Plum, orchid, bamboo, or chrysanthemum—any of them would be enough to drive her crazy.

Fourth Master Jiang almost laughed at her response, but he held it back. “No, pick one from those four. Finish it, then you can leave.”

He had to come up with some way to keep her occupied, or else she’d keep running off to the west side of the city.

Once she finished one of those four, next time, she’d have to pick from the remaining three.

And when she finished those, there would always be more flowers and plants to embroider.

No young man would dare to steal his daughter away so soon!

Jiang Rao’s face turned ashen.

She feared she might never see the outside world again.

…

Though hope seemed slim, she still had to try.

It was raining lightly outside, and since she couldn’t go out anyway, she figured she might as well spend the whole day embroidering—it had to be finished eventually.

Once the rain stopped, she’d have the chance to go out. Perfect.

As she picked up the needle, she tried to motivate herself.

An hour later—

She no longer wanted to try.

Jiang Rao stared blankly at the needle, thread, and fabric in front of her.

Across from her was the most skilled embroiderer in the household.

With nimble hands, the embroiderer threaded the needle and soon, the fabric seemed to come alive.

Jiang Rao: Her brain thought it had learned, but her hands disagreed.

Seeing that Jiang Rao wasn’t getting anywhere with her embroidery, the embroiderer took the fabric from her, saying, “Master had already anticipated this. He specially told me that if the young lady couldn’t make anything of it, I should go ahead and embroider the patterns on the cloth. You can just add some stitches to finish it off.”

Jiang Rao immediately felt much lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Her father had become unexpectedly sharp-tongued yet soft-hearted lately, and she was still adjusting to it.

While waiting for the embroiderer to add the pattern, Jiang Rao unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

In her dream, the second and third branches of the Jiang family were taken away by the officials, and the entire courtyard was filled with crying people.

Jiang Rao couldn’t help but laugh in her dream.

The second and third branches of her family had never had a good relationship with hers. When she woke up, the embroiderer, holding a piece of fabric embroidered with green bamboo shapes, asked, “Miss, what kind of dream did you have? You were laughing the whole time.”

Jiang Rao chuckled softly, “A pleasant dream.”

There was nothing more satisfying than dreaming of someone you disliked getting their comeuppance.

But as she lingered on the thought, something vaguely bothered her.

At first, her dream had been of the entire Jiang family—men stripped of their titles and women sold into slavery.

But the dream she had just now…

It wasn’t just the second and third branches being taken away; it was her entire family. Had the dream simply skipped over the part where her own family was captured?

Jiang Rao felt a chill run through her. As she tried to recall the dream more clearly, she realized the family was accused of colluding with remnants of the Qing faction.

Thinking about the timeline, it would likely happen when the new emperor ascended to the throne—perhaps they’d been aligned with the wrong side.

Could it be that the entire Jiang family was doomed?

She had never paid much attention to political affairs.

If she wanted to ask someone, she could only turn to her father.

Fourth Master Jiang found it strange that Jiang Rao was suddenly interested in politics, but since his daughter came to him for a chat instead of running off to see that troublesome boy in the West City, he was more than willing to indulge her. He would have happily talked her ear off for three days and nights.

But when he realized that Jiang Rao’s question was about which of the current princes had the best chance of being crowned heir to the throne, he fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice low. “This matter, I can’t say for certain, and I definitely shouldn’t speak carelessly about it.”

He leaned in, his tone dropping to a whisper. “Let me tell you something in secret. The current emperor is still in his prime, devoted entirely to state affairs. He only has a few hours of rest each day. His harem has over a hundred consorts, and there are nearly twenty children. With such little time, I doubt he even knows all his sons by name. As for the tradition of the Great Zhao, it’s always been that the most capable, not the eldest son, is chosen. But right now, I don’t think the emperor even knows which of his sons has the real talent.”

Fourth Master Jiang’s usual image as a father who worried constantly for his daughter faded, replaced by a wise and steady expression. “If, within the next ten years, there’s a disaster or a war, the emperor will have a chance to see which of his sons has the ability. That’s when the true heir will reveal themselves. But otherwise…”

He narrowed his eyes and said, “Even the title of a minor lord in our Ning’an Marquisate is fought over so fiercely that some would go as far as killing their own brothers to claim it. Rao Rao, how much more alluring do you think the throne is compared to a mere title?”

“But if there are disasters and wars…” Jiang Rao frowned. “The common people will suffer terribly.”

Fourth Master Jiang ruffled her hair affectionately, his gaze softening. “Changes in the throne, shifts in power… it’s inevitable that there will be bloodshed. But don’t worry, Rao Rao. Your father has the means to protect our family and keep us safe.”

Jiang Rao stared deeply at her father.

In her dreams, the Jiang family was anything but safe and sound.

But hearing her father’s description, it seemed he had no intention of getting involved in the power struggles at court. When the new emperor ascended the throne and began purging, it was likely only due to the misfortunes brought about by her father’s brothers.

Once they returned to Jinling, she’d have to find a way to prevent the Jiang family from siding with the Fourth Prince’s faction.

…

Just as she was mulling over these thoughts, she heard her father’s voice from above, “Rao Rao, now you understand why I’ve been blocking your marriage to the Ninth Prince, right?”

Still caught up in her concerns for the family and the nation, her mind momentarily blanked. “Hmm?”

Fourth Master Jiang, seeing that she still didn’t understand, continued, “If you marry the Ninth Prince and he lives to see the shift in imperial power, the Jiang family will inevitably get caught up in the struggle for the throne. There will be no way to avoid it.”

He paused, his tone turning slightly sorrowful as he added, “But… that child will probably not make it to that point. When I rejected the marriage, my greatest fear wasn’t getting dragged into that mess later, but that you, so young, would be left a widow before you even had a chance to live your life. It would be… unlucky.”

Jiang Rao: “…”

Her father was certainly a master at thinking ahead.

But right now, she found herself feeling a bit curious about the Ninth Prince, the one who had almost become her fiancé.

…

The rain passed, and the sky cleared.

Jiang residence.

Jiang Rao had completed half of her embroidery, following the pattern set by the embroiderer.

The stitches were crooked, but at least it was clear what it was supposed to be.

She was making the final adjustments when Ming Shao came to call her, “Miss, the master is asking for you to come out.”

She could leave before finishing the embroidery?

Jiang Rao set down her needle and thread.

Ming Shao added, “He’s in the main hall. There are guests, and they wish to see you.”

Guests? Jiang Rao couldn’t think of who it might be.

She got up and, as she walked out, she heard Ming Shao say, “It’s Young Master Yang and Miss Yang, here to apologize to the young miss.”

Jiang Rao frowned slightly. When she arrived in the main hall, she saw Yang Xiuzhu and Yang Qi’an.

Yang Qi’an sat obediently, looking sincere.

She had been punished by her brother with confinement and scolded by her father, who reminded her that the Jiang family was an influential family from the capital and they simply couldn’t afford to offend them.

Yang Qi’an was both angry and frustrated.

But when they arrived at the Jiang residence and saw the precious decorations, she was envious.

Even the simplest items in the house were treasures she had never seen before.

Yang Qi’an thought to herself, if Jiang Rao really became her sister-in-law, she could ask her for some of those valuable things.

The more she looked, the more she wanted. When Jiang Rao arrived, before she even entered the main hall, Yang Qi’an rushed forward, “I shouldn’t have said you were ugly. You’re actually the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

Jiang Rao, feeling a bit irritated, pulled her arm away from the girl’s grip.

She had grabbed her arm too tightly.

Yang Xiuzhu frowned. His sister had come unwillingly at first, that he had threatened to withhold jewelry to get her to follow him. So why was she acting so enthusiastic now?

But she was going overboard!

Jiang Rao walked into the main hall and greeted her parents first.

Fourth Master Jiang didn’t think much of it. Two younger ones had come together, and he couldn’t just throw them out. But this kid was a troublemaker from the south of the city, and he’d even sent his father to propose marriage before.

Once the apology was done, he planned to send them away.

Fourth Master Jiang turned to Jiang Rao, asking in a gentle tone, “Rao Rao, are you no longer upset?”

Jiang Rao shook her head.

It wasn’t that she was angry with Yang Qi’an calling her ugly, it was because she had openly insulted Rong Ting, calling him a cripple in front of everyone.

Fourth Master Jiang nodded and waved his hand, “Alright, you’ve apologized. My daughter doesn’t accept it. You can leave now.”

Yang Qi’an was stunned, “But I’ve apologized…”

She had already apologized humbly, so why wasn’t it accepted?!

“Who said that an apology must be accepted?” Fourth Master Jiang shot a cold glare at Yang Qi’an. “The apology is your business, whether we accept it is ours. You can leave now.”

Yang Qi’an had been eyeing their household items too much. Her shallow demeanor and her inherent greed were plainly visible. With a cold gaze, Fourth Master Jiang added, “I suggest you don’t come to the Jiang family again.”

Fourth Master Jiang was known for his good temper, but when it came to his daughter, he was notorious for being merciless.

After they left, Fourth Master Jiang turned to Jiang Rao and said, “That young master isn’t bad. Well-read, with an air of scholarly refinement. But his sister… she’s so petty. Makes her brother seem less impressive.”

Jiang Rao agreed with a nod.

Just then, Jiang Jinxing hurried in, grabbing Jiang Rao’s hand. “Sister, come with me.”

Confused, Jiang Rao let herself be dragged out of the house.

And there, she saw Yang Xiuzhu.

He had just sent his hopeless sister back, and was still burning with frustration. But when he saw Jiang Rao, his anger cooled, and his expression softened considerably. “Miss Jiang.”

He apologized politely, saying, “Earlier, my younger sister was rude and lacked manners. I’m sorry that Miss Jiang was startled.”

Jiang Rao, however, wasn’t very interested in speaking with him. Her gaze lingered on Jiang Jinxing’s retreating figure.

She wondered why he was helping an outsider.

Yang Xiuzhu, noticing her distracted expression, realized his efforts were in vain. After saying his piece, he prepared to leave.

But before he could walk away, his eyes caught sight of a leaf stuck in her hair.

Without thinking, his body moved before his mind, and his hand reached out.

He stood tall, almost shielding Jiang Rao as he gently removed the leaf from her hair.

Yang Xiuzhu looked at her long, flowing hair, and his gaze softened, filled with tender affection.

From a distance, by the small path, beneath the low wall, Rong Ting’s face was bathed in the light, his features shadowed.

It was like a scene from a battlefield.

From his vantage point, it appeared as if the tall young man had leaned down, gently pulling the delicate and graceful young girl into his embrace.

=^_^=