А hand lifted the саrriage сurtain, revеаling а hаndsоmе facе. Those eyes аnd brоws werе onсе thе jоy Наn Yаn уеarnеd for everу night, but nоw theу seemed nоthing but boundless bittеrness and dеsоlаtiоn.
Wеi Rufеng—shе had finallу sеen him in this lifеtimе. Suсh a twist оf fatе, сould it be а сursed bоnd? Han Yan lоwered her hеаd. Тhis was thе man who had аllоwеd his own sistеr tо рlоt hеr рoisоning. Вaсk then, shе had lovеd his gentlе, nоblе demеаnоr, nеver knowing what tеrrifying thoughts lay hidden bеneath that fаir extеrior.
Ji Lаn hаdn’t eхpected the person in the carriage to be of such high status and stood frozen for a moment. But since the other party was at fault first, she felt she should apologize, yet her pride held her back.
Shu Hong walked to her side and bowed toward the person in the carriage. “My younger sister did not know this was the Young Master’s carriage and has offended you. It is my fault, and I apologize on her behalf. I hope the Young Master will be magnanimous and spare my younger sister this once.”
Wei Rufeng frowned slightly, but as he turned his head, he met a pair of clear eyes. The gaze held resentment and grievance, desolate and powerless, ultimately converging into a deep despair that fixed firmly upon him.
Wei Rufeng was taken aback, realizing the gaze came from a young woman dressed as a maid. Her appearance was ordinary, and after a brief thought, he was certain he did not know her. Why would this unfamiliar young woman look at him with such an expression? Puzzled, he heard his coachman scold the girl who had collided with them in a rough voice, “What a rude girl! The Young Master hasn’t spoken—he must be angry.”
Wei Rufeng frowned again. It was just a trip to the street; why cause so much trouble? Unpleasantly, he said, “It’s fine. You may go.” When he looked outside again, the young woman in the crowd had already disappeared. Feeling unsettled, his hand trembled slightly as he lowered the curtain and ordered, “Let’s go.”
The coachman had already sensed the displeasure in his voice and hurriedly drove the carriage away. Shu Hong breathed a sigh of relief and scolded Ji Lan, “Why are you so impulsive? Just looking at that carriage, you could tell the person inside was either wealthy or noble. Only someone as reckless as you would charge forward like that! If you had implicated the young lady, what would you have done?”
Ji Lan pouted in grievance. “But the pastries are all smashed. That carriage was charging around recklessly. Does being a Young Master mean he can be so unreasonable? Clearly, they were at fault first.”
Shu Hong shook her head. “Still thinking about the pastries? What about the young lady?”
Han Yan emerged from the crowd. Just moments ago, Wei Rufeng seemed to have noticed her, and in her panic, she had hidden behind a tall woman. Meeting him in such a scenario was something she had never imagined. She wasn’t prepared yet, and seeing an old acquaintance stirred a whirlwind of emotions. Fearing Wei Rufeng might notice something amiss, she had hidden.
Seeing Han Yan’s pale face, Shu Hong anxiously asked, “Has the young lady been frightened?” Then she blamed herself. “It’s all my fault. If I had been more careful, we could have avoided this.”
Ji Lan disagreed. “How can it be your fault? It was clearly that so-called Young Master throwing his weight around.”
Han Yan inwardly scoffed. They say you can judge a person by those around them. If Wei Rufeng’s coachman was so arrogant, how much better could Wei Rufeng himself be? When Shu Hong apologized earlier, he hadn’t even bothered to decline, clearly full of pride and arrogance. How could she have been so deceived by his appearance back then?Looking around at the crowd, she noticed many young women of blooming age gazing with infatuation in the direction where the carriage had departed, their eyes clearly filled with admiration. Yes, that same infatuated expression had once appeared on her own face. In the heart of a young girl, upon seeing someone so handsome and noble, her affection would secretly be given away. Moreover, according to Zhuangshan’s words, this young master was a man of noble character. Back then, she had believed it wholeheartedly, thinking how could there be such a wonderful person in the world.
Han Yan’s eyes darkened slightly as she shook these thoughts from her mind and said, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Hurry back to the manor, and make sure not to mention today’s events to anyone.”
Ji Lan and Shu Hong nodded firmly.
As soon as they returned to the manor, crawling through the dog hole into their own courtyard, they hadn’t even had time to change their clothes when they saw Mama Chen hurrying over. Spotting Han Yan, she was taken aback for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. “Where did you go, young lady? I searched all over Qiuxiang Garden and couldn’t find you. I quietly inquired and heard that no one had left the manor today. I was worried that some troublemaker had entered the courtyard. If I couldn’t find you, I would have had to inform the master.”
Han Yan smiled. “Mama, there’s no need to worry so much. If you tell Father, who knows what trouble might arise.” Besides, Zhuang Shiyang wouldn’t genuinely care about her life or death. If Madam Zhou and her daughter added fuel to the fire, this matter might not be so easily resolved.
It was only then that Mama Chen noticed her clothes. “Young lady, how…” As if realizing something, she gasped in shock. “Did you leave the manor?”
Han Yan nodded. “It’s a long story. Let me change my clothes first.”
After Han Yan changed her clothes and sat down to explain the situation to Mama Chen, she omitted the part about Wei Rufeng. After hearing the whole story, Mama Chen couldn’t help but scold her. “Young lady, you’re truly reckless. Leaving the manor so boldly—if outsiders found out and told the master, you’d surely be punished. People outside don’t know the details. What if something went wrong and you were bullied?”
Han Yan reassured her. “Ji Lan and Shu Hong were with me, and I was dressed as a maid. Who would pay attention to me? Mama, don’t worry. If something like this happens again, just stay calm. As for Father, it’s best not to trouble him if we can avoid it.”
Mama Chen opened her mouth in surprise. “Again? Are you planning to leave the manor again?”
Han Yan shrugged. “I need to take Ming’er to meet Elder Yang. Besides, if I want to attend the women’s martial arts school in the future, I’ll probably have to sneak out.”
“Are you really going to learn martial arts?” Mama Chen looked at her. “Young ladies are usually delicate and soft-skinned. Why would you subject yourself to such hardship?”
Han Yan fiddled with the charcoal in the brazier. “Times have changed. No one in this manor is protecting us, so we must be more vigilant and protect ourselves.”
Mama Chen’s eyes welled up, and she felt an indescribable ache in her heart. She reached out and pulled Han Yan into her arms. “Young lady, you’ve suffered so much.”
Nestled in Mama Chen’s embrace, the warmth felt incredibly comforting. Han Yan unconsciously stretched lazily and said, “It’s not suffering.” Compared to her mother and her past self, this was nothing.
For now, things were calm, but with Madam Zhou and her daughter now living in the manor, it wouldn’t be long before trouble started brewing.
“Ji Lan,” Han Yan called out.
Ji Lan quickly put down her needlework and stepped forward."Are you familiar with the people in Concubine Mei's courtyard?" Han Yan remembered that before her mother passed away, it was always Ji Lan who found out about matters in Concubine Mei's garden. Whatever news there was, she was always the first to know.
"If the young miss says this servant is familiar, then this servant is familiar," Ji Lan replied with a smile.
Han Yan waved her hand. "Then go have some tea and chat with the maids in Concubine Mei's courtyard. Tell them that Madam Zhou has entered the household, and the master dotes on her greatly, intending to elevate her to the position of principal wife."
OpenNovel