Xie Jue stubbornly braced himself on the ice, trying to stand up on his own. He didn’t want Lan Ningzhen to look down on him, but as soon as he managed to stand, he fell backward again. Lan Ningzhen’s heart leaped, worried he might hurt himself, so she skated behind him and grabbed his waist in a heroic rescue. Xie Jue felt an intense sense of discomfort and displacent. With lowered lashes and a playful smile, Lan Ningzhen looked at him and said, "You’re so stubborn!"
Her arms were incredibly strong as she steadied him. "I’ll hold you. Don’t be so headstrong. If you fall and break a bone, you’ll be bedridden for three months."
The winter was unbearably cold, and both of them wore fuzzy gloves. Xie Jue couldn’t believe he’d been foolish enough to let Lan Ningzhen drag him out to ice skate. Even if there was a need to put on an act, to deliberately use her, there was no reason for it to involve skating. Wouldn’t a random tavern suffice? Now, stuck on the taphorical tiger’s back, with no way to dismount, he let Lan Ningzhen pull him forward on the ice. His legs were stiff, as if they didn’t belong to him, rigidly allowing her to drag him forward. Whenever he couldn’t maintain his balance, Lan Ningzhen would use her strength to stabilize him, incredibly doing so with just one hand. The strength required to pull this off while in motion was astonishing.
"Are you really a woman?" Xie Jue blurted out, his words abrupt and inappropriate.
With her bejeweled hairpins, flowing long dress, and a beauty as radiant as fire, she undeniably appeared to be a stunning young maiden. Yet her deanor and strength were far too reminiscent of a man.
Lan Ningzhen burst out laughing. "Would Mr. Helian like to verify for himself?"
She guided Xie Jue forward, her long hair swept up by the wind and snow, brushing past his face. Her laughter rang like chis, while Xie Jue, struck by how out of place this situation was, remained silent. Still, his thoughts were crystal clear as he couldn’t help but discreetly study Lan Ningzhen.
He was never the kind of man to waste excessive thought or energy on unnecessary matters. His first impression of Lan Ningzhen held no curiosity. But the more he interacted with her now, the more mysterious she seed, compelling him to explore further—just what kind of person was she?
"If Mr. Helian seeks a fleeting night of passion to ’verify my identity,’ then when will you give a proper title?" Lan Ningzhen continued teasing him, as if making fun of Xie Jue was the greatest pleasure in her life.
"I don’t know..." Xie Jue began, the words "how shaless" on the tip of his tongue, but rembering the customs of Beiman, he held back. Lan Ningzhen, seeing his flustered state and imagining how he wanted to scold her but couldn’t, laughed even more brightly.
She led Xie Jue to the center of the lake, where the ice was thickly frozen with no risk of cracking. The naturally ford ice surface was much smoother than the artificial skating rinks in Fox City.
"I’m letting go now. Try to glide slowly on your own. Keep your balance. Yes... just like that..." Lan Ningzhen released Xie Jue’s hand, guiding him patiently as he slid clumsily across the ice.
"You’re really hopeless. If a Beiman can’t skate, can’t drink, people might start suspecting you’re a Yanyang person." Lan Ningzhen blinked mischievously. Her nonchalant comnt pierced Xie Jue’s heart like a blade. His scalp tingled as his head snapped up to scrutinize her, searching for hints of her true intentions. But Lan Ningzhen rely covered her mouth, laughing. "Are you upset? I know being accused of being a Yanyang person is an insult to a Beiman like us. But look at you. You really do seem like a Yanyang person."
Panic surged within Xie Jue. Could it be that Lan Ningzhen had figured him out?
"With your refined, delicate appearance, unable to drink, unable to brawl, or even skate—Beiman children of three can do all of these. Every Beiman values martial prowess, even the tutors in the Imperial Court are rugged and strong." Lan Ningzhen’s tone was playful and innocent, but Xie Jue’s heart pounded furiously. If even Lan Ningzhen, a re young woman, thought he resembled a Yanyang person, then what about the Second Prince, the Sixth Prince, and the schers in the Marquis Mansion? Did they suspect him too?
In a deep voice, Xie Jue said, "My mother was a Yanyang person."
"Ah, that explains it... but you’d better not tell anyone else. If it gets out, people will look down on you!" Lan Ningzhen seed to think of sothing, her laughter faltering as she suddenly grew silent.
Her words struck at an old wound deep in Xie Jue’s heart.
At seventeen, the young second son of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, Xie Jue still hadn’t developed the steadfast resolve of the future Prince Yan. He cared deeply when others pointed out the half of his bloodline that ca from Sannan.
Because of that half of Sannan blood, he was the son who least resembled the Marquis Zhenbei. Were it not for his physical appearance, so might even doubt he was truly the Marquis’s son.
Back when he was a student at the Imperial College, his Sannan blood had made him a target for bullying. Though Xie Jue was cold and stoic, pretending not to care, internally, the pain consud him. That’s why, even though the Marquis Zhenbei wanted him to take the path of a civil servant, he strove to excel. He aid to be the best, to use his achievents to silence those who tornted him.
And he succeeded!
Whether he walked the path of a civil servant or joined the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, he beca a presence that couldn’t be ignored.
But the shadows cast during childhood were not so easily dispelled.
He never imagined that in serving as a spy among the Beiman, he would once again face ridicule because of his Yanyang bloodline!
"To judge a person by their bloodline is the epito of ignorance and narrow-mindedness," Xie Jue said calmly. Even when soone struck at his sore spots, he refused to expose his wounds to strangers.
"But the world is inherently vulgar. Most people are ignorant and narrow-minded. As long as you live among society, you must learn to blend in." Lan Ningzhen chuckled lightly as she reached out her hand. "Co now, my beautiful one, don’t be mad. Let’s keep playing."
The way she called him "beautiful one" was utterly ridiculous. Xie Jue swatted her hand away. He didn’t need her help anymore. After falling several tis, he began to grasp the basics of skating and could maintain his balance.
Yet the ice was rciless to beginners. Xie Jue fell several more tis after managing a few successful glides. Lan Ningzhen didn’t help him this ti. Instead, she stood nearby, hands on her hips, laughing as though thoroughly enjoying his embarrassnt. Xie Jue couldn’t let it slide, stubbornly climbing back to his feet to keep practicing.
As she watched him clumsily glide across the ice, Lan Ningzhen’s gaze burned with intensity, and she let out a soft sigh. "So stubborn!"
She skated over, the silver bells on her waist jingling crisply. Xie Jue silently vowed to master ice skating. Lan Ningzhen had reminded him—soone who couldn’t drink, skate, or brawl couldn’t possibly consider themselves a true Beiman. At least he needed to master one of those skills. Who knew when it might co in handy? As he skated, he regretted skipping out on such things in his youth, when Fang Chuning, Zhang Boju, and the others were learning them. Lost in thought over the past, he lost his balance and once again fell into Lan Ningzhen’s arms. She gleefully seized the opportunity to mock him, "Throwing yourself into my arms again, beautiful one?"
"It’s such a sha you were born a woman!" Xie Jue muttered. If she were a man, she’d undoubtedly be soone who stirred up endless trouble. His mind wandered to Fang Chuning, another man who seed to draw trouble like moths to a fla.
"If I were a man, how would I tease you?" Lan Ningzhen’s warm breath tickled his ear, making the already frozen tips of his ears seem oddly hot.
What nonsense was she rambling about now!
Irritated, Xie Jue shoved her away, but she persistently skated back, cutting him off. The wind and snow swirled between them, adding a biting chill to the air. With her eyes sparkling with laughter, Lan Ningzhen asked him, "Helian, if I were a man, could I flirt with you like this too?"
Xie Jue: "..."
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