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Although she didn't say it explicitly, most people guessed who she was referring to. However, after only a moment of silence, someone immediately replied, "Only she could act like that. She always favors that person and always considers that person first. I don't know why. They are of the same status and position, so why is she so different?"

Su Chen was genuinely confused when he heard the phrase "of the same status and position," but someone quickly came to his aid. "I wonder if Sister Zhenzhu is alright. I heard that the people who went out to search have been looking for her for who knows how long, but there's still no news. She's such a good person, always thinking of others..." The person stopped halfway through their sentence, leaving the rest unsaid.

Hearing this, others couldn't help but chime in, saying, "They were both kidnapped, but I really don't know why Nan came back while Sister Zhenzhu didn't. I heard that quite a few people were sent out, but they still can't find her. How can a girl in her teens be restored to her former glory after disappearing for so many days?"

Hearing this, Su Chen felt a chill in his heart and asked in a low, wooden voice, "Has Princess Zhenzhu been betrothed? What did that family say about it?"

The person who had brought up the topic earlier said, "She's already betrothed to someone; he's the eldest son of Lord Liu, who was previously sent to a post outside the capital." She spoke in a low voice, as if she was reluctant to talk about it.

Who is this Liu, the exiled official? Su Chen pondered for a long time, not being very familiar with the political scene in the capital. Suddenly, a name came to mind, and she exclaimed in shock, "Could it be the eldest son of Liu Jinshan, the exiled official?!" She had no liking for Liu Jinshan and wished she never saw him again. She had heard that he was only good for money and utterly useless, yet he was extremely adept at abusing his power. When he was transferred to Suzhou, the Suzhou military craftsmen caused turmoil, throwing the entire city into chaos. When he was transferred back to the capital, he was impeached for dereliction of duty and embezzlement and was demoted to the frontier as a laborer. Who knew that he would still be dishonest on the frontier, doing some embarrassing and annoying things. If it weren't for his father's influence, this man would never have climbed to his current position.

She only mentioned it, but unexpectedly, there was silence all around. After a long while, someone said, "That's it. I don't know... why they decided to... decide on this family. Sister Zhenzhu was such a good person. It's just a pity."

==

Uh, there are some major plot twists in the last few chapters.

Also, thank you for the pink vote, classmate. I should at least say hello.

Thank you~~(

Chapter Twenty-Five: Stone Carvings

Thunder, a massive thunderstorm, with its own built-in lightning rod.

This post contains a lot of my personal, morbid humor. I apologize in advance to anyone who was offended.

===

The conversation had likely turned to the matter of Princess Zhenzhu, which dampened everyone's spirits, and the atmosphere gradually became rather dull. Before long, Yi Qianxian returned as if nothing had happened. Su Chen looked behind her, saw no one, and asked, "Where is the princess? Didn't she come back with you, Sister Yi?"

Yi Qianxian smiled and said, "The princess is not feeling well, so she will go back first. Let's do our own thing."

Those present seemed to understand something, but no one spoke explicitly. Those who knew each other only whispered amongst themselves. After chatting for a while and having a meal, it was nearly afternoon, and the rest of the people dispersed, either going home or with their mothers. Su Chen, because the Lady of Xiangmin had previously asked her to stay, didn't leave and wanted to remain in the hall. However, after Liu Tinglin gave her a look, she told Yi Qianxian that she would see Liu Tinglin out.

They hadn't gone far when Liu Tinglin found an excuse to dismiss the maids and servants who were following them, and walked ahead with Su Chen at a distance. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then asked, "Is your hand injury not too serious?"

Su Chen stretched out her right hand and opened her palm. A long scar running from the base of her thumb to the end of her palm looked terrifying and frightening in the light. She only opened her palm for a moment before closing it. Liu Tinglin was just a naive girl who had never seen the world, and there was no need to scare her with this.

However, Liu Tinglin only frowned, grabbed Su Chen's hand, examined it carefully, and said, "Did you use your hand to cover your head?" After receiving an affirmative answer, she asked about the situation in detail, and finally said with some shock, "If you hadn't used your hand to cover your head, you would be dead by now."

Although Su Chen had a good impression of Liu Tinglin, he didn't dare to respond. After that night, the entire He family was extremely surprised. Wu Shi was afraid that something might happen to her, so she specially sent several old nannies to comfort her for a long time. The family also kept quiet.

It's clearly inappropriate to comment on this matter.

Liu Tinglin seemed to have noticed something as well. So she skipped over the matter and instead talked about the amusing anecdotes that followed the grand banquet that day. She mentioned that everyone in the family was discussing the evening's entertainment, especially the song and dance composed by Emperor Huizong. She wanted to laugh but didn't. She just held back and said, "Su Chen, you don't know. Everyone outside was saying how unexpected the song and dance were. But privately, they said that the Emperor was probably too busy with state affairs and isolated from the outside world. What he did sounded strange to us. The song was alright. Although it wasn't exactly standard, the melody was there. But did you see the dance? Those actresses were wearing such tight clothes, and the dance looked so strange. The music accompanying the dance was also unusual. It was just bizarre."

"Really? I find that song rather strange. But the dance is acceptable?" Su Chen thought for a moment. "That's it. The song was performed in the style of traditional opera. Although the general structure remained the same—it was still 'Nothing to My Name'—the singer used an operatic approach. People in the Song Dynasty found it familiar and normal, but it felt strange to them. However, the dance, while familiar to them, was strange to them."

The two walked out along the corridor. They talked for a while. Liu Tinglin continued, "Now that I'm saying this, it might be a bit abrupt. However," she bit her lip, "I've lived in the capital since I was little, with my grandmother, just like you, Su Chen. My parents have always been in Suzhou. Although my brother often comes to the capital to keep me company, he doesn't really do much. I'm usually alone, without any sisters to keep me company. Although the girls in the capital are all nice, they all have their own opinions and don't quite understand what I'm thinking here alone. Although I put on a carefree and nonchalant front, I don't dare to say what I'm really thinking."

She paused, then continued, "I saw that you, Su Chen, were also in Suzhou with your brother when you came to the capital. I felt a sense of kinship and wanted to associate with you. Also, since our family has always been on good terms with yours, there's no need to worry about anything else."

We're close friends who can talk to each other. There are some things I need to tell you:

"

Su Chen listened attentively, knowing that the person in front of him was not as naive as he appeared.

As Liu Tinglin walked, she leaned against a pillar along the way, appearing extremely comfortable and carefree. However, her words contradicted her relaxed expression. "Most people in the capital aren't very cunning, but that's just the beginning. Princess Zhenzhu, whom I met today, is no easy character. Since she's entangled with you, she's not someone to be trifled with. She'll keep pestering you until she finds someone else—but you just need to be careful, since she's in the open. But the other person," she turned her head and paused, "I know you know who I'm talking about, so I won't say it outright. You just need to be careful. Her father isn't on the same side as your father and my father. She's not someone to be trifled with either, and she operates in the shadows, always having her own schemes and methods. You need to be careful."

After she finished speaking, seeing several maids walking ahead, she changed the subject and began to talk about the scenery along the way. Su Chen knew that she had gotten along well with half of the two of them, but the other half was due to the friendship between their families. Although what she said was not very useful, it was still a kind gesture, so he remembered this favor and then discussed the flowers and plants in the garden.

Because the exit wasn't far, she was taken to the courtyard entrance in no time. Liu Tinglin smiled and told her to go back, promising to visit the He residence in a few days. Su Chen smiled and agreed, then turned to return to the main hall.

On her way back, Su Chen couldn't find the maids who had led the way, as Liu Tinglin had dismissed them. Completely bewildered, she wandered aimlessly, her mind wandering and her sense of direction growing increasingly confused. Just as she was about to ask someone for directions, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhenzhu Shang's figure.

The ornaments and gorgeous clothes on that side were unmistakable, and Su Chen gritted his teeth. It was better than getting lost here, so he went to look for her. But Zhenzhu Shang turned around and disappeared in the garden on the other side. Su Chen quickly took a few steps to catch up and called out twice, but no one answered. He chased after her all the way to the depths of the garden of the Duke of Xiangmin's mansion, but still couldn't find her.

It's strange. Logically speaking, even though it's a grand banquet today, and everyone should be gathered in the hall with maids to serve them, there should still be some people in the garden to look after things. Why is there no one here? Besides, the banquet is almost over, and most of the guests have left. Why is the garden so deserted?

The flowers and plants clearly look like they've been carefully tended to.

Su Chen turned several corners and eventually got completely lost. There was a pavilion in front of him, so he decided to go in and rest for a while. Just as he was about to enter the pavilion, he saw a large stone standing next to it with some words carved on it.

Out of curiosity, Su Chen leaned over to take a look. She only glanced at it and her first thought was, "Who wrote this? It's so ugly!" Then she suddenly realized something was wrong and looked more closely, and was shocked.

On the smooth surface of the large stone, dozens of characters were deeply carved, their strokes simple. Su Chen first wanted to laugh, but then he felt like crying. This script—perhaps no more than five people in the world could recognize it. It read—

"I want this sky to no longer obscure my vision."

This land can no longer bury my heart.

I want all living beings to understand my will.

May all those Buddhas vanish into thin air!

Simplified Chinese characters, which I haven't seen for a long time. Although they are ugly, they are still recognizable.

==

I saw a quote today that I really liked, so I'm posting it here.

In life, the chances of failure always outweigh the chances of success. Therefore, the key is not to choose a safe path to success, but to choose a path from which you won't regret even if you fail. That is—to do what you want to do and decide what kind of person you want to become.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Flower Farmer

Simplified Chinese characters, which have been absent for a long time; online novels, which have been absent for a long time; all have been absent for a long time.