Du Bin had long harbored ulterior motives but maintained a humble and gentle facade, constantly coaxing Lin Dong Ling with tenderness. As time passed, Lin Dong Ling’s guard lowered, and she developed deep feelings for Du Bin, entrusting him with all her affection. Their current situation was the natural progression of events.

Lin Dong Xiu, watching from outside, trembled violently. She quickly retreated and ran, stopping only when she reached a nearby bamboo grove. Gasping for breath, she collapsed against a bamboo cluster.

How could Lin Dong Ling engage in such improper behavior with a man? What should be done about this? If this scandal were exposed, it would ruin her marriage prospects. Her first thought was to find Madam Qin, or perhaps burst in and drive the man away. She struggled to stand but suddenly had a thought: “Wait… if Lin Dong Ling has been intimate with that man, her prestigious marriage arrangement would evaporate. That man seems to be from a humble background, not even daring to formally propose…”

As Lin Dong Xiu pondered this, she slowly stopped walking. Suddenly, she spotted two young women crossing the curved bridge toward Luo Xue’s courtyard – one wearing xiang fei pink, the other in begonia red, both of similar height. As they approached, she recognized the one in Xiang Fei pink as Xiang Lan, and the other as Ting Lan. Lian Xin had returned to watch the house, and Ting Lan had convinced Xiang Lan to tour the garden, saying, “First Young Master is away attending the wedding, all the masters are watching opera and dining, the maids are gathered elsewhere, and the servants are scattered about. The garden is quiet now. You rarely leave your room, so you should come out for some fresh air. We can walk in the secluded areas. You don’t know how beautiful the autumn scenery is – let’s go see the flowers.”

After some persuasion, Xiang Lan agreed, changed her clothes, and went to stroll in the garden arm-in-arm with Ting Lan. They unconsciously walked to Luo Xue’s courtyard. Xiang Lan remembered serving here when she first arrived at the mansion. Seeing it again stirred many emotions. She slowly approached the door, touching the copper fish lock, and asked Ting Lan, “Is Old Woman Liu still here from before?”

Ting Lan replied, “Old Woman Liu was elderly, so her son took her home for retirement. This place became a flower room, filled with potted plants. All the flowers in our pavilion came from here.” Looking at Xiang Lan’s hair, she smiled, “On such a festive day, how can we go without flowers in our hair? Since we’re here, let’s pick one to pin in our hair – it’ll look better than any gold or silver hairpin.”

Xiang Lan said, “The door is locked. How can we get in? If you want flowers, let’s pick them from the garden instead.”

Ting Lan replied, “Don’t worry, I have the key.” She untied a string of brass keys from her belt and smiled, “The old woman who tends the flowers here is my great-aunt. Worried she might lose things due to her age, she gave me a spare key for emergencies.” She winked at Xiang Lan and began unlocking the door.

The noise from outside startled the pair inside. Lin Dong Ling shuddered, pushing Du Bin away while clutching her clothes, panicking, “What should we do? Someone’s coming!”

Du Bin, internally anxious, quickly surveyed the room and told Lin Dong Ling, “When they enter, say you were tired and came here for a quiet nap.” He then stepped on the armrest of the wooden bed, leaped up, grabbed the ceiling beam, and pulled himself up to hide in the corner.

Lin Dong Ling hastily arranged her clothes. She heard Ting Lan outside say, “There’s an azalea inside still blooming this month, looking quite beautiful. Come see.” Growing more anxious, Lin Dong Ling had no time to fix her hair and quickly pretended to sleep on the pillow.

When Xiang Lan and Ting Lan entered the inner room and saw Lin Dong Ling lying on the bed with closed eyes, they were startled and exchanged glances. Ting Lan hurried forward, “Third Young Lady, Third Young Lady.”

Lin Dong Ling pretended to be drowsy, rubbing her eyes, “What is it?”

Ting Lan said, “Third Young Lady, the banquet has started. Why are you sleeping here? We just saw Shan Hu searching the entire garden for you.”

Lin Dong Ling sat up, “I came to admire the flowers but got tired and lay down. I dozed off without meaning to.” She stood quickly and headed for the door.

Ting Lan clapped her hands in concern, “My dear Young Lady, sleeping here without a blanket! What if you catch a cold and fall ill?”

Xiang Lan noticed a butterfly and peony embroidered jacket on the bed and picked it up, asking, “Third Young Lady, is this your clothing?”

Lin Dong Ling turned back, her guilty conscience making her face redder. She snatched it away, scolding, “You little wretch, who allowed you to touch my clothes!” She threw aside the curtain and left, calling from outside, “Ting Lan, come help me fix my hair!”

Ting Lan squeezed Xiang Lan’s hand, “That’s just Third Young Lady’s temper. Don’t take it to heart.”

Xiang Lan nodded with a smile.

As Ting Lan left, Xiang Lan sighed deeply. She had noticed Lin Dong Ling’s disheveled clothes and a dark red mark on her neck, similar to those Lin Jin Lou would leave on her… Xiang Lan quickly shook away these embarrassing thoughts. She wondered, “Why would Lin Dong Ling come to Luo Xue’s courtyard alone? And why would she remove her jacket and sleep here in such disarray?” She recalled seeing Lin Dong Ling with a handsome young man during New Year’s, and shuddered, looking around the room but finding nothing amiss.

Du Bin watched Xiang Lan from above, holding his breath. He observed her black hair, slender waist, jade-white face, bright eyes, and white teeth – a radiant beauty of indescribable delicacy. Du Bin silently admired her, thinking he had never seen anyone comparable among all the women he’d known. Though Lin Dong Ling was beautiful, she paled in comparison to this girl.

While Xiang Lan hesitated, Lin Dong Ling called out, “Xiang Lan, what are you still doing in there? Are you stealing something?”

Xiang Lan thought to herself, “If Lin Dong Ling was truly just resting here, it’s harmless. But if she’s hiding a man, she’s courting death. Unfortunately, she won’t listen to me, and others might not believe me. If she accuses me of slandering her reputation, I’d have no way to defend myself.” Sighing, she lifted the curtain and left.

Du Bin exhaled deeply from his perch, thinking, “So that girl is Xiang Lan, Lin Jin Lou’s new favorite. No wonder even my sister can’t compete with such beauty. Lin Jin Lou is quite fortunate. What would it be like to have such a rare beauty in bed? If I could have her once, life would be complete.” As his thoughts wandered, he heard a loud clang – someone had closed and locked the main door.