Warm light streamed in through the window, casting its glow across Nanzhi’s smooth, radiant oval face and wrapping her in a pure, sacred brilliance that rivaled the morning glow of the rising sun.
Her brows resembled distant mountains untouched by cosmetic ink, yet naturally dark; her lips looked like they were brushed with cinnabar, naturally flushed and red. Her clear eyes mirrored glazed glass beads, and every glance she cast rippled like autumn waves.
Even without a single speck of powder on her face, she looked breathtakingly captivating, radiating an ethereal, fairy-like aura. It was no wonder the Crown Prince had set his sights on her.
And that skin—surpassing driven snow, truly smooth like refined lard and flawless as jade. It looked so supple and delicate that it seemed a single breath could break it. Even as a woman, Qingyu couldn’t help her heart from skipping a beat. Outwardly maintaining an expressionless mask, her mind was in a state of absolute, chaotic shock.
Regaining her composure, Qingyu softened her typically harsh tone a fraction and smiled slightly. “Miss Nan, the Crown Prince has instructed me to escort you back.”
“Would you mind helping me find a change of clothes?” Nanzhi’s voice was gentle and melodic, instantly stirring a sense of fondness in anyone who heard it.
A true beauty was a beauty indeed; even her voice was a delight to listen to. Qingyu glanced briefly at the outer robe casually draped over Nanzhi’s shoulders, then let her gaze sweep across the chaotic scene of the room before quickly pulling it back, her mind instantly putting the pieces together.
His Highness is truly a fierce beast!
Seeing the state she was in, Qingyu couldn’t help but feel a sudden wave of sympathy for the lovely maiden.
Nodding politely, Qingyu replied, “Miss Nan, please wait a moment. I’ll be right back.”
A short while later, Qingyu returned holding a brand-new set of deep-cyan robes, handing them over to Nanzhi. “Miss Nan, do you need assistance getting dressed?”
In truth, she had rarely ever served anyone else in her life. Her usual duties involved ruthless combat and wet work, meaning she had practically zero experience with such delicate tasks.
Yet, looking at the beauty before her, she felt that serving her for a change wouldn’t be bad at all.
Nanzhi shook her head, politely declining the offer: “Thank you, but I can manage on my own.”
A flicker of visible disappointment crossed Qingyu’s mind—the beauty looked utterly mesmerizing even when shaking her head. “Miss Nan, I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Mhm.”
Once Qingyu stepped out, Nanzhi quickly dressed herself, bundling up her cascading black tresses with a simple ribbon that let them hang loosely down her back before stepping out of the room.
The moment she crossed the threshold, a stray beam of sunlight caught her fair, flawless face, making her delicate, smooth skin appear even more translucent and glowing under the natural light.
Standing nearby, Qingyu was momentarily mesmerized. It was her first time being completely captivated by another maiden; she felt as though Nanzhi was too drop-dead gorgeous to be an ordinary mortal, as if she might sprout wings and ascend to the heavens at any second.
“Miss Nan, let me walk you back.” Qingyu snapped back to reality, her voice instinctively softening out of fear that she might startle a celestial being.
Nanzhi lifted her head, squinting slightly against the piercing sunlight. Shielding her eyes with one hand, she turned to Qingyu with a soft smile, declining the offer once more: “Thank you, but I can walk back by myself.”
Qingyu still wanted to say more—after all, the Crown Prince had explicitly ordered her to see the young lady back—but the beauty clearly didn’t care for an escort.
“Miss Nan—”
Sensing her hesitation, Nanzhi gazed at her with a gentle, placid look and spoke again: “Do not worry. It’s not far, and I am within my own home; nothing untoward will happen.”
Though Nanzhi’s words were soft and tender, her tone carried an unmistakable firmness that left no room for argument.
Looking at her gentle, serene demeanor, Qingyu couldn’t shake the distinct feeling that Nanzhi carried an unapproachable aura of cool detachment, keeping everyone a thousand miles away.
Well, Qingyu thought to herself, the beauty has a point. The Crown Prince is currently lodging within Magistrate Nan’s estate; this is, after all, Miss Nan’s home. What could possibly go wrong here?
Still, a stray thought crossed her mind: Could it be that the Crown Prince agreed to stay at Magistrate Nan’s residence precisely because of this beauty?
Qingyu shook her head vigorously, banishing the notion immediately. That sounds nothing like His Highness’s style.
By the time she recovered her wits, Miss Nan was already walking away into the distance.
Qingyu lingered, watching Nanzhi’s retreating figure. Even that ordinary deep-cyan dress looked remarkably luxurious when worn by her, making every sway of her skirt as she moved resemble a lotus blooming step by step, graceful and captivating.
Yet, despite the warm May sun shining down upon Nanzhi, Qingyu felt an inexplicable chill creeping through her bones, plunging her into an icy abyss and draining the color right out of her face.
Her heart felt far colder than the dead of winter.
She hadn’t originally belonged to this dynasty. In her past life, she had fought tooth and nail to escape a gilded cage, only to be struck down by a vehicle mid-escape. When she opened her eyes again, she had transmigrated into this era, born anew as an infant.
Her disposition was relatively optimistic; figuring that although she was an infant once more, she had at least regained her freedom. While her father could hardly be described as affectionate, her mother treated her exceedingly well, and her days within the manor were, on the whole, quite decent.
Having watched sixteen years of peaceful life drift by, she had assumed her days would continue exactly as she hoped, but who could have possibly foreseen…
Nanzhi pulled her thoughts back and continued walking. Before she even reached her courtyard, she was intercepted by Steward Fu, who served directly under her father.
Steward Fu stepped up to her with a smile, speaking with formal courtesy: “Eldest Miss, the Master requests your presence right now.”
Nanzhi cast a cold, indifferent glance at him before withdrawing her gaze. Her voice turned frosty as she flat-out refused: “I am feeling unwell, so I will not go.”
“Eldest Miss, please do not make things difficult for me. The Master said you must go over.”
“And what if I refuse to go?” Leaving behind only those words, Nanzhi walked straight past him.
Left standing in place, Steward Fu stamped his foot in exasperation. If the young miss refused to go, he would have no way of reporting back to the Master! He hurried after her in a rush.
“Eldest Miss, please stay your steps!” Steward Fu called out urgently, raising his voice as he strode quickly to block Nanzhi’s path.
“The Master gave orders that you are to be invited over no matter what. If you refuse, we are to tie you up and drag you back if we must. Eldest Miss, please forgive me.”
Steward Fu gestured behind him, and two tall, muscular guards immediately stepped forward.
Nanzhi’s steps stuttered to a halt. Then, recalling how her father had drugged her the previous night and delivered her right to the Crown Prince’s bed, she realized there was nothing he wouldn’t stoop to do.
Her heart remained calm, completely devoid of ripples: “There is no need for such measures. I will come with you.”
Only then did Steward Fu pile his face back into smiles, adopting a deferential expression as he gestured with an inviting hand: “Eldest Miss, please.”
Nanzhi turned around, her posture graceful and her steps light as she made her way toward Nan Huaimin’s courtyard.
Winding through the covered corridors and skirting past the water pavilion, she finally reached her father’s courtyard.
Hearing the commotion, Nan Huaimin stepped out from the inner rooms, unable to hide the smile stretching across his face. He looked at Nanzhi as if she were a precious lump of gold, his gaze burning with intense eagerness.
“Zhi’er, come inside and sit.” His voice could barely mask his jubilation.
Standing outside the threshold, Nanzhi experienced a turbulent mix of emotions. Her gaze fell upon her father’s beaming, smiling face, finding it painfully blinding.
After a single fleeting look, she pulled her eyes away and lowered her gaze, a faint, thinly veiled sneer curling the corners of her lips as she stepped straight inside.
Nan Huaimin knew she was angry, but since he was in high spirits, he unusually chose not to bicker with her. Taking a seat with a buoyant mood, he gestured to a chair.
“Sit down and have a cup of tea first.” Nan Huaimin personally poured her a cup.
Taking her seat with effortless poise, Nanzhi looked at her father’s hypocritical act and felt a rising wave of nausea. She swept a brief glance over the teacup before looking away, refusing to touch the tea sitting on the table.
“The tea in Father’s house is something this daughter cannot afford to drink.” Nanzhi’s gaze appeared calm on the surface, but a tempest of churning thoughts raged within her.
Yesterday, it was precisely after drinking the tea poured by her father that she had been personally handed over to the Crown Prince.
Even if today’s tea happened to be completely harmless, the mere sight of it reminded her of the sickening act he had pulled the day before. She found even touching the teacup utterly revolting.
Her father’s behavior filled her with profound disgust.
The peaceful life she had yearned for and painstakingly waited for had just vanished like that.
In this era of a feudal dynasty, a woman’s chastity was valued far above her own life. While she could mentally write it off as being bitten by a stray dog, the people of this world certainly could not.
Having lost her purity, she could no longer marry Wen Tingyue, especially since the Crown Prince showed no signs of letting her go anytime soon.
Thinking of that gentle, refined man who had always accommodated her every whim, Nanzhi’s heart filled with heavy, lingering regret.
Everything was gone.
“Zhi’er! What kind of tone is that?!” Nan Huaimin’s angry voice cut through the air. “Is that how you speak to your own father?”