quiet room
Over the years, no matter how illustrious the Duke's Mansion was, it could never compare to the Prince Gong's Mansion, let alone the most outstanding fourth young lady among Prince Gong's many children. Wei Tingya was extremely arrogant, and three years after her coming-of-age ceremony, she remained unmarried and never bothered to compete with other noble ladies. Even Song Xiyan, who had been fortunate enough to be the "most noble lady in Mujing" for a time after the Yao family's downfall, had to adopt a humble and subservient demeanor in Prince Gong's Mansion.
Since the Yao family lost power, Yao Su'an had suffered no shortage of disdain and ostracism, much of which she knew was due to Wei Tingya's instigation and favoritism. Now that she was married to the Fifth Prince and was a princess, Wei Tingya, who had once looked down on her, was now approaching her politely.
Yao Su'an felt incredibly relieved after just a moment's thought.
So what if she couldn't grow old with the person in her heart? So what if she married the mediocre and plain-looking fifth prince? Haven't all the glory that was taken from her been returned to her now?
Thinking of this, although she was still thinking about the victory of the Prince of Zhenshan on the field today, she felt that she could no longer bear it just thinking about Wei Tingya's special trip to invite her and the polite face she would see later.
Her beautiful eyes, as clear as autumn water, glanced at the several horses chasing each other fiercely on the field, then she looked back at the very respectful maid beside her, a hint of pride that had not been seen for a long time appearing on her gentle face.
"Where is it? Lead the way."
.
Deep within the winding corridor, the scenery changes with every step, and the shadows of the pines fall obliquely as the sun sets in the west.
The maid led Yao Su'an across the stone bridge on the north side of the grassland, and along the path to the side courtyard of the imperial palace. The surrounding area gradually quieted down, with only the distant laughter of people singing and dancing, and the faint neighing of wild horses beside the grassland.
As Yao Su'an walked, a sense of hesitation arose in her heart.
Seeing that this courtyard was in a remote location and not a place where palace ladies usually lived, the maid insisted that the Fourth Miss had been resting and waiting here, and had specially called her to have a chat, and she spoke with great certainty.
But then Yao Su'an remembered that Wei Tingya was from the Prince Gong's Mansion. In his early years, when the Empress Dowager was still alive, he was quite favored by the old lady and often entered the palace to accompany her by imperial decree. The palace had already prepared several special warm beds for him, so it made sense.
Inside the secluded courtyard, a corridor door with a brocade curtain hanging down was slightly ajar, and a delicate, warm fragrance wafted out from within.
The maidservant bowed slightly and said, "Please, Your Highness." Then she quietly withdrew.
Yao Su'an frowned, a layer of mockery rising in her heart. Was Wei Tingya planning something shady with her today?
Unfortunately, she always considered herself a lady of high society, and even when she was down on her luck, she looked down on such despicable and scheming methods. But when Su Ran was still alive, she enjoyed doing it... Her younger sister had been full of wicked ideas since she was little.
But in the end, all the glory has faded away.
After Yao Suran left, she never wanted to think too much about her deceased sister. Now, she simply shook her head and brushed aside all the thoughts in her mind.
The room was utterly quiet, filled with a faint fragrance. A wisp of benzoin incense swirled gently in the bronze incense burner, subtle yet not cloying. Near a corner stood a tall screen, its surface painted with ink and color, depicting pine trees adorned with fallen snow, standing in a staggered, orderly fashion.
Yao Su'an slowly sat down in front of the couch, where two cups of tea were already prepared, steaming gently.
She glanced down at it, and her fingertips, which were about to touch the cup, suddenly stopped.
—This tea is clearly defective.
It should be noted that Wei Tingya, as a member of the imperial family, was showered with love and affection from a young age. He was even raised by the Empress Dowager for a few days when he was young. Such a particular person was extremely picky even about drinking tea. He would only drink the first brew of the purest and clearest tea, and would not touch any of the other tea leaves. In the past, many young ladies from noble families in Mujing tried to imitate this.
The teacup in front of me was precious, the tea soup was clear and cool, and the aroma had a slightly astringent taste. I was once obsessed with tea, so I naturally knew that it required excellent water temperature and tea skills to brew such a mellow and elegant tea.
But this was a type of Dragon Ball Tea that Wei Tingya would never drink.
Yao Su'an's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly felt inexplicably flustered. She hurriedly stood up and looked around the empty room. The door had been closed tightly by the maid who had just left. It was strange that she had been so engrossed in watching the competition that she now realized the maid was completely unfamiliar. Was she really someone from Wei Tingya's side?
Yao Suran knew something was wrong. She quickly stepped forward and tried to push the door, but it wouldn't budge.
He was all alone, trapped in this room!
For a moment, she was filled with surprise and doubt. She instinctively took half a step back and was about to turn around and call for help when she suddenly heard a faint rustling sound coming from the screen that had been placed in the corner, accompanied by a slight tremor of the curtain.
Someone's there!
A familiar voice drifted from behind the screen, calm as a still lake.
"The princess arrived even faster than I expected."
She turned around abruptly, and saw a figure slowly emerge from behind the six-panel screen depicting pine trees and snow.
That was Lin Xu, dressed in a blue robe.
Yao Su'an opened her mouth wide, but her face turned angry in a moment. She never expected that today's events would be because she was so eager to see Wei Tingya fawn over her, and in a moment of carelessness, she fell into Lin Xu's trap!
"It was you? You actually dared to scheme against me and trick me into coming here... What exactly do you want?"
Lin Xu's eyes were clear and bright. He just looked at Yao Su'an quietly, his lips slightly curved, but there was no smile in them. He spoke slowly.
"Princess Zhenshan and I were classmates and old acquaintances. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we've inevitably lost our intimacy. That's why I resorted to this tactic, borrowing the name of the famous Fourth Miss. I'm sure the Princess is kind and won't mind."
Yao Su'an was even more furious that Lin Xu had admitted it so readily.
The grudges she and Lin Xu had formed in the past hadn't been settled yet, so seeing each other now naturally made her extremely resentful. Not to mention that Shan'er had been frightened by that incident and had been bedridden for many years, still not fully recovered... How could she not hate him! And how could she let Lin Xu appear so easily in front of her!
Thinking of this, Yao Su'an, who was always known for her gentle and dignified demeanor, couldn't help but grit her teeth and coldly utter a few words:
"I have nothing to reminisce about with you. Open the door now, or I'll call for help and punish you for disrespecting the Princess!"
Lin Xu seemed to have anticipated Yao Su'an's reaction, but with a faint smile on his face, he said softly:
"It seems that my feelings for the princess were unrequited."
Having said that, he watched helplessly as Yao Su'an, unwilling to give up, stepped forward and pushed hard against the unmoving door, before letting out a soft laugh:
"...Your Highness is in poor health, so it's probably best not to waste your energy. I had this door locked from the outside. This palace is in a remote area, and right now people are gathered by the stream reciting poetry or watching the games on the grassland. Even if Your Highness is unwilling, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave for a while."
Yao Su'an was utterly incredulous. Had Lin Xu gone mad? Why would she want to lock herself up in Wei Tingya's bedchamber?
No… After thinking it over again, Yao Su’an broke out in a cold sweat.
This is not Wei Tingya's sleeping quarters in the imperial palace!
The dragon-shaped tea before her, the cedar painting on the screen… the faint incense burning in the room… everything was so familiar, yet she had been so foolish as to completely overlook these details! All of this was clearly that person, that person's preferences!
Lin Xu then stepped forward again, looking at Yao Su'an's shocked expression with satisfaction, and nodded slightly.
"The Princess Consort is indeed exceptionally intelligent. Indeed—this is the side hall reserved for His Highness the Crown Prince to rest and relax in the palace."
Crown Prince...
Yao Su'an looked at Lin Xu, her face filled with intense anger mixed with sudden realization.
Lin Xu had tricked her into coming here. She clearly knew that she was already a married woman. If she were discovered hiding in the Crown Prince's bedroom, no matter how she explained, no one would believe her. Even if she was eloquent, she would be unable to clear her name of the suspicion of seducing the Crown Prince!
...And if the King of Zhenshan finds out about this, she knows his personality—stubborn, self-willed, cunning, and suspicious—he will definitely divorce her!
Yao Su'an immediately stepped forward and grabbed Lin Xu's collar tightly. In her haste, she used all her strength, almost leaving a deep red mark on Lin Xu's fair neck.
"Why...why would you attack me for no reason? Is it because you were dumped by Dou Yanxun, and now you're jealous of my happy life and want to destroy it all? I used to be quite close to you!"
Lin Xu smiled, her eyes sparkling with starlight, but a faint hint of sarcasm lingered on her lips.
"Your Highness has a good memory; you still remember what happened before. You two sisters are so close to me that they almost encouraged your wicked brother to try to violate me on several occasions, and he shows no remorse whatsoever. I think that Your Highness's closeness is something that most people could not bear."
Yao Su'an wasn't stupid; she naturally knew that Lin Xu's unhurried demeanor was a deliberate attempt to stall for time. Seeing that she had fallen into a trap, and knowing that Lin Xu had come prepared, it was likely that her people would soon make further moves! Right now, she was helpless and could only look at the still remarkably composed Lin Xu with resentment.
"You—you are incredibly audacious to devise such a treacherous scheme to plot against me! If the King of Zhenshan finds out about this, not only you, but your entire Lin family will be in deep trouble!"
"The Mountain-Suppressing King..."
Finally hearing the long-awaited name of the Mountain-Suppressing King from Yao Su'an, Lin Xu's smile deepened.
"That's for sure. I imagine that the Prince of Zhenshan is deeply in love with the Princess, which is why he was so eager to marry her even though it was only half a year after her younger sister's death and the mourning period was still ongoing."
"You—you're not allowed to mention Su Ran! How could you possibly be worthy of her, how could you possibly be worthy of her?"
Yao Su'an couldn't stand being spoken to like that by others. She immediately loosened her grip halfway and then tightened it again, almost making it hard for Lin Xu's slender neck to breathe. Looking at the woman in front of her, whose face was still serene and beautiful even in this state, she was almost trembling with anger!
Unexpectedly, Lin Xu still used all his strength to calmly say:
"...Compared to the murderer who cruelly killed his own sister, I am naturally unworthy."
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
They could even hear the slowly falling incense ash clearly.
Yao Su'an opened her eyes wide and stared blankly at Lin Xu, whom she had almost choked to the point of being unable to breathe.
Even so, the person in front of her remained calm and composed. Although his forehead was covered in cold sweat and veins were bulging, his eyes, which seemed to shimmer with a clear, piercing light, simply watched her quietly.
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