“Still worth laughing about, borrowing tonight’s drunkenness for an old friend’s sake!” Yan He loosely gripped the wine jar, his face flushed red, his speech already slurred. Hua Youxian laughed, “General Yan is drunk.”

As the small jar of Bifang wine was emptied and the zither music continued, everyone had already fallen into various states of drunkenness. Yan He and Lin Shuanghe were the most intoxicated. Lin Shuanghe was waving his fan, arguing vigorously with Yan He, “What’s so great about having a wife? Those who have wives, how could they understand the preciousness of freedom?”

“You don’t know shit!” Yan He drunkenly cursed at him, “You’re just… sour grapes because you can’t have it…”

Yang Mingzhi had a low alcohol tolerance; just a small amount made him dizzy. He hadn’t gone wild, just sat there restraining himself, lost in thought, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

He Yan’s alcohol tolerance was even worse than Yang Mingzhi’s. Although the Rose Dew was sweet, it still contained alcohol. After a few cups, drowsiness overtook her, and before she knew it, her head felt heavy and her feet light. She collapsed onto the table, sleeping sweetly.

Among the group, only Chu Zhao and Xiao Jue remained sober.

“There are empty rooms upstairs,” Cailian said, “Why don’t we send them up to rest for a while? I’ll have the girls prepare some sobering soup to simmer, so they can drink it when they wake up.”

Xiao Jue nodded.

Not to mention the others, but just having Yan He and Lin Shuanghe in their current state out on the streets could lead to who knows what trouble. Cailian ordered people to help support Lin Shuanghe and Yan He upstairs.

Yang Mingzhi stood up unsteadily, barely maintaining his sobriety, and smiled, “No need for me. My carriage is still outside; I’ll go home to rest.” Without waiting for a response, he walked out on his own.

Hua Youxian showed some concern: “This…”

Xiao Jue: “Let him be.”

After Yang Mingzhi left, Chu Zhao looked toward He Yan, about to speak, when he saw Xiao Jue walk to He Yan’s side, reaching out to pat her back, calling, “He Yan.”

In her drowsy sleep, He Yan unconsciously swatted away Xiao Jue’s hand and continued her sweet slumber. Xiao Jue paused for a moment, then bent down and picked her up.

The girl still playing the zither nearby was startled, her fingers slipping, producing an odd note. Hua Youxian lowered her head and smiled, saying to Xiao Jue, “Young Master Xiao, please follow me.”

Seeing Xiao Jue carry He Yan away, Cailian looked at the remaining Chu Zhao: “Young Master Chu…”

The young man gave her a refined smile: “Thank you for your trouble.”

The room was in the farthest corner upstairs, far from where Lin Shuanghe and the others were staying. At the end of the corridor was a pavilion, giving the impression of a celestial mountain retreat at first glance. Hua Youxian stood at the doorway, smiling, “This room hasn’t been occupied before, but it’s cleaned every few days. Young Master Xiao, please make yourself comfortable.”

Xiao Jue said “Thank you” and carried He Yan into the room.

Hua Youxian withdrew.

Xiao Jue was very tall, and He Yan was thin and small, making her light to carry. It wasn’t like carrying a young woman, but rather like holding a cat, she was so light. The couch in this room was quite low, and perhaps because no one usually stayed here, it felt somewhat desolate. Xiao Jue bent down, placed He Yan on the couch, and then half-knelt on the ground, leaning against the headboard to tuck her in properly.

The moonlight was misty like smoke, and the summer breeze gently wafted through the window, seeming to stir the effects of the wine slightly. The young man looked down at the girl sleeping on the bed, and Yan He’s earlier words seemed to echo in his ears.

“Living until now, you probably haven’t even held a girl’s hand, still saving your first kiss.”

His eyelashes lowered as his gaze fixed on the person on the couch, and he muttered softly, “That’s not quite true.”

During the Battle of Jiyang, He Yan had nearly drowned underwater, and at that time, desperate to save her, he had shared breath with her… That should have been his first kiss… if that could be counted as a kiss.

However, she seemed unaware of this.

This was somewhat displeasing, and the young man curled his fingers as if unable to resist tapping her forehead as punishment, but stopped just before touching He Yan’s forehead. Then, the tap became a gentle caress as Xiao Jue tucked her stray hair behind her ear.

Lin Shuanghe’s words before they set out came back to him.

“Huaijin, ah Huaijin, if you like Sister He, you should naturally pursue her. Even if she likes Chu Zilan, you know that she and Chu Zilan are impossible, and Chu Zilan isn’t a good match anyway. With your looks and family background, surely you’re not afraid of comparing unfavorably to Chu Zilan? I don’t know what Sister He has been through before, but as long as you’re kind to her and don’t appear so aloof, it should be easy for her to fall for you.”

“Do you know that in Sister He’s heart, she’s never been someone who thinks she deserves to be ‘favored.'”

The young man stared at the girl on the couch, his gaze gradually becoming profound. Even without Lin Shuanghe saying so, he had sensed this. But it made no sense – according to Luanying’s intelligence, He Sui had doted extensively on this daughter, not enough to make her think so little of herself.

The free-spirited confidence she showed on the training grounds and amid flashing blades formed a stark contrast with her humble cautiousness in ordinary social situations. She was a contradictory person, and precisely these contradictions made her particularly attention-drawing.

Xiao Jue lowered his gaze at her, reaching out as if wanting to touch her cheek, but just before contact, he suddenly came to his senses, immediately withdrew his hand, and stood up.

After a pause, he closed the window, secured the door, and went back out.

Outside, the evening was cool, and the pavilion seemed like a scene from times past.

The young man walked slowly, his expression calm. His black brocade robe with golden pythons embroidered on the hem was both elegant and dangerous. From far to near, it cast a brilliant shadow in the night.

On the long bench in the pavilion, someone had already taken a seat, leaning against the carved railings and drinking.

Xiao Jue walked over, and that person stood up, giving him a graceful bow: “Young Master Xiao.”

It was Hua Youxian.

“All the young masters have been sent to their rooms to rest.” Hua Youxian smiled playfully, “Don’t worry, Young Master Xiao, none of the girls dared enter the rooms, only male servants are attending.”

These young masters were either wealthy or noble, and they hadn’t come to Ruyun Tower for pleasure. In Hua Youxian’s heart, she had never treated them as paying customers, only as visiting friends taking temporary rest.

Xiao Jue remained silent.

Hua Youxian placed both hands on the pavilion railings, looking into the distance where the bright moon scattered silver frost. She said, “I never thought that after so many years, I would meet the young masters again. I am truly happy today, and if Mother Ding were still here, she would be just as happy.”

“Why did you divorce?” Xiao Jue asked.

Hua Youxian was startled.

The young man didn’t look at her, only gazing at the flickering streetlights below the pavilion, asking casually.

After a while, Hua Youxian smiled: “What other reason could there be? Naturally, because what I got wasn’t what I wished for.” She sighed, “Young masters, I was once like you, thinking that driving away villains would lead to a happy ending. Little did I know that in this world there are all kinds of difficulties and obstacles, and villains causing trouble is just the simplest kind.”

Back then, after everyone helped Hua Youxian drive away Tong Qiushi and retrieved her contract, she followed Wang Sheng to Yangzhou. Though Mother Ding and the sisters at Ruyun Tower were extremely reluctant to part with her, they still hoped Hua Youxian could find happiness in life together with her love.

Hua Youxian and Wang Sheng did indeed share a period of loving harmony, but that was before reaching Yangzhou.

After arriving in Yangzhou, various trials and tribulations followed one after another.

Although the Wang family were merchants, they were renowned wealthy households in Yangzhou. When they first heard their eldest son had brought back a woman without proper status, they were already displeased. Upon learning this woman was from a flower house, they strongly opposed it. It was only then that Hua Youxian realized Wang Sheng had never told Madam Wang and Master Wang about their relationship.

If their son were to marry a woman from a flower house, it would likely become the laughingstock of Yangzhou. Hua Youxian, aware of her lowly status, didn’t want to cause trouble for Wang Sheng. Seeing their firm attitude, she felt both embarrassed and heartbroken and suggested to Wang Sheng that they should part ways.

Wang Sheng refused.

How could he let the happiness he had fought so hard for be destroyed by his parents? In anger, Wang Sheng went on a hunger strike, telling his parents that if he couldn’t marry Hua Youxian, he would leave home never return, and never set foot in Yangzhou again.

No parents can truly resist their children’s determination. Madam Wang worried for her son, finally yielded and agreed to let Hua Youxian enter the family. However, Hua Youxian’s background was to be kept secret, and she was to be introduced as a distant cousin seeking refuge. The neighbors in Yangzhou, unaware of the truth, believed this story, and thus Hua Youxian entered the Wang household.

Thinking the bitter times were over and no more hardships would follow, she didn’t expect this was merely the beginning.

Madam Wang held prejudices against Hua Youxian and deliberately tried to break her spirit from the moment she entered the family. She enforced strict morning and evening protocols, forbade her from leaving the mansion, and burdened her with all manner of tasks. At any slight mistake, she would make snide remarks: “Well, it’s no wonder you can’t do it properly, considering…”

This might have been bearable – after Madam Wang tormented Hua Youxian, Wang Sheng would comfort his wife in private and apologize on his mother’s behalf. Hua Youxian thought that time would reveal her true nature, and perhaps as days passed, Madam Wang would see her sincerity and their misunderstandings would naturally resolve.

Though they both knew this was merely self-deception.

When Hua Youxian was at Ruyun Tower, she had been renowned far and wide for her beauty and charm. After marrying into Yangzhou, though she rarely left the house, she still had to appear at Wang family banquets to receive guests. Anyone who saw her face was stunned by her beauty. Soon, word spread through Yangzhou that the eldest son of the merchant Wang family had taken a wife, and the new Madam Wang possessed heavenly beauty that could topple kingdoms.

The rumors spread wider, and some good-for-nothing young masters in Yangzhou even secretly climbed walls to catch a glimpse of the legendarily beautiful Madam Wang.

Madam Wang grew angrier, often scolding Hua Youxian for being an improper wife who attracted men like flowers attract butterflies. Hua Youxian felt wronged – she had never used her beauty for anything improper. How could all the evil and absurdity that arose because of beauty be blamed on her?

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng’s attitude toward Hua Youxian also changed. As time passed, his infatuation with Hua Youxian was gradually replaced by annoyance at various household matters. During one of Madam Wang’s complaints, Wang Sheng had a thought: “If only I hadn’t married Hua Youxian.”

He was shocked by this thought and forced himself not to think further. Unfortunately, once such thoughts appear, they tend to recur more frequently, until eventually even his sense of guilt wears away.

The final straw that broke the camel’s back finally came.

One day, a distant nephew of Madam Wang came to visit Yangzhou and stayed temporarily at the Wang house. This person was idle and uneducated. Upon seeing Hua Youxian, he was instantly captivated by her beauty. After learning from Madam Wang that Hua Youxian was formerly from a flower house, he developed improper intentions. Given Hua Youxian’s low status in the Wang family, the nephew thought to take advantage and have an affair with her.

Unfortunately for him, Hua Youxian wasn’t as morally loose as others assumed, and she strictly rejected his advances. The nephew, unwilling to accept this, told Madam Wang that Hua Youxian had seduced him. Madam Wang was furious and ordered Hua Youxian locked in the woodshed as punishment.

At that point, Hua Youxian still held onto a thread of hope. As long as Wang Sheng believed in her, perhaps she could persevere longer. Sadly, unconditional trust is rare in this world, and Wang Sheng not only failed to take her side but was shaken by Madam Wang’s words.

Madam Wang said: “She was originally a flower house girl, shared by thousands. How could she be content settling down with you? Given any chance, she’ll seduce men. My son, do you want to be a cuckold and still feel pleased about it? Do you want our Wang family to become the laughingstock of Yangzhou?”

“Divorce her!”

Wang Sheng wrote a divorce letter, and Hua Youxian looked at the man she had once deeply loved, speaking coldly: “If you want to divorce me, I’ll tell everyone in Yangzhou that I’m from Ruyun Tower in Jinling, that the Wang family married a flower house girl as their bride.”

“You!” Wang Sheng was furious, “Do you mean to cling to me?”

“You think too much, Young Master Wang,” Hua Youxian smiled faintly, though her phoenix eyes no longer held any of their former affection, “I mean, let’s separate amicably.”

The Wang family valued face above all and was eager to rid themselves of this “stain,” so the separation proceeded smoothly. As for Wang Sheng, on the day he received the separation agreement and Hua Youxian left the mansion, remembering the past, he felt a hundred kinds of reluctance and tried to make her stay.

Hua Youxian looked at him: “Young Master Wang, when Youxian married you, she hoped you would fulfill her childhood wish to travel the famous mountains and great rivers together, but since marrying you, Youxian hasn’t taken a single step outside the Wang household. Now our ties of love and hatred are settled. Young Master Wang is not Youxian’s destined one. With this farewell, may the mountains be high and waters long between us, and may we never meet again.”

She left with exceptional calmness.

When she left Ruyun Tower years ago, Mother Ding had told her: “Youxian, have you ever seen a moth flying into flame end well?”

She was young then and had just smiled in response: “Even if it’s just a moment of light and warmth, that instant is enough.”

The woman gently touched the corners of her eyes. She was still beautiful, but not quite the same as before. The fearless young girl of the past never imagined that love could be so fleeting, making all the struggles and persistence of those days seem particularly foolish.

“Enough about me,” Hua Youxian smiled and changed the subject, “Young Master, is that girl by your side the same little girl from back then?”

At these words, Xiao Jue suddenly raised his eyes, “What did you say?”

The Commander’s worldview shattered completely…

And, Sister Hua was the one who had the script all along ε=(′ο｀*)))