On the flower-patterned window, the oil lamp stretched the shadows of two standing figures to great lengths.
Lin Chan looked at Ji Chongwang, her brows and eyes carrying a faint sorrow.
Facing the man’s cold questioning, her clenched fists slowly relaxed, then tightened again, and then relaxed. It seemed like something she had been suppressing for a long time suddenly erupted at this moment. She met Ji Chongwang’s gaze with teary eyes and a smile, “Yes, I deliberately lost her. So what? Ji Yueshan, you wronged me back then!”
Their eyes met, and a ripple appeared on Ji Chongwang’s usually calm face, “Where exactly did you send her?”
Lin Chan just stiffened her neck and looked at him. In this long gaze confrontation, it seemed to evoke a past that neither wanted to mention again.
Twenty years ago, during the Xianzhen era, the eunuch party had not yet reached the height of their power, but there were signs of their overreach. Thus, Emperor Xianzhen suppressed the eunuch party and turned to favor the scholars. At that time, anyone with real talent was highly valued.
It was a golden age for scholars, and more and more scholars wanted to join the court through the imperial examination. Ji Chongwang was one of them.
At that time, Lin Chan’s father served in the Hanlin Academy, with countless students under him. Among them, the one he favored most was Ji Chongwang.
Lin Chan often heard this name but didn’t pay much attention. As a young lady from a noble family in her prime, she was proud and looked down on no one.
The first time Lin Chan saw Ji Chongwang was outside her father’s study.
In the scorching summer, with the cicadas chirping and birds singing, a young man in a plain but clean white thin shirt stood under the corridor, holding a stack of books. The sunlight fell on his high nose, giving him a faint halo.
He merely cupped his hands towards her and walked past her with such grace and dignity, neither servile nor overbearing.
Perhaps it was the right moment, or perhaps she was bewitched by his handsome face, but ultimately, the story fell into the cliché—Lin Chan fell for him.
The youngest lady of the Lin family, who had been pampered all her life, had looks and family background. Even in a place like the capital, teeming with beauties, she had many admirers. This was the first time she lowered herself to pursue someone else.
But unexpectedly, she ended up defeated. Despite her repeated gestures of goodwill, Ji Chongwang’s heart remained unmoved. Lin Chan even suspected that his heart was made of stone, until later she discovered that Ji Chongwang was not heartless; he had long had someone in his heart and even a verbal engagement.
That woman was named You Daiyue, a famous dancer from Fanan County. Though trapped in the world of pleasure, she refused to serve men, with commendable pride.
When Ji Chongwang missed his exams twice because he couldn’t pay to smooth relations, he went to the music hall dejectedly and drank himself into a stupor. When he was about to give up, it was You Daiyue who encouraged him.
Later, it was also she who spent all her savings over the years to support him in taking the exams in the capital.
During his last days in Fanan County, he would listen to You Daiyue play the qin and watch her dance. He stood up for her when she was harassed and comforted her gently. One could say that Ji Chongwang’s patience and tenderness were entirely devoted to You Daiyue during that time. In return, she accompanied him through long nights, reading by lamplight.
Their hearts were in harmony, with mutual affection.
Ji Chongwang vowed that once he achieved success and fame, he would redeem her from her servitude, free her from her constraints, and marry her in a grand ceremony.
Lin Chan could not comprehend such a bond formed in humble circumstances. She found it baffling and thought Ji Chongwang was mad.
According to her father, Ji Chongwang was destined for greatness and high rank. How could he marry a dancer as his wife? Wouldn’t that make the entire capital laugh?
Mockery was minor; it was the impact on his career that mattered.
But perhaps because he had not yet entered officialdom, no matter how Lin Chan broke down the implications and laid them before him, he remained unmoved. He believed that being an official depended on ability and achievements, and whom he married would not matter at all.
Lin Chan was infuriated.
She began to plead with her father to sabotage Ji Chongwang’s academic progress and block his path to the imperial exams, hoping to force him to abandon the dancer and marry her instead. After all, for an ambitious but impoverished scholar like Ji Chongwang, his career was more important than his life.
Lin Chan saw nothing wrong in doing this, and she ultimately got her wish. She married him, and Ji Chongwang indeed, as her father predicted, steadily rose through the ranks.
As time passed, the couple reconciled their differences and enjoyed a period of marital harmony. But at that time, Lin Chan did not know that after her father’s intervention, Ji Chongwang had become well-versed in the ways of officialdom. His kindness towards her was merely a calculated facade.
Lin Chan was ensnared in the gentle deceit woven by Ji Chongwang, or perhaps she was lost in her own delusions, thus underestimating Ji Chongwang’s feelings for You Daiyue.
He remained entangled with You Daiyue—not just entangled, but deeply involved.
Ji Chongwang redeemed You Daiyue from her servitude and placed her in a small estate in Fanan County. He kept his marriage a secret from her and even performed a wedding ceremony with her, having everything but an official document.
They lived as husband and wife, in name and deed.
But hearts are fickle, and original intentions are hard to keep.
Or perhaps, since Ji Chongwang could abandon You Daiyue once for his career, it was inevitable that he would do so again. As his career progressed smoothly, his ambitions grew, leaving less room for love. At a certain rank, any weakness that could be exploited by others could ruin him.
You Daiyue became a potential vulnerability.
Gradually, he stopped visiting You Daiyue, who thought he was still preparing for the exams and sensibly did not disturb him.
What Ji Chongwang did not know was that You Daiyue was pregnant.
It wasn’t until Lin Chan discovered everything and confronted You Daiyue that she realized You Daiyue was already five months pregnant. You Daiyue had kept it a secret, fearing that it would distract Ji Chongwang and cause him to fail his exams. Ironically, Lin Chan was also pregnant, but in the most unstable first trimester.
Both women were devastated, but Lin Chan suffered a miscarriage.
The doctor said that Lin Chan’s health had been seriously compromised, making future pregnancies unlikely. As a result, You Daiyue and her unborn child naturally became the targets of Lin Chan’s resentment. Lin Chan wanted to kill them to vent her anger!
However, she realized that the household would eventually take in several concubines, who would bear children, leaving her without any offspring. After much contemplation, she set her sights on You Daiyue’s child.
Lin Chan hired a midwife to take care of You Daiyue, but the real purpose was to keep a close watch on her until she gave birth.
It was a snowy winter day when the baby’s cry rang out. The entire courtyard caught fire, leaving You Daiyue and the midwife to struggle in the flames.
Lin Chan later discovered that Ji Chongwang had no heart at all.
He loved You Daiyue, yet when he realized she was a hindrance to his career, he set fire to her and their newborn child without a second thought. His ruthless decisiveness shocked even Lin Chan, who had also wished for You Daiyue’s death.
But no one expected the midwife to be moved by compassion for You Daiyue. Pitying her for losing her child, the midwife concealed the fact that You Daiyue had given birth to twin girls!
She only gave the elder child to Lin Chan!
Miraculously, the fire did not kill You Daiyue or the other child. Nine years later, after You Daiyue’s death, the child followed her mother’s last wishes and sought out the Ji family.
She looked exactly like Ji Yuyao. You Daiyue had named her Ji Yuluo.
Lin Chan was stunned, and Ji Chongwang, although outwardly calm, was undoubtedly anxious inside.
Clearly, no one welcomed her arrival.
At that time, the political situation was volatile, and Ji Chongwang was in a precarious position. The sudden appearance of a child who looked identical to his eldest daughter would undoubtedly arouse suspicion among the keen-eyed officials in the court, regardless of the excuse given. Such matters could not withstand scrutiny.
Moreover, an eight-year-old child knew too much, posing a significant risk if kept nearby.
Thus, the child who arrived quietly was sent away just as quietly.
However, Lin Chan’s hatred for You Daiyue ran deep. She had always been pained by the loss of her first child, and even the later fortunate pregnancy with Ji Xianyu couldn’t fill that void.
To find solace, she tormented You Daiyue’s daughter. Over the years, Ji Yuyao’s life in the household had never been easy. But the girl before her, who looked exactly like Ji Yuyao, was even less agreeable. When Lin Chan reached out to grab her, the girl bit her hand fiercely, nearly tearing the flesh from her hand!
In a fit of rage, Lin Chan threw her into the Qianfang Pavilion, where the carriages passed by, condemning her to the same fate as her mother—equally lowly and miserable!
…
The wind picked up.
The candle flames flickered with a “hiss,” casting twisted shadows on the window panes.
Ji Chongwang clenched his fist, finally slamming it down on the table. He rarely let his emotions show, but now his voice trembled, “Are you out of your mind?! Have you ever thought that if she ever finds her way back to the Ji family, she might expose everything?! Throwing her into a place like that, you might as well have killed her cleanly!”
Lin Chan bit her lip and trembled. She had regretted it later on. Over the years, she had been anxious whenever she thought about it, fearing exactly what Ji Chongwang was saying—that if the girl ever returned to the Ji family…
But it had been nine years, and nothing had happened. Lin Chan said, “I’ve looked into it. That child hasn’t been there for a long time. She might have been too wild to tame and was sold off to human traffickers. She’s probably long dead.”
Ji Chongwang rubbed his brow wearily, pointing at her, unable to speak for a long time.
A shadow flitted past the window, disappearing into a small, tree-lined path behind the estate.
The path was cold and eerie. The Ji family’s villa had been abandoned for a long time. The only gatekeeper, an old woman, was negligent, letting the weeds grow and the dead branches litter the ground, each step producing a creaking sound.
Chaolu hurried to catch up. She looked at the person ahead, opened her mouth, then closed it again, wanting to offer comfort but unsure if it was needed. Finally, she carefully said, “Miss…”
At the sound of her voice, the person ahead abruptly stopped. Before Chaolu could react, she was pulled behind a large tree by her collar.
Just as she was about to speak, a hand covered her mouth.
Chaolu’s eyes widened as she heard a creak. A figure in a black cloak stepped on a dead branch right where they had paused. The hand covering Chaolu’s mouth suddenly released, and the person in front of her swiftly moved towards the cloaked figure. The black-cloaked figure reacted quickly, turning to evade, but before he could set foot down, a blade was at his throat, and he froze.
Chaolu, carrying a sword case, followed, furious. “Who are you?”
The wide brim of the man’s hat slipped down, obscuring his features in the night, but his voice was familiar. Facing the direction of the blade at his throat, he respectfully said, “Miss Yuluo, my master requests your presence.”
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