This time Suzhen’s situation had caused quite a stir, different from before. But because Wuyan had come, someone was responsible for providing emotional support, so everyone felt slightly more at ease. Under Xiao Zhou’s commanding, they first addressed the urgent matter – going out to find a suitable house.

Suzhen had been coming and going these past few days, either locked in her room with Wuyan chattering away, so she hadn’t really interacted much with everyone. Now suddenly appearing in women’s clothing truly startled them all. Steward Fu exclaimed “Oh my” and stared at her with his old eyes, “Young Master, you really do look like a woman when you dress as one.”

Hearing this, Suzhen fell silent, completely lacking her usual “I’m number one in the world” swagger.

“Huaisu, you look very beautiful,” Wuyan was the first to approach, speaking with a smile.

Tieshou was the second to speak, his face slightly red, “Huaisu, you really do look like a young lady in that dress, haha…”

Without a word, Suzhen walked up to him and knocked him on the head, “Are you looking for death? I am a genuine young lady to begin with.”

“Zhuiming, tell me, don’t I really look like a proper young lady…”

Zhuiming still felt the soft texture of her skin remaining on his hand. When she glared at him, that soft, gentle quality became even more pronounced, making him feel guilty immediately. He fiercely scolded Tieshou, “Huaisu is naturally a young lady. What do you know, talking nonsense.”

Suzhen nodded with satisfaction, but her heart remained uneasy. She secretly glanced at Wuqing and Leng Xue. Leng Xue looked at her deeply with cold eyes, while Wuqing had a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, changing from his usual quiet and calm demeanor, “Our Huaisu is a very beautiful young lady.”

Suzhen pursed her lips, a trace of shyness appearing in her eyes, but this feminine mood was immediately punctured, “Hmph, just ordinary. With Consort Wei here, ten of your kind would pale in comparison. Even I in women’s clothing would be enough to scare you to death.”

The whole room immediately fell silent. Suzhen’s small vanity was instantly crushed by Xiao Zhou’s sharp tongue. She said resentfully, “You all eat. I’m going out first.”

Everyone knew what she was going out to do, each having their own thoughts, remaining silent for a moment. For once, even Xiao Zhou didn’t speak, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Finally, it was Wuyan who said quietly, “Go ahead.”

Suzhen felt like she was floating, as if she could never quite touch the ground. After walking a few streets, she reached the place she had agreed to meet Lian Yu.

Where the lights blazed magnificently, the canal on the left side flowed like a silver ribbon, winding past. Countless lotus lanterns drifted slowly on the waterway. Every few steps there were stalls with flower lanterns and snacks… Looking around, countless pavilions and buildings were intricately arranged, with glazed tile corners reflecting the blue canopy and jade-green water. People crowded everywhere, and the capital was truly extraordinarily lively.

A young couple walked by with smiles. The woman said coquettishly, “A Xue, I heard that several big bosses in the capital invested money this year to make a giant flower lantern. You must get that biggest flower lantern for me. They say if you solve the lantern riddles, there’s even a prize of a thousand taels.”

The man teased her, “The riddles must be very difficult to guess, but if my little lady insists on having her husband go lose money, then I’ll go.”

Hearing her lover’s pretend sighs, the woman said coquettishly, “I haven’t agreed to marry you yet. Who’s your lady? How annoying.”

The two spoke as they quickly passed by Suzhen. The liveliness of this world seemed endless.

Suzhen couldn’t bear to see others being affectionate, so she wickedly cursed: can’t solve it, can’t solve it…

Suddenly she remembered scenes with Lian Yu.

When she was with him, she always forgot that he was an emperor, so although she had thought about his three thousand concubines, she hadn’t thought deeply about it. The burden on her shoulders was already enough to make her unable to breathe.

But Murong Luo’s “visit” suddenly turned all her certainties into confusion.

They were almost impossible to be together now, and even if they were together, it would still be the same – everyone had their own responsibilities.

They couldn’t simply be together; there would be other people. She also couldn’t expect Lian Yu to have no consorts. Murong Luo was one of Lian Yu’s responsibilities.

But now, she could no longer detach herself – not just because he had the power to decide whether to overturn the Feng family case, but because she couldn’t give him up.

It was strange. When they were together, they didn’t seem as tenderly affectionate as other lovers appeared to be. They bantered and quarreled, and it wasn’t like when she was with Li Zhaoting, where she was always anxious about gains and losses, seeming deeply unforgettable. But when they weren’t together, she felt every day was empty and dull, more difficult than being apart from Li Zhaoting.

As she thought about this, her lips unconsciously curved upward. But suddenly her shoulder was pressed down. She turned around startled, and the other person slowly lowered their hand, “Tonight there’s a lantern festival. I’ll wait for you under the biggest flower lantern, all night long. But if you don’t come tonight, I’ll leave by myself, leave you, leave the capital.”

“Leng Xue…”

She looked at him in shock, about to persuade him, but Leng Xue reached out to stroke her head, cutting off her words, “I said I would guard you like before, but Zhen’er, I really can’t watch you make more mistakes, even staking your self-respect. Zhen’er, you’re actually blinded by hatred. We should have left here long ago.”

His eyes were deeply focused, with light burning like fire in them, but the melancholy between his brows was as cold as a thousand-year-old pool, appearing both deeply affectionate and coldly distant.

“Don’t do this, Leng Xue, don’t leave me at this time…”

She reached out to grab him, but Leng Xue moved like the wind and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

He obviously didn’t give her any chance to change his mind.

Even Leng Xue was leaving. Suzhen stood alone on the bustling street, hugging herself tightly. Though it was July, she was inexplicably shivering. Wuqing, Xiao Zhou, Wuyan… everyone would leave sooner or later, because each person had their own path. Suzhen ultimately didn’t turn back and walked into the sea of people.

In the riverside restaurant, Li Zhaoting didn’t choose a private room but selected a window seat in the main hall to drink alone. Seeing fireworks bloom in the sky, his lips tensed slightly.

The you hour had long passed, and she indeed hadn’t come, just as she had told Little Four.

Very good. He sipped his wine, thinking to himself that he had noted this.

However, the person he was originally waiting for wasn’t her anyway.

He called the waiter to add another wine cup. The waiter grinned and replied, “Coming right up, sir, please wait.”

“Minister Li.”

A faint, elegant fragrance drifted over as someone stepped slightly aside from behind the waiter, revealing a beautiful, refined face.

Li Zhaoting smiled slightly, dismissed the waiter, and invited the woman to sit.

“How did you know I would definitely come?”

Shuangcheng asked coolly.

Li Zhaoting’s lips curved slightly, his eyes deeply profound, as if he could see straight into her heart.

“How could Zhaoting not understand something about the young lady he admires?”

His words seemed like feathers lightly teasing her heart. Shuangcheng’s face warmed slightly as she snapped quietly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Now that I already know her identity, your condition is no longer valid…”

“Oh,” he laughed, his eyes sparkling, “so Shuangcheng had seriously considered my condition?”

Shuangcheng was ashamed and angry, grinding her teeth slightly. “Do you think she still likes you?” she suddenly asked slowly.

“I don’t know, but her feelings for me for ten years were indeed genuine. But that I don’t like her and cut off all her hopes and escape routes is also genuine.”

“You should have married her,” she sneered slightly, “since you don’t like her, and Lian Yu isn’t an ordinary person who cares for her, she transferred her feelings to His Majesty. She can also get revenge on both you and me – why not?”

“Then you should also be with me to strike back at her and Lian Yu – wouldn’t that be good? Moreover, I truly love you.” Li Zhaoting picked up some food with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed slowly, and spoke methodically.

Faced with this calm rebuttal, Shuangcheng momentarily couldn’t find words to counter. Along with bitterness, she inexplicably felt some joy, and even more complex emotions of unwillingness and anguish that she couldn’t express. Finally, she said coolly, “I’m leaving first. Take your time drinking.”

Li Zhaoting suddenly reached out toward her. She startled and stood up, looking at him coldly, only to discover in confusion that he was merely making an empty grab. Between his brows was an air of leisure.

“Mm, take care,” he said.

She stared at him suspiciously as he slowly spoke, “Shuangcheng, I didn’t try to keep you, but aren’t you unhappy? You came to confirm Feng Suzhen’s and my feelings from my mouth, to see if she might turn back. Now that you’ve confirmed it, naturally you want to leave. Why would I try to keep you? You don’t love me in your heart, but someday you’ll definitely change your mind. Even just now, if I had really said ‘Fine, I’ll marry her,’ would you truly be happy?”

This man in his white robe was like rolled snow, his features seemingly casual yet radiating steady nobility in his every gesture, making people involuntarily believe him. When Shuangcheng left the restaurant, she somehow felt like she was fleeing in defeat.

She looked up at the starry sky and didn’t linger long, immediately heading to an inn where she gave the waiter a room number.

The waiter brought her to a room with a face full of smiles.

She knocked on the door, and immediately someone answered quietly, quickly opening it.

It was a familiar face – her maid Mei’er.

Mei’er saw her and happily called “Miss,” then nimbly pointed to the items on the table, “This servant followed your instructions and went to several shops to gather everything.”

Shuangcheng nodded. Mei’er was somewhat nervous, “Miss, what about White Tiger?”

“I approached her and emphasized Feng Suzhen’s danger to Lian Yu. She agreed to my request.”

Mei’er was overjoyed, while Shuangcheng looked coolly at the items laid out on the table, her eyes growing deeper, a complex smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

When Miaoyin arrived at the inn, Lian Yu was already waiting on the first floor, sitting at a central table with a pot of fragrant tea brewing. The tea was sweet and aromatic, with white steam filling half the air.

Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, Ming Yanchu and others sat quietly at a distant table, loyally devoted, making not a sound, as if they were merely part of the inn’s scenery.

This inn was cleverly chosen, located at the corner of the night market, surrounded by residential buildings. One had to navigate through these barriers to find the entrance, and the tables and chairs inside were rustic, without a trace of cooking smoke.

Miaoyin was quite pleased in her heart, while Lian Yu quickly stood up when he saw her, smiling warmly, “Please.”

In casual clothes, with his jade hairpin elegant and refined, his white robes scholarly, he appeared even more handsome and ethereal.

“What would you like first, or shall we go out to see the quite lively night market?” He helped her sit down gently, then asked considerately.

Miaoyin’s heart almost melted. No matter how beautiful the outside scenery, how could it compare to spending even half a moment here with him? She was about to respond when White Tiger approached, poured her tea, and suggested with a smile, “I heard the merchants have collectively invested ten thousand gold to build a worship tower and lantern king. This lantern king is as tall as a person, magnificent and beautiful. Tonight everyone is competing, and they say you must outshine all others and solve ten riddles on the lantern to win the lantern king. Miss Miaoyin, why don’t you go see it? You could have our master solve this flower lantern king for you, making everyone envious.”

Miaoyin had originally wanted to stay here, but hearing this, her heart stirred, and she spoke up: “Your Majesty, White Tiger’s suggestion seems quite good. Of course, Miaoyin doesn’t expect Your Majesty to solve riddles for me. Being able to go see the excitement would be good too.”

Lian Yu’s lips curved slightly, “I’ve heard Miss has exceptional talent and learning. Perhaps Miss could solve one for me instead?”

Miaoyin paused, then laughed behind her hand, her face flushed like wine. Everyone also laughed at this, and Lian Yu had already stood gracefully, making an inviting gesture to Miaoyin, and they left the inn together.

After sitting in Hongtu Restaurant for nearly an hour, Suzhen knew Lian Yu wouldn’t come anymore. Though Hongtu had changed owners after the first major case and never regained its former glory, today was different from usual. Many people playing nearby chose to come here for rest and refreshment since other restaurants were full.

Her heart was like the long-cold tea on the table, gradually growing cold.

From her understanding of Lian Yu, if he intended to keep the appointment, he would definitely be punctual. But even if he didn’t come, she was determined to wait it out. She would wait the entire night.

But first, she had to do one thing.

Having made up her mind, she felt for the silver on her person, called over the waiter, gave him all her silver, described Lian Yu’s appearance in detail, and instructed that if a man of such appearance came looking for someone, he must wait for her – she would go and return quickly.

Then she went out to find Leng Xue!

On the road, there were many people, making walking quite difficult. Everyone’s faces showed high spirits and excitement. She was pushed and jostled by the crowd, nearly stumbling. Her mind was heavy with thoughts and she paid little attention, but when someone pushed her, she suddenly fell.

At this moment, someone nearby supported her, a low voice falling by her ear, “Are you alright?”

The voice was familiar and pleasant. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickly looked up – it was indeed that person.

Li Zhaoting also hadn’t expected to see Suzhen here. Before him she wore a light pink dress with delicate makeup, her hair in an unmarried woman’s style with a white jade hairpin, and small matching pearl flowers at her temples.

She looked no different from usual, yet seemed somehow different.

He suddenly saw what was different about her. Actually, she was still the same as always, at most just thinner and paler, but her eyes held something more – like water, like mist, pride and compassion coexisting – that the former Feng Suzhen didn’t have. He thought this quietly.

“Thank you.”

Suzhen smiled bitterly and thanked him. What narrow enemies’ paths these were.

“You’re late,” he said coldly, pulling her to a side where people weren’t so densely packed.

Suzhen replied softly, “Zhaoting, I didn’t come here for you tonight. I came here to wait for Lian Yu.”

“Oh?”

The strength holding her arm steady suddenly loosened, accompanied by a cold laugh.

But she didn’t care, panicking only at the empty feeling in her chest. “My things…” She seemed to have no attachment, unhesitatingly diving into the dense crowd ahead to search with difficulty.

Li Zhaoting looked at his empty palm, something surging up in his chest with a “thump,” fiercely striking his heart and abdomen.

In her heart, what was he exactly – a passerby? Or a past mistake?!

“Miss, what are you doing?”

“Big brother, you stepped on my things. Please let me pass so I can pick them up.”

He stood there tall and imposing, coldly watching her get pushed and shoved by the crowd, stumbling, because everyone was flowing toward the flower lantern building ahead.

When she finally picked up her things, a look of relief appeared in her eyes, but his form suddenly stiffened. She looked toward a tall tower ahead, but her smile suddenly froze in her eyes.

Lian Yu’s group walked along with Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Ming Yanchu quietly following behind. Black Tortoise had already led a large group of palace experts to mingle in the crowd, trailing behind to protect their safety. Miaoyin occasionally asked quiet questions, and Lian Yu would explain the customs of Great Zhou to her. The two conversed pleasantly.

“Good, we’re almost there.”

Miaoyin was in excellent spirits, feeling everything was wonderful, when she heard Lian Yu speak, then suddenly fall silent and stop abruptly.

She startled, seeing his gaze suddenly burning like fire, his vision trembling as it fell on the dense crowd outside the flower lantern building.

The flower lantern building was a brilliantly lit, delicate floating pagoda, six or seven stories high. In front of the tower, a grand pavilion had been erected with a huge flower lantern inside – three or four people wide and six or seven zhang tall. The walls were covered with gauze, divided by wooden frames into ten sections, each painted with different scenes: pastoral landscapes, graceful dancing beauties, children chasing butterflies and flowers, families in harmony… symbolizing prosperous times. The light was orange like fire, leaping and dancing vibrantly. Each section had colorful silk ribbons hanging with brocade slips covered in writing – these were the riddles that had all of the capital’s citizens excited.

On both sides of the flower lantern stood the capital’s merchants who had funded the tower construction, smiling and addressing the swarming crowds.

“Your Majesty, the flower lantern is inside. There’s nothing interesting outside. Let’s go in…”

“A’Luo?”

Miaoyin was puzzled when she heard Lian Yu call out hoarsely, already running frantically toward the lantern building. He seemed to have lost all his usual composure, running so urgently and with such force that he knocked down several pedestrians, drawing stares from others.

She stared blankly at him running wildly, finally stopping suddenly behind a woman in green at the outer edge of the crowd, reaching out with trembling sleeves to grip her shoulders tightly.

The woman seemed frightened too, turning around in alarm. Her face was veiled, apparently a young lady from some family who had snuck out to play at night. She wore emerald ornaments and a pearl necklace that swayed gently with her jade-green dress, like a pool of rippling emerald water disturbed by someone.

Her almond eyes were dark as lacquer, with willow-tip brows lightly drawn in delicate curves, looking anxiously at the handsome man who gripped her shoulders forcefully.

“A’Luo…”

He called again, his dark eyes sweeping away all coldness and depth, bottomless, showing only shock and wild joy, his gaze bright as stars, burning and compelling.

From Miaoyin to Azure Dragon and others, all were shocked by the scene before them. Even Black Tortoise, clad in gray and seemingly merged with the night, appeared from within the crowd.

“A’Luo, how are you… how can you be here? Could it be you didn’t actually die?”

Lian Yu gripped her shoulders tightly, asking urgently, his eyes filled with such intense passion it seemed capable of drowning someone.

But the woman looked at him with tears, as if frightened, as if choking with emotion, unable to utter a word.

Lian Yu touched her face and chin with both hands, suddenly frowning, reaching out to remove her face veil. His handsome face immediately tensed as he glared at her, his lips curving in a terrifying smile, his large hands gripping her chin deadly tight, “Why are you impersonating your sister to deceive me?”

“Your Majesty, Shuangcheng wasn’t deceiving you. Shuangcheng didn’t even know where you and Miss Miaoyin went – how could I deceive you?”

“My sister had few relatives. When our aunt died from excessive grief, Your Majesty found someone new. She only had Shuangcheng left to occasionally pay respects to her. Today Shuangcheng left the palace to visit Father and saw Sister’s belongings. Remembering how she loved excitement, I put on her clothes and jewelry and brought her out to see your… picturesque empire, just like when Your Majesty used to take us out of the palace to play, guess riddles, and buy various trinkets. Shuangcheng thought that if I could solve this flower lantern, Sister would be happy.”

Shuangcheng’s misty eyes were full of pallor.

Even without the veil, Shuangcheng’s appearance was seventy to eighty percent similar to A’Luo’s.

This person was an indelible memory in his heart.

Lian Yu had been furious, but whenever he saw these pitiful eyes so similar to A’Luo’s, his cold, hard heart felt only pain, guilt, and desolation. He unconsciously relaxed his grip, his slender fingers gently touching beneath her eyes, wiping away her tears.

His lips held a gentle curve as he made a promise, “Very well. I’ll pick this flower lantern for you sisters.”

Miaoyin clenched her hands, staring angrily at Shuangcheng’s tearful, smiling eyes, which seemed to reflect faint challenge and mockery toward her.

Several zhang away, Suzhen covered her mouth, equally shocked and stunned. It took another fierce collision from people rushing toward the lantern building to snap her back to reality. She lowered her eyes to look at her hands, which had been trampled by passing feet while searching for her things, bleeding and broken, but she felt no pain at all.

No wonder he didn’t keep their appointment.

She couldn’t blame him for not keeping their appointment either.

The deep affection in his eyes – no matter how naive she was, she couldn’t fail to understand it.

So in the deep lantern light, amid the festive excitement, she finally shed tears like Shuangcheng.

Actually, Qixi should never be celebrated, because separated lovers meet briefly only to part again. Time stretches endlessly once more.

She bit her hand, sobbing silently, until someone’s arms embraced her.

“Do you regret it now? What doesn’t belong to you never will. Do you know why you’re always so annoying? Because you never have self-awareness. This outfit is truly ugly. Did you really think putting on a dress would make you beautiful? I don’t like you, and neither does Lian Yu. Can you compare to the influential Miaoyin, the beautiful and clever Gu Shuangcheng, or these boundless magnificent rivers and mountains?”

In the clear, pine-like fragrance, Li Zhaoting held her tightly with one arm while forcefully lifting her chin with his other hand, asking frivolously.

His eyes held a smile, full of thick mockery and disdain.

He gave her the most powerful embrace while saying the most coldly cutting words. In the past, Suzhen had feared most seeing sarcasm in his eyes – it made her deeply afraid that she wasn’t worthy of him.

But having been loved by Lian Yu, she no longer cared at this moment. She raised her head defiantly, “Well said. I’m indeed not worthy of Lian Yu, but that doesn’t mean Young Master Li is worthy of me.” She actually didn’t hate him, but finally, she could smile proudly before him too.

That dazzling, compelling smile made Li Zhaoting’s expression change drastically. The fury he had rationally suppressed in his heart suddenly exploded. His hand climbed up her slender neck, and for a moment, he felt murderous intent.

But his gaze was immediately drawn to what she held pressed against his chest – was that a flute?!

Was it the flute he had thrown away? Had it somehow found its way back to her hands through various turns?

So what she had desperately searched for was this thing?

His eyes darkened and froze. However, when his gaze swept lightly across the flute body, he became furious again, sneering as he snatched her flute and hurled it forcefully toward the dense crowd around the lantern building.

“My flute…” Suzhen cried out, her eyes full of alarm.

She looked at him with hatred and pushed him away hard, then ran toward the lantern building.

Li Zhaoting’s lips held a smile, pretending not to notice that Lian Yu’s group had become alert to the situation here moments ago, only seeming to rub his temples as if annoyed by pestering.

“They… why are they here too?”

Actually, Miaoyin didn’t need to cry out softly – Black Tortoise, being extremely alert, had already discovered the two along with a group of plainclothes experts surveying the surroundings. When Suzhen turned around, they had already spotted them and reported to Lian Yu.

So except for Miaoyin, who had been coldly watching Shuangcheng and hadn’t noticed, Lian Yu, Gu Shuangcheng, and everyone else had seen everything clearly.

Just several zhang away, separated by the crowded masses, Feng Suzhen had suddenly burst into tears, Li Zhaoting had pulled her into his embrace to comfort her softly, then the two seemed to quarrel over something, with Li Zhaoting snatching something from her hands and throwing it far away.

Lian Yu stopped his forward steps, his hands clenched into fists within his sleeves.

Suzhen paced anxiously outside the lantern building but couldn’t squeeze through. In her desperation, she suddenly remembered her first meeting with Lian Yu here when he was disguised as Murong Liu. She smiled and quickly ran back, entering a small noodle stand where she pressed her palms together and pleaded, “Boss, could you let me have a pot of hot water on credit? Thank you.”

The noodle stand owner was a middle-aged man who was immediately stunned. People came to him to buy and eat noodles, or at worst spend a copper coin for rough tea. He’d never seen anyone wanting to buy water on credit. He immediately said impatiently, “Where did this wild girl come from? If you want noodles, sit down. If not, get lost and don’t block my business.”

The customers eating noodles also looked at Suzhen with surprise. Actually, quite a few people had been secretly watching from outside – only Suzhen herself was completely focused and unaware.

“Really stingy. Can’t I buy it then?” She sighed slightly, “How much?”

The middle-aged man was skeptical, testing her: “Thirty wen?”

Suzhen nodded, then reached into her chest, only to discover that having spent her salary supporting several people, and today buying rouge and clothes, she had very little left. The remainder she had given to the waiter earlier as thanks.

Damn, one wen could kill a tough woman.

Thirty wen could kill thirty tough women.

She smiled awkwardly, “Boss, you see, today I…”

Before she could finish, the middle-aged man had already swung a fist toward her face, shouting angrily, “If you’re not buying, get lost! I can tell you’re one of those fraudsters who dresses well but specializes in cheating free meals. If you weren’t a woman, I’d teach you a lesson. Get lost, get out of my stall immediately!”

Suzhen was angry. In the past, she would have grabbed his pot and run, but even though she’d been dismissed from office, the principles that law enforcers lived by remained in her bones.

“Young lady, if you’re not eating, just leave. Don’t make the boss angry.”

A woman with a child eating noodles couldn’t help but speak up to mediate. There were also several ruffian-looking men who narrowed their eyes and called out, “Little lady, if you have no money, come sit with us brothers.”

Suzhen bowed to the woman, but she had nothing valuable on her – the jade stone Lian Yu gave her absolutely could not be pawned! Gritting her teeth, she pulled out the white jade hairpin from her hair and held it before the middle-aged man, “Big brother, hold onto this for me. I’ll bring money tomorrow to redeem it. If you dare keep it for yourself, I guarantee I’ll search all of the capital, dig three feet into the ground to find you, beat you first then castrate you, and sell you to the palace to be Eunuch Ming. Do you understand?”

The man was intimidated by her fierce manner and couldn’t react for a moment, staring at her hairpin, “This thing isn’t fake, is it?”

At this time, two scholarly-looking men couldn’t help but speak up one after another.

One said, “Old Li, this thing is priceless. Don’t mention your small noodle shop – it could buy that Buddha tower lantern king up front.”

Another said, “The young lady might be a wealthy family’s daughter who snuck out from some household in the capital. Don’t offend someone important without knowing it!”

The onlookers all exclaimed in amazement, not expecting a small hairpin to be worth ten thousand gold.

“Here… take it then.” The middle-aged man showed hesitation, then snatched the hairpin and clutched it in his hand.

Suzhen cast grateful glances at the two scholars, bowed to the middle-aged man, then picked up the copper pot that had been boiling on the stove.

“May the Cowherd and Weaver Girl bless this girl with some accident, so she won’t come to redeem it tomorrow…”

Aside from the man muttering to himself, others even stopped eating their noodles, curiously following this pink-dressed woman to see what she planned to do with a priceless white jade hairpin traded for a pot of hot water!

Suzhen paid no attention to the gazes behind her and quickly walked back.

Outside the lantern building, people were paying to solve riddles. The capital’s merchants and citizens all felt they were getting great bargains from each other and were each enjoying themselves. Suzhen shouted, “Scalding hot water coming through, make way!” but no one paid attention.

Suzhen sighed and pulled over a young couple, swaying her pot and pouring some water on the ground. White steam immediately billowed up as she said, “Hey, hot water – it burns people.”

“This is crazy…” she immediately earned the couple’s scorn. The man scolded her outright: “You dare splash people and see what happens. I guarantee I’ll have you arrested. I know this kind of stupid trick to squeeze to the front too.”

People around stopped to watch and laughed, thinking tonight was full of various entertainments.

Suzhen looked around at the mocking people and without another word, extended her left hand, moved her right hand, and immediately poured steaming water onto her left hand. The water flowed from her hand to the ground, still sizzling.

“That young man is really smart, knowing I’m crazy. I am indeed crazy – I dare pour it on myself, so what do you think about others’ lives…”

Before she finished speaking, screams erupted all around.

People in front of the lantern building heard the commotion and turned back. Seeing the situation, they were all frightened. Even the usually righteous activists forgot to rush out and teach this terrorist a lesson. So Suzhen, carrying her large copper pot, walked through the crowd like entering an empty realm. Everyone retreated to both sides, and she finally found her flute on the cleared ground.

Suzhen held it to her chest, gazing at the characters on the flute with a slight smile.

Big Fish: “Hate not knowing you in the same time, daily wishing to be with you well, transforming into butterflies not seeking flowers, no fragrant grass at world’s end.”

She had changed the original poem lines “Hate not being born in the same time, daily wishing to be with you well, transforming into butterflies to seek flowers, nightly resting in fragrant grass” into her preferred version. The tiny characters covered the flute body, each stroke carved very carefully, but of course, those characters were still characteristically ugly as always.

This was the return gift she wanted to give Lian Yu. She had no money now to buy good jade, but she knew jade extremely well and had specifically chosen a piece from jade vendors that could pass for genuine, planning to go to the mountains to collect a truly exceptional jade piece to replace it once the case was concluded.

“Where did this crazy girl come from? Catch her and beat her severely!”

One of the wealthy merchants, infuriated beyond measure, roared angrily. Three or four burly men rushed out, and several fierce attacks immediately came at her. Suzhen tensed, immediately performed a carp leap and slid to avoid them, first setting down the large iron pot to prevent hot water from splashing and injuring people during the fight.

But this moment of hesitation cost her the initiative. With only amateur martial arts skills, she couldn’t fully deploy her abilities. She barely avoided a punch to her face, only to be attacked simultaneously in the chest and lower body. Clutching her flute, she said nothing, closed her eyes, and prepared to take these two iron fists head-on before planning her next move.

However, not only did no pain come, she heard several “thud” sounds – she opened her eyes quickly to see several men had been knocked flying.

Before her stood Lian Yu’s four guardians with their swords drawn proudly.

Her heart leaped as she slowly stood up. Lian Yu stood one step away from her, hands behind his back, looking at her coldly. His dark eyes were fierce like fire, yet cold as winter frost, sinister and menacing.

His expression was so severe it seemed killing her wouldn’t satisfy his hatred!

She trembled all over, looking at him in disbelief. She had thought they would never again…

After Lian Yu’s sinister glance, he coldly curved his lips. Without seeming to move, the flute she clutched tightly was suddenly in his hands.

Before her very eyes, he gripped it with both hands, channeled his inner strength, and in an instant the flute disappeared, leaving only jade dust scattered from his palms, floating into the deep night sky…

Last night after finishing writing, I saw the break wasn’t at a good point, so I didn’t post it. Who knew when I kept writing until dawn it still wasn’t finished, and after the deadline I thought everyone was asleep so I didn’t announce it… I wrote over 10,000 words, so yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s are all here. To keep you from reading uncomfortably, I’ve included tomorrow’s update too. What happens the day after tomorrow should be obvious without saying. I’ll go sleep for a bit first…