Only she could do that.

After concluding the transaction, Beitang Han and Nie Tianxiao departed. Yan Zhenhao would handle the grain handover with them, while Lin Yuejiao and the Masked Man would no longer step forward.

In the private box, neither Lin Yuejiao nor the Masked Man spoke. One remained calm and composed, while the other sipped tea and enjoyed pastries.

It was not until Yan Zhenhao re-entered that he reported, "Young Master Lin, Madam Lin, the two from the Nie family have left, and the two young masters in the adjoining room have also gone."

"Very well, you may withdraw," Lin Yuejiao instructed.

Yan Zhenhao backed out and closed the door behind him.

Lin Yuejiao languidly stretched her arms and leaned halfway against the couch. "Although the Crown Prince is a fool, his subordinates certainly have sharp noses. They managed to track Beitang Han so smoothly; you helped them along from behind the scenes, didn't you?"

The Masked Man emitted a soft hum of affirmation.

"Now it's settled. The grain has been sold to Beitang Han, and the news has been leaked to the Crown Prince. Next, we shall see how the Crown Prince deals with Beitang Han. He suffered heavy losses in the case of Chi Shuangxiang, so he will undoubtedly exact a hundredfold revenge on Beitang Han." Lin Yuejiao casually picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "This drama is bound to be splendid."

The chess game had already been set. Beitang Han thought he could resolve the crisis of the disaster relief grain, unaware that he had walked right into the trap Lin Yuejiao had laid out for him.

The Masked Man nodded steadily. "You are entirely right, Madam."

"You're still calling me Madam!" Lin Yuejiao arched her delicate brows, her phoenix-like eyes glaring at the Masked Man. "I didn't argue with you earlier because there were outsiders present, but now it's time to settle our accounts."

The Masked Man looked at her. "It slipped off my tongue. Madam, calm your anger."

"You!" Annoyed and embarrassed, Lin Yuejiao reached out, grabbed a piece of mung bean pastry from the jade plate before her, and hurled it at the Masked Man.

With a swift *whoosh*, the Masked Man extended two fingers and neatly caught the pastry between them.

"So your martial arts are formidable, is that it?" Lin Yuejiao arched her brows further, scooped up a large handful of pastries in both hands, and bombarded him with them all at once. They flew like raindrops, a head-on flurry of red, white, fragrant, and sour pastries of all colors. She said quite satisfyingly, "That'll teach you to run your mouth and talk nonsense! Who told you to introduce me as your wife to Yan Zhenhao?"

The Masked Man lifted two empty plates from the table, his hands moving with ghostly swiftness. In the blink of an eye, all the pastries Lin Yuejiao had thrown at him landed securely in the two plates, arranged into a remarkably pleasing floral pattern.

The Masked Man placed the two plates of pastries before Lin Yuejiao. His hoarse voice carried a hint of a smile. "Don't be angry. I didn't tell Yan Zhenhao you were my wife; he simply has too much discernment, which isn't something to blame him for."

"What do you mean by 'he has discernment'?" Lin Yuejiao glared at him, then lowered her gaze to the pastries. Deciding not to waste them—since this fellow could catch them anyway—she picked one up and began to eat.

"Just in case the Crown Prince's men are too foolish to realize that Beitang Han embezzled silver from the Ministry of Revenue to buy the grain, you should follow up on this later and give them a push."

The Masked Man murmured his agreement.

"I am truly happy today, thoroughly gratified," Lin Yuejiao said as she stood up. "I'm heading back first. Once Beitang Han meets his downfall, I'll invite you to share a victory toast."

Lin Yuejiao stepped out of the Four Seas Inn. Draped in a long golden dress, surrounded by embroidered blossoms, she radiated overwhelming wealth and prestige.

She lifted the carriage curtain and stepped inside, and the carriage clattered out of the city gates, heading off to an unknown destination.

*

The selection trials at the Zhaohuang Academy had finally come to an end.

Following Lin Yuejiao and Lian Shi'er, the other young ladies successively partook in the final round of assessments. A week later, all examinations concluded.

A total of one hundred and two young ladies were ranked as middle-tier maidens, earning the qualification to enter the Zhaohuang Academy.

At the Jinghua Palace, within the Taihe Hall, the Zhaohuang Investiture Ceremony was underway.

Arrayed in the ethereal goddess celestial gown, Lin Yuejiao stood at the very front of the gathering of young ladies.

Opposite her stood Lian Shi'er, who had fallen ill with anger and taken days to recover before finally regaining her aristocratic airs. Due to her noble status, she was surrounded by a large contingent of adulating young ladies.

"By imperial edict of the Empress, the noble maiden Lin Yuejiao is hereby conferred the rank of Third-Class Maiden, placed among the upper tier," Yu Kangru announced, holding aloft an imperial proclamation.

Lin Yuejiao stepped forward and bowed. "This subject's daughter expresses her gratitude for Her Majesty's grace."

From this moment on, she was an upper-tier maiden whom ordinary people would not dare to provoke, for offending her was tantamount to offending the Zhaohuang Academy itself.

This status served as her ultimate protective talisman.

Most importantly, she was now permitted to enter the capital.

A nearby junior official immediately stepped forward to present Lin Yuejiao with a token carved from purple crystal jade.

On the front of the token were inscribed the two characters "Zhaohuang," while the reverse bore the name "Lin Yuejiao." It served as her official proof of identity, much like an official seal.

It could not be lost; losing it would constitute the crime of severe disrespect and strip her of the right to enter the Zhaohuang Academy.

"By imperial edict of the Empress, the noble maiden Lian Shi'er is hereby conferred the rank of Fourth-Class Maiden, placed among the middle tier," Yu Kangru continued reading.

Lian Shi'er cast a covert, resentful glance at Lin Yuejiao, stepped forward, and bowed. "This subject's daughter accepts the decree."

At such a solemn moment, out of nowhere, an angry female roar echoed from the lower hall: "Lian Shi'er! You despicable, narrow-minded, petty villain! You placed a ten-thousand-liang bet that Lin Yuejiao wouldn't pass the first round and lost it all. Did I not merely discuss it a couple of times? For that, you had your father abuse his power and move against my father, causing him to lose his official post and robbing me of the chance to continue participating in the Zhaohuang Academy selections! To think I always took you for a gentle and magnanimous young lady of high birth, when your heart is actually smaller than the eye of a needle!"

Lian Shi'er's expression shifted drastically as she spun around to look toward the source of the voice below.

Beneath the high platform, Li Yingqiu was struggling furiously to rush upward, but she was blocked by the guards stationed at the base and could only shout at the top of her lungs.

Lin Yuejiao looked on with a trace of astonishment.

"Lian Shi'er! At the time, I truly didn't know you had placed that bet. I merely remarked on it casually without saying anything particularly excessive! To think you would ruin my father's official career, destroy the Sun family, and rob me of my most crucial future over such a trivial matter! My father is a corrupt official? Hahaha, as if your Lian family is clean! If we hadn't sent so much silver to your household year after year, would my father ever have had the chance to hold that office? Framing my father for corruption? Heh! You took the bribes yet failed to deliver, and instead turned around to bite the hand that fed you. I've never seen anyone as tyrannical and shameless as your Lian family! If you have the guts to arrest my father on criminal charges, why don't you have the guts to refuse bribes in the first place?!" Unable to break through, Li Yingqiu abandoned all restraint and cursed loudly, "Lian Shi'er, you hypocritical, petty villain!"

After being forcibly ejected by Lian Shi'er and finding no help from other aristocratic daughters, Li Yingqiu had learned from a friendly maiden that the crackdown on the Li family had been personally ordered by Lian Shi'er's father, and no official in Jiangnan dared to protect them.

"Silence! Li Yingqiu, what nonsense are you spouting? Your father was corrupt and brought this upon himself; don't go dragging others into it," Shi Xianyue stepped forward to scold her, proving herself a true lapdog to Lian Shi'er.

Li Yingqiu laughed maniacally. "Shi Xianyue, you're only sucking up to her because you want your father to be promoted, aren't you? You'd better watch your step and make sure you don't say a single wrong word in front of her, or your Shi family will meet the exact same fate as our Li family right now! And all of you who sat around discussing Lian Shi'er being a fool that day, you'd better watch yourselves too. Lian Shi'er is narrow-minded; she hasn't let me go, so she's naturally marked every single one of you in her heart."

At these words, the expressions of quite a few young ladies on the high platform turned unnatural.

"Li Yingqiu, accusations require evidence. Otherwise, I shall report you to the authorities," Lian Shi'er said, panic surging within her despite the gentle facade she maintained on her face.

Li Yingqiu sneered, "I don't need evidence. I only want to tell everyone what a disgusting, shameless wretch you are, Lian Shi'er, so we can see how much longer you can keep up this act!"

"Disrupting the investiture ceremony. Drag her out," Yu Kangru commanded with a wave of his hand.

Only then did Lian Shi'er's complexion improve slightly. She turned and said, "I have caused trouble for the instructor. Her father was arrested for corruption and previously attempted to bribe me for help, which I refused, hence her deep-seated resentment. As for any talk of gambling wagers, it is entirely baseless. I beg the instructor to discern the truth."

"My only duty is to oversee the Zhaohuang selections; everything else is beyond my concern, and Miss Lian need not explain herself to me," Yu Kangru replied impartially. "Since that young lady is an old acquaintance of yours and harbors some misunderstanding, you should resolve it with her yourself."

Lian Shi'er could only offer an awkward smile.

An hour later, the investiture ceremony drew to a close.

The young ladies either gathered in small groups to socialize or returned to their respective homes.

Lin Yuejiao and Lin Zijin boarded their carriage, setting off on the return journey to the Ye residence.

"Elder sister, I never imagined Li Yingqiu would actually cause such a scene at the Zhaohuang Academy. Was it really just because they gossiped about the betting pool and called someone a fool that she provoked Lian Shi'er?" Lin Zijin asked perplexedly. "It didn't seem like such a major matter. Surely it wouldn't go this far..."

Lin Yuejiao replied, "What Li Yingqiu said matches my suspicions."

"Elder sister, you think so too? Then it must be a certainty! Elder sister, your calculations are never wrong; if you say so, then the Li family's misfortune was definitely caused by this." Lin Zijin held profound faith in Lin Yuejiao's judgment, though a sudden thought made her voice heavy with worry. "Elder sister, Li Yingqiu only whispered a few words and ended up like this. But you competed directly against her for the upper-tier maiden rank and even defeated her! She has such a petty disposition; she hasn't secretly harbored a grudge against you because of this, has she?"

Lin Yuejiao smiled. "Naturally she has."

"Ah?" Lin Zijin gasped in fright, clutching Lin Yuejiao's hand. "Elder sister, what will you do then?"

Lin Yuejiao casually retrieved her Zhaohuang token and dangled it before her eyes. "There's no need to worry about me. Have you forgotten about this?"

"That's true. Elder sister is now an upper-tier maiden; I doubt Lian Shi'er would dare to harass you." Seeing the token, a trace of a smile returned to Lin Zijin's eyes.

Lin Yuejiao pressed her lips together. In truth, the deterrent effect of this token had its limits. Openly, Lian Shi'er would not dare to act recklessly, but in secret, she possessed countless methods. Lin Yuejiao would not lower her guard because of this.

"Elder sister, the Zhaohuang Academy token is truly exquisite. Even the phoenix patterns carved upon the jade are so intricate," Lin Zijin admired, turning the token over in her hands with a smile.

Lin Yuejiao remarked, "This thing is just like an official seal. If you lose it, you lose your official status, so you must keep it safe."

"It's said that this is crafted by the Inner Imperial Workshop. Every single purple crystal jade token is registered in a ledger with anti-counterfeiting marks, making it impossible to forge or alter," Lin Zijin traced the carved characters on the back of the token and added, "It's useless for anyone else to get their hands on it."

Lin Yuejiao observed casually, "Others may not be able to use it, but they can certainly prevent *you* from using it."

Realization dawned on Lin Zijin, and her face paled.

"Staying at the Lin residence is still unsafe," Lin Yuejiao murmured to herself before instructing, "Iris, turn the carriage around. We're going to the Yunsheng Waterside Pavilion."

Last time, Lian Shi'er had attempted to buy off Han Bing; who knew what kind of trouble she might stir up next? The safest course of action was to ensure the tokens weren't kept in the Lin residence at all.

And the safest place in Xinzhou was undoubtedly the Yunsheng Waterside Pavilion.

She had spent these past few days playing chess with that Crown Prince-like noble day after day; surely he wouldn't refuse such a trivial favor as keeping her token for safekeeping?

"Elder sister, isn't this being overly cautious? You want to leave the token with His Highness the Prince?" Lin Zijin asked in astonishment.

Lin Yuejiao tapped her index finger lightly against the small table. "As you said just now, Lian Shi'er is narrow-minded; don't overestimate her magnanimity. You should leave your token with the Prince as well. With your careless temperament, if I left it in your custody, I'd genuinely worry about whether I'd ever see you at the Zhaohuang Academy."

"Elder sister is right," Lin Zijin self-consciously brushed aside a stray lock of hair.

Lin Yuejiao teased, "If you'd rather not leave it with the Prince, I give you permission to hand it over to Young Master Li for safekeeping. I imagine nobody would dare steal anything from Young Master Li's custody."

"Elder sister, you're making fun of me." Lin Zijin's face flushed bright red. Lowering her gaze, she murmured, "Ever since... ever since that incident at Black Wind Fortress, I only saw Young Master Li that one time during the final selection assessment. But there were too many people around, so I didn't get the chance to ask if his injuries from back then had healed..."

Lin Yuejiao chuckled softly. "Young Master Li is invariably inseparable from the Prince; he's bound to be at the Yunsheng Waterside Pavilion right now. If you have anything you want to ask later, feel free to do so."

"I... I'll just stay at the entrance and say a couple of words to Young Master Li. I won't go inside," Lin Zijin waved her hands frantically.

"Rest assured, earlier Iris and Poppy both waited outside for me, yet now they follow me inside without issue. I've never seen him stop anyone I bring along," Lin Yuejiao waved her hand dismissively. "If he dares to bar our way, I simply won't play chess with him tomorrow."

Seeing Lin Yuejiao's fearless demeanor, Lin Zijin covered her mouth and smiled. "I suppose not a single soul under the heavens dares speak such words besides elder sister."

The Prince's indulgence toward her was evident even to a bystander.

"That fellow simply dislikes women harboring ulterior motives toward him. Since you're looking for Li Moqian, he certainly won't mind. Rest easy," Lin Yuejiao patted the back of Lin Zijin's hand, her eyes curving into crescent moons. "There are plenty of people coveting Li Moqian; who knows when someone might snatch him away? Zijin, you'd better be careful."

Lin Zijin's face instantly burned red. "Elder sister, what are you talking about? I didn't mean it that way..."

Lin Yuejiao smiled with deliberate ambiguity. "Mm, I was merely reminding you to watch out for human traffickers..."

The two sisters burst into laughter.

"Poppy, go pass a message to Li Yingqiu. Since she made Lian Shi'er lose so much face today, I fear her safety might be compromised. Tell her to be extra careful," Lin Yuejiao instructed.

Poppy acknowledged the command and withdrew.

Having crossed paths once, Lin Yuejiao had no desire to watch Li Yingqiu meet a miserable end.

When the carriage arrived at the Yunsheng Waterside Pavilion, Yun Jian reported their arrival, and as expected, raised no objections to Lin Yuejiao bringing Lin Zijin along. He led the two sisters toward the Misty Cloud Lake.

"His Highness and Young Master Li are boating on the lake; you'll find them once you go in," Yun Jian said, pointing toward the lake surface shrouded in heavy fog.

Lin Yuejiao nodded. She and Lin Zijin boarded a small skiff at the shore, and the boat drifted out onto the water.

Misty Cloud Lake was blanketed in dense fog year-round, parting only briefly at high noon during the height of summer. Given that it was currently afternoon, thick mists rolled across the water, combined with the full bloom of summer lotuses and pads, limiting visibility to just a few yards ahead.

Fortunately, the melodious notes of a flute drifted across the lake, serving as a beacon.

A cool breeze brushed their faces. Before long, a small boat materialized in the distance, half-hidden by the haze. A warm-yellow carved-lantern hung from its bow, where two handsome young men sat. Between them sat a small tea stove, bubbling with steam as it brewed something fragrant.

Playing the flute was Li Moqian, clad in pristine white robes. Seeing them approach, he ceased playing and remarked, "I was afraid you wouldn't find the way."

"With Young Master Li's flute playing to guide us, if we still couldn't find it, it wouldn't mean we were foolish—it would mean we were deaf," Lin Yuejiao said with a smile.

Li Moqian replied, "You've arrived at just the right time. We've just brewed some lotus seed tea; you must come and taste it."

Rong Yu reclined lazily in the boat, one leg stretched flat and the other bent at the knee, resting an arm casually across it. His posture was effortless and unrestrained.

Dressed in black brocade embroidered with crimson, his striking features were breathtakingly handsome, and his deep gaze locked onto Lin Yuejiao's face.

The skiff, designed for two to sit face-to-face, suddenly felt a bit cramped with the addition of two more passengers.

Just as Lin Yuejiao stepped aboard, Lin Zijin accidentally trod on her own skirt hem and stumbled forward, colliding with Lin Yuejiao's back.

*Thump!*

Jostled forward by the impact, Lin Yuejiao staggered unsteadily and pitched directly downward.

And the direction she was falling was straight toward Rong Yu.

*Plop.*

A triumphant arc curved upon Rong Yu's lips as he extended his arms to catch her. Clearly, this fellow could easily have steadied her before she fell, yet he chose to watch her tumble squarely into his lap.