Xue Yan had said he would only give her the time it takes for one incense stick to burn; otherwise, she would have to walk back to the mansion on her own.
When it came to teaching her a lesson, her two elder brothers truly never showed any leniency.
Rendong was furious, her eyes reddening with indignation on Xue Ning’s behalf.
“Did they abandon the young lady and return to the mansion first? It takes an hour to walk from Gongzhu Fu back to Xue Zhai. How could they do this to the young lady, who is delicate and frail!”
What kind of elder brothers could bear to torment their own sister like this!
“Let’s go, Rendong.”
In the past, Xue Ning would indeed have felt wronged—especially when she had just been brought back to the Xue family from Gusu. Watching them side with Xue Mingzhu time and again, her heart would ache repeatedly.
But after witnessing them make a choice between the two and being forced to drink poisoned wine, she finally lost all hope in Xue Yan and Xue Yulang, leaving only numbness behind.
Xue Ning had been walking for half an hour, weakened and exhausted by the scorching sun. Rendong wiped her sweat while supporting her, guiding her toward the shade.
On the bustling city street, Xue Ning heard a sudden cry of alarm as someone galloped recklessly on horseback toward her!
Before Xue Ning could react, the horse’s hooves were already about to trample her. Rendong’s legs gave way, and she fell backward, pulling Xue Ning down with her.
Xue Ning’s face turned deathly pale with fright. At the critical moment, a strong, powerful arm suddenly wrapped around her slender waist and lifted her. At the same time, the neck of the rider on horseback was slashed, blood spraying everywhere!
Xue Ning barely managed to steady herself. When she saw who stood before her, her delicate frame trembled with fear.
The one who had saved her was none other than the deposed Crown Prince Feng Xian—the Yumian Yanluo, whom everyone in Jingdu feared and whose very name struck terror into their hearts!
Feng Xian was dressed in black robes that accentuated the cold paleness of his wrists. His slender, well-defined fingers retrieved a zither string from the neck of the dead man, then casually wound it around his wrist. Blood droplets slid down the string and dripped silently onto the ground, as if playing a chilling melody.
“This humble subject, Xue Ning, thanks Your Highness…”
Xue Ning instinctively took a step back at the sight of the blood and introduced herself.
Deputy General Shao Sheng whispered into Feng Xian’s ear, “Your Highness, this is the daughter of Minister of Rites Xue Youdao—the fifth young lady of the Xue family.”
Feng Xian’s gaze was profound. “Shao Sheng, prepare a carriage. You will escort her back.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Xue Ning did not know why Feng Xian was here, but she dared not resist. She had no choice but to board the carriage with Rendong.
The carriage from Donggong was exquisitely crafted, luxurious, and remarkably smooth, but Xue Ning’s heart remained lodged in her throat, unable to calm down for a long while.
Even Rendong glanced at Xue Ning several times, wanting to speak, but she did not dare utter a word.
Xue Ning did not blame her for being so frightened. After all, who in Jingdu was not afraid of Feng Xian?
Feng Xian had been born the Crown Prince, but the empress was not favored by Emperor Yongshun. Before he was even five years old, he was sent to Beiqi as a hostage. The emperor had never intended for him to return alive.
Yet not only did he return, but the first thing he did upon arriving in Jingdu this year was to kill his own younger brother, the Prince of Huai, and massacre his entire household, leaving no one alive. This act instilled fear in everyone.
“Young lady, look… isn’t that the eldest young master?”
Rendong seemed to have spotted a savior. “Should we get off the carriage and return to the mansion with the eldest young master and the others? Riding in His Highness’s carriage makes me feel uneasy.”
It was as if a blade still hung over their heads, ready to strike them down the moment they stepped out.
Xue Ning looked over. On the bustling street, Xue Mingzhu was smiling as she examined delicate trinkets before her. In her hand, she held a clay figurine, which she playfully waved at Xue Yan, who was dressed in his official robes.
“Big brother, look at this doll, doesn’t it look just like you—always so fierce! I want to buy this and keep it by my side, as if big brother is always protecting me!”
Xue Yan’s icy gaze softened, and he said helplessly, “When have I ever been fierce with you?”
Xue Yulang, with his charming and handsome face, narrowed his peach-blossom eyes in jealousy. “Mingzhu, what about your second brother?”
Xue Mingzhu picked up another doll and said sweetly, “I want second brother too, both of you protecting me together.”
The doting affection in Xue Yan and Xue Yulang’s eyes was something Xue Ning had never received—she had only seen it when they looked at Xue Mingzhu.
Xue Yan said to the vendor, “Pack up the styles my sister has chosen. As for the other ornaments similar to these two, smash them and throw them away.”
Xue Yulang added, “What my sister likes, no one else is worthy of having.”
The shopkeeper happily accepted the silver and, as they were leaving, even threw in a worthless trinket as a bonus.
“Esteemed guests, since you’ve bought so much, consider this a free gift.”
…
Xue Ning closed the gap in the carriage window, her fingers tightening slightly.
A cold, mocking feeling settled in her heart. While she had been forced to drink poisoned wine and struggled to make her way back to the mansion, they had been doting on and comforting Xue Mingzhu, not the least bit concerned about her life or death. These were her own flesh-and-blood brothers.
She had already made a decision in her heart: since they had abandoned her, she would no longer consider them her brothers!
As long as she stopped caring, she wouldn’t suffer heartache and torment because of them anymore.
As the carriage neared Xue Zhai, Xue Ning spoke softly.
“Sir, you can drop me off here. Please stop the carriage.”
Shao Sheng glanced outside. They were still half a street away from Xue Zhai, but he understood why Xue Ning wanted to get off early.
After all, with His Highness’s reputation, what young lady in Jingdu would dare to be associated with him? It would be like asking for trouble!
Xue Ning stepped out of the carriage, removed a string of 108 sandalwood prayer beads from her wrist, and handed them to Shao Sheng with both hands.
“I thank you, sir, for escorting me back to the mansion. These prayer beads have been blessed at Tianguang Si. I offer them to His Highness, hoping they will bring him lasting blessings and protection, in gratitude for saving my life today.”
“I will convey your message.”
After the carriage departed, Rendong couldn’t help but speak up. “Miss, weren’t these prayer beads meant for the eldest young master?”
No one understood better than Rendong how much effort Xue Ning had put into these beads. She had selected the finest sinking incense in the prayer hall, polished it meticulously, spent countless days and nights carving Buddhist scriptures onto each bead, and then sent them to Tianguang Si to kneel in prayer and have them blessed—all to protect the eldest young master while he was away on official duties.
Xue Ning looked toward the entrance of Xue Zhai in the distance, where her eldest brother, Xue Yan, was helping Xue Mingzhu out of the carriage, fussing over her as if afraid she might get the slightest scratch.
“I won’t give these away anymore, and I won’t give anything like this in the future. It’s not worth it.”
Xue Ning’s voice was faint, her expression indifferent.
At the entrance of Xue Zhai.
“Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master, where is the Fifth Young Lady?”
Reminded by the gatekeeper, Xue Yan and Xue Yulang finally remembered Xue Ning, whom they had left behind at Gongzhu Fu.
Xue Yan frowned coldly. “She hasn’t returned yet?”
It had been two hours already. Even walking, she should have made it back by now.
Xue Yulang looked utterly impatient and complained, “She’s probably deliberately not coming back, waiting for us to worry and go looking for her, isn’t she?”
Just as the two hesitated, wondering whether to send someone back for her, they heard Xue Mingzhu exclaim in surprise.
“Ningning! You just got back too? You weren’t secretly following us all along, were you?”
Xue Mingzhu’s eyes flashed with envy. Xue Ning was too beautiful. Even now, with a few strands of hair dampened by fine sweat at her temples, she did not appear disheveled. Instead, it added a heart-stirring, fragile beauty.
Xue Mingzhu knew full well that if a woman like this had any intention, no man could resist her. She constantly suppressed Xue Ning, wanting only to destroy her!
Otherwise, in the future, when she stood beside Xue Ning, who would even notice Xue Mingzhu?
Xue Yulang was always gentle with others, yet every time he faced Xue Ning, he could not help but speak with sarcasm and malice.
“Xue Ning, you only know how to play the victim. If you just apologized, we wouldn’t have kept you from getting on the carriage! Sneaking along like this, so awkward and petty—it’s utterly disgusting!”
Rendong could not hold back her anger and retorted, “Second Young Master, the young lady and I walked back. How could we possibly keep up with your carriage?”
In the past, Xue Ning would have argued with them too, but now, she merely glanced at them expressionlessly, as if looking at strangers.