The Glory

Lifting thе сurtаin, Han Yаn аskеd thе guаrds around in surprisе, "Whу has the сarriagе stорреd?"

А guard steрped forward steadilу аnd cuрpеd his hаnds tоwаrd Hаn Yаn. "Rероrting to thе young ladу, thе horsеs pulling the cаrriage hаve enсоuntеrеd а рrоblem."

Hаn Yаn was grеаtlу alаrmed аnd quiсkly lifted thе сurtain tо jump down. She sаw the carriаgе stоpрed beforе а сluster оf lаrgе trееs, with thе two hоrsеs pulling it сollаpsed оn the grоund. Тhеir bodiеs hеаvеd violently, аnd their eyes seеmed about tо closе at аnу momеnt. A guard took a horsewhip and gave one a fierce lash, but the whipped horse only kicked its legs twice, snorted heavily through its nose, and showed no sign of being able to stand up.

"How could the horses suddenly fall ill?" Zhuangshan also jumped down from the carriage, asking in puzzlement.

Han Yan looked at her with difficulty, then at the guards. "What should we do? With the carriage stopped here, if we wait for someone to bring a new carriage, I'm afraid it will be dark by then."

Upon hearing this, the guards broke into a sweat. Madam Zhou had previously instructed them to arrive at Shahe Beach before evening. Now that the carriage had suddenly broken down, it seemed they would likely be late. Han Yan glanced at Zhuangshan and suddenly said, "Sister Yu Shan, why not let Han Yan ride in your carriage to avoid delaying and missing tonight's fireworks banquet?"

Zhuangshan was about to refuse, but upon hearing Han Yan mention the fireworks banquet, she immediately swallowed her words. At the fireworks banquet, she could meet many high-ranking officials and noble young masters she wouldn't normally see. She didn't want to miss this opportunity for nothing.

The lead guard's eyes lit up upon hearing Han Yan's words, and he followed up, "That would be good as well. The two young ladies can share a carriage, and this servant will have someone guard this carriage."

Zhuangshan finally nodded. Han Yan smiled warmly and said, "I'll trouble you, sister."

But Zhuangshan said, "Fourth Sister can get on the carriage, but the two maids cannot. You two can follow outside."

Han Yan smiled and said, "Ji Lan, Shu Hong, you two can follow the carriage outside."

Ji Lan and Shu Hong quickly agreed. Unexpectedly, Han Yan agreed so readily, which made Zhuangshan pause for a moment, feeling somewhat displeased.

Han Yan smiled brightly, but upon closer inspection, one would notice there wasn't a trace of warmth in her eyes. The mountain road outside was rugged, and making the two maids follow like the male guards was truly a thoughtful arrangement. Fortunately, this meant the carriage couldn't travel too fast, which lessened the burden on Ji Lan and Shu Hong.

Han Yan withdrew her gaze, only because the stare beside her was too intense. If she didn't know that Zhuangshan was her sworn enemy, she might have thought Zhuangshan had fallen in love with her.

At that moment, Zhuangshan was gazing obsessively at the mink cloak on Han Yan. Looking closer, she felt this cloak was exceptionally precious. The fiery red color delighted her immensely, and the noble elegance it bestowed when worn made her eager to claim the cloak for herself.

Han Yan turned her head and, seeing Zhuangshan examining her cloak, asked, "Sister Yu Shan, are you looking at Yan'er's cloak?"

Zhuangshan was taken aback and deliberately averted her gaze, asking instead, "Where did you get this cloak?"

Han Yan stroked the cloak on her body and smiled. "It was a gift from Grandfather."

When Grandfather was alive, he had indeed doted on her greatly. That was perhaps the only warmth from a relative she had received in the Zhuang residence, aside from her mother.Upon hearing this, Zhuangshan felt both jealous and resentful. As the illegitimate daughter raised outside the manor by Zhuang Shiyang, she had never seen what the grandfather Han Yan spoke of was like, but she imagined he must be extremely generous. If she had been raised in the Zhuang Manor, she would surely have received many more fine things.

Han Yan continued, "This was the prize Grandfather won during a hunting expedition—the most beautiful prey in the hunting grounds. Later, Grandfather had it made into this cloak by the best tailor in the capital at the time. This mink cloak even glimmers in the sunlight. It’s truly precious."

Zhuangshan couldn’t help but swallow hard. Han Yan’s words stirred a storm in her heart. She glared fiercely at the fiery red cloak on Han Yan, wishing she could snatch it off her in the next moment.

Seeing Han Yan’s smiling face, she thought to herself: Go ahead and smile. You won’t be smiling for long.

Although she didn’t know the specifics of her mother’s plan, her mother had said that this time, they would ruin Zhuang Hanyan. Naturally, she was overjoyed.

On the small table in the carriage, there was freshly brewed tea. Han Yan poured herself a cup, filling it so full that the scalding tea nearly overflowed. The maid Yun’er beside her seemed about to say something, but before she could speak, Han Yan’s hand trembled, and the scalding tea splashed all over Zhuangshan.

"Ah!" Zhuangshan immediately shrieked, raising a hand high as if to slap Han Yan. But Han Yan let out a startled "Oh no!" and exclaimed in panic, "Sister’s cloak…"

Zhuangshan froze and quickly looked down. That day, she was wearing a brand-new white rabbit fur cloak, paired with a delicate pink satin jacket that made her look exceptionally soft and beautiful. Now, the snow-white cloak was stained with dirty tea marks, splotchy and unsightly.

Furious beyond words, Zhuangshan shouted at Han Yan, "You’ve ruined my clothes like this! What am I supposed to do for tonight’s fireworks banquet? You did this on purpose!"

Han Yan lowered her head, looking equally flustered. "I didn’t mean to… For the fireworks banquet, Sister Yu Shan could change into another outfit… I’ll pay for that cloak."

Zhuangshan refused to let it go. "Change into another outfit? This cloak was a new piece Father had made for me just two days ago. What could you possibly use to pay for it? You make it sound so easy. Do you expect me to wear old clothes to the fireworks banquet?"

Seeing Han Yan merely lower her head and fiddle with the hem of her own cloak, Zhuangshan’s eyes lit up. "How about you just give me your cloak instead? I’ll make do with it. And you can pay me some silver on top of that."

Han Yan’s heart turned cold. Zhuangshan’s calculations were truly shrewd. The cloak was already extremely rare and valuable, yet Zhuangshan still wanted her to pay silver on top of it. Her greed was truly insatiable. Thinking this, Han Yan waved her hands repeatedly. "No, this was a gift from Grandfather…"

Zhuangshan paid no heed. She simply felt that, in front of so many people, Han Yan was at fault for splashing tea on her, which was why she was now retreating. Seizing the opportunity, she leaned forward to tug at the cloak on Han Yan, saying incessantly, "It’s only right to repay a debt. We’re sisters, so I won’t make you pay silver. This cloak isn’t new anyway—I’ll just make do with it. But my cloak was dirtied by you! If Father finds out you deliberately ruined my cloak, just wait and see how he punishes you!"Han Yan had been struggling with Zhuangshan, trying to prevent her from pulling off her cloak, but upon hearing Zhuang Shiyang's name, her movements slowed. She simply glared at Zhuangshan with a mix of grievance and resentment. Zhuangshan stripped the cloak from Han Yan and eagerly put it on herself. Instantly feeling much warmer, she immediately asked her little maid Yun'er beside her, "Does it look good?"

Although Yun'er felt this was somewhat inappropriate, she still replied, "It looks good."