# Chapter 9 Tenderness
A sudden thunderstorm rolled in during the afternoon. Outside the window, the world was a dull gray, rain splashing into the room and wetting the floor beneath the window. Wei Yang sat at the desk, gazing blankly at the misty mountains beyond the window.
In the sound of the rain, Wei Yang faintly sensed someone ascending the pavilion.
She didn't turn around but lowered her eyes and continued tracing the mandarin duck design, saying slowly, "Ying Shan, go close the window."
The visitor arrived behind her, pausing for a moment before speaking—
"What are you tracing?"
Wei Yang was so startled her brush fell. She spun around and stood up quickly.
Man Cheng peeked at the drawing on the table, not yet pulling his head back, and ran right into Wei Yang, clutching his eyes and making pitiful whining sounds.
Wei Yang was both startled and embarrassed, covering her forehead and stamping her foot. "General Xia! How are you here? Why didn't Ying Shan announce you?"
Man Cheng blinked his remaining eye, wearing a mischievous expression. "She didn't know I came up. I climbed in through the window on the back courtyard wall."
"You—you didn't come through the front gate. Why climb through a window?"
Man Cheng shrugged, then countered, "As a military general, what legitimate reason would I have to visit the Queen's chambers?"
Wei Yang was speechless, then angrily said, "So you know that? What are you doing here?"
Man Cheng's eyes rolled around before he said, "I was taking a walk in Langjing Garden, and when I came out, the storm hit. I just wanted to take shelter from the rain."
Wei Yang scoffed. "Then why wouldn't you go back to Langjing Garden to shelter?"
Man Cheng froze, scratching his head, not knowing how to salvage his lie.
Wei Yang found it amusing inside—*This person can't even tell a decent lie.* But as she thought this, she sobered her pretty face and said, "I'll have Ying Shan bring you an umbrella. You should go back now."
Man Cheng rubbed his eyes and pleaded, "Look how heavy the rain is outside. I just bumped my eyes and can't see the road clearly."
Wei Yang had no choice but to say, "Then leave as soon as the rain stops."
Man Cheng smiled, moving his hands away from his eyes.
Wei Yang found it both funny and exasperating: his inky, water-bright eyes were sparkling with joy and delight—where was the injury!
Wei Yang turned her back and pouted, ignoring him, continuing to focus on her drawing.
Man Cheng came closer, grinning. "Mandarin ducks? Is that for His Majesty?"
Coldly, she replied, "Hmph, certainly not for him!"
"Oh?" Man Cheng elongated the word, teasing, "Could it be for Man Cheng?"
"You!" Wei Yang's face immediately flushed red, and she scolded, "General Xia, don't make such improper jokes!"
"Ha ha, the Queen is blushing again." Man Cheng said as he strolled to the window, peering outside. Suddenly, his playful expression vanished, his gaze becoming dreamy and graceful.
Rain mist drifted in through the window, glistening coldly across his incomparably handsome face. Crystal beads of water gathered at his hairline, sliding slowly down his gentle cheeks. His long lashes were dampened by the fine mist, trembling with a hazy radiance...
Wei Yang was completely entranced.
Some time passed before the rain lightened. Man Cheng turned back, smiling radiantly, "My Queen, look—from here you can see Zhongbi Manor... I wonder if he took his medicine today..." The last words carried profound sorrow and regret.
Wei Yang's eyes grew warm. She lowered her head, silent.
Man Cheng wiped the water droplets from his face, walking over and asking, "My Queen, when I came up just now, I heard you sighing. What's bothering you?"
Wei Yang smiled. "With rain that heavy, you could still hear me sigh?"
"Yes," Man Cheng crouched down to gaze at Wei Yang, and softly said, "My heart heard it."
Wei Yang's heart raced wildly. She quickly shifted her gaze away, only to hear Man Cheng ask flatly, "Has Zhang Zhou been mistreating you?"
"..."
"He's always like that..." Man Cheng's gaze grew distant, his tone carrying not a trace of warmth. "He treated my sister the same way—cold and indifferent."
Wei Yang's eyes brimmed with tears. Trembling, she said, "Absolutely not! I heard he's very good to Princess Jinyin, and he's also extremely affectionate to Young Lord Xiangguang..."
Man Cheng's voice turned cold. "Xiangguang is his son—how could he not love him?"
Wei Yang shuddered all over, eyes wide. With a fragile voice, she asked, "But... isn't he General Qian De's posthumous child?"
"My sister drank labor-inducing medicine. Xiangguang was born at just seven months." Man Cheng's expression was calm as he tilted his head to observe Wei Yang's reaction.
Wei Yang burst into tears, her voice choked. "General Xia, are you blaming me? It was because I came that your sister was sent away."
Man Cheng's brow twitched faintly. Suddenly, he pulled Wei Yang into his embrace.
Wei Yang froze, flustered and at a loss. Just as she was about to struggle free, a low, gentle, and tender voice reached her ear—
"I don't blame you. I... from the moment I first saw you... I fell for you..."
The world seemed to freeze in an instant. The entire realm was reduced to this one pavilion, with only the two of them holding each other in silence.
Wei Yang melted completely, closing her eyes and compliantly leaning against his shoulder...
She had known all along—from the first moment she saw him, her heart had been captured by him.
So how could this tightly wound string of love ever resist such tenderness?
Summer lotus flowers, some budding tightly, some green and tender, some blooming with tenderness, dotted the emerald-green pond. A faint, delicate fragrance drifted in the air.
From the pavilion at the center of the pond came the bright laughter of several young women.
"Big Sister Queen, your rouge looks so pretty and sweet!" Shen Mu pulled at Wei Yang, acting coy. "Give me some!"
Wei Yang smiled. "No."
"Xiao Mu, the Queen's rouge must have been brought from Tianjin. If she gives it to you, she won't have any left." The speaker was Qi Min'er, the fourth daughter of Old General Qi. She had a fair, oval-shaped face, and when she smiled, deep dimples appeared on her cheeks—quite lovely and delightful.
Shen Mu pouted disappointedly.
Wei Yang pushed her lightly and laughed. "You little vixen, why do you want to doll yourself up so prettily?"
Qi Min'er half-covered her smile with a fan. "She's just trying to win her Zhongshan over."
Shen Mu shot back, "That's not true! How about you, yesterday you secretly went to find that blockhead Wei Sihu again?"
Qi Min'er froze, then raised her fan to swat at Shen Mu while娇嗔地斥道, "Don't call him a blockhead!"
Shen Mu laughed and begged for mercy, "Okay, okay, I won't! You're not even married yet, and you're already so protective of him!"
Wei Yang asked curiously, "Who's this Wei Sihu? He actually stole our Miss Qi's heart."
Qi Min'er's face flushed red, but unlike Shen Mu, she didn't make excuses—only shyly smiled.
Shen Mu "snickered" and said, "Big Sister Queen, that block— " Qi Min'er glared at her, and Shen Mu giggled, correcting herself, "Wei Sihu is the deputy commander of the Weizhen Army. He's exceptionally skilled in martial arts, young and handsome, with dignified features, like a jade tree in full bloom, stalwart and imposing..." Shen Mu rattled off a string of praise, then suddenly shifted gears, "But he just has this dopey look about him—never smiles, honest to a fault, slow to react, shy and aloof, radiating foolishness, oh my oh my..." As Shen Mu spoke, she jumped up to dodge Qi Min'er's pursuit.
Wei Yang laughed so hard she bent over. Shen Mu cried out, "Big Sister Queen, save me! Min'er is trying to pinch me to death!"
Wei Yang took Qi Min'er's hand and persuaded, "Okay, okay, don't pinch her anymore."
Qi Min'er blushed, obediently sitting back beside Wei Yang, lowering her head with a faint smile, her face full of sweet happiness.
Wei Yang smiled as she watched her. "Next time I visit your manor, you should invite him so I can take a look."
Qi Min'er showed a hint of bitterness instead. "How could he come to my house! My father says there isn't a single good person in the Weizhen Army, and he won't let me have contact with him. Every time I go find him, he just pulls a straight face and says, 'Go back quickly—your father will never let us be together.' He won't even hold my hand."
Wei Yang exchanged a glance with Shen Mu and covered her mouth to laugh. "You silly girl, if you truly like him this much, I'll speak up for you in the future."
Qi Min'er's eyes brightened. "Really?"
Shen Mu was happy for her too, delightedly saying, "Big Sister Queen has spoken—who would dare refuse? Your father is really something. Sihu is so honest—how could he not be a good person? Your father is really painting the entire Weizhen Army with one brush."
Qi Min'er's brow furrowed even tighter. After a long while, she slowly said, "My father and brother both say the people of the Weizhen Army burned and killed, raped women, committed every evil imaginable, and Sihu is no exception."
"Tsk!" Shen Mu laughed in spite of herself. "That's just scaring you. Everyone says that about the Weizhen Army, but it's really just rumors spreading. Besides, that blockhead won't even hold your hand—'raped women,' indeed!"
Qi Min'er's voice grew even softer. "But... but when I asked him if he'd done those bad things, he said he had."
Wei Yang was stunned.
Shen Mu giggled and poked her forehead. "He's afraid you'll anger your father, so he wants to trick you into staying away from him. You can't tell that blockhead cares about you so much."
Qi Min'er relaxed her brow, and it seemed as if a burden in her heart had lifted. She tightly gripped Wei Yang's hand and pleaded, "Big Sister Queen, you absolutely must speak well of him for me in the future. I just want to marry him. If my father secretly arranges me to marry someone I don't like, then I might as well die."
Wei Yang nodded with a smile, but her heart was filled with countless desolation: *These pure, innocent girls are truly happy. Unlike me—who thought I'd found a haven I could rely on for a lifetime, yet no matter how I tried to accommodate and adapt, I couldn't live harmoniously with him. Even now that I've fallen in love with someone else, I can only sneak around, walking on thin ice.*
If only I had met Man Cheng sooner!
The early summer in Yuanliao was stifling and unbearable. Fortunately, rainstorms often came at noon. After the rain, the petals and leaves in the garden all hung with water droplets, dancing in the sunlight. Accompanied by the pattering rhythm, the afternoon garden was so peaceful and delightful.
Wei Yang walked to the stone bench in the rear courtyard, about to sit down, when she heard Ying Shan say, "Oh, this bench is all wet with rain. I'll go get a cloth to wipe it." With that, she walked into the corridor toward the inner room.
Ever since her argument with Zhang Zhou last time, he hadn't come to Rongxi Garden at all, spending every night at Yaoji Palace. Wei Yang actually felt relieved, secretly hoping he wouldn't come back. As the Queen, she had committed adultery—if this ever came to light, it would be humiliating, not to mention the punishment and suffering. Her father and mother wouldn't stand on her side either. What was even more terrifying was that Man Cheng would be implicated too. Lost in heavy worry, suddenly a pair of hands reached out from behind her and embraced her tightly.
Wei Yang was startled. Just as she was about to cry out, a warm breath floated by her ear, and Man Cheng's low voice reached her ear: "Don't be afraid—it's me."
Wei Yang broke free and whispered, "Someone might see!"
Man Cheng smiled carelessly, took Wei Yang's hand, and ran toward the back gate. Wei Yang followed him, her skirts fluttering like wind. She didn't know where he was taking her, but holding his hand gave her an inexplicable sense of security. Happiness was like a small sun, warming her entire body.
"There's no one here." Man Cheng led her along the tree-shaded path to the back gate of Jinyu Garden, long abandoned, beside Rongxi Garden. "Aren't you afraid now?" Man Cheng's smile was like sunlight flickering through leaves, brimming with tiny sweetness. He reached out and gently brushed the stray strands of hair from Wei Yang's forehead, then leaned close to kiss her fragrant, rosy skin and red lips.
Wei Yang's delicate, fair cheeks flushed like pink peaches, yet she let him fondle her as he pleased.
Jinyu Garden, long neglected with no one to tend it, had its entire garden of emerald green and crimson red blooming freely in this windy, rain-washed summer. In the half-transparent air after the rain, lazy, romantic fragrance lingered. Light and unrestrained, like flowers that bloom and wither on their own—wild and carefree.
Man Cheng took out an exquisite little box from his breast and handed it to her.
Wei Yang took it, delighted. "You're a big man, always going to Juhua Street to buy rouge—are you not afraid people will laugh at you?"
"What have I ever feared?" Man Cheng lightly circled her waist, whispering near her ear, "Besides, since you like it, even if I were afraid, I'd go."
Wei Yang leaned on his shoulder, her face full of sweet happiness.
Tenderness, like the rouge in her hand, spread its delicate powder, intoxicating the mortal world.