Especially the kind that would attract a two-faced bastard like Yun Cheng…
Delighted to see the blood drain from Shao Zhen's face, Wang Qing's smile widened—but then her expression turned cold in an instant.
Lightly arched brows, a thin layer of powder. Though Shao Zhen was already a married woman, two years her senior, her skin was so tender it seemed it could yield water at a pinch.
She herself had been born lacking—without a pretty enough face to call her own. No matter how much effort she put into heavy makeup, she still couldn't outshine Shao Zhen.
What she hated most was seeing the other woman put on that pitiful, delicate act, bewitching her Tao Lang into losing all reason, so much so that he cast aside their childhood bond and married her instead.
Today, she would strip away that woman's mask and show her exactly who she was dealing with.
That banquet had been a lucky escape for her. This time, Tao Wenkan wasn't around—who could possibly help her now?
Once she was dealt with, Tao Wenkan would naturally come back to her, just like before, seeing her worth again and rekindling what they once had.
At this point, Shao Zhen could hardly fail to guess that all of this was Wang Qing's design.
As the three servants closed in step by step, her palms were slick with cold sweat. She tried to reason with the other woman: "Madam Wang, this is the Shen residence! If something happens to me, you won't be able to explain yourself."
Wang Qing nearly laughed at her naivety. Casually, she drew a dagger from her sleeve.
The blade was honed razor-sharp, capable of cleaving iron like mud. Its icy white gleam reflected Shao Zhen's face, pale with terror.
"Who can prove I did anything? Don't be foolish. Why would the Shen family offend the Wangs over someone like you?"
"As for Madam Xu—she'd be thrilled to have me as her daughter-in-law. Without you in the way, Tao Lang can marry me. With my support at his side, he'll rise through the ranks naturally."
"Shao Zhen, you have only yourself to blame for being born lowly. You picked the wrong womb."
Once she had disposed of the mistress and her servants, someone would be waiting to fabricate a story about assassins who mistakenly harmed Shao Zhen, clearing her of all suspicion. She had begun scheming for this the moment she learned Shao Zhen would attend the banquet. She would not fail again!
With every word Wang Qing spoke, Shao Zhen's face grew paler, because she knew full well that the Xunyang Wang clan could indeed shield her.
With the power behind her, crushing someone as rootless as Shao Zhen was as easy as crushing an ant.
Seeing that Wang Qing meant business, Xiaowen quickly stepped in front of Shao Zhen, ready to cry out for help.
But before the word "help" could leave her lips, the two martial maidservants moved with lightning speed, clamping a hand over her mouth and pinning her arms behind her back so she couldn't struggle free.
In the next moment, Shao Zhen too was seized by the woman who had lured her here, and she watched as the icy dagger came to a stop an inch from her cheek.
An overwhelming sense of helplessness drained the strength from her legs, and she slid slowly to the ground.
Forced to kneel before Wang Qing, she looked up at this noble lady who thought nothing of taking lives, her eyes brimming with anguish.
The more Shao Zhen trembled, the more excited Wang Qing became, a vicious glint flickering in her eyes.
The young lady raised her chin haughtily, gesturing with the dagger in the air as if deciding where to strike first.
A cold gust swept across Shao Zhen's face as Wang Qing moved. Her pupils contracted. Then she closed her eyes, resigned to the inescapable death that awaited her.
This wretched, barren life of hers—she had fought so desperately to carve out a path to survival, and yet here she was, at its end.
She could only hate that the gap between their stations was an unbridgeable chasm, that justice had crumbled into uselessness, and that she had dragged innocent Xiaowen down with her.
And—if she truly died here, she would never see Tao Wenkan again.
She wondered whether he would grieve, whether he would investigate the truth of her death… No, better he not dig too deep. Falling out with the Xunyang Wang clan would do him no good.
"Madam Wang, what are you doing?" A clear female voice rang out unexpectedly, startling Wang Qing so much she nearly dropped the dagger.
Though she was furious that her plan had been interrupted yet again, missing her chance, she knew she couldn't act on impulse now. She had to protect her reputation first and distance herself from Shao Zhen.
She hastily steadied herself, tucked the dagger back into her sleeve, and shot a look at the three maidservants, who released their hold.
Shao Zhen, having narrowly escaped death, gasped for breath, a wave of lingering fear washing over her. She heard Wang Qing threaten her in a low voice: "Dare to breathe a word of what happened today, and you'll see."
The venom in her tone was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
Freed from her restraints, Xiaowen rushed over and helped Shao Zhen to her feet, then stood guard, bristling with hostility as she watched Wang Qing and her group.
Wang Qing swept a glance at the newcomer who had ruined her plans. Upon recognizing the face, she forced a cordial smile: "Madam Yun, what brings you here?"
Inside, she was grinding her teeth in fury—of all people, it had to be Yun Yao, with whom she had never gotten along.
She had no idea how much Yun Yao had seen, so she tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Shao Zhen turned to look as well, meeting the smiling, unfamiliar face of a woman she had never seen before.
The young woman looked no older than thirteen or fourteen, with a delicate oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and eyes as bright as stars. Her hair was styled in a hanging cassia bun, with a thin braid woven from a lock of hair on each side of her ears, swaying as she walked—playful and lively.
Yun Yao, however, walked straight past her and asked Shao Zhen gently, "Lady Shao, are you alright?"
Wang Jing's viperous gaze clung to her back like a sticky film. Shao Zhen shook her head, unwilling to drag this kind and warm-hearted lady into her troubles. Though she didn't yet know why the other woman had come to her aid, she absolutely could not repay kindness with harm.
"What does Lady Yun mean by that? I was merely joking with Lady Shao a moment ago."
Hearing this, Wang Jing's expression shifted again and again, realizing the other woman had likely caught hold of her leverage.
Fortunately, Shao Zhen was a soft persimmon who wouldn't dare speak out of turn, and with her refusing to admit anything, what could Yun Yao possibly do to her?
Yun Yao looked at her with a half-smile and said dismissively, "Whatever Lady Wang says goes, I suppose. In any case, those who haven't done anything guilty need not fear ghosts knocking at their door at night."
With that, without waiting for Wang Jing's reply, she familiarly took Shao Zhen's arm and turned away with a graceful flourish.
By the time Shao Zhen came to her senses, they had already walked out of that secluded place.
Seeing that she had escaped Wang Jing's line of sight, her heart finally settled back into her chest, and she remembered she ought to thank the young woman beside her.
She hadn't missed how Wang Jing had addressed the woman earlier, but she still didn't know which young lady of the Yun family she was.
"May I ask, Lady Yun—"
Yun Yao saw through her like a clear mirror, perceiving the bundle of questions she was holding back. She stopped in her tracks and said, "I'm the fourth in my family, named Yun Yao, taken from the meaning of 'graceful and elegant.' Lady Shao may call me A Yao or Yao Niang."
Shao Zhen was rather taken aback. First Yun Cheng, now Yun Yao—could it be that everyone from the Yun family was this perceptive, able to see through a person's thoughts without anything escaping them?
"A Yao, I haven't thanked you yet."
Had the young woman not appeared in time, she might already be a corpse by now.
"Lady Shao need not thank me. The reason I came to stop Wang Jing is because someone entrusted me to do so." Yun Yao winked at her, sly and radiant.
Shao Zhen formed an answer in her mind, but she still couldn't be certain.
She truly didn't dare flatter herself that that man would actually follow through on his words, secretly watching over her from the shadows.
Yun Yao kindly spelled it out: "Lady Shao's guess is correct—that person is my elder brother, Yun Cheng."
She had initially wondered why Yun Cheng, that ice sculpture devoid of human warmth, would take such an interest in Shao Zhen, urgently sending Jiu Jian to instruct her to rescue the girl, even going so far as to decline the marriage alliance with the Shen family. Now, being stared at by the pair of autumn-water eyes before her, she understood just how endearing this Lady Shao truly was.
Especially attractive to a two-faced bastard like Yun Cheng.
Only those unfamiliar with him would be fooled by his disguise and revere him as a noble and virtuous gentleman.
Thinking that she was the first to know his secret, Yun Yao couldn't help but curl her lips upward.
With this leverage in hand, she had no worries about escaping Yun Cheng's control.
Guessing it was one thing; hearing Yun Yao confirm it was another.
An image of Yun Cheng's frost-and-snow brows surfaced in her mind, and her opinion of him quietly shifted. Truly as Tao Wenkan had said—Young Master Yun was a good man with a cold exterior but a warm heart.
"Please, A Yao, convey my thanks to Young Master Yun on my behalf."
Yun Yao curved her eyes and lied without so much as a blush: "Lady Shao doesn't know this, but Yun Cheng—my elder brother—treats me very strictly on ordinary days. I'm quite afraid of him. Perhaps it would be better if you thanked him in person; it would show more sincerity."
Shao Zhen was momentarily stunned, but in the end, she suspected nothing and agreed.
After all, she was also somewhat afraid of Yun Cheng.
After being led by Yun Yao to change out of her soaked clothes, Shao Zhen returned to the banquet and looked at Wang Jing's still-empty seat, her heart unable to settle for a long while.
On her end, Wang Jing watched the three figures walking away together and thought bitterly: so close, just one step away… she could have slain that fox spirit and let her die without anyone knowing why.
It was strange, truly strange—how did Shao Zhen always manage to summon reinforcements?
Now that the grass had been startled and the snake alerted, trying to strike at her again next time would be far more difficult.
"She's nothing but a concubine's daughter without parents to raise her properly, who got lucky and was adopted under Lady Sui's care to become Yun Cheng's sister. How dare she make faces at me?!" Remembering Yun Yao's provocative words at the end, Wang Jing clenched her fists, her face twisted hideously as she roared.
The three maidservants lowered their heads, not daring to look at her, and chorused in persuasion, "Please calm your anger, miss."
How could Wang Jing possibly calm down? "How did she manage to get involved with Yun Yao?! Go investigate this for me!"
Just wait and see—even if she couldn't kill Shao Zhen, she had plenty of ways to make her life miserable.
After that incident at the banquet, Shao Zhen stayed home for several days in a row, not daring to go out.
Where there was a first time, there would be a second. With Wang Jing's relentless, never-give-up-until-the-goal-is-achieved nature, who knew what other schemes she had prepared waiting for her.
Sitting before her desk, she picked up her brush several times and set it down again, ultimately not writing the matter onto a letter.
With Yun Yao's protection, if Wang Jing wanted to make a move against her again, she would surely have to weigh the consequences.
Tao Wenkan traveled day and night with the army, unwilling to let him, so far away across a thousand miles, spare a single thought to worry about her.
Estimating the days, he should have already left Xiangzhou and continued westward.
In times of war, a single letter from home was worth its weight in gold. She racked her brains for half a day before setting down her brush to write: "All is well at home; my lord need not worry."
Shao Zhen read those two short lines over and over, then, blushing, added at the end: "Your concubine longs day and night for your return, to share words by the western window." She also tucked into the letter some tea flower petals she had carefully picked, washed, and dried in the sun.
When Tao Wenkan saw the flowers, he would naturally understand her feelings.
After sealing the letter and sending someone to deliver it, she propped her cheek on one hand, troubled over what gift of thanks she should give Yun Cheng.
A life-saving kindness towered above all else—there was nothing she could give that would be too much.
But Yun Cheng came from a noble family; if there was anything she wanted, how could she ever be in want?
Moreover, it was difficult for her to learn of the other's preferences. If the gift she sent was left unused, it would be a waste of good things.
She mulled it over for two full days, coming up with nothing at all. She forced herself to pick out a few items from the storeroom, but none felt right.
It was not until Yun Yao came uninvited that Shao Zhen, hearing the gatekeeper's announcement, went at once to greet her at the door.
That day at the Shen residence, because the banquet had been nearing its end, they had not had time to exchange more than a few words before going their separate ways.
Shao Zhen had been in Yingdu for a long while, and Yun Yao was the first young lady willing to speak with her. Unlike most noble daughters she had met, the other girl carried no air of superiority—when she smiled, she was like a younger sister from next door.
She could sense that the other held no ill will toward her, and she too found Yun Yao agreeable to the eye, wishing to grow closer.
Hearing the other call her "Lady Shao" over and over, Shao Zhen felt it sounded too formal and asked her to simply call her Zhen-niang instead.
"Xiaowen, go and bring the chilled soup I iced yesterday and the flower-filled pastries I made."
The sky was clear and bright, and the warm afternoon breeze was pleasant, carrying the fragrance of camellias drifting across the entire courtyard.
Yun Yao looked at the camellia trees all around and guessed, "Zhen-niang, do you like camellias?"
"Mm," Shao Zhen said, and at the mention of it, two rosy blushes bloomed on her cheeks. "My lord knew I loved these flowers, so he personally planted camellias all over the courtyard to win a smile from me."
It was only at this moment that Yun Yao truly realized Shao Zhen was already a married woman, deeply devoted to Tao Wenkan—and moreover, Tao Wenkan and Yun Cheng shared a close bond…
Yun Cheng, who did not like women, had taken an interest in a woman for the first time in his life, and the one he had set his sights on was the wife of his sworn brother.
Judging by Shao Zhen's manner, she was still kept in the dark, regarding him as her benefactor.
Just thinking about the tangled web of relations among the three of them, a spark of keen amusement kindled in Yun Yao's eyes.