Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

Xi Yueli choked on some water, coughing and panting. Her gaze went over Helian Jing's shoulder and looked at the bridge. He Qingshuang was still standing in the middle of the bridge.

She looked down at the two people swimming towards the shore on the river, then turned and walked towards the other side of the bridge. Her pale figure quickly blended into the crowd of people at the night market on the opposite bank.

Helian Jing helped Xi Yueli ashore. Xi Yueli, soaking wet, lay on the bluestone slab on the shore, shivering uncontrollably in the cold winter wind.

He knelt on one knee beside her, reached out and brushed the wet hair that clung to her face, revealing her pale face, which was flushed from being soaked in water. His voice was barely warmer than the temperature of the river water.

Why did she push you?

Xi Yueli propped herself up and wrapped herself in the outer robe that Helian Jing had taken off and wrung out. Her knuckles, which were still trembling slightly, gripped the collar, but her voice was steady. "It's an act, maybe."

Helian Jing turned his head and glanced at the opposite bank, but He Qing Shuang's figure had already disappeared into the crowd of people in the night market.

He helped Xi Yueli up from the ground, wrapped her in his outer robe, and carried her towards the inn.

As he passed the broken section of the bridge railing, he didn't stop. The reflection of the lantern boat on the river was still shimmering like scattered gold, as if nothing had happened.

After changing into dry clothes at the inn, Xi Yueli was still shivering even though she was wrapped in three layers of quilts.

An urgent report from Liu San Niang in the Northern Border arrived, containing only one line: "The Silver Shuttle has appeared; the person is at Tingzi's residence."

Xi Yueli finished reading the note and burned it over the lamp flame. The vein on the back of her head, which had been soaked in water for half the night, was still throbbing slightly, but her gaze had already refocused.

She looked at Helian Jing, who was sitting on the edge of the couch wringing out his clothes, and said in a voice still hoarse from choking on the river water: "She deliberately pushed me into the river so that she could put on a good show in front of Yin Shuo."

Helian Jing put his half-dry clothes back on, and since the black iron mask was soaked in water and was a bit loose, he simply took it off and placed it on the corner of the table, revealing his angular face.

He turned his head to look at her, his gaze darkening slightly in the lamplight: "She's shielding us from view."

Xi Yueli shoveled the ashes of the burnt paper into the copper plate. "He Qingshuang knew someone was watching her. She pushed me into the water to make the person watching her think she was refusing to return to her original form. The more uncooperative she was, the less suspicious the silver shuttle would be."

Helian Jing sat on the edge of the couch, watching her gradually regain her clarity as she spoke. She was wrapped in the quilt, her hair was still wet, and her face was as pale as the moonlight filtering through the window paper. Her speech and logic had returned to their usual crispness.

He looked at her for a moment, then lowered his head and pulled her, blanket and all, into his arms. Her forehead rested against his chest, which was not yet completely dry, and he could feel her heartbeat through the fabric, steady and deep.

At dawn the next day, just as the breakfast stalls on the main street of Tingzi Prefecture's South Market finished packing up their first batch of bowls and chopsticks, a large procession of people turned from the end of the street.

Leading the procession were eight servants in red robes, each carrying a gilded lacquer box with its lid half-open, revealing neatly arranged silver ingots, gold bracelets, jade hairpins, and coral beads inside. Behind them followed two vermilion lacquered gift chests, each decorated with a large red paper-cut "囍" (double happiness) character.

At the very end of the procession, a brocade sedan chair carried by eight men slowly approached. The curtains were made of light pink silk, with continuous lotus patterns embroidered on the edges, displaying a flamboyant and festive air in the winter morning light.

When the group stopped in front of the inn, people from the whole street gathered around. The uncle selling wontons stood frozen by the pot with his strainer in hand, and the aunt selling velvet flowers squeezed to the front of the crowd to stand on tiptoe and watch. No one drank the tea that had just been poured in the tea stall.

The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted from the inside, and He Qingshuang bent down and stepped out.

Today she changed into a crimson brocade jacket and skirt, with a white fox fur trim around the neckline that accentuated her stunning face. The calmness in her eyes was still there, but now there was an added layer of deliberate arrogance on that calmness.

Her gaze swept over the signboard at the entrance of the inn, then she raised her hand behind her.

Eight servants in red robes filed in, carrying lacquer boxes, and lined up in the inn's small hall. The lids of all the boxes were open, their silver and gold gleaming illuminating an entire wall. The innkeeper behind the counter nearly dropped his abacus.

He Qingshuang stopped in the center of the inn's small hall and announced loudly, "Young Master Lian, I am He Qingshuang from the He family, here today to propose marriage."

"The He family owns seven silk shops, four tea shops, two money shops, and three berths at the dock in Tingzi Prefecture. After Young Master Lian marries into the He family, the entire He family will be yours. The betrothal gifts are here; please take a look."

The inn was in an uproar, and the crowd gasped.

"I'd heard that Miss He was quite shrewish, but I didn't expect her to be this shrewish—she already has a wife!"

Amidst the whispers, Xi Yueli descended the stairs. She had changed into a pale yellow dress, her hair casually gathered behind her shoulders. Her face was pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She had soaked in icy water the night before, and her complexion was indeed not good today.

She stopped at the top of the stairs, her gaze falling on the eight open lacquer boxes, then shifting to He Qingshuang's face. Her lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

He Qingshuang's gaze swept across Xi Yueli's face without lingering.

She glanced behind her, and two servants in red immediately stepped forward, standing on either side of the stairs. Although they didn't make a move, their gestures clearly indicated that they were telling her to make way.

Helian Jing walked in from the backyard of the inn, having changed from his moon-white long robe into a new dark blue robe, and buttoned up his black iron face covering again.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he glanced at Xi Yueli first. She stood there, gripping the handrail, her knuckles white, her lips slightly pursed, and a thin layer of light already shone in her eyes.

He withdrew his gaze, turned to He Qingshuang, and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft: "Miss He, I already have a wife."

He Qingshuang chuckled, a short and crisp laugh. She raised her hand and pointed at Xi Yueli at the top of the stairs, her voice carrying an undisguised arrogance.

"Her? She looks frail and timid. Does she deserve to stay by your side? If you hadn't jumped in quickly last night, she would have sunk to the bottom of the river long ago. Young Master, what future do you have with her?"

Quiet whispers arose inside and outside the inn. Some whispered, "So she was the one who fell into the river last night." "Miss He has taken a fancy to someone else's husband." "This matter has caused quite a stir..."

Xi Yueli's knuckles, gripping the armrest, turned even whiter. A thin layer of tears welled up in her eyes for a moment before sliding down. She looked at Helian Jing, her lips twitching slightly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Helian Jing glanced at her, then turned back, remained silent for a moment, and said to He Qingshuang, "...I'll go with you."

The inn fell silent for a moment, then a complex commotion erupted from the crowd. Some sighed, some shook their heads, and some stroked their chins, saying, "The He family is indeed powerful."

Helian Jing walked out of the stairwell and passed by Xi Yueli. His sleeve brushed against her fingers hanging by her side. Her fingertips gently hooked his cuff, then let go. He walked past without looking back.

He Qingshuang turned and walked towards the sedan chair, with Helian Jing following behind her. Eight servants in red robes filed out after collecting the lacquer box, and the two vermilion lacquered gift chests were lifted again. The procession marched back along the main street of Nanshi in a grand manner, as if they were there to welcome the bride rather than to abduct her.

The crowd followed the procession for half a block before slowly dispersing. The uncle at the wonton stall put the strainer back on the side of the pot and sighed, "What a mess."

The inn's small hall quieted down. The innkeeper put the abacus back in its original position and kept his head down, calculating the accounts without looking up.