The Glory

Наn Yаn, sеeing his ambiguоus ехрrеssion, claррed her hаnds lightly and sаid саlmlу, "Nоw, сan yоu step aside?"

Upon hеаring this, the guаrd quicklу mоvеd аside tо lеt Наn Yаn pаss—an instinctive rеаctiоn, yet he still fеlt unwilling. Having dеcided tо sеrvе Рrinсеss Irinа of Westеrn Rоng, and with Irinа аnd Нan Yаn being rivаls, hе naturallу wаnted tо curry favоr with Irina and cоuldn’t lеt Нan Yаn off easilу. Аlthоugh Hаn Yаn’s wоrds hаd unsеttlеd him, she wаs аbout tо leаve this prinсe’s rеsidеnсe bесаusе... He whispеred, with a hint of schadеnfreude in his tonе, "Does Мiss Zhuang knоw thаt last night, sоmeone saw you sharing a room with a strange man at an inn, staying together the entire night?"

Han Yan abruptly turned around, her gaze sharp as a knife as she glanced at him.

The guard shrank back at first, but then thought, how could a grown man be afraid of an unarmed young girl? Unwillingly, he met Han Yan’s gaze.

Han Yan glared at him and said coldly, "Where did you hear this?" "It’s spreading all over the streets and alleys." Seeing Han Yan’s reaction, the guard became even more convinced of her guilt and felt deep contempt for her. Once she realized she couldn’t become the Xuan Qing Prince Consort, she got involved with another man—this woman truly lacked virtue. It was fortunate the prince didn’t marry her. What man would want his wife, before even entering the household, to already be wearing a green hat on his head? Thinking this, he added mockingly, "The prince also knows about this. That’s why he sent people to search for you. Who would have thought... you’d come back on your own." His words were dripping with sarcasm, accusing Han Yan of being improper and impure. Han Yan stood there in a daze, her mind momentarily in disarray.

Fu Yunxi actually knew about this? How could the news spread so quickly? The guard likely wasn’t lying, but yesterday, when she was with Zhuo Qi, they had both worn veils and been careful not to draw attention. She had returned to the residence early this morning by carriage, so how could so many people have found out in such a short time? Unless someone had intentionally spread the rumor, but no one had followed her yesterday. If there had been, they would have been discovered at the time. With Zhuo Qi’s martial skills, it should have been impossible for anyone to go unnoticed.

Could it be Zhuo Qi’s doing? Did he intentionally leak the information? But what good would that do him?

For a moment, Han Yan couldn’t make sense of the connections, but Fu Yunxi had actually ordered a search for her—wasn’t that indirectly making the matter public, letting everyone know she had spent the night with a strange man? How would the capital view her? Han Yan’s anger and shock gradually faded, leaving only a deep sorrow welling up from within. Could it be that in this lifetime, she had once again misjudged someone, misjudged Fu Yunxi? He, too, was merely protecting himself, willing to push her into the fire, letting the people of the capital think she was a fickle, immoral woman, while he bore no negative judgment.

How pitiful she was!The guard, seeing Han Yan's expression grow increasingly grim, felt more emboldened and spoke even more recklessly: "Is Miss Zhuang a bit too impatient? If you really want to see someone, you should wait until after you leave the prince's residence. After all, it was Miss Zhuang who insisted on staying here in the first place. Now you're acting like this—could it be you want to leave right now?"

Ji Lan and Shu Hong had been listening in astonishment from the side. Shu Hong especially regretted not insisting that Han Yan return to the manor last night. If she had been more persistent, today's situation wouldn't have arisen, and Han Yan wouldn't have given others a handle to use against her. Now even a gate guard could mock her over this—it was her own negligence. Han Yan must be heartbroken right now.

Ji Lan's eyes reddened with anger. From the start, she had been furious at this foul-mouthed guard. It was obvious he was just a lackey trying to curry favor with that Irina woman. How dare he bully their young lady like this? As his words grew increasingly offensive, she rolled up her sleeves: "Shut your mouth!" and made as if to charge forward and fight.

"Stop!" Just then, a voice came from behind. The guard paused and immediately lowered his head: "Guard Mu."

Following his gaze, Han Yan saw Mufeng standing a few steps away. He quickly walked over, glanced at the guard, then at Ji Lan, and showed an expression of understanding. He coldly said to the guard, "You may leave. Send someone else to take your post."

"Guard Mu..." The man wanted to argue, but Muyan's rank was far above his, and he was someone close to the prince. No matter how dissatisfied he was, he didn't dare speak up. He could only glare fiercely at Ji Lan before stomping away angrily.

"Well, if it isn't Guard Mu," Ji Lan said, giving Mufeng a sidelong glance. In her eyes, everyone around Fu Yunxi was detestable now. Whoever bullied her young lady was the worst kind of person. She forced a sarcastic smile: "How dare we trouble you with your presence? Don't lower yourself for our sake."

Mufeng, unlike his usual lively and enthusiastic self, looked at Ji Lan somewhat helplessly and whispered, "Don't be like this... I..." But he couldn't find the words to persuade her, so he cast a pleading glance toward Han Yan, hoping she would smooth things over. To his disappointment, Han Yan simply stood quietly in place, her gaze fixed on him without a trace of emotion, as if she were looking through him at someone else, or as if she saw nothing at all.

This side of Han Yan was rare. At least in front of Mufeng and Muyan before, she had mostly been smiling. Even in very difficult situations, she had seldom shown such a cold expression toward those around her. It was as if she had no connection to them whatsoever. Mufeng felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He could imagine how Han Yan felt, but there was nothing he could do—he was merely a servant.

Ji Lan walked past him, deliberately bumping his shoulder: "Hypocrite!"

"Please inform His Highness for us, Guard Mu," Han Yan suddenly spoke up, looking at him coldly. "We will leave the prince's residence today. Farewell."

Mufeng was taken aback: "This..."Although Shu Hong and Ji Lan were quite surprised by Han Yan's decision, Ji Lan was still very happy. For her, watching Han Yan suffer grievances here was far better than being neglected at the Zhuang residence. She then said, "Then, Miss, shall we go back and pack our things now?"

Han Yan nodded. Mufeng glanced hesitantly at Ji Lan and said, "You should still go and explain things clearly to the prince yourself. He... might have something he wants to say to you."

"Is that necessary?" Han Yan coldly tossed out the words. For some reason, she felt no emotion in her heart now—only a deep, chilling cold. She had always reminded herself that even after seeking revenge, she still had to live in this world. Even for Fu Yunxi's sake, she must smile often. She must cherish those around her and not easily harbor hatred. Hating someone was too bitter. But she never expected that when a person's heart turns cold, even hatred becomes a luxury. She could neither hate nor love.