confused
After leaving Jiang Feiche's room, Li Wan patted her chest hard, thankful that she had asked Jiang Feiche first instead of sending a message rashly, otherwise she could have harmed the entire Jiang family.
Li Wan faced north, longing for Niutian Village, so far away. It seemed that no matter who threatened Jiang Feiwan, she had to brave the turbulent waters of the capital.
Winter days are short, and the icicles on the eaves are getting thicker.
On the day of the birthday banquet at the Yongyi Marquis's residence, a light snow began to fall.
Before leaving home, Li Wan was dressed up for an hour by Zou Shi, until everyone in the room showed amazement before she got into the carriage.
In the warm-up car, Zou looked at Li Wan with a smile.
She wore a moon-white brocade dress woven with silver, over which she wore a scarlet fox fur cloak, the sable fur at the collar making her skin appear even whiter and more like jade.
Madam Zou took her hand and said, "Wan'er is becoming more and more beautiful now. When we get to the banquet, she will definitely be the center of attention."
Li Wan had no interest in attracting attention; her mind was preoccupied with guessing who had asked her out, so she casually asked...
"Mother, were there many people at the Marquis's residence to offer birthday wishes today?"
“All the powerful and influential people in the capital can go to [illegible].” Before Li Wan could ask any more questions, Madam Zou explained to her on her own.
"The old Marquis of Yongyi led the Jinlin Army to help the late emperor ascend the throne and was granted the title of Marquis of Yongyi. He had one son and two daughters, all of whom were outstanding individuals. After the old Marquis passed away, his eldest son, Lin Shang, became the current Marquis of Yongyi and has been in charge of the Jinlin Army stationed on the border for many years."
Upon hearing the name Jinlin Army, Li Wan was shocked and blurted out, "Jinlin Army belongs to the Lin family, so what is the relationship between Xie Qi and Xie Qi?"
Xie Qi is not yet the commander-in-chief of the Jinlin Army, and she dared not reveal that.
Zou glanced at Li Wan in surprise, "Wan'er, have you forgotten? Xie Qi's mother is the second daughter of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion."
It turns out that Lin Shang was Xie Qi's uncle, which explains why Xie Qi was eventually able to become the commander-in-chief of the Jinlin Army.
With envy in her eyes, Madam Zou continued, "Why is the Yongyi Marquis's family known as the head of the aristocratic families in the capital? It's not only because their eldest son commands the Jinlin Army and their two daughters married into the Ningyuan Marquis's family and gave birth to Xie Qi, but even more impressively, their eldest daughter is the current Empress."
Ah! Li Wan was startled again. That meant the Empress was Xie Qi's aunt.
No wonder the people in the previous life all said that General Xie's status was extremely noble. With such a background, how could he not be noble?
Li Wan suddenly remembered the pit she had dug for him under the tree by the stream. Such a noble person, yet after his death, he was not even wrapped in a straw mat, but buried in the soil.
Why did he end up in such a tragic situation?
"Wan-jie, we've arrived."
Zou led Li Wan down from the carriage. Because she was a woman, she entered the Yongyi Marquis's residence through a side gate.
Li Wan followed behind Madam Zou, passing through the extremely long, narrow, warm stone path in the garden, and arrived at the main hall in the backyard, where Madam Lin lived.
Upon entering the hall, a gilded incense burner emitted the fragrance of agarwood, and dozens of noble ladies were already seated at various tables.
On the central red-gold embroidered cloud-patterned couch sat a noble lady dressed in a turquoise brocade robe with gold patterns.
"Greetings to Madam Lin."
Zou smiled and curtsied, and Li Wan followed suit.
The lady smiled and said, "Madam Jiang, why are you being so polite? The old man is tired and asked me to entertain the guests. If there is anything I have done wrong, please tell me."
After saying that, she turned her gaze to Li Wan, "This must be Wan-jie, you're feeling much better now."
This must be Xie Qi's aunt. It seems that everyone in the capital knows about Jiang Feiwan's poor health. Li Wan sighed inwardly, "Madam Xie is concerned, she is much better now."
Madam Lin nodded, "May the Bodhisattva protect us, I will definitely take good care of myself from now on."
“Yes,” Li Wan replied.
After meeting Madam Lin, Madam Zou still had to talk to those noble ladies, so Li Wan sat alone among them.
The banquet was lavish, but Li Wan had no appetite for the food today.
The man had arranged to meet her today, but he had yet to show up.
Moreover, at aristocratic banquets, men and women are seated separately, and she was surrounded by delicate young ladies from noble families, none of whom seemed capable of threatening Jiang Feiwan.
As Li Wan was pondering this, the girl sitting next to her suddenly spoke up.
"Miss Jiang."
Li Wan looked at her; the woman had gentle features, and the primrose-colored dress made her look even more delicate.
Li Wan didn't recognize her, so she could only smile politely and say, "Greetings, young lady."
"I am Xu Yin'er, the illegitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."
She lowered her eyes and said softly, "I've heard that the plum blossoms in the Lin family garden are extremely beautiful. Would you like to come with me to admire them?"
Li Wan was stunned for a moment, then realized that she must have been sent by that 'master' to lead her to the meeting.
However, Li Wan noticed that her fingers, which were resting on her knees, were trembling slightly, and her eyes were full of fear.
Li Wan had doubts, but she didn't know what leverage the 'master' held over Jiang Feiwan, so she had no choice but to follow Xu Yin'er to the octagonal pavilion in the corner of the mansion.
This octagonal pavilion is located on the shady side of the artificial hill, facing the bamboo forest, and is extremely secluded.
As the snowflakes fell thicker and thicker, Li Wan followed Xu Yin'er into the pavilion, stepping through the thin, white snow.
A man and a guard-like figure stood in the pavilion.
The man wore a crimson brocade robe with gold dragon patterns embroidered on the cuffs and hem.
"Fourth Prince, she's here," Xu Yin'er whispered to the man, her voice trembling.
Li Wan was shocked; the one threatening Jiang Feiwan was actually the Fourth Prince.
Xiao Fan turned and stared at Li Wan. His young face was filled with sinister intent in his dark eyes, and he exuded an arrogant aura.
Not to mention Xu Yin'er, even Li Wan felt a bit scared for a moment.
"waste!"
Xiao Fan suddenly flew into a rage, raising his hand. Li Wan was so frightened that she instinctively stepped back until a pavilion pillar pressed against her back.
"Slap!" A heavy slap rang out, but it didn't land on Li Wan's face.
Xu Yin'er was knocked to the ground by him, and blood instantly spilled from the corner of her mouth.
Xiao Fan glanced at Li Wan, then squatted down in front of Xu Yin'er and asked softly, "I asked you to seduce that old man, the Minister of Rites, but you got caught and humiliated by his daughter. Tell me, what use are you to me?"
Xu Yin'er's face was streaked with tears. "The Minister of Rites doesn't care about beautiful women, so I can't find an opportunity."
"Hmm, so that means you can't complete the task I entrusted to you?" He grabbed Xu Yin'er's hair and whispered in her ear, "In that case, by noon the whole capital will know that the concubine of the Vice Minister of Rites was once the top courtesan of Wan Hua Lou."
"No." Xu Yin'er tugged at the hem of his robe. "Please, Your Highness, don't spread this around, or my half-brother's future will be ruined."
Xiao Fan chuckled and pointed to the backyard of the Lin residence, "It's too late. The women there are already discussing this matter."
Xu Yin'er trembled with hatred, her eyes filled with despair.
"No!" Li Wan growled.
However, it was too late. Xu Yin'er got up from the ground and slammed into the stone table in the pavilion.
With a muffled thud, she slipped and fell to the ground from the stone table, her head covered in blood, her eyes wide open in death.
"Even in death, they are not completely gone."
Xiao Fan glanced disdainfully at the robes splattered with Xu Yin'er's blood, then turned to look at Li Wan.
Li Wan leaned against the cold pillar, her fingernails digging into the wood, tears welling up involuntarily from her eyes.
She wanted to see Xu Yin'er, but her legs felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
A cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, kept drifting into the pavilion, and Li Wan felt as cold as if she were in an ice cave.
For the first time since her rebirth, she felt fear and confusion.
She was just a country girl. Even if she became the legitimate daughter of the Minister's mansion, what made her think she could save the fate of 120,000 soldiers?
She didn't know the reason for the defeat in her previous life, nor how Commander Xie Qi was framed and killed.
She didn't know what leverage the Fourth Prince had over Jiang Feiwan, or whether he would force her to her death like he had forced Xu Yin'er to hers.
At this moment, she really wanted to go back to Niutian Village and back to her father and brother.
"What's wrong? Are you scared?"
Xiao Fan moved close to her, seemingly encircling her in his arms, and raised his thumb to wipe away the tears on her face.
"Don't be afraid, you are still useful. This prince will not let you die."
"Xie Qi already knows you are one of my men, yet he hasn't killed you, which means he has some feelings for you."
"Men are like that. If you take off your clothes and stand next to him, how could he possibly bear to force you to jump off the restaurant?"
Seeing Li Wan's blank stare, Xiao Fan said impatiently, "I'll give you another half month to get Xie Qi to marry you or take you as a concubine. If you can't do that, I'll find another girl for you, and you..."
He pointed at Xu Yin'er, "She'll have a worse fate than her."
After saying that, he left with a relaxed expression. His guards covered Xu Yin'er's body with a cloak and carried it away.
Except for a bloodstain on the stone table, everything seemed as if it had never happened.
Li Wan stood alone in the pavilion for a long time before walking numbly toward the banquet hall.
Large snowflakes fell on her head, body, and eyelashes, but she was completely unaware.
The garden, paved with blue bricks, was slippery and difficult to walk in. Li Wan stumbled and fell backward, but in the next instant, she was supported by a warm hand. With a little force, the hand helped her stand up straight.
As he withdrew his hand, a clear, crisp voice came from above.
"Young lady, why are you here alone? Have you lost your way?"
Li Wan looked up and saw a man in front of her who was noble and refined, with clear eyes and an ethereal appearance.
"Thank you, young master." Li Wan said her thanks and then turned to leave.
She could tell at a glance that this man was some noble young master from a wealthy family, and she really didn't want to provoke these powerful and influential people anymore.
"Miss Jiang, you only saw the Third Prince?"
A familiar, deep voice called out to her. Li Wan turned around and saw Xie Qi standing behind her.
He was dressed in a dark mink coat, tall and slender, and their eyes met through the hazy snow curtain.
Perhaps it was because he was the only person she knew in this strange and dangerous capital city, or perhaps it was because she knew he was a brave general in her past life.
Li Wan felt a lump in her throat, and the fear that had been stuck in her chest found an outlet, flowing out with her tears.
Xie Qi watched as tears streamed down the woman's face, which was red from the cold, and fell silent for a moment.
"Does Yan Jin know this girl?" the Third Prince asked.
Xie Qi's expression instantly returned to normal. "Greetings, Jiang Shangshu's daughter."
Realizing her lapse in composure, Li Wan said "Goodbye" and quickly left.
Behind her, two men stood in the snow, watching her disappear at the end of the path.
The Third Prince turned his head and gave Xie Qi a deep look before speaking, "Fourth Prince's methods are too despicable. He holds these girls hostage all day, forcing them to gather information about officials for him. What, are you interested in this girl? Be careful, don't let Fourth Prince actually succeed."
Xie Qi continued to look in the direction Li Wan had left, and said slowly, "I'm just curious, what exactly is Xiao Fan using to threaten her?"
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