Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During these days, Shen Xuan stayed indoors at the Xue family mansion. Three meals a day of good food were brought to him.
Although it was a bit boring, he was certainly looking healthier. He had already spent less time outdoors since he stopped his stall, making his complexion much fairer than before.
These past few days, he'd gained a little weight, and his complexion was much more rosy.
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, after Jinzhi and Jingui finished styling his hair, they looked at the handsome ger in the mirror with a touch of emotion.
If one didn't know Shen Ger's background, just looking at his current demeanor, who would guess he was a country ger?
Today, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the entire Marquis's mansion was bustling with preparations for the evening banquet.
Aside from the personal attendants, all the servants in the mansion were performing multiple duties, working tirelessly.
Shen Xuan observed for a while and noticed that although the mansion was full of busy servants, even the usual guards were nowhere to be seen. He secretly thought that tonight might be an opportunity.
Because it was a holiday today, the court also had a day off, and Marquis Xue did not attend morning court. The Imperial Academy also had a day off, and the shizi had returned last night.
After shenshi (3-5 PM), guests began to arrive at the Xue mansion in succession. There were over ten households of the Xue family's extended relatives from outside, as well as the maternal families of Bai Shi and Concubine Wen.
In addition, there were the Wei, Zhou, and Fang families, who were on good terms with the Xue family. Most of these were in-laws of the Xue family, and they were also prominent noble families in the capital.
However, the Xue family held the highest status among them, so every Mid-Autumn Festival, they would come to the mansion for the banquet.
The Ye family, being the maternal family of Xue Fenglin's birth mother, had not visited for many years due to their longstanding discord with the Xue family.
However, every year they would send festival gifts and invite Xue Fenglin to their banquet. In previous years, Xue Fenglin would first dine at the Xue family's banquet and then go to the Ye family.
But this year, with Shen Xuan at the Xue family, Xue Fenglin declined the Ye family's invitation. With many people present for the Mid-Autumn Festival today, Bai Shi would surely make Shen Xuan attend to cause trouble.
He feared that if he wasn't in the mansion, Shen Xuan would be bullied by others.
The sky gradually darkened, and hundreds of stone lanterns were lit in the Xue mansion's back garden.
A famous opera troupe from the capital was performing on the central stage, singing and chattering, and would soon perform acrobatics and magic tricks.
Mama You had already approached Shen Xuan in advance, saying that Bai Shi would have him attend the banquet tonight, and someone would be sent to notify him once the banquet began.
Shen Xuan saw Jinzhi frequently standing at the courtyard gate, peering out with an excited expression, knowing he had long wanted to go see the performances.
He said to him, "You and Jingui don't need to stay in the courtyard. It's a rare holiday; go watch the performances yourselves first."
"But, Mama You said..." Jinzhi still hesitated.
Mama You had specifically instructed them to keep a close eye on Shen Xuan. As soon as he heard Mama You's name, Shen Xuan's face fell.
At this moment, Jingui's eyes darted, and he immediately interjected, "Shen Ger said it himself. Just listen to him. All the servants in the mansion have already gone to the back garden to listen to the opera. Where else would anyone be?"
Shen Xuan smiled upon hearing this and said, "Jingui is indeed quick-witted. It's a holiday today, a rare happy occasion; this is your reward."
With that, he took an ordinary silver hairpin given to him by Bai Shi from his box and handed it to Jingui. This silver hairpin weighed a full taels.
Although it wasn't a valuable item, it was worth about two taels of silver. Jingui immediately accepted it joyfully, thinking he had finally done something right this time.
Seeing this, Jinzhi also understood what was happening. He dared not mention Mama You's name again and left the courtyard with Jingui.
As they walked towards the back garden, Jinzhi somewhat reproachfully said to Jingui, "Shen Ger seems to dislike Mama You's strictness. Why didn't you warn me earlier?"
Jingui remained silent, thinking to himself that he hadn't known last time either, and hadn't he also suffered a hidden loss? And let you get the benefit?
After they left, Shen Xuan looked out of the courtyard again. He noticed that although the back garden was noisy, the usually heavily guarded areas were deserted.
He then quietly packed a bag, putting all his valuables inside. By this time, it was almost completely dark. After youshi (5-7 PM), the night banquet would begin, and Bai Shi would send for Shen Xuan.
Shen Xuan lit a candle in his room and closed the door. He placed a quilt in front of the window to create the illusion of someone being there, then quietly changed into an old outfit.
After that, he opened the window at the back of the house, preparing to climb out and escape...
***
On the other side of the Marquis's mansion, Xue Fenglin felt somewhat uneasy, pondering how he would explain things to Shen Xuan when he saw him tonight.
When Bai Shi brought Shen Xuan out later, he certainly wouldn't be able to avoid him. If Shen Xuan found out that he wasn't Lin Ye but the shizi of the Xue mansion, his fiancé, he wondered how Shen Xuan would react...
Xue Fenglin worried that Shen Xuan would blame him for the past deception, and also that if Bai Shi realized he and Shen Xuan already knew each other, and knew he cared for Shen Xuan, she might act against Shen Xuan.
After much thought, he decided it would be best to inform Shen Xuan in advance. So, he quietly slipped to the outer West Courtyard, taking advantage of the mansion being unguarded.
Fearing he might alarm the attendants, he climbed over the back wall and quietly approached Shen Xuan's room from behind.
Xue Fenglin stood beneath Shen Xuan's window at the back of the room, extended his right hand, took a deep breath, and was about to knock on the window. Suddenly, the window opened from the inside.
Then, he saw Shen Xuan, with a cloth bag on his back, pushing off the window frame with one foot, and due to inertia, he forcefully collided into Xue Fenglin's arms, looking startled as their eyes met.
"Lin Ye?" Shen Xuan was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses. Then, he spoke with delight,
"It's really you? What are you doing here? You really gave me a fright just now!"
Shen Xuan had painstakingly planned his escape, only to run into someone just as he climbed out the window.
He had already begun creating lies in his mind to deceive Bai Shi, but seeing that he had bumped into Lin Ye, he felt relieved.
Lin Ye definitely wouldn't betray me!
Shen Xuan had actually been a bit angry about the money Xue Fenglin left behind before, even thinking that when he saw him again, he would throw the gold fiercely in his face.
But seeing him today, he completely forgot about that matter, and seeing that Xue Fenglin's legs had also recovered, he felt even more joyful.
"Your legs are finally better! It seems the physicians in the capital are reliable after all!" Shen Xuan exclaimed after examining Xue Fenglin.
"Oh, right, are you here as a guest today? How did you know I was here? Did you specifically come to find me?"
Xue Fenglin heard Shen Xuan rattle off a string of questions. For a moment, the words he had prepared suddenly wouldn't come out.
"I..." he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Are you trying to escape? You don't want to marry the shizi?"
'Lin Ye even knows this?' Shen Xuan thought, feeling a bit awkward for a moment.
"I already said I don't want to get married, so of course, I'm unwilling," Shen Xuan said helplessly.
"If I wasn't being watched by Madam Xue every day, I would have run away long ago. Don't you know me?"
Xue Fenglin fell silent at his words. Of course, he knew. Shen Xuan had no desire to marry at all. The notion of him being willing to marry into the Marquis's mansion wasn't because of his parents' dying wish; it was merely a temporary measure.
Xue Fenglin felt a mixture of emotions and wasn't sure what to say.
Just then, there was some movement outside the courtyard, followed by a maid calling out from beyond the gate, "Shen Ger, Madam requests your presence at the banquet."
Shen Xuan froze, thinking, 'How did these maids come so quickly?'
As he worried about how to get away, he saw Xue Fenglin point towards the room and whisper in his ear, "You go in first. Tell them you'll be there after you change."
"I..." Shen Xuan hesitated for a moment, thinking he probably couldn't escape again this time. Helpless, he could only return to the room.
Then, he called out to the outside of the courtyard, "Wait, I'll change clothes first, I'll be out in a moment."
"Why is it taking so long to get ready? Truly ill-mannered."
Waiting outside the courtyard was Peiyu, a second-rank maid serving Bai Shi. Hearing his words, she muttered a complaint, feeling speechless.
However, she didn't step further inside and just waited outside the courtyard.
Shen Xuan turned around then and saw Xue Fenglin had also entered the room.
"Why did you come in too?" Shen Xuan was startled and quickly lowered his voice to Xue Fenglin.
He thought, 'Lin Ye is an outsider. If he's found in my room while a guest at the Marquis's mansion, it might not be good for him.'
"You change first," Xue Fenglin didn't answer Shen Xuan's question, only telling him.
Shen Xuan then found the pile of clothes in his closet. Xue Fenglin glanced at them, pulled out a sapphire blue one, and said, "Wear this tonight."
"Huh?" Shen Xuan looked at Xue Fenglin, wondering why he had specifically come in to pick out an outfit for him.
But seeing Xue Fenglin's serious expression, he felt strangely convinced. He thought, 'Lin Ye would never harm me. Since he says to wear this, then I'll wear it.'
Shen Xuan went behind the screen, took off his old clothes, and put on the outer garment. The fabric of this garment was very soft and light, yet it had a subtle toughness compared to ordinary ones, it was indeed somewhat different.
Xue Fenglin then stepped forward and inserted a pale white hairpin into Shen Xuan's topknot, saying, "With this hairpin, you can go. If Bai Shi asks about the origin of your clothes and hairpin, tell her the shizi sent someone to give them to you."
"Why?" Shen Xuan asked, frowning in confusion. Hearing Lin Ye mention the shizi, 'are he and the Xue family's heir acquainted? As for me and the shizi, which side is he on?'
"Don't worry, just do as I say. Your engagement to the shizi will be as you wish," Xue Fenglin said to Shen Xuan. He reached out and tugged at Shen Xuan's sash, then adjusted his collar.
Xue Fenglin's sudden intimate actions made Shen Xuan's heart skip a beat, and his face flushed.
He kept thinking about Xue Fenglin's last words, wondering what they meant. 'Could he help me escape?'
At that moment, Peiyu's impatient voice came from outside again, forcing Shen Xuan to glance at Xue Fenglin before hurriedly pushing the door open and stepping out.
"Hurry up, don't keep Madam and the guests waiting too long," Peiyu complained upon seeing Shen Xuan, then quickly led him towards the back garden.
Upon arriving at the banquet in the back garden, Shen Xuan saw over a dozen tables bustling with people below the opera stage. Every table was full.
At the center main seats sat an extremely beautiful woman and a stately middle-aged man, who he presumed were Marquis Xue and Bai Shi. Shen Xuan instinctively looked beside them, trying to identify who the legendary heir was.
He saw a young man sitting beside Bai Shi, exuding arrogance in his every gesture, and he was indeed handsome.
However, he bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Bai Shi and his demeanor was quite intimate, clearly indicating he was not the shizi, but Bai Shi's own second young master.
He then looked at the seat beside Marquis Xue, which was still empty... Next to that empty seat sat a little girl separated by one chair, and a gentle-looking woman, who he presumed were Concubine Wen and her daughter, as Jinzhi had mentioned.
Besides them, there were two other young women at the table, one alluring and one sweet, both with married women's hairstyles. By their attire, they appeared to be the mansion's concubines.
'So the shizi hasn't taken his seat yet? Could it be that he's deliberately avoiding the banquet because he wants to avoid me?' Shen Xuan wondered.
As he pondered this, he heard Peiyu, who was leading the way, intentionally speak loudly, "Madam, I've brought Shen Ger from the former Duke's mansion."