The female students at the testing grounds had all more or less gathered in one place.

Jiang Li followed the supervising teacher to the assessment area, where she needed to draw lots to determine when her turn would come. The lot sticks were all placed in a long cylindrical wooden container. Jiang Li and Liu Xu, one after the other, drew out small slips of paper.

The person responsible for recording announced: “Jiang Li, thirteenth position. Liu Xu, eighteenth position.”

There were thirty positions total for the assessment. Jiang Li was in a middle position—neither high nor low. Just as these words finished, from the other side, Jiang Yu’e exaggerated an “Oh my!” and said in a voice loud enough for Jiang Li to hear: “Second Sister is in thirteenth position—right after Third Sister! Third Sister is in twelfth position. What a coincidence!”

Jiang Youyao was in twelfth position?

Jiang Li was momentarily stunned, then inwardly smiled. This truly was quite a coincidence.

Liu Xu wasn’t as relaxed as Jiang Li. Hearing this, she shook her head and said, “This is bad. Jiang Youyao’s musical skills have always been among the best at Mingyi Hall. Last year, her piece ‘Butterfly Transformation’ amazed everyone. This year, her skills have surely improved even more. The better she plays, the more disadvantaged you’ll be later. Even if your performance is decent, it will seem poor in comparison to hers.”

People always loved to compare. Having just witnessed a jade platter of rare delicacies, and then immediately seeing coarse grain steamed buns, the delicacies would seem even more precious and rare, while the simple fare would become even harder to swallow.

This was indeed unfavorable for Jiang Li.

“Why must Second Girl come right after Third Girl?” Old Madam Jiang also frowned. They were all Jiang family members. If Jiang Li fell too far behind, it wouldn’t necessarily be glorious for the Jiang family either.

Jiang Youyao was delighted in her heart, never expecting such an unexpected joy. She felt that even heaven was on her side. This time, she would surely make Jiang Li pale in comparison and lose all face.

Seeing this, Meng Hongjin snorted coldly through her nose, also taking schadenfreude pleasure. Her own musical skills couldn’t match Jiang Youyao’s, but seeing Jiang Li embarrassed also pleased her greatly.

Jiang Li, however, had no mind to care about these matters. She had seen Princess Yongning but had yet to see Shen Yurun. Yet she knew clearly in her heart—today, with Princess Yongning’s uncharacteristic attendance, Shen Yurun would certainly come as well.

Just as she was pondering this, the young ladies around her suddenly became excited, and even the nearby crowd began to stir and boil with commotion. Liu Xu’s surprised voice reached her ears: “Why has Prince Cheng also come?”

“Prince Cheng?” Jiang Li looked toward where the excitement emanated and indeed saw a man in blue robes taking his seat beside Princess Yongning. It was indeed Prince Cheng.

Prince Cheng and Princess Yongning were siblings born of the same mother, both children of Imperial Concubine Liu. When Jiang Li was still a member of the Shen family, she had heard some palace secrets from Shen Yurun. Back when the late emperor was still alive, Imperial Concubine Liu and Imperial Consort Xia had competed vigorously for favor. Only later, after Imperial Consort Xia’s death from illness, Emperor Hongxiao was raised under the Empress and later became Crown Prince.

When Prince Cheng was closest to that position, he was probably only one step away. Yet perhaps because of the favor she once enjoyed, the current Imperial Concubine Liu still retained her formerly arrogant and domineering temperament. Prince Cheng, too, didn’t know restraint and was too sharp-edged. If not for Emperor Hongxiao’s benevolence, with a more suspicious ruler, Prince Cheng would have suffered countless hardships.

As soon as Prince Cheng entered, the crowd boiled with excitement. Jiang Li even heard nearby noble young ladies softly and shyly discussing: “Prince Cheng is truly extraordinarily handsome…”

Jiang Li suddenly remembered that Prince Cheng currently had one primary consort but no secondary consorts. Among the noble young ladies present, some with slightly lower status could perhaps aspire to become Prince Cheng’s secondary consort. She wondered if Prince Cheng had come specifically to select a suitable woman. Thinking of Jiang Jingrui’s “selecting wives” comment, Jiang Li couldn’t help wanting to smile.

Before the smile could reach her eyes, Jiang Li suddenly froze. Not far from Prince Cheng—or rather, from Princess Yongning—sat a familiar figure in the adjacent area. A simple moon-white robe, gentle and elegant features. One could faintly see that he had been a beautiful youth in his younger days. Only now, that youth had long since matured, becoming steady and upright.

From such a great distance, Jiang Li could recognize his appearance at a glance. Or rather, even across a thousand mountains and rivers, a thousand years and ten thousand years, she would still recognize him at a glance.

Her husband. Her childhood sweetheart, tenderly affectionate husband. The one who could paint her eyebrows and draw her hair ornaments. The one who could hold her hand for a hundred years until their hair turned white.

That was her husband, her bedside companion, and also her enemy—the one who had watched her descend to the Yellow Springs with his own eyes.

Jiang Li abruptly closed her eyes.

Surging through her heart came the fond years of the past, fragmented pieces nearly assembling into a complete picture, yet at the crucial moment stopping abruptly—like a bronze mirror shattered. What finally entered her vision was that panicked, fleeing shadow outside the window as she struggled in another’s grasp.

That cold, indifferent shadow, familiar yet strange.

Jiang Li opened her eyes woodenly.

Even from just a distant glance, Jiang Li was certain she had seen it—Shen Yurun and Princess Yongning exchanging glances. Princess Yongning was charming as a flower, her soft voice fluttering—a vibrant, living woman. While Xue Fangfei was already dead, transformed into a pile of bones buried in the earth, coldly rotting away.

She lowered her head, unable to cry, unable to laugh.

Liu Xu, unaware of anything else, still pulled at Jiang Li, saying, “Today’s assessment examiners have arrived. Look, that’s Immortal Jinghong…”

Jiang Li’s heart was currently complicated and confused, but she had no choice but to raise her head and look in the direction Liu Xu indicated. She saw a woman in white clothing whiter than snow, her hair adorned with fresh yellow silk ribbons. Her vermillion lips were bright, her bright teeth fresh within, her forehead noble and eyebrows delicate, her extraordinary beauty elegant and refined. As she moved, her wide sleeves gently swayed, as if she were an immortal descended from heaven, making hearts yield in admiration.

This was Immortal Jinghong. Immortal Jinghong had originally been a courtesan at Wangxian Tower who sold her art but not her body. Later, due to her divine musical skills, she attracted pursuit from noble sons throughout Yanjing, becoming even more virtuous than ordinary young ladies of good families. Even later, Immortal Jinghong fell in love with a tea merchant’s son, who redeemed her freedom. Immortal Jinghong then left Wangxian Tower, hung up her artistic career, and contentedly became a wife.

People throughout the capital all lamented that they could no longer hear Immortal Jinghong play another piece, but no one questioned Immortal Jinghong’s musical skills. Having her among today’s examiners wasn’t entirely unexpected.

There were also young men present today. Seeing this woman who, though married, was even more beautiful than young maidens, they all blushed and dared not look directly at her.

Jiang Li was just sighing that this Immortal Jinghong truly had an ethereal immortal bearing when she heard Liu Xu exclaim beside her, “Duke Su has also arrived.”

As if to confirm Liu Xu’s statement, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, mixed with some indistinct breathing sounds that were also very careful, as if afraid of disturbing something.

After the snow-white robes passed, immediately following was a splash of deep, vivid red—mournfully red, intensely red.

That was Duke Su, Ji Heng.