The Princess Residence.
Spring colors filled the gardens. A group of elegantly dressed noble ladies surrounded a young maiden in the center, chatting and laughing merrily.
The maiden wore a smoky-rose ru skirt. Her figure was delicate and slender, her features as fresh as a lotus bud. She was none other than Jiang Wanxin, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Revenue, who had recently earned the title of "Little Lucky Star" throughout the capital.
"Sister Wanxin, these earrings of yours have such a pure, vivid red hue. I've heard that red coral of this quality is extremely rare!"
"I recall my grandmother mentioning that back in the day, your mother, Madam Su, wore an entire set of 'Crimson Glow Over Snow' coral headdress at her coming-of-age banquet—she dazzled everyone present!"
"Everyone knows Wanxin is the jewel of the Minister's household. She just celebrated her sixteenth birthday last month. These earrings must be a birthday gift from Madam Su."
A flicker of unease passed swiftly across Jiang Wanxin's face before she replied, "They're merely ordinary ornaments. Please, sisters, don't tease me."
"Oh? Speaking of which—on such an important occasion as today, is Madam Su… not coming again?"
Jiang Wanxin's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "As you all know, my mother has always been in poor health, and she's especially prone to illness during the transition between spring and summer."
Just as they were conversing, a slender yet upright figure walked past the group of ladies, eyes fixed straight ahead without so much as a glance.
A well-informed noble lady immediately whispered, "Look—that's the Little Medical Immortal whom His Highness the Prince of Qin personally brought back from Qingzhou!"
"That white jade hairpin with the ruby in her hair—could it be the treasure piece from Gold Thread Pavilion? Was it a gift from His Highness the Prince of Qin?"
"She looks no older than fifteen or sixteen. What could she possibly know of the Arts of Qihuang? Wanxin doesn't believe it." Jiang Wanxin's voice was sweet and soft. "Besides, as a physician, dressing in such lavish finery seems rather… unbecoming of her station."
Several noble ladies immediately covered their mouths and chimed in:
"She looks like nothing but a vain, materialistic woman!"
"Who knows—maybe she's trying to use this to become the Prince of Qin's mistress on the side!"
With just a few words, Jiang Wanxin's insinuations had stirred contempt and hostility toward Yun Zhao among the assembled ladies.
Yun Zhao turned her head, her gaze lingering briefly on Jiang Wanxin's earrings. A month ago… had it also been Jiang Wanxin's birthday?
What a coincidence.
On the day she had been reunited with Jiang Heng in her previous life—the day Qingwei Valley was slaughtered to the last soul—had also happened to be her sixteenth birthday.
She deliberately looked Jiang Wanxin up and down, a faint, ambiguous smile playing at the corners of her lips:
"Your complexion is pale with a hint of green—liver qi stagnation!
Your lips are light with a trace of purple—a deficient heart!
With such a constitution, I'd advise you, miss, to spend less energy on idle gossip and scheming. Otherwise—I fear you may find it difficult to bear heirs."
Was she saying she would struggle to bear children?!
Everyone knew one of the hottest rumors circulating in the capital was that the legitimate daughter of the Jiang household was poised to marry into the Eastern Palace!
If those words were to reach the palace—how interesting that would be!
The crowd erupted in commotion. Several noble ladies who bore no goodwill toward Jiang Wanxin were already hiding their smiles behind their sleeves.
Jiang Wanxin was renowned throughout the capital. Wherever she went, she received nothing but praise. Never had she suffered such a mortifying humiliation!
She abruptly reached out to grab Yun Zhao's sleeve. "You—stop right there!"
But Yun Zhao seemed to have anticipated the move. With a light step, her skirts swirling gracefully, she sidestepped the grab with perfect ease.
Jiang Wanxin, having lunged with too much force, stumbled forward with a startled cry!
At that very moment, a tall, elegant figure—refined as bamboo—appeared with lightning speed, steadying Jiang Wanxin just before she could fall in disgrace.
The newcomer wore robes of moon-white brocade, his features handsome and picturesque. It was none other than Jiang Heng, known throughout the land as the "Gentleman of the Orchid Terrace."
His long brows furrowed tightly, a thin frost settling on his face. He was about to rebuke whoever dared to be so rude when, the moment he lifted his head, he abruptly met Yun Zhao's gaze.
Jiang Heng's expression changed drastically, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Jiang Yunzhao? Over a month ago at Qingwei Valley, she had clearly been struck by the Cultivation-Dissolving Powder like the rest of her sect members—yet she had suddenly bled from all seven orifices, soared into the air, and smiled eerily at him as she plunged into the valley below!
That scene had haunted his dreams nearly every night, until this very day!
How could she not be dead?!
Even Jiang Wanxin noticed his stiffness and gently tugged at his sleeve. "Brother, what's wrong?"
Yun Zhao smiled enigmatically, staring straight at him, and spoke with deliberate clarity, word by word: "We meet again, brother."
In this life, her timing for rebirth had been poor, and in her haste, she could only escape using the Blood Curse. After faking her death, she confirmed that those black-clad figures were no longer in the valley, then returned to Qingwei Valley to gather the remains of her master and fellow disciples.
That address of "brother" made Jiang Heng shudder all over.
"Brother?" Jiang Wanxin frowned, her gaze darting back and forth between Yun Zhao and Jiang Heng. "Who is this person? Why does she also call you brother?"
Jiang Heng had already forced himself to calm down, his tone icy: "Merely a country girl trying to cling to wealth and status. Xin'er, you have a pure heart—stay far away from those with such ulterior motives."
"A country girl?" Yun Zhao laughed softly. "That day we first met, brother did not speak of me that way."
Jiang Heng abruptly stepped forward.
Mindful of the public eye, he lowered his voice and warned her harshly: "Cease your delusions! Chasing after me to the capital is futile!
The Jiang family will never acknowledge a bastard of unknown origins like you! The Jiang family's daughter is Wanxin alone, and that will never change!"
"Don't speak too soon, brother." Yun Zhao smiled leisurely, her gaze cold and sharp. "I'll be waiting for you to lay the carpet and carry the sedan chair, to welcome me home with all due respect!"
Behind her, Jiang Wanxin and several young ladies kept stealing glances.
Someone questioned doubtfully: "Didn't they say she was invited by the Prince of Qin? How does she seem to be an old acquaintance of Master Lantai as well?"
Jiang Wanxin shook her head gently. "My brother has always kept himself pure and unsullied."
Jiang Heng had recently been personally appointed by His Majesty as the new top scholar—Master Lantai, renowned for his aloofness and detachment from worldly affairs. Many young ladies in the capital had secretly given him their hearts.
Immediately, someone chimed in: "That woman surnamed Yun must be shameless, deliberately pestering him!"
Jiang Wanxin said nothing, but the fingertips clutching her handkerchief gradually tightened. With a delicate, pitiable bearing, she stepped forward: "Brother?"
Yun Zhao turned her face, curled her lips at her in a faint smile, and walked away.
Jiang Heng said in a low voice: "Xin'er, your brother still needs to entertain a few officials. Go take your seat first."
"Mm." Jiang Wanxin responded obediently, watching her brother's tall, aloof, and cold back as he departed.
Then, her gaze shifted—like a poisoned needle, stabbing toward Yun Zhao.
"Stop right there!"
A fierce glint flashed in Jiang Wanxin's eyes. She drew a coral folding fan from her sleeve and whipped it through the air, straight at Yun Zhao's face!
Yun Zhao seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. She casually deflected it with a light counter of her hand.
Jiang Wanxin felt her wrist go numb—and the coral folding fan, a gift from the Empress Dowager, flew out of her grip and backward—
With a sharp smack, it struck squarely across the face of a maidservant who happened to be passing by with her head lowered!
The maidservant cried out in pain and stumbled, the sandalwood makeup box in her hands crashing to the ground!
The lid sprang open, and a dazzling kingfisher-feather hairpin tumbled out.
Someone screamed. The bustling, lively Tangdi Garden fell into utter dead silence in an instant.
Everyone present knew this was the Eldest Princess's most treasured hairpin, for the bird feather adorning it had been shot down and personally selected by Commandery Princess Jiale at the hunting grounds when she was eight years old…
The maidservant's eye corner to cheekbone was slashed into a gruesome bloody gash by the fan's rib, yet she felt no pain at all—she only stared fixedly at the broken feather, her entire body trembling like a sieve.
Jiang Wanxin was also startled into a daze!
But quickly, she helped the maidservant up:
"Your Highness, please calm your anger! Xin'er failed to hold the imperial fan steady, causing the maidservant to be startled and break the precious hairpin…"
As she spoke, she cast a timid glance toward Yun Zhao, "Miss Yun did not mean it—she is newly arrived and likely unfamiliar with the capital's customs, which is why she accidentally tripped Xin'er.
If Your Highness must punish someone, punish Xin'er—please do not implicate others…"
These words of self-imposed blame were like sparks thrown into a cauldron of oil, instantly igniting the surging "sense of justice" among the noble ladies surrounding them.
"Xin'er, why must you make excuses for such a crude person! Clearly someone knows no propriety and deliberately collided with you!"
"Exactly! Had it not been for deliberate scheming, how could an imperially bestowed treasure be so easily dropped?"
In just a few words, all blame was directed toward Yun Zhao, placing her at the center of everyone's attack.
Not far away, Jiang Heng, who had been conversing with several ministers, wore a cold expression—his eyes fixed on Yun Zhao revealed a bone-deep loathing.
The Eldest Princess's gaze swept over the broken hairpin with pain: "At my birthday banquet, dropping an imperially bestowed item and damaging the late Commandery Princess's treasured keepsake—
Yun Zhao! What punishment do you deserve?!"
Among the noble ladies, undisguised snickers and murmurs had already arisen:
"What a disgrace she brings to Prince Qin's reputation! Such a senseless person ought to be expelled from the capital at once!"
"Committing impropriety before the imperial presence and damaging imperial property—how can this be settled without fifty strokes of the spine cane?"
Yun Zhao clearly saw the smugness in Jiang Wanxin's eyes. Her lips parted slightly, and facing away from the crowd, she said to her word by word: "You're dead."