Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 72: Plum Blossom Appreciation

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Plum Blossom Appreciation

Seven days before New Year’s Eve, the Marquis Zhenbei sent a formal invitation to Fengyu, inviting her to visit his residence for a gathering. Just two days ago, she had delivered the annual New Year’s gifts to the Marquis Mansion, so the Marchioness extending such an invitation seemed reasonable.

What she did not expect was for Xie Xun to personally come to escort her. He led a troop of mounted soldiers, standing solemnly in front of her house. The young marquis was dressed in black, astride a white horse; snowflakes clung to his brows, making him appear even more aloof and frost-like. Fengyu stood at the doorway, gazing at him from afar. Their eyes met, yet neither spoke. It was their first meeting since the palace banquet. Fengyu’s heart suddenly raced, and she quickly averted her gaze from those cold yet sentimental eyes.

Sitting in the carriage, Fengyu nervously twisted the handkerchief in her hands. Riding outside, Xie Xun kept pace, and she could hear the rhythmic sound of Zhuifeng’s hooves against the snowy ground, steady and powerful.

Xie Xun already knew her well enough, at least to a certain degree. Would he suspect any involvement between her and the Imperial Uncle Lv? Fengyu curved the corners of her lips into a faint smile—if he did figure it out, what then?

At the Marquis Mansion, the Marchioness and Lady Lan, as well as Lady Mudan, were gathered in the main hall. When Fengyu entered, snowflakes clung to her hair, and the fine crystal-like powder shimmered against her temples. Dressed in a striking red outfit, her fair complexion glowed like snow. Both Lady Lan and Lady Mudan were taken aback—what a stunning young lady.

Standing beside Fengyu, Xie Xun appeared her perfect match, as though they were a pair of jade figures presenting themselves before the elders. The Marchioness smiled warmly as she saw her. "Ayu, come in quickly and have a cup of hot tea."

Qiuxiang and Chunlu followed behind, carrying gift boxes. The Marchioness’s maidservants came forward to take the presents and guided Qiuxiang and Chunlu to rest. Fengyu then stepped forward, bowing to greet the Marchioness and the two ladies.

Since Xie Xun had returned to the capital with his injuries, Fengyu had not visited the Marquis Mansion. Besides the brief moment when she found herself within Xie Xun’s consciousness, it had been two years since she last saw Lady Lan and Lady Mudan. The two ladies were exceptionally warm toward her. Upon hearing about how Fengyu had been wronged during the palace banquet, Lady Lan’s heart ached with pity. Such a lovely, gentle girl—who could bear to speak a single harsh word to her?

The hall was heated with burning coals, making it much warmer than usual. Xie Xun removed his cloak and tossed it to a maidservant, the elder ladies paying him no mind as he idly cracked walnut shells while his three relatives surrounded Fengyu, showering her with endless questions. Lady Mudan even peeled a piece of fruit and fed it to Fengyu. "Delicious," Fengyu remarked, making Lady Mudan laugh like a blooming flower. The ladies’ enthusiasm overwhelmed the young woman, who rarely encountered such attentiveness. Polite and reserved, she carefully and obligingly answered every question, her demeanor sweet and obedient. Watching this, Xie Xun’s lips curved into a faint smile—this cunning little fox certainly excelled at winning over elders.

Fengyu understood well that the three women’s fondness for her stemmed from their devotion to her elder sister. Admiring one led to loving all connected. Her heart filled with joy—if her sister married into the Marquis Mansion one day, the household would surely be harmonious, filled with the melodies of a perfect match and mother-in-law and daughter-in-law living in peace.

The Marquis Mansion boasted an expansive plum grove, its blossoms now in full bloom, painting a spectacular scene. After casual chitchat, the three ladies wanted to take Fengyu to admire the flowers. Though Fengyu loved plum blossoms, her fragile health forbade her from braving the wind. Qiuxiang and Chunlu often cut plum branches to place in vases for her, so she enjoyed the flowers indoors or seated by the window.

The ladies’ exuberant invitation made it hard for Fengyu to refuse.

Xie Xun spoke lazily, "If she stands in the plum grove for just a quarter of an hour, she’ll come down with a fever and be bedridden for three days. Best not to trouble her."

The Marchioness was taken aback. She had faintly heard of Fengyu’s frailty, but seeing her rosy complexion upon arrival, she thought her condition was manageable. Who would have guessed she was so delicate that even a breeze could harm her?

Lady Lan suggested, "Then let’s stay in the hall and play leaf cards. Ayu, do you know how to play?"

"I do." And she wasn’t just adequate—Fengyu excelled at leaf cards. Even when Qiuxiang and Chunlu cheated, they couldn’t beat her.

The Marchioness had invited Fengyu simply for a casual gathering, wishing to take her to admire the plum blossoms without any pressing matters in mind. Since Fengyu couldn’t venture outside, they stayed in the hall to play leaf cards instead.

As the ladies began their game, Xie Xun, appearing uninterested, exchanged pleasantries and excused himself from the main hall. Fengyu watched his tall, elegant figure until the hem of his robe disappeared around the corridor. Only then did her gaze return to the leaf cards in front of her.

Lady Mudan suddenly asked, "Ayu, have you known Zhixu for a long time?"

"Not really," Fengyu replied, a hint of guilt crossing her heart. If the Marchioness learned that Xie Xun’s leg injury was indirectly caused by her, she likely wouldn’t be so kind.

"Oh? Yet Zhixu even knows something as trivial as your susceptibility to the wind. Are you sure you’re not close?" Lady Lan had never seen Xie Xun so attentive toward anyone.

Fengyu thought to herself: The young marquis cares only because he endured the burdens of her weak body when his soul occupied hers.

"We’re really not close." Her gaze was steady and sincere, and the ladies believed her.

Fengyu spent a long time playing leaf cards with the ladies. Some matters arose within the Marquis Mansion, and a nanny came to find the Marchioness. She and Lady Mudan left to attend to it, not returning for some time. Sensing something amiss, Lady Lan asked Fengyu to stay in the hall and promised to return shortly. Warmed by the blazing coals, Fengyu began feeling slightly stifled, so she donned her cloak and wandered onto the veranda for fresh air. A faint fragrance of plum blossoms drifted toward her, leading her down the corridor where she beheld the plum grove.

Snowflakes tumbled gently from the heavens, resting on the red blossoms, blending red and white amidst the faint, lingering fragrance. Each tree bore wooden prayer plaques on its branches. The afternoon sun peeked through the cold wind, which seemed gentler in the moment. Fengyu tread lightly across the snow, curiously examining the prayer plaques.

One plaque read, *"Victory for the Northern Iron Cavalry,"* signed by Ru Lan—Lady Lan.

On another tree, the same wish was written: *"Victory for the Northern Iron Cavalry,"* signed by Mudan—Lady Mudan.

Fengyu examined over ten plaques, and all bore the same plea for victory, signed by the three ladies of the household. The wind whispered through the trees, setting the plaques swaying—a heartfelt prayer carried amidst falling petals.

"There’s a saying in Sannan," Xie Xun’s voice drifted from between the trees, his figure clad in black with a cinched waist, the epitome of a graceful young man. "If you plant a plum tree with your own hands and hang a prayer plaque on its branches, the Flower God will hear your pleas when the blossoms bloom. Aunt Mudan is from Sannan and holds firm belief in this tale. Every year, my mother and two aunts personally plant new plum trees and hang plaques wishing for the Marquis Mansion’s victories, hoping the border soldiers will triumph and return home safely."

"Do you believe in it?" Fengyu asked, gazing at the young man approaching through the grove.

"If prayers worked, plum blossoms would have covered every corner of Yanyang by now," Xie Xun replied lightly. "But besides offering heartfelt wishes, there’s nothing more that those worrying about the soldiers can do."

Reaching out, Fengyu caught a falling petal in her palm. A shadow passed over her expression. "Armor never shed, horses never rested. Year after year, the soldiers grow old. Would they ever truly return to their homeland? My parents grow older in my memories, fading bit by bit. Since I was young, they’ve always come and gone in haste. I’ve longed for their return but could only watch as they left again and again. When I was little, I hoped desperately for their victories, for Ningzhou to know peace."

She had prayed often but never once saw her wishes fulfilled.

"Time ebbs, year by year, like fleeting fireworks. Who doesn’t hope for such things?"

Standing with his hands behind his back, Xie Xun raised his head to gaze at the blossoms. The sparse, slanting shadows of the plum trees fell upon him—the young general who once wielded sword and spear to shake the heavens now confined to the luxurious cage of the Capital City by injury. Like a dragon trapped in shallow waters, his ambitions thwarted. By all rights, by all emotions, Xie Xun ought to despise her, and yet she owed him a gesture of gratitude.

"Young Marquis, thank you for saving me at the palace banquet," Fengyu said, bowing to him.

Leaning against a plum tree, Xie Xun regarded her with playful amusement. The event at the banquet was a matter he had yet to address with her, and now here she was, daring to bring it up herself. "Fengyu, you truly live up to your word—when your life hung by a thread, you didn’t hesitate to use me in exchange. When you removed the Soul Suppressing Pearl, were you not afraid I’d seek revenge later?"