A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 19
by Little PandaTouring the Flower Lantern Festival
Light Veil Kiss
Fortunately, the black horse only threw its fit alone—it had no intention of running wild in all directions—and it calmed down quickly, even walking toward Shen Hetang.
“Get out of the way! It’s coming toward you!” Jiang Chenyu tugged at her sleeve from behind.
“It’s fine. It won’t hurt anyone.” For some reason, she felt certain in her heart that this black horse would not harm her.
The black horse stopped in front of Shen Hetang. One person, one horse, staring at each other. Then, suddenly, it squatted back on its haunches like a dog and extended one hoof—as if it wanted to shake hands with her.
Shen Hetang looked at its comical posture and said, “This horse must be born in the Year of the Dog.”
Who knew that the horse seemed to understand human speech? It snorted right at her, spraying a face full of saliva. She hurriedly backed away, and Chuntao rushed over carefully with a handkerchief.
“Fine, very fine!” She pointed angrily at it in the air. The black horse seemed to realize it had been a bit presumptuous, and became obedient.
Shen Hetang wanted to have someone lead the horse aside, but it wouldn’t let anyone else near it—she had to tether it herself.
“Stay here and behave. I won’t treat you poorly.” Seeing the horse had settled, she patted its back with rare affection. The black horse was remarkably docile under her hand, even lowering its head to nuzzle her face and hair.
“Alright, alright, alright. I know you’re a sensible horse. I’ll have someone bring you water later—don’t go scaring people!” Whether or not it understood, she spoke to the horse quite naturally.
The black horse looked at the rope binding it, then looked at Shen Hetang walking away, like a child left at kindergarten, waiting pitifully for a parent to come collect it.
“This horse was found for me by Shopkeeper Wang from the tea shop. He said someone found it and sold it to a horse farm. At first, it was fine—feed it well, give it drink, it would do anything. But the moment anyone tried to ride it, the black horse would go mad and not let anyone near. Even if you stabbed it with a knife, it wouldn’t compromise. It was sold twice and returned twice. Eventually, the horse farm had no choice but to heal it up and sell it cheap to someone looking for a bargain.” Chuntao had asked Shopkeeper Wang, only to discover that he had been deceived too.
But the mistress needed it for tomorrow, and hearing that the young master was a hero who dared to kill even a tiger, they figured even a temperamental horse could be tamed, so they brought the black horse to Jiang Manor.
He guessed correctly. His young master didn’t even need to tame it. Aside from its initial agitation, the horse had been perfectly obedient—following every command.
Jiang Chenyu had secretly gone to see that horse. When her eyes met its disdainful gaze, she actually felt the horse looked like a hero in troubled times, with a sinister, cunning horse face that carried an intimidating presence—not at all like the way it acted shamelessly in front of Shen Hetang. A thought flashed through her mind, too fast to catch before it vanished.
By the next afternoon, Jiang Chenyu changed into the flowing immortal dress1 she had prepared, with white beaded embroidery. The clothing was magnificent but not complicated in its cut—normally, she wouldn’t dare wear something like this outside.
But the Flower Lantern Festival was different. Legend had it that if you wore beautiful clothes on the Flower Lantern Festival and went to the Qingyuan River with your beloved to release a flower lantern, writing your wish upon it, your wish would come true. So on this day, many young ladies and gentlemen would dress in their finest. When night fell and lanterns were lit, women would dance gracefully along both riverbanks, their faces impossible to see clearly. Still, she put on the thin face veil2—she didn’t want to cause Shen Hetang any trouble.
Shen Hetang also changed into the fine clothes Jiang Chenyu had prepared for him. Nothing too ostentatious—just a white gauze Daoist-style robe3, paired with a sleeveless silver gauze vest embroidered with bamboo, tied at the waist with a palace sash threaded with agate beads. He didn’t look like a bailiff at all—clearly a dashing young scholar.
Jiang Chenyu regretted it. Why wear new clothes? The bailiff’s outfit would have been better. She pouted, reached up to his smooth, full forehead, and pulled down two strands of hair, trying to cover his handsome face. But seeing him look even more dashing that way, she gave up and brushed those two strands back into place.
Shen Hetang didn’t know what she was doing to his hair. Thinking that they rarely got to go out for fun, he decided not to spoil the mood and let her do as she pleased.
The two set out as the sky grew dark. The Qingyuan River was at the edge of the city beyond the main street—if they didn’t take a carriage, they’d have to ride. They brought out the fine horse that had been resting for two days. It seemed excited but still fairly well-behaved. Shen Hetang stood behind Chenyu, his slender fingers gripping her waist on both sides. Without effort, he lifted her onto the horse, then set her down gently. He mounted after her, and they walked slowly toward the street—after all, this was an outing, naturally they should enjoy the scenery along the way.
Jiang Chenyu was riding a horse for the first time, and her emotions showed a little. One moment she was petting the horse’s mane, the next she was leaning back into Shen Hetang’s arms, looking thoroughly delighted.
Shen Hetang had known how to ride before, though not particularly well. Now carrying someone with her, she didn’t feel uneasy—instead, there was a certainty that this was how it should be.
As the two rode through the street, Shen Hetang even bought Jiang Chenyu a sugar figurine4. Unfortunately, this scene was witnessed by Li Qingmei, who had just stepped outside. She had also wanted to go to the Qingyuan River, but Wu Daoyuan wasn’t home and couldn’t take her and her mother out. And she couldn’t find anyone else to accompany her—she could only go out to buy a few things to satisfy her craving.
“Older Sister, brother-in-law, are you going to release flower lanterns?” Her eyes shone as she stared at Shen Hetang on the horse, putting on a cute, childish act.
“Mm, yes, we’re going to release flower lanterns.” She remembered this was the bonus from her father-in-law’s new wife—a sister of Jiang Chenyu’s who was barely related at all5.
“Then can brother-in-law take me along too? I’ve never been to the Qingyuan River—I heard it’s really fun!” She looked at him pleadingly.
“Li family girl, do you want to sit on the horse’s head or its tail? We came out on horseback—we really can’t take you!” As expected, birds of a feather flock together. How shameless, just like Wu Daoyuan. A grown young woman staring at someone else’s husband like that, putting on an act as if someone had wronged her. Who was she trying to disgust? Putting on that pitiful act—she should wait until she’s a little paler before it would be convincing!
Shen Hetang forgot that in women’s eyes, he was now quite the catch6. Although he also thought this slightly dark-skinned girl was overly affected, he didn’t take it too seriously—after all, it had nothing to do with him. But since Jiang Chenyu had already rejected her directly, he didn’t need to say anything.
He simply nodded, patted the horse’s hindquarters twice, and left Li Qingmei standing there as they rode out of the main street toward the edge of the city.
Li Qingmei’s eyes held unwillingness and jealousy. Her brother-in-law hadn’t refused at first—it was Jiang Chenyu who had stopped her from coming along. Such a big horse—how could it not fit three people? It was clearly just that she didn’t want her to come.
She stood there until both figures disappeared from view, then twisted her handkerchief in anger and returned to Wu Manor. Back on Xiaogang Street, she had been the local beauty—whenever any young man had something good, he’d think of her. Who would have thought that moving to a better place would make her charm fade so much? With Jiang Chenyu there for comparison, she couldn’t even get her brother-in-law to look at her.
Shen Hetang didn’t know about Li Qingmei’s wishful thinking. Seeing few people ahead on the road, she let the horse run faster to reach the Qingyuan River sooner. When the black horse saw the open space, it got excited and shot forward like an arrow. Jiang Chenyu, still angry, wasn’t paying attention and nearly fell to one side, startling Shen Hetang, who quickly wrapped one arm tightly around her waist.
She wanted to slow the black horse down, but it was running too joyfully to stop. And Jiang Chenyu, watching their clothes fluttering in the wind and feeling the cool breeze on her face, wasn’t afraid anymore. She placed her fingers over Shen Hetang’s hand, openly taking advantage, the corners of her mouth impossible to press down.
Tilting her head to look at the clear jawline and red lips before her eyes, she decided to act—through the face veil, she kissed him directly.
Shen Hetang’s heart, which had been somewhat excited, suddenly stopped at the unexpected touch. That wasn’t intentional, was it? Must have been accidental? She wasn’t just kissed, was she? Why couldn’t this girl ever let anyone rest easy?
She quickly steadied the person in her arms, making her look forward, not daring to meet her eyes. She could only pretend nothing had happened, holding her tightly so she couldn’t turn around.
“Behave and don’t move around. Be careful or you’ll fall.” Her voice was slightly low, and she tightened her grip.
Beneath the face veil, Jiang Chenyu’s pink lips curved slightly. Her peach blossom eyes, brimming with affection, glistened with moisture. She’d acted on impulse and kissed him—but with the veil in the way and such a brief moment, she hadn’t really felt anything. If only she’d pulled the veil down first. What a missed opportunity!
They had left rather late. Many young women who loved excitement had already started playing by the riverside in the afternoon. But there were still small groups of people—some in carriages, some driving ox carts, others walking together in pairs. Nothing could stop people’s longing for beautiful things.
When they encountered crowded areas, Shen Hetang would slow the black horse. Finally, they saw the colorful lanterns along both riverbanks—the calls of vendors, the laughter of young men and women, and in the distance, what sounded like the singing of performers. As they approached, they could hear the gentle tunes, voices like orioles and melodies like flowing water, making people unconsciously lose themselves in the music.
Seeing Shen Hetang watching the stage intently, the woman onstage swayed her willow waist and cast flirtatious glances.
“Is she pretty?” Jiang Chenyu’s voice drifted into Shen Hetang’s ears.
“She’s quite pretty!” Shen Hetang, relaxed and oblivious, didn’t sense the resentment coming from beside her at all.
“Compared to me?” She held back her sourness and asked again, unwilling to give up.
“Compared to Madam, naturally she falls short by a whole Qingyuan River.” She wasn’t stupid—why would she cause trouble for herself? The woman onstage did have a worldly charm, skills honed from years in the pleasure quarters. She didn’t discriminate against any profession—she simply appreciated beautiful things.
“Hmph, sweet words!” Despite saying that, the vinegar jar in her heart finally stopped fermenting, saving her mood from nearly capsizing.
Along the riverbanks, it was as if the night market had been moved here entirely—vendors selling flower lanterns, pastries, masks, and plenty of jewelry and silk flowers that young ladies loved. This dynasty seemed quite open—at least there weren’t too many restrictions, and the common people appeared relaxed.
“Let’s go buy masks too. I see so many people wearing them.” Actually, she just wanted to cover her husband’s face—that face that attracted bees and butterflies—so other women wouldn’t try to snatch him away.
“Alright…!”
Footnotes
- Liúxiān qún, literally 'flowing immortal dress,' an elegant style of traditional Chinese women's clothing with long, flowing sleeves and skirts that create a celestial, ethereal appearance.
- Miànshā, a thin fabric veil worn over the face for modesty or disguise.
- Dàopáo, a traditional Chinese robe associated with Daoist practitioners, characterized by its loose, flowing design.
- Tángrén, a traditional Chinese folk art made of melted sugar blown and shaped into figures like animals, flowers, or characters.
- Bā gānzi dǎ dào yī kuài, literally 'eight bamboo poles hitting together,' an idiom for a very distant relative with almost no actual family connection.
- Xiāng bōbo, literally 'fragrant steamed bun,' a slang term for someone highly sought-after or popular.
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