Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

If it were anything else that was making things difficult for her, that would be one thing, but who is she?

She's a hardcore novel enthusiast who reads for over 3000 hours at a time.

Besides eating, Jiang Sese's biggest hobby is reading novels. There's no other reason than that it saves her money.

Jiang Sese wanted to tell them stories. She had read so many fast-food novels, full of melodrama, fake heiresses, mind reading, evil women training dogs, and all sorts of erotic and violent content.

At the very least, I can tell them all four classic novels.

But those stories were all too long, and some of the details were inconvenient to tell them.

Besides, Jiang Sese only knows the general plot of the Four Great Classical Novels, so asking her to repeat them word for word would be a bit too much for her brain.

Jiang Sese thought for a moment, then looked up to meet everyone's gaze, her expression showing no sign of unease: "There is a story, but it's not a popular tale of talented scholars and beautiful women, nor is it a supernatural legend. It's a strange tale from overseas that I heard by chance when I was a child."

Strange tales from overseas?

The women were taken aback at first, but then their interest was piqued.

Inside the pavilion, the red clay stove bubbled gently, filling the air with a warm fragrance. Jiang Sese's voice flowed slowly into the night: "Far beyond the edge of the vast ocean, there lies a deep sea as clear as glass. On its depths dwells a race of mermaids. They possess fair, jade-like faces and shimmering fish tails. Their songs can linger for three days, captivating the soul. The youngest princess of the tribe is the most beautiful, and her heart is the purest and most innocent. She guards her coral palace at the bottom of the sea every day, yet she always yearns for the human world above the surface."

"On the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, the little princess finally surfaced at sea and happened to be caught in a storm. She rescued the human prince who had fallen into the water. She carried the prince to the beach and saw that he was handsome. She secretly fell in love with him, but because of the clan rules, she dared not show herself to acknowledge him and could only quietly leave."

"In order to reach the prince, the little princess sought out the sea witch and traded her voice for a pair of human legs. The witch warned her that every step she took from then on would be like walking on a knife's edge, piercing her heart and soul. If the prince married another, she would turn into sea foam and her soul would be scattered."

Jiang Sese spoke softly, recounting the Little Mermaid's hardships and joys after coming ashore.

It is said that she endured excruciating pain, staying by the prince's side, yet unable to express her feelings.

She watched as the prince mistook her life-saving grace for someone else and happily prepared for their wedding. She wept alone every night, yet she still stayed by his side, finding joy in his presence.

On her wedding day, her sisters brought her a dagger, telling her that if she stabbed the prince in the heart and drank his blood, she could return to the deep sea and save her life.

Jiang Sese said, "Finally, the little princess threw the dagger into the deep sea, and, facing the dawn's first light, leaped into the ocean."

When the story ended, the pavilion was quiet.

All the noble ladies present composed themselves, staring blankly at Jiang Sese, their eyes filled with tears, unable to conceal their emotion and sadness.

Jiang Sese originally wanted to tell the story of Cinderella, but considering her current situation, she realized that the story of Cinderella was likely to evoke negative associations and ambiguities, so she simply told the story of The Little Mermaid instead.

First, these noble ladies are all quite young.

The second fairy tale doesn't have any major flaws; after all, it's for children, so it's simple, easy to understand, and fun.

Li Wanru, usually charming and cheerful, now had red eyes, her fingers tightly twisting her handkerchief, her voice choked with sobs: "How could she suffer so much? She loved the prince so much, gave up her singing for him, endured the pain of having her heart ripped out, and in the end, she ended up like this. The prince didn't even know her feelings."

Liu Yuying had already wiped her eyes, her eyes filled with regret, and sighed softly, "Such a pure, kind, and devoted girl, yet fate played such a cruel trick on her. If she had been able to speak up, or even hardened her heart, how could she have turned to dust?"

Chu Zhiyin remained silent. Originally, she intended to make things difficult for Jiang Sese, after all, she came from a humble family and couldn't possibly have any knowledge or experience. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be Jiang Sese who stole the spotlight.

Sun Mingwei and the others echoed her sentiments, their voices filled with sighs: "Such a touching story exists overseas. This little mermaid is truly pitifully foolish, yet incredibly admirable."

"If I look at the sea foam again and think of this story, I'm afraid I'll never want to look at the sea again."

Xie Yujiao, who usually disliked hearing such tragic stories, pursed her lips, her eyes reddening, and after a long while managed to choke out, "That prince was truly foolish. He had such a wonderful girl by his side, yet he was completely unaware, utterly betraying her kindness!"

Xie Yihua forced a faint smile as she looked at Jiang Sese: "I didn't expect Cousin Jiang to be able to tell such a poignant and moving story. It's quite impressive. However, the story is rather tragic."

Xie Yihua's implication was that it was inappropriate for her to tell such a tragic story on such a joyous holiday.

Jiang Sese blinked, not arguing with Xie Yihua, but comforting the others, "This is just a strange story. Love in this world comes in many forms. There are happy endings and there are regretful separations. This is only natural."

A group of noble ladies surrounded Jiang Sese and pressed her for other stories from overseas. For a moment, no one mentioned her humble origins anymore.

Zhi Xi came in from outside, walked lightly around to the side of the gauze curtain, knelt down and whispered a few words in Xie Yihua's ear.