After Yanran boarded the carriage, the wheels rumbled and clattered along the stone-paved road.

By this time, the surrounding vendors had long been forced to close. In the dead of night, Yanran and the others had nothing to say, so all that could be heard was the sound of the carriage wheels rolling on the ground.

The carriage, which had been moving forward without stopping, suddenly came to a halt. The driver shouted at the person who had blocked the carriage, "Who goes there? How dare you stop the Qin family's carriage!"

A young man in a brocade hat and sable fur coat stood in front of the carriage. He had a cold and hard face, a tall stature, and was accompanied by several guards with swords.

The coachman looked closely and realized that it was the eldest son of the He family in Wangcheng.

"Young Master He, what brings you to stop my Qin family's carriage?"

The eldest son of the He family didn't even glance at the shouting coachman. He lined up his guards to block the front of the carriage, while he himself went around to the side of the carriage.

He bent his index finger and tapped it with his knuckles, "Miss Yanran."

Yanran, who was sitting in the car, was startled when she heard the voice, and lifted the curtain to look outside.

"Young Master He," she called softly.

The eldest son of the He family lingered for a moment on the jade earrings by her ears, then cut to the chase: "Come with me."

Yanran asked knowingly, "Where to?"

“Go to my He family,” the eldest son of the He family said in a deep and calm voice, “once you enter the He family, you naturally can no longer show your face at banquets.”

The other two people in the car understood what was going on, and couldn't help but show envious expressions.

The eldest son of the He family has come to rescue Yanran.

Yanran was silent for a while. She touched the pendant on her ear and said softly, "Young Master He, you have treated me very well. Back then, that merchant from Hu also treated Yun'er very well."

The eldest son of the He family looked at her and said, "Don't worry, I'm not like those lowly foreign merchants. Even if I stop pampering you in the future, I won't mistreat you."

Yanran smiled and said, "I know you won't, but I don't want to."

"Why?" The eldest son of the He family frowned, somewhat puzzled. "Among the noble families in the entire Western Liang region, no one but me would choose you."

Yanran looked at his expression and couldn't help but chuckle.

She once thought that being able to enter the ranks of royalty and nobility would be the best outcome for people like them, and if they could also gain the favor of their husbands, they would have no further aspirations.

She was grateful that the eldest son of the He family had come to stop the Qin family's carriage today, risking offending the Qin family to come to her, but that was all she felt for him.

Seeing her smile, the eldest son of the He family couldn't help but ask, "What are you laughing at?"

How could she possibly laugh in her current situation?

Have you met the heir apparent's wife from the Xie family?

The eldest son of the He family didn't understand why she was bringing up Xie Fu's woman at this moment. Could it be that she still had feelings for Xie Fu?

"Never seen it before."

Yanran's gaze lingered on the features of the eldest son of the He family. Among the scions of prominent families in Xiliang, the eldest son of the He family was considered to be of superior appearance and family background. However, the person she deeply loved was a thousand times more handsome than him.

Once you've seen the ocean, other waters seem insignificant; once you've beheld the clouds of Wushan, other clouds seem pale in comparison.

If she had never met Xie Fu, never danced in the snowy night, and never seen that woman, she might be grateful to the young master of the He family today, enter the He family mansion, and become his favored concubine.

But during that long night of dancing the Hu Xuan dance, the icy winter air clung to her bones like maggots, keeping her constantly awake.

A person who is too clear-headed and rational, and has a clearer understanding of the world, is less likely to be influenced by emotional feelings.

Yanran clearly felt that when Xie Fu brushed past her that night, he took away all her passion for love in this world.

She envied that woman, whose love was reciprocated by the man she loved; it was a two-way relationship, how beautiful.

"If you have the chance to meet the Crown Princess, perhaps you will understand my choice today."

Yanran smiled at him, but the smile was tinged with bitterness.

Young Master He was indeed very reluctant to let such a beautiful and young woman, with such graceful dancing skills, walk into the tiger's den. He was about to try to persuade her when Yanran lowered the carriage curtain and stepped out of the carriage.

Yanran bowed sincerely to the eldest young master of the He family, her jade earrings gleaming in the moonlight.

"A cup of green wine, a song once, and three wishes made in reverence," Yanran said, tears glistening in her eyes. "First, I wish my beloved a thousand years of life; second, I wish myself good health; third, I wish we could be like swallows on the beam, meeting year after year."

After he painstakingly bought the jade earrings from a merchant in the Central Plains as a gift for her, she recited this poem to him while dancing to express her gratitude.

That time, she was just imitating Chen Xiaoxiao and the others, using their social skills and manipulative tactics. This time, however, she was being genuine.

If she hadn't harbored feelings for Xie Fu, her love life might have been much smoother.

The eldest son of the He family stared at her for a long time before finally stepping back and ordering his guards to let her pass.

Yanran gave him a curtsy and then turned and went back into the carriage.

That night, the unease that had risen in the hearts of people in the Western Liang royal city because of the Qin family's trap banquet came true.

After that greeting, the eldest son of the He family and the dancer Yanran, whom he admired, parted ways forever.

——————

Shu Yun had rarely acted so impulsively. Pointing his sword at the Ninth Heaven, he took the lives of those who had plotted against Jiang Yan in front of the Jade Emperor and a host of immortals.

She knew she had lost her composure, but she preferred to remain irrational.

She didn't want those who had plotted against Jiang Yan to live in this world for even a moment longer. Demonic cultivators are corrupted by demonic energy, and if they commit suicide, their souls will dissipate into the world.

Since they didn't intend to spare Jiang Yan's soul in their scheme, then they shouldn't expect her to spare their souls either. Let these people's lives end in this lifetime.

"What did you say?"

Shu Yun looked at Xie Fu in disbelief, her fingertips trembling slightly as they were hidden in her sleeves.

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