The birthday banquet finally concluded, and Madam Jiang personally saw off the various ladies and young misses.
The rear residence soon quieted down. Xue Ning quietly took the wine pot away, finding a secluded spot to pour out all the wine inside.
This small pavilion was not far from her Qiyun Pavilion.
A small stream flowed down alongside the rockery, merging into the largest Mirror Lake in the rear courtyard of the Marquis's residence.
Unable to wait for Bao Chan to come help her deal with it, she had to first wash the wine pot clean with river water herself, leaving not a single trace of evidence.
Just as she finished her task and stood up from beside the stone bridge, she felt a chilling breeze brush the back of her neck.
She turned around and met the sharply defined, handsome face of a man amidst the heavy snow, her heart instantly leaping into her throat.
"Brother Lu?"
The man narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing?"
Xue Ning pressed a hand to her chest, her small face pale. "You startled me…"
"Are you doing something guilty?"
Su Zhan wore a black cloak embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, his tone cold, his brows deep-set, his expressionless handsome face appearing particularly intimidating.
After all, he was the man she had once been married to. Xue Ning knew she couldn't remain completely unaffected.
She pursed her lips, recalling the methods he had used against her during those years of marriage. Her heart trembled, no longer holding the closeness of before, only fear. "N-nothing."
Su Zhan raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes filled with pressure and suspicion. "Do you like this wine pot so much?"
Xue Ning had no choice but to hastily come up with a reason. "I… saw the intricate patterns on this wine pot and thought to wash it clean and take it back to keep as a collection…"
Su Zhan scoffed. "Xue Ning, are you lying to me?"
Xue Ning's face instantly turned deathly pale. "N-no."
She had forgotten—though Su Zhan was only twenty this year, he was highly favored by the current emperor and had already entered the Ministry of Justice, becoming the Vice Minister of Justice. Who could lie under his watchful eyes?
In her past life, whenever she waited for him to return from duty after marrying him, she could smell the scent of blood on him.
It was the same now. He stood too close to her, stepping closer with each stride.
The cold fragrance of storax mixed with the smell of blood from the prisoners in the Ministry of Justice's dungeons was utterly terrifying.
Xue Ning couldn't find a reason, her fingers tightly gripping the handle of the wine pot.
Su Zhan's indifferent gaze swept over Xue Ning's small hands, reddened from the cold.
With a large hand, he reached out to snatch the wine pot from her grasp.
The snow was heavy today, the wind biting and the snow cold.
Xue Ning, already standing by the river's edge, nearly lost her balance. Startled by the man's sudden movement and terrified of having any physical contact with him, she leaned backward and directly fell into the icy river water.
The bone-chilling water quickly rose past her neck, the cold making her shiver uncontrollably.
She didn't know how to swim, and her body sank rapidly.
In her dazed state, it felt as if she had returned to those days at the old residence in Yongzhou.
Every winter had been the most difficult time for her.
There was no good charcoal in the rooms, and occasionally no food. She and Bao Chan would disguise themselves to go catch fish in the river.
Once, she accidentally fell into the water and was rescued by a kind passerby. Afterward, she caught a chill, coughing for a full month. Her throat was damaged from all the coughing then, and her health never fully recovered.
In earlier years, she wrote letters every day to the Marquis's residence in Dongjing, begging Su Zhan to care for her a little more—even if just to buy her some medicine for her chill, or to visit her once at the old residence.
Unfortunately, toward her, he had always only shown indifference and neglect.
Later, she stopped having any expectations of him.
Xue Ning refused to accept death so easily. She had just been reborn—this lifetime had not yet been lived for herself. How could she die like this?
After floundering in the water for a while, she saw the man who had been standing indifferently on the shore jump in.
Now, it was her turn to wish for death.
If she were to be saved by Su Zhan, she might as well die.
…
Xue Ning remained unconscious for nearly half an hour before groggily waking up.
Before her eyes was the magpie-on-branch Suzhou embroidery bed curtain she had often used in her youth.
The boudoir was exquisite, filled with brocades and embroideries, a stark contrast to the dilapidated, drafty rooms of the old residence, giving her an unreal feeling.
Madam Jiang sat by the bed, reaching out to feel her feverish forehead, while a room full of maids and elderly servants showed concern for her.
"How could you be so careless? In such cold weather, catching a chill—what are we to do?"
Xue Ning lifted her heavy eyelids and caught sight of the man sitting behind Madam Jiang, now changed into a dark-colored robe. Her heart couldn't help but tremble.
In her previous life, she had already been punished by Madam Jiang and sent to the ancestral hall at this point. How could she be lying comfortably in her boudoir now?
But the incident of falling into the water had not been part of her plans. What surprised her even more was that Su Zhan, who had always been cold and indifferent, had saved her. From the riverbank back to the Qiyun Pavilion was not a short distance, and the path was filled with maids and servants of the residence. Being carried back in a man's arms—hadn't everyone seen it?
She and Su Zhan were not blood-related siblings, after all. She didn't know how Su Zhan had explained it to Madam Jiang.
Xue Ning felt somewhat annoyed. "Madam, I'm fine…"
Madam Jiang smiled warmly. "Silly child, if Zhan'er hadn't been nearby, who could have saved you?"
Xue Ning frowned and looked up at the man.
Su Zhan leisurely sipped a cup of hot tea, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion.
Unable to read his expression, Xue Ning could only glance curiously at Madam Jiang.
In her previous life, when she and Su Zhan had become entangled, Madam Jiang had been deeply disappointed and unwilling for her to have any connection with Su Zhan.
But this time, after Su Zhan carried her back to the Qiyun Pavilion, Madam Jiang wore a smile on her face, showing no hint of blame.
"Madam… I didn't do it on purpose… I accidentally slipped and fell into the water…"
Madam Jiang patted her small hand. "I know it wasn't your fault. Zhan'er has already explained it to me. It was an accident, and he merely happened to save you. That stone bridge is narrow, and the winter snow makes it slippery. You've always been frail, so avoid walking there in the future."
So Su Zhan had explained it clearly.
Xue Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, Madam…"
Fortunately, Madam Jiang was reasonable. As long as she didn't actively seduce her son, she wouldn't be disappointed in her.
She forced a smile and spoke more politely to Su Zhan. "Thank you, Brother Lu, for saving me."
Su Zhan replied indifferently, "It was nothing. Don't dwell on it."
Xue Ning knew that Su Zhan feared being associated with an orphan like her, so she obediently said, "Regardless, I must thank you. From now on, A-Ning will be more careful and won't cause such worry for Brother Lu and Madam."
"That's right," Madam Jiang said. "You're just a young girl living in the Su family. Treat the Marquis's residence as your own home. Don't hold back in anything. If you like that wine pot, just have Bao Chan from your room fetch it from the storeroom. Why risk your life for a wine pot? Later, I'll have Madam Zhou bring you some utensils. Pick a few to keep in your room."
Xue Ning was grateful for Madam Jiang's affection towards her. Listening to her chattering words, a wave of warmth seemed to flow through her heart.
"Madam—"
She threw herself into Madam Jiang's arms and cried sincerely.
"A-Ning understands now. A-Ning will be sensible in the future."
Madam Jiang patted her back, smiling kindly. "What's the matter? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"
Su Zhan, with his high brows and deep-set eyes, took a sip of hot tea, dispelling the chill in his body.
He lifted his eyelids and looked at the delicate girl who had thrown herself into his mother's arms, shedding tears.
She had just turned fifteen this year, with a stunningly beautiful face and flawless, smooth skin. Her tender complexion was especially like a peeled egg—dewy and delicate. Now, with a high fever, her cheeks flushed with two patches of red, resembling an enticing little kitten.
Recalling how the girl had nestled in his arms earlier, stiff and unconscious, he felt an inexplicable panic in his chest for some reason.
Fortunately, the river was not deep. She had been clumsy, slipping in the water and losing her balance.
If she hadn't nearly drowned in the river, he would have suspected she was deliberately trying to get his attention.
But she had always been this reckless and lacking in judgment.
In the past, she would send him pastries, tea, and fresh flowers every other day.
Always trying to get him to look at her more.
Yet… her words and actions today were strangely different.
Especially by the river—she would rather fall into the water than get close to him.
Su Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly, a strange and indescribable feeling stirring in his heart.
Clearly, before this, Xue Ning had always been… very enthusiastic toward him.