Lin Ruoyan was taken aback by the question, wondering why a bracelet would elicit such a strong reaction.
She struggled to pull her wrist free and said softly, "I bought it myself."
Lin Yanxi put down her chopsticks and stood up from her stool, her face grave. "Are you still going to lie to me? Where did you buy it? This is fine-quality jade, entirely translucent. Where can you buy something like this? Can you afford it!"
This was the bracelet the Crown Prince had given Lin Yanxi when they were engaged in their previous life. The jade was special. Besides having an excellent translucency and a lustrous sheen, it had a hint of purple within the green, making it look very unique and perfectly suited for a young woman.
Lin Ruoyan felt wronged by the questions, her eyes welling up. So what if it was from the Crown Prince? Her elder sister had always harbored deep prejudice against him.
Seeing her two daughters arguing, Lin Ze quickly intervened. "Alright, alright, it's just a jade bracelet, it's no big deal."
Lin Yanxi immediately countered, "Father! This jade bracelet was a gift from the Crown Prince! Tell me, how far have things progressed between you two?"
Upon hearing it was a gift from the Crown Prince, Lin Ze's gaze became complex.
Lin Ruoyan shifted uncomfortably and cried, "We're just friends."
The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. She had been overjoyed to see her sister upon her return, but her sister? She was fixated on a bracelet, questioning her relentlessly. Moreover, the Crown Prince was not the kind of person her sister imagined.
Lin Yanxi calmed down, but her expression remained icy. "Fine, if you are friends, then such a precious bracelet should be returned. Take it off, and I'll help you return it tomorrow."
"Also, stop getting close to the Crown Prince. He is not as gentle and kind as you see him." Her tone grew anxious, and her voice rose. "Promise me you will have no further contact with the Crown Prince."
The mere thought of the Crown Prince setting his sights on Ruoyan, and her subsequently returning to the unbearable life she had once endured, made Lin Yanxi lose control of her emotions. In this rebirth, she wanted to protect her family from the Crown Prince's harm, but it always seemed to go against her wishes.
Ruoyan covered the bracelet with one hand. "Then, Sister, tell me, who should I associate with? Why can you like Shen Muzhou? He is a brutal prince that the people of Nan Min all shun. Can you be sure he is the person you see him to be?"
"Mother repeatedly told you not to associate with Shen Muzhou before she passed away, did you listen? Father also told you to stay away from Shen Muzhou, did you listen?"
"I will not return this bracelet unless the Crown Prince asks for it back himself."
Lin Yanxi was momentarily speechless, rendered unable to retort.
After speaking, Ruoyan turned and ran out of the courtyard, feeling wronged. Lin Yanxi wanted to chase after her, but Lin Ze stopped her. "Let Ruoyan calm down first. When you were away, she talked about you every day. She was most happy when you returned, yet you greeted her with a cold face and kept interrogating her about the bracelet."
"Father, don't you understand? The Crown Prince doesn't trust you, so he wants to control you through the daughters of the Grand Tutor's residence. He couldn't succeed with me, so he's set his sights on my younger sister!" Lin Yanxi couldn't understand why her father, such a wise man, was so muddled on this matter.
Lin Ze stood up from his stool and, without addressing the Crown Prince issue further, said, "I'll go persuade Ruoyan. You shouldn't go."
There was a hint of displeasure in his voice. He rarely spoke to Lin Yanxi with such a cold expression. She was taken aback and no longer insisted.
Later that evening, Lin Yanxi went to Wanxin Pavilion alone. She hadn't entered this courtyard since Jiang Wan's death. Every plant and tree still maintained its vibrant, original appearance.
Lin Ruoyan's words, spoken in anger and unintentionally, struck Lin Yanxi to the core. It seemed she had always been the one her mother worried about the most. If she had listened to her mother back then, would everything have been different? She felt her mother's state of mind through Lin Ruoyan.
Her steps halted before a darkened room. After a moment's hesitation, she pushed the door open and walked in. The room was scented with the floral fragrance favored by young girls. Behind a pink gauze curtain stood a carved four-poster bed.
The little girl on the bed was curled up under the covers, whimpering softly. Lin Yanxi tiptoed in and lifted the quilt. A pitiable little figure lay crying beneath, her face streaked with tears.
Lin Yanxi gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and said softly, "I'm sorry, second sister spoke too harshly."
Lin Ruoyan threw her arms around her pitifully and wailed, "Sister."
Lin Yanxi sighed and said slowly and earnestly, "Do you want to know why sister hates the Crown Prince?"
She nodded, waiting for Lin Yanxi to continue.
"Sister had a dream. In the dream, I married the Crown Prince. On the surface, he was benevolent and virtuous, but in reality, he took pleasure in bullying women. At the end of the dream, he ascended the throne as he wished, then framed the Grand Tutor's residence. All one hundred and sixteen people died by his sword. But you know what? Everything in the dream came true, except this time I didn't marry the Crown Prince. I still have a chance to change the outcome of the dream."
This was the first time Lin Yanxi had spoken of her past life in such a casual manner, yet her heart felt as if an scabbed wound had been ripped open again, causing her immense pain.
Lin Ruoyan's crying gradually stopped. Her eyes, now red-rimmed, looked at Lin Yanxi. It was hard to imagine the misunderstanding between her second sister and the Crown Prince was so deep, casting such a shadow over Lin Yanxi and causing her nightmares every night.
"So, Ruoyan, I cannot stand by and watch you jump into a fire pit. Can you trust your sister, just this once? I know the Crown Prince is handsome and speaks gently. He will surely come up with a reasonable excuse to explain everything to you. But no matter what he says, he wants to use you to control the Grand Tutor's residence. While your feelings for him are not deep yet, listen to your sister and stop meeting him."
Looking at Lin Yanxi's worried eyes, she remained silent for a long time. She took off the bracelet on her wrist and placed it in Lin Yanxi's hand. She lowered her gaze and nodded. As she nodded, a tear slid down her cheek. She didn't want her sister to live in the shadows of the past any longer. If stopping contact with the Crown Prince could bring her sister peace of mind, then she felt she could do it.
Lin Yanxi smiled with relief and embraced Lin Ruoyan. "Ruoyan, I truly hope you can be safe and happy."
For some reason, whenever Ruoyan thought about no longer being able to contact the Crown Prince, tears would stream down her face, even though she hadn't known him for a long time.
For the next two days, Lin Yanxi stayed in the residence with Ruoyan. She truly didn't seek out the Crown Prince again, though sometimes, when alone, she would think of the man in white, as gentle as jade.
Jiang Mingsheng had climbed into the Grand Tutor's residence twice in these two days looking for Lin Yanxi. Worried that Jiang Mingsheng might be discovered, she had deliberately reduced the number of guards in the courtyard.
Seeing her constantly looking behind him, Jiang Mingsheng narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Stop looking. Only your master is here."
Lin Yanxi's face flushed as her thoughts were exposed. "I don't understand what you're talking about." She didn't care if Shen Muzhou was here or not. She was concerned about the whereabouts of the jade talisman.
He unceremoniously lounged in the rocking chair, crossing his legs. "Yesterday, a Princess Chaoyang came looking for him. She said His Majesty wanted to bestow a marriage upon her and that brat Shen Yu. Why was she crying and making a fuss with Shen Muzhou about the bestowed marriage?"
"He left early this morning. I heard Princess Chaoyang invited him, and he went into the palace."
Lin Yanxi's slender fingers gripped the ancient book, her knuckles turning white. Her expression seemed unchanged, but a ripple stirred in her eyes.
Jiang Mingsheng, being rather oblivious, didn't notice her inner turmoil. Seeing she had fallen silent, he quickly comforted her. "Don't worry, I'm here to watch over the residence for you. He can't run away."
Her eyes were clear and bright. She said indignantly, "Who cares? What does it have to do with me?"
"Hey, that's not right. Shen Muzhou is sincere towards you. Your master can see that."
She frowned, clearly not wanting to discuss this matter further. Her master didn't understand; his sincerity had already been given to someone else.
Lin Yanxi had exceptional talent. Jiang Mingsheng only pointed out a few things, and she could already control some minor talisman techniques, no longer needing to exert herself to control them. She could use them with ease.
Before she could feel happy, a head嬷嬷 (wet nurse/confidante) serving the Empress came to the residence to summon Lin Yanxi to the palace.
The Empress appeared dignified and virtuous, seemingly detached from worldly affairs. Lin Yanxi knew all too well the Empress's methods. She was the one who had been secretly supporting the Crown Prince in his wicked deeds. In her previous life, her aunt's inability to conceive was also related to her. After the young prince was born, he contracted smallpox and nearly died. All of this was her doing.
As she rode in the sedan chair towards the palace, Lin Yanxi secretly slipped some silver to the 嬷嬷 and asked softly, "嬷嬷, may I ask what important matter the Empress has summoned this humble one for?"
The 嬷嬷 glanced at her, subtly palming the silver into her sleeve. She said in a low voice, "Miss, please rest assured, it is merely a family banquet. His Ninth Highness will also be present."
Hearing that Shen Muzhou would be there, her worried heart eased somewhat.
The Grand Tutor's residence was very close to the palace. The carriage took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before they arrived at the palace gates. The 嬷嬷 helped Lin Yanxi alight from the carriage and led the way. She didn't speak much to Lin Yanxi along the way.
Upon reaching the gates of Yaohua Palace, the 嬷嬷 brought Lin Yanxi into the hall. The Empress warmly said, "Quick, come in and sit."
The Empress sat in the main seat. To one side were Shen Muzhou and Luo Jingxin, and to the other side was an empty seat. Lin Yanxi paid her respects to the Empress and sat opposite them.
Shen Muzhou sat coolly and aloofly in his seat, his expression unreadable. When Lin Yanxi looked at him, he didn't return her gaze.
Luo Jingxin was dressed as luxuriously as ever, with pearl ornaments adorning her hair. She shyly lowered her eyes.
"Yanxi, among the noble ladies in the capital, I dote on you the most. Although your intellect was once dull, your heart is pure, and you are well-behaved and sensible. When I heard you had regained your senses, I was overjoyed and bestowed many gifts upon your residence. Did you like them?"
Lin Yanxi gracefully walked from her seat to the center. "I liked them."
Could it be that because she had broken off the engagement, the Empress intended to make things difficult for her? She anxiously looked at Shen Muzhou again. His deep brown eyes dimmed slightly as he looked at her, giving her a bad premonition.
The Empress, with a smile that concealed a dagger, continued to scrutinize her. "Since you liked them, why did you break off the engagement with the Crown Prince? Are you dissatisfied with me in some other way? Or are you unhappy with my Yun'er?"
As she spoke, her phoenix eyes exuded an oppressive aura, intimidating everyone present.