The wooden bridge curved and wound its way across the water, sitting roughly two feet above the surface. It was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and was built with remarkable elegance and craftsmanship.

The eunuch led the way at the front, Jiang Shi followed close behind, Ling Jingyan held Ling Jingshu’s hand as they walked shoulder to shoulder, and Bai Yu and the other maids brought up the rear. From a distance, it was quite an impressive procession.

The viewing pavilion at the heart of the lake already had a fair number of guests. Those who were acquainted gathered in twos and threes, enjoying the view of the lake while chatting quietly. When they saw a group approaching, they looked over instinctively.

“How strange — which family’s young ladies are these? They all look so unfamiliar.”

“Indeed. I’ve never seen any of them before.”

“That girl in the pink dress looks charming and lovely — and the one in the sallow-yellow dress… my goodness, since when did a beauty like that appear in Luoyang?”

The assembled young ladies murmured among themselves.

Every girl with the privilege of entering and leaving Princess Changping’s residence was among the most elite in all of Great Zhou. It was inevitable that they carried themselves with a certain pride, and had unconsciously come to regard this small social circle as the pinnacle of aristocratic society in the dynasty. They were accustomed to seeing the same familiar faces come and go, so the sudden appearance of several unfamiliar ones naturally drew every pair of eyes.

One sharp-eyed young lady recognized Jiang Shi and gave a soft exclamation. “The woman at the front — the one with a married lady’s hairstyle — looks somewhat familiar. She should be one of the Jiang Family’s daughters born of a concubine.”

“Merely a girl born of a concubine — and she has the audacity to be a guest of honor at Her Highness Princess Changping’s table?” One young lady let out a contemptuous cold laugh and turned to the green-clad girl beside her with a smile. “Second Miss Su, you and Third Miss Jiang have always been on familiar terms — have you ever seen this person at the Duke of Ying’s manor?”

The green-clad young lady was approximately fifteen years old, her looks not quite reaching the pinnacle of beauty, yet her brows and eyes were elegant and her bearing exceptionally refined. She was none other than Second Miss Su, the Crown Princess Su Shi’s own niece.

Upon hearing the remark, Second Miss Su gave a faint smile and lowered her voice. “She should be a young lady from a branch of the Jiang Family. I have not met her before. When Third Miss Jiang arrives shortly, we need only ask and we’ll know. They’ll be here any moment — let’s not say any more; it wouldn’t do for our words to be overheard by the wrong ears.”

Gossiping behind someone’s back was one thing — being caught in the act was quite another matter.

The several young ladies who had been whispering among themselves fell quiet at that.

The viewing pavilion drew closer and closer, close enough now to clearly make out the faces of the young ladies seated within.

Being scrutinized, intentionally or not, by so many pairs of eyes, Ling Jingyan felt her heart hammering in her chest. Her legs grew slightly unsteady, and her steps slowed involuntarily with hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” Ling Jingshu, standing right beside her, noticed the change in her almost immediately and asked softly.

Ling Jingyan replied in a lowered voice. “Nothing — it’s just that with so many people staring at us all at once, I’m a little nervous.”

In plainer terms, she had simply lost her nerve.

Ling Jingshu was quietly amused. She teased in a soft voice, “Aren’t you always known for your boldness?” It seemed she was only fierce at home — the moment she encountered outsiders, she deflated entirely.

Ling Jingyan could hear the gentle mockery in Ling Jingshu’s words, but had no time to argue back.

They had arrived at the viewing pavilion.

Under the varied gazes of the assembled onlookers, Ling Jingyan instinctively straightened her back. Coming out today meant representing the Ling Family’s dignity — she absolutely could not bring disgrace upon the Ling name.

The eunuch led Ling Jingshu and her party into the viewing pavilion, yet made no introduction of the three women’s identities, and departed before long. Although there were quite a few people in the pavilion, they all wore expressions of cool indifference, and no one took the initiative to break the silence.

Forget Ling Jingyan looking somewhat stiff and wooden — even the usually composed Jiang Shi was at a loss for what to do.

So, what now?

“The Princess has not yet arrived. Let us sit and wait a while.”

Ling Jingshu was the first to speak, and in a manner that took everyone by surprise. She cast a composed glance around the pavilion, identified an unoccupied corner, and made her way toward it.

The moment Ling Jingshu spoke, Jiang Shi also quickly came to her senses, stepped forward to walk alongside her, and said with a smile, “You’re right — let’s wait a little while.”

Jiang Shi had deliberately raised her voice, drawing the attention of the room onto herself.

Ling Jingshu was perceptive enough to grasp Jiang Shi’s intent in an instant.

The experiences of recent weeks had been ample proof that she seemed to be naturally trouble-prone by constitution. Jiang Shi was using her own way to protect her.

At the thought of it, warmth welled up in Ling Jingshu’s heart.

This warmth was something Old Madam Ling had never given her, nor had Ling Wuye, her own father. Yet she had found it here — in Ling Jingyan and Jiang Shi, she had felt the genuine affection and tenderness of family. And then there was her elder cousin Ling Ji’s attentiveness and care… She never spoke of it, but she kept it all close to her heart.

Even though Ling Daye harbored ambitions and was greedy by nature, and even though Sun Shi’s scheming toward her far outweighed her care, none of that diminished Ling Jingshu’s gratitude and deep feeling toward this family.

After sitting down, Ling Jingshu quietly observed the young ladies in the pavilion.

The maids each stood behind their respective mistresses. The women currently seated numbered roughly five or six, ranging in age from about thirteen or fourteen to around twenty. Each had her own distinctive appearance and charm.

The most outstanding among them was undoubtedly the young lady in the green dress. Her looks were refined and graceful, and her entire bearing carried an air of scholarly elegance — one glance was enough to know she had been raised in a household of learning and letters.

Moreover, there was something faintly familiar about this young lady’s features and bearing — a subtle resemblance, it seemed, to the Crown Princess whom she had met just a few days ago…

Even as Ling Jingshu was observing the green-clad young lady, the green-clad young lady was quietly observing her in return.

From a distance, she had already sensed that this young lady in the sallow-yellow dress was exceptionally beautiful. Now that she was closer, she realized the young lady’s beauty was of an extraordinarily pure and luminous kind, and that she carried a serenity far beyond what one would expect from a girl her age.

Her bright, clear eyes shimmered like a spring of transparent water; yet when one looked more closely, they deepened into something more like the still, unfathomable waters of a hidden pool, drawing one in without quite knowing why.

How could a young lady of such remarkable beauty be entirely unknown to the world?

The green-clad young lady was quietly contemplating the other’s origins and identity when she broke off the thought and smiled, taking the initiative to greet her first. “Have you also come today having received Princess Changping’s invitation?”

The other had extended such friendliness — Ling Jingshu naturally could not be impolite in return. She smiled and responded, “Yes. My surname is Ling, my given name Jingshu. I am the ninth in birth order in my family. This is my elder cousin-in-law Jiang Shi, and this is my elder cousin Ling Jingyan. My First Uncle is Director Ling of the Ministry of Works. May I ask your honorable name?”

The green-clad young lady smiled gently. “My surname is Su, and my given name is Ying. I am the second in birth order in my family.”

Of all the young ladies Ling Jingshu had encountered since arriving in the capital, this was the one with the most outstanding looks and bearing.

And the first who had shown her genuine goodwill.

Ling Jingshu’s mood lifted considerably, and she turned to Su Ying with a smile, taking the initiative herself. “Having the chance to meet Second Miss Su is a great honor. May I ask — do you have any connection by blood to the Crown Princess?”

Her own identity was known to everyone here and there was no reason to conceal it.

Su Ying answered graciously and without the slightest affected air. “Indeed — the Crown Princess is my father’s sister.”