Mount Fenzhong wasn’t particularly tall, reaching only a thousand meters in altitude. They reached the summit before mid-afternoon. The early summer sunlight and refreshing mountain breeze made it possible to see the manor far below, lifting everyone’s spirits.
One side of the summit faced a ravine. Jin Yingying followed the guard’s gaze and spotted a cluster of spring orchids emerging from beneath a rock. The orchids had several pale green slender stems, their flowers half-open, releasing a subtle fragrance in the wind.
Having heard from Second Madam Yang about Yang Fourth pretending to be drunk and breaking into the third courtyard last night, Jin Yingying was furious. That Yang Fourth could do such a beastly thing. She felt no qualms about plotting against him.
Jin Yingying pointed at the orchids, exclaiming with delight: “Fourth Brother, look! There’s a cluster of orchids there. They’re blooming so beautifully!”
Yang Fourth lowered his head as her jade-like fingers seemingly accidentally caught his sleeve. Was it an unconscious gesture, or did her humble background make her ignorant of proper etiquette? Either way, it was exactly what he wanted to see. His eyes darted left and right, noting the guards spread out in a fan formation ten paces behind them. The two maids stood five paces away. No one had noticed her subtle gesture. He smiled gently: “Do you like them?”
Not even calling her Third Sister-in-law anymore when avoiding others? What a beast. Who did he think he was? Was he even half as handsome as her Third Young Master?
Jin Yingying inwardly cursed while speaking in a mosquito-like whisper: “If I like them, will you help me pick them?”
Standing close together, her voice was as light as the wind, sweet and soft. Her dark eyes glanced at him coyly, her eyebrows slightly raised. Her fingers gently tugged at his sleeve.
Yang Fourth finally understood why Yang Jingyuan had fallen for Jin Yingying. However, he didn’t believe that just getting slightly closer to Jin Yingying today would make her transfer her affections.
Yang Fourth wasn’t stupid. Even if Second Brother couldn’t do anything about him, he must have grown suspicious. After all, his drunk act of entering the wrong courtyard would have certainly alerted the servant sleeping in the outer room. Who would believe a drunk person could climb through a window?
Yet Yang Jingyan had readily agreed to let him accompany Jin Yingying up the mountain. This made Yang Fourth suspicious.
With ten guards and two maids present, it would be nearly impossible to lure Jin Yingying away into the woods alone. He changed his original plan. He decided to slowly get closer to Jin Yingying. He refused to believe that a sixteen or seventeen-year-old young woman left alone would be able to endure the loneliness. Once he coaxed Jin Yingying into having feelings for him, he could do whatever he wanted with her.
Yang Fourth discreetly glanced down. The ravine wasn’t deep, only about a person’s height. If Jin Yingying pushed him while he was picking orchids, he wouldn’t be seriously injured. He also had his two attendants with him. Surely Jin Yingying wouldn’t push him down in front of so many people. He smiled tenderly: “Alright. I’ll pick them for you.”
Jin Yingying released his sleeve but raised her voice: “Fourth Brother, Third Sister-in-law was just saying that. It’s just a few flowers, don’t bother picking them.”
She must be worried about gossip, he thought. Yang Fourth smiled: “It’s nothing for a brother to pick flowers for his sister-in-law.”
“Ah, then be careful,” Jin Yingying said, then instructed his two attendants, “Take good care of your young master. Don’t let him get hurt.”
Hearing this, Yang Fourth’s two attendants walked toward the ravine’s edge.
By then, Yang Fourth had reached the edge and was bending down to pick the flowers. Just as he stepped on the rock, his body suddenly suspended in mid-air, falling along with the rock.
“Fourth Brother!” Jin Yingying shouted, running over.
Yang Fourth’s two attendants watched him fall. The ravine wasn’t deep, but when Yang Fourth fell, his feet found no purchase, and he screamed as he fell into a pit.
Looking down, the attendants were dumbfounded. While the ravine was only about a person’s height, the pit below was over ten feet deep.
“Hurry and save your young master! Why are you standing there stupidly? Guard Chen, quickly save him!” Jin Yingying pursed her lips, calling out anxiously.
The two attendants jumped down into the ravine, ran to the pit’s edge, and saw Yang Fourth lying unconscious with blood flowing from his head.
After they pulled him up, Jin Yingying covered her face with a handkerchief and pretended to cry in fear: “I told him not to pick the flowers, but he wouldn’t listen. Thank heavens the pit was just deep, without sharpened bamboo stakes or animal traps inside. What a blessing!”
Yang Jingyan had ordered people to dig the pit early in the morning, hollowing out all the soil under that rock. Considering it was his cousin, he hadn’t put any lethal implements in the pit.
Sharpened bamboo stakes and animal traps in the pit? Would Fourth Young Master’s life have been spared then? Something seemed off about those words, but the attendants had no time to think about it. They hurriedly carried Yang Fourth back up the mountain.
“Quickly take Fourth Young Master back to see a physician!” Jin Yingying shouted a few more times, ordering two guards to go with them. After they disappeared, she contentedly had a mat spread on the ground and sat down to enjoy the scenery.
“Roadside flowers are not for random picking. Let’s have some tea before heading back.”
Ling’er and Xiang’er took out tea and snacks from the food basket and set them out. Ling’er asked worriedly: “Will Fourth Young Master hate you, my lady?”
Jin Yingying spoke while eating: “If I hadn’t slept with my Second Sister-in-law last night, he would have ruined my reputation. And he could just say he was drunk and went to the wrong courtyard. What about me? What could I do? Even if I hanged myself, what about Third Young Master? He’d still be pointed at and whispered about. He was so vicious – nearly getting killed is just a small lesson for him!”
After finishing a cup of tea, she lost interest in the scenery and called the guards to head down the mountain.
Suddenly, crossbow bolts shot out from the forest. Two guards fell without a sound, struck by arrows.
“They’re using crossbows! Third Madam, hide behind the trees!” the head guard shouted, taking cover behind a tree.
Crossbow bolts were more powerful than arrows at short range. They were using hand crossbows developed by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period, capable of firing three bolts in succession. The attackers remained hidden while unleashing a barrage at the descending group. Of the ten guards, two died instantly, and four or five were wounded. Seeing the situation turn dire, the head guard brandished his sword and called to Jin Yingying and her two maids: “Run back up! Third Madam, save yourselves!”
The attackers weren’t trying to kidnap them – they wanted to kill. Whether they could escape would depend on fate.
“Brother Guard, be careful! Your lives come first!” Protecting me is your duty, but save yourselves if you can. Jin Yingying and Ling’er supported the weak-kneed Xiang’er as they ran back toward the summit.
A voice came from behind: “She’s running up the mountain. After her!”
Jin Yingying trembled. She recognized the voice – it belonged to the person who had shot at her at the tea house outside the city. It was the Zhao family! Gritting her teeth, she ran to the summit with her two maids.
Jin Yingying pointed at the ravine: “Jump down and hide in the forest below! Remember, it’s the same person who shot at me before! It’s the Zhao family!”
“My lady, what about you?” Ling’er cried out.
“I’m the one they want to kill! If you stay, you’ll die for nothing. If you can bring back the news, Third Young Master can avenge me in the future. Hurry, go!”
Ling’er grabbed the terrified Xiang’er, kowtowed Jin Yingying, and quickly pulled her as they jumped down the ravine.
“Well done,” Jin Yingying praised, seeing Ling’er’s decisiveness. She turned and stood at the ravine’s edge, waiting.