Moonlit Reunion [子夜归]

Chapter 7

Wu Zhen never liked dragging things out, so once she learned that the eldest son of the Mei family had an Implacable Bone, she wasted no time, made up an excuse about urgent business, and left Yudai Pool on horseback, leaving her little followers behind.

After all, she needed to secure that cursed bone quickly; otherwise, if Mei's eldest son wasn't careful, he might end up getting himself killed because of it. The Mei family's eldest son lived in the Changle District, near the eastern wall. It didn't take long for Wu Zhen to track down his address, so she headed towards Chunming Gate, took a turn south, and arrived near the east wall of Changle District. True to her nature, she avoided the main gate and decided to scale the wall instead.

She tied her chestnut horse to a locust tree by the roadside, and it obediently waited in the shade. Though the horse appeared gentle around Wu Zhen, it was ferocious towards strangers. Any thief bold enough to try stealing it would likely get trampled to death.

With no fear of someone taking her horse, Wu Zhen patted its head and moved to the foot of the tall district wall. After a quick check to make sure no one was watching, she climbed up, scaling the wall in just a few agile moves before leaping over to the other side.

Once over the district wall, she still needed to get over the outer wall of Mei's residence. That wall wasn't very high, so she easily vaulted over it without even needing to steady herself. After all, it was someone's home, so she first peeked over the wall to make sure the coast was clear before jumping down.

Mei Zhuyu, the eldest son of the Mei family, had moved here from Quzhou a year ago. With both parents deceased and no siblings, his closest relatives in Chang'an were Mei Si and Consort Mei. But, according to Mei Si, this young man was hardly sociable, preferring to keep to himself. Wu Zhen glanced around from the wall and could tell that he indeed liked peace and quiet—there wasn't even a single servant in the courtyard.

The place seemed small to her, especially compared to her family's estate, but it was adequate for one person. She'd jumped straight into the inner courtyard where the master's quarters were; the front courtyard was silent, and she paused, listening to a faint rustling from the rear courtyard, but paid it no mind.

If Mei Zhuyu didn't have the Implacable Bone on him, then it had to be somewhere in his room. She planned to search here first and then think of another plan if she couldn't find it.

Despite being here to 'steal,' Wu Zhen had the air of a guest, even taking a moment to admire the scenery in the courtyard. People of the time loved bright reds and purples, often planting flowering shrubs like peach trees, hydrangeas, and hibiscus in their yards. But in Mei Zhuyu's courtyard, all she saw were shades of green, with not a single bright color in sight.

Vines draped down from the wall, and within the courtyard were pines, a cluster of bamboo by the window, and a loquat tree with green, unripe fruits hanging on its branches. A small pond lay in front of the veranda, with a few newly-sprouted lotus leaves standing upright in the water. Clumps of iris grew between the large stones around the pond, displaying a fresh spring green.

Everything, from the doors and window frames to the wooden pillars of the veranda, was a somber wood tone. Not even a red-painted column broke the subdued elegance and... chill.

In this season, so close to summer, the courtyard's coldness sent a shiver through Wu Zhen.

"Heavens, marrying a man like this would be enough to bore someone to death," she muttered as she pushed open Mei Zhuyu's door.

Wu Zhen had timed it just right—Mei Zhuyu was scheduled to be on duty at the Ministry of Justice today, so she had plenty of time to search. Confident, she strode into his room.