Jiang Xuening never denied that she was a very selfish person. Compared to the current You Fangyin, deep in her heart she had basely hoped that the one who came here would be the familiar You Fangyin.

But this baseness ultimately had its limits.

She couldn’t sit by and watch this You Fangyin be harmed by others, nor could she imagine how she would become friends with another You Fangyin after allowing all this to happen. So she saved her, yet couldn’t stand her timidity, couldn’t stand everything about her that was different from the other You Fangyin.

But why should this You Fangyin have to become another You Fangyin?

She was merely living her own life.

And though Jiang Xuening had saved her, she had no right to dictate her life, nor any right to express disappointment in any of her choices—let alone the fact that she had actually followed her guidance, bought raw silk, learned bookkeeping, walked out of the inner chambers where ordinary women dared not venture, and then placed all her gratitude into this small box…

It took Jiang Xuening quite a while to calm down before looking at her and saying, “What are your plans going forward?”

You Fangyin, seeing she had finally stopped crying, felt somewhat relieved.

She froze for a moment, then thought and said, “Make money, make more money, and make Second Miss happy!”

Another foolish thing to say.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but break into a tearful smile, feeling this You Fangyin was truly too single-minded. But reconsidering, regardless of the reason, wanting to make more money wasn’t a bad thing at all.

For her current self, there was no better choice than this.

However, before that, there were problems that needed to be solved.

She remembered that previously in the palace, she had heard Shen Jie mention that the investigation revealed the silk boats capsizing on the canal were due to officials and merchants colluding to artificially inflate silk prices for profit.

Jiang Xuening said, “Before and after you sold the raw silk, did you hear any unusual news?”

“Yes.” You Fangyin hurriedly nodded, her expression showing some fear. “Just the day before yesterday, many soldiers came to the guild halls and arrested six or seven big merchants. According to Master Xu, they were all major merchants of considerable standing in business circles. Several of them had previously approached him wanting to buy a shipload of his raw silk at low prices. But at the time, he felt the price was too low—it wouldn’t even cover the money to give back to the fellow villagers—so he didn’t agree. Who knew that right after we sold our silk, they would get into trouble. I also heard it seemed to be because of artificially inflating silk prices. Master Xu and I were both very afraid, but after waiting two days, no one came to arrest us. But last night, a steward from our manor was taken away. It seems someone said some relative of his household knew someone in some official’s manor on the canal. I don’t know if he got implicated…”

Jiang Xuening was fine listening to the first half, but when she heard You Fangyin say that a steward from Qingyuan Earl Manor had been arrested, her scalp tingled.

If this were a major case of officials and merchants colluding to deliberately capsize ships and inflate silk prices, there was no reason to even question these small fry from Qingyuan Earl Manor. Just interrogating those arrested officials and merchants would be enough to keep them busy for a while.

But arresting even stewards?

She slowly raised her hand to press against her temples. Though she had no evidence, she now dared to conclude: someone was secretly investigating You Fangyin! Or rather, investigating herself behind You Fangyin…

Jiang Xuening wasn’t clear exactly how much the You Fangyin of her previous life had earned from this business deal, or whether she had told Xu Wenyi about it. But she knew that since she had dared to borrow loan shark money to do business, it must have been because she knew the definite information in advance, which was why she dared to take the gamble.

Working backward, it was reasonable that someone in Qingyuan Earl Manor would be investigated.

Because the You Fangyin of that time had only just transmigrated not long before, so she couldn’t possibly have her own connections to learn of this information.

Therefore, it was most likely learned by chance.

The You Fangyin of this life obtained this information from herself, but did the same thing as the You Fangyin of the previous life. Perhaps because of her kindness, she even attracted others’ attention to this matter, which was why they seized the clues to investigate her.

And they must have screened everyone she had contacted.

Only then could they have traced it to this steward.

If this were truly the case, this steward was most likely taking the fall for her.

You Fangyin saw her expression changing and unease gradually grew in her heart. She said anxiously, “Is someone investigating this matter, and am I very likely to implicate Miss?”

Jiang Xuening exhaled gently.

She sensed someone was secretly watching her, but if someone was taking the fall for her, perhaps they hadn’t yet had time to investigate her specifically. After all, who could imagine that she, such an inner chamber young lady with no connection to the canal whatsoever, would know this kind of information?

This was something contrary to common sense.

So even if her name was on the screening list, it would likely be instinctively overlooked.

Then, although the situation seemed somewhat tricky, it was still possible to mend the fold after the sheep were lost.

Jiang Xuening said to her, “No matter what you do in the future, you must act carefully. Just as you never mentioned a single word about me to that Master Xu before, don’t mention an extra word going forward either. Especially not my identity. I don’t know whether anyone followed you when you came to find me today. But whether there was or not, act as if you don’t know about this matter, and I’m not someone who ever gave you any tips. I’m only a life-saving benefactor you’re very grateful to. Tomorrow, go buy some things, then secretly slip out of the manor and come to the side gate of the Jiang Manor to quietly visit me. I’ll give you a few instructions then.”

You Fangyin’s expression turned solemn, showing unprecedented seriousness.

She nodded vigorously, but then frowned. “If I come sneaking around suspiciously, won’t that make others even more suspicious?”

“That’s exactly what I want them to suspect.” A trace of shadow fell over Jiang Xuening’s eyes. Though she didn’t know who the adversary in the shadows was, she had to be extremely careful. She also explained to You Fangyin, “First, wealth should not be flaunted. If you’ve made money and make a big show of buying things to thank me, your life-saving benefactor, it would be truly strange. Moreover, you’re also very careful in the Earl Manor. Coming secretly seems to invite suspicion, but upon closer investigation, this is actually the method most fitting for your circumstances.”

You Fangyin listened with half understanding.

Jiang Xuening smiled. “If one day you want to dispel someone’s suspicions of you to the greatest extent, you must first let them suspect you, then let them negate their own suspicions. Because people are accustomed to suspecting others, but always trust themselves very much. You should know, under heaven, clever people hiding in the shadows are all very difficult to deal with.”

You Fangyin lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang Xuening then handed the box containing the bank notes back, saying, “Take the money back with you.”

You Fangyin was stunned. “I brought it to give to Miss! The money for doing business was given by you, the method for making money was also told by you, and even my life was saved by you. If you don’t accept this money, I, I…”

Her eyes reddened and she was about to cry.

But Jiang Xuening only picked up the moon-white sachet pressed in the box and said, “Last time when you knocked over someone’s stall, was it for this?”

On the moon-white base, peonies were embroidered with dark blue thread.

Mixed in were a few strands of dark gold—gold thread painstakingly stitched on needle by needle.

The needlework was quite distinctive.

You Fangyin hadn’t expected her to actually know about her foolish, clumsy collision with someone’s stall that day. Her cheeks immediately flushed. With both hands placed on her knees, her whole body ill at ease, she mumbled, “I just saw it on the way back from the merchant house and felt the needlework on a sachet inside was very special. I don’t know how to do anything, and when I first met Miss, I even knocked down and soiled your sachet, so I wanted to embroider a better one for you…”

Jiang Xuening gazed at the sachet in her hand without speaking.

But You Fangyin had rarely talked about something she was good at, and her eyes brightened again. “I studied this embroidery method for a long time before I learned it. And this fabric—last time at Master Xu’s place, I met a silkworm farmer from their Nanxun. He said it was silk woven from his own family’s silk. There happened to be a small piece left over, so he gave it to me. I thought this was my first business deal, taught by Second Miss, so I’d use it to embroider a sachet. Does it look good?”

“It looks good.”

Jiang Xuening’s heart felt warm, and she nearly shed tears again.

She clutched this sachet in her hand and only said, “I don’t need the money, but this sachet—I’ll accept it.”

You Fangyin raised her head, seeming to want to say something more. “But—”

Jiang Xuening reached out and pulled her into an embrace, hugging her, saying softly, “What you brought me today is more important than this money.”

You Fangyin froze.

Jiang Xuening’s embrace was warm, even gentle.

Her voice also floated like a dream murmur. “Thank you, and also, I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry I misunderstood you.

Thank you for telling me that I can do it.

No one knew that today she had already walked along the edge of collapse several times.

Today, Xie Wei told her: you cannot escape.

Also today, You Fangyin told her: you can change things.

Although many things in this life seemed to have no great deviation from their trajectory in the previous life, each matter was different from the previous life.

Especially You Fangyin.

She had thought that after saving her, this would still be a timid, unsuccessful You Fangyin. That kind of disappointment in her was more accurately a disappointment in her own inability to change anything.

But she went and did it.

And she succeeded.

Even strictly speaking, she was more successful than the You Fangyin of the previous life.

Though some loose ends remained, compared to what she had gained today, what did those matter?

You Fangyin didn’t know why she had cried today, nor did she understand the meaning of those words just now. But from this embrace, she felt an unprecedented tenderness.

The box she had brought was placed back in her hands.

Jiang Xuening only said to her, “Come find me tomorrow.”

You Fangyin held the box and nodded dazedly. After getting down from the carriage, she couldn’t help but look back at her once, then hid the box back in her sleeve and slowly walked along the long street.

Jiang Xuening watched her walk away.

Farther and farther.

Finally, she emerged from the carriage and stood on the carriage shaft outside, gazing at her figure until she could see her no more.

As Xie Wei walked out from the palace along Vermillion Bird Avenue with those several answer sheets rolled up, this was the scene he saw.

The carriage stopped at the roadside, and she stood on the carriage gazing into the distance.

In the autumn sky, rarely so clear, the evening clouds had been blown in by the wind, and she stood in this rosy light.

When Jiang Xuening turned to climb back into the carriage, she immediately saw him, stopped at a distance.

She should have been afraid.

But perhaps because she was too happy from seeing such a You Fangyin today, at this moment, seeing Xie Wei who should have been detestable, she actually found him much more pleasing to the eye.

She curved her lips and nodded to him, simply saying, “Hello, Teacher Xie.”

Xie Wei didn’t respond.

He only felt that the trace of a smile at her lips was like this sky—suddenly sweeping away all the gloom that had pressed upon her, possessing a rarely seen clarity and brightness.

Just like today’s weather.

Jiang Xuening didn’t need him to respond to anything. It was merely a greeting. Then she entered the carriage, had the coachman set off again, heading toward the Jiang Manor.

It was nearly time for the palace gates to be locked.

Many ministers who had been temporarily summoned into the palace for deliberations were also leaving in succession.

Halfway along, seeing Xie Wei standing there, they couldn’t help but say, “What is Xie Shaoshi looking at over there?”

Xie Wei then withdrew his gaze, turning instead to look at that sky.

Near evening, it was extraordinarily magnificent.

The highest point overhead was a clear deep blue, then gradually westward, becoming successively deep purple, crimson red, then golden red—like dark gold sinking down, then receding into that western darkness edged in gold.

For some unknown reason, he smiled and only responded to that official, “What beautiful weather today.”