unusual
After Princess Kunrou finished speaking, she turned and left without glancing at the Yao sisters again. The Third Prince coughed lightly and then left with his hands behind his back, followed closely by Zhao Fujie, Cao Yuan, and the others.
Yao Suran glanced at Lin Xu, but only moved her lips with a complicated expression, without saying anything.
Yao Su'an was heartbroken because of her younger brother's fall into the water. She took a clean handkerchief from a maid and carefully wiped Yao Sha's hair. The two walked slowly, following behind the others. When they reached Lin Xu's side, she turned her head, a slightly embarrassed smile appearing on her pale face, and nodded slightly to Lin Xu.
After the unexpected incident, the group's enthusiasm for sightseeing had waned considerably. The Third Prince walked to the cabin door, where his maidservant had already diligently lifted the beaded curtain. He stepped into the cabin, but then, as if remembering something, he turned his head slightly, his deep black eyes casually glancing at the carved yellow nanmu boat on the distant blue waves.
Zhao Fu and Jiang also looked over.
The water was shimmering, and the lotus blossoms swayed gently in the breeze, creating a serene scene.
The boat was moored among the reeds not far away. Although it was covered by thick vegetation, one could vaguely see that the front of the boat was decorated with carved beams and painted walls, and that there were layers of gauze curtains flowing inside. Apart from that, there was nothing else unusual about it.
The Third Prince only glanced at it briefly before walking into the ship with a normal expression.
Only Lin Xu and Song Jiaoling remained on the deck, slowly making their way into the ship.
Song Jiaoling supported Lin Xu, feeling the woman's thin and cold skin beneath the cloak. She recalled the Lin Xu she had seen at Zhiqiong Hall, who always buried herself in her books with her delicate eyebrows furrowed after everyone had left. Her thoughts sank a little.
Song Jiaoling is gentle and quiet. It was precisely because of her trouble-free nature that her father sent her to Zhiqiong Hall, the place closest to the future supreme power and wealth of Dayu.
Knowing that her family background was inferior to that of the students in the academy, she always acted cautiously. Fortunately, she had studied hard since childhood, received much guidance from her father and was influenced by the clan school, and had always been among the top students in the academy. She was often praised by Doctor Fu Sheng, so she gradually developed a bit of arrogance and never took the newcomer Lin Xu seriously.
Although she rarely mingled among the young ladies of various noble families in Mujing, she had heard of the legitimate daughter of Lin Youcheng.
The rumored Miss Lin didn't have a good reputation among the noble ladies of Mujing. She was said to be unambitious and willful, having driven away several of the family's tutors. She had even become a negative example for her father when he disciplined her. As for herself, she had always been diligent and hardworking, and was known as a talented woman. She naturally looked down on such unambitious people.
Furthermore, Lin Xu had been enrolled for some time, and she was quite close to the Yao sisters. She had seen them holding hands on several occasions. Yao Su Ran was willful and capricious, simply relying on her family's power to do whatever she wanted in Mu Jing; she was no good person. She always treated the Yao sisters with outward politeness, but in reality, she deeply disliked them.
She naturally avoided anyone who could be so close to the Yao sisters and even address them as sisters.
But today, she seemed to have inadvertently discovered details she had never noticed before.
Although the unexpected incident happened suddenly and everyone had their own version of events, she watched from the sidelines. Although she didn't have time to think it through carefully, she already understood from her intuition that this seemingly frail woman was not simple.
—It's amazing that the usually domineering Yao Suran couldn't gain the slightest advantage.
No matter how genuine the fragility and timidity in those eyes were, or how pitiful her trembling body was in the breeze, it was all just a facade, a mask of boneless weakness and cold indifference. She could even vaguely sense that even without Princess Kunrou's intervention, Lin Xu would have escaped unscathed.
More importantly, she had been standing beside Lin Xu the whole time and clearly noticed that the Third Prince's gaze towards her contained something new that he hadn't shown before.
Thinking of this, she felt the skin touching Lin Xu's hands grew colder, as if the chill was penetrating the thick, exquisite cloak and spreading up her body little by little.
.
In a carved boat near the lake shore in the distance, Zhou Weikan sat by the window, quietly watching the wide cloak and robe disappear into the surrounding boats with the tinkling of the beaded curtain. In his right hand, he held a Longquan celadon plum cup, the purple bamboo shoot tea inside having been left out for a long time and had long since turned cold.
The servant beside him said softly, "Second Master, please have some more tea for you."
Zhou Weikan ignored him, simply watching the distant boat bob up and down on the lake. Although the reeds and lotus leaves obscured the view, he could still faintly hear voices and the sounds of string and wind instruments. It was as if nothing had happened at all.
But he kept thinking about the scene he had seen when he passed Yao Suran.
After pushing Yao Sha, who had been pestering her, into Jiuqiao Lake, that slender figure immediately and resolutely jumped into the water.
The speed of her movements and the steadiness of her technique were completely unlike what one would expect from a delicate woman.
Even when the other passengers on the boat noticed the commotion and came to inquire, the woman could have exposed Yao Sha's despicable act of trying to commit a crime in front of everyone, but she remained calm and simply attributed everything to an accidental fall into the water and a heroic rescue.
However, with just a few words, he dispelled all the murky speculations that had been circulating among the crowd.
Although he had only met Yao Su'an a few times, he had heard about the behavior of Yao Su'an's grandson, Yao Sha.
He harassed women and oppressed the people; he was a lecherous man who abused his power and acted recklessly. When his boat approached the boat of that group of people, he immediately noticed the unfamiliar woman standing next to Yao Suran.
Dressed in a very simple outfit and without any makeup, she stood beside the bright and beautiful Yao Suran, yet she was in no way inferior. On the contrary, she possessed a captivating beauty that could effortlessly steal one's heart.
For some reason, just looking into her eyes gave him a feeling of familiarity that was also strange.
Even a strange, throbbing pain could be felt in my chest...
The pain was so intense that he had to quickly look away, because just looking into those clear, bright eyes, like a babbling brook in the forest, almost made him stop breathing.
He had never felt this way before. He didn't know why, only that even when he forced himself to look away, his attention was still drawn to her. Even when Yao Su'an was talking to him so enthusiastically just now, he couldn't hear anything, and could only use his peripheral vision to follow the figure that Yao Su'an was gradually cornering.
Who exactly is this person? And why am I acting so...strangely?
He tapped the rim of the cup lightly with his fingers, but still had no clue. The image of that stubborn figure leaping into the icy lake kept flashing through his mind.
Moreover, he clearly saw a ruthless killing intent flash in her seemingly calm and collected eyes when she was being pestered by Yao Sha.
Seeing that he had been lost in thought for a long time, the servant beside him said softly, "Actually, Second Master didn't have to come today. Just now, I saw the Third Prince turn around and glance at us. But with so many reeds, I don't know if he noticed that it was our boat."
Zhou Weikan then turned his gaze back and said gently, "Miss Yao and I are good friends. Since she invited me to go out today, how could I refuse?"
The servant hesitated for a moment, his words becoming more cautious, and whispered, "But I can see that Miss Yao clearly has feelings for you, Second Master... Otherwise, why would she have run into you two or three times and helped you on so many occasions?"
A hint of sadness flashed in Zhou Weikan's eyes. He placed the teacup in his hand on the golden nanmu table and slowly shook his head.
“Su-an was kind to me in the past, and I have always been grateful for her kindness over the years. We have always been on good terms, but that’s all.”
Thinking of that unbearable past, his throat tightened, and he slowly closed his eyes. His jade-like, gentle face appeared calm and undisturbed, but his thick, raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly.
The servant understood the second master's sadness, sighed inwardly, and couldn't help but offer words of comfort:
"Second Master has always been a man of great loyalty and righteousness. Although it happened many years ago, you have always remembered Miss Yao's kindness and never forgotten it. Even if the deceased were alive in heaven, she would surely be very grateful to you."
However, I must remind you of something. Every stitch produced by the Jinxiu Manor under your management is now a tribute to the Imperial Palace, and is crucial to the wealth and honor of the entire Zhou family. Although you are grateful for the past favors from the Duke's Mansion, if it falls into the hands of those with ulterior motives and is used to secretly cause trouble, then it would be a loss that outweighs the gain.
The servant had followed Zhou Weikan for a long time and knew that he was always gentle and soft-hearted. As for Miss Yao, she always looked sickly and delicate. How could the Second Master bear to refuse her? Today was just like that. Miss Yao had been pleading with him for a long time, so the Second Master abandoned his family and the affairs of Jinxiu Manor to come. The two didn't even exchange a few words before Miss Yao saw that something had happened on the boat that the Yao family was on. Then, Miss Yao forgot about the Second Master.
On the contrary, it was the Second Master who, risking being discovered by the Third Prince, is now in a passive position. This is probably a case of "beauty causing trouble."
Thinking of this, he looked at the Second Master's handsome yet melancholy face and sighed deeply in his heart.
.
Inside the training ground, Liang Zhengyuan, dressed in gleaming armor, rode a fine horse, galloping across the battlefield with great spirit.
Although today is a festive day, the newly arrived doctor at the martial arts training ground organized a major test for all the martial arts students, with two consecutive demonstrations of martial arts skills and formations.
He grew up in Hecheng from a young age. His grandfather, Master Liang, had strict family rules, and he had always studied and practiced diligently since childhood. Coupled with his remarkable talent, he was more skilled in martial arts than his older brothers. Even after coming to Mujing, his strength and martial arts skills were no less than those of other students, and were even more outstanding.
He was known for his immense strength and was very confident in his martial arts skills. He practiced swordsmanship and spears regularly and rarely made a mistake. However, when it came to military strategy that required troop deployment, he was relatively weak.
Today's supervising official, Dr. Zhao Qiaxiong, was a former Left General of the Imperial Guard, a seasoned veteran of many battles, and his expression was quite serious. He had thought he would at most get into the second division, but unexpectedly, after two matches, he achieved the best result of being promoted to the first division!
The martial arts arena has always been a gathering place for talented individuals, with martial arts prodigies from all over Mujing and even the entire Dayu region converging here. Yet today, he has ranked first. As a passionate young man, how could he not be overjoyed!
After the assessment, Zhao Qiaxiong even went to him specifically to congratulate him on his excellent performance. Although the doctor's expression remained very serious, his words showed a deep appreciation for talent and consideration. As for the other students, although their grades were also quite good, none of them were more outstanding than him, and they naturally all came to him to offer their congratulations.
The martial arts training ground is always open-air, and today's assessment and competition even attracted many outsiders. Some ladies from noble families watched from the nearby pavilions, and there were bursts of exclamations when he rode by on horseback.
Is this what it feels like to be riding high on the spring breeze?
Liang Zhengyuan couldn't help but raise his head even higher.
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