Whose beauty is this?

"Prince Mu? Heir?"

Li Moqian and the others immediately stood up, hurried forward, and cupped their hands in salute. "Greetings, Prince Mu. Greetings, Heir."

"No need for formalities, everyone," Beitang Han said with a cultured smile. "Moqian, it has been months. Just upon arriving in Xinzhou, I heard that you were accidentally injured while suppressing bandits alongside the Heir the day before yesterday. I trust you have recovered?"

Li Moqian cupped his hands. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am already much better."

"That is good. When I heard the news upon my arrival, I had medicines and gifts prepared and sent to your residence. Although they cannot compare to the efficacy of the Heir's divine physician, it is a small token of my regard. Moqian, please do not refuse." Beitang Han chuckled softly, his tone entirely devoid of the condescension expected of a prince.

Li Moqian said politely, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Among the imperial princes, aside from the Crown Prince, the two most powerful factions at present belonged to Prince Mu and Prince Huai.

"Why is the esteemed master of melody seated in a wheelchair?" After exchanging pleasantries with Li Moqian, Beitang Han's gaze fell upon Lin Yuejiao.

"This is Miss Lin Yuejiao, the eldest daughter of the Lin family in Xinzhou. She accidentally fell from her horse yesterday, which is why she came to take the examination in a wheelchair today. The Fourth Miss Lin has already obtained eight superior bamboo plaques, making her this year's premier in Jiangnan and the only superior-grade maiden," Li Moqian explained.

Lin Yuejiao did not look at Beitang Han. Instead, she lowered her gaze, suppressing the boiling hatred raging deep within her heart.

"The premier of Jiangnan?" Beitang Han's gaze lingered on Lin Yuejiao, unable to look away, and he said, "I have long heard that Jiangnan produces beauties, and it is indeed true. To stand unrivaled in Jiangnan, Miss Lin is truly one in a million. Is the injury severe? I carry imperial palace medicine with me; please accept it, and I wish you a speedy recovery."

Lin Yuejiao suppressed the seething hatred in her heart, raised her eyes, and the corners of her clean, plain face curved slightly. Her smile was like a blooming crabapple flower, gentle and lovely. "Thank you, Your Highness."

This smile was even more breathtaking, making it impossible to tear one's gaze away.

Rong Yu's long, narrow eyes flashed with a trace of cold light.

This woman had never once bestowed such a smile upon him.

"The hour is late; this humble maiden will take her leave." Lin Yuejiao's gaze rested on Beitang Han, her smile lingering gracefully, showing no trace of unusual emotion.

Beitang Han's gaze also rested on her face, their eyes meeting.

Lin Yuejiao used almost all her strength to barely avoid showing any flaws before him, but seeing the look in his eyes as he gazed at her now, she found it utterly ridiculous.

In her past life, this man who claimed to love her had never once looked at her with such an insatiable gaze.

He had rarely ever met her eyes.

"Miss Lin, your performance on the Konghou was refreshing, and the lingering sound echoed in the rafters. I am also skilled in the Konghou, and it is a rare meeting with Miss Lin. Would you be willing to exchange musical skills with me tomorrow?" Beitang Han offered a gentle smile.

Lin Yuejiao sneered inwardly. In her past life, whenever she wished to play a tune with him, he would always brush her off and refuse. In this lifetime, she had actually encountered him taking the initiative to invite her; it was truly hilarious.

"Since Your Highness has extended the invitation, there is naturally no reason for this humble maiden to refuse. However, due to my leg injury and the physician's instructions to recuperate at home, it is not suitable for me to go out. I beg Your Highness's understanding," Lin Yuejiao said with a smiling, sparkling demeanor.

She actually dared to refuse Prince Mu.

Many of the maidens gathered around who witnessed this scene nearly dropped their eyes in shock.

Countless people would have jumped at the chance to establish a connection with Prince Mu, yet she refused flat-out without a second thought.

Beitang Han had not expected a noble daughter to turn him down, but meeting that pair of smiling eyes, it was impossible to harbor any sense of blame.

"It was my oversight, forgetting that Miss Lin is still injured," Beitang Han said with a smile. "Since there is no opportunity this time, when we meet in the capital another day, I shall invite you again."

Back inside the carriage, the smile on Lin Yuejiao's face faded completely, turning as cold as frost, her delicate fists clenched tight.

"Beitang Han, how you deceived me in my past life—in this life, I will make you taste what betrayal feels like, what it means to give everything for someone you love, only to discover that the other person only wants your life. Simply killing you would be far too merciful; you will never feel even a ten-thousandth of the heartache and despair I felt when I died. To make you experience it yourself—that is what I call revenge." Lin Yuejiao's eyes were as cold as ice, terrifyingly grim.

As her emotions calmed, Lin Yuejiao lifted the carriage curtain and instructed, "Iris, go and find out why Prince Mu is in Xinzhou."

"Yes," Iris curtsied.

The corners of Lin Yuejiao's lips curved upward. Since they had "fatedly" crossed paths, how could she fail to bring him misfortune, so as to live up to the friendship they shared in their past life?

Lin Residence, Youran Courtyard.

Lin Yuejiao sat on a soft couch, leafing through a military manual. Iris reported, "Miss, this maid has found out. Prince Mu was originally heading to the Nine Counties province to provide disaster relief. A dozen prefectures there suffered from floods, and the court dispatched Prince Mu as the Nine Counties Commissioner to oversee the relief effort, passing through Jiangnan on the way. However, heading toward Xinzhou is a detour; it is not the fastest route to the Nine Counties."

The Nine Counties bordered Jiangnan, forming a province to the south of Jiangnan.

Lin Yuejiao roughly matched this with the memories in her mind.

"Disaster relief? What if this batch of grain were to vanish from his hands?" Lin Yuejiao mused thoughtfully, tapping her index finger on the tabletop.

She was not deranged enough to burn this batch of provisions. Although doing so would be a million times simpler than smuggling it away, those were the lifelines for the people of the Nine Counties.

Lin Yuejiao merely wanted to cause Beitang Han to suffer a massive blow; she would still find another way to deliver this batch of grain to the Nine Counties.

She considered herself ruthless and vicious, but no matter how unprincipled her methods, she still maintained her bottom line as a human being.

"Iris, where is the grain convoy escorted by Prince Mu currently stored?" Lin Yuejiao asked.

Iris replied, "Right in the granary of our Xinzhou official government. By the way, I heard that ever since Prince Mu came from the capital, wealthy merchants along the way have been donating grain. Especially the large merchants here in Jiangnan, who have generously opened their purses. Tomorrow, Prince Mu is hosting a banquet to invite the wealthy merchants of Jiangnan to ask for their grain donations. The common people are all praising Prince Mu's benevolent reputation. Originally, there were only three hundred thousand dan of grain, but by the time he reached Xinzhou, it had already reached five hundred thousand dan."

"It seems Prince Mu has truly won the hearts of the people in the Jiangnan region," Lin Yuejiao said with a cryptic smile.

Iris said, "Indeed. All those scholars are full of praise for him, calling him the virtuous prince of Great Zhao."

"That works out perfectly." The corners of Lin Yuejiao's lips curled up.

The more grain he collected, the larger the deficit would be that he had to fill once this grain was lost.

How much silver would it take to purchase five hundred thousand dan of grain?

Especially since, due to the current disasters in the Nine Counties, grain prices in the neighboring provinces, including Jiangnan, had already doubled.

"If Father had already returned, dispatching a unit of personal troops would make this a simple task," Lin Yuejiao thought to herself.

However, she quickly cast that thought to the back of her mind.

She was no longer the daughter of the Marquis of Dongping.

"Rong Yu?" Lin Yuejiao was the first to think of him. With his capability, it would certainly be more than enough, but Rong Yu was a high-ranking court official; how could he engage in such illegal activities with her?

Plundering official grain was a capital offense punishable by beheading.

If Rong Yu knew she intended to plunder official grain, would he be the first to capture and tie her up?

"The Masked Man..."

Lin Yuejiao's delicate brows furrowed and then smoothed out.

Plundering official grain carried immense implications; she could only rely on people from the pugilistic world to handle it.

The Masked Man possessed extraordinary martial arts; surely he could contact some desperate outlaws of the underworld.

"Iris, make a trip to the Nüwa Temple in the north of the city to pray for blessings for me, and remember to light a heavenly lamp," Lin Yuejiao said.

Iris curtsied, "Yes."

Yunsheng Waterside Pavilion.

"For the Heir to expose the Chi family case and smoothly shift it onto Prince Mu—this move is exquisitely executed. Seeing Prince Mu personally come to Xinzhou shows that he is determined to pull down a batch of the Crown Prince's officials. Because of this case, the Crown Prince has effectively lost an arm." Li Moqian picked up a black Go piece, dropped it onto the board, and smiled faintly, "The Crown Prince will inevitably retaliate. With the two factions contending and mutually exhausting their strength, many positions in the imperial court's Six Ministries will open up once again."

With the fall of the Chi family, although the Crown Prince might harbor resentment toward Rong Yu, his deepest hatred would be directed at Beitang Han.

"Heir?" Li Moqian arched a brow. He had placed his piece quite a while ago, yet the man opposite him remained as expressionless as still water, deep in thought.

Rong Yu snapped back to his senses. "Hmm?"

"Heir, it is your turn to move," Li Moqian smiled faintly. "It seems the Heir's mind is not on the game. Could it be you are thinking of some beauty?"

Rong Yu's expression turned cold. He glanced at the board, picked up a white piece, and dropped it down.

"Heir, can we still play chess amicably?" Li Moqian chuckled wryly as he watched the other man use such a tricky strategy to completely seal off his path.

Rong Yu was quietly brooding.

He had sat inside the carriage and witnessed with his own eyes Wen Zeying pulling Lin Yuejiao's hand to let Sai Huatuo take her pulse.

That was Lin Yuejiao's hand; what right did he have to pull it?

"Once she is conferred the title of superior maiden, tell her what she must do," Rong Yu said.

Originally, he had not been able to make up his mind, but once the jar of jealousy tipped over, it was as if out of sheer stubbornness, he simply did not want to see her anymore.

Li Moqian was startled. "Heir, once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. If this is decided, there will be no way to undo it later."

"To me, she was always just a piece on a chessboard. A chess piece should serve its purpose," Rong Yu said coldly.

Li Moqian fell silent.

"The Heir always places grand matters above all else. Moqian obeys your command," Li Moqian said.

Just as the words fell, Yunjian hurried inside and reported, "Heir, the Fourth Miss has sent someone to light a heavenly lamp at the Nüwa Temple."

Given Lin Yuejiao's temperament of never visiting a temple without a cause, she would certainly not light a lamp for no reason.

Rong Yu abruptly stood up and vanished into thin air in an instant.