In the sweltering summer heat, amidst the reed marshes, the young lady continued to cry, her sobs unceasing. His heart grew muddled, thrown into chaos by her crying, yet her tears wouldn’t stop.

Luo Lingyu covered her mouth with a handkerchief, tears falling like pearls, her sobs inconsolable. Once the grievance in her heart magnified, it only grew stronger: “Everyone else has a young lord, why don’t I? If my parents were still alive, if I were still in Ruyang, how could I suffer such humiliation… Lingxi, I miss my father and mother, wuu wuu wuu… If they could see me like this today… if they were here with me today…”

Listening to this, Lingxi’s eyes grew dim, tinged with redness. Before Luo Lingyu came to Nanyang, Lingxi had been picked up by her halfway along the journey. Only after being trained by Madam Luo of Nanyang was she sent to serve the two young ladies. Back then, Lingxi had heard about the past events of the Luo family of Ruyang. During that year’s military uprising in Ruyang, the entire city was massacred. The loyal Luo clan was completely exterminated, with only a pitiful few survivors. The young lady was only ten years old then – a small maiden who had to flee with an even younger sister who could only cry confusedly for their parents, accompanied by a timid, frail wet nurse who knew nothing but weeping. How difficult was it then?

Lady Lu of the Lu family and her son Luo Yan had also survived that turbulence.

Yet their fates diverged completely. Luo Yan didn’t have to go to destitute Nanyang to face the judgment of the Luo clan relatives; he went directly to his mother’s maiden family with her. Thereafter, he never neglected his studies and arts. His mother, being open-minded, even let him leave Jianye at a young age to travel the world to study, and he hasn’t returned since. But Luo Lingyu… had to please the Nanyang Luo clan, surviving under the watchful eyes of numerous cousins, having to rack her brains even for the chance to study and learn. When men like Young Lord Fan saw her, the Nanyang Luo clan was even more eager to toss her away like a hot potato, offering her to the Fan family as a gift to show goodwill between the families.

Luo Lingyu lived too exhaustingly.

Luo Lingyu twisted her handkerchief: “Wuu wuu wuu…”

Among the reed marshes, beneath the endless lotus leaves, surrounded by fragrant flowers, Third Young Lord Lu who had been sleeping on the wooden boat had already felt his way to sitting up. The reeds were too tall, and his boat was stopped where lotus leaves and reeds intertwined. The mistress and servant who were crying so dedicatedly on the other side hadn’t noticed the young lord’s figure sitting on the boat.

Lu Yun’s face remained calm, his lips pressing slightly. The lady’s endless crying and complaints weighed on the young lord’s heart like a stifling stone. In his daze, Third Young Lord Lu empathized, thinking of his deceased parents. Similar to the Luo family’s demise in war, his father was the Northern General, who died on the battlefield. However, unlike Luo Lingyu’s mother who had no choice but to perish with the city, Lu Yun’s mother had a choice.

Yet in the end, his mother chose to follow her husband in death, abandoning her child who was only a few years old.

Everyone praised his father’s righteousness and his parents’ deep love and strong sense of duty… but Lu Yun would only twitch his lips, unwilling to say more.

Lu Yun had always despised women getting close to him. People only thought it was because his appearance was too outstanding, attracting romantic attention that annoyed him. Lu Yun had an even deeper reason – he despised his mother.

Although he was the Lu family’s third son, Lu Yun had always lived alone in the “Clear Courtyard.” The elders’ love was always limited, and every time in the dead of night, Third Young Lord Lu’s hatred for his mother would deepen. Because of his mother, he despised weak-willed women who only knew how to cry when facing problems instead of seeking solutions; but he also despised strong-willed women who only thought of dying for love or righteousness when facing major issues, disregarding what came after.

As such, Third Young Lord Lu had practically excluded all the ladies in the world. How could he possibly like anyone?

Lu Yun’s attraction to Luo Lingyu wasn’t without reason, yet while he earnestly sought to understand, desperately trying to figure out why she made his heart chaotic, he never realized that what attracted him to her might have been precisely the persistence, and determination, and vibrant life force behind all her flaws. Now, hearing the lady’s whimpering beside his ear, Third Young Lord Lu only thought of not wanting to go out, not wanting to disturb her.

Both having lost their parents, Lu Yun understood her weakness which she didn’t want others to know about. Although he often stumbled upon her moments of difficulty, this time he didn’t want to make her feel more embarrassed.

Lu Yun sat quietly, listening to her cry while complaining to Lingxi. When her crying annoyed him, he also found it amusing. He thought about how she wouldn’t even cry quietly but had to complain to her maid, letting people know how wrong she felt. Lu Yun then realized that today was Luo Lingyu’s fifteenth coming-of-age ceremony. She had grown up, but unfortunately, the Lu family was busy searching for his second brother, and no one cared about her. She had always been petty, naturally feeling terrible upon seeing others having grander birthday celebrations than her.

This was still because Luo Lingyu thought Zhou Yangling was a man.

If his little sister Yu’er knew Zhou Yangling was a woman… Lu Yun shuddered, imagining the lady’s breakdown and the enormous grievance she would feel then.

She would probably cry endlessly again…

Well, when he went out, he would think of a way to make up for her coming-of-age ceremony. She should stop crying then.

Lu Yun patiently waited for Luo Lingyu to finish crying so he could go out. But this time, Luo Lingyu felt so wronged that she cried for a very long time, complained for a very long time, and showed no signs of stopping. She seemed determined to cry all afternoon, but Lu Yun didn’t want to be trapped in the lotus flowers unable to leave. While Lu Yun was thinking of a solution, he heard panicked footsteps on the stone path on the shore.

Luo Lingyu was crying so intently that she didn’t hear the footsteps. However, Lingxi turned her head and saw the maid running anxiously through the corridor above. Lingxi recognized this maid as being from their “Snow Tracing Courtyard,” and quickly called out loudly, asking: “…Sister, where are you going?”

The maid leaned over the double-sided corridor railing, and only then saw the young miss and Lingxi below. Luo Lingyu quickly turned away and lowered her head, not wanting the maid to see her crying face. That maid had already run down from the corridor and recognized the lady’s back: “Miss, why have you returned? Sister Lingyu still had us go to that banquet to look for you! Why did today’s banquet end so quickly?”

Luo Lingyu naturally wouldn’t let others see her embarrassment, she mumbled a few sounds, her voice hoarse: “What matter has you running so urgently?”

The maid then panicked and said: “After you left, that Young Lord Fan came to sit in our courtyard,” Luo Lingyu’s heart tightened as she listened to the maid continue, “That Young Lord Fan knew you weren’t there but wouldn’t leave, just sat there watching the little miss play and talking with her. We watched for a long while, seeing he was just waiting for you with no other intentions, so we relaxed. Sister Lingyu sprained her foot, and several of us went to help sister change her bandage. Who knew when we went out again, we saw the little miss was already gone, taken away by that Young Lord Fan.”

The maid’s face turned pale: “That Young Lord Fan left a note saying he took the little miss to play, telling you to find him when you return, and if you still won’t marry him, don’t blame him for using methods you won’t like. But our little miss is so well-behaved, knowing you don’t like your betrothed lord, how could the little miss willingly go with that person? Sister Lingyu saw half-spilled water in a bowl on the courtyard stone table, with some white powder scattered out. Sister Lingyu said that person must have drugged the little miss.”

“We were so anxious, Sister Lingyu had us go find you.”

The “Snow Tracing Courtyard” was in chaos, yet they didn’t know that the Luo Lingyu they were looking for had already returned. Luo Lingyu listened in shock, turning around suddenly, her voice changed: “Wan’er was taken away by him?!”

The maid suddenly saw the lady’s swollen red eyes and tear stains on her cheeks. She quickly lowered her eyes not daring to look more, also very afraid, only able to respond meekly.

Luo Lingyu’s face turned pale, stumbling once, supported by Lingxi. Her mind was in chaos: Wan’er was like her life… Fan Qingchen knew this well. That was her sister, yet he just took her away…

Luo Lingyu’s mind suddenly flashed back to when she had seen him kill her maid. She was delicate and beautiful, even at such a young age, she stood out uniquely among the noble ladies of Nanyang. As she grew older and blossomed, her beauty became increasingly impossible to conceal. Fan Qingchen had targeted her from the beginning, patiently waiting for her. She half-pushed half-agreed, until she saw that merely because her maid had advised her not to be around him often, he chose a time when she wasn’t around to kill that maid. Yet Luo Lingyu wasn’t absent, she had witnessed everything.

The former maid, now her sister… that person was simply a madman! To force her to marry him, to force her to see him, what wouldn’t he do?

Luo Lingyu collapsed to the ground, a tear hanging on her eyelashes, clinging to her cold cheeks. Her heart was panicked and confused, trying hard to calm herself down. She couldn’t possibly submit to Young Lord Fan’s coercion; she knew once she left the Lu family and appeared before him, she definitely wouldn’t be able to leave. Fan Qingchen kept saying he loved her, but he was too frightened, she couldn’t bear his kind of love. Even with her clever and resourceful heart, thinking about having to marry Young Lord Fan, she felt she couldn’t handle it…

She could only seek help!

But from whom?!

Luo Lingyu bit her lip, her mind racing through all the people she could ask for help at this moment. Her eyes were misty with tears, her forehead covered in sweat, and the handkerchief in her hands twisted into a rope. She needed to find a noble young lord who could stand against Young Lord Fan. Her first thought was of Lu Yun, but Lu Yun hadn’t returned for two days, searching for his second brother…

Then, Third Young Lord Qi?

Luo Lingyu’s lips were painfully bitten, her face alternating between pale and ashen. If she went to find the Third Young Lord Qi, then one more person would know about her entanglement with Fan Qingchen. Now outside only rumors spread about her having a betrothed, but nothing was confirmed. If she sought Third Young Lord Qi…

Luo Lingyu murmured: “Do I have to find Third Young Lord Qi?”

Unlike in Second Young Lord Lu’s dream, she wasn’t as close to the Prince of Hengyang as in the dream. In reality, the help she could think of was the Third Young Lord Qi, Qi An.

While Luo Lingyu was thinking gloomily, she heard a voice from deep within the reed marsh. She paused, her face turning unpleasant, thinking someone had been secretly watching her. She had been crying here for so long, this person must have heard so much. Her image, her dark side unknown to others… Luo Lingyu saw a slender hand parting the reeds, her heart empty for a moment.

This hand… this hand with distinct knuckles, long powerful fingers, that elegant posture parting the reeds, carrying a lazy casualness, how familiar… Luo Lingyu opened her tear-filled eyes wide, seeing the young lord of graceful and tall stature, eyes covered with gauze after the reeds were parted. He stood on the boat, his clothes dancing in the wind, noble as a crane, dazzling.

The maid blurted out: “Third Young Lord!” Then embarrassedly blushed, “You… you’re here too…”

Lu Yun ignored the maid, only “staring” at Luo Lingyu, speaking softly: “What do you want to find Third Young Lord Qi for? Are you very familiar with him?”

Seeing it was Lu Yun, Luo Lingyu felt relieved. She had lost face in front of Lu Yun countless times, and her unfavorable side exposed so much that in front of Lu Yun, she had somewhat of a ‘dead pig not afraid of boiling water’ attitude. As long as her beautiful image didn’t shatter in front of other young lords, it was fine.

Luo Lingyu guessed that he had heard all her crying, listening for so long without making a sound, his mischievous interest as usual. Yet when she murmured “Third Young Lord Qi,” this person just stood out… Luo Lingyu gritted her teeth, and snorted once, not wanting to speak.

Lu Yun’s lips carried a smile: “What are you snorting for? Are you a little pig?”

Luo Lingyu with red eyes: “…I’m feeling sad, and you’re still teasing me. What’s so funny?”

Lu Yun’s mouth curled up: “Lingyu, come here.”

Luo Lingyu didn’t move.

Lu Yun: “Come here and I’ll take you to bring Wan’er back.”

Lingxi and the other maid simultaneously lowered their heads, stepping back again and again, pretending they hadn’t heard or seen anything. When the Third Young Lord was with Miss Luo, the atmosphere between them always unconsciously turned in a strange direction. Yet in their hearts, they felt relieved, believing that with Third Young Lord Lu present, the young miss’s crisis would be resolved.

Luo Lingyu was annoyed at him for putting on an act, listening to her cry for so long without showing himself, but when he mentioned “Wan’er,” she had no choice but to come forward, saying unhappily: “Why do you want me to come over? What do you want?”

When she came close, Lu Yun reached out to grasp her hand, kneeling and pulling her along. Lowering his head, his hand touched her pouting lips. Luo Lingyu paused, blushing as she dodged his hand, but Lu Yun already knew she was still angry. Lu Yun spoke softly: “What’s there to be angry about? Come, help me remove the gauze.”

When Lu Yun was serious, he was like mountain ice and snow, not to be disrespected.

Quite intimidating.

Luo Lingyu glanced at him, unable to resist her curiosity, reached out to help him, very carefully: “You can remove the gauze now? Is there no problem? I can do it, don’t we need to call the physician?”

Lu Yun: “It was almost healed anyway, only leaving a slight mark.”

Moving around with covered eyes unchanged, he wanted to see Fan Qingchen, naturally unwilling to fall behind others. His concerns were immediately understood by Luo Lingyu, her fingers pausing at the corner of his eyes, her heart softening slightly. Thinking of how he did this for her, surely he must like her?

Luo Lingyu was clever and dexterous and had been taking care of Lu Yun when his eyes were inconvenienced. Although she had never personally removed his gauze before, she had watched many times. Now doing it herself, she showed no signs of confusion. The white gauze grew longer in her hands, the part covering the young lord’s eyes becoming thinner. Indeed, there were very few marks left, this time the gauze had no medicine stains, snow-white and clean. As the gauze was removed layer by layer, the young lord’s eyes beneath became increasingly clear…

Luo Lingyu’s heart began to beat faster involuntarily.

Her hands trembled as she removed the last layer of gauze touching his eyes, the young lord’s eyes closed, his handsome face completely revealed before her. The reeds swayed in the wind, his face white as jade, due to his excellent complexion and daily bandage changes, after removing the gauze, the skin around his eyes showed no difference in color from the rest of his face. Only at the corner of his eye was there a small scar… not diminishing his handsome features, and after he opened his eyes, that drop of a scar at his corner added a bewitching beauty.

Luo Lingyu met his black, warm peach blossom eyes.

Those eyes, lifting long lashes and eyelids, contain a hint of a smile tilting upward. When they opened, their soul-stirring beauty, flowing with radiance, appeared again on his face. Black as obsidian, yet gleaming like water. His eyes reflected her small figure, that tender gaze making Luo Lingyu’s hands tremble, the gauze in her hands flying out.

The two gazed at each other as if they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

Luo Lingyu couldn’t bear the burning warmth in his eyes, lowering her head to avoid them, mumbling to change the topic: “Can your eyes see?”

Lu Yun: “I can see. Little sister Yu’er crying with snot and tears all over her face, it’s disgusting.”

Luo Lingyu: “…?!”

Frantically covering her face, turning away to not let him see, about to ask the maid to help her clean up. But unexpectedly, Lu Yun kneeling on the boat reached across the wooden planks and caught her waist. The young lady cried out as she was pulled into his embrace, her waist lightly brushed by his hand, causing heat to climb up her tailbone, making her legs weak instantly. Luo Lingyu was shocked, angry, and embarrassed, hearing him tease in her ear: “Just joking. Little sister Yu’er’s beauty is like flowers and moon, even more beautiful when crying.”

When he held her, in a place the maids couldn’t see, he kissed her temple, murmuring: “Makes one want to bully you… make you cry forever…”

His tone was extremely strange, seeming to lean towards a degree she couldn’t imagine. Luo Lingyu’s ears tingled, knowing he was speaking against her ear again, she quickly raised her hands to cover her ears. Luo Lingyu was annoyed that her skill wasn’t as high as someone’s and just glared at him. Yet she saw his eyes darken slightly, dark light surging in their depths, looking at her unfathomably deep. Luo Lingyu felt his stare was wrong, making her uneasy, but when she looked again, Lu Yun blinked, already withdrawing his previous expression.

Lu Yun laughed once, pulling her to stand up, and walking from the floating boat onto land.

With their sleeves overlapping, Lu Yun tilted his head down, speaking to the two maids: “Call a few more servants, get Xiulin from my courtyard. Come with me to see Young Lord Fan. Little sister Yu’er knows where Young Lord Fan lives, right?”

Luo Lingyu nodded, being led by him as they walked.

At the mansion gate, Lu Yun’s frequently used servant Xiulin came running, out of breath. Luo Lingyu had already stepped onto the carriage, catching in her peripheral vision Lu Yun’s gaze floating over, she paused, looking over as Lu Yun walked to one side to talk with his servant. That person didn’t want her to hear, so she wouldn’t listen; right now, she only wanted to bring her sister back.

Sitting in the carriage taking out a small mirror to fix her appearance, Luo Lingyu didn’t know that below the carriage, Lu Yun was instructing Xiulin: “…Today is the young miss’s coming-of-age ceremony. The old madam and others are too worried about the second brother to host a banquet, so we can only celebrate privately behind closed doors. Have Jinyue make arrangements… at the same time, take my letter to find Zhou, Zhou Zibo. By the time the young miss and I return, I want to see the banquet ready, with all the young ladies and lords who usually play with the young miss present, all coming to celebrate her coming-of-age ceremony.”

Xiulin: “My lord can rest assured, I will handle this matter well.”

Lu Yun added one more sentence: “News of my second brother, Prince Chen will send to me, remember to use pigeons to transmit to me promptly.”

After giving all sorts of detailed instructions, Lu Yun finally lifted his robes to board the carriage. The lady in the carriage had impatiently waited for him for a long time, yet when he got in, she changed her impatient expression, smiling at him. Lu Yun saw through her falseness, sneered once, and looked away.

…

The Second Young Lord Lu that Lu Yun mentioned was in a daze, sitting in an ox cart and returning to the city. In the same cart were the worried Princess Ningping Liu Tang who was wiping his sweat, and the physician treating his injuries and applying medicine. Second Young Lord Lu’s head leaned against the cart wall, the cart creaking along the way, moving quickly, making Second Young Lord Lu’s head repeatedly “thump thump thump” against the cart wall.

Liu Tang watched with great alarm, seeing Second Young Lord Lu with closed eyes, sweating profusely, seemingly unaware, she hesitated for a moment but still reached out with her handkerchief to cushion between his forehead and the cart wall. Princess Ningping blushed, pulling this young lord into her embrace, letting him lean on her shoulder to sleep, no longer hitting the cart wall. The physician in the same cart merely lifted his eyelids to look once, saying nothing.

Liu Tang worried: “Second Young Lord Lu fell asleep again as soon as he got in the cart…”

The physician snorted: “He was already physically weak, he shouldn’t have traveled.”

Liu Tang sighed, once again wiping the sweat from Second Young Lord Lu’s forehead. Seeing this young lord frowning, his expression seeming pained, she watched quite alarmed. Princess Ningping repeatedly wiped this young lord’s sweat, not knowing that Second Young Lord Lu was deep in his dreams, confused and hazy, once again dreaming of some fragments.

Perhaps because June 19th was the turning point of all stories when Lu Xian previously dreamed, he only saw some general situations, many specifics he couldn’t see. But in the recent few nightmares, the closer to June 19th, the more specific the fragments he dreamed became. It was as if he stood outside Cousin Luo’s door, seeing what Cousin Luo was doing.

This time, he even dreamed of what happened on June 19th.

…

Just like in reality, in the dream, the Lu family also didn’t care about the young miss’s birthday. Luo Lingyu, pressured by both the Prince of Hengyang and Fan Qingchen, mentally exhausted, went to attend the grand banquet that Prince Chen Liu Shu held for young lady Zhou, Zhou Yangling on her birthday. The spectacular celebration of young lady Zhou’s birthday upset cousin Luo. Cousin Luo returned to her residence in a daze, sitting in the courtyard and beginning to cry.

The crying made Second Young Lord Lu feel troubled, wondering why no one cared about his cousin.

If only he had known then…

In the dream, however, while Luo Lingyu was crying, Second Young Lord Lu, observing in spirit form, saw Third Young Lord Lu Yun standing by the vine-covered wall at the courtyard entrance. Lu Yun had arrived here at some point, just standing at the entrance watching Cousin Luo cry. Third Young Lord’s eyes were clear black, with traces of red bloodshot from days of working. He stared blankly at cousin Luo, lost in thought.

Second Young Lord Lu suddenly realized: …this was a dream, he rarely saw clearly how his third brother and cousin Luo were together.

In the dream at this time, war had broken out in the north, and Lu Yun had already stayed up for two consecutive nights. Returning without rest, rushing about, he went out to find Luo Lingyu. When he arrived there, he saw Luo Lingyu crying alone, with maid Lingxi comforting her. Luo Lingyu had her back to Lu Yun, not seeing the third young lord at the courtyard entrance. But Lingxi looked up and saw the handsome young lord.

Lingxi was just surprised when Lu Yun gave her a look.

Lingxi hesitated, then left the young lady, walking towards Third Young Lord Lu. Luo Lingyu must have been deeply upset, not knowing her maid had already walked away.

And after leaving the garden, Lu Yun asked Lingxi: “What is she crying about?”

Lingxi: “…Today is our young lady’s fifteenth birthday…”

Lingxi rubbed her eyes: “Young Lord Fan also took the little miss away…”

Lu Yun: “Oh.”

…

In the dream, Second Young Lord Lu saw Lu Yun carelessly walk out of the courtyard.

The mistress and servant crying in the courtyard didn’t know that Lu Yun, who hadn’t slept for two nights, empathized, his heart in disarray, unwilling to step forward while Luo Lingyu was missing her parents. He left Luo Lingyu’s residence and did two things—

First, he had the Lu family prepare a banquet to celebrate the young miss’s birthday;

Second, he went to see Fan Qingchen and brought little cousin Luo Yunwan back.

However, that evening at the Lu family’s grand banquet, when Luo Lingyu appeared, she was with the Prince of Hengyang.

That night the lanterns were dim, fireworks filled the sky, and lights and wine were abundant. Lu Yun stood in a corner, quiet and still, saying nothing.

…

Then dreaming of after Jianye city fell, the Lu family fled south, Second Young Lord Lu sat in the same cart with crying Luo Yunwan. He comforted this little girl, who held her sister’s calligraphy and paintings in her arms, pursing her lips, tears falling continuously.

Second Young Lord Lu probed his little cousin: “Those writings and paintings… could it be that cousin Luo secretly loved my third brother? She secretly loved my third brother but never let him know?”

Luo Yunwan immediately objected: “Third cousin also loved my sister!”

Second Young Lord: “Impossible. Your sister is already married. My third brother is not that kind of person.”

Luo Yunwan: “What do you know? When my Third cousin saved me back then, he told Brother Fan he wanted to marry my sister. It’s just that my sister didn’t know…”

The little girl’s eyes filled with tears again: “My sister never knew, wuu wuu wuu.” When she wanted to tell her sister, it was already too late.

Second Young Lord Lu lost in thought.

…

In reality, Liu Tang called out: “Young lord, it’s time to wake up, we’ve arrived at the Prince of Hengyang’s mansion.”