Under the bright candlelight, the smooth surface of the jade pendant made of Hetian jade seemed to shimmer, reflecting in Bai Zhiyi's eyes.
She examined the jade pendant repeatedly, then closed her eyes and gently touched the fairy grass pattern on its surface with her fingers, feeling the shape of the pendant.
The shape seems fine, but the grass jelly pattern still feels a bit shallow. Have the craftsman carve it a little deeper, about the depth of a single hair, and that should be enough.
She opened her eyes, gently placed the jade pendant on the clean white cloth in front of her, and got up to walk to the window.
The cold moonlight shone through the window paper onto her face.
She took a breath of the cold air and looked out the window at the hazy crescent moon. One moment the moon seemed to transform into His Highness's face, and the next it seemed to transform into Su Wan's face.
This jade pendant was something she received from Su Yue'e in her previous life; she used it to save the foolish Fifth Prince. Reborn, she decided she would marry no one but Crown Prince Wei Jingzhuo. Fearing unforeseen complications, she contacted Madam Yang of the Su family beforehand, asking her to retrieve the jade pendant from Su Wan.
It's so important, the sooner we get it, the better.
Surprisingly, Su Wan survived and did not hand the jade pendant over to Madam Yang. Madam Yang believed Su Wan and actually sent someone to Jinhua Pavilion in Youzhou to redeem the jade pendant, only to find that Jinhua Pavilion was a brothel.
Su Wan completely outmaneuvered him.
From the moment Su Wan survived, she knew that the plot was different from what she remembered.
Su Wan has the real jade pendant, while the one in her hand is a fake, made by a craftsman based on her memories from her previous life.
A genuine jade pendant has the power to bring the dead back to life. A fake jade pendant, apart from its appearance, might fool someone like the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty who had never seen a jade pendant before, but it is utterly useless.
She suddenly became angry, strode back to the table, grabbed the jade pendant and raised it into the air, intending to smash it to pieces.
A maid's voice rang out from outside the door: "Hey, hey, stop right there... What are you doing in our courtyard so late at night instead of sleeping?"
Bai Zhiyi hesitated for a moment, then put the jade pendant back on the table and went to the door to open it.
Lin Fei, the third young master of the Lin family, was wearing a cotton-padded coat and was being held by his maid, struggling fiercely. Unfortunately, he was only five years old and was no match for the maid.
"I came to play with my cousin," Lin Fei said, holding up a handful of fireworks and some incense sticks. "Could you please let me go, or I'll cry!"
The maid glared at her: "Try crying, and I'll spank you until your bottom is a bloody mess."
Lin Fei was most afraid of Bai Zhiyi, his maid. After being frightened by the maid, he really didn't dare to cause trouble. He turned around and saw Bai Zhiyi standing at the door. He quickly said, "Cousin, quickly discipline your servant. She is being rude to me."
Snap!
The maid gently slapped Lin Fei's bottom and said, "At such a young age, you've already learned to play the victim. You're a boy, how can you come to the women's room so late at night?"
"Cousin, she really hit me!" Lin Fei kicked her little legs wildly, looking pitifully at Bai Zhiyi. "What's wrong with me being here? Besides, I'm only five years old."
Bai Zhiyi smiled and said, "She did nothing wrong. Why are you coming to our yard instead of sleeping at night?"
Lin Fei said, "I wanted to hang out with you. You're always in the capital, never come to play with me. Last time you came to borrow money, and this time it's the same thing..."
Bai Zhiyi's face flushed red, and she said to the maid, "Slap this little rascal again and tell him to stop talking nonsense."
The maid suppressed a laugh and said, "Miss, I dare not hit you again. If your aunt finds out, she'll beat me up."
"Third Young Master, you really are here." A woman's voice came from the courtyard gate.
Lin Fei turned around and saw his wet nurse leading a group of servants rushing over. She quickly shouted, "Go tell my mother that my cousin's maid dared to hit me!"
"Oh my, my little darling," Lin Fei's wet nurse stepped forward and picked her up, "You sneaked out of the room and scared us all. Or..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Fei reached out her small hand, grabbed her hair, and pulled hard: "I'm not going back. I want to play with my cousin. Let go, or I'll have my mother fire you."
The wet nurse knew that this third young master was used to being domineering in the mansion. Not to mention the servants, even the master and mistress couldn't do anything about him. So she looked at Bai Zhiyi for help and said, "Miss Bai, please say something. This child likes you the most."
Everyone in the Lin household knew this. Lin Fei loved his cousin Bai Zhiyi the most, and was most afraid of Bai Zhiyi's maid.
Bai Zhiyi picked up a cotton cloak and went out the door. She said to Lin Fei's wet nurse, "Put Xiao Fei down. I have nothing to do anyway, so I'll accompany him to play in the garden for a while."
The wet nurse was eager for Bai Zhiyi to say this, so she quickly put Lin Fei down, tidied her disheveled hair, and said, "The Third Young Master and Miss Bai are having a wonderful time together. I'll go tell Madam so she won't worry."
"Go away, don't get in my way," Lin Fei said, pulling Bai Zhiyi's hand. "My cousin and I are playing with fireworks. I'll beat up anyone who follows us."
Bai Zhiyi's maid interjected, "What about me?"
Lin Fei immediately put on a smiling face: "Of course, my sister can come along."
Bai Zhiyi led Lin Fei by the hand, with a maid following behind. The three arrived at the open space in the Lin family's garden, where the maid lit torches around the area. Bai Zhiyi said, "Little Fei, you're still a child, don't play with fire. Give the incense sticks to your cousin, I'll light the fireworks."
Lin Fei happily agreed, held a firework between two stones, and pointed it at the sky. He then stood next to the maid and covered his ears with his hands.
Bai Zhiyi lit incense sticks with a torch nearby, and touched the fuse of a firework with the burning end. The fuse hissed and sparked, then quickly shortened. Bai Zhiyi covered her ears with her hands and took a few steps back.
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