“Da xiaojie, is there something wrong?” Mu Tan asked worriedly as she took notice of Su Jing Fei’s suddenly serious expression.

Su Jing Fei shook her head, but the scenes played through her mind like a movie. This was a pivotal moment in the movie in which Jiang Li Ling finds an important item and uses it to win the favor of imperial concubine Shui who is Chen Hui Zhe’s birth mother! It was after this event that the tides of favor sway towards Chen Hui Zhe among the imperial court and among the public, raising his chances of becoming the next Emperor. A world where Chen Hui Zhe was Emperor was not a world that Su Jing Fei looked forward to, so she knew that she had to steal the item before Jiang Li Ling discovered it! 

At another table, Su Mei Rong and Che Li Xue sat and watched with amusement at Su Jing Fei’s isolation. “Your sister holds no candle to your looks,” scoffed Che Li Xue. “Yet she dares throw herself at Li Wei Sheng’s feet in Fuo Lan!” 

“It was merely by chance,” Su Mei Rong added with a small smile. However, those black eyes glinted with slight irritation in Su Jing Fei’s direction. “Jie jie was quite hurt when her engagement to the third prince was called off.” 

Che Li Xue clicked her tongue, shaking her head. “You’re too nice. She’s shameless! You can’t let a slut like her ruin your marital chances, especially since you have had feelings for Li Wei Sheng since he returned to the capital last year!” 

“My sister is the da xiaojie, so of course, I can’t get married before she does…” Su Mei Rong noted with a pitiful expression. 

“Peh! She’s a used rag who’s already past her marrying age. If she thinks that she can do whatever she wants, let me put her in her place!” Che Li Xue gave a haughty expression and quickly related to Su Mei Rong her plans to embarrass Su Jing Fei. As the young woman’s plan came to light, Su Mei Rong’s smile widened quite a bit. She was looking forward to seeing it!

Suddenly, Che Li Xue called over a few servants and whispered into their ears. Then she called over Su Yan Mei to their table. Su Yan Mei wasn’t used to Che Li Xue treating her well, so she was quite happy when Su Mei Rong and Che Li Xue allowed her to participate in the plan. As the daughter of a lower noble, usually Su Yan Mei wouldn’t be able to even interact on such a friendly level with other young ladies, but she was still the niece of the Right Prime Minister after all. Her main goal was to win Su Mei Rong’s favor so that when it came to her own marriage, the Er Furen could help her find a match above her own status.

After a few minutes, Che Li Xue turned to her mother and had the Che Furen announce to everyone that they would start going in groups to explore the larger garden beyond the pavillion. The crowd of young women were separated into smaller groups, and it just so happened that Su Jing Fei was in the same group as Che Li Xue and Su Mei Rong. Surprisingly, Su Yan Mei, the Jiang sisters, and another girl were also a part of the group. The last girl looked a bit familiar, and after awhile, Su Jing Fei recognized her to be the Minister of Land’s da xiaojie Mu Rong Li. As the young girls followed their host Che Li Xue into the garden, they naturally walked in rows of two with Che Li Xue and Su Mei Rong leading the lines. Next was Jiang Li Xiu and Jiang Li Qin. Then Su Jing Fei and Jiang Li Ling; followed lastly by Su Yan Mei and Mu Rong Li. 

“Su da xiaojie looks well.” Jiang Li Ling said with a bright smile. 

Su Jing Fei returned Jiang Li Ling's smile with one of her own. “Jiang xiaojie seems to have not changed much in a year.” In one way, it was a compliment to hear that one still retains the youthful appearance of last year, but in another way, it could be said that Jiang Li Ling’s personality was still as horrible as before. The double-edged compliment caused Jiang Li Ling’s expression to darken slightly.

Strolling leisurely through the garden, they stepped onto a beautiful stone pathway laid beside a pristine pond filled with colorful fish. “Be careful of your steps here,” warned Che Li Xue as she turned to address the other girls. “Sometimes, the stones become wet from the pond and may be a bit slippery.” 

Su Jing Fei smiled, knowing full well what Che Li Xue had planned for their stroll along the stone path. After walking halfway across the pond, a sudden shriek could be heard with a loud splashing sound accompanying the cry. The scene was quite a pitiful one as an “accidental” trip caused Su Yan Mei to step on Su Jing Fei’s dress, ripping it and causing the latter to stumble and bump Jiang Li Ling into the pond. The pond was quite shallow so Jiang Li Ling was quickly back on her feet, but her clothes were soaked. As for Su Jing Fei, there was now a long tear across her dress, revealing a bit of her legs. Luckily, there were only women around so their appearances weren’t quite so scandalous, but it was still embarrassing!

Su Jing Fei extended a hand to help Jiang Li Ling out of the pond. "Are you alright, Jiang xiaojie?"

 “You pushed me on purpose!” cried Jiang Li Ling as she covered herself and glared at Su Jing Fei with hatred in her eyes. 

Su Jing Fei shook her head, retracting her hand as Jiang Li Ling remained stubbornly glaring at her. “It was an accident. As you can see, my dress is ruined now too.” She turned around to show the back of her dress which was torn away to reveal a bit of her legs. 

Both women turned to look at Su Yan Mei whose expression was apologetic but there was a bit of ridicule in the upward turn of her lips. “I’m so sorry! The rocks were so slippery, and my foot slipped…” 

“You..!” Jiang Li Ling shouted at Su Yan Mei, but was suddenly pulled out of the water by Jiang Li Xiu.

“Stop making a ruckus in the home of another,” Jiang Li Xiu said in a stern voice. In the same breath, she turned to Che Li Xue and said politely, “I apologize for my younger sister’s behavior.” 

“No need to worry! I should have known better than to bring us along this dangerous path,” Che Li Xue said with a small sigh. “I’ll have the servants escort Su xiaojie and Jiang xiaojie to rooms to get cleaned up.” 

“Many thanks, Che xiaojie.” Jiang Li Xiu replied. 

“Jie jie, I’ll have to borrow your servant to go back home to grab you a change of clothes.” Su Mei Rong spoke up with a sweet smile. Mu Tan glanced at Su Jing Fei who gave a small nod.

Two servants approached them and led them away from the pond and back to the courtyard. Su Jing Fei was brought into an empty room as Jiang Li Ling was led somewhere else. As the door closed behind her, Su Jing Fei found herself completely alone. For now at least. The ‘scheme’ that Che Li Xue had thought up was originally intended for Jiang Li Ling in the movie Blossoms in the Wind; it involved putting Jiang Li Ling in quite a precarious situation by allowing a male servant to enter the room and pretend to be her “lover.” However, because of Su Jing Fei’s presence, it seemed Che Li Xue’s target had changed to her. But this was also a golden opportunity for Su Jing Fei to obtain the valuable item instead of Jiang Li Ling. 

Su Jing Fei wasted no time and left the room. The hallways were empty of servants as she strolled through with her memories as guidance. It wasn’t long before she reached Che Xiao Tong’s office. She stepped inside, making her way to the stacks of books and papers scattered across the man’s desk. However, the valuable item she was looking for was stowed away in a drawer with a key dangling from the lock. Che Xiao Tong must’ve left in a hurry to attend to another matter or else he’d never leave such an item in a vulnerable situation. Kneeling down, Su Jing Fei pulled open the drawer and sifted through the contents before taking out a blue covered notebook. This was it! 

Su Jing Fei quickly flipped through the pages and confirmed that what she had in her hands was Che Xiao Tong’s detailed writings of business bribes and transactions! As the Assistant Manager of Revenue, he had a direct line of control in collecting taxes and payments from the other noble families; however, this book detailed the names of noble families who gave him bribes to ‘change’ their earnings so that they could pocket more of their own money for themselves. This book would be able to turn the tide of power in the imperial court as it could be used to expose corruption or used as blackmail. 

Su Jing Fei closed the drawer and tucked the book into her clothes as she headed towards the door. However, the door suddenly opened, causing Su Jing Fei to be forced to hide behind a decorative screen. There was a shuffling of feet as someone entered and began searching through the office. Su Jing Fei didn’t need to take a peek to know who it was; it was no doubt Jiang Li Ling looking for the same book! 

In the movie, Jiang Li Ling must’ve heard about Che Xiao Tong’s corruption from Chen Hui Zhe. With no hard evidence, they couldn’t do anything, but with the book, the power would be in their hands. This young girl was quite the ambitious one! She probably knew she could win Chen Hui Zhe’s favor if she managed to get him such evidence. But unluckily for her, the book was now in Su Jing Fei’s hands. Eyeing the still open door, Su Jing Fei managed to slip out while Jiang Li Ling rummaged through doors with her back turned. 

In another part of the Che manor, Su Mei Rong suppressed an excited expression as Che Li Xue led them back to the garden seating area. They slowly passed through a hallway as Che Li Xue suddenly waved down a servant. “Let us check in to see if Su xiaojie and Jiang xiaojie are ready to return to join us for some afternoon tea.” Her smile was wide as she let the servant lead them to rooms. They headed straight for Su Jing Fei’s room with Che Li Xue leading the way. The young woman didn’t even bother to knock on the door as she pushed it open and glanced inside. 

However, the scene inside was not at all what Che Lie Xue and Su Mei Rong had expected! A young woman’s cry sounded out as Mu Rong Li turned her eyes away from the half-nude man who stood in the middle of the room, staring blankly back at Che Li Xue and the other young ladies. 

Che Li Xue glared at the man, noticing Su Jing Fei’s absence in the room. However, her expression shifted into a fake one as she cried out in shock. “Why are you in Su Jing Fei’s room?” 

Hearing the cry from Mu Rong Li, some other people gathered, including Che Furen who gave a shocked expression at the half-nude man in the room. “What is going on here!?” 

“I can explain! I’m actually Su Jing Fei’s secret lover!” The man proclaimed as he was forcibly detained by the Che family guards. 

Everyone gasped at his sudden admission, and their minds tried to wrap around the fact that the Su da xiaojie actually had a secret lover! “Su Jing Fei dares to have a secret tryst in the Che manor?” cried Che Li Xue in an angry voice. “Someone go find her!” 

“Find who?” came a familiar voice from the back of the crowd. The women parted in the middle to reveal Su Jing Fei’s sudden appearance. Everyone stared at her, unsure of what was happening. 

“This man is claiming to be your secret lover,” Che Li Xue stated, motioning the guards to drag the man forward. “You dare to have a secret tryst in the Che manor? How shameful!”

Su Jing Fei’s expression was unperturbed at Che Li Xue’s sudden accusations. Instead, she responded in a calm manner with a clear voice. “Che xiaojie is mistaken. I don’t know this man nor was I having a secret tryst with anyone. Does Che xiaojie have any evidence to back up this claim?”

“You…!” Che Li Xue’s expression twisted into anger. “This man appeared in your room specifically claiming to have relations with you. His own presence is proof itself!” 

“So Che xiaojie is choosing to trust the words of an unknown man over the da xiaojie of the Su family?” Su Jing Fei’s eyes were cold as she spoke her words with a sharp tone. 

“Jie jie, that’s not the case at all! We’re just concerned for you since your dress was ruined during the walk today…” Su Mei Rong said with a nervous and concerned expression. 

The Che Furen glanced at her daughter. From the moment she encountered the scene, she knew that this must’ve been something set up by her own daughter to humiliate Su Jing Fei. “That’s not it, Su da xiaojie. We’re just concerned about the appearance of an unknown man in the Che manor, and since this man knows your name while you claim to not know him, we must be sure to investigate both sides thoroughly.”

Su Jing Fei’s eyes flickered between the Che Furen and Che Li Xue. Quite a harmonious pair of scheming mother and daughter. Her cold eyes settled last on Su Mei Rong who felt a slight chill run up her spine at Su Jing Fei’s gaze. 

Che Li Xue’s plan’s success relied on Su Jing Fei’s flustered reactions and a shock factor. Seeing as Su Jing Fei was not the least bit flustered, the crowd seemed to settle a little bit but were still watching the scene with curious eyes. “Then if there is no other evidence of my supposed tryst, let me bring out witnesses to my innocence.” Su Jing Fei gestured behind her. Mu Tan and Si Qiang stepped forward.

“Our xiaojie is innocent! I met up with da xiaojie when returning with a new change of clothes. Because remaining in her ruined dress was precarious, we decided to change her clothes in the carriage with the Su family guard Si Qiang guarding outside.” Mu Tan explained. 

“Yes, what she says is correct and true.” Si Qiang affirmed. He looked slightly angered at the accusations being thrown at his xiaojie’s face, but managed to keep a firm and clear tone. 

Everyone noticed that it was true that Su Jing Fei was dressed in slightly different attire than what she arrived in, so she had indeed changed her clothes. Su Jing Fei suddenly turned to face a rather young looking yatou who was standing nearby. “When I was lost in the hallways, did I not ask for your guidance to the front door to meet up with my yatou who would be returning with my clothes?”

The young yatou looked flustered at being called out. She was clearly a part of the Che family’s servitude, so one knew that she would not be merely covering for Su Jing Fei as with the possibility of Mu Tan and Si Qiang. “Yes, Su da xiaojie did ask for my help, and I took her to the front entrance.” 

“All these don’t prove your innocence! They only prove that you had changed your clothes! Who knows if you had your tryst before you changed your clothes or not?” Che Li Xue was adamant and visibly angry and annoyed. Everyone reasoned that it was quite possible that Su Jing Fei could’ve had a tryst before changing… 

“You didn’t let me finish, Che xiaojie.” Su Jing Fei said with a smile. Turning to Su Mei Rong, she asked in a clear voice. “Rong-mei, is this my first time in the Che manor?”

Su Mei Rong was confused at Su Jing Fei’s question. “Yes…” She wasn’t quite sure what Su Jing Fei’s point was.

“Che xiaojie, you agree that this is my first time in the Che manor?” Su Jing Fei questioned.

“Of course, but what does that have to do with anything?” Che Li Xue said in an annoyed tone.

However, Su Jing Fei seemed to be quite pleased with their answers. “Since this is my first time in the Che manor, as supported by my younger sister and Che xiaojie, how could I possibly give directions to a man to enter the Che manor and meet me for a secret tryst?” 

Everyone was quite surprised by Su Jing Fei’s reasonable explanation! Of course there would be no way that Su Jing Fei knew the Che manor well enough to do that! Then, if Su Jing Fei did not have a secret tryst and the man was not her secret lover, then who is he and why was this happening?

Che Li Xue cursed inwardly at Su Jing Fei’s cleverness, and she gritted her teeth as she thought of ways to rid herself of the situation. Su Mei Rong looked outwardly concerned, but inside, she was quite upset at the lack of humiliation on Su Jing Fei’s part. Now it seemed that the trouble was thrown back at Che Li Xue who had been accusing her so adamantly!

“I believe the man is lying to cover up something,” Su Jing Fei continued when Che Li Xue failed to respond. “Perhaps he is a thief and hoping to hide his true intentions.” 

Che Li Xue was surprised at Su Jing Fei’s suggestion, but she suddenly found herself a way out of the mess. “A thief in the Che family manor? How insolent! Guards, send him to be imprisoned and held for questioning!”

Su Jing Fei held back a laugh at how quick Che Li Xue was changing her tune. First the man was her secret lover and now he was a thief. To an outsider, it would seem that the Che xiaojie was quite a gullible person. To Su Jing Fei, she knew that she had just provided a perfect out for Che Li Xue. 

As the conclusion to the disruption came to a close, the Che Furen and Che Li Xue apologized to the guests as they needed to attend to the ‘matters of the thief’ so the gathering was cut short. Su Mei Rong looked quite upset as she returned to the carriage with Su Yan Mei in tow. Su Jing Fei also returned to the carriage, sitting across from Su Mei Rong and Su Yan Mei who were quiet and brooding on the way home. Su Jing Fei smiled as she enjoyed the silence on the carriage ride back the Su manor. 

Also leaving the Che manor in a sour mood was Jiang Li Ling who had changed to new clothes. She had gained the perfect opportunity to find evidence of Che Xiao Tong’s corruption that Chen Hui Zhe had mentioned previously; this was supposed to be a way for her to snag Chen Hui Zhe’s attention as well as to possibly gain favor with imperial concubine Shui, his birth mother! However, the search had proven fruitless; although, apparently there was some disruption that caused everyone to leave home. A man who claimed to be Su Jing Fei’s lover but was actually a thief? Perhaps the Che manor was doing Su Jing Fei a favor and covering for her and the man was truly her lover; Jiang Li Ling knew she had to mention this to Chen Hui Zhe the next time they met!

Once they reached home, the three young women were called into the family gathering hall by Su Xuan Mo. In regards to the reason for this sudden meeting, there was no doubt that they would have to explain themselves about today’s incident!