As Jiang Rao climbed onto the top of the wall, the two round buns on either side of her head wobbled precariously.

A thin layer of sweat clung to her cheeks.

Just as she was about to find a good spot to jump down, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of her. Startled, she wavered and nearly lost her balance.

Luckily, she clung tightly to the wall, managing to steady herself.

“You—what are you doing here?”

She tilted her head, calling out to the figure.

The brief moment she had swayed just now had made Rong Ting’s breath hitch.

His arms had already tensed, instinctively reaching forward as if to catch her.

But the moment she gripped the wall and steadied herself, he smoothly retracted them, as if nothing had happened.

The urgency and concern in his eyes faded, replaced once more by his usual calm and composed demeanor.

“I came to find you.”

But Jiang Rao caught the slight movement of his shoulder as he withdrew his hand, as well as the fleeting emotion in his eyes—fear.

She frowned.

Fear?

She thought about it carefully, and when her gaze landed on his hands, clenched into fists atop his knees, realization dawned.

Last time, she had fallen off his family’s wall and landed right on him—nearly crippling both his legs in the process.

If she were in his shoes, seeing the very person who had almost cost her half her life climbing a wall again… yeah, she’d be scared too.

Completely understandable.

Jiang Rao nodded knowingly and called out to him, “Step back a little so I can jump down safely.”

Yet, after she landed, she was still standing quite close to him.

The night breeze was cool, carrying the faint scent of soapberry.

Jiang Rao steadied herself, rubbing the sweat off the tip of her nose in the chilly air. “Why didn’t you move out of the way?”

She was worried his legs hadn’t fully healed and that he might still have trouble moving. But all she got in response was a calm, indifferent—

“There was nothing to dodge.”

Rong Ting withdrew his sleeve, his gaze deep and unreadable, cold as the stars.

His dark eyes lingered on her face for a moment, studying her with a sharp intensity, as if inspecting something carefully.

Perplexed, Jiang Rao rubbed her face. Then, realizing he might have come because she had stood him up, she quickly explained. “I didn’t mean to miss our meeting today. My father confined me to my room for the whole day. I wanted to write and tell you—”

From atop the wall, Jiang Ping, who had also just climbed over, waved a letter in his hand.

“Young Master, it was my fault! I forgot to deliver the message!”

With that, he jumped down.

This time, Rong Ting didn’t hesitate to step back, putting a noticeable distance between them.

His movements were swift and decisive.

…

Jiang Rao felt a pang of guilt and asked, “Did you wait for me a long time today?”

“Not long.”

His reply was short, his gaze clear, yet she caught a faint trace of grievance in his eyes.

He probably had waited a long time.

Feeling even guiltier, Jiang Rao solemnly promised, “I won’t make you wait that long again.”

Rong Ting lifted his gaze to her, his eyes dark and steady. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I won’t.”

Jiang Rao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—Rong Ting really knew how to use his looks to his advantage.

Every expression, every movement—he looked utterly pitiful.

It made her want to reach out and ruffle his hair even more.

…

Fourth Master Jiang had no idea his daughter had climbed over the wall and run off. That night, as he chatted idly with Madam Qin, he sighed worriedly. “Do you think confining Nian Nian today made her… upset?”

Madam Qin couldn’t help but laugh. “Why do I feel like whenever you punish Nian Nian, you’re really punishing yourself? She’s been eating well, sleeping well, completely unbothered. Meanwhile, you’ve been over here worrying yourself sick.”

“What’s wrong with worrying? Do you know how much effort it took for us to have our precious daughter?”

In the first four years of their marriage, despite their deep affection for each other, Madam Qin’s belly had remained stubbornly empty. They had sought countless physicians and remedies, and it wasn’t until the fifth year that she finally conceived. After waiting so long for a child—and getting the daughter he had always dreamed of—how could he not dote on her? He felt aggrieved just thinking about his four years of waiting!

After mulling it over, Fourth Master Jiang decided he needed to have a heart-to-heart with his precious girl. He threw on a robe, grabbed a lantern, and strode toward Jiang Rao’s courtyard.

But as he approached, he noticed something strange. The candlelight flickered faintly, yet the place was eerily quiet—too quiet.

His brows furrowed deeply.

Feeling uneasy, he picked up his pace, pushed open the courtyard gate—

And was met with the sight of a few unfamiliar servant girls standing around.

“Where is the young lady?”

The servant girls exchanged uneasy glances.

Before leaving, their mistress had specifically told them not to reveal where she was going.

But she hadn’t told them what to say if the master came asking!

Who could have predicted Fourth Master Jiang would actually show up?

Sensing something amiss, Fourth Master Jiang’s expression darkened, his eyes slowly filling with anger. His voice turned cold as he repeated. “Where is she?”

Finally, one of the maids cracked under the tense atmosphere. “The young lady, she…—”

Fourth Master Jiang’s face remained rigid.

“Father!”

Breathless and panting, Jiang Rao suddenly appeared before him.

After parting ways with Rong Ting, Jiang Rao made her way back through the rear courtyard. From a distance, she could already see that her courtyard gate was wide open—

And her father was standing inside.

The feeling was eerily similar to when she used to doze off during embroidery lessons as a child, only to be caught red-handed by her father.

Except… this was worse.

She rushed back immediately, nerves on edge, her head lowered as she mumbled, “Father, why are you here so late?”

“You could have at least let me know,” she muttered under her breath. “I would’ve come to greet you properly.”

Her heart was pounding.

Earlier, Rong Ting had told her he hadn’t waited long, yet his face had looked so worried that guilt gnawed at her. On impulse, she had invited him to stay over at her house, using the long journey back as an excuse.

He declined, citing his injured legs. At the time, she had felt even guiltier—

But looking at her father now… thank heavens Rong Ting had refused.

Otherwise, if her father had caught him here, his legs might have ended up with new injuries.

“Such empty pleasantries,” Fourth Master Jiang huffed. But despite his grumbling, his expression softened at the sight of her, though a hint of suspicion still lingered.

“Where have you been running off to? Your shoes are covered in mud.”

Jiang Rao glanced down at the soles of her shoes—sure enough, they were smudged with mud. She forced an awkward smile. “Father, I was just admiring the flowers by the lotus pond in the back courtyard.”

Fourth Master Jiang narrowed his eyes. “The flowers haven’t even bloomed yet. What exactly were you admiring?”

Without missing a beat, Jiang Rao quickly corrected herself. “The bamboo! I was admiring the bamboo.”

Fourth Master Jiang shot her a look, then glanced at Ming Shao and Jiang Ping standing behind her. Something felt off, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

He was about to turn and leave when he suddenly remembered why he had come in the first place.

Turning back to face her, he said. “About your confinement today…”

Jiang Rao straightened, ready to listen attentively.

Fourth Master Jiang mulled over his goal—not wanting to upset his daughter—and pondered how best to phrase things. After a brief pause, he decided to stick with the explanation he had carefully prepared on his way here.

“Actually, the idea to confine you was your mother’s. She wanted to keep you grounded for several days, but thanks to me speaking on your behalf, it was reduced to just one.”

Jiang Rao: “Huh?”

Fourth Master Jiang, steady as ever: “Mm.”

He was quite pleased with his clever excuse.

A strategic deflection. A masterful shift of blame.

The only downside was the slight risk of getting banished to the study room for a lecture—but otherwise, flawless.

Jiang Rao barely held back a laugh.

If she hadn’t heard from her brother earlier, she might have actually believed him.

But now?

Who was he trying to fool?

She held back her laughter, understanding that he was only saying this to keep her from getting upset. Dutifully, she replied. “Father, I know I was wrong. I’m not angry with you.”

Fourth Master Jiang let out a long sigh of relief—until he heard her, voice laced with suppressed amusement, say. “But if Mother hears you talking like this, she might get angry.”

Seeing that his excuse hadn’t fooled her, he coughed and said, “Just… don’t tell your mother.”

Then, getting serious, he added, “Nian Nian, do you know? I didn’t confine you just because you came home late.”

He put on the weary expression of a father burdened with endless worries. “You’ve been getting closer and closer to that boy from the west side of the city—so much so that you barely even come home. It got me thinking about the day you’ll eventually get married… and I just felt uneasy. Keeping you grounded was my way of reminding you—girls should be more reserved.”

Jiang Rao nearly choked on air.

A casual outing and marriage—how did he even make that connection?

“As a matter of fact,” Fourth Master Jiang continued, his tone growing more solemn, “when you were born, there was almost a marriage arrangement set up with the Ninth Prince.”

Jiang Rao was taken aback.

This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.

“But I rejected it, so that marriage proposal was never settled.”

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The idea of suddenly learning that she had been promised to someone in marriage was far too overwhelming.

“Marriage for a woman is traditionally arranged by her parents, with a matchmaker’s blessing but I’ve never liked that idea. I’ve always thought that Nian Nian’s future husband should be someone she truly loves, someone who will bring her happiness.”

Just as Jiang Rao was beginning to feel touched, she heard her father sigh deeply. “But now, I can’t help but think—if Nian Nian does fall for someone, I still need to approve of him. I have to make sure he’s a worthy man. Maybe there’s some wisdom in that old tradition of parental approval and matchmaking after all.”

Jiang Rao: “…”

Seeing her father so troubled, she reached up to smooth the crease between his brows. “Father, you’re thinking too far ahead.”

She was still so young—how could she have given any thought to the kind of husband she might one day have?

She suddenly felt curious. “Father, did you reject the marriage with the Ninth Prince just because I might not like him?”

“Not just that,” Fourth Master Jiang replied. “That Ninth Prince is the son of a palace maid—his background is far too low. Lately, there’s been no news of him at all. No one knows whether he’s alive or dead…”

Jiang Rao sighed with a touch of sadness. “How pitiful…”

…..

The next day, at the relay station.

Jiang Rao wore a simple hat and plain clothes, blending in as she waited.

Her eyes scanned each person coming into the city.

But none of them resembled the figure from her dream.

She waited, and waited, until noon came.

The sun was harsh, and a new shift of station attendants arrived. Jiang Ping approached Jiang Rao and asked. “Miss, would you like to rest for a bit?”

Jiang Rao stifled a yawn with her hand, her voice tired as she said. “I can’t leave.”

Only she knew what the man in green and his horse from her dream looked like.

Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves reached her ears from the city gates.

Jiang Rao straightened, the fatigue vanishing from her face as her eyes brightened.

Green clothing, brown horse… It was the person from her dream.

She stood up and walked over to the man in green. “Where do you come from, sir?”

The man in green glanced at her warily but didn’t respond.

However, the station attendants, all of whom Jiang Ping had arranged the day before, immediately followed her lead and asked, “Where are you from?”

The man in green was forced to answer. “Cixin.”

Lies.

Jiang Rao narrowed her eyes. It was clear he was from Jinling, not Cixin.

She smiled faintly. “Another outsider, I see.”

She turned away, feigning indifference, and spoke to a nearby station attendant. “Outsiders who aren’t familiar with the climate in Ye City often run into trouble. Just the other day, there was that fire in the west side of the city—it spread really far.”

The station attendant, who had already been bribed by Jiang Rao, chimed in, “Lighting an open flame at night is risky. The air here is dry, and fires can easily start.”

At the mention of the fire in the west side, the man in green’s ears perked up. “There was a fire in the west side?”

“Yes,” Jiang Rao replied. “It was a huge blaze. The building was completely destroyed.”

The attendant added, “That was the house of the young noble from Jinling who’s been recovering here. He almost didn’t make it.”

With the added confirmation from the attendants, their words sounded more credible.

The man in green’s expression immediately darkened.

“Where is he now?”

Station Attendant: “He’s staying in a dilapidated house on the east side of the city. Quite pitiful, really.”

Jiang Rao: “Which house?”

The man in green also perked up, listening intently.

Station Attendant: “The one by the creek.”

Jiang Rao: “Ah, I know that.”

The man in green was growing anxious. “I don’t know where that is!”

“Are you looking for him?” Jiang Rao played along, feigning surprise. “Well then, I can show you the way.”

The man in green was eager, waiting for Jiang Rao to lead the way, but when she didn’t move, he stretched out his hand expectantly.

Realizing what was happening, the man in green quickly pulled out some silver and handed it to Jiang Rao.

The silver clinked softly in her hand. With a playful smile, her dimples showing, she looked every bit like a mischievous little money-grubber.

Jiang Rao took the lead and started walking.

The man in green, seeing her eagerness for money, had no further doubts and followed her without hesitation.

To the east of the city, Jiang Rao’s carefully chosen, skilled servants had already eaten and drunk their fill, waiting for their arrival.

…

Not far away, a pair of eyes watched as the man in green conversed with Jiang Rao, his gaze growing colder and colder.

It was Rong Ting, hidden beneath a tree.

He stood in silence, his eyes fixed on the station.

He recognized the man in green—the snake embroidered in silver thread on his clothing was unmistakable. He was an assassin—one of the Empress’s people.

Rong Ting’s eyes narrowed as he watched the assassin hand over the silver to Jiang Rao.

Rong Ting lowered his gaze, his eyes hardening with cold intensity.

=^_^=