Gu Haozhi subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Helian Si, who was listening with great interest beside him. Thinking of his feelings for the princess, his ears inexplicably turned a little red.

He had fallen in love with the princess long ago.

Helian Si had no idea; her gossip-loving nature was now burning fiercely, and she was listening even more intently.

They were so excited, afraid of missing even a single piece of gossip, that they were practically ready to grab a handful of melon seeds to crack open.

"Miss Lin, please have some self-respect." A voice, as ethereal and delicate as a solitary orchid in a secluded valley, rang out, carrying a sense of detachment and emotionless indifference.

On the face of the divine Nan Rong Jinghua, there was not a trace of emotion. When his eyes, hidden beneath his long silk robe, fell upon the bushes where Helian Si and Gu Haozhi were hiding, his brows furrowed slightly.

Ah Sheng, how could she be here? The aura of the person beside her is not that of the Third Prince. Her furrowed brows tightened even more.

“Brother Jinghua, my father wants to marry me to the eldest son of the Minister of Justice. The wedding is in seven days.”

Lin Zijing's eyes were red, her pretty face was streaked with tears, and she looked at Nan Rong Jinghua with tears in her almond-shaped eyes. Her slender body trembled slightly with grief.

Under the bushes, Helian Si suddenly turned her head to look at Gu Haozhi beside her. If she remembered correctly,

Gu Haozhi is the second son of the Minister of War, right? Then the person Lin Zijin is going to marry is Gu Haozhi's older brother...?

Gu Haozhi was also completely bewildered. How did he end up getting involved in this whole mess the first time he tried to gossip?

The two exchanged a glance, then looked at Nan Rong Jinghua and Lin Zijin under the willow tree. One was out of gossip, and the other was worried that her older brother might be cuckolded.

"Congratulations."

Faced with Lin Zijin's bitter and sorrowful pain, Nanrong Jinghua only replied with this one sentence:

For Lin Zijin, those two words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back; the person before her, who seemed like a banished immortal,

He was the person she had longed for for ten years. Ten years. She had come today, hoping that...

If she were willing to give up her status as a young lady of the Lin family, would her beloved brother Jinghua be moved by her sincerity and take her away to a faraway place?

Or perhaps, she would be willing to hide herself away, even if it meant being by Jinghua's side without a name or status.

But now, what has he received in return? A curt "Congratulations" from Brother Jinghua.

"Hahahaha, Brother Jinghua, are you really going to be so heartless towards Zijing?"

Lin Zijin's smile was extremely desolate; her carefully applied makeup was already soaked with tears, and her voice was choked with despair.

Nan Rong Jinghua did not answer, but a glint of silver light flashed in her eyes beneath the long silk, and the faces of the two people hidden under the lush bushes came clearly into Nan Rong Jinghua's view.

When Nan Rongjinghua saw Gu Haozhi's face clearly next to Helian Si, her previously emotionless expression instantly turned frosty.

Lin Zijing looked at Nan Rong Jinghua with red and sorrowful eyes, at the person she had loved so deeply for ten years.

Yet, she remained unmoved by her own infatuation. Her fingers, hidden beneath the sleeves of her pink gauze dress, dug into her palms. As if remembering something, her eyes turned bloodshot.

"I know, it's because of Her Highness the Princess, isn't it, Brother Jinghua? You treat me like this because of that slut Her Highness the Princess, who's been seducing men since she was little!"

Helian Si, standing beneath the lush trees: "??????"

Holy crap! I was hiding behind a tree, and this mess just fell from the sky? What did I ever do to deserve this? I'm so angry, but I have to put up with it! Damn it!