In late spring, the Imperial Garden resembled a vibrant painting. A gentle breeze blew willow catkins down like snow, casting a dreamlike, veiled veil over the entire garden. Su Jinli, clad in a pale pink silk dress that flowed like flowing clouds, clutched a piece of golden, soft, and sweet pea-yellow fruit in her hand, watching with fascination as her younger brother, Marquis Su, engaged a peacock in a duel.
The little bully, his eyes wide open and a face full of stubbornness, insisted on plucking the feathers from the peacock's tail, saying that he wanted to make a unique hairpin for his sister. This angered the proud peacock, and it cackled, spread out its colorful tail like a gorgeous fan, and chased after the young Marquis Su.
"Sister! Save me!" The young man was chased and fled in panic, hiding behind Su Jinli. The peacock still refused to give in, pecking at the sole of his boot with its sharp beak. Su Jinli smiled helplessly, gently kicked the peacock away, then broke off half of the pea yellow in her hand, stuffed it into her brother's hand, and said in a serious tone: "If you keep making trouble like this, I will punish you by making you copy the "Instructions for Women" when you get home."
"I'm a man, why should I copy the 'Instructions for Women'?" Young Marquis Su muttered, his mouth pouting like a bottle of oil. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he pointed his finger into the distance and shouted, "Sister, look, Liu and Princess Pingyang's mother are together!"
Su Jinli looked up in the direction her brother pointed, and sure enough, she saw her stepmother, Liu, chatting with Lady Li, the mother of Princess Pingyang. They were acting furtively, their glances occasionally glancing in her direction, their expressions undisguised and calculating. Ever since Liu had been sent to the ancestral temple for two weeks of "rest," she had been as shrunken as a frost-bitten eggplant, completely devoid of her former spirit. She hadn't expected her to become restless again so soon, even hooking up with Lady Li.
"Let them be." Su Jinli clapped her hands gently, brushing off the cake crumbs on her hands. Then she stood up gracefully and said, "Let's go find my eldest sister. She just got a coral pen and said she wants to give it to me."
As the siblings passed the elegantly designed Peony Pavilion, they saw Madam Li's maid hurried over with delicate steps. The maid bowed slightly, a smile plastered on her face as she said, "Miss Su, my mistress has asked you to go to the waterside pavilion. She said she has an embroidery pattern from the previous dynasty. I hear you're quite knowledgeable about it, so I'd like you to take a look and appreciate it."
Lingge whispered a reminder: "Miss, Princess Pingyang competed with you for a place in the poetry club some time ago. I'm afraid they have bad intentions."
Su Jinli raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes, and a confident arc appeared at the corner of her mouth: "It's just right, I also want to see what tricks they can play." She turned to her brother and said, "You go find the eldest sister first, I'll be back soon."
The pavilion was built in the center of the lake, surrounded by clear water, like a pearl inlaid on the waves. A winding nine-curve bridge led to the shore. Su Jinli walked lightly onto the bridge. When she reached the center of the bridge, she heard someone behind her shout, "Miss Su, please wait!"
Su Jinli looked back and saw it was Jiang Yan's servant. He was running breathlessly, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and dripping down his cheeks onto his clothes. He said breathlessly, "The top scholar asked me to tell you that the study window is not closed. He asked you... uh... stay away?"
Su Jinli's heart skipped a beat. Jiang Yan's study was located in the Zhuangyuan Mansion near the Hanlin Academy. Why would she end up there for no reason? Unless... she instantly understood what was going on.
"I see." She smiled at the servant, a smile that held a certain calmness, and then quickened her pace towards the waterside pavilion. As expected, Madam Li was sitting in the waterside pavilion, with an exquisite brocade box on the table. Seeing Su Jinli approach, Madam Li hurriedly stood up to greet her. She opened the brocade box, only to find it was empty.
"Oh no," Madam Li covered her mouth in feigned surprise, a look of annoyance on her face. "The servant must have put it in the wrong place! Jinli, can you help me look for it in the study in the front yard?"
Su Jinli thought to herself, "As expected." The so-called embroidery pattern from the previous dynasty was simply a cover-up; they were simply trying to lure her somewhere to set a trap. She feigned hesitation, her face strained as she spoke, "This...men and women shouldn't touch each other. I'm afraid it wouldn't be appropriate for me to rush into the study..."
"Hey, I'm just looking for something!" Madam Li enthusiastically took her hand and said in a friendly tone, "My master has gone to court, and there are no male heirs in the mansion. I'm troubling you to make a trip."
As she spoke, Liu slowly walked out from the inner room, holding a handkerchief in her hand. She kept wiping away her non-existent tears and sobbed, "Jinli, I beg you, stepmother. That's the embroidery pattern your grandfather gave me as a dowry. It means a lot to me. If I lose it, how can I live..."
Humph, you're acting all the way. Su Jinli sneered inwardly, but her face still showed embarrassment. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Well... okay."
Su Jinli followed Madam Li's servant along the winding corridors. Along the way, pavilions and towers were scattered in an orderly manner, and the flowers and trees were lush and green, but Su Jinli had no intention of admiring the scenery. She knew in her heart that a conspiracy was waiting for her.
Sure enough, after passing through several corridors, they arrived at a rather elegant courtyard. The servant pointed to the innermost room and said, "It's in that study."
Su Jinli gently pushed open the door, and a rich scent of ink filled her face. The room was furnished in a simple yet elegant style. A delicate inkstone and pristine white rice paper lay on the desk. A landscape painting hung on the wall, its delicate brushwork and profound artistic conception akin to Jiang Yan's. Su Jinli knew this must be a setup by Liu and Madam Li, to have her "accidentally" stumble into Jiang Yan's study and thus discredit her.
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