Owl Map
She leaned over in the corridor, her soft, wide skirt spreading out on the heavy velvet carpet, just like a pure white gardenia in full bloom, light and delicate, clear and pure.
"Your subject dares not. But Lin Xu believes that in the past hundred years, Dayu has never seen a heroine as outstanding as the princess. Such a fierce and courageous rose should naturally be accompanied by a sharp blade in order to achieve great things."
The bamboo forest rustled and danced, yet a deathly silence enveloped the two. After a long while, Liao Yan finally sneered:
"Are you so confident that your cousin has such martial prowess? Does he even meet my standards?"
"Whether he can win the favor of the princess is something Lin Xu dares not say. But Lin Xu knows that the men of his maternal grandfather's family have inherited the family business for generations, and his cousin is full of passion and has been blessed with talent. If he is tempered, he will surely be able to help the princess in the future."
"Do you know that based on your words alone, I can file a complaint with the Zichen Palace and punish you for the crime of disrespect and treason?"
Lin Xu slowly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with unwavering certainty, and said, word by word:
"This humble woman knows that Your Highness would not."
Her long, flowing black hair cascaded down her shoulders and neck, her slender, fair neck appearing even more delicate against the black backdrop. Despite her frail and slender frame, she spoke in a soft, gentle voice that only the two of them could hear, uttering the most outrageous and seductive words.
"Because I am the one in all of Dayu who understands your thoughts and desires the most. You are a young prodigy, with outstanding literary and martial talents. At the age of three, you wrote a poem satirizing powerful ministers. At the age of six, you composed 'Lingguang Yin,' which is still praised by all the people of Dayu. At the age of ten, you were able to capture a wild beast alive without a scratch. With such talent and beauty, how can you be confined to a small boudoir and become a frivolous girl who only craves spring pleasures?"
"And I, Lin Xu, happen to be able to lend you a helping hand."
A tranquil light flickered in Liao Yan's deep eyes, making it impossible to discern whether it was the reflection of bamboo shadows or the undercurrents in her gaze. After a moment, she slowly curved her lips into a smile and said:
"If you're talking about having the best of both worlds, then what exactly is this 'perfection' you're looking for?"
The woman kneeling on the carpet had delicate, snow-white cheeks and a blush on her temples. Her voice softened, like that of a shy young girl revealing her innermost thoughts.
"All I ask for is a carefree and unrestrained husband, to be by his side, to be a pair of lovebirds, entwined in affection. That is Lin Xu's only wish."
Liao Yan looked to the side where the bamboo swayed and fluttered, and below the bamboo sea was clear water, where several plump red-tailed koi swam gracefully, rising and falling with the floating duckweed and green beads.
She looked at Lin Xu with regret in her eyes, as if trying to probe her true feelings through those deep, still eyes.
"The Dou family are nothing but lackeys who blindly follow Father's lead. You know perfectly well that she is not a good match."
Lin Xu slowly knelt on the brocade carpet, with only her cascading hair hanging smoothly down her thin back and her barely perceptible breath.
"This humble woman is sincere and begs Your Highness to grant her wish."
.
Half a month later comes the annual Qixi Festival.
As the capital of Dayu, Mujing is a magnificent sight every Lan Night, with lanterns illuminating the night sky and crowds thronging everywhere. The bridges in the Eight Scenic Spots are brightly lit, and the river reflects the candlelight on both banks. Fireflies dance low in the sky, the crescent moon hangs like a hook, and unmarried girls adorn their hair with fragrant flowers, their smiles and frowns creating a beautiful night scene.
Zhu Ling followed closely behind Lin Xu. Amidst the bustling crowd, there were elegant ladies and charming women, and various vendors' cries rose and fell, creating a rich and vibrant atmosphere.
Having spent her days confined to the manor, she rarely saw such a bustling street scene, and everything seemed new and exciting to her. As she looked around, she saw a vendor in the distance calling out loudly, as if selling some novel trinkets, surrounded by a large crowd. Being young, everything seemed strange to her. Lin Xu, noticing this, smiled gently and said:
"Are they selling revolving lanterns over there? They look interesting. Go buy me one."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ling couldn't help but leave with a delighted expression.
Lin Xu looked around and found a slightly secluded and quiet corner, standing under the carved railing decorated with colorful lanterns and fragrant gardenias.
On this rare Qixi Festival, couples were seen everywhere, tenderly embracing and whispering sweet nothings about their love. She looked around aimlessly, but after a short while, she spotted a very familiar figure in the crowd.
It had been a long time since I'd seen Yao Su'an, and she had grown even more beautiful and ethereal. Dressed in a light blue satin gown embroidered with butterflies and clouds, and draped with a scarlet brocade cloak, her dazzling beauty was undeniable even amidst the throngs of people. She walked hurriedly, her pale face revealing barely concealed anger, followed quickly by three or four maids, each with a look of urgency on their faces.
Lin Xu stood in the shadows, barely concealed in the darkness.
Yao Su'an walked past quickly, not noticing her on the street. The gold tassels in her hair swayed up and down with her steps. She hadn't walked past for long when another voice, which she recognized very well, came from afar.
"Eldest sister, wait for me."
Yao Suran rushed through the crowd, still possessing a beautiful face, comparable to a national beauty. She was panting heavily from her quickened pace, and finally caught up with Yao Su'an. She hurried forward, grabbed Yao Su'an's sleeve, and covered her mouth with a handkerchief, saying:
"How could you walk so fast? I'm exhausted."
Yao Su'an reluctantly turned around, her face still showing a hint of anger, and lowered her voice to say:
"Now you call me elder sister? You just made me lose face in front of Young Master Zhou!"
Yao Suran took a breath, her tone softening slightly.
"I was just feeling sorry for my elder sister. You know that young master Zhou is just from a merchant family. How could he be worthy of my elder sister's noble background?"
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Yao Su'an's eyes and clung to her eyelashes. She couldn't help but fling her handkerchief around, and angrily said:
"Why is he not good enough for me? In terms of looks and talent, how is he inferior to ordinary royalty? You know perfectly well that I have such thoughts about him, yet you still had to say it in front of Young Master Zhou, and on such an important festival day as Lan Ye. How am I supposed to face people after this?"
As Yao Su'an spoke, she became increasingly agitated, her snow-white breasts heaving rapidly with her words, her cheeks flushed with anger, completely devoid of her usual gentle and kind demeanor.
Yao Suran glanced around, then took Yao Su'an's arm, her tone softening slightly:
“Good sister, how could I intentionally harm you? It was clearly because that young master Zhou was so indifferent just now that I couldn’t stand it and didn’t want you to be humiliated like that, so I stood up for you. You put so much effort into preparing for the Lan Ye Festival, but you still couldn’t win his favor. How could I just stand by and do nothing?”
Yao Suran stepped forward and gently tucked a stray strand of hair from Yao Su'an's temple behind her ear. Seeing that Yao Su'an had gradually calmed down, she slowly said:
"In my opinion, this Young Master Zhou used to treat you very well, so it's not surprising that his attitude has changed so drastically. This unusual behavior must be suspicious. You should calm down and think carefully about when Young Master Zhou started to become increasingly distant from you."
Yao Su'an's eyes were filled with tears, as if she were lost in thought. After a long while, she finally recalled:
"I don't know either... I only know that his coldness just now was something I've never seen before..."
Yao Suran sighed softly, stretched out her arms and gently embraced her older sister. After a long while, she said softly, "It's alright, I will investigate the matter thoroughly for you, elder sister."
The evening breeze in July was already cool, accompanied by the rich fragrance of gardenias.
Lin Xu was only a few steps away from the Yao sisters. She lowered her head slightly, fiddling with the delicate and lush vines beside her. With the gentle breeze, one could hear Yao Su'an's extremely faint sobs drifting over.
Yao Suran helped her up, and the two were about to turn around and leave when they heard a clear and gentle male voice coming from not far behind them.
"Miss Yao, please wait a moment."
The Yao sisters turned their gazes back at the sound, following the faint light, and slowly focused on Lin Xu standing beside the vine-covered wooden frame.
Yao Suran scoffed coldly, a glint of icy glint in her eyes, and a mocking smile curled her lips:
"I never knew Miss Lin had the habit of eavesdropping. It's really strange."
Lin Xu sighed inwardly, then smiled gently and gracefully emerged from the shadows. Surrounded by a delicate fragrance, she walked slowly and elegantly to the front of the crowd.
Zhou Weikan stood on the pebbly path not far away, dressed in a smoky blue narrow-sleeved straight dress, tied at the waist with a black sash, with three green jade pendants hanging down below. Her smooth, black hair was tied up high with a green jade hairpin, and she exuded the same noble and elegant air as always.
Those eyes moved away from the Yao sisters and landed directly on her face.
It was never moved again.
Lin Xu's heart sank, and before he could calm himself down, he heard Yao Su'an's soft, timid voice:
"Young Master Zhou, what...did you want to say just now?"
Zhou Weikan gave Lin Xu a deep look before looking away. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he heard Yao Suran give a mocking laugh:
"Miss Lin, my sister and I are catching up with some old friends, and we would be grateful if you could do us a favor."
After the cheating incident at Zhiqiong Hall that day, this was her first real confrontation with the Yao sisters. She had important matters to attend to today and did not want to cause any more trouble and get entangled with them. However, Yao Suran's face was sharp and her words contained a hint of viciousness that she hated her to the bone.
Lin Xu's expression remained unchanged as he slowly met Yao Suran's eyes, and said calmly:
"It's been a long time since I've seen you two. You haven't lost any of your former charm. I truly admire you."
She turned to leave, but Yao Suran's sharp voice rang out behind her relentlessly, "You!"
She forced herself to ignore the intense gaze coming from the side and quickened her pace to leave, completely disregarding Yao Suran's furious voice behind her.
In the distance, the vendors were surrounded by a crowd of people. She walked quickly to them, but could not find Zhu Ling in the sea of people.
Lin Xu felt a sudden surge of tension. Before she could even look around to get a clearer view, she felt a strong force coming from behind, firmly gripping her right arm.
Before she could even cry out, a warm, rough hand covered her mouth and nose, and a very faint, sweet fragrance wafted from behind her.
With a force exerted by those arms, she, being rather weak, felt her whole body go limp and was soon dragged into a dark, unlit alley.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
