Shattered Moon

For the next two days, Lin Xu was very attentive to Yao Suran's feelings, constantly pestering her with questions, displaying the innocent and shy demeanor of a young girl.

Yao Suran was quite pleased, and her words revealed a hint of self-satisfaction, a mixture of refusal and pride:

"I simply drew the Third Prince because he is handsome and looks very good in the sunlight. Tell me, how similar does it look?"

Lin Xu's ears seemed to blush with a soft pink as if she were discussing youthful romance, and her voice was as soft as mist.

"Your calligraphy is quite skillful; it's easy to tell at a glance." She added at the end, "It suits you very well."

Yao Suran looked at her intently for a long time before sighing softly. "Sister Xu'er, why didn't I meet you sooner?"

"Elder sister is frail, and I am very lonely here all by myself. It would be so good to have you with me."

Amidst the rich fragrance of laurel surrounding her, Lin Xu's expression turned slightly worried, her brows furrowing. "It's been a long time since I've seen Sister Su'an. How has she been lately?"

Yao Suran shook her head, the jade beaded earrings by her ears tinkling softly. "Still the same old story, I'll catch a cold and be in serious trouble." She seemed to suddenly remember something, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes that quickly disappeared.

Seeing that Yao Suran didn't intend to speak again, Lin Xu pretended not to notice.

But Yao Su'an himself arrived in less than half a day.

Having just recovered from a long illness, she wore a pear-patterned jacket paired with a light blue pleated skirt with dark patterns. Just standing there, she was as captivating as a startled swan.

Now, apart from the Ninth Prince, everyone in the school is a teenager and has already begun to experience romantic feelings.

Compared to her younger sister Yao Suran's charming and unrestrained nature, the elder sister's jade-like skin and icy complexion after her illness were more like a crescent moon teetering on the horizon, its reflection serene and beautiful in the stream, but if one were to reach out and try to scoop it up—

It shattered at the slightest touch.

The palace has always been full of bright and graceful beauties. Their broken and cold demeanor makes it easier to stir one's heart. Even a fleeting glance can evoke a protective instinct.

The Fifth Prince and the Third Prince hadn't seen Yao Su'an for a long time, and were somewhat surprised to see her standing at the door. The Fifth Prince, in particular, immediately stood up, his usually arrogant face now filled with concern.

"That's unusual today, you seem to be feeling much better?"

The question, by omitting the subject, sounded quite intimate. The Fifth Prince immediately realized his mistake and quickly added a few awkward laughs:

"It's been a long time since I've seen Miss Yao."

Yao Su'an gave a slight curtsy, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she coughed a few times. She had to cover her mouth with her handkerchief and wait until her breathing became steady before answering, "This subject greets the two princes."

The Third Prince's expression remained unreadable as he calmly said, "Why bother coming all this way if you're not feeling well? You should take good care of yourself. Has the Imperial Hospital had anyone examine you?"

Just as Yao Su'an was about to nod, Yao Suran, sitting next to Lin Xu, spoke up first:

"My sister is weak. The doctor has already examined her and said that she is weak and has qi stagnation. It will probably take some time before she recovers."

Yao Su'an smiled gently and said in a warm tone:

"It doesn't matter. I've fallen too far behind in my studies, and staying at home every day is so boring. I'm worried that I'll fall too far behind everyone else... I might as well cheer up and study harder."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince showed some appreciation and nodded slightly.

Yao Suran beside him stirred almost imperceptibly. While everyone else's gaze was fixed on the frail Yao Su'an, Lin Xu, sitting close enough to almost hear her muttering—

"She was clearly worried about Zhou Lang."

The phrase "Zhou Lang" likely refers to Zhou Weikan.

So Yao Su'an's feelings for him were so deep?

Lin Xu tried her best to recall, but couldn't find a single memory of Zhou Weikan mentioning the Yao sisters to her before. At least according to her memory, Zhou Weikan didn't know Yao Su'an very well.

Is it just unrequited love?

It's not surprising, really. Zhou Weikan was her husband's family in her previous life. Although they hadn't officially married into the family, it was a marriage arranged seriously by both sets of parents.

The Zhou family has been in business for generations, and their silk products are renowned throughout the world. Now, they are specially offered as tribute to the emperor, making them the most prestigious among imperial merchants. Moreover, he is handsome and refined, and is the most favored grandson of Old Madam Zhou. He will most likely inherit the Zhou family's ancestral property in the future.

Since the previous dynasty, the Dayu Kingdom has valued both commerce and agriculture, and there have been precedents for marriages between officials and wealthy merchants. In this dynasty, sons of wealthy merchants from good families are even more sought after by young women than ordinary people who pursue politics or studies, after all, who would turn down a fortune?

Over the years, not only have many matchmakers tried to arrange marriages for Zhou Weikan, but some young ladies from prominent families who admire Zhou Weikan have also asked their families to come and propose marriage.

Zhou Weikan was a noble young man whose life had been smooth sailing and without any blemishes, except for his poor eyesight, which led him to fall for her.

In her past life, it was precisely because she fell in love with Zhou Weikan that she suffered all sorts of embarrassing situations afterward.

During the days she was a ghost, she clearly saw that the Zhou family was greatly implicated because of this marriage alliance. Years of hard work suddenly collapsed, not only becoming unsustainable, but also being the subject of rumors spread by people on the street. Zhou Weikan couldn't bear the blow and went insane that very night.

At that time, her soul was confined to the small square space of the Lin residence, unable to verify the facts herself. She also couldn't bear to hear such words, even if they were just rumors.

Because Zhou Weikan used to treat Lin Xu very well.

Even Lin Xu, who was arrogant and domineering and hated by everyone.

After being humiliated at the noble ladies' banquet that day, she returned home and cried bitterly for several days. When Zhou Weikan found out, he sent a servant that very night to invite her to meet him at the Bajingli Bridge in Mujing City.

The messenger looked mysterious. She was reluctant to go out with her eyes red from crying, but she couldn't resist the messenger's persistent pleading, so she took two of her personal maids with her.

The city was brightly lit and bustling with people at night. She carefully avoided the crowds and finally reached the agreed-upon bridge, but she couldn't find Zhou Weikan anywhere.

She was in a bad mood at the time and immediately became unhappy. Zhou Weikan's servant pleaded with her for a long time before she finally agreed to wait a little longer.

However, it didn't take long before the once pitch-black night sky was suddenly lit up. With a whooshing sound, several beams of fire shot into the sky and exploded in the starry sky in an instant, shattering into fireworks.

She watched the swirling smoke dissipate, and before she could even marvel at it, the lights that had gradually disappeared before her eyes began to shine brightly again—one beam, two beams, three beams…

As numerous as the stars, until she could no longer count them.

The darkness was illuminated by the light of day, glowing brightly and revealing a gentle face that had appeared beside her at some unknown time. Zhou Weikan reached out his arm through the crowded throng, sheltering her in his strong embrace.

“Xu’er, you are the epitome of beauty. Not only do you possess unparalleled beauty in the capital, but you are unmatched by any other flower or grass in the entire world.”

She had been humiliated elsewhere, so he gave her the grandest fireworks display in the history of Mujing.

At that time, Lin Xu often felt that she was not worthy.

She doesn't deserve to be loved, protected, listened to, or believed in like this.

That woman who constantly caused trouble and had a terrible reputation.

The better Zhou Weikan treated her, the more the other women from aristocratic families bullied her, and the more Zhou Weikan protected her with heartache. This cycle repeated itself, creating a vicious circle.

As he continued to care for Lin Xu, his fingertips trembled slightly as he gently stroked the hideous scar on Lin Xu's right knee, filled with self-reproach. For the first time, Lin Xu saw a hint of moisture in those usually clear eyes.

"Xu'er, would you be my wife?"

Seeing that she was stunned and did not respond, he quickly added, "No one in the Zhou family would dare to make you angry. Such a thing will never happen again."

At that time, they did not know that Zhou Weikan would not keep his promise, and Lin Xu would not be able to marry him.

Everything froze over the large red "double happiness" characters plastered all over the Lin mansion...

Later, the character for "happiness" turned into bloodstains, the wedding became a funeral, and the noblewoman of the Lin family and the young master of the Zhou family had no future together.

Lin Xu initially hated it too.

She hated the injustice of fate, and the injustice done to the Lin family. Only after spending several days as a wandering, homeless ghost did she understand—

If there is someone who used to protect you, but ultimately gets implicated because of you.

She was originally a beautiful and ethereal immortal, but she fell into the mortal world and lost everything she had before.

Then you will never have the courage to approach him again.

.

Yao Suran shook Lin Xu, who was standing beside her in a daze, her voice already tinged with impatience.

“Sister Xu’er, please agree.”

Seeing Lin Xu's confused expression, Yao Su'an kindly stepped in to defuse the situation:

"If Xu'er can't make it, it's fine. It's just a few of us sisters having tea and chatting to pass the time. We can invite you next time when you're free."

Yao Suran raised her eyebrows and smiled:

"You absolutely must try this tea. My elder sister's pastry maid is incredibly skilled; her tea and snacks are just as good as those in the palace. Besides, how could tea that's been transported all the way from Jun'anli be any bad? And who's hosting is really uncertain..."

Jun'anli is located on the outskirts of Mujing, right next to Xixian, the tea capital. As a newly established tea garden in recent years, it produces excellent tea. I once heard Zhou Weikan mention casually that an uncle of his family had recently acquired a tea plantation not far from Xixian.

Lin Xu was wondering if it could be such a coincidence when he saw Yao Su'an suddenly blush and say urgently:

"Don't talk nonsense. It's clearly because I love that drink that that I went through a lot of trouble to buy it."

The usually gentle and composed person was so flustered by the sudden revelation of her secret that she even stammered.

Before Yao Su'an could speak, she saw that her elder sister Yao Su'an's ears were really red, so she laughed and said, "Never mind, never mind, elder sister will complain about me again later."

She turned to look at Song Jiaoling behind her and said affectionately, "Jiaoling hasn't been a guest before either, so why don't we come together today?"

Song Jiaoling shook her head nervously, shrinking back slightly, but still managing a weak smile on her face.

"Thank you for the invitation, Sister Su Ran. My younger brother has been crying and fussing a lot these past few days, so I have to go back right away."

Lin Xu then learned that although Song Jiaoling was the eldest daughter in her family, she also had a very young younger brother. As the eldest sister, she usually disciplined her younger brother.

Yao Suran then turned around with a pout, reached out and intimately took Lin Xu's wrist, shaking her repeatedly.

"Never mind, Xu'er has already promised. We'll go back together in the sedan chair later."

Yao Suran didn't give her a chance to refuse. Coincidentally, the doctor was feeling unwell today and ended his lecture early, so the group agreed to go to the Duke's Mansion together later.

Lin Xu was always escorted to the palace gate by a sedan chair sent by his family. After entering the palace, a maid would be left to wait in the outer hall of Zhiqiong Hall.

Zhiqiong Hall has strict rules, and Fu Sheng is also very meticulous. He never allows the students' servants to serve them. Therefore, every time they enter the school, everyone's maids and servants wait in the outer hall, waiting to serve their masters meals and tea during the midday break.

The Duke's sedan chair was much more imposing. Since they were going together, Yao Suran insisted that Lin Xu ride in the same sedan chair as her. Counting the four maids of the Yao sisters, Qingwu became the extra one. So she simply waved her hand, telling Qingwu and the sedan chair bearers to go back to the Lin residence first.

Qingwu immediately became anxious and looked at Lin Xu for help. "How can that be? How will Miss get back later?"

Yao Suran, always outspoken, laughed and said:

"After you finish your tea, we will arrange for a carriage to take you back to your residence safely. Don't worry, would the Duke's Mansion allow you to lose face?"

Qingwu could only lower her head and agree, not daring to ask any more questions.