The fourteen-year-old girl’s baby-fat-cheeked face was flushed red from drinking, her heaving chest revealing her current agitation.

Princess Yi’an’s tone was much colder than usual: “Is something the matter?”

“Elder sister, I have something to tell you.”

Princess Yi’an instinctively frowned, her peripheral vision quickly sweeping over Princess Lingque: “I’m currently entertaining an honored guest. Whatever you have to say can wait until later.”

Normally, if elder sister spoke this way, Kou Wan would have backed down long ago. But right now, the alcohol was stimulating her resentful heart, magnifying her emotions several times over. She raised her chin slightly, the taut angle showing a trace of stubbornness: “I’ll just say a few words.”

Princess Lingque’s curious gaze made Princess Yi’an wish Kou Wan would disappear from sight immediately. But seeing her condition clearly indicated she had drunk too much, and fearing she might cause some incident, Princess Yi’an had no choice but to agree: “Let’s talk over there.”

She apologized to Princess Lingque and walked toward one direction.

Kou Wan lifted her skirt hem and quickly followed, but her steps gradually slowed.

Princess Yi’an was walking toward an artificial rock mountain.

The rock mountain had a peculiar and precipitous shape, with water flowing down the mountain wall, splashing against smooth stones and creating gurgling sounds.

As if possessed by ghosts, Lin Hao’s words echoed in Kou Wan’s ears: “This is a sign of impending bloody disaster. Today you’d best avoid areas with rocks and such…”

With so many beautiful sights in Fuxiang Garden, she would never go look at a pile of rocks under normal circumstances, yet elder sister had deliberately gone to the rock mountain—

During this moment of hesitation, Princess Yi’an grew impatient: “What are you standing there for?”

“I—” Kou Wan came back to her senses, silently cursing herself for losing her mind and taking Lin Hao’s nonsense seriously.

Just as she lifted her foot to go over, a voice sounded beside her ear: “I haven’t yet asked for younger sister’s name—which manor are you from?”

Princess Lingque had somehow appeared beside Kou Wan, her beautiful eyes full of curiosity examining her. Then her eyes widened slightly, as if discovering something: “Oh my, this young lady looks somewhat familiar—”

Princess Yi’an’s heart skipped a beat. In her urgency, she blurted out: “Princess Lingque, do you know where the stones for this rock mountain were transported from?”

She didn’t want to be questioned face-to-face by Princess Yuliu about why she, a princess, and the young lady of Weiwei Marquis Manor were biological sisters.

Princess Lingque looked at Kou Wan with a half-smile, then gracefully walked toward the rock mountain, saying with a beaming smile: “Since younger sister asks this way, clearly these rock mountain stones have an extraordinary origin…”

Kou Wan stopped where she was, staring blankly at Princess Yi’an and Princess Lingque chatting and laughing, her heart filled only with regret and frustration.

She had finally found a chance to speak her heart to elder sister, only to lose the opportunity because of Second Miss Lin’s nonsensical words.

She hesitated but didn’t dare approach again. The courage that had risen earlier had unknowingly disappeared.

Kou Wan forced a smile and was about to turn away when she couldn’t help glancing over there once more. Her eyes suddenly widened.

“Watch out—”

As these two words escaped her lips, a rock flew down from the artificial mountain and, by unfortunate coincidence, struck Princess Lingque’s head.

A piercing scream resounded through the sky, drawing nearby people to look in that direction.

What had happened?

It seemed to have come from the rock mountain area.

Some were curious, some uneasy, and many people rushed toward the rock mountain.

Looking at Princess Lingque covering her head with fresh blood flowing through her fingers, Princess Yi’an was scared witless. After a brief daze, she shouted: “Come quickly, summon the imperial physician immediately!”

Hearing this shout, even more people surged over like a tide.

Kou Wan stared blankly as countless people walked past her. Her ears filled with various sounds, she felt an absurd sense of unreality.

Princess Lingque had been struck on the head by a rock…

She stared fixedly at Princess Lingque, now unconscious and supported by her maidservants, and realized something: if she hadn’t hesitated just now and had walked over to speak with elder sister, she would have been standing exactly where Princess Lingque was. In other words, the one who should have been hit on the head by the rock was her…

What Second Miss Lin said was true!

What Second Miss Lin said was actually true!

Kou Wan’s head jerked around as she searched for that figure.

There were too many people—she couldn’t see where Lin Hao was at all. Soon several people squeezed past her sides, pushing Kou Wan out of the circle of people. This way, she instead saw Lin Hao standing not far away.

Her legs moved beyond her control as Kou Wan walked step by step to stand before Lin Hao.

Qi Qiong stood right beside Lin Hao, but at this moment Kou Wan’s eyes held only Lin Hao: “Second Miss Lin… what you said was true…”

Lin Hao patted Kou Wan’s arm with some force: “Second Miss Kou, have you drunk too much? What are you saying?”

“You just—” Kou Wan’s voice rose, but meeting Lin Hao’s clear, bright gaze, she suddenly sobered somewhat. Only then did she notice the young princess close at hand and see more people rushing toward this area.

She slowly turned her head. Through the layers of encirclement, Princess Lingque’s figure could no longer be seen.

“Is Second Miss Kou frightened?” Lin Hao’s voice was gentle.

Kou Wan clenched her fists hard. The stinging pain of her nails digging into her palms made her even more clearheaded as she lowered her voice extremely low: “Second Miss Lin, can you truly read faces?”

Lin Hao smiled: “Superficially, just superficially.”

What had happened? Why had the one with a cracked head become Princess Lingque instead?

“Second Miss Kou, how did you avoid it?” Lin Hao asked in a low voice.

They had been far away and had only followed over after seeing many people rushing this way from a distance. By the time they arrived, they hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Princess Lingque.

Shock, fear, confusion—various emotions intertwined, making Kou Wan forget about her cold relationship with Lin Hao: “Elder sister was standing by the rock mountain. Before I could go over, Princess Lingque walked over, and then a rock fell from the rock mountain…”

A cool hand gripped Kou Wan’s wrist as Lin Hao looked completely serious: “Second Miss Kou, you absolutely cannot say this to others carelessly, or people will think Princess Lingque was injured in your place!”

Kou Wan covered her mouth with one hand, nodding vigorously: “I know, I know!”

Qi Qiong, who had been silently quiet all along, finally couldn’t hold back: “You two—”

Only then did Kou Wan remember the young princess was there. She hastily withdrew her hand, looking at her uneasily.

Lin Hao’s tone became even more gentle: “Second Miss Kou, rest assured. The princess will also keep this secret.”

Under their gazes, Qi Qiong instinctively nodded.

Kou Wan breathed a sigh of relief. As if fearing someone would discover her conversation with Lin Hao, she hurriedly squeezed into the crowd.

Qi Qiong stared fixedly at Lin Hao: “A’Hao, earlier you said you made it up—”

Lin Hao’s expression remained unchanged: “I was just bored and read a book about physiognomy. When I saw Second Miss Kou, I mechanically recited a couple of lines from it. I never, ever imagined—”

That I’d be right!

The young princess, reeling from the shock, completed the thought in her mind, then heard her friend sigh: “I never, ever imagined I had such talent.”

Qi Qiong: “…”

Today’s banquet at Fuxiang Garden was divided into two events separated by a stone bridge. On one side, the noble ladies led by Princess Yi’an were entertaining Princess Lingque; on the other, the noble young masters led by Prince Wei were entertaining the Yuliu prince. News of Princess Lingque’s injury quickly spread to that side.