Xia Xiuyan froze, lowered his eyes and discovered that indeed his toe was pressing on the other person’s shoe. He shifted his step back slightly. In the moonlight falling at their feet, he could see a dusty shoe print smudged on her snow-white shoe surface.

Above the artificial hill was a scene of unrequited love’s passionate entanglement. Below the artificial hill, Qiu Xinran lowered her head and stared at the smudged shoe print on the shoe surface handcrafted by Linglang Workshop’s embroiderers, sighing again somewhat heartbroken. Like someone detached from worldly romantic suffering, in Xia Xiuyan’s eyes she suddenly seemed rather hatefully heartless.

He narrowed his eyes and lifted his foot to lightly step on her shoe surface again. Qiu Xinran froze, incredulously raising her eyes to look over. In the darkness, his expression couldn’t be seen clearly—only those eyes seemed to have light, inexplicably appearing utterly righteous. If not for that perfectly clear shoe print on the snow-white satin surface, Qiu Xinran would almost suspect she was hallucinating.

She pressed her lips together, unwilling to alarm the people above, looking as if swallowing her anger. After a while, as if growing angrier the more she thought about it, she quietly raised her foot—quickly stepped on his shoe surface too, then immediately retracted her foot. Xia Xiuyan wore a pair of black boots today, so it wouldn’t leave any mark. The culprit, having rarely mustered the courage to retaliate in person, was now cowering again, eyes on nose, nose on heart, looking completely uninvolved—it was almost laughable.

Xia Xiuyan glanced at her other clean shoe. Qiu Xinran immediately perceived his intent. Through her sleeve, she grabbed his wrist with one hand. A pair of peach blossom eyes looked at him extremely earnestly. Her lips moved slightly, uttering three words: “I was wrong.”

Xia Xiuyan stared at her for a while, then slowly grasped her hand in return. Qiu Xinran was just feeling dazed when she suddenly heard footsteps above again. The newcomer walked to the pavilion entrance, saw the situation inside, and was startled: “Yuan Wu? Little Seven?”

Qiu Xinran recognized this as Sixth Prince Li Hanfeng’s voice. She was just wondering why he’d come too when she heard several more footsteps behind him—it seemed another two or three people had arrived.

“How are you two here?” This time it was Li Hanyi’s voice. It seemed these several princes had originally been together—who knew if they’d coincidentally come here.

Before flowers under moonlight, a lone man and woman caught alone together in a pavilion was always improper. Zheng Yuan Wu stepped forward, cleared his throat lightly, and was about to explain. Li Hanyi glanced at Li Hanru, his expression suddenly darkening: “What exactly is going on?”

Zheng Yuan Wu saw he’d clearly misunderstood something and quickly explained: “Second Prince, don’t overthink it. There’s nothing between Seventh Princess and me.”

“Nothing, yet you summoned her here alone? Do you know how unpleasant the gossip outside has been these two years? When the time comes, you’ll just leave with a pat on the backside, leaving her here alone to be criticized and judged!”

Zheng Yuan Wu froze. He instinctively looked at Li Hanru standing to the side, not understanding what he was talking about. Li Hanru frowned: “What madness has possessed you?”

Li Hanyi looked furious at her failure to meet expectations: “What did I say wrong? Don’t you think the outside rumors aren’t ugly enough already? The moment he returns, you still dare approach him—aren’t you ashamed?”

“Second Brother!” Li Hanfeng, seeing this, hurriedly restrained him. Li Hanyi was momentarily angry. Having spoken the words, he felt some regret, but Li Hanru laughed coldly: “I see—you’re not afraid I’ll lose face, you’re afraid I’ll make you lose face. So what if I was the one who asked him to come here tonight?”

“You!” Hearing this, Li Hanyi flew into a rage. He strode before Li Hanru and suddenly raised his hand and slapped her. Only hearing a “crack,” Li Hanru was caught off guard and slapped so hard her head turned to the side. The others hadn’t expected he would actually strike Li Hanru. For a moment, everyone was shocked. Li Hanyi asked through gritted teeth: “Were you pampered and spoiled by parents and brothers in the palace just so you could debase yourself like this before men?”

Half of Li Hanru’s face swelled up. Her head ached with a buzzing sound. She bit her teeth to keep from striking back. Instead, Zheng Yuan Wu on the side stepped forward and gripped Li Hanyi’s hand still raised in mid-air, his brow tightly furrowed: “What are you doing?”

Li Hanyi was already in a rage. If he still felt some regret in his heart about hitting Li Hanru, toward Zheng Yuan Wu he truly held nothing back. He grabbed his collar with one hand and said to Li Hanru: “You’ve truly refused to marry all these years because of him?”

“No!” Li Hanru glared, stepped forward and pushed him away with one hand, separating the two: “Are you trying to make me even more ashamed!” She trembled with anger at the shoulders. Though she maintained a dignified stance, there was a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes. Li Hanyi froze, his grip loosening by half. Li Hanling took the opportunity to step forward and grasp his shoulder: “Second Brother drank quite a bit tonight. I’ll take you back first.” As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with Li Hanfeng. Seeing this, Li Hanfeng also quickly said: “I think so too. When Second Brother gets drunk, he’s just like this. Next time I won’t dare drink with him again.”

The two provided an exit, singing the same tune, but none of the others in the pavilion took it. Li Hanling used some force in his hands, forcefully pulling him away: “Let’s go, let’s go. Making a scene outside won’t sound good if word gets out. Little Six is here to watch over things—do you want something else to spread tomorrow?”

Li Hanyi struggled a few times but was suppressed by Li Hanling. Hearing the last sentence, he finally became obedient. Before leaving, he gave one last deep look at the two in the pavilion, the warning meaning quite heavy: “I don’t care if you look down on the men in the capital, but if it’s because of him, from now on don’t say you’re Li Hanyi’s sister!” Having said this, he finally flicked his sleeve and left.

Having persuaded Li Hanyi to leave, Li Hanfeng remained, looking at the two in the pavilion awkwardly scratching his face. Laughing it off, he walked closer a few steps, put his hand on Zheng Yuan Wu’s shoulder to comfort him: “Yuan Wu, don’t take it to heart. Second Brother being like this tonight also had a reason.”

Hearing this, Zheng Yuan Wu finally looked over. Li Hanfeng explained: “These two years there’s been some gossip outside, all about Little Seven…”

“Sixth Brother!” Li Hanru frowned and interrupted.

Li Hanfeng looked at one then the other, sighing: “Alright, alright, I won’t say more. Anyway, Second Brother was just holding in frustration. Don’t hold it against him.”

He pushed Zheng Yuan Wu’s shoulder once, then said to Li Hanru: “You shouldn’t go out. I’ll have Cuiliu come take you out through the back. After you return, apply some medicine. Second Brother was just anxious earlier. Don’t take it to heart.”

Li Hanru turned her head aside without speaking. Zheng Yuan Wu probably originally wanted to say something more. But seeing she kept her face turned away from him, presumably not wanting him to see the injury on her face, after hesitating, he ultimately didn’t force it, only saying in a low voice: “Tonight was my fault. Another day I’ll apologize to the Princess again.”

Li Hanru pressed her lips tightly without speaking. Zheng Yuan Wu’s gaze dimmed. He turned to Li Hanfeng and said: “Let’s go.”

Qiu Xinran pressed against the artificial hill’s stone wall, hearing the footsteps above gradually fade away. Knowing that this time only Li Hanru should remain in the pavilion, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Xia Xiuyan looked down at her guilty appearance and deliberately leaned close to her ear to ask: “So afraid of being discovered?”

He still held her wrist in one hand, his breath falling on her ear, startling her into a cold sweat on her back. Tilting her head back like a frightened cat, she involuntarily stepped back half a pace, only to be blocked by the wall behind her. She could only half-rise on her tiptoes. In her panic, she stepped on his shoe again with one foot.

This step was truly solid. The person opposite suddenly frowned and drew in a sharp breath. Qiu Xinran was startled. Grasping his hand in return to maintain balance, she quickly apologized: “I’m sorry, it truly wasn’t intentional—”

She moved her foot off his shoe surface. Stepping on the ground, she accidentally slipped, making a slight sound. Xia Xiuyan firmly pulled her with one hand. Immediately after, a sharp shout came from the pavilion above: “Who’s there?”

This shout caused the woman in the artificial hill to instantly freeze, nervously blinking at the person before her.

Xia Xiuyan extended one finger and placed it on his lips, signaling her not to make a sound. The surroundings fell silent again for a moment, then footsteps sounded above—the person in the pavilion rose as if to come down and investigate.

Qiu Xinran’s heart filled with despair. Just then, the person beside her suddenly released her hand and turned to walk outside. Qiu Xinran perceived his intent and instinctively hooked his sleeve, nervously looking at him. Xia Xiuyan pulled his sleeve back, quirked the corner of his mouth and mouthed something to her before continuing outside. After a long while, Qiu Xinran finally reacted—he had just told her: “Be sharp.”

Li Hanru stood at the pavilion’s edge, about to walk down. Suddenly she saw a tall figure emerge from the artificial hill below, head lowered as he came out.

“Is that you?” Li Hanru froze. “When did you get here?” She tilted her head, her gaze strange as she looked toward the artificial hill behind him. Xia Xiuyan stood at the exit of the artificial hill. In the night, behind him was pitch black. Before she could look carefully, she saw him slowly ascend the steps, reaching her in just a few strides.

“For a while now.” The man answered frankly, as if he wasn’t the one who had just eavesdropped below.

Xia Xiuyan was tall. Li Hanru originally standing in the pavilion looking at him hadn’t noticed, but now that he’d come up, looking down at her, there was suddenly a sense of looking down from above. Li Hanru frowned and involuntarily stepped back several paces to the other side of the pavilion, opening some distance between them.

Qiu Xinran had originally thought that when Li Hanru discovered Xia Xiuyan had overheard her conversation with Zheng Yuan Wu, she would surely fly into a rage. Who knew she didn’t show the expected anger, only fell silent for a long while before walking to the low stool at the pavilion’s edge and sitting down: “What are you doing here?”

“I originally wanted to go to Pindong Courtyard to look around. Unexpectedly, you all came, so I could only come here to temporarily avoid you. I didn’t intentionally eavesdrop.” His tone carried slight apology. Hearing this, Li Hanru laughed self-mockingly: “It’s nothing. I’ve lost face so many times, this one more instance doesn’t matter.”

Qiu Xinran secretly crept upward at a crouch. Seeing the two in the pavilion, one standing and one sitting, from her angle looking up, Li Hanru’s profile faced the pavilion exterior while the man’s standing back just happened to block her figure. This was an excellent opportunity. She quietly emerged from the artificial hill, just thinking to take this chance to leave. Suddenly she heard Xia Xiuyan ask: “Did you truly send Mei Que to Wu Peng’s room?”

Li Hanru laughed coldly: “Years ago, Wu Peng sent people chasing to Luoyang and crippled her master’s hands for playing the zither, causing him to become despondent and frustrated. In his final years, he was plagued by poverty and illness. To avenge this, she’s willing to do anything.”

Xia Xiuyan was silent for a moment: “Do you think she can truly succeed in killing Wu Peng tonight?”

“I never expected her to succeed.” Li Hanru scoffed. “I just wanted to teach Wu Peng a lesson. If he truly died, that would be troublesome.”

“If Wu Peng doesn’t die, Mei Que will die.” Xia Xiuyan said indifferently. “Trading a life for a lesson is hardly worth it.”

“Yes,” Li Hanru said coldly. “Those without power or influence can only at most scratch a nail mark on their enemy’s face even if they bet their lives. But revenge—even just for a moment’s satisfaction—is still good.”

She said without pain or itch: “At the Qixi Palace Banquet, he was the one who put Melting Pear Fragrance in your wine and schemed against both you and me. After my second brother found out, he found a pretext to beat him thoroughly with a horse whip in the street. Second Brother also received heavy punishment when he returned to the palace and left a tyrannical reputation outside. When I went to see him, I asked if he regretted it. He told me: What’s there to regret? At least when I was whipping him with that whip, it was truly satisfying.” Thinking of this, she quirked the corner of her mouth slightly, then quickly lowered it again.

“Later, rumors spread outside that I tried and failed to seduce Zheng Yuan Wu, saying I was shameless and difficult to marry off. Anyone could guess where those came from. Today he hosts a banquet in this garden, and a whole group of people must pretend they don’t know about all that messy business, acting as if they harbor no ill feelings.” She smiled sarcastically. “Only those without concerns can risk their lives and fortunes for momentary satisfaction. I can’t do it, but that musician can. I’m helping her achieve her wish. What’s wrong with that?”

“If Mei Que succeeds tonight, how do you plan to handle the aftermath?”

Li Hanru shook her head: “Wu Peng’s wine has Melting Pear Fragrance. She won’t succeed.” When she said this, her tone was both arrogant and cold, just like her birth and everything the palace had taught her.

The pavilion fell silent again. The man standing in the pavilion glanced behind him from the corner of his eye. Night wind passed through the artificial hill’s stone cave, bringing a hollow wind sound. The figure that had been standing there had disappeared at some unknown time, leaving only a ground of shattered moonlight.