Chapter 114 A Heart Fluttering (Part Two)

But if it was a person making the noise, then that person shouldn't have disappeared so quickly.

It must be because he feels guilty!

Shen Pingjin nodded vigorously, realizing that she was being incredibly paranoid.

Shen Pingjin clutched her chest as she walked out of the lotus pond, unaware that a man dressed in brocade robes had appeared in the corner that had been deserted just moments before.

Yan Jue stared blankly at Shen Pingjin's retreating figure, lost in thought.

My heart was pounding like a drum in my left atrium, and my mind was filled with the image of the woman dancing gracefully just now.

Yan Jue had never believed in love at first sight before, but now he understood what that feeling was like.

Yan Jue stood there watching the woman walk away, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. At the same time, he saw the handkerchief that the woman had dropped into the lotus pond. He flashed and arrived at the side of the lotus pond.

The lake water was crystal clear, yet it felt icy cold to the touch. Yan Jue recalled the woman's slightly furrowed brows from earlier, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

The delicate young girl really couldn't stand this bit of cold.

But that doesn't mean he can't stand it.

"Splash—" Yan Jue jumped into the lotus pond.

He was soaked to the bone, the penetrating, icy cold spreading from his feet throughout his body, but Yan Jue seemed not to feel it at all, his eyes only on the pale yellow handkerchief.

Yan Jue was well-versed in martial arts and easily obtained the handkerchief. With his long, powerful hand, he grabbed the handkerchief floating on the duckweed, and with a flash, the water splashed as the wet hem of his clothes carried him ashore.

The pale yellow handkerchief was still stained with duckweed and green algae. Although it was soaked by the icy lake water, Yan Jue, holding it, could still smell a faint, sweet fragrance of a young woman on it for some reason.

The handkerchief was unfolded and placed in the sunlight. It was still wet and dripping with water. Yan Jue noticed that in the lower right corner of the handkerchief, there was a light pink character "锦" (jin, meaning brocade).

"Jin?" Yan Jue frowned, looking thoughtful.

A vague guess began to rise in my mind: could it be that the little girl just now had the character "锦" in her name?

"Then it will be easier for me to find it." Yan Jue tightened his grip on the handkerchief, holding it tightly in his palm.

Although he grew up in Nanling Mountain, he was never a good person.

He's determined to have this girl!

After the Spring Festival banquet, Yan Jue couldn't stop thinking about this girl. After learning that she was Shen Pingjin, the precious eldest daughter of the Shen family, he thought about her even more.

“Chen Pingjin, Chen Pingjin…” Yan Jue murmured the name, his cold gaze gradually softening.

Sometimes when Su Li saw him looking like he'd lost his soul, he would jokingly say, "Ever since Brother Yan came back from the Spring Banquet soaking wet, he's been like a lost soul, always looking absent-minded."

Yan Jue ignored Su Li's teasing and secretly sent people to inquire about the Shen family's daughter from time to time. When he learned that she would also attend the Spring Banquet next year, Yan Jue was overjoyed.

He eagerly awaited the arrival of the Spring Banquet, but little did he know that the next Spring Banquet would lead to their complete separation.

Yan Jue still holds the reins of power in the court, and Su Li keeps his promise; both are waiting for an opportunity.

Winter has passed and spring has arrived, with flowers blooming and the next spring banquet just around the corner.

The girl he had seen many times in his dreams was still wearing a light pink dress this time, only her hairstyle had changed slightly.

The jet-black hair that was tightly combed into a girl's sideburns last time is now left with two strands hanging down the back of her head, and two small buns are adorned with jade-colored emeralds.

She wore round pearl earrings on her crystal-clear earlobes, with a rosy face, a delicate nose and red lips, and eyebrows that seemed to hold the autumn breeze, a beauty that could shame the moon and flowers.

She held a handkerchief in her small, porcelain-white hands. She looked a little nervous, perhaps because there were many people around, and the handkerchief was crumpled in her hand.

At the last Spring Festival banquet, Su Li found the most suitable and pleasing daughter of an official, and the two married early the following year. Therefore, at this Spring Festival banquet, Yan Jue naturally told the ministers that the current Empress would preside over the banquet.

Yan Jue stared intently at the girl in pink among the many daughters of officials.

The others seemed to be merely foils to Shen Pingjin; no matter how beautiful their clothes were, none could compare to the captivating presence of Shen Pingjin standing there.

If his heart is like a cold winter, then she is spring. Only when spring arrives will the ice in his heart melt away.

Shen Pingjin was completely unaware that a man was staring at her intently.

She's extremely nervous right now.

This was her second time attending the Spring Banquet. She clutched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, afraid that something might go wrong again.

But an accident still happened.

While she was chatting with several girls by the lotus pond, her younger sister's maid, Mingyue, suddenly shouted that something had happened. The other girls immediately rushed to the source of the sound.

Because Mingyue was Ruixue's younger sister, Chen Pingjin was also a little anxious. But she was never one to argue, so she thought she would wait until everyone had left before going over.

Just as everyone had left and she turned to leave, someone reached out and pushed her from behind.

"Splash—" Shen Pingjin fell into the lake.

The lake water in early spring was icy cold. Shen Pingjin desperately shouted for help, but the group of people were far away and did not notice her at all at the corner of the lotus pond.

The icy water entered her lungs through her nose, and the air inside her lungs was slowly drawn out like silk being peeled away. The feeling of suffocation came from her head. Shen Pingjin waved her small hands, splashing water on the lake surface.

Yan Jue never imagined that in the short time it took him to talk to Su Li, the little girl would fall into the water.

He hurriedly used his lightness skill to rush over, and seeing the girl's thrashing movements weakening, he jumped into the lake without hesitation.

Shen Pingjin felt more and more lake water flowing into her nasal cavity, and the place she could see became darker and darker.

Am I going to die here?

As Shen Pingjin felt her body sinking deeper and deeper into the lake, she could no longer control herself and closed her eyes.

But... why did I see a figure flash by when I closed my eyes?

Before she could see clearly, she fell into a deep sleep.

Shen Pingjin had a nightmare in which she was pushed into a lake by Shen Ruixue and never woke up again.

She was jolted awake, gasping for breath, when she suddenly met a pair of bright, black grape-like eyes and froze.

The man's voice was very pleasant, like the tinkling of a spring in winter. "Miss Chen, are you feeling better?"

Shen Pingjin's voice was hoarse and barely audible, "Young master, who are you..."

The man replied respectfully, "My name is Su Xuanmao, and I am a descendant of the current emperor who was separated from his family."

Shen Pingjin was taken aback. Wasn't the current emperor unmarried? But then she thought about it and realized, what man didn't have a concubine in his youth? Maybe it was one of those concubines who secretly gave birth to her.

Such things have indeed happened quite a few times. Su Li never expected that because of the absurd things that happened back then, he would have left behind a lot of bloodlines.

Shen Pingjin stared blankly at the man in front of her, and felt a warmth in her heart when she saw the undisguised concern in his eyes.

He must have saved me!

Shen Pingjin looked at the prince in front of her with gratitude, thinking to herself that this prince was a really good person. Not only did he save her, but he also came to care about her.

This is absolutely amazing; a single memory has been written in tens of thousands of words.