It was late spring, and the peonies were in full bloom.
Chang Gongzhu had hosted a flower-viewing banquet, inviting the noble ladies and matrons of the capital for a gathering.
After sharing a few low-voiced words with Madam Guo, the wife of the Libu Shilang sitting beside her, Shen Xinyan shielded her face with her sleeve. She lifted the wine cup to her lips, prepared to drain it in one gulp.
She was no stranger to wine; her tolerance had been excellent even before she married, so she was not afraid of losing her composure after drinking.
Just as the cup touched her lips, a sudden, authoritative, and anxious reprimand rang in her ear: “Don’t drink it!”
The voice came abruptly yet felt somewhat familiar. Shen Xinyan stopped her movements and looked toward Madam Guo, the person closest to her, in confusion.
Noticing Shen Xinyan’s sudden gaze, Madam Guo asked in a low voice, “What is it? Are you feeling tipsy?”
Madam Guo was a close friend of Shen Xinyan’s late mother. Since her mother had passed away early, Madam Guo had taken great care of Shen Xinyan before she was married.
Seeing Madam Guo’s concerned expression, Shen Xinyan smiled softly. “It’s nothing. I just felt the weather was a bit stifling.”
Madam Guo smiled and comforted her with a few words before being called away to talk by Madam Liu, the wife of the Hubu Shilang, who was on her other side.
Shen Xinyan let out a breath. Perhaps the wine at Chang Gongzhu’s manor was quite potent and she was indeed a bit drunk; otherwise, why would she hear such a strange voice?
Looking at the milky-white liquid in her cup, Shen Xinyan gave a self-deprecating smile. She must have been lonely for too long if even her ears were playing tricks on her.
As she brought the cup to her lips once more, the voice in her ear grew even more urgent: “Don’t drink it! It contains an aphrodisiac. If you drink it, you’ll be ruined forever.”
At the word “aphrodisiac,” Shen Xinyan’s fingers trembled slightly. Wine splashed onto her bodice, soaking a large portion of her skirt.
Yingtao, who had been kneeling beside her to serve, let out a soft cry: “Madam…”
She immediately pulled out a handkerchief to quickly wipe Shen Xinyan’s clothes.
Shen Xinyan instinctively moved to stand up, but the voice rang out again: “Don’t move! Yao Jinning hooked your hem onto the table leg. If you stand up, you’ll surely make a fool of yourself.”
At the mention of Yao Jinning, Shen Xinyan sat back down silently, her hand reaching down along her skirt toward the corner of the table.
Sure enough, her inner petticoat had been tied to the table leg with a thread. Because it was covered by her outer skirt, neither she nor Yingtao had noticed it in time.
This trick seemed insignificant, but if she had stood up, it would have caused a huge scene. By then, she would have inevitably gained a reputation for losing her decorum while drunk, becoming fodder for the gossip of the capital’s noblewomen.
Shen Xinyan signaled Yingtao with her eyes. Following her gaze, Yingtao also discovered the trap on the petticoat.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Yingtao took the opportunity while wiping the skirt to bend down and forcefully snap the thread.
With a sharp intake of breath, a small hole was torn in the petticoat, and Yingtao’s finger was sliced, blood beginning to seep out.
Yingtao breathed a sigh of relief. What a tough silk thread! She was grateful the Madam had discovered it in time; otherwise, if she had stood up, she might have overturned the entire table.
Shen Xinyan also noticed the wound on Yingtao’s hand and immediately wrapped her own handkerchief around it. “You’ve been tired long enough. Rest by my side for a while.”
Knowing Shen Xinyan wanted her to stop the bleeding and understanding her mistress’s predicament, Yingtao sat properly and demurely behind and to the side of Shen Xinyan. “Yes.”
The movements of the mistress and servant did not attract anyone’s attention.
The banquet hosted by Chang Gongzhu today was ostensibly for flower-viewing, but in reality, it was an occasion for the various families to bring their unmarried daughters out for everyone to observe and evaluate.
The one Shen Xinyan had brought today was the family’s unmarried Fourth Miss, Yao Jinning—the daughter of Concubine Liu, her father-in-law’s favorite concubine.
Because she was beloved by the elders at home, Yao Jinning’s personality was inevitably a bit arrogant, and she was often quite abrasive in her speech.
However, Yao Jinning had behaved herself perfectly during this outing. Just moments ago, she had even stayed by Shen Xinyan’s side with her personal maid to serve food, drawing many admiring glances from the other matrons.
Shen Xinyan had originally thought she was simply minding her manners in public, but it turned out she had been plotting this.
It was one thing to throw tantrums at home, but to cause such a scene at Chang Gongzhu’s banquet… if Shen Xinyan lost face, would it bring Yao Jinning any honor?
Shen Xinyan’s gaze swept over the thread still dangling from her petticoat, then she scanned the various matrons watching the singing and dancing. Feigning a drink, she asked in a whisper that was nearly imperceptible, “Who are you? Why can you speak in my ear?”
More than being angry at Yao Jinning’s lack of sense, she wanted to know who this person speaking to her was, and if anyone else could hear the voice.
But whether the person didn’t hear her or not, after she asked twice, the voice did not sound again.
As the performance grew more exciting, Shen Xinyan simply poured herself another cup of wine.
Sure enough, before the cup could reach her lips, the voice rang out again: “I told you not to drink! Why won’t you just live your life peacefully instead of courting disaster?”
The voice appearing mysteriously once more made Shen Xinyan somewhat impatient. “Why should I believe you?”
Fortunately, the music was loud, and no one heard her.
The voice fell silent for a moment. When it spoke again, it had lost its previous sharpness: “You must believe me, because I am your future self. Thus, only I can help you, and I would never harm you.”
Her future self? How could she believe that? A malevolent spirit looking for a substitute body would be more convincing.
Shen Xinyan kept a serene smile on her face, masking her mouth with her sleeve as if drinking. “Why should I believe you?”
The voice sounded slightly agitated: “I can tell you things about yourself that no one else knows. Your childhood nickname is A-Man. Your parents died early. When your mother died, you were still very young; you crawled into her coffin at night and didn’t want to come out.
But when your father passed away, you secretly cut off your hair and tucked it into his hand, telling him to be your father again in the next life.
Also, there is a red mole on the inside of your thigh. Am I right?”
Hearing these unknown secrets, Shen Xinyan was momentarily stunned. She then quickly inquired, “Are you a ghost or a demon? Why can you speak in my ear?”
She finally realized why the voice sounded familiar; it was extremely similar to her own, only slightly more aged, which was why she hadn’t recognized it immediately.
However, this was not enough to prove that the other party wasn’t something evil. Perhaps this thing had been coveting her body for a long time and just hadn’t found the chance to strike.
A-Man gave a cold huff, her voice carrying an unquestionable authority: “My methods are not something you can understand. You only need to know that I will not harm you.”
As if afraid Shen Xinyan would retort again, A-Man spoke once more: “As for making you believe me, just look at Madam Luo, the wife of the Xingbu Shangshu, sitting across from you. After this cup of wine, she will secretly pinch the arm of the maid serving her, because that girl just crawled into her master’s bed last night.
Also, the Second Miss of the Gongbu Cong Wupin Li Yuanwailang’s family and the concubine-born Fourth Miss of the Zheng Sanpin Liu Zhanshi’s family will leave together shortly. They are in a secret relationship, and because their families are strict and they haven’t met for many days, they want to find a place to comfort each other after drinking.
These things are all very easy to verify. Do you believe what I say now?”