A Prediction Beneath the Moon

The royal garden became quieter as evening approached. Lanterns glowed softly beside the lotus pond while the last traces of sunlight faded from the sky.

Lin Meiyue sat carelessly on the marble railing beside the pond, dipping the tips of her fingers into the water despite the horrified looks from nearby servants.

Zhang Wei stood a short distance away beneath a flowering tree, calm as ever.

The Queen observed both of them with amusement.

“You two truly are unusual together,” she said lightly.

Meiyue grinned immediately.

“See? Even Her Majesty agrees.”

“That was not a compliment,” Zhang Wei replied.

The Queen laughed softly again.

It was rare to see Zhang Wei speak this much. Normally, even ministers struggled to receive more than a few polite sentences from him.

Yet beside Meiyue, he kept responding.

Even if most of his replies sounded calm and mildly exhausted.

Suddenly, palace bells echoed faintly in the distance.

The Queen rose gracefully.

“I must return to the palace hall. Zhang Wei, escort Meiyue back to Minister Lin’s residence.”

The servants instantly looked relieved.

Meiyue looked delighted.

Zhang Wei remained expressionless.

“As Your Majesty commands.”

The Queen smiled knowingly before leaving with her attendants, purposely ignoring the silent suffering hidden behind Zhang Wei’s calm face.

The moment she disappeared, Meiyue turned toward him brightly.

“So,” she said, clasping her hands behind her back, “what do astrologers usually talk about?”

“Stars.”

“That sounds boring.”

“Most people think so.”

Meiyue walked beside him as they crossed the palace pathways lined with glowing lanterns. Her red dress flowed behind her while petals drifted through the cool night breeze.

“You really spend all night staring at the sky?” she asked curiously.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Zhang Wei glanced upward briefly.

“The stars reveal patterns. Patterns reveal fate.”

Meiyue made a thoughtful face.

“So you can predict everything?”

“No.”

She immediately looked victorious.

“Aha! So the great astrologer does have limits.”

Zhang Wei calmly looked at her.

“I could not predict meeting someone as troublesome as you.”

Meiyue burst into laughter.

The sound echoed warmly through the quiet pathway.

For reasons he did not fully understand, Zhang Wei found himself listening carefully to that laughter.

It was noisy.

Unrestrained.

And strangely pleasant.

As they reached a quieter section of the palace garden, Meiyue suddenly noticed several young noblewomen standing nearby beneath a pavilion.

The girls immediately lowered their eyes shyly upon seeing Zhang Wei.

One of them whispered quietly,

“He truly looks like an immortal.”

Another sighed dreamily.

“He has never once looked directly at any woman.”

Meiyue narrowed her eyes slightly.

Without warning, she stepped directly in front of Zhang Wei, blocking the women’s view completely.

The noblewomen froze awkwardly.

Meiyue smiled sweetly.

“Good evening.”

The girls quickly bowed before hurrying away in embarrassment.

Zhang Wei observed her calmly.

“You frightened them.”

“I protected your peace.”

“I did not require protection.”

“You looked uncomfortable.”

“I was not.”

“You blinked twice.”

For the first time, Zhang Wei fell silent.

Meiyue looked entirely too pleased with herself.

“I knew it,” she declared proudly. “You dislike attention.”

“Most attention is unnecessary.”

“Then what attention do you like?”

The question escaped her casually, but the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

The lantern light flickered softly between them.

Zhang Wei looked at her quietly for several moments before answering.

“Quiet attention.”

Meiyue blinked once.

For some reason, his calm voice made her chest feel strangely warm.

Before she could respond, dark clouds slowly drifted across the moon.

Zhang Wei’s expression changed instantly.

Very slightly.

But enough for Meiyue to notice.

“What is it?”

He lifted his eyes toward the sky.

“The stars have disappeared.”

“That sounds dramatic.”

“The heavens are warning of rain.”

Meiyue looked upward.

“But the sky still looks clear.”

Zhang Wei suddenly removed his outer white robe and placed it gently around her shoulders.

Meiyue froze completely.

The robe still carried faint warmth from him.

“You should return quickly,” he said calmly.

“Or?”

A distant rumble of thunder echoed through the night.

One second later, rain poured from the sky.

Meiyue gasped loudly while servants screamed in panic and hurried for cover.

But Zhang Wei simply stood there calmly beneath the rain, his long black hair becoming damp against his white inner robes.

Meiyue stared at him in amazement.

“You actually predicted it…”

Zhang Wei looked at her quietly through the rain.

“I told you,” he said softly, “the stars speak.”

The lantern light reflected in the falling water around them while thunder rolled across the heavens.

For one suspended moment beneath the storm, Lin Meiyue forgot to tease him.

Because standing there in the rain, Zhang Wei looked less like a human astrologer…

And more like someone sent directly from the stars themselves.

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