The next day, the entire Prince's mansion learned about the quarrel between Jin Er and Luzhu. These two young ones had always been a bickering pair of lovebirds, so a little spat wasn’t anything unusual. But this time, things were different—Jin Er had actually made Luzhu cry, and the whole mansion was in an uproar. The Brocade-clad Guards unanimously sided with Luzhu. She was a sweet-tongued, kind-hearted girl who was well-liked for her pleasant demeanor. Jin Er, being a man, was undoubtedly in the wrong for making a young girl like Luzhu cry. Butler Lin was furious again and dragged Jin Er over for a stern lecture. Even Ye Feng and Jin Yi, breaking their usual habits, spoke to Jin Er for nearly half an hour. Unfortunately, Jin Er remained silent the entire time, leaving them with no way to get through to him.
Gradually, everyone began to worry about Luzhu. Yet, she carried on with her duties as usual, smiling as if completely unaffected by the incident. However, the more composed she appeared, the more everyone believed she was deeply hurt, which only made them feel even more sorry for her.
Though Jiang Ruan also disapproved of Jin Er’s behavior, matters between her subordinates were not something she could easily interfere with. Luzhu had repeatedly insisted that there was no need to worry about it, so Jiang Ruan didn’t press further.
At noon that day, Luzhu came to discuss some matters with Jiang Ruan. The purchasing stewardess, Aunt Zhang, had left the mansion to care for her daughter-in-law, who had suffered a miscarriage scare. Luzhu volunteered to handle the purchasing duties herself. Seeing this, Lianqiao chimed in, "Yes, yes! I also need to buy a few things. Why don’t I go with Luzhu? On the way back, we can pick up some pastries from Cuiyu Zhai for the young mistress."
Tianzhu glanced at Luzhu but said nothing. Jiang Ruan understood—perhaps letting Luzhu and Lianqiao go out together would help lift Luzhu’s spirits. So she agreed. After Luzhu and Lianqiao left, Jiang Ruan looked at the account book in front of her and suddenly asked Tianzhu, who was standing nearby, "What exactly happened with Jin Er?"
Tianzhu was momentarily taken aback, then her expression turned slightly troubled. "This servant doesn’t know either."
"You don’t know?" Jiang Ruan was surprised. She lowered her head thoughtfully and glanced at the teacup before her. "How strange."
...
The streets of the capital were still bustling with activity. The festive atmosphere of the New Year hadn’t yet faded, and some shops still hung their red lanterns, likely to keep the good fortune coming. Street vendors, eager to capitalize on the lively crowds, displayed countless novel trinkets. As maids of the Prince’s mansion, Lianqiao and Luzhu weren’t forbidden from going out—Jiang Ruan had no such rule. However, their duties usually kept them busy, and when they did leave, it was mostly to the palace or other estates, often by carriage. Rarely did they have the chance to stroll freely through the streets like this. Moreover, while the outing was ostensibly for purchasing, everyone knew it was really an opportunity for Luzhu to clear her mind. So Lianqiao wasn’t in any hurry to head to the fabric shop. Instead, she leisurely walked alongside Luzhu, taking their time.Since the argument between Luzhu and Jin Er, Jin Er had not apologized to Luzhu, and the two had been locked in a cold war—an extremely unusual situation. Though Luzhu never spoke of it, anyone with eyes could see she must have been deeply upset. Along the way, Lianqiao tried to distract her with the latest gossip from the capital, hoping to lift her spirits. Luzhu smiled in response, but Lianqiao, having known her for so long, could tell at a glance that her smile was forced, leaving her momentarily at a loss.
As they walked, Luzhu remained unusually disinterested—a rare sight for someone normally so curious and lively. Lianqiao felt her sadness but didn’t know how to help. Just as she was wondering what to do, she spotted a sugar-figure stall ahead and quickly tugged at Luzhu with a smile. "Look, sugar figures! Let’s go see."
Luzhu had always had a sweet tooth and loved these whimsical little trinkets. She had even once helped an old sugar-figure vendor call out to customers, so the sight of the stall brought her an unconscious smile. Relieved, Lianqiao pulled her forward. Sure enough, before them stood a small stall with a straw-wrapped pole stuck with all sorts of vividly crafted sugar figures, large and small. The sweet aroma filled the air, and Luzhu grinned, fishing out a few coins from her sleeve. "Master, could you make me a Guan Yu?" she asked.
The sugar-figure craftsman chuckled and cheerfully agreed, starting to melt fresh sugar. Seeing Luzhu momentarily distracted from her troubles, Lianqiao brightened. "I’ll take a Chang’e too," she added.
As the craftsman got to work, Lianqiao idly glanced around—only to freeze abruptly when her eyes landed on a nearby apothecary. "Wha—" she blurted before catching herself, but it was too late. Luzhu had already noticed. "What’s wrong?" she asked, following Lianqiao’s gaze before Lianqiao could stop her. The next moment, Luzhu stiffened, her face draining of color.
Inside the apothecary, a stout woman was speaking with the shop assistant, likely picking up medicine. Behind her stood a young woman in a moon-white gown with orchid embroidery at the hem, her refined and graceful bearing marking her as a well-bred young lady from a noble household. She was chatting with a young man beside her—a handsome fellow with a faint smile, who leaned slightly toward her as they spoke, their closeness unmistakable. That man was none other than Jin Er, a face all too familiar to both Lianqiao and Luzhu.
After the stout woman finished her purchase, she said something to Jin Er, who smiled in response before the three of them left the shop together. Lianqiao’s heart sank, scrambling for words to comfort Luzhu—but before she could, Luzhu’s expression darkened, and she suddenly bolted forward.
The young lady had just stepped out of the apothecary with Jin Er when Luzhu abruptly blocked her path. Never one to hide her feelings, Luzhu glared at her. The young woman, startled, asked, "Miss, why are you blocking our way?"Luzhu ignored the woman's words, merely fixing Jin Er with a cold stare as she said, "Now you can't possibly claim I'm being unreasonable anymore."
Jin Er's shock passed, and only after the initial surprise did he speak: "You've misunderstood, between her and I—"
"I don't care what's between you and her!" Luzhu interrupted him loudly, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Please explain things to His Highness yourself. Consider the engagement between us a joke—let's pretend none of it ever happened."
"How can you say that? I told you it's a misunderstanding," Jin Er frowned. The woman beside him seemed to sense something amiss and quickly interjected softly, "Miss, you've misunderstood. The Second Young Master merely—"
"What's between us is none of your concern!" Luzhu turned her head sharply, cutting the woman off. Having grown up in the streets, she became even more unrestrained when angry, her voice rising. The woman, seemingly encountering such ferocity for the first time, was startled and suddenly began coughing violently. A short, plump woman nearby hurriedly pushed Luzhu aside, fussing over the woman, "Are you alright, miss? Oh dear, you've only just recovered enough to go out today—don't let this bring back your illness."
Seeing this, Jin Er also supported the woman, asking, "Are you alright, Miss Liao?"
The woman shook her head. "It's nothing, just my own carelessness."
When Jin Er turned back to Luzhu, his tone had hardened. "Apologize to Miss Liao immediately."
"Apologize for what?" Luzhu was seething with rage, wishing she could tear Jin Er apart. The so-called Miss Liao was beautiful and refined, making Luzhu feel even more wretched. Yet she forced back her tears, retorting with a cold laugh, "I wasn't aware I'd done anything wrong that warrants an apology."
"You're being unreasonable!" Jin Er snapped. "How could you speak to her like that?"
"Then how should I speak?!" Luzhu roared.
"Never mind, never mind," the woman hastily intervened. "This young lady didn't mean it, and I'm unharmed. There's no need for this, Second Young Master."
"You've only just recovered, and now you're subjected to this rudeness—it's entirely her fault," Jin Er said, still supporting the woman. "I'm truly sorry you had to endure this."
Luzhu sneered. "How utterly absurd. So now her coughing is my fault too? This sickly constitution must also be my doing. I had no idea I possessed such power—to be blamed for crimes I didn't commit."
Before her words fully faded, a sharp slap rang out. Lianqiao, who had just arrived, gasped in shock and immediately shielded Luzhu behind her, glaring at Jin Er. "Jin Er, what do you think you're doing?"
Jin Er stared blankly at his own hand, as though unable to believe he had just struck someone. Luzhu, pulled behind Lianqiao, was equally stunned. Her earlier words had been spoken in the heat of anger—she had always been blunt by nature, and her hostility toward the woman had colored her speech. She had already regretted her harshness, realizing she'd gone too far. But she never imagined Jin Er would... hit her... for that woman's sake.
The woman, who had initially looked dismayed, now appeared flustered. "Miss, Second Young Master, ah—you two..."Lianqiao felt deep regret in her heart. Today was supposed to be a relaxing outing with Luzhu, but unexpectedly, they encountered such a situation. Now Luzhu was truly heartbroken. Naturally, Lianqiao stood firmly on Luzhu's side, sharing her indignation, and her gaze toward Jin Er was far from friendly. Just as she was about to hurl a few harsh words, Luzhu stepped out from behind her.
From the beginning until now, Luzhu had struggled to control her emotions, not shedding a single tear, not even when Jin Er slapped her. At this moment, she seemed to have calmed down from the initial disbelief. Looking at Jin Er, she said coolly, "Very well. Today marks the end of any connection between us." With that, she turned and walked away. Lianqiao hurried after her. Luzhu walked extremely fast, her demeanor somewhat resembling Jiang Ruan's, as she had followed Jiang Ruan for so long. The more one admires someone, the more one unconsciously emulates their ways. If Jiang Ruan had encountered such a situation, she would likely have fought to uphold her dignity as well.
After Luzhu and Lianqiao left, Jin Er was about to chase after them when the short, plump woman beside him suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my, young lady! Why are you so pale? Could it be your old illness acting up? Do you feel unwell?"
Hearing this, Jin Er hesitated, and his raised foot finally lowered. He walked over to the woman and said, "You do look unwell. Let me fetch a physician. First, return to the house and rest while I have the doctor examine you."
Meanwhile, Luzhu returned to the Jiang residence and went straight to her room without a word. Lianqiao comforted her briefly, thinking that this matter should not be known to others, as there might be some misunderstanding. Still, it was necessary to inform Jiang Ruan, so she went directly to the study.
Jiang Ruan was instructing Tianzhu on some matters when she noticed Lianqiao's return. "Why are you back so early?" she asked. Since she had sent the two out to relax, it made no sense for them to return so soon. Lianqiao, both embarrassed and furious, and still indignant on Luzhu's behalf, said, "Young Madam, this servant failed to complete the shopping task."
Jiang Ruan looked at her. "What happened?"
Lianqiao, who had been bottling up her anger, immediately recounted the entire incident. If she had previously thought the cold war between Luzhu and Jin Er might have been a misunderstanding—perhaps Luzhu had misjudged Jin Er—now, having witnessed Jin Er's actions firsthand, there was no way Lianqiao could side with him anymore. After finishing her account, she added, "No wonder Jin Er was often absent from the residence lately. It wasn’t as if the prince had assigned him any tasks. When Luzhu said Jin Er had someone outside, I didn’t believe her, but now it’s clear. Jin Er has been keeping a mistress in a Golden house all along. Pah! What a waste of a fine girl like Luzhu."
Jiang Ruan was also surprised upon hearing Lianqiao's account and frowned. "What exactly is the background of that Miss Liao?"
Lianqiao shook her head. "It’s hard to tell. She seemed well-educated and refined, like a young lady raised in a wealthy family. Who knows why she would stoop to such behavior, shamelessly seducing a man already betrothed!" Having followed Jiang Ruan for so long and encountered many women like Jiang Susu and Jiang Dan, who excelled at feigning gentleness, Lianqiao already had prejudices against such women. Now, seeing one bully her sister, she wished she had kicked the woman a few times."Jin Er is not that kind of person," Tianzhu suddenly spoke up. Seeing Lianqiao and Jiang Ruan turn to look at her, she said earnestly, "Although Jin Er has a mischievous nature and appears unruly on the surface, he is not someone who acts recklessly. Since he is engaged to Luzhu, he wouldn't go around provoking others." Tianzhu, usually cold and indifferent, was speaking up for Jin Er for the first time.
But Lianqiao wouldn't listen. "Tianzhu, you don't understand. After all, you're a woman, and Jin Er is a man. Men are fickle, their affections shifting like the wind—it's in their nature to be unfaithful and shallow-hearted. Their thoughts are simply different from women's. Besides, you didn't see what happened today. Jin Er actually struck Luzhu over another woman. If it were truly a misunderstanding, how could he hit his own betrothed for the sake of another woman? Even if he claims innocence, no one would believe there wasn’t something special between them."
Lianqiao's words were not unreasonable, leaving Tianzhu with nothing more to say. Jiang Ruan frowned. Though she was displeased on Luzhu's behalf, she didn’t lose her composure over Lianqiao's words. Instead, she noticed something unusual. "How could a woman appear out of nowhere? Tianzhu, find a way to investigate her background. How dare she openly try to steal someone from me? Her audacity is truly excessive."
Tianzhu acknowledged the order and left. Once she was gone, the aggrieved Lianqiao couldn’t help but ask, "Does the young mistress still believe Jin Er is innocent and that Luzhu misunderstood? But I still think that woman is despicable. Even an ordinary woman would know to keep her distance from an engaged man, let alone someone who appears to be a well-bred lady who understands propriety. How could she act so shamelessly?"
"If even you can see that woman has ulterior motives, how could I not?" Jiang Ruan's gaze darkened. "To use such tactics against my people—very well. I’d like to know exactly who is behind this." She was all too familiar with such schemes. In her past life in the palace, the harem women employed countless tricks to vie for favor. This particular method wasn’t particularly clever, yet it often succeeded—simply because men’s instinct was to pity the delicate and weak. The moment they saw the vulnerable party, they would inevitably feel compelled to protect her. Luzhu, straightforward and honest, would gain no advantage in such a confrontation, only earning Jin Er’s irritation. But Jin Er and Luzhu were both people of the Brocade Hero King Manor. Who would dare target them? Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea without revealing her thoughts.
That night, Lianqiao, eager to confront Jin Er, stood guard at the gate of his residence. Even Ye Feng, who came by to inquire, was scolded so fiercely that he was left utterly bewildered. Unfortunately, Jin Er never returned that night. Furious, Lianqiao nearly tore his room apart, but Ye Feng managed to persuade her to leave, and the matter was reluctantly dropped.The next day, the weather was clear and sunny. Sunlight streamed through the window into a small, neatly decorated room that, while not overly luxurious, was quite spacious. A faint fragrance of orchids lingered in the air, soothing to the senses. A man lay sprawled on the soft couch, sleeping soundly. After some time, as the sunlight crept onto his face, he stirred awake. His clothes still carried a faint scent of alcohol, which grew stronger as he moved.
The moment Jin Er opened his eyes, he was fully alert. He sat up abruptly and noticed a disheveled woman curled up in a corner of the couch, her hands covering her mouth as quiet sobs escaped—each one striking Jin Er’s heart like thunder.
Just then, the door suddenly swung open, and Zhou Mama walked in. "Miss, breakfast—" Her voice cut off abruptly as she froze in shock. Without another word, she turned and hurried out, slamming the door shut behind her. The woman, as if the last thread of her composure had snapped, broke into loud, unrestrained weeping.
Dazed, Jin Er tried to piece together the fragments of the previous night. He remembered only that after Luzhu had left, he had escorted Liao Meng back to her residence and called a physician to examine her. Later, in low spirits, he had gone to a tavern to drown his sorrows. Midway through, Liao Meng had dragged him back. Unfamiliar with the capital, she hadn’t known the location of Brocade Hero King Manor and had taken him to her temporary lodgings instead. What happened after that was a blur—but now, as Jin Er took in the crumpled sheets, his heart skipped a beat. The stains on the fabric told him enough.
"Miss Liao..." he began haltingly.
"You... You needn’t say anything. Today, I’ll return to Jiangnan. Let’s... let’s pretend we never met, as if none of this ever happened," Liao Meng managed between sobs, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. Before Jin Er could respond, a figure burst into the room—none other than Zhou Mama. She knelt directly before Liao Meng and cried, "Why must you suffer like this, Miss? If it comes to this, how am I to face your late parents?" Turning to Jin Er, she kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead soon bleeding. "Second Young Master, I beg you—give our young mistress a way out. After such a thing, how will she ever marry? And even if she does, how could she live well in another’s household? Knowing her temperament, if she keeps silent now, she’ll surely take her own life upon returning home. I promised her parents I’d raise her well—if this is how it ends, I cannot escape blame. Punish me instead, Second Young Master! I’ll gladly trade my life for hers!"
"Zhou Mama, what are you saying?" Liao Meng wept alongside her. "This has nothing to do with you—don’t break my heart with such words. It has nothing to do with Second Young Master either. This... this was all a misunderstanding.""My dear girl, this is no misunderstanding at all," Zhou Mama wept even more bitterly than Liao Meng. "You're the child I nursed with my own hands. How could this old servant not know your true nature? Second Young Master, this old woman begs you—begs you to leave our young lady a way to survive. I know you have someone in your heart, but that girl is beautiful and was raised by the princess consort. Even without you, she could surely marry into a good family later. But how could our young lady marry anyone if she leaves you? She can't compare to that girl by the princess consort's side. It's all this old servant's fault for not taking proper care. Second Young Master, just look at our young lady—she's gentle and well-educated. You would surely come to like her."
The master and servant were both crying and speaking, each trying to take the blame upon themselves. Jin Er stared blankly at Zhou Mama and Liao Meng before him, his mind in turmoil. Suddenly, his fingers brushed against something at his waist, and he gradually came to his senses. It was a small sachet that Luzhu had once sewn for him, embroidered with two little goldfish, exquisitely delicate and adorable. He paused, then slowly reached to untie the sachet. Looking at Liao Meng, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, and finally said, "This is all my fault. I... will take responsibility. I will speak to my mother immediately and propose marriage to the Liao family."
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