Shen Zhiyi knew about the relationship between Yan Lin and Jiang Xuening. After all, when the companion readers were being selected, Yan Lin had specifically come to talk to her about it, and she had seized the opportunity to tease him thoroughly for quite a while.

And now he was directly disavowing any relationship with Ningning?

Seeing the expressions on those two people’s faces, besides confusion, she felt several points of inexplicable anger rise within her. Feeling very indignant on Jiang Xuening’s behalf, she stepped forward, about to erupt: “Yan Lin, what are you—”

“Your Highness the Grand Princess.”

Yan Lin was already feeling terrible enough. Jiang Xuening was terrified that Shen Zhiyi would say something more to embarrass him, so she hastily reached out and gently pulled her back, her lips curving upward as she smiled in what seemed like a comforting manner.

“Prince Yanping is young and just casually joking around. It doesn’t matter.”

“But what I wanted to say wasn’t…”

It wasn’t about Prince Yanping at all.

Shen Zhiyi stopped when Jiang Xuening pulled her back. Just as she was about to explain, she turned her eyes and saw in Jiang Xuening’s seemingly calm gaze several points of earnest pleading. Although she couldn’t understand why no matter what, she could no longer voice the questions filling her heart.

After all, she didn’t know what had happened between them.

So she put on a stern face and, following along with what Jiang Xuening had just said, scolded Prince Yanping: “If you spout such nonsense again in the future, see how I go tell the Emperor Brother about you!”

“…”

Prince Yanping was simply dumbstruck.

Even as Shen Zhiyi pulled Jiang Xuening and led everyone away together, he still didn’t understand how saying just one sentence—which wasn’t even a joke—had suddenly gotten him thoroughly scolded.

But Grand Princess Leyang had always been domineering, and he didn’t dare talk back.

Only after watching them leave did he mutter: “Really, what’s going on? What does it have to do with me?”

Yan Lin said nothing, lowering his eyes as he walked forward.

The few people traveling with him didn’t really notice anything unusual about him. Although they all felt that Yan Lin seemed to be silent more often recently, he appeared more steady than before, faintly shedding his youthful inexperience, with a kind of mature understanding of worldly affairs gradually emerging.

So they all just assumed that with his capping ceremony approaching, he had changed accordingly, and thought nothing more of it.

Although Prince Yanping was puzzled about his relationship with Jiang Xuening, it wasn’t appropriate to ask too many questions in front of the others. He could only hang his head sullenly and go with them to Fengchen Hall.

At this moment, Xie Wei was still in the side hall staring at the place on the windowsill where that little white cat had stepped, his two long eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if pondering some thorny matter.

However, when everyone was announced and entered, his expression had already returned to normal.

Lightly holding an ink line between his fingers, he turned his head and with one glance saw Yan Lin standing beside Prince Yanping, only asking: “Why have you all come?”

No one spoke.

Someone standing in the back kicked Prince Yanping.

Prince Yanping immediately lost his footing, stumbling forward several steps and finding himself exposed in Xie Wei’s line of sight. His face flushed bright red, and he spoke somewhat bashfully: “A few days ago, this student heard Teacher lecture on policy essays. After returning home, my father asked this student to write an essay on the topic of ‘advancing one’s studies.’ These past two days, this student burned the midnight oil and barely managed to put one together, but doesn’t know if it’s good or bad, so I wanted… wanted to ask Teacher to evaluate it before… before taking it home to show Father.”

Behind him, everyone snickered quietly.

Prince Yanping grew annoyed: “What are you laughing at! Today you’re laughing at me, tomorrow it’ll be your turn!”

Yan Lin also curved his lips slightly in a smile.

But after smiling, that melancholy not only didn’t dissipate, it seeped even deeper: he too should have been like Prince Yanping, carrying a bit of that youthful reckless ignorance, but now he could no longer be that way.

Upon hearing this, Xie Wei immediately understood that Prince Yanping was afraid of writing poorly and being scolded when he got home. So he also laughed once, appearing rather magnanimous, and said: “Prince Yanping’s schoolwork these past few months has been quite good, and among his peers his studies are also second to none. Even if there are still some shortcomings in what he’s written, I’m sure your esteemed father won’t mind. However, since Your Highness has already come in person to request this, Xie is also curious about Your Highness’s recent progress. It’s just that this Fengchen Hall is where Her Highness the Grand Princess studies, and having so many of you here is inconvenient. Let’s move to the Wenyuan Pavilion to review it instead.”

Everyone responded affirmatively.

Prince Yanping’s face immediately showed delight, and he repeatedly said: “Thank you for your trouble, Teacher.”

Xie Wei casually set down the ink line held between his fingers, only saying that he still needed to tidy up a bit in the side hall before leaving, and told everyone to go to Wenyuan Pavilion first while he would follow shortly.

So everyone left in high spirits and chatter.

However, when they reached the doorway, Xie Wei called out: “I’ve been selecting wood for making a qin, and there are a few pieces I no longer need. Might I ask Young Master Yan to stay behind and help move them?”

Yan Lin froze, his footsteps immediately stopping as he instinctively replied: “I’m willing to serve Teacher.”

The others looked back briefly but thought nothing of it, bid Yan Lin farewell, and left.

But when Yan Lin walked back into the hall, he suddenly thought: the little eunuchs are standing right outside the hall door. He’d heard that this time, the wood for Teacher Xie’s qin-making had been specially selected by the Imperial Household Department. The unused pieces should be returned to the Imperial Household Department, so having the little eunuchs take them would be most appropriate. Why did he specifically ask him to help move them?

However, Xie Wei showed no unusual expression, pointing to two pieces of beech wood in the corner of the long table and said: “These two pieces aren’t needed. I’ll have to trouble Young Master Yan.”

Yan Lin walked forward.

However, when passing by that qin table, he recognized at a glance the Jiao’an qin placed on top—it was precisely the one he had given to Jiang Xuening. His heart suddenly ached, and even his footsteps faltered.

Xie Wei’s gaze also fell on the qin table, only saying: “Ning… Miss Jiang Er, though somewhat mischievous and playful, and her studies aren’t particularly outstanding, is still quite well-behaved before me and willing to endure the discipline of reading. She just finished learning the qin and left from here. Young Master Yan can ease your mind a bit about this.”

Back then, he still didn’t know that the Yongyi Marquis Manor was about to meet with disaster.

So thinking of Ningning entering the palace to serve as companion reader, his heart was joyful. Yet he also feared she wouldn’t pass the selection, so he had specifically sought out Teacher Xie after one of the Wenyuan Pavilion lectures ended, quietly requesting that Teacher Xie look after her more.

But now…

It was he who had single-handedly sent Ningning into this hellish battleground, yet in the days ahead he might not have the ability to protect her anymore.

Seeing this qin only made Yan Lin’s heart ache, but hearing Xie Wei speak this way also brought him some happiness. For a moment, he couldn’t distinguish whether what spread across his tongue was sweet or bitter, so he laughed softly and said: “If I could ease my mind so easily, things would be simple.”

He stepped forward to move those two pieces of beech wood.

Xie Wei watched the somewhat silent back of the young man, lowered his eyelids, and his eyes held a somewhat dazed darkness. After a long while, when he spoke, his manner was ordinary: “I didn’t see your esteemed father at this morning’s court session. I heard someone say he’s ill. Is it not serious?”

Once again, Yan Lin felt that sense of strangeness, but still replied: “A few days ago it rained, and Father indulged in quite a bit of wine. Old wounds from his years on the battlefield flared up, causing some pain in the injury site, which is why he didn’t attend court. But it’s nothing serious.”

Xie Wei nodded and said: “The Young Master has something weighing on his mind.”

Yan Lin’s heart grew slightly vigilant, yet he couldn’t quite grasp what Xie Wei meant.

But Xie Wei picked up the qin case nearby, placed the Jiao’an qin that Jiang Xuening had left here inside, and together with his own Emei qin, hung them both on the eastern wall of the side hall.

His back was turned, so Yan Lin couldn’t see his expression.

He could only hear his voice, flowing with slight ripples beneath its calm surface: “A teacher transmits the way, imparts knowledge, and resolves doubts. When Xie was young, he was clumsy at learning the qin. Fortunately, I relied on my renowned teacher’s patient instruction. To this day, I dare not forget my teacher’s admonition: ‘Dripping water pierces stone, gathering sand forms a tower.’ Only after twenty-three years did I achieve modest success. Young Master Yan is extremely intelligent and naturally grasps things at a touch. However, even sages inevitably have doubts, so it’s only natural for the Young Master to have doubts as well. If you trust me, in the future, come find me just as Prince Yanping does.”

“…”

Yan Lin’s pupils contracted slightly as he gazed intently at him.

Xie Wei turned around, but only smiled faintly at him and said: “Let’s go. They must have been waiting for a while.”

After parting from Yan Lin and the others, Jiang Xuening and her group returned to Yangzhi Study.

Shen Zhiyi couldn’t help but pull her into the room to sit down and ask privately what was going on between her and Yan Lin.

Naturally, Jiang Xuening couldn’t say a single word about it.

Seeing her like this, Shen Zhiyi was truly anxiously frustrated, quite exasperated at her failure to meet expectations. Yet after half a day, she still couldn’t pry out a single sentence, so she could only say: “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it now, but when you do want to talk, you must tell me. If Yan Lin has bullied you, this Princess will definitely make him pay!”

Jiang Xuening was helpless and could only thank her for her kind intentions. After much coaxing and considerable effort, she finally managed to send Shen Zhiyi on her way.

And yet she still threw a tantrum as she left.

After sitting in Jiang Xuening’s room for a while and seeing that the furnishings here were simple, upon going out she scolded the serving palace maids: “How are you all serving her? The heated kang in this room isn’t being warmed, the vases have no flowers, the brocade stools are too hard, and there aren’t even any pleasing decorations—where does this look like a young lady’s boudoir? Report this to me—replace everything! Tell those people who judge others by their status that next time this Palace comes and sees things still so shabby, I’ll make them suffer the consequences!”

The palace maids were frightened out of their wits.

When this news reached the female officials in charge, the eunuchs, and the Imperial Household Department above, they were even more frantic, loudly protesting their innocence.

Who didn’t know that this Miss Jiang Er was a favored person, personally selected by Her Highness the Grand Princess to serve as companion reader in the palace?

They wouldn’t dare slight her even if they slighted anyone else!

It’s just that these women had come to the palace to serve as companion readers, not to enjoy themselves. Making things too nice really wouldn’t do either. Throughout all dynasties, there had never been any precedent for treating companion readers like honored guests.

When the Grand Princess issued this command, it nearly worried them to death.

But by the first quarter of the hour of the Monkey, an endless stream of new items flowed like water from the Imperial Household Department. The head eunuch’s face was wreathed in smiles as sweet as honey as he said to Jiang Xuening: “Her Highness the Grand Princess ordered us to properly furnish Miss Jiang Er’s room, and we servants wouldn’t dare be careless. All the furnishings including the bedding have been replaced with the finest quality. Would you like to take a look?”

In Yangzhi Study, everyone was discussing today’s encounter with Yan Lin.

If the two had a close relationship, and Yan Lin was about to hold his capping ceremony, then before long they could discuss marriage, and there was no need to be overly secretive about the relationship. Teasing them once or twice was nothing at all. Everyone was wary of Jiang Xuening by three degrees precisely because they guessed that the marriage alliance between the Jiang Manor and the Yongyi Marquis Manor had likely been secretly arranged.

But unexpectedly, Yan Lin had personally denied it.

This was completely different from what everyone had initially understood.

Most people can never bear to see others doing well, and are more willing to kick someone when they’re down rather than send charcoal in snowy weather—especially toward someone as eye-catching and heart-piercing as Jiang Xuening.

Private tea-drinking conversations inevitably carried some cold mockery.

Some people even openly revealed traces of schadenfreude and ridicule.

But they hadn’t even been happy for two hours when the Imperial Household Department came specifically to furnish various items solely for Jiang Xuening, and the fawning, ingratiating attitude of the head eunuch was like a big slap across each of their faces.

Their mocking words weren’t even finished before they were all struck silent.

One by one, their hearts turned sour and their eyes concealed jealousy as they watched with wide eyes as that group of people busied themselves in Jiang Xuening’s room.

Jiang Xuening could guess that when this group gathered together, they wouldn’t say anything good about her. But Yan Lin disavowing his relationship with her, and the Yongyi Marquis Manor’s impending disaster—these were all things she had anticipated. In her previous life, she had experienced predicaments far worse than this. So compared to the panic and anxiety when she first fell into such a situation in her previous life, she now had several degrees more of composure and calm in the face of change.

In her previous life, without Yan Lin, she had latched onto Shen Jie.

In this life, without Yan Lin, she still had Shen Zhiyi.

She didn’t know how she had formed such deep connections with the imperial family, but right now it was difficult to shake them off, so she simply accepted this affection with equanimity and kept it in her heart.

The palace servants were arranging things in her room. She found it boring to sit and watch, and those palace servants weren’t comfortable either, so she simply left her room and walked along the palace path outside Yangzhi Study.

After walking just a few steps, she could see the brilliant glazed tiles of Kunning Palace.

This made her think of Zheng Bao.

Having Shen Zhiyi wasn’t enough. Those in the upper echelons couldn’t see the filthy corruption at the bottom levels, so having someone down below would be even better.

She just didn’t know—in her previous life, it was Shen Jie who had saved him, but in this life it was herself who saved him—would Zheng Bao still make the same choice as in the previous life?

As these thoughts turned in her mind, Jiang Xuening’s footsteps had already stopped.

She couldn’t walk any further forward.

After all, she was a newly entered companion reader, and after what had happened at Cining Palace, everyone in the palace walked with their heads lowered. If she wandered around recklessly and caused trouble, no one could save her.

So she turned around, intending to return.

But unexpectedly, just as she turned around, she saw someone walking toward her from the direction of Kunning Palace ahead. When he stood up, his figure was actually quite tall. His face was fair and clean, his features delicate. Though there were still some unhealed scars on his face, compared to yesterday when he knelt there receiving punishment, he looked much better.

Jiang Xuening recognized him at a glance.

But before she could speak, Zheng Bao spoke first: “Zheng Bao greets Miss Jiang Er. Thank you, Miss, for speaking up to save me yesterday.”

He must have entered the palace at a young age, so his voice carried a slight, delicate gentleness. When he saw Jiang Xuening, his eyes moved slightly, that pair of eyes like a lake whose snow had been melted by spring sun—warm and gentle.

Jiang Xuening knew this person was meticulous.

In her previous life, he had been Shen Jie’s right-hand man. Details that Shen Jie could think of, he could think of. If Shen Jie had any oversights, asking him would certainly yield answers. Yet he never displayed his abilities in front of others, only quietly doing his work.

As such, few people noticed him.

Only after becoming Empress did she learn whom Shen Jie trusted most. Only after witnessing Zheng Bao’s choice did she understand what kind of passionate, loyal spirit lay beneath this person’s gentle exterior—once he committed to something, he was willing to risk his life for it.

Shen Jie saving him had been pure kindness.

But her saving him was not the same.

Jiang Xuening didn’t know whether he had come specifically to find her or had encountered her by chance while passing by, but it didn’t matter. Gazing at him for a long moment, she only said: “But when I spoke up to save you, my motives were not pure.”

Zheng Bao froze.

He had originally been mindful of owing someone a debt of gratitude and felt he should come express his thanks. In the palace, there were truly too few people who offered help in times of need. So much so that last night, lying on that narrow, hard bed, he had tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

But he never expected the young lady before him would respond this way.