The atmosphere in the flower hall completely froze.

No one dared discuss court matters in depth, and seeing Jiang Xuening’s intimidating manner, they simply didn’t even dare come out to play peacemaker.

They only wondered in their hearts: A girl who had spent her first fourteen years raised on an estate without the slightest bit of worldly knowledge, who had only been in the capital for four years—how had she become so frightening?

Fortunately, just at this moment, a servant from outside suddenly came to report with joy on his face, “Report to Miss, Prince Linzi and Heir Yan have already arrived outside.”

The earlier dispute between You Yue and Jiang Xuening was immediately cast aside by everyone.

Even You Yue herself suddenly didn’t care about it anymore.

The young women of marriageable age in the flower hall immediately began whispering to each other in discussion, each displaying either longing or bashful charm. Some of the bolder ones even went directly to the door and window edges to look.

Only Jiang Xuening, hearing this, was slightly stunned: How did Yan Lin come too?

But immediately afterward she felt a headache coming on.

No wonder when she came to Count Qingyuan’s manor today, she had seen so many people attending the banquet. It turned out not to be because the Count’s manor had regained power, but because Yan Lin and Shen Jie were coming!

This was just great—

That day when she politely declined Yan Lin, she had casually made up an excuse about resting at home for two days, but now right at the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth of September she was attending someone else’s banquet. She feared the vinegar jar was about to overturn in a moment.

Count Qingyuan’s manor’s chrysanthemum viewing was all in the garden. Though male and female guests were separated, one side was in the flower hall and the other in the waterside pavilion, actually not very far apart. Moreover, when entering from either side, one had to pass through a long corridor in the garden.

From the flower hall, from the waterside pavilion, one could see from afar.

When the servant came to report, Yan Lin and Shen Jie had already entered from outside, and before long walked onto the long corridor.

Shen Jie, being of imperial blood, naturally possessed an elegant and refined temperament that need not be mentioned.

Today’s Yan Lin, rarely, was not wearing his sword, dressed as a noble young master.

Wearing a waist-fitted brocade sky-blue long robe with a leather belt simply hanging a piece of white jade, the young man stood tall and upright, his face like fine jade, his eyes like morning stars. Walking from the far end of the long corridor, he seemed like a blazing sun, dazzling to behold.

These boudoir maidens in the flower hall had long passed the age of innocence. At once seeing such an outstanding young gentleman, some spring feelings sprouted in their hearts.

You Yue was even more stunned, her cheeks flushed red.

She was also eighteen this year, and considered her appearance superior to her elder sister’s. Being similar in age to Yan Lin, when she heard yesterday that Heir Yan and Prince Linzi would be coming, she had secretly speculated why Yan Lin was coming, almost not sleeping well all night. Now seeing Yan Lin arrive, her heart pounded rapidly.

“Oh my!”

A young lady leaning by the door suddenly cried out, covering her lips with her hand in surprise.

“Why is Heir Yan coming this way?”

Everyone immediately became surprised along with her. Those who had originally been able to pretend composure while seated couldn’t help but stand up and look outside.

Sure enough, they saw Yan Lin standing in the corridor, saying a few words to Shen Jie beside him, then bringing the blue-robed servant at his side, heading toward the flower hall.

Everyone in the hall immediately began speculating.

“What is Heir Yan doing?”

“Coming to find someone?”

“Oh, could it be he’s coming to find our Miss You?”

The table where You Yue, Jiang Xuening and the others sat was right by the window, the position with the best view in the entire flower hall, able to clearly see outside.

Correspondingly, those outside could also glimpse them somewhat.

You Yue heard others teasing and felt happy in her heart, but on her face showed both embarrassment and annoyance, pretending to hit those gossipy ones, only saying, “You mustn’t talk nonsense. Our manor didn’t send an invitation to Heir Yan. Yesterday when we received his reply saying he would come today, everyone in the manor was puzzled. Who knows why the Heir is coming?”

This was fine when she didn’t say it, but once she did it invited even more speculation: “Then he must have sought us out on purpose—Count Qingyuan’s manor certainly has great prestige!”

Jiang Xuening sat in a corner by the window, looking outside without speaking, not showing half the secret excitement and bashfulness of others on her face.

Others’ attention wasn’t on her either.

Only You Shuang looked at her thoughtfully.

Before long, Yan Lin had already approached, and came right to that window.

Today was Count Qingyuan’s manor’s banquet. If Heir Yan only stayed on the male guests’ side it would be one thing, but now walking toward the female guests’ side, it inevitably made people think more: Being at the Count’s manor, yet coming to the female guests’ side, and even giving face by attending the banquet today—reasoning by common sense, naturally he must be coming to find the You manor’s young ladies.

For a moment, all surrounding gazes fell upon You Yue.

No one knew whether there was more suspicion, more envy, or more jealousy.

You Yue, being the object of others’ gazes, only felt an unprecedented nervousness, almost knocking over her tea cup by accident. But very quickly this nervousness transformed into a kind of pride and vanity.

After all, she was the host and had to receive guests.

She took a light breath, suppressing that heart that was almost about to jump out of her throat, exhausting all her lifelong composure, putting on a proper and elegant demeanor as she gracefully stood up, raising a smile: “Heir Yan—”

Yan Lin, having grown up in a prestigious household, didn’t know how many women had tried to charm him since childhood. Having seen too much of this affected posturing, he couldn’t be bothered to give her a glance, acting as if he hadn’t heard at all. Instead, he cast his gaze upon that young maiden in the corner inside the window.

Jiang Xuening still sat upright.

A pair of clear eyes looked out from inside, natural and quiet, only her expression seemed to hide some vexation, as if she thought he was a nuisance, making one’s heart flare up at the sight.

Yan Lin was already dissatisfied that she had put him off then run to this wretched Count Qingyuan’s manor to cause trouble. At this moment he slightly pressed his lips together, pulling down his face, and said, “Didn’t expect I’d come today too, did you?”

All surrounding gazes immediately swiveled around with a “swish.”

You Yue’s face turned pale. The proper smile she had just arranged on her face nearly twisted. She almost used a kind of disbelieving gaze to suddenly turn her head back to look at Jiang Xuening!

Jiang Xuening sighed in her heart and didn’t answer.

Yan Lin then said, “Come out.”

Another round of gasps sounded around them.

Jiang Xuening knew his temperament and guessed he was annoyed in his heart. She didn’t dare anger him in front of everyone, only fearing that if his temper flared everyone would be embarrassed, so she complied and stood up, leaving the flower hall.

Her front foot had barely stepped out when the flower hall behind her exploded.

The proper young ladies who just moments ago had harbored longings for Heir Yan simply couldn’t believe their eyes, and even their gazes toward You Yue became somewhat strange.

You Yue, as the host, had eagerly stood up and barely said half a sentence to greet the guest, who would have thought this esteemed guest wouldn’t pay her half a bit of attention, but instead spoke to that Second Miss Jiang whom they thought beneath notice, and the words between them seemed familiar. It truly shocked everyone’s jaws to the ground!

How was this different from being slapped in the face publicly?

Originally they had thought that with Heir Yan and Prince Linzi coming to the banquet, Count Qingyuan’s manor must have some unknown capabilities, but looking at Heir Yan’s words and actions just now, it didn’t seem at all like what they had imagined.

You Yue stood in place, watching those two figures departing outside, her face suddenly becoming a riot of colors, her expression quite “splendid.”

Yan Lin walked in front.

Jiang Xuening fell back half a step.

Qingfeng and Tang’er were even further behind, only following from a distance.

After walking to a secluded spot in a corner of this garden, Yan Lin finally stopped, looking at her with a half-smile: “You yourself said you’d rest at home for two days, yet today you appear at someone else’s chrysanthemum viewing banquet. Are you deliberately trying to anger me?”

From the moment Jiang Xuening heard he had come, she knew the vinegar jar would tip over.

Now it indeed had.

She raised her eyes to look at him, her eyes like a pool of clear spring water, only smiling and saying, “I only saw the You manor’s invitation after returning to my room, it was a last-minute decision. Besides, aren’t you here now too?”

The meaning in these words seemed to suggest she knew Yan Lin would come as well.

Yan Lin immediately couldn’t maintain his anger, and for no reason felt a trace of sweetness.

The corners of his lips that he had pressed together earlier couldn’t be suppressed, floating up into a genuine smile as he said, “Haven’t learned much real skill, but your ability to coax me has been practiced to perfection!”

Jiang Xuening thought to herself: Aren’t you the one who falls for exactly this?

But she said aloud, “But the Heir’s courage is also too great. Just now in the hall there were still young ladies from other manors present, yet you dared come over. With today’s situation being seen by people, who knows what kind of rumors will spread afterward.”

“Then let them spread.”

Yan Lin’s features revealed some domineering quality, completely disregarding those concerns.

“In the past, I still had two years before my coming-of-age ceremony, it wasn’t good to let others know, fearing that something might change in between and you’d be troubled by rumors. But now there are only two months left, I wish the whole world would know.”

Jiang Xuening was momentarily speechless.

At this time what came to her mind was that bloody coming-of-age ceremony of Yan Lin’s previous life—raiding and exterminating the clan, exile for thousands of miles, the vast Yan clan destroyed in a single day, like a blazing sun falling into a valley, darkening until not a trace of light could penetrate.

Looking again at the young man before her and his longing and anticipation for truly coming of age, she couldn’t help but feel the cruelty deeply.

Yan Lin, seeing her expression was wrong, thought she was angry, and for a moment felt somewhat awkward. After thinking for a moment he changed his words: “But if you’re unhappy, I’ll never do such things again in the future.”

Jiang Xuening’s heart became even more desolate.

But Yan Lin stepped forward and took her hand: “His Highness is still waiting for me over there. Since you came out today, don’t rush back. After the afternoon banquet disperses, wait for me at Cengxiao Tower. I’ll come out later and take you to see the lantern festival.”

The young man’s hand was a sword-wielding hand, the fingertips worn with fine calluses. Holding her palm, it transmitted a heat that penetrated into her skin.

Jiang Xuening looked at him smiling and gazing at her, truly unable to say words of refusal.

After all, having first refused him then coming to Count Qingyuan’s manor, if she refused him again, he’d probably turn hostile on the spot. She could only agree, saying, “Alright.”

Yan Lin couldn’t linger here long, and moreover misunderstood that she was unhappy about his high-profile behavior. After saying a few more words to her and instructing her not to drink too much and become a drunken cat later, he finally returned to the waterside pavilion with Qingfeng.

Jiang Xuening then retraced her path, walking leisurely back to the flower hall.

But just as she passed a few clusters of flowering trees, she suddenly heard several curses ring out from the other side of the flower trees, transmitted through the overlapping branches and leaves.

“Little wretch, trying to run!”

“You don’t even know whose bastard you are, yet the manor has raised you all these years and you still dare to rebel!”

“Gag her mouth, press her down so she can sober up!”

In between seemed to be mixed a woman’s desperate sobbing sounds, but extremely muffled.

Jiang Xuening’s footsteps stopped on this quiet path with few people. In a flash, she had already realized what was happening on the other side of the flower trees. Reason urged her to leave quickly.

But her feet wouldn’t obey in the slightest.

She didn’t know if she had gone mad, but she actually gently raised her hand to pull aside a branch, looking through the gap inside.

There was a small lotus pond on that side.

Only it was late autumn, and the lotus flowers and leaves of summer had long since withered, leaving a pond full of decay, not yet cleared away.

At this moment there were three rough servant women by the pond’s edge.

One of them had a dark face as she pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her wrist that had been bitten and bleeding. The other two women—one twisted You Fangyin’s hands, one pressed down You Fangyin’s head, actually pushing the person toward the water!

Jiang Xuening had only heard it said that in her previous life, You Fangyin’s temperament had drastically changed after falling into water, but she didn’t know it was this kind of “falling into water”!

Tang’er standing behind her was already horrified by what she saw.

But Jiang Xuening felt her entire body going cold. The voice that had clamored in her heart earlier surfaced again, even sharper and more piercing than last time—

Don’t go.

Don’t go.

Each person has their own fate. The original You Fangyin was timid, cowardly, and stupid, only knowing how to be bullied. Even if you save her, you can only save her for a moment—can you save her for a lifetime?

And don’t you want to see that other You Fangyin?

Don’t go, don’t go.

You’re not the one killing her, you’re merely standing by and watching!

Those rough servant women, having been scolded by the two young misses for You Fangyin’s escape from the woodshed, hated this concubine-born daughter of unknown parentage for not knowing her place. They were determined to torture her and make her remember this lesson, so she wouldn’t dare do it again in the future.

Thus they struck with extreme force.

Pressing the person’s head into the water, allowing her to thrash and struggle without letting her up.

You Fangyin, having been locked in the woodshed for several days without eating much, and having been beaten, where did she have much strength left?

After struggling only a few times she could no longer struggle.

The water in this pond was ice-cold, pouring into her mouth and nose. Already unable to breathe, what had been rather intense resistance gradually became powerless. A delicate neck slowly sank toward the pond water…

What kind of despairing posture was that?

Jiang Xuening was suddenly pierced through the eyes.

The terror of death—no one understood it better than her, because she had already truly experienced it once.

At this moment seeing You Fangyin stop struggling, a thunderous sound exploded in her head: Could she truly witness such an innocent girl being murdered before her eyes, and could she truly feel as clear of conscience as in her previous life when waiting for that “You Fangyin” she was waiting for to arrive and become close friends with her?

In that moment, Jiang Xuening’s reason ultimately couldn’t control itself. When she shouted “Stop,” she knew that all these days of admonishment to herself had been completely in vain!

She was a selfish person.

But not thoroughly bad enough.

The three women by the pond were startled by this voice. Turning their heads to see an unfamiliar noble young lady walking out from among the flower trees, they hurriedly released their hands. But You Fangyin had already lost her strength. As soon as they let go, her entire body fell from the pond’s edge.

Only hearing a “splash,” the person actually sank toward the pond bottom.

The two women who had just been acting immediately turned pale.

Not a trace of expression appeared on Jiang Xuening’s face, even her voice was abnormally cold and calm, only saying, “Pull her up.”

The two rough servant women had only wanted to discipline You Fangyin a bit—how could they have anticipated she would be so fragile?

No matter how lowborn, she was still a concubine-born daughter of the manor.

If a death really occurred, they would be in deep trouble!

Being ordered thus by Jiang Xuening, they immediately came to their senses, frantically pulling the person up. When they dragged her to shore she was already soaking wet all over, her face turning blue-green, both eyes tightly closed.

The woman who had earlier ordered others to act also panicked, hurriedly saying, “Quick, slap her a couple times!”

Jiang Xuening stood to one side, coldly watching them attempt rescue, also watching this face that she originally knew well. But her heart was unprecedentedly confused, for a time unable even to distinguish whether at this moment she was more expectant or more fearful.

She thought, she was hypocritical.

She clearly could have come forward earlier to rebuke them, but she deliberately waited until the person was on the verge of death before coming out to stop it.

Perhaps this way she could comfort herself: It wasn’t standing by and watching death, nor was it deliberately wanting You Fangyin to come into this world she detested; she had tried her best, only she hadn’t been able to prevent this matter.

“Cough!”

That rough servant woman slapped twice without seeing any reaction. In her panic she used great force to slap the person’s back once, and also pinched the philtrum. Only then did the person suddenly cough, coughing out all the water that had choked in.

A pair of eyes opened wearily and slowly.

In this instant, Jiang Xuening didn’t stand steady, her body swaying as she retreated two steps.

Those eyes were not clever, not perceptive.

Not half a bit of that clarity and indifference of being outside the situation and viewing the world lightly that she was familiar with.

Only a panicked fear, a clumsy dullness.

It wasn’t her.

In Jiang Xuening’s heart, something crashed thunderously to the ground, as if she had received redemption. But immediately afterward, a kind of epochal loneliness surged up, submerging her completely.