Zhou Da had never expected that Prince Jinying would suddenly emerge halfway through. No matter what, he dared not provoke someone of Prince Jinying’s status. Now he was caught between a rock and a hard place, not knowing what to do.
Once Xiao Shao spoke, Jiang Susu naturally beamed with joy, while Princess Rong Ya and Xu Ruoxi simultaneously paled, their expressions becoming very unsightly. Mo Cong looked at Xiao Shao in amazement, also unable to figure out Xiao Shao’s intentions. The Fifth Prince narrowed his eyes: “How strange that Xiao Shao would actually take the initiative to help Second Miss Jiang out of trouble.”
A trace of deeper meaning flashed in Xuan Li’s eyes: “Perhaps it really is Prince Jinying’s green jade beads.”
Jiang Ruan withdrew her gaze and suddenly said to the bewildered Zhou Da: “So you were lying all along. Those green jade beads are clearly Prince Jinying’s property. And where did Miss Jiang’s handkerchief come from?”
Hearing Jiang Ruan’s words, Zhou Da had a flash of inspiration. The green jade beads being Prince Jinying’s was true, but the handkerchief on him was also real. If he admitted it now, he would probably suffer greatly. Better to bite down and not let go—perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope. Zhou Da was usually a rogue and scoundrel, especially skilled at making scenes and acting shamelessly. He sneered coldly and declared loudly: “Every word I spoke was true. Even high officials and nobles cannot abuse their power to bully others. That handkerchief was given to me by Ruan’er, personally delivered as a love token!”
Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked.
Jiang Ruan stared at him: “Who is this Ruan’er you speak of?”
“Who else could it be? The eldest Miss Jiang from the current Minister Jiang’s residence!” Zhou Da spoke with full confidence.
“Pfft,” Jiang Ruan seemed to hear some incredible joke, her eyebrows and eyes full of amusement: “You keep saying Miss Jiang has long been in love with you, and just now you risked your life to save her. Do you know who she actually is?”
“What do you mean?” Zhou Da felt something ominous in his heart, sensing something was wrong. He heard Jiang Ruan’s cold voice continue: “What you said sounds very touching, but I am the eldest Miss Jiang. The Jiang Ruan in your eyes is actually the second Miss Jiang—Jiang Susu.”
Under the moonlight, her countenance was beautiful yet carried a trace of resolute coldness: “Master Zhou, could it be that your memory is so poor that you can’t even distinguish who you spent those romantic evenings with?”
Seeing this, people around had already understood the twists and turns involved. Everyone present came from prominent families and could understand such schemes somewhat. Clearly this Zhou Da was spouting complete nonsense. He must have received someone’s instructions beforehand, wanting to ruin the eldest Miss Jiang’s reputation. But somehow, through a strange coincidence, the second Miss Jiang suffered the misfortune instead.
Both Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi breathed sighs of relief in their hearts. Jiang Ruan’s expression remained normal—from the beginning, she had been calling Jiang Susu “Miss Jiang” to mislead Zhou Da. Now that Zhou Da had spoken, among those present there were no shortage of clever people who could naturally figure out the key points.
Jiang Susu’s expression was unclear. Although Zhou Da’s words proved her innocence, people would also speculate about who exactly wanted to harm Jiang Ruan. She and Xia Yan would also become subjects of others’ discussions.
Jiang Ruan looked at Zhou Da, her voice gentle: “This matter seems confusing and has given me quite a headache. But since it concerns my reputation, this matter cannot be left unresolved. Master Zhou, perhaps you should explain this matter clearly to the patrol officers.”
Seeing the situation turning bad, Zhou Da immediately tried to jump into the river to escape, but several guards quickly appeared around him and subdued him. Unexpectedly, Xuan Li stepped forward with a gentle, refined smile: “Send him to the patrol office.”
Jiang Ruan quickly glanced at Xuan Li. His timing was quite convenient—could it be that he hoped she would be grateful to him?
Upon hearing this, Jiang Susu panicked. She naturally understood what Zhou Da was about. If he fell into the hands of the patrol officers and Zhou Da revealed all the masterminds behind the scenes, what would happen to her and Xia Yan?
With these thoughts, Jiang Ruan had already walked to Zhou Da, who was subdued on the ground. She bent down slightly, her gaze level with Zhou Da’s, and said softly: “Master Zhou, I’ve heard that the patrol office has a thousand methods of interrogation, each one capable of making life worse than death. This matter has quite complex origins. Master Zhou should think carefully and not speak recklessly.” After speaking, she smiled sweetly at Zhou Da—a smile even more brilliant than the flower lanterns in the river.
Xuan Li’s guards quickly dragged Zhou Da away. With such complications arising on the boat, tonight’s Flower Lantern Festival was essentially ruined. No one had any more interest in continuing to release river lanterns. With Jiang Susu having experienced this incident, Jiang Ruan could only take her back first. When the boat reached shore and Jiang Ruan was bidding farewell to everyone, Xuan Li approached. He draped the outer robe in his hands over Jiang Susu’s shoulders and said warmly: “The night is cold and windy—don’t catch a chill.”
The flower lanterns illuminated his already handsome features, making them appear exceptionally gentle. Jiang Susu looked up at him, then shyly lowered her head, saying quietly: “Thank you, Eighth Highness.”
Jiang Ruan raised her lips slightly. In her previous life, Xuan Li had warmed her heart. In this life, with Jiang Susu falling into the water, had the object of his concern also changed to Jiang Susu?
Although Xuan Li was speaking with Jiang Susu, his gaze had been following Jiang Ruan all along. Seeing that Jiang Ruan wouldn’t even glance at him, her expression clearly gentle yet giving off a distinct sense of coldness, this feeling inexplicably made Xuan Li somewhat displeased.
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly. Just then, seeing Xiao Shao approaching from the opposite side, she suddenly spoke: “Regarding today’s events, thank you, Your Highness, for seeing injustice and drawing your sword to help.”
Her voice was neither high nor low, just loud enough for those around to hear clearly. Everyone recalled Xiao Shao’s earlier words helping Jiang Susu out of trouble. Now that Jiang Susu was proven innocent, those green jade beads were something Xiao Shao had deliberately claimed for Jiang Susu’s sake. Jiang Ruan’s words carried some sarcastic undertones.
Xiao Shao looked at her indifferently, his expression still cold and detached. He stood tall and elegant in black robes, his coldly noble temperament quickly attracting the attention of surrounding women. Even if they had some confusion about his earlier behavior, they couldn’t care about it now.
Jiang Ruan felt stifled and simply turned around, no longer paying attention to him. But she saw a young gentleman in blue approaching from another direction, stopping beside her and saying somewhat hesitantly: “Miss Jiang, since it’s already quite late, may I arrange for several guards to escort you back to your residence?”
This young gentleman appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. His speech carried some uncertainty, but his gaze showed undisguised anticipation. Jiang Ruan recognized him—this was Young Master Gu from the General’s residence.
She smiled graciously and responded gracefully: “Thank you for your kind intention, Young Master. This humble girl would be ungrateful to refuse.”
This gesture of hers caused both Xuan Li and Xiao Shao to be momentarily stunned. Jiang Ruan’s attitude toward Young Master Gu could be described as extremely gentle, while her attitude toward the two of them was really not friendly at all.
For some unknown reason, Xuan Li felt a trace of something strange in his heart, as if something that originally belonged to him had been taken away. Xiao Shao’s dark eyes only stared at Jiang Ruan, his expression thoughtful.
Among the three, only Gu Yi was exceptionally delighted. He hadn’t expected the beauty to be so gentle and flower-like. For a moment, he could only stand there grinning foolishly.