For a moment, her thoughts ran too deep, and the pastry in her hand seemed less appealing. The half piece left between her fingers suddenly felt difficult to swallow.
Qing Tuan: Hmm, looks like the young lady is full.
“I’ve heard that the scenery in Jiangnan is quite beautiful,” Sheng Xiaoze said after thinking for a moment.
“I’ve recently been assigned a task to go there. Miss Wen, do you have any recommended places?”
Sheng Xiaoze had searched for a topic to start a conversation, but as soon as he spoke, Wen Ninghan smiled.
“Since Wen Ningshuang often mentions me to you, you must know that during my years in Jiangnan, I mostly stayed in the back courtyard, rarely going out. On the few occasions I did, I was either accompanying my aunt to offer incense or just sitting in a carriage on a few streets in Yan City, catching glimpses here and there. As for the scenery of Jiangnan, I really don’t know much about it!”
Not only was Sheng Xiaoze speechless, but even Wen Ningshuang fell silent.
The information contained in Wen Ninghan’s words was so substantial that it left everyone unsure of how to respond.
Of course, this was also because both of them appeared graceful and refined on the surface, but in reality, they were full of schemes. A single sentence from them could be interpreted in a hundred different ways.
If it had been her silly seventh brother, Qin Rongxi, he might have simply retorted.
Wen Ningshuang actually felt a bit awkward because she hadn’t mentioned her legitimate elder sister in front of Sheng Xiaoze.
When she heard him claim that he had previously spoken about her, she immediately assumed he was just protecting her face.
However, now it seemed clear that Sheng Xiaoze’s interest in Wen Ninghan must have existed for some time.
Sheng Xiaoze’s smile remained unchanged.
“Miss Wen, you’re joking. The scenery of Jiangnan is something we’ve all heard of, even here in the capital. Since you’ve spent so many years in Jiangnan, surely there must be some place you’d like to visit, even if you haven’t been to many?”
The question felt a bit intrusive. They weren’t yet close enough to discuss dreams and desires casually, were they?
“There are plenty of places I’d like to visit, but unfortunately…” Wen Ninghan had already wiped her fingers clean, and the remaining half piece of pastry was taken away by Qing Tuan.
She really didn’t feel comfortable putting the leftover food back on the table. Qing Tuan, who had been with Wen Ninghan for many years, understood these small quirks of hers.
Wen Ninghan propped her chin up and gazed at the ripples on the surface of Qu Shui Lake, a hint of wistfulness in her tone as she said,
“It’s a pity I’m no longer in Jiangnan. Now that I’m here in the capital, no matter how beautiful the scenery of Jiangnan is, it has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Sheng Xiaoze: “…”
Wen Ninghan changed the subject with a slight shift in tone.
“If Young Master Sheng’s destination includes Yancheng, then the Qing Shan Temple outside the city is a great place. There’s a street nearby known for its incense offerings, and on the first and fifteenth of each month, it’s especially lively. The street is lined with local delicacies unique to Yancheng, and the taste is quite good.”
It seemed that Wen Ninghan felt it wasn’t quite right to only talk about the food, so after a brief pause, she added,
“The incense at Qing Shan Temple is also very good, and the monks who interpret the omens are quite accurate. The scenery there is lovely as well. The back mountain offers a bit of wilderness charm, and there’s also a plum forest. Every winter, the red plums bloom like fire, and just looking at them…”
Just what?
Sheng Xiaoze and Wen Ningshuang didn’t know what she was trying to say, but Qing Tuan knew.
When Miss described the plum forest in the snow back then, she used the words “delicious” and even added “sweet and fragrant” afterward.
Even Qing Tuan, after tasting the new pastries Miss Wen had worked with the chef to create, the “Plum Fragrance” that was as bright as fire and as soft as snow, sweet and delightful, could no longer look at the plum forest behind Qing Shan Temple in the same way.
Of course, outsiders didn’t know Wen Ninghan’s opinion on the plum forest.
They only knew that the new pastry released by Sihai Tower was not only delicious and beautiful but also sounded elegant, and soon it was sold out.
Just as the conversation between Sheng Xiaoze and Wen Ningshuang, who seemed to be on completely different wavelengths, miraculously continued, suddenly, a series of sharp screams came from not far away.
“Help! Help!”
“Someone’s fallen into the water!”
“Help! Help!”
“Quick, someone save our young lady!”
The sound made Wen Ningshuang immediately confirm that the faint noise she had heard earlier wasn’t an illusion. Someone really had fallen into the water?
Wen Ningshuang stood up.
“Sister.”
Wen Ningshuang had wanted to say something, but when Wen Ninghan suddenly gave her a look, her originally round and cute eyes—usually harmless even when glaring—now carried a sharpness that made Wen Ningshuang freeze in place.
In that moment, she didn’t understand why, but her mind went completely blank, and she completely forgot what she had intended to say.
By the time she regained her composure, Wen Ninghan and Qing Tuan had already left the pavilion and were walking briskly toward the source of the shouting.
Wen Ningshuang looked at Sheng Xiaoze somewhat helplessly.
Sheng Xiaoze offered a calming smile, his gentle eyes instantly alleviating Wen Ningshuang’s anxiety.
“We should go take a look as well.”
After all, this was the Princess Hui Ling’s flower viewing banquet. No matter who caused trouble here, it wouldn’t be a small matter.
The panicked voices just now were clear to Sheng Xiaoze as well. The identity of the young lady who had fallen into the water was still unknown.
Luckily, this is by the Qushui Lake, not in a secluded spot, so the maids’ screams quickly spread. Soon, a rough servant woman hurried over and rescued the young lady who had fallen into the water.
But Wen Ninghan’s focus is not on the young lady who seemed to be fine after falling into the water.
Instead, the screams had triggered her thoughts, reminding her of some details she hadn’t paid much attention to before.
Or rather, the sudden scream had automatically filled in certain gaps in the logic of the plot in her mind.
In the original storyline, Wen Ninghan did not exist—she should have passed away early on—and only Wen Ningshuang was involved in the story.
Therefore, without her presence, Princess Huiling would naturally not have sent this invitation to Wen Ningshuang. But the Fifth Prince, Sheng Xiaoze, made arrangements for Wen Ningshuang.
At this flower appreciation banquet, the most significant incident was the unfortunate drowning of Princess Huiling’s young nephew from her maternal family.
Princess Huiling is the daughter of Prince Cheng and the only daughter of the late Princess Consort Cheng.
Although the Princess Consort Cheng passed away early, she was the niece of the current Empress Dowager from her maternal family and a young lady of the Duke of Rong’s household.
Despite the troubles in Prince Cheng’s residence, Princess Huiling, under the care of the Empress Dowager, did not suffer much and instead developed an arrogant and domineering personality.
As for the nephew involved in the incident, he was the youngest son of the heir of the Duke of Rong. Clever and adorable from a young age, he was especially cherished by Princess Huiling.
This child, being clever, managed to slip away from the servants and sneak into the Autumn Chrysanthemum Courtyard to join the festivities. No one even noticed the presence of this little one.
After someone fell into Qushui Lake, the scene descended into chaos and noise, making it even harder to realize that amidst the commotion, the little one had accidentally fallen into the lake as well.
It was only later, when the terrified servants, who had lost their young master, knelt before the heir of the Duke of Rong in fear, that they discovered the little one was missing.
Several families searched everywhere, and it was only in a corner of Qushui Lake that they found the little one’s fallen jade pendant.
They nearly drained the entire lake before finally discovering the little one’s body, wedged in a corner near the rockery by the lake.
This incident caused a huge uproar.
It was only then that Wen Ninghan realized the tragedy involving the little one had occurred during this very flower appreciation banquet!
Everyone gathered around, but Wen Ninghan stayed on the outskirts, carefully searching for clues.
In the storyline, it only mentioned chaos and a corner, without specifying which corner. Furthermore, the Duchess of the Duke of Rong’s heir suspected that this wasn’t an accident.
However, no additional clues were found at the scene, and in the end, the matter was left unresolved. By the time the little one’s body was discovered three days later, any traces or evidence at the scene had already disappeared.
Wen Ninghan could only deduce that the spot where the little one fell wouldn’t be too far from the commotion.
Since the child had snuck into the princess’s residence to join the excitement, it was likely near where the activity was happening.
Qingtuan had no idea what her mistress was looking for. While accompanying Wen Ninghan, she kept an eye on the lively scene nearby.
From the intermittent and overlapping voices, she could roughly piece together that the young lady who fell into the water hadn’t done so by accident—it was the result of a conflict with someone, which caused her to fall from Qushui Bridge.
Now, the crowd watching the commotion had gathered around. Since the one who fell into the water was a young lady, the young gentlemen were at least mindful enough to avoid lingering too long. They left in small groups, leaving behind a crowd of young ladies still eager to find out exactly what had happened.
Princess Huiling was visibly annoyed. While it was true that she enjoyed hosting gatherings and organizing banquets—watching handsome men and beautiful women engage in lively conversation was a delight—this was not the kind of excitement she had expected.
Ordinary people were well aware of Princess Huiling’s temper. If any mishap occurred at her flower appreciation banquet, she wouldn’t care who was at fault—anyone who displeased her could be blacklisted and cut off socially.
Just like Wen Ningshuang, who couldn’t receive an invitation to the princess’s banquet but managed to attend by using someone else’s.
In more severe cases, some might even be permanently barred from stepping foot into the princess’s residence again.
In the blink of an eye, Wen Ninghan strolled back to the lakeside.
Her unusual movements and behavior had already drawn the attention of many. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
“I found it!”
