As Sun Lurong was examining the hairpin closely, Madam Meng took it from her daughter's hand, clutching it in her palm as if it were a precious treasure. She said in a serious tone, "Even if Young Master Du is deeply in love with our Yao'er, I, as her mother, must still be careful. We can't just hastily betroth Yao'er to him because of his high social standing, can we?"
Sun Lurong could tell that Meng's words were a veiled reference to the Song family, as if she had agreed to Wanwan's marriage to Song Zichen only because of their social standing and had not considered anything else.
The old lady continued, "That's exactly the point. That's why I plan to use Yao'er's birthday to have her invite all her friends from the poetry club over. We can then secretly observe and test the character of that young master Du."
"Lü Rong, as her aunt, you wouldn't refuse even this small favor to your own niece, would you?"
"How could that be? What are you saying, Mother?" Since the old lady had spoken to this extent, Sun Lurong naturally wouldn't refuse, but the term "dear niece" sounded somewhat sarcastic.
"Yao'er's birthday is still half a month away. I will instruct Steward Zhou to make the same arrangements as Wanwan's birthday. Mother, you can rest assured."
With Sun Lurong's assurance, the old lady felt very comforted, and Wei Shuyao began to imagine the scene on her birthday. Wei Shuwan, however, stared blankly at the hairpin in Meng's hand.
Why does this hairpin look so familiar to her?
However, it was just a vague and unimportant memory, so she thought for a long time but still couldn't remember where she had seen it before.
In the days that followed, the entire household began preparing for Wei Shuyao's birthday. Although it was still early, clothes and headdresses had to be custom-made in advance, along with some auspicious little items. The busy preparations quickly passed, and more than ten days went by in the blink of an eye.
As the saying goes, "One autumn rain brings one chill," and once September arrives, the autumn chill freezes, and the wind is fierce and the frost is heavy.
That evening, Wei Shuwan was taking a bath in her room. The steamy air above her head was warm and made her drowsy. She heard hurried footsteps outside. She glanced lazily out the window and asked, "What's all that noise outside?"
"Miss, tomorrow is the Fourth Miss's birthday banquet. The courtyards are all decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations right now, and there will probably be a lot of noise tonight." Zi Qiao said in a chattering voice, adding hot water to the bucket with a jade ewer.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that..." As she said this, Wei Shuwan slowly closed her eyes, and as the water temperature rose, her weariness became more and more pronounced.
"Alright, it's hot enough. Ziqiao, I want to sleep for a while."
Zi Qiao knew that she had this habit since she was a child, and always liked to take a nap while bathing, so she did not stop her, and only said: "Then this servant will come to add hot water for you later, Miss."
After saying that, he drew the curtains around the room to prevent the heat from dissipating too quickly.
*
Dusk was falling, and the sky was a mix of blue and red.
In the Luanhua Forest at the foot of Yandang Mountain on the outskirts of Beijing, a man wearing a ghost head mask stood proudly. Although his eyebrows and eyes were not visible, he exuded a cold aura that inspired awe in people ten steps away.
The man approaching him was Yan Sandao, the leader of the Eighteen Linked Fortresses of Yandang Mountain. This burly man, who was always respected by others, obediently disarmed himself ten steps away and stepped forward alone.
"My lord!"
Yan Sandao knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed to the masked man.
The masked man raised his right hand, thus foregoing formalities, and asked directly, "I heard that your second brother was arrested by the Imperial City Guard a few days ago?"
"Rest assured, my lord, he has escaped and is now safely staying in the mountain stronghold!"
"Do you think the people captured by the Imperial City Guard can escape so easily?" The masked man turned around, his gaze coldly sweeping over Yan Sandao.
Yan Sandao's heart skipped a beat, and he then explained, "My second brother said that he stole the key and sneaked out at night when the jailers were drinking and being lax."
The masked man scoffed, "Not to mention the strict guards and discipline of the Imperial City Guard, where anyone caught drinking while on duty is executed. Just look at your second brother's lightness skill; even without supervision, he'd have a hard time leaping over that high wall."
As the conversation progressed, the man's voice grew increasingly deep. As if suddenly realizing something, his eyes narrowed sharply: "Does he know that you and I are meeting here today?"
Yan Sandao naturally sensed the hidden worry in his words and quickly assured him, "I know, but my second brother would never betray me..."
Before Yan Sandao could finish speaking, a "whoosh" sound broke the silence of the forest. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and instinctively dodged to the left, barely avoiding a sharp arrow that came flying through the wind!
At the same time, he shouted urgently, "My lord, be careful!"
Compared to him, the masked man was much more composed. His hands remained behind his back, and he did not move an inch. He only turned his head slightly the moment the arrow came flying towards him. Then, a "thud" was heard as the arrowhead sank deep into the trunk of the goldenrain tree behind him.
"And what do you say now?" the masked man asked casually.
Yan Sandao was both shocked and furious, finally realizing the situation: "Damn it! I trusted him like a brother, and he betrayed me to save his own life!"
Just as Yan Sandao was cursing and running toward the weapon he had previously unloaded, "whoosh," "whoosh," "whoosh," three more arrows were fired at once, causing him to roll several times on the ground before finally grasping his own crescent-shaped broadsword.
The enemy, hiding in the shadows of the forest, gave them no respite and unleashed another barrage of arrows! At the same time, a dozen or so men hiding in the trees above also took advantage of the friendly forces' arrow barrage to descend to the ground and engage in close combat with them.
The reason Yan Sandao was called Yan Sandao was because few people in the world could defeat him with his three strikes. He couldn't find those who were hiding in the forest and shooting arrows, but those who showed themselves were all caught and soon fell at his feet.
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