"Haha... Madam, you flatter me."

Jin laughed ostentatiously, showing off as if she wanted everyone to look at her and dazzle their eyes.

Jiang Xuerou called out softly, "Mother..."

Following Jiang Xue's gaze, Madam Jin looked over and saw that the pavilion was filled with young ladies who were on good terms with Jiang Xue. "Go ahead."

Jiang Xue hesitated for a moment, then looked at Jiang Jiaojiao, "Sister, would you like to come along?"

"I'm not going."

Jiang Jiaojiao refused outright. What would she do there?

Should she go over there and listen to those gossipy ladies mocking her in their words?

She must be so desperate to make herself miserable.

Jiang Jiaojiao looked around and said, "Mother, I'd like to wander around."

"well."

Jin smiled and said, "A-Yuan, take good care of Miss."

Inside the pavilion.

The young ladies watched Jiang Jiaojiao walk away on her own, their eyes full of mockery. "Xue'er, is that really your elder sister? Tch—after doing something like that, your Marquis's mansion still lets her flaunt it like this?"

"Pfft—I heard that the Marquis's mansion is already preparing the dowry?"

"Is the Jin family really willing to marry Jiang Jiaojiao to that sickly man?"

Everyone turned to look at Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue looked guilty and said weakly, "Mother... is indeed preparing a dowry."

Jiang Xue's words immediately ignited the gossip in the young ladies' hearts. "So it's true that your elder sister was bewitched by the Seventh Prince's looks?"

That day, something happened at the Princess's residence.

The ladies all followed the eldest princess to see the spectacle, but the young ladies were kept outside and did not get to see the seventh prince's handsome appearance.

However, I did hear a few things from my mother.

Then came the usual admonition: never be tempted by a man's good looks, and so on.

"I heard that the Seventh Prince is here today. I'd like to see just how handsome he is that your elder sister would abandon the Second Prince and marry him despite his serious illness!"

"What do you mean by abandoning the Second Prince? The Second Prince has absolutely nothing to do with that woman!"

"Yes, yes, the Second Prince was raised by the Empress, he is so noble, how could he possibly look down on that vulgar woman!"

"Exactly, look at the clothes she's wearing, as if she's afraid people won't know the Jin family is a merchant family..."

Jiang Xue felt genuinely pleased to hear the young ladies mocking Jiang Jiaojiao.

"A merchant's daughter, how could she know anything about shame or arrogance? Alas... it's just a pity for little Xue'er!"

"Sister Xue'er is exceptionally intelligent, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is truly a talented woman of the capital!"

"In the future, won't my sister be able to choose any of the fine young men in this capital?"

Jiang Xue said shyly, "I'm just a concubine's daughter..."

"You are a talented woman! I heard that the Fifth Prince once praised your poetry highly!"

"The Fifth Prince is the most talented in literature among all the princes!"

"Ever since the Third Prince saw Sister Xue'er once, he's been insisting on marrying her, and he's even taken it all the way to the Imperial Concubine!"

Jiang Xue blushed and begged for mercy.

On the other side.

Jiang Jiaojiao took A Yuan for a stroll around.

Wherever he went, there were whispers and all sorts of scrutinizing expressions.

Jiang Jiaojiao didn't care at all and whispered in A Yuan's ear, "Go and find out where the Seventh Prince is?"

A-Yuan looked at her young mistress in horror, "Miss... what are you going to do?"

Is Miss going to climb into bed again? Is once not enough, and she wants to do it again?

Jiang Jiaojiao glared at A Yuan.

Look at how pathetic he is.

"If you won't go, I'll go find it myself!"

As Jiang Jiaojiao spoke, she began to walk towards the male guests.

Startled, A-Yuan quickly grabbed her mistress, "Go—this servant will go right now!"

Then, he left in a hurry.

Jiang Jiaojiao leaned against the willow tree and picked up a few stones to throw around.

"thump--"

The sound of splashing water could be heard in the distance.

Jiang Jiaojiao quickly looked over and saw a huge splash of water in the middle of the lake, with a person splashing around. Screams of alarm erupted from the lake pavilion and the connecting bridge.

Some servants even risked their lives to jump into the lake to save people.

"Young master has fallen into the water—"

"The Thirteenth Young Master has fallen into the water—"

"Help! Someone's in danger!"

Those who couldn't swim were shouting at the top of their lungs on the bridge, while those who could swim all jumped in with a splash, like dumplings thrown into a pot, getting mixed up together.

Jiang Jiaojiao stood under the big willow tree by the lake, watching the servants in the water pulling and tugging at each other. It didn't look like they were rescuing someone; it looked more like a swimming race to see who could swim to the big splash first.

The large splash in the middle of the lake only thrashed about a few times before it began to sink...

"The Thirteenth Young Master?"

Jiang Jiaojiao immediately understood...

It must be Xiao Twelve's younger brother, the only son of the General's Mansion, who is not yet of age but has already exceeded two hundred pounds... Miao'er.

No wonder...

It can splash such a big water spray!

Why didn't you go and save them?

A voice suddenly sounded from above.

Jiang Jiaojiao was startled and looked up—

A fairy? Heh! What a coincidence!

only……

Why is he in the tree?

Dao Qing was covered in cold sweat. He also wanted to know why His Highness had brought him up the tree!

I'm even more curious...why this woman is always haunting me!

Did His Highness already anticipate this woman's arrival, and was seeking revenge after being knocked unconscious by her last time?

Dao Qing looked down at Jiang Jiaojiao's voluptuous figure.

She calculated the odds that His Highness had a good chance of successfully knocking her unconscious by jumping down.

The Thirteenth Prince's fate was full of misfortune. The General's wife once made a solemn promise that she would receive a generous reward every time she saved the Thirteenth Prince.

Jiang Jiaojiao laughed and said, "Does Your Highness think I look like someone who is short of money?"

A gentle breeze stirred, causing the pearls around Jiang Jiaojiao's waist to shimmer and sparkle. Her rose-red silk skirt fluttered, producing a clear and melodious tinkling sound.

Li Yan, looking down from his vantage point, lost his footing and fell!

"Your Highness—"

Dao Qing rushed towards the Seventh Prince.

And Jiang Jiaojiao...

He watched helplessly as the fairy fell down, and fell into... his arms!

That's right!

Just when things were at their most critical, Jiang Jiaojiao instinctively reached out and caught him!

"thump--"

The two of them fell to the ground together.

Jiang Jiaojiao felt a burning pain on her lips and tasted blood.

Li Yan also tasted the blood.

He licked it and discovered... it wasn't his own blood.

"ah--"

The scream instantly drew everyone's attention.

The Seventh Prince's blood-stained lips were terrifying! It turns out that the Seventh Prince really did drink human blood during his illness!

Kim was also among the crowd.

Upon seeing the woman beneath the Seventh Prince, adorned in a rose-red silk dress and pearl-embroidered headdress, her eyes widened instantly. She screamed and rushed forward, crying, "Jiaojiao—!"

This shrill scream terrified a group of delicate young ladies, who clutched their necks and screamed wildly, "Murder! The Seventh Prince is killing people and sucking their blood!"

"Miss Jiang has been drained of her blood by the Seventh Prince—"