Qing and ate together with her.

Pei Zhi glanced at her, then sat down as well, though he didn't eat much.

"Sister Ning, you dropped something." Pei Qing caught a glint of something shiny on the ground with her peripheral vision, picked it up, and looked curious.

"What is this?"

This is the pocket watch Xie Lin gave her.

Shen Shuangning took it over and fiddled with it to show her; Pei Qing looked very interested, for people are naturally curious about new things, and Pei Qing, at her age, was all the more so.

"Is this what the young marquis gave to Elder Sister Ning?" Pei Qing exclaimed in surprise.

Shen Shuangning smiled and said, "He gave it to me."

Her eyes were full of warmth, and she did not try to hide the love in them.

Pei Qing instinctively glanced at her third brother, then turned her gaze back and asked probing: "Elder Sister Ning, are you and Young Marquis Xie planning to discuss a marriage?"

Shen Shuangning didn't even glance at Pei Zhi's face, giving a relatively clear answer: "When he returns, we should be discussing the marriage; my mother is also pleased with the Yongning Marquis household, and my marriage is something she worries about even more than I do."

Pei Zhi could not fail to hear that these words were deliberately said for him to hear.

Shen Shuangning was not an inexperienced young lady; her thoughts were clear, how could she fail to notice Pei Zhi's little thoughts?

Although in this life she wants to choose a husband well, she may not necessarily end up marrying Xie Lin, yet she would not want to have accepted Xie Lin's affection and then flirt with other men; that is not her style.

Moreover, she feels nothing for Pei Zhi, so she should not give him hope, lest she inadvertently cause him some misunderstanding while interacting; it's better to make things clear beforehand.

Upon hearing this, Pei Qing felt a sense of loss; initially she was willing to play with her because her third brother liked Elder Sister Ning, but after getting along, she found that Elder Sister Ning had a wonderful personality, knowledgeable yet neither arrogant nor impatient.

Pei Qing sincerely hoped she could become her sister-in-law, only......

Pei Zhi lowered his eyes to drink tea, showing no stance, and not the slightest sign of disappointment.

Later, during idle chatter, he was just as usual, as if this was simply who he was—kind to everyone.

Seeing this, Shen Shuangning didn't know whether he was feigning ignorance despite understanding; some words were best left unsaid, so she said no more.

Not long after, a servant came to report: "Fourth Miss, Master Shen has come to take you back."

Shen Shuangning carefully put away the pocket watch, nodded, and said, "Understood, I'm leaving now."

Pei Zhi had somehow already prepared an umbrella, and after opening it thoughtfully, he handed it to her: "The ground is slippery; walk slowly."

"Thank you." Shen Shuangning grasped the umbrella handle.

Pei Zhi said gently, "See you tomorrow."

Tomorrow is the Grand Princess's birthday banquet.

Pei Qing earnestly said, "Elder Sister Ning, I'll see you off."

Shen Shuangning did not refuse; after walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and then turned to look at Pei Zhi.

"Young Master Pei, you are a fine person; I hope we will never be enemies."

Pei Zhi was tall and slender, standing in the rain and mist with an ethereal air; he seemed to smile slightly, then raised his voice: "Miss Ning, I, Pei Zhi, will never harm you."

Before, everyone called her Fourth Miss just like the others, but after becoming a little more familiar these past two days, this person kept calling her Miss Ning, insisting on being different.

It was merely a form of address; Shen Shuangning paid it no mind, nodded, and walked off together with Pei Qing.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Grand Princess's birthday banquet arrived.

The Grand Princess loved lively gatherings, and not a few of the invited clans came—almost all were familiar to Shen Shuangning.

And she had not expected that the Song family would be present as well.

Logically, since Grand Secretary Song had incurred guilt, everyone should be avoiding him like the plague; yet the Grand Princess invited members of the Song family to attend—what must Emperor Xuānwén be thinking?

Only when she inadvertently overheard the young ladies of the aristocratic families discussing it did she understand what was going on.

It turned out that Song Xianzhi had upheld righteousness by condemning her own kin; she had handed the evidence of Grand Secretary Song's crimes to the Imperial Secretariat, into the hands of Crown Prince Xiao.

The laws of the Liang dynasty impose collective punishment: when one commits a crime, their relatives are also implicated. Grand Secretary Song had embezzled an enormous amount; to say it shook the foundations of the state is no exaggeration, and by rights the Song manor should have been confiscated and searched.

But after Emperor Xuānwén ascended the throne, to manifest his benevolent governance, he specially incorporated rites into the law; thus, except for the capital offense of rebellion, when relatives voluntarily expose criminals, they are regarded as "loyalty to the sovereign outweighs filial piety," and the emperor should mitigate the punishment accordingly.

Consequently, Song Xianzhi's act of upholding righteousness by condemning her kin not only kept the Song clan safe and sound, but also earned her praise from the world.

The Grand Princess has always admired women of courage and righteousness, so it is no surprise that Song Xianzhi appears at her birthday banquet.

However, after Grand Secretary Song, the mainstay of the Song family, fell, the Song household lost its influence; it is simply not what it once was, and even though the emperor is lenient and has pardoned the Song clan, the manor can hardly regain its former glory.

Unless there is a change in the court and a shift of heavenly mandate, the Song family is bound to decline, eventually being completely struck from the ranks of the prominent clans in Jingcheng.

The most obvious change is this very moment—formerly, wherever Song Xianzhi went, she was always surrounded by numerous aristocratic young ladies; now she sits alone in a corner with her sister Song Yao, while people bustle around, yet no one steps forward to greet her, making her seem rather forlorn.

When the palace attendants led Shen Shuangning to her seat and she passed before Song Xianzhi, she actively stopped to greet them.

"Elder Sister Song."

Song Xianzhi raised her eyes at the sound, saw that it was Shen Shuangning, a flicker of surprise crossed her gaze, and she immediately rose to return the salute.

Beside her, Song Yao was shocked beyond words—just recall that when Shen Shuangning had entered the hall earlier, she had secretly rolled her eyes at them.

Who could have expected that this Fourth Miss Shen would deliberately stop to chat with them! Bear in mind, she is today the first noble lady willing to acknowledge the Song sisters.

Before the banquet began, the sons and daughters of various mansions mingled and chatted, the hall filled with laughter and chatter, yet only when faced with the members of the Song family did it seem as if an invisible barrier stood, and everyone deliberately made a detour.

Song Yao had already been uneasy on pins and needles because of this disparity; now, seeing Shen Shuangning extend a friendly gesture, her sense of embarrassment eased somewhat.

But at this moment, facing Shen Shuangning, Song Yao felt utterly ashamed.

In the past, when she was in the Song manor, she had spoken harshly to Shen Shuangning, even framing Shen Ling in the ladies' etiquette contest; yet the other party not only bore no grudge, but also, when everyone avoided the Song family like the plague, stepped forward to help them out of their predicament...

Even though Shen Shuangning had not spoken with her, Song Yao was still experiencing for the first time what it feels like to wish the ground would swallow her up.

After Shen Shuangning had exchanged a few words with Song Xianzhi, she returned to her own seat and sat down.

Her conversation with Song Xianzhi was not only because the latter had once helped her deliver a letter, but also because she harbored a hint of ulterior motive.

For she remembered clearly that in her previous life, Song Xianzhi had not exposed her own grandfather.