In a daze, Jiang Jing followed the Lan family young ladies into the greenhouse. Bai Ruizhu hurriedly rose to greet the three.

The two Lan family young ladies wore smiling faces, but Jiang Jing couldn’t quite smile.

Bai Ruizhu matched her name quite well. Compared to the delicate and soft young ladies of the capital, she appeared more full-figured, her plump and jade-smooth appearance carrying quite a bit of wealthy charm. When she curved her lips in a slight smile, her round almond eyes bent slightly, looking extremely amiable and gentle.

“Meeting for the first time, let me give you all a greeting gift… I embroidered these myself.”

Taking pouches from her bosom, Bai Ruizhu gave everyone scented ball pendants embroidered with ruyi bat patterns.

Jiang Jing accepted hers in a daze, feeling uncomfortable inside.

The small scented ball pendant was crafted very exquisitely. She absolutely didn’t possess such skill.

“Thank you, Miss Bai.”

“Just call me Ruizhu.”

The seventh Miss Lan smiled: “That won’t do. It’s more proper to call you Miss Bai for now.”

Bai Ruizhu’s face reddened, her bashful appearance extremely pitiable.

Watching this, Jiang Jing only felt bitterness on her tongue. Thinking again of Madam Chen’s anxious, profit-seeking, and completely undignified manner, she couldn’t help but feel sourness in her gums and sadness in her heart.

The three young girls chatted happily, while Jiang Jing kept her head lowered, eyes downcast and lost in thought.

“These are the twelve beauties that Ninth Uncle raises. Normally he treasures them most. If not for honored guests visiting the residence today, we wouldn’t be allowed in this Floating Fragrance Pavilion.”

Bai Ruizhu pressed her lips together, too shy to speak.

Her temperament was refined and quiet, and her tongue was clumsy. Now being teased, she could only blush and smile foolishly, unable to say anything in rebuttal. Seeing this, the seventh and fourth Miss Lan liked this uncle’s wife even more, the two holding hands and laughing happily.

Jiang Jing stood behind the three, saying warmly: “These twelve beauties are truly beautiful. I just wonder what characters are carved on the pot?”

“Everyone says objects express one’s aspirations. I wonder if what’s written above also expresses… something?”

As soon as she said this, curiosity arose in all three young girls, especially Bai Ruizhu who had never met Lan Yunhe.

Girls of this age naturally harbored some innocent maiden feelings, and how could they resist curiosity about their future husband? Now hearing Jiang Jing say this, she couldn’t help but half-squat down to carefully examine the porcelain pot holding the twelve beauties.

The two Lan family young ladies also leaned their heads over. As the three drew closer and closer, Jiang Jing bit her lip, pinched up a small red spider from an unopened crabapple plant, and secretly and carefully flicked it onto Bai Ruizhu’s neck.

“Ah!”

Something crawled on her neck. Frightened, Bai Ruizhu jumped up suddenly, but unexpectedly her movement was so large that she directly knocked over the pot of twelve beauties before her, sending it crashing to the ground with petals scattering everywhere.

“Ai… yo.”

The seventh Miss Lan’s eyes widened, then she said frantically: “This… this is Ninth Uncle’s favorite pot. He pampers it terribly. What… what should we do?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

Having caused such a disaster upon arrival, Bai Ruizhu’s eyes reddened but she didn’t dare shed tears.

“Don’t panic first. I… I’ll have someone find Ninth Uncle. Ninth Uncle won’t punish us.”

Bai Ruizhu said with red eyes: “It was my rashness. Please, Fourth Miss, help me convey my apologies to Young Master Lan. These twelve beauties, I… my residence will compensate for them.”

The fourth Miss Lan held her hand and softly comforted her. After leaving the greenhouse and calling a maid to find Lan Yunhe, the four young ladies stood flustered beneath the glazed window, craning their necks in anticipation.

Jiang Jing glanced at Bai Ruizhu. Seeing her wanting to cry but not crying, panicked and confused appearance, she secretly felt guilty.

She didn’t mean to harm others, but marriage was a matter concerning a woman’s life. If she truly went to the Chen family and lived under someone as crude and cunning as Madam Chen, she feared within two or three years she would wither away and die young, with no future to speak of.

Jiang Jing’s eyes reddened as she took Bai Ruizhu’s hand.

Bai Ruizhu sniffled and patted her: “Don’t be afraid. This is my fault alone and will absolutely not implicate your reputations. It was all my own rashness and has nothing to do with the other young ladies.”

Hearing this, Jiang Jing’s eyes reddened.

Although she had wronged her, she truly needed this Lan family marriage prospect more than Bai Ruizhu.

Now Jiang Jing only hoped the marriage between the Bai and Lan families would fall through, and Madam Lan would look at her again. If she could smoothly marry into the Lan family, for the rest of her life she would burn incense and chant Buddha’s name daily for Bai Ruizhu, praying for Buddha to protect her with a smooth life.

When Lan Yunhe’s personal maid came over carrying things, she saw four young ladies all wearing bitter faces, looking utterly miserable.

Her gaze carefully examined Bai Ruizhu’s face, only withdrawing her line of sight when she drew near.

“I’m sorry. It was my rashness that damaged Young Master Lan’s twelve beauties. I just wrapped them in my handkerchief. I don’t know if they can be saved.”

Bai Ruizhu hurriedly said: “Whether they can be saved or not, my residence will compensate. I wonder where these twelve beauties are sold? Please, Sister, let me know. When I return to the residence, I’ll have someone search…”

The maid smiled and said: “These twelve beauties were brought back by Ninth Master from Guanfeng Cliff six years ago. He said they grew on the cliff edge and were very difficult to pick. There’s no second specimen in the world.”

“Then… then what should be done?”

Bai Ruizhu’s round little face flushed red. Tears gathered in her eyes but she didn’t dare let them fall, only able to forcibly hold back and apologize.

The maid laughed with a “pfft”: “Ninth Master said his fate with the twelve beauties has ended. It has nothing to do with Miss Bai.”

“Ninth Master also prepared gifts for the young ladies, asking them not to let this matter spoil their mood, and not to take it to heart.”

The maid delivered four sandalwood carved flower boxes into everyone’s hands. The boxes in the hands of the fourth and seventh Miss Lan and Jiang Jing were all the same size with identical carvings. Only Bai Ruizhu’s portion was much larger than the other three.

Jiang Jing’s face turned deathly pale, her lips trembling slightly: “This… this isn’t appropriate.”

“What an elder bestows cannot be refused. What Ninth Master gives, the young ladies should accept. It follows propriety.”

Thinking Jiang Jing didn’t dare accept things from an outside man, the maid softly explained, then carefully comforted Bai Ruizhu with a few more sentences before slowly departing.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Since Uncle said he won’t blame you, he won’t blame you. Why don’t we see what Uncle gave us? In the entire residence, he has the most good things.”

The seventh Miss Lan hurriedly opened her box. Inside was a small sheepskin pellet drum with a jade handle inlaid with colored jewels.

“Fourth Sister and I are already this age, yet Ninth Uncle still sends these children’s playthings.”

Jiang Jing also opened hers in a daze. The item in the wooden box was the same as the two Lan family young ladies’.

The seventh Miss urged Bai Ruizhu. Blushing, Bai Ruizhu opened her box. Inside was a string of red gold filigree-inlaid agate necklace circles. Although also something for children to wear, one could tell at a glance it was extremely precious…

Until Jiang Jing returned to Song Wan’s side as if she’d lost her soul, what still floated in her mind was that phrase “Ninth Master said his fate with the twelve beauties has ended, it cannot be blamed on Miss Bai,” as well as the glaringly bright red gold necklace in the wooden box.

Even after boarding the marquis residence’s carriage, Jiang Jing hadn’t recovered her senses.

Song Wan looked at her ashen face and greenish cheeks, saying coolly: “What did you do?”

Jiang Jing’s body trembled. She tightly pressed her lips together without saying a word.

Turning her head to look out the carriage window, Song Wan leisurely said: “Fortune and misfortune are unpredictable; people bring them upon themselves.”

“When calamity is created by oneself, one should bear it oneself. Framing others is not the behavior of a noble person. You should not act this way either.”