Xu Mingyue was unaware that Feng Jinlin had returned home and was being proposed to by Cao Sanlang.
After returning to her small courtyard from the academy, she stayed in her room and did not go out.
Feng Jinyao brought some pastries to find her and saw that she looked like she had something to say but hesitated.
"Speak, what's wrong?"
"You knew your second brother's intentions long ago, didn't you?"
Feng Jinyao was first stunned, then a smile spread across her face. "Did he tell you?"
"Mm."
Xu Mingyue nodded helplessly. In front of Feng Jinlin, she naturally acted very reserved, but now she revealed her true feelings as a young woman.
Feng Jinyao pushed the pastries in front of her, encouraging her to eat and talk.
Xu Mingyue had no appetite, so she simply recounted what Feng Jinlin had confessed that afternoon.
After listening, Feng Jinyao teased her, "You don't even fancy someone like my second brother?"
"It's not that I don't fancy him, it's just..." Before she could finish speaking, she realized she seemed to have been tricked by Feng Jinyao, and playfully threatened to hit her.
"Alright, I'm not joking with you anymore. I'm asking seriously, Sister Xu, do you have any feelings for my second brother?"
This question silenced Xu Mingyue. After a moment, she replied.
"I never thought about it, so if you ask me now, I can only say no."
Xu Mingyue was not hiding anything, and Feng Jinyao admired this the most.
"But that doesn't stop you from having feelings for him now, does it?"
Feng Jinyao's words plunged Xu Mingyue into thought again, and then, as if guided by an unseen force, she nodded.
At least from their interactions over this period, she had never felt repulsed by Feng Jinlin, nor had she been dissatisfied with him.
Sensing Xu Mingyue's wavering, Feng Jinyao immediately said.
"Actually, many of us knew that second brother had feelings for you. Do you remember the Lantern Festival? He offered to escort you home, and that's when I noticed his feelings. Mother felt the same, so she and Father discussed whether to inform Elder Grand Tutor first, but they were afraid you might look down on his usual carefree demeanor. That's why when he placed third in the imperial examination, he sought a favor from His Majesty to handle his own marriage affairs from then on. I guess he was planning to talk to you about it then, but it was delayed by the transfer order to Jinling City. Who knew you two would meet again by chance here, so I'm not surprised that second brother confessed."
Listening to Feng Jinyao speak, Xu Mingyue vaguely felt that it was indeed so.
But at the time, she thought Feng Jinlin was merely acting out of concern for his sister's friend and had offered to escort her home, and didn't think much of it.
In subsequent meetings, there were often outsiders present, and he hadn't acted too obviously.
Moreover, her grandfather had explicitly stated long ago that her future marriage was her own decision, and if she didn't agree, she wouldn't marry even if the heavens willed it!
But she had been so busy with academy matters that she had neither the time nor the inclination to think about these things, which was why it had been delayed until today.
Seeing her expression soften, Feng Jinyao seized the opportunity.
"Sister Xu, I can't guarantee anything else, but my second brother's feelings for you are truly pure. Do you know how I discovered Liang Pan and Wei Lanxuan's affair?"
Xu Mingyue was surprised; she didn't know about this.
"Second brother discovered it. At Grandmother's birthday banquet, Liang Pan sneakily went to see Wei Lanxuan's maid. He found out and reminded me. On the day the Wei family hosted a banquet, I also told my cousin about it. Even without the incident of falling into the water, we would have schemed to let you see them meeting in secret."
Feng Jinyao was not afraid of tarnishing her own reputation and immediately revealed this matter.
Xu Mingyue stared at her blankly. Feng Jinyao thought she was going to talk about herself, but instead, she saw her smile, a look of relief in her expression.
"I never had any feelings about the marriage to the Liang family, which is why I made such a fuss after Wei Lanxuan fell into the water. To be honest, I do feel a bit sorry for Wei Lanxuan."
Her reputation had suffered considerably because of it. Although she and Liang Pan did have some private feelings for each other, their intentions were not exactly honorable either; it was merely going with the flow.
The two women exchanged a smile, burying this little secret deep within their hearts.
"You've only talked about me, what about you? Have you ever understood your feelings for the Prince?"
Xu Mingyue was a decisive person. Once she made up her mind, she wouldn't dwell on it.
Therefore, she intended to accept Feng Jinlin.
But Feng Jinyao, who had the same "trouble," seemed to be still playing hard to get.
Feng Jinyao hadn't expected her to bring up this topic and said evasively, "Sister Xu, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"At this point, I don't want to hide it anymore. Old Master Min and my grandfather have been friends for decades. They met in their youth, and my grandfather's ability to travel to the capital to take the imperial examinations was thanks to Old Master Min's financial support. However, their friendship was not widely known. Old Master Min never used it to ask my grandfather for favors, and my grandfather poured all his affection for his friend into doting on Prince Ding.
Xu Mingyue's words were something Feng Jinyao had never imagined.
She didn't even know that Prince Ding and the Xu family had such a close relationship; it was clear that this information had been kept very secret!
"Do you remember? Back then, Grandfather sent you many good things under the guise of rescuing a cat, but those were actually prepared by the Prince. My grandfather merely lent his name.
Feng Jinyao was dumbfounded. "I knew it, Elder Grand Tutor has always been incorruptible, how could he have so many good things!"
Xu Mingyue pursed her lips and chuckled. "More than that. When Uncle was injured, the Purple Jade Dew I sent was also sent by the Prince. Didn't I tell you back then that it was a gift from a good friend of Grandfather's in Jiangnan? In reality, it was just using Old Master Min as an excuse."
Hearing this, Feng Jinyao felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.
She recalled Steward Shou's attitude towards her, his care for everyone in the Feng family, how he had Yang Zhao help her at Prince Kang's mansion when Cousin Bai was in danger, and his behind-the-scenes maneuvering in the Wen family's affairs, as well as everything that happened in Jinling City. It was impossible for Feng Jinyao not to be moved.
For the first time, she felt a pang of guilt.
She had harbored intentions of using Yin Canwen from the very beginning. Even though he had been kind to the Feng family while taking care of Yun He, she had not given up on using him to retaliate against the Wen family.
Therefore, she had to quickly cut off Yin Canwen's feelings for her; not giving him false hope was the greatest protection for him.
As for Prince Ding, Xiao Tingyi, she had never intended to get involved with him from the start. If it weren't for the Wen family's affairs, she would never have had any connection with him.
But this connection, at some point, had become intricately woven into every aspect of her life.
By the time she realized it, even outsiders had already sided with Xiao Tingyi.