Startled

Lin Xu had met Dou Yanxun in his previous life.

When she was seven, her birth mother passed away. The little girl cried her heart out and suffered from insomnia day and night. Later, she fell ill several times in succession, with a persistent high fever. The imperial physicians tried all the medicines, but her condition did not improve. Lin Fu had no other choice but to send her to Hecheng to relax.

Her maternal grandparents lived far away in Hecheng. As she rode in a sedan chair, she watched the lush greenery gradually turn into the color of gravel, and low shrubs grew wildly from the cracks in the rocks. All around her was a vast wilderness, a stark contrast to the Jiangnan charm of Mujing. This expansive plain was quite novel.

She was captivated by the scenery along the way, and even when she stopped to rest, she was unwilling to lower the curtain of her sedan chair. Her bright eyes gazed at the sand, stones, and birds, and she could never get enough of looking at them.

It was at that moment that she noticed the group of people not far away, and the sedan chair parked by the roadside.

And Dou Yanxun kicking pebbles on the roadside next to the sedan chair.

Few people ever set out from Mujing City to travel north; the road is deserted and sparsely populated, filled only with sandstorms and barren wastelands. Yet the young man was dressed in a dark-patterned brocade robe, unlike any child from an ordinary family.

She stared at him for a long time, but the man kept his eyes downcast and kicked the pebbles under his feet listlessly, occasionally making a faint tinkling sound.

It was a kind of indifference that seemed to have lost interest in everything around her. The innocent and carefree Lin Xu of the past could not understand that sense of desolation.

But having just experienced the pain of losing her mother, she quickly understood the boy's suffering.

This person probably doesn't have a mother anymore.

According to the sedan chair carriers, the travelers were heading north towards the border region.

The extremely cold land is barren, and bandits occasionally ambush and rob people on the road. Just moving forward is extremely dangerous. A group of people, some old and some weak, are escorting a thin and sorrowful boy.

It is a miracle that he survived such a disaster.

It turns out he was just a discarded pawn.

This was the first time she met Dou Yanxun.

I saw him a second time several years later.

At the age of fifteen, Lin Xu received an invitation to a banquet hosted by the young lady of the Duke's mansion for the first time. She dressed up with great interest and went there, but was tricked by Qi Shi and lost face.

At that time, many noble ladies at the banquet were jealous of her close relationship with Zhou Weikan, and took the opportunity to make things difficult for her, making no attempt to hide their disdain. Only the woman beside her smiled gently at her, her slender, white fingers as delicate as jade, and quietly handed her a handkerchief under the table.

Later she learned that it was the youngest daughter of the Dou family, whose courtesy name was Yu Se. At the tender age of 12, she was already exceptionally talented and could be considered a renowned talented woman in Mujing.

After the banquet, Qingwu dried her hair, which had been splashed with pear wine. She watched as everyone dispersed with their umbrellas, except for Dou Zhen, who had helped her earlier, who was taking shelter from the rain alone under the eaves not far away.

"It's going to rain heavily now, be careful not to catch a cold..."

She swallowed the rest of her words before she could finish them.

Holding a blue bamboo umbrella, Dou Yanxun slowly climbed the steps, stepping through the water, and walked towards Dou Zhen.

With just a fleeting glance, the image of that dejected boy kicking pebbles in the desert years ago came vividly back to life in Lin Xu's mind.

His eyebrows and eyes have remained almost unchanged, but the aloof and indifferent air he had many years ago is completely gone.

Instead, it was replaced by the elegant and refined style of "the sound of jade pendants jingling".

Dou Zhen turned around and smiled gently because of the half-hearted concern she had just shown. The other person then looked over at Dou Zhen.

Raindrops drizzled along the edge of the bamboo umbrella, obscuring most of the face of the person beneath it. A pair of peach blossom eyes, however, were partially revealed by the tilted umbrella edge, their gazes a mixture of indifference and flirtatiousness, casting a hazy, misty glow over everything around them.

Lin Xu thought to himself, "So the borderlands are actually quite nurturing."

.

And then... came today.

Lin Xu stared blankly at the teahouse Dou Yanxun had entered, her mind reeling from the ambiguous smile he had just received.

If she had mistaken him amidst the swirling sand, that would be one thing; but if she wasn't seeing things, Dou Yanxun had indeed smiled at her—

That would be very strange.

Because Dou Yanxun doesn't recognize her at all now.

Lin Xu is only fourteen years old now. If everything in her previous life is the same as before, she only saw him by chance when she was seven years old and on her way back to her maternal grandparents' house to recuperate. At that time, he was full of disappointment and did not pay attention to his surroundings at all, let alone her, who was secretly watching from behind the sedan curtain.

The glimpse in the rain at the Noble Ladies' Banquet also occurred in the sixteenth year of Yuanzhen, after she and Zhou Weikan had developed feelings for each other.

Although Dou Yanxun was a notorious playboy in Mujing, not only indulging in pleasure year-round but also refusing to serve as an official, spending his days indulging in sensual pleasures, he was quite different from his elder brother Dou Yanzhou, who was determined to pursue an official career. Being looked at with affection and smiled by such a disgraced playboy seemed to be of little concern.

But just moments after she closed the door in her own home and confessed her feelings for this man, she saw him smiling at her with a mysterious air. What a coincidence!

What a coincidence!

Lin Xu looked at Qingwu walking towards him from afar. Perhaps she had run into a wall with Zhao Qi, for her steps were heavy and her face showed a look of frustration.

She had just been startled awake by her racing thoughts and broke out in a cold sweat, but now she had to force herself to calm down.

At worst, the Dou family's web was more intricate and complex than she had imagined.

She assumed that the tragedy that befell the entire family that day was a false accusation made by Dou Huaisheng in order to advance his own interests. Little did she know that the Dou family had planted such deep seeds of treachery that they had harbored murderous intentions against the Lin family three years ago, or even earlier.

Even someone as unfavored as Dou Yanxun, a son of a concubine, could glean some insight from this.

The Qi family's ruthless tactics were merely internal power struggles within the mansion, aimed at securing their own small territory. The real danger lay in the perils lurking outside the mansion itself.

In my previous life, my father suddenly fell from power. The palace officials announced the imperial edict and immediately began confiscating our property and exterminating our family. If Dou Huaisheng hadn't already secretly laid a trap, how could Emperor Su have believed such a thing? The Lin family most likely still has spies hidden inside, perhaps one, perhaps several.

She couldn't be impatient; she could only wait for an opportunity to lure the spy out.

.

Since Qi Shi was "confined" to Yilan Garden, the mansion has become much quieter. Lin Xu secretly asked Qingwu to get a prescription from the mansion physician to replenish her qi and refresh her mind, saying to the outside world that her old headache had flared up. Lin Fu was worried, so he assigned some servants to Luoya Residence to take care of her.

Because he couldn't tell who he could use for the time being, Lin Xu had to be more cautious and placed a dagger under his pillow every night before going to sleep.

Although the Lin family mansion was large, the servants were almost all long-time employees who had worked there for several years, as well as some servants born into the family. They were all reliable and hardworking, doing tasks such as grooming and odd jobs.

However, among these people are hidden agents of the Dou family. If investigated closely, it would likely be a brocade jacket riddled with holes. She had to prepare for the worst.

And recently, there's more than just this one thing that needs careful consideration.

The first thing is the matter of enrollment.

There aren't many people studying at the Imperial Clan Academy in this dynasty; I've heard there are only a dozen or so students. Although the number is small, almost all of them are relatives of the emperor. As the daughter of a fourth-rank minister, her status among them is hardly that of high rank.

Among those students were many of her old acquaintances.

The two sisters from the Duke's mansion were one of them.

The elder sister, Su'an, was dazzlingly beautiful, while the younger sister, Su Ran, was as delicate as a peach blossom. The sisters were of noble birth, and in their past life, they had caused her no small amount of trouble because of Zhou Weikan. The pear wine that was "accidentally" spilled on Lin Xu at the banquet that day was the work of the younger sister, Su Ran.

In his past life, Lin Xu endured the humiliation of being publicly insulted. But in this life, having reunited with an old friend, it's better to... settle the score together for the unforgettable grudges of the past.

But that person of high status was the one she absolutely had to get close to this time—

Princess Kunrou, Liao Yan.

Dou Huaisheng held a sinecure position back then, but after being recommended by his father, he immediately sought refuge with the imperial son-in-law Liao Qian, which led to his later meteoric rise.

In the fifteenth year of Yuanzhen, Dou Huaisheng was promoted to the position of Grand Historian. On the surface, he was not close to the Princess's family, but behind the scenes, they were probably already closely connected.

The eldest princess was Emperor Su's elder sister. Over the years, she had only one daughter, Liao Yan, who was granted the title of princess at a young age and was extremely favored.

If she could be chosen as Princess Kunrou's study companion, she could get closer to the Dou family, who always followed the eldest princess's lead.

Another matter that consumed a lot of energy was the attempt to win over Zhao Qi.

Zhao Qi was once a servant in the Dou family. Regardless of why he was sent to the training ground, he was still the former master and servant of the Dou family. The fact that he spoke up for Lin Xu, a complete stranger, and risked his life to defy powerful figures shows that he was a kind-hearted person.

When dealing with a loyal and righteous person, offering unsolicited favors will only arouse their suspicion and make them even more protective of their master. Only by understanding their bottom line can you break through their defenses at the root.

Unfortunately, Lin Xu had secretly sent Zhi Yuan to investigate Zhao Qi during the shopping trip. It turned out that Zhao Qi was an orphan who had gone to the Dou family home at a young age. With no relatives or friends to rely on, it would take considerable effort to uncover his true intentions.

However, Lin Xu was not in a hurry.

Days passed by, and she spent her days reading, practicing calligraphy, tending to flowers and plants, and taking medicinal diets. Before she knew it, it was time to start school.

.

Lin Fu was even more nervous than his daughter about Lin Xu's past misdeeds, and repeatedly reminded her of the rules before she entered the palace. He also had several governesses carefully demonstrate the etiquette to Lin Xu before reluctantly sending her to the sedan chair.

The person outside the sedan chair was filled with worry, while the person inside was breathing rapidly as they drew closer to what they desired.

As Lin Xu listened to the rumbling of the carriage shafts as it entered the palace gates, his heart gradually calmed down, mingling with the imposing palace walls.

In the past, all things in life were fleeting and insignificant; the key now lies in how to leverage the connections and opportunities within the academy.

In the days since, my body, which had been poisoned, has recovered, and I have made some progress in my studies, which I had neglected in the past. While not perfect, my manners are impeccable.

With everything prepared, everything can be perfectly handled.

She has waited far too long for this day.

Led by a eunuch, Lin Xu walked through the palace for quite some time, passing through several palace gates before finally arriving outside Zhiqiong Hall. She kept her head down the whole way, not daring to look around, and her cautious demeanor earned her the favor of the leading eunuch, who then offered her some guidance.

"Inside is where the nobles and relatives go to school. Once inside, young ladies, you must behave well to avoid upsetting anyone and causing unnecessary trouble for yourselves."

She nodded in agreement.

Upon entering the school, she found everything to be far calmer than she had imagined.

The professor teaching these dozen or so clan members was Dr. Fu Sheng. He had a dignified appearance and rarely smiled. Although the clan members were of noble status, they remained very respectful and humble in front of the academic official.

Lin Xu, being a newcomer, naturally attracted many secretly observing glances.

"Whose little sister is this?"

Yao Suran's smile was as radiant as spring flowers in March, just as it always had been. She frequently turned back to look at Lin Xu during her doctoral lectures, and would come over as soon as she had a spare moment.

Lin Xu curtsied slightly, a gentle smile playing on her delicate, jade-like face, and answered softly:

"My name is Lin Xu, daughter of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. I am here to pay my respects to you all."

"What a lovely girl! She'll have someone to study with in the future."

Yao Suran's beauty was striking; even her ordinary smile radiated brightness. Whether addressing each other as sisters or deliberately spilling wine on her clothes, she could always smile with such innocence.

That's a skill in itself.

Lin Xu took her hands in his, and his palms were quickly enveloped by the warmth mixed with the rich scent of osmanthus. Anyone who saw it would think it was a scene of good friends meeting happily.

"Then please be lenient with me in the future, sister."

Looking past Yao Suran's unusually affectionate face, she saw Liao Yan sitting calmly in the distance.

The warm afternoon sun streamed through the carved window frames, framing her smooth, black hair that fell casually beside her ears. Her striking features were devoid of life, as if she were lost in thought. Even in the daytime, her aura, emanating from within, remained as cold as ice.

No one dared to approach him, and no one could be trusted to confide in him.

Lin Xu knew that she could only wait quietly.