Seventh Miss’s heart was truly a tangle of conflicting emotions.

Though she deeply feared that Fifth Miss might act rashly in her impulsiveness and do something irreversible that would embarrass the entire household,

hearing how she had so cleanly and decisively compromised with reality also inevitably left a faint sense of melancholy in her heart.

Countless emotions surged through her mind, gradually settling into a sigh of relief.

How could Fifth Miss not hear the feelings in Seventh Miss’s heart?

Her eyes darkened even more alarmingly.

She lowered her head and sighed softly, “Sometimes, I truly find it hard to like you.”

This wasn’t the first time Fifth Miss had expressed such sentiments.

But each time she said this, Seventh Miss always felt that the person Fifth Miss truly couldn’t like was herself.

“That day when you and Cousin were talking near the Moon Arrival Pavilion, Guyu saw you and came back to tell me.” Fifth Miss was already immersed in her own thoughts. “I stood far away and watched for a while… Don’t think I’m a fool, Yang Qi—your feelings are clearly written all over your face!”

It seemed that day in the Hundred Fragrance Garden had indeed been too reckless.

Seventh Miss lowered her gaze to her toes and said nothing.

“This marriage proposal is for me, I’m unwilling, Cousin is unwilling—are you willing then?” Fifth Miss seemed to be questioning herself, yet also venting without restraint. “What should have been a mutually agreeable matter, why did you have to make it like this… Making it turn out this way, are you happy?”

By the end, her voice carried a sob.

The bitterness in Seventh Miss’s heart suddenly surged like boiling water, like overwhelming snow piling up around her in disaster.

“Does it matter whether I’m happy or not?” She lowered her head and murmured, “Fifth Sister, let me teach you another lesson that won’t be wrong… You must remember, the only person in this world who cares most about you is yourself. Once you’ve managed yourself properly, it won’t be too late to worry about others’ affairs.”

Fifth Miss pursed her lips.

“Heartless and disloyal.”

These four words were light and floating, carrying slight disdain yet indescribable helplessness. Falling into Seventh Miss’s ears, they were like a needle drilling into her heart, immediately piercing through to her very core.

She stood up silently and left the room.

Within a few days, Fifth Miss had recovered.

After all, being young with abundant vitality, eating a few doses of medicine made her like nothing had happened. She was once again that proud little girl, emanating haughtiness from her toes to the tips of her hair.

Toward Seventh Miss, she also seemed to return to their previous relationship of being both rivals and friends, with competition mixed with a trace of concern.

Only when no one was around, the emotions occasionally flashing in her eyes revealed that this young lady had finally gained a few more matters weighing on her heart.

Xu Fengjia, however, grew increasingly gloomy.

The few times they encountered each other during morning greetings, Seventh Miss could feel that the pressure around him was noticeably lower than others.

The looks he cast toward Seventh Miss were even more severe, and faintly carried a sense of frustrated desperation.

The letter from the Xu family proposing marriage still hadn’t arrived. Seventh Miss imagined that Xu Fengjia must also be bearing considerable pressure in this matter.

Only now, with Fifth Miss having already yielded and their marriage nearly a foregone conclusion, she didn’t believe Xu Fengjia could single-handedly reverse the situation.

Just getting past the Grand Madam would be absolutely impossible. Such a good son-in-law, if not for Fifth Miss, wouldn’t be the husband of any other Yang family daughter either.

But given his youthful temperament…

She truly worried day and night that Xu Fengjia might desperately insist on coming to propose marriage, making everyone in the family lose face.

Only Xu Fengjia was also busy, never home from morning till night. She also had to consider propriety between men and women and couldn’t appropriately seek him out for a private conversation—if word got out, her reputation would be ruined. The Great Qin’s requirements for women’s virtue were ultimately far stricter than modern times.

Thinking left and right, she could only ask Ninth Brother to act as intermediary.

#

Even asking Ninth Brother to act as intermediary wasn’t easy.

Mountain Pond Academy had heavy coursework, and Ninth Brother lived far away. The commute alone consumed considerable time, not to mention that Ninth Brother was very good at adding to his own workload—of twelve hours in a day, he wished he could spend ten reading.

To speak with him, she had to find the right time when the young master was free before she could visit.

So Seventh Miss took advantage of Mountain Pond Academy’s rest day and entered the Achieving Success Residence.

This was a modest two-story building with three courtyards front to back, planted full of apricot trees inside and out, taking the auspicious meaning from the red apricots of Qujiang. It was exactly flowering season—red and white apricot blossoms bloomed full on every branch, with bees and butterflies noisily flying up and down, creating quite a spring atmosphere. Even with a heart full of worries, Seventh Miss couldn’t help but pause under the flowers, smiling as she looked up to admire the spring scenery.

“These past years, the apricot blossoms at Achieving Success Residence bloom better and better,” she laughed with Shangyuan.

As the current second senior maid of Jade Rain Pavilion, Shangyuan naturally had to accompany her out.

Shangyuan smiled slightly, “By the year Ninth Brother passes the exams, they’ll surely bloom even more vigorously.”

The several maids around Seventh Miss all had steady yet clever temperaments. Though Shangyuan was young, judging by her speech, she was already quite mature.

The two were chatting and laughing when the senior maid of Achieving Success Residence, Yuban, hurriedly came out to greet them. “It’s rare for Seventh Miss to visit Achieving Success Residence.”

Her brow showed a trace of difficulty. “Only Cousin Young Master just arrived and is currently talking with Ninth Brother in the inner room.”

Seventh Miss was slightly startled.

Then she understood.

Mountain Pond Academy had a rest day only once every half month. Ninth Brother usually left early and returned late, as did Xu Fengjia. For the two to meet and talk, they could only take advantage of today’s rest day.

After all, men and women were different. If Xu Fengjia spoke with her too long, it would easily raise suspicion. Having Ninth Brother relay messages was also a good channel.

Even if it weren’t about her matter, recently there were many family affairs that needed to be told to Ninth Brother. At minimum, the four words “be careful when going out” needed to be solemnly conveyed.

“Then I’ll come back this afternoon.” She smiled and took Yuban’s hand. “The other day Sister Bailu said your father was ill. Has he recovered well recently?”

The two exchanged pleasantries back and forth, with Yuban personally accompanying Seventh Miss out.

They had barely taken a few steps when there was movement inside the room.

The curtain lifted, and Xu Fengjia strode out the door. Ninth Brother followed, hurriedly calling out, “Cousin, wait a moment—”

Several people came face to face and all froze at once.

Xu Fengjia’s expression was gloomy. His eyes like lightning merely swept across Seventh Miss’s face before he heavily snorted and quickened his pace out of the courtyard.

Yuban was greatly embarrassed. “How can this Cousin Young Master be so im…”

Looking at Seventh Miss, she seemed quite aggrieved on her behalf.

Ninth Brother, however, cut off Yuban, “He’s an honored guest—will you die if you say less?”

His face also rarely showed a trace of severity.

Seventh Miss had no time to comfort Yuban and hurriedly entered Achieving Success Residence with Ninth Brother.

Though Achieving Success Residence was called two stories, the interior was actually open between floors, with only a small celestial tower in the west wing. Upstairs and downstairs were filled with boxwood bookshelves, the shelves packed densely with all kinds of books. Ninth Brother’s daily living quarters were in the east inner room with its two-story-high ceiling.

Since Seventh Miss had come to talk, naturally they should go to the east inner room. But Seventh Miss deliberately didn’t go in, instead thoughtfully pulling out a book to read from the large cabinet bookshelf in the west room.

Only after Yuban and Mian Lian had served tea and withdrawn from the main room did she ask Ninth Brother, “How did you upset Cousin so much?”

Ninth Brother stood with folded arms leaning against the bookshelf, looking at Seventh Miss with a half-smile.

Though the half-grown youth still had the rawness of one unknowing of worldly affairs, his schemes were already hidden and unspoken, showing considerable depth.

“Doesn’t Seventh Sister understand Cousin’s troubles?” His voice was neither high nor low. As he spoke, he led Seventh Miss toward the east inner room.

“Are you trying to die?” Seventh Miss couldn’t help but look around, afraid these words would be overheard and cause another incident. “Can’t you speak more tactfully?”

Ninth Brother caught the flaw and couldn’t help but smile.

But he didn’t pursue the opening relentlessly, only answering casually, “Your Jade Rain Pavilion is impenetrable, and my Achieving Success Residence also has only trustworthy maids. Speaking here, you can be completely at ease.”

This child had been somewhat mysterious since young. Even Seventh Miss didn’t fully understand—during that scene before the Crimson Pavilion years ago, there were faintly several figures behind it whose identities even Seventh Miss couldn’t grasp.

In this respect, he was quite like the Grand Master.

The two entered the east inner room one after the other. Ninth Brother gave Seventh Miss the chair in front of the desk while he leaned against the desk himself. After lowering his head in thought for a long while, he slowly smiled. “Recently everything has gone wrong for Cousin, and his official duties are busy. This time he came to me to pour out his troubles.”

“Is there still no news about the person he’s pursuing?” Seventh Miss couldn’t help but ask with concern.

Then she immediately understood: if they had caught this person, they would have long since declared victory and sent the personal guards back to Xukou. Why would they need to stay at Drooping Willow Studio?

It seemed Xu Fengjia was busy with official duties and his personal affairs… were also not going smoothly. These past months being pressured from all sides, his days were truly not very comfortable.

“No, still no news.” Ninth Brother’s face also darkened. “It’s said this is one of Prince Lu’s most trusted retainers. Several storms in Jiangnan these past years were all his doing. The Eastern Palace has long been wary of this person. This time sending Cousin to Jiangnan was precisely to remove this thorn in the flesh. Unfortunately, this person has excellent martial skills and mysterious movements—he actually escaped in Hangzhou.”

He looked toward Seventh Miss with a probing gaze. “Right now Cousin is using himself as bait. I’m very worried he might play with fire and get burned.”

Using himself as bait to catch a fish—and catching a big fish with many deaths on his hands—Xu Fengjia was truly taking too great a risk.

Seventh Miss couldn’t hide her concern. “A person of great worth does not expose himself to danger. If anything happens to Cousin, our Yang family would also be hard-pressed to avoid responsibility… Father and you should both advise Cousin…”

Watching the smile in Ninth Brother’s eyes grow heavier, her voice gradually lowered until it finally dissolved into silence.

The room fell quiet for a moment.

Ninth Brother carefully examined Seventh Miss’s face, then after a long while couldn’t help but smile and sigh.

“You clearly like Cousin… Seventh Sister, tell me the truth—why are you unwilling to marry into the Xu family?”

Seventh Miss bit her lip, rarely showing helplessness. “Shanjiu, here we go again. Back at Jade Rain Pavilion, I already explained very clearly—”

“I don’t believe it.” Ninth Brother gently cut off her words. “In this lifetime, what I most want is for you to be happy and content… What kind of husband could compare to Cousin? Young and accomplished, born into wealth and nobility, most rare of all with devoted feelings toward you. Even if the first two years after marriage are difficult, as long as husband and wife are united in heart, what is there to fear?”

Young men were like this—as if the word “affection” alone could compensate for dozens of years of hardship and struggle afterward.

Only Ninth Brother’s words were earnest and sincere. Seventh Miss could hear that he truly considered Xu Fengjia a rare good match and genuinely hoped she could marry into the Xu family to enjoy all the glory and wealth of the Pacifying Duke’s manor.

She couldn’t help but recall Ninth Brother’s words from his sickbed years ago.

After all, he was a child raised in wealthy circumstances. When speaking of standing out and raising one’s head high, the first thing he thought of was marrying into a great house… She couldn’t blame Ninth Brother.

The more she integrated into this era, the lonelier Seventh Miss felt. Fifth Miss was like this, Xu Fengjia was like this, even Ninth Brother was like this—making her concerns seem all the more vulgar.

“I came today precisely to instruct you—when Cousin raises the marriage matter with you again, you must firmly dissuade him and convey my meaning.” She met Ninth Brother’s eyes, her tone resolute. “I trust that with Cousin’s pride, he won’t force someone unwilling. Even if he comes to propose for me, the Madam won’t agree. Even if the Madam agrees, I personally won’t agree… I’ve made up my mind on this, Shanjiu. Whether you understand me or not, this message must reach Cousin’s ears. Will you do this?”

Ninth Brother fell silent, looking at Seventh Miss for a long while, words on his lips but unspoken.

“Fine.” Finally, he answered dejectedly.

Only then did Seventh Miss breathe a great sigh of relief.

She believed that with Xu Fengjia’s pride, he would certainly not marry a bride who was unwilling and reluctant.

No matter what methods he had prepared before, without her cooperation, wanting to bypass the Grand Madam would be extremely difficult.

Not to mention that the Grand Master now had other arrangements for her…

After so many twists and turns in private, this marriage finally showed signs of returning to the proper track.

Ninth Brother lowered his head and asked sullenly, “So your meaning is to let Fifth Sister marry into the Xu family…”

“It’s not that my meaning is so, but that it should be so from the start.” Seventh Miss couldn’t help feeling helpless.

Clearly she too was a victim of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, yet somehow she seemed like some interfering magistrate breaking up lovebirds.

“With Fifth Sister’s temperament, marrying into the Xu family is already the best destination.” Her words carried some reproach. “Young Master Feng still has no news, and the two families have tangled grievances making the marriage difficult to achieve. If she marries into another family, it’s not as good as marrying into the Xu family. Third Aunt likes her temperament and will certainly protect her.”

With Fifth Miss’s status, she would certainly marry into a family of matching standing. Within this range, the Xu family was naturally the best choice.

Ninth Brother wanting to fulfill Fifth Miss’s devoted feelings couldn’t be said to lack sibling affection, but also couldn’t be said to lack his own selfish motives.

Only being young after all, he didn’t understand that many times, a feeling didn’t necessarily need to be expressed. Keeping it deep in one’s heart was also not a bad outcome.

Ninth Brother’s head drooped lower. “But… but didn’t Fifth Sister tell Cousin she doesn’t want to marry into the Xu family?”

Seventh Miss was startled. “How do you know?”

That day’s conversation in the corridor—speaking of it, only the three parties involved knew, plus that little maid called Lianyu…

Ninth Brother was also shocked.

Only then did he realize he’d said the wrong thing, showing some embarrassment.

“I naturally have my sources.” He hastily deflected. “Throughout the household, there aren’t many matters that can be hidden from me.”

Seventh Miss looked at Ninth Brother’s face and found it quite amusing.

His abilities weren’t that great, but his pride was considerable.

“Then do you know about the court planning to send people to select consorts for the Crown Prince this spring?” she asked Ninth Brother.

Ninth Brother suddenly trembled, his eyes brightening immediately.

“Is this truly so? Who did you hear this from?!” He jumped up at once and paced back and forth in the room several times.

Seventh Miss smiled at Ninth Brother but said nothing.

Ninth Brother paid no mind, furrowing his brows and beginning to calculate on his own.

After a while, he looked at Seventh Miss, and his eyes slowly dimmed again.

“Too bad Seventh Sister probably has even less interest in this position!” He sighed and muttered to himself.

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but smile with pursed lips.

Though separated by thousands of years of ideological differences, causing poor communication between the siblings, in his heart, Ninth Brother truly did care for her deeply.

He will definitely understand her worries.