The news of Jin Er and Lu Zhu’s quarrel spread throughout the entire prince’s manor by the next day. This pair of young sweethearts had always been bickering constantly as happy enemies, so having an argument wasn’t anything significant. However, this time was different—Jin Er had actually made Lu Zhu cry, which caused an uproar throughout the prince’s manor. The Imperial Guards unanimously sided with Lu Zhu. This girl had a sweet mouth and kind heart, and her daily conduct was quite endearing. Jin Er was ultimately a man, and for him to bully a young girl like Lu Zhu to tears was definitely his fault. Steward Lin was naturally furious again, dragging Jin Er over for a good scolding. Even Ye Feng and Jin Yi broke their usual silence to speak with Jin Er for half an hour, though unfortunately Jin Er remained silent from beginning to end, making it impossible to get through to him.

Everyone gradually began worrying about Lu Zhu, but Lu Zhu continued working as usual, wearing a smile on her face as if completely unaffected by the incident. However, the more Lu Zhu acted this way, the more everyone became convinced she had suffered great grievance, making them feel even more sorry for her.

Though Jiang Ruan also disapproved of Jin Er’s actions, matters between subordinates of opposite sexes were indeed not easy to interfere with, and Lu Zhu repeatedly insisted there was no need to worry about it. Jiang Ruan couldn’t say much more.

At noon that day, Lu Zhu came to speak with Jiang Ruan about business. Nanny Zhang, who managed purchases, had her daughter-in-law suffer threatened miscarriage today and had left the manor to care for her. Lu Zhu wanted to personally handle the purchasing. Seeing this, Lian Qiao said, “Yes, yes, this servant also wants to buy some things. Why don’t I go with Lu Zhu? On the way back, we can also buy some pastries from Cuiyu Studio for the young madam.”

Tian Zhu glanced at Lu Zhu but said nothing. Jiang Ruan understood in her heart—letting Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao go out together might improve Lu Zhu’s mood, so she agreed. After Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao left, Jiang Ruan looked at the account books before her and suddenly asked Tian Zhu, who was standing nearby, “What exactly has happened to Jin Er?”

Tian Zhu was slightly startled, then her face showed some difficulty. “This servant also doesn’t know.”

“You also don’t know?” Jiang Ruan was somewhat surprised, then lowered her head and looked thoughtfully at the teacup before her. “How strange.”

…

The streets of the capital remained quite lively. The festive atmosphere from the New Year had not yet faded, and some shops still hadn’t taken down their red lanterns, probably hoping for good luck. Street vendors, wanting to sell more during this busy time, displayed countless novel trinkets. As maids of the prince’s manor, Lian Qiao and Lu Zhu weren’t forbidden from going out by Jiang Ruan normally. However, with many daily duties, when they occasionally went out it was usually to the palace or other manors, mostly by carriage. It was rare to have such an opportunity to walk freely on the main streets. Moreover, today’s trip was ostensibly for purchasing, but everyone understood it was really a chance for Lu Zhu to relax. Therefore, Lian Qiao wasn’t in a hurry to go to the fabric shop, instead pulling Lu Zhu along the street at a leisurely pace.

Since Lu Zhu and Jin Er’s quarrel, Jin Er hadn’t apologized to Lu Zhu, and the two had been in this cold war ever since—something highly unusual. Though Lu Zhu didn’t speak of it, any perceptive person knew Lu Zhu must be very sad inside. All along the way, Lian Qiao pulled Lu Zhu while chatting about recent fresh happenings in the capital, hoping to cheer her up. Though Lu Zhu smiled, Lian Qiao, having spent so much time with her, could tell at a glance that Lu Zhu’s smile was quite forced, leaving her feeling somewhat at a loss.

Walking this way, Lu Zhu remained in low spirits throughout—something quite rare for someone usually so fond of novelties. Lian Qiao felt sad for her but couldn’t help, and was wondering what to do when she inadvertently noticed a sugar figurine stall ahead. She smiled and pulled Lu Zhu over: “Look, there’s someone selling sugar figurines! Let’s go have a look.”

Lu Zhu was usually fond of sweets and loved these novel trinkets. She had even worked as a barker for a sugar figurine vendor before, so seeing sugar figurines felt quite familiar and unconsciously brought a smile to her face. Seeing this, Lian Qiao felt relieved and pulled her forward. Indeed, they saw a person with a small stall before a straw column stuck with various large and small lifelike sugar figurines. The sugar figurines gave off a sweet fragrance that made Lu Zhu smile. She pulled out some copper coins from her sleeve and said to the old sugar figurine maker, “Master, please make me a Guan Gong.”

The sugar figurine master smiled upon hearing this, called out “Coming right up!” and began heating fresh sugar. Seeing that Lu Zhu seemed to have forgotten her earlier troubles, Lian Qiao became somewhat happy and said, “I’ll have a Chang’e too.”

The sugar figurine master began working busily. With nothing to do, Lian Qiao looked around. When she glanced toward a medicine shop, she suddenly froze and inadvertently cried out, “How—” The words had just left her mouth when she suddenly realized something and quickly stopped speaking. But Lu Zhu had still heard and asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong with you?” Following Lian Qiao’s gaze, Lian Qiao tried to stop her but it was too late. Lu Zhu also froze in place, her face instantly becoming very pale.

In front of a medicine shop, a short, plump woman was talking with the shop’s assistant, apparently filling a prescription. Behind the woman followed a young woman in a moon-white dress with embroidered orchid borders. The woman was refined and elegant, clearly a well-bred young lady from a wealthy family. She was currently speaking with a young man beside her. The man was handsome with a slight smile on his face. When he turned, he bent his head slightly—the two appeared quite intimate. Lian Qiao and Lu Zhu were not unfamiliar with this man—it was Jin Er.

After the plump woman got her medicine, she said something to Jin Er, who also smiled, and the three left the medicine shop together. Lian Qiao thought this was bad and was wondering how to comfort Lu Zhu when she saw Lu Zhu’s expression change as she suddenly rushed forward.

The young woman had just exited the medicine shop with Jin Er when Lu Zhu suddenly blocked their path. Lu Zhu had a straightforward nature and was never one to endure silently. The woman was first somewhat surprised, then asked, “Miss, why are you blocking our way?”

Lu Zhu ignored the woman’s words, only looking coldly at Jin Er: “Now you can’t say I’m being unreasonably difficult.”

Jin Er’s shock passed before he managed to say, “You’ve misunderstood. She and I…”

“I don’t care what relationship you have with her!” Lu Zhu loudly interrupted him, taking a deep breath: “Please tell the Prince yourself that the marriage between us should be treated as a joke. Let’s pretend nothing happened before.”

“How can you say such things? I told you it’s a misunderstanding.” Jin Er frowned. The woman beside them seemed to see what was happening and quickly said softly, “This miss has misunderstood. Second Young Master is just…”

“What business is it of yours what happens between us two?” Lu Zhu turned and cut off the woman’s words. Having grown up in the marketplace, when angry she became even more reckless. Her voice grew louder, and the woman, seemingly encountering such fierceness for the first time, was startled and suddenly began coughing. The plump woman quickly crowded forward, pushing Lu Zhu aside, saying anxiously, “Miss, are you alright? Oh, miss’s health just improved a little, and today we finally managed to go out. Please don’t let this trigger your old illness again.”

Seeing this, Jin Er also supported the woman, asking, “Miss Liao, are you alright?”

The woman shook her head: “I’m fine. I was careless myself.”

When Jin Er turned back to face Lu Zhu, his attitude had become somewhat harsh: “Quickly apologize to Miss Liao.”

“Apologize for what?” Lu Zhu was furious and wanted nothing more than to tear Jin Er apart. This so-called Miss Liao was beautiful and well-mannered, making her feel even more wretched. Yet she forced back her tears, coldly asking in return, “I don’t know what I did wrong that requires an apology.”

Jin Er angrily said, “You’re being unreasonable! How did you just speak to her?”

“Then how should I speak!” Lu Zhu shouted.

“Forget it, forget it,” the woman quickly mediated. “This miss meant no harm, and I wasn’t really hurt. Second Young Master needn’t do this for me.”

“Your health just recovered and you’ve suffered such grievance. Moreover, she was rude first.” Jin Er supported the woman: “I’m truly sorry you were frightened.”

Lu Zhu laughed coldly: “How truly rare this is. Don’t tell me I caused her cough—that this sickly woman’s condition is also my fault. I didn’t know I had such ability, that even such blame would be placed on me.”

Before her words finished, a crisp “slap” rang out. Lian Qiao, who had just run over, was shocked and immediately shielded Lu Zhu behind her, angrily demanding, “Jin Er, what exactly are you trying to do?”

Jin Er stared blankly at his own hand, as if unable to believe he had just delivered that slap. Lu Zhu, pulled behind Lian Qiao, was also somewhat incredulous. She had spoken in anger just now, and being accustomed to speaking bluntly, she harbored hostility toward this woman. After speaking, she had felt some regret, thinking she had spoken wrongly. But she never expected Jin Er would actually for that woman… hit her.

The woman, who had looked somewhat dejected, now appeared flustered: “Miss, Second Young Master, oh, you two…”

Lian Qiao felt very regretful. Today was meant to help Lu Zhu relax, but instead they encountered this situation. Now Lu Zhu was truly heartbroken. She naturally sided with Lu Zhu, sharing her enemy, and looked at Jin Er with unfriendly eyes. Just as she was about to say some harsh words, Lu Zhu stepped out from behind her.

From beginning to end, Lu Zhu had striven to control her emotions, stubbornly not shedding a single tear, not even after receiving Jin Er’s slap. Now she seemed to calm down from her earlier disbelief, looking at Jin Er indifferently: “Excellent. Today you and I are truly without connection.” With that, she turned and left. Lian Qiao hurriedly followed. Lu Zhu walked extremely quickly. Having followed Jiang Ruan, her daily demeanor had somewhat resembled Jiang Ruan’s. The more one admired someone, the more unconsciously one learned their ways. If Jiang Ruan encountered such a situation, she would probably also stand her ground.

After Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao left, Jin Er was about to chase after them when the plump woman cried out, “Oh my miss, why is your face so pale? Don’t let your old illness recur. How do you feel, miss?”

Hearing this, Jin Er hesitated, and his raised foot finally came down. He walked to the woman’s side: “Your complexion does look bad. Let me call a doctor and we’ll return to the residence to rest. I’ll have the doctor examine you.”

Meanwhile, Lu Zhu returned to the manor and went straight to her room without a word. Lian Qiao comforted her briefly, thinking this matter probably shouldn’t be known by others since there might be some misunderstanding, but she should still inform Jiang Ruan, so she went directly to the study.

Jiang Ruan was instructing Tian Zhu about matters when she saw Lian Qiao return: “Why are you back so early?” If it was meant for them to relax, there was no reason to return from relaxation so quickly. Lian Qiao felt both embarrassed and angry, her heart full of indignation for Lu Zhu: “Young Madam, this servant failed to complete the purchasing task.”

Jiang Ruan looked at her: “What happened?”

Lian Qiao’s heart was full of suppressed anger, so she immediately explained the entire sequence of events. If before seeing Lu Zhu and Jin Er’s cold war, Lian Qiao had thought there must be some misunderstanding, perhaps Lu Zhu had wrongly blamed Jin Er, now having personally witnessed Jin Er’s behavior, she could no longer side with Jin Er under any circumstances. After finishing her account: “No wonder Jin Er was always away from the manor before. Clearly it wasn’t the Prince sending him on business. When Lu Zhu said Jin Er had someone outside, this servant didn’t believe it. Now I understand—Jin Er has been keeping a mistress outside all along. Bah! What a waste of such a good girl as Lu Zhu.”

After hearing Lian Qiao’s complete account, Jiang Ruan was also somewhat shocked and frowned: “What exactly is this Miss Liao’s background?”

Lian Qiao shook her head: “We couldn’t tell, but she seemed educated and well-mannered, like a young lady raised in a wealthy family. I don’t know why she would have the face to do such things, seducing a man who’s already engaged out of nowhere!” Having followed Jiang Ruan for so long and seen many women like Jiang Susu and Jiang Dan who were skilled at appearing gentle on the surface, Lian Qiao already had prejudices against this type of woman. Moreover, seeing them bully her sister like this, Lian Qiao regretted not kicking that woman a few times.

“Jin Er is not that kind of person,” Tian Zhu suddenly said. Seeing Lian Qiao and Jiang Ruan look over, she said seriously, “Though Jin Er has a mischievous nature and appears unruly on the surface, he’s actually not someone who acts carelessly. Since he’s engaged to Lu Zhu, he wouldn’t go provoking other women.” This was the first time the usually cool and aloof Tian Zhu had spoken up for Jin Er.

But Lian Qiao wouldn’t listen: “Tian Zhu, you don’t understand this. You’re a woman after all, but Jin Er is a man. ‘Morning east, evening west, joy binds the daylight heart’—ordinary men are all fickle and heartless, fundamentally different from women’s thinking. Besides, you didn’t see the scene today. Jin Er actually hit Lu Zhu for another woman. If it were really a misunderstanding, how could he hit his unwedded wife for another woman? To say there’s nothing special between them probably wouldn’t be believed by anyone.”

Lian Qiao’s words were quite reasonable, leaving Tian Zhu with nothing to say. Jiang Ruan frowned. She didn’t lose her composure due to Lian Qiao’s words. Though she was also displeased for Lu Zhu’s sake, she still noticed the unusual aspects and said, “How could there suddenly be another woman out of nowhere? Tian Zhu, find a way to investigate this woman’s true background. For her to so boldly compete with my people, her courage is rather too great.”

Tian Zhu agreed and left. After Tian Zhu was gone, the aggrieved Lian Qiao couldn’t help asking, “Does Miss still believe Jin Er has no problems and that Lu Zhu misunderstood? But this servant still finds that woman very detestable. Even ordinary women know to keep distance from men who are taken, let alone someone who appears to be a well-bred young lady who understands propriety. How could she be so casual?”

“Since you can see that woman has ulterior motives, how could I not see it?” Jiang Ruan’s gaze was deep: “To use such methods on my people—very well, I also want to know exactly who is playing tricks.” She was all too familiar with such methods. In her previous life in the palace, harem women had many techniques for competing for favor. Such methods weren’t particularly clever, yet they almost always succeeded because men’s instinct to cherish the fragile was natural. Once they saw the weaker party, they would instinctively want to protect them. With Lu Zhu’s straightforward nature, competing against such a woman would surely bring no advantage, only making Jin Er find her annoying. However, Jin Er and Lu Zhu were ultimately people of Prince Jinying’s manor. Who had such audacity to specifically target him? Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes and calmly took a sip of tea.

That night, Lian Qiao, who was prepared to confront Jin Er, guarded the entrance to Jin Er’s quarters. Even Ye Feng, who came to inquire, was thoroughly scolded by her, leaving Ye Feng completely baffled. Unfortunately, Jin Er didn’t return to the manor that entire night. Lian Qiao was so angry she almost wanted to overturn Jin Er’s room. Finally, Ye Feng managed to persuade Lian Qiao to return with much effort.

The next day was bright and sunny, with sunlight streaming through the window into the room. This was a neatly and elegantly decorated small room. Though not particularly luxurious, it was quite spacious. The air faintly carried the clear fragrance of orchids, which made one feel comfortable. On the soft couch lay a man, sleeping very soundly. After some unknown time, probably when sunlight climbed onto his face, he woke up. His clothes still carried a faint wine smell that became quite strong when he moved.

The moment Jin Er opened his eyes, he became fully alert. He sat up abruptly and saw that in one corner of the soft couch, a woman with disheveled clothes was currently curled up, covering her mouth but unable to stop soft sobbing from escaping—each sound striking Jin Er’s heart like thunder.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open. Nanny Zhou walked in: “Miss, breakfast is…” Her voice stopped abruptly. She seemed startled, standing frozen for a moment, then immediately turned and ran out in silence, slamming the door tightly shut. The woman seemed to finally snap the last thread in her mind, her quiet sobbing suddenly magnifying into loud wailing.

The stunned Jin Er came to his senses, his mind containing only fragmentary pieces from the previous night. He only remembered that after Lu Zhu left yesterday, he had escorted Liao Meng back and found a doctor to examine her. Later, feeling truly terrible, he went to a tavern to drink alone. Who knew that midway, Liao Meng had pulled him back? Liao Meng, new to the capital, didn’t know where Prince Jinying’s manor was located, so she could only bring him back to her temporary residence. Then, what happened next he couldn’t remember. However, seeing the wrinkled bedsheets now, Jin Er’s heart jumped. Looking again at the stains on those sheets, he already guessed what had happened.

“Miss Liao…” he began with difficulty.

“You… you needn’t say anything. I’ll depart for Jiangnan today. This time, let’s pretend we never met, and let’s act as if this never happened.” Liao Meng managed to stop her sobbing to finish this sentence, but tears continued flowing uncontrollably. Just as she finished speaking, before Jin Er could respond, a figure suddenly burst in from outside—none other than Nanny Zhou. She immediately knelt straight before Liao Meng, crying, “Miss, why must you suffer so? If this is truly the case, how can this old servant face your deceased parents?” She looked at Jin Er and kowtowed several times in succession until blood began seeping from her forehead. Nanny Zhou choked out, “Second Young Master, this old servant begs you, give our miss a way to live. After such a thing happened, how can our miss marry in the future? Even if she married, how could she live well in her husband’s family? With our miss’s nature, if she says nothing now, she’ll probably seek death after returning home. This old servant promised the master and mistress to raise our miss well. With such a thing happening, this old servant is also to blame. If Second Young Master wishes to punish someone, punish this old servant. This old servant is willing to trade her life for our miss’s survival!”

“Nanny Zhou, what are you saying?” Liao Meng also cried while saying, “What does this have to do with you? Don’t say such things that break my heart. This matter has nothing to do with Second Young Master either. This… this was all a misunderstanding.”

“My dear miss, how is this any misunderstanding?” Nanny Zhou cried even more sadly than Liao Meng. “You are the child I nursed with my own hands. How could this old servant not know what kind of nature you have? Second Young Master, this old servant begs you again, please give our miss a way to live. This old servant knows Second Young Master has a sweetheart, but that girl is beautiful and raised beside the Princess. Without Second Young Master, she could surely marry into another good family in the future. But how can our miss marry without you? She can’t compare to the girl beside the Princess. This is all this old servant’s fault—this old servant didn’t care for her properly. Second Young Master, please look at our miss. She’s gentle and educated—Second Young Master will surely like her.”

This master and servant pair cried while speaking, both vying to take responsibility upon themselves. Jin Er looked somewhat dazedly at Nanny Zhou and Liao Meng before him, his mind in chaos. His fingers suddenly touched something at his waist—he gradually became clear-headed. It was a small sachet Lu Zhu had sewn for him, embroidered with two small goldfish, very delicate and lovely. He paused, slowly reaching to untie the sachet, looking at Liao Meng. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he finally said, “This is all my fault. I… will take responsibility. I’ll immediately inform my mother and propose marriage to the Liao family.”