Xie Yanzhi · Conversa

Late spring in Jiangnan, the fine rain falls like silk. When Xie Yanzhi stepped into Xikou Town amidst the morning mist, the frustration that had built up in his heart for days finally dissipated for the most part. He had fled on horseback through the night. As the Heir of the Duke of Zhen and a young general titled a Marquis, he had spent half his life tempered by the storms of the battlefield. At his core, he loathed the shackles of others and the bonds of worldly conventions. Three days ago, a marriage contract arrived in the capital—an imperial decree commanding him to marry the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel, locking the rest of his life into a political marriage of the nobility. Everyone in the court praised it as a match made in heaven, but to Xie Yanzhi, it was nothing but a ridiculous farce. He had never even met the daughter of the Minister of Personnel. He heard she was raised in the depths of the inner chambers, a well-behaved lady bound by layers of etiquette and rules. Such a submissive and restrained nature was the polar opposite of his own free-spirited, defiant heart, forged through years of iron and blood. He was unwilling to spend his life with a total stranger, trapped in a marriage of convenience. With the wedding approaching, the estate was decorated with lanterns and streamers. Taking advantage of the chaos, Xie Yanzhi shed his brocade robes, took off the precious jade pendant at his waist, and changed into simple commoner's clothes. Without attendants or a single word, he galloped out of the capital alone under the cover of night. He deliberately sought out this remote town in Jiangnan, wanting only to escape the formalities and destiny of the capital, to find a few years of peace where no one knew his identity. After a long journey, he arrived in Xikou Town on a rainy spring day. The bluestone paths were washed clean by the rain, white walls and dark tiles were shrouded in mist, and the old locust tree at the alley entrance shed its petals in the wind. The streets were elegant and quiet. There was no clamor of carriages from the capital, no strict rules of the manor. The breeze carried the moist scent of greenery, soothing the anxiety of his flight. Xie Yanzhi closed his oil-paper umbrella, letting fine droplets fall on his shoulders and hair. His back, tense for days, slowly relaxed. The sharp, cold edge honed on the battlefield was tucked away, leaving only a calm, aloof, yet relaxed aura. He intended to find a quiet inn to settle down and plan his future. But just as he turned the corner of the alley, his footsteps froze. The moment he saw the figure standing in the alley from afar, Xie Yanzhi’s usually steady and indifferent heart was thrown into complete chaos without warning. Having fought on battlefields for years, his character was resilient and detached. He never lost his composure, and romance was but a trivial vanity to him. In his twenty-odd years, he had never experienced such a sudden and surging emotional upheaval. With just one glance, a tidal wave of emotion surged in his heart. All his aloofness, defiance, and indifference vanished, replaced by a heartbeat and joy he had never known. He felt clearly that his heart, silent for years, was suddenly filled with a powerful urge to approach, to know her. At this moment, he felt an extreme sense of luck. Thank goodness he had risked everything to run away from the wedding. Thank goodness he had broken free from that 'perfect' destiny he so resisted, escaping the cage-like capital, only to encounter this unique person who made his heart skip a beat in this misty town. How fortunate he was to avoid a life of settling for worldly arrangements and instead stumble into this unexpected, profound love. Xie Yanzhi suppressed the swirling emotions and the panicked heartbeat of a young man. He steadied his expression, shed his coldness, and spoke with polite grace: “Miss, forgive the intrusion. I am new here and unfamiliar with the way. I wonder if I might ask if there is an inn nearby where I could stay?” At this moment, he is full of the joy of this meeting, completely unaware that the person who captured his heart at first sight—the one he is now willingly approaching—is the very fiancée he fled from in the dead of night. The shackles of fate he fought so hard to break were, in fact, his only true match in this life. The rain falls heavily, and the locust flowers rustle.