“Y-yes, that’s right,”

Tinglan’s voice trembled, and she didn’t dare lift her head, as if terrified that a ghost might suddenly appear and grab her.

“Last night, I was accompanying the young lady back to Huaiguang Pavilion, and as we were walking, I suddenly heard someone… someone with a voice exactly like the young lady’s, calling my name from behind. I was startled—the voice was urgent and angry, and it sounded exactly like how the young lady usually speaks. It shouted, ‘Tinglan! I’ve twisted my ankle—why aren’t you hurrying over to carry me on your back…’”

Tinglan held a handkerchief over her face. “I was so terrified, I turned around immediately—but there was nothing behind me. The young lady I had just been walking with had already gone deep into the forest… and… and was holding someone else’s hand. I was absolutely petrified and rushed after them, but those two figures kept walking farther and farther away, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get out of the forest.

I remembered the young lady once told me that ghosts are afraid of loud singing, so I walked around the forest singing loudly over and over again. Somehow, in all the confusion, I finally made it out. After I got out…”

Her expression was vacant, as if even recounting the events still frightened her.

“…I ran to knock on the door of Huaiguang Pavilion. When no one answered, I went to knock on the window. But just as I was about to, I saw two figures inside—it scared me out of my wits. I quickly knocked on the window and kept calling for the young lady…”

“Thank heavens the young lady is so powerful and wise, and noticed me in time, or this disaster would’ve gone unchecked. But… but it still frightened me half to death!”

Tinglan began to sob, and only then did Hua Zhuo notice that her complexion was off—this ordeal must have truly frightened her into illness.

She told Tinglan to go back to her room and rest. “Now that Tinglan has finished speaking, I’ll tell my side,” she said. “Last night, I returned to Huaiguang Pavilion with ‘Tinglan.’ Though she was unusually quiet along the way, I didn’t think much of it—Tinglan has always been timid. After I entered the room, I sat in front of the vanity mirror, waiting for Tinglan to help me remove my hair ornaments, as she usually does.”

The sky outside was dim and overcast, and from afar came the mournful sound of funeral music. The shadows of the willow trees swayed eerily. Hua Zhuo, being petite, curled up in the intricately carved wooden chair, absentmindedly fiddling with the jade bracelet on her wrist, wrapped with a strip of red cloth.

“But while she was helping me remove the ornaments, I started to sense something was wrong. Tinglan usually has a heavy hand, but the ‘person’ behind me was surprisingly gentle. Then, I heard Tinglan knocking on the window—

and only then did I realize something was terribly wrong—”

“Did that ghost harm you?” Xu Ruyi asked urgently, his eyes scanning his younger sister up and down, making sure she was unharmed.

“Of course not. Thank you for your concern, Brother,”

Hua Zhuo replied with a faint smile. She rarely smiled, and the vermilion birthmark between her brows only made her already stunning features more striking.

“Somehow, that mad concubine in the manor suddenly barged into Huaiguang Pavilion, insisting on feeding me monkey brains. Even the ghost must’ve been scared off by that lunatic and fled without a trace. And then… she—”

Hua Zhuo pointed straight at Liang Shanyuan and gave a cold snort. “She came in, dragged that mad concubine away, and—needlessly, I might add—stayed the night sleeping on the floor in Huaiguang Pavilion. After that, nothing else happened.”

Xu Ruyi quickly bowed to Liang Shanyuan to express his thanks.

“There’s no need for thanks,” Liang Shanyuan said. “Seventh Concubine was not in her right mind when she barged into Huaiguang Pavilion and disturbed Miss Hua Zhuo. We haven’t even had a chance to apologize yet.”

She helped Xu Ruyi back to his feet, gently refusing the gesture. Xu Ruyi looked ashamed. “For such a serious incident to happen last night… it truly was a failure on my part…”

Liang Nanyin seemed to have been holding it in for a long time. “Miss Hua Zhuo, may I ask… did you happen to see the face of the ‘person’ behind you last night?”

“I didn’t dare look up,” Hua Zhuo replied. “But that ‘person’ called me ‘sister,’ and sounded quite young. Also… that ‘person’ had a lot of hair on their body—like… a monkey.”

A monkey, again.

Meng Qiuci and Xu Ruyi exchanged a glance.

Liang Nanyin’s lips trembled, her lashes fluttering slightly. Hua Zhuo, noticing her reaction, added, “I also have something I want to ask you, Miss.”

Liang Nanyin looked over.

Hua Zhuo was thinking about what she had seen when her soul had left her body.

The ghost she encountered last night was likely Tenth Miss, Liang Baijing—but she was also quite curious. For instance, why had Liang Baijing taken on such an appearance?

“Before the original Liang Shanyuan died… was she ever forced to eat monkey brains?”

Liang Shanyuan, seated on the chair by the bed, slightly lifted her lashes. While casually peeling sunflower seeds, she glanced over.

Liang Nanyin noticed her reaction—she seemed about to say something, but then swallowed her words.

“When my Fifth Sister passed, I wasn’t in Ningzhou. I had gone traveling with my master from the medical hall to treat patients elsewhere,” Liang Nanyin said, her eyes dim. “I left for a while… and when I returned, someone had already been brought back—she knows everything.”

Just as Liang Nanyin was about to step out, something came to mind. She turned back and said, “Miss Hua Zhuo.”

“Mm?” Hua Zhuo was curled lazily in her chair, like a pampered Persian cat.

Liang Nanyin handed over the handkerchief she had been clutching in worry the whole way, meeting the girl’s puzzled gaze. “Thank you for helping me last night, Miss Hua Zhuo. I asked Daoist Xu and heard that you’re fond of apricot blossoms, so I took the liberty of buying this handkerchief for you.”

Hua Zhuo hadn’t expected Liang Nanyin to go out of her way to buy her a gift. She was deeply touched—practically moved to tears—but her face remained aloof as she gave a cold snort. “What is this nonsense…”

Liang Nanyin’s expression tightened nervously, but Hua Zhuo took the handkerchief into her hand. The fabric was soft, and a small apricot blossom was delicately embroidered near the edge. “Hmph. I’ll keep it.”

Liang Nanyin wasn’t sure why, but for a moment, she thought she caught a flicker of a smile in Hua Zhuo’s eyes—surprisingly innocent and sincere.

She stepped out of Huaiguang Pavilion and walked beneath the covered corridor. The sky was overcast today, and the grass beyond the walkway was overgrown and thick with mosquitoes. She quickened her pace—when suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, drawing closer and closer.

Having just heard that chilling tale from the young mistress and her maid, Liang Nanyin felt a shiver run down her spine. She turned around nervously—only to exhale in relief and smile.

“Fifth Sister, you followed me too?”

“Are you going to see Cuirou?”

“Yes.”

Liang Nanyin nodded—only to see her Fifth Sister’s phoenix eyes fixed squarely on her.

The first time people in the manor laid eyes on this version of Shanyuan, they were all startled.

Though their temperaments were entirely different, their appearances were strikingly similar. Even Liang Nanyin had felt a bit dazed the first time she saw her.

But the more time they spent together, the more complicated her feelings became.

Fifth Sister was intelligent and widely praised for her talents. She possessed the gentleness of a daughter and the boldness of a son unafraid of trouble. In the entire household—who didn’t admire Liang Shanyuan?

When this Shanyuan first arrived at the manor, everyone merely saw her as a replacement. Most didn’t like her, secretly hoping the real Shanyuan would return. Who would bother paying attention to a stand-in?

And yet—somehow, without Liang Nanyin even realizing it—

The entire household had quietly changed. One by one, all traces of the original Liang Shanyuan had been erased by this new Shanyuan. Even she herself had grown close to this Fifth Sister.

Though at times, her feelings remained complicated… it was as if her real Fifth Sister had vanished from this world altogether….

And yet—for reasons she couldn’t explain—whenever her eyes met this Shanyuan’s, all the gloom and turmoil in her heart would suddenly vanish, like mist under the sun.

“Eighth Sister,” came the voice, gentle but unreadable. Those phoenix eyes curved gracefully—outer corners lifted, inner corners dipped, black as a dried-up well. “That handkerchief you gave Miss Hua Zhuo just now… were you hoping to form a handkerchief bond with her?”

“Ah?”

Liang Nanyin’s heart raced wildly as she met those eyes.

“N-no, that’s not it. Miss Hua Zhuo is clearly a noble lady of Chang’an—I had no intention of clinging to her status. I simply… wanted to give her a small gift to thank her for helping me last night, nothing more.”

The light was dim, shadows pooling in the corners.

The black-haired woman, wearing white jade earrings, looked at her calmly. After a pause, she gave a slight, gentle smile.

“Eighth Sister.”

“Mm?”

“Could you teach me… how to get along with others? I want to be friends with Miss Hua Zhuo.”

Liang Nanyin froze for a moment, stunned. “You mean… Miss Hua Zhuo?”

No wonder she was momentarily dazed.

How could a question like that come from her Fifth Sister—someone who had always been so effortlessly likable?

Miss Hua Zhuo truly was difficult to get close to. To have her accept even a simple handkerchief—it really was rare and precious.

“I don’t think I can teach you, Fifth Sister,” Liang Nanyin said as she walked forward, gently shaking her head. “If even you don’t know how to get along with Miss Hua Zhuo… then someone as plain and unremarkable as me—how could I possibly teach you?”

“Just teach me as best you can,” said the woman beside her, her voice warm and gentle. Her phoenix eyes looked intently at her. “I’ve spent most of my life drifting from place to place… I truly don’t know how to get along with others. Eighth Sister, I ask for your guidance.”

“Ah…” Liang Nanyin hesitated slightly.

“My few close friends—those handkerchief bonds—they were formed when we were young,” she explained. “Over the years, we’ve kept in touch by visiting during festivals, sending each other little gifts when we come across something novel, or exchanging letters to share what’s on our minds. Beyond that… I don’t really know much else.”

It didn’t sound all that difficult.

As they passed beneath a patch of tree shade, Liang Shanyuan lowered her gaze and gave a small nod.

*

Ever since those two left Huaiguang Pavilion, Hua Zhuo’s right eye had been twitching non-stop.

She pressed a fingertip lightly against her eyelid. In her hands, she had embroidered nearly half the face of a blessing and longevity doll.

Meng Qiuci noticed and was genuinely curious. Hua Zhuo was known for her delicate, pampered nature—no one expected her needlework to be this good.

“Little sister Hua Zhui, what are you embroidering there?”

Hua Zhuo shot her a sideways glance, then turned away again with a cold snort.

Xu Ruyi tried to ease the tension. “A blessing doll? But didn’t you already have one, Zhuo’er?”

He hadn’t known and had never heard that his younger sister was so fond of doll-like trinkets. Yet now, even the purse hanging at Hua Zhuo’s waist was embroidered with a chubby blessing and longevity doll in red thread on a white base.

The girl had only just gotten out of bed. Her black hair hung loose around her shoulders. Pressing lightly on her twitching eyelid, she raised the corners of her lips into a teasing smile. “I’m making it as a gift. Brother, want to guess who I’m planning to give it to?”

Xu Ruyi gave it serious thought. It wouldn’t be Shimei—Hua Zhuo, for some reason, didn’t get along with her at all.

Then it must be…

“You’re giving it to Miss Shanyuan?”

Hua Zhuo’s smile instantly fell flat.

And just then, there was a pause in the footsteps outside—followed by someone stepping over the threshold.

Hua Zhuo frowned and turned around. Sure enough, it was Liang Shanyuan and Liang Nanyin, bringing along a quiet, downcast woman dressed in mourning clothes.

“Were you all just talking about me?” Liang Shanyuan asked with a pleasant smile.

“We were,” Xu Ruyi replied brightly, clearly pleased that Hua Zhuo was making an effort to befriend someone. He cheerfully added, “Miss Shanyuan, my sister was planning to give you a gift!”

Hua Zhuo’s vision went dark. “Brother!”

This wasn’t how she imagined it at all!

Her plan had been to sit there sewing the coin pouch in front of them—subtly and casually drop a question—and then Xu Ruyi would definitely say, “Is it for me?”

Then she’d give him the blessing doll coin pouch… gentle affection hidden under pretense, a thoughtful gift—how much karmic merit would she have gained from that?!

But how did things suddenly veer toward Liang Shanyuan instead?!

Was the male lead always destined to be drawn to Liang Shanyuan no matter what?!

Hua Zhuo looked at the little coin pouch in her hand, on the verge of tears. “I wasn’t planning to give it to her!”

“Ah,” Xu Ruyi came over with the expression of someone saying, ‘Come now, dear sister, just be honest,’ and patted her on the shoulder. “There’s no need to be shy. Miss Shanyuan is a kind and upright person. I’m truly happy you’re willing to be friends with her.”

Meng Qiuci stood off to the side, watching. She looked like she wanted to say something, but held back.

Why did it feel to her like Miss Hua Zhuo had been sewing that pouch to give to Senior Brother …?

But then again, after hearing what he just said—it almost made her feel like she had misunderstood something…

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TN:

I’M SO BACK, so sorry about the absence guys, I’ll pump out chapters as quickly as I can