Yang Jingyuan bent down to pick up the scattered gemstones. The sapphires, rubies, and jade lying in his palm reflected dazzling light under the lanterns. Even though he had never worried about money since childhood, he would never treat such fine gems as mere pebbles to be tossed around. Holding these precious stones, Yang Jingyuan grew increasingly suspicious: “Who exactly is he?”
Wealthy people who chartered pleasure boats for outings always brought clean clothes for changing. Ji Yingying took the gemstones and made her way to the forward cabin. She quietly explained her purpose to the waiting-maid. The boat’s owner waved his hand, and the music and singing in the cabin ceased.
The maid led Ji Yingying forward. Seeing a young and beautiful maiden whose attire didn’t suggest she was from a noble family, Master Zhou assumed she was a maid from the Yang household. Puzzled about why Yang Third Young Master would suddenly appear on a lake pleasure boat with a maid, he casually asked, “The Zhou family and the Yang family of Prince Jin are related by marriage. How did your young master fall into the lake?”
Zhou family? Related by marriage? Ji Yingying hadn’t realized this was the Zhou Seventh Young Master’s chartered boat, but the mention of marriage relations immediately put her on alert. If they discovered she was Yang Jingyuan’s fiancée, it would be trouble. While she didn’t believe in the superstition about engaged couples meeting before marriage being unlucky, and Yang Jingyuan didn’t care either, the elders in their families would view it differently. If word got out, they would call her frivolous. Ji Yingying lowered her head further and played along as Yang’s Third Young Master’s maid: “My young master was being playful… and accidentally…”
Her hesitant response only made Master Zhou believe her more. He laughed heartily, “That’s just like Third Young Master’s personality. Someone bring my clothes for Young Master Yang to change into. And tell the kitchen to quickly prepare a bowl of ginger soup.”
“Thank you, Master Zhou. This servant will go attend to my young master.” Ji Yingying backed toward the door with the clothes, head bowed. Clutching the gemstones, she thought how fortunate it was that she hadn’t tried to use them to buy clothes, or Master Zhou would have surely seen through her.
“Uncle Zhou! Your nephew pays his respects!”
Ji Yingying secretly glanced up to see Yang Jingyuan being led over.
Master Zhou smiled, “You’re soaked through—be careful not to catch a cold. Quickly go to the cabin and change!”
Yang Jingyuan glanced at Ji Yingying holding the clothes, cupped his hands to thank Master Zhou, and entered the rear cabin. Ji Yingying hurriedly followed.
Once inside the cabin, Yang Jingyuan said, “My maid’s service will suffice.”
The Zhou family maid curtsied and withdrew. Ji Yingying put the clothes on the table and turned to leave as well.
Yang Jingyuan grabbed her arm: “Want people to realize you’re not my maid?”
Ji Yingying shook off his hand and said quietly, “Hurry and change.” She turned to face the door, idly playing with the ruby in her hand.
While changing, Yang Jingyuan watched her toying with the gemstone and suddenly asked, “Is he very wealthy?”
“Of course. How could a prince not be wealthy?” Ji Yingying replied without thinking.
A prince? So she did know him. Yang Jingyuan stepped forward and turned her by the shoulders, demanding, “What prince?”
Seeing his bare chest, Ji Yingying yelped and covered her eyes with her hands: “Have you no shame? Quick, put it on!”
Yang Jingyuan crossed his arms and studied her: “Ji Yingying, you weren’t working together with that masked man, were you? Getting caught meeting him behind my back, so you pretended to be kidnapped?”
Ji Yingying was furious: “What did you say?!” She opened her eyes, saw his exposed chest again, and quickly turned away. “Put on your clothes properly before talking.”
Yang Jingyuan unhurriedly changed into the clothes and began drying his hair with a cloth: “Tell me, who was that man?”
What should she do? She dared not forget Lord Sheng’s threat. What if he did silence people by killing them? Ji Yingying clutched the gemstone tightly and said, “I happened to hear him say ‘This Prince,’ so I guessed he was a prince, but that’s all I know.”
In truth, she had only heard Lord Sheng refer to himself as “This Prince.” As for his actual title, she truly knew nothing.
Before, he only knew about Zhao Xiuyuan and Second Young Master Zhu. Now suddenly there was this masked man with exceptional martial arts. He wore similar clothes to hers and deliberately bought the same Nuo opera mask. Didn’t know Ji Yingying? If he didn’t know her, why would he bother bringing her from the shore to the pleasure boat? Yet when he gripped her throat, he used real force—and she still wanted to conceal the identity of a man who treated her this way? Was he that important to her? Yang Jingyuan tossed aside the cloth and said, “It’s getting late. I’ll take you back.”
He walked past her and opened the door. Ji Yingying carefully studied his face. Yang Jingyuan’s expression revealed nothing. Remembering how Lord Sheng had forced Yang Jingyuan into the lake before they could even cross swords, Ji Yingying again abandoned the thought of telling Yang Jingyuan the truth.
Master Zhou ordered the boat to dock. Yang Jingyuan stood at the bow chatting and laughing with him. Ji Yingying breathed a sigh of relief—surely he hadn’t grown suspicious, or how could he be so cheerful as if nothing had happened?
After going ashore and bidding farewell to Master Zhou with clasped hands, Yang Jingyuan watched the pleasure boat drift away. He suddenly asked Ji Yingying, “The view from the shore isn’t as nice as from the pleasure boat, is it? Being on the boat feels like floating in a river of lanterns—especially beautiful.”
Ji Yingying nodded, “Mm.”
Anger surged up, and Yang Jingyuan lost his composure: “So the masked man took you to the pleasure boat to see the prettier view, did he?”
His voice was rather loud, startling Ji Yingying. She looked at him and shook her head in denial: “I told you, I mistook him for you. I thought he was you.”
He knew the man had deliberately disguised himself as him. But why impersonate him to approach her? She knew who that man was. Was it because he heard about her engagement to Yang Jingyuan, so he disguised himself to see her one last time? What kind of past did they share that would make him want to impersonate Yang Jingyuan and take her to view the lake from a pleasure boat?
If he had wanted to strangle her, he could have done it earlier—he waited until Yang Jingyuan boarded the boat before grabbing her throat. The forceful grip was just for show, wasn’t it? And what about her? How did she feel about it all?
“Ji Yingying, I jumped into the cold lake for nothing.” Yang Jingyuan grew increasingly upset and suddenly grabbed her hand.
Seeing the gemstone still clutched in her palm, Yang Jingyuan turned away and untied his money pouch, pushing it into her hand: “Since you love his gemstones so much, take them all. Come on, it’s late—your brother and sister-in-law must be worried.”
As he turned away, he heard something cutting through the air and instinctively reached out to catch the returning money pouch.
Ji Yingying ran past him, shouting, “Yang Third Young Master, you’re such a pig! Like a dog that bites Lu Dongbin, unable to recognize good intentions! You don’t know anything!”
Yang Jingyuan angrily chased after her: “Right, I’m the fool! Getting played for a fool. Thought I was being a hero saving a damsel in distress, but you were probably laughing your head off! Ji Yingying, just how many old flames do you have? There’s Zhao Xiuyuan, Second Young Master Zhu, and now this masked man taking you to view the lake scenery. Don’t you know you’re my fiancée?”
Ji Yingying stopped and turned to glare at him: “What are you trying to say? That I’m improper? Let me tell you…”
Yang Jingyuan was furious and pointed at her: “Ji Yingying, just try breaking off the engagement!”
Ji Yingying slapped his hand away: “You said it! Just you wait!”
Watching her stride away with her head held high, Yang Jingyuan followed at a distance, grumbling: “You just wait for my wedding sedan chair! Think I jumped in the lake for nothing? I won’t let you have your way!”