The sun is high in the sky, and the carriage is a bit stuffy. Mei Li opens the window curtain to let in the gentle breeze. They have already left the city, and the roadsides are lined with green trees and lush mountains, making for a pleasant view. In the distant fields, the continuous tender green crops bring a sense of joy and delight.

  She leaned against the carriage, letting the cool breeze brush her cheeks, and indulged in the beautiful scenery of late spring. Because she couldn't sleep well at night, the carriage swayed gently with fresh air, and Meili's drowsiness gradually crept in, leaning against the window frame to fall asleep lightly.

  After an unknown period of time, she felt someone gently waking her up. She opened her eyes dazedly and saw Yonghe's handsome face with a hint of a smile. He leaned in, holding onto her shoulders.

  "Get down, we'll camp here for today." He pulled her and half-embraced her as she got off the vehicle.

  Mieri didn't realize until she got off the train car, because she had fallen asleep and hadn't gotten off in time. Everyone else was already gathered on this small flat area where the train had stopped. Her overly intimate posture with Yonghe drew cold glances from many people. Moreover, Yonghe seemed to be completely unaware of it as he held her hand, frowning at the red mark on her forehead that had been pressed against the train car for a long time. Mieri tried to pull her hand out of his, but he gripped it tightly instead. She blinked anxiously at him, and only then did he belatedly realize the attention from the surrounding people, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

  Xiangzhuang saw it in her eyes, smiled at them, and looked at Ying Ruo with great comfort. Ying Ruo secretly sighed, responded to the old ancestor's smile, helplessly glanced at her son, and turned her head to talk to other Fu Jin.

  Jingxuan led some young people from the imperial clan over to supervise the camp, casting a cold glance at Yonghe who was still standing beside Meri.

  Yonghe slightly pouted and smiled at Meili before quickly following behind Jingxuan to listen to his task assignment.

  Watching him lead the team to patrol around with a steady expression, Mei Lin couldn't help but smile slightly. He looked like a mischievous student trying to behave in front of his teacher.

  She inadvertently turned her head and found Jingxuan staring at her with a cold face. She was stunned, and faintly repressed her smile. She had already distanced herself from him, forgotten him, and gone to find her own happiness, so why did he still have to look at her with such disgust?

  She followed the old ancestor's team with her eyes not looking sideways, extremely happy to find that no matter how he looked at her, she didn't care... She was truly relieved. A smile spread from her eyes to the corners of her mouth, and she took a deep breath of the fragrant air in the suburbs, feeling relaxed and comfortable all over, as if she were about to dance with the wind.

  The tent was quickly set up, as there was no suitable place to camp within a day's journey ahead, and with many women in tow, the Emperor led the Eight Banners elite forward, while the old ancestor rested on the spot with the women.

  The campsite was extremely ideal, with flat and wide grasslands nestled between the mountains and water. A clear small river flowed just a few steps outside the campsite, and the girls who had settled down all rushed to the riverbank to play in the water, relieving their fatigue from the journey and washing away the dust on their bodies.

  Meili deliberately waited until most of the girls had returned before slowly walking to the riverbank. As expected, as dusk approached, the camp was filled with wisps of smoke, and except for the kitchen soldiers washing vegetables and fetching water on the riverbank, there were no other figures in sight. Meili silently gazed at the surrounding scenery for a while, having grown fond of looking at vast expanses of mountains and plains or serene and secluded rural landscapes since leaving the Cold Palace, which gave her heart an indescribable sense of peace and stability.

  She crouched down, half playing and half seriously washing the cloth, she had gotten used to not wearing makeup, unlike other girls who were careful, she splashed water on her face with a splash, the coolness of the river water made her feel happy, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud, scooping up water again and again to play, and splashing it around, the water droplets sparkled in the faint light of the sunset, she laughed, at this moment, there was no oppression or pain in her heart, no humility or endurance, she seemed to have returned to a carefree time, once... she was also such a lively and playful girl.

  "You're having quite a good time."

  The sarcastic and cold tone was even more terrifying when spoken in a girl's soft voice.

  Meili didn't immediately turn around, she wrung out the towel in her hand and wiped away the water droplets on her face, her smile was also wiped away, restoring her indifferent expression. Only then did she stand up to look at the person speaking behind her.

  As expected, it's not just Yin Dian alone who has come.

  She raised an eyebrow, wanting to smile but couldn't, and glared at the silver reed that had forgotten its place. If it came down to causing trouble and bullying the weak, she was a senior.

  She looked at the girls of similar age to her on the opposite side, each and every one of them gave her a cold stare with extreme disdain in their expressions. But she knew that they were also timid at heart, otherwise they wouldn't have come together as a group. In the past, she and Zhiqing sister hated how Yu Rou was favored by men, they were so jealous that they decided to "teach her a lesson", but they didn't dare to go alone.

  Seika stood behind the group of young girls, smiling coldly, with a sense of detachment and indifference. Apparently, she was just here to mock them and pass the time. Miori looked at her, seeing the anger and resentment in her eyes, and the cold smile on her lips. Seika... still hadn't escaped from that blow, Miori sighed.

  "YOU!" Yin Dian pointed at her fiercely, "Stay away from Yong He!"

  Meili didn't make excuses, the old ancestor's arranged marriage was just a tacit understanding among those involved, she shouldn't...and didn't want to say it first.

  "Aren't you crazy about Jingxuan? Go and like him! He's not married yet!" Sanzhu was glared at by her cousin a few times, feeling that it wasn't enthusiastic to come out and ask, which seemed very unbrotherly.

  "Right!" someone spoke up first and questioned, and the voices that followed were numerous. The girls started talking one after another, as if competing with each other to be more vicious.

  "You're not going to be so wishy-washy, are you?! The whole city of Jing knows that the person you like is Brother Jingxuan!"

  Water-based poplar flower?

  Meili listened to their curses, but only this sentence entered her ears. She thought it was very ironic that now she had finally let go of her heart and hands, yet ended up with the reputation of being a flirt?

  "Must it be..." She gazed at the gradually deepening twilight, murmuring somewhat wryly, "Isn't the price I paid for that mistake already high enough?"

  Her low voice somehow suppressed so many sharp voices, and everyone seemed to be choked, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

  All the girls shut their mouths tightly, yes, everyone knew that Jingxuan brother didn't want her at first... She was thrown into the cold palace for two whole years, it's really miserable. They could mock her poverty, mock the lowly habits she developed in the cold palace, but they couldn't bear to mock her shattered heart to her face. After all, they were all girls, and each had a him in their hearts... They weren't vicious enough to do that yet.

  "In short, you...you're far from being able to surpass Yonghe!" Yin Di said angrily, having already realized that although they had more people, they were still at a disadvantage.

  "You've got it wrong! I'm the one who wants to get close to her!" Yonghe had emerged from the camp at some point and was standing behind the girls, his face cold and intimidating.

  "He glared at the silver reeds, 'I'm telling you, I just like her, and in the future, I'll marry her! Don't let me see you bullying her again, or don't blame me for hitting a woman.' He warned with some youthful impulsiveness."

  Yin Di was hurt by his attitude, her face flushed with anger, "You want to marry her?!" She frantically pointed at Mei Li, "Do you know how cheaply she pursued Jing Xuan back then?! She doesn't even like you, it's just because Jing Xuan rejected her that she would bat her eyelashes at you!"

  "Shut up!" Yonghe stormed over to Yin Dian, his fierce aura scaring the girls into hiding. Mei Li was startled and hastily ran over to pull him back, "A big guy like you, how can you be so petty with a girl?"

  Wasn't... her heart aching, Yin Di had hit on something he cared about?

  Although Yin Di pretended to be fearless and looked up with her chin high, when she saw Yong He really get angry, she was also scared and trembled all over.

  "I'm warning you all for the last time today!" Yong He's finger pointed at the pale-faced girls, "If I hear you speaking ill of her again, if I see you bullying her again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

  Meili pulled his arm, stopping his anger, and listened to his childish words with a mixture of amusement and emotion.

  Yonghe was so maintained by so many girls that Mei Li, Yin Di's face was completely lost, and she burst into tears and ran away covering her face.

  Jing Xian gritted her teeth and watched this scene, the resentment in her heart suddenly boiling over. In the Taihe Temple that year, that man had also humiliated her for the sake of another woman! Causing her to never be able to hold her head up again in front of the imperial court officials and nobles!

  Her eyes were filled with hatred, and she smiled coldly before turning away with a flick of her sleeve.

  "Still panting with anger, 'How detestable! Who would marry someone like that?!'"

  Meili smiled wryly at him, "You're arguing with girls like this, you'll be laughed at. A big man..."

  "What's wrong with being a big man? Does being a big man mean you have to put up with it?" he said with a sidelong glance.

  She tightened her grip on his arm, looked down, and every time she got to this point, she didn't dare look him straight in the eye. It was all her fault that he had been subjected to such gossip and annoyance. "Do... you mind very much?" She really couldn't bring herself to repeat their words, listening to them was still able to calm herself down, but facing him, she was still filled with shame and guilt.

  Yonghe was taken aback, not expecting her to look at him like that. He furrowed his brow and asked straightforwardly, "Meili, do you still like Jingxuan?" without any hint of subtlety.

  Meili was stunned and suddenly didn't know how to respond.

  "I just want to know this one thing."

  She lowered her eyes, shook her head, "No... I don't like it." She didn't know why she couldn't look into Yonghe's eyes and say it, after all, her feelings for Jingxuan were also real, although laughable and shameful, they had all passed, but to coldly and resolutely deny them, she couldn't do it.

  "That's good!" Yonghe didn't notice her evasiveness, he got the answer he wanted, and that was enough. His anger just now turned into joy, and he even proudly kissed her slightly lowered face heavily.

  Meili glanced around nervously, afraid that the onlookers would see this improper intimacy. She heard Yonghe's cheerful low laughter by her ear, and she looked at him with some embarrassment - he was indeed quick to get angry and also quick to disperse it, Meili couldn't help but laugh too, this childlike temper of his.

  Near dinner time, Yonghe still had many miscellaneous tasks to attend to. Until the beautiful Luli urged him to go, lest the person in charge, Jingxuan, would say that he was slow and sloppy again.

  Just as she was about to enter her own tent, she heard a cold laugh. The night had already begun to thin out, and following the sound, she saw Jingxuan with his arms around him, leaning against the back of the tent on one side.

  Meili quickly furrowed her brow and bowed to him, "Congratulations, King Qing." Not wanting to talk to him anymore, she pulled up the curtain and prepared to enter.

  He swiftly stretched out his arm and roughly pulled her into the dead angle of the tent, his hand pinched her chin tightly, it hurt.

  "Spare me the act! King Qing... are we really that estranged, Meili?" He sneered, his eyes filled with a thick sarcasm that seemed to burn like fire.

  She opened her eyes and looked away from him, "Stranger... isn't it bad?"

  He pointed his finger at her again, forcing her to lift her head and look at him. "You must understand that you've been stuck in the Cold Palace for two years because of your own misfortune, not because of me!" He leaned down, she was too thin... Her originally plump apple-like face had completely transformed into a beautiful girl's face, with big eyes staring at people, shining brightly... making one's heart soften. He had never noticed that her eyes were so bright and beautiful.

  "Mm." She smiled blandly. Yes, she had already told him that, so why bother emphasizing it again in such a flustered manner?

  "You paid the price for that mistake... it has nothing to do with me!" He said almost brutally.

  She trembled at that time... Did he hear it?

  The light was dim, but he still saw that her small chin had been pinched by him until it turned blue, and he couldn't help but loosen his grip.

  "Your man is really ridiculous! He jumped out and said those words, which will make those women hate you even more." He sneered with a smile, "Like an idiot."

  She coldly looked at this handsome and charming man, who in his eyes, Yonghe's cunning tactics were as clumsy as a fool, perhaps he had made things worse with his temporary pleasure, so what?

  She also smiled at him indifferently, and he was stunned by her smile for a moment.

  "Whatever it was, when I needed him... he stood up." She said with a hint of pride.

  His eyes narrowed suddenly, and his lips pursed tightly.

  "Just now... when you were answering his question, why did you hesitate?" He coldly rubbed her chin with his finger.

  She was too close, she smelled the faint jasmine fragrance on his body, she was familiar with this smell, because she had smelled it on Su Yuen's body, and her ancestors had also praised this smell as elegant and unique, one of the top-grade jasmine fragrances, a small bottle was enough for several months' expenses in the Qian Wang Fu.

  He seemed... to have seen everything, heard everything. And even what Yonghe hadn't noticed, he had also understood.

  She smiled, he would always be standing on one side with his hands in his sleeves, watching.

  "Because I'm guilty! I'm guilty of loving Yong He!"

  He glared at her for a moment, let out a long cold laugh, and flung his hand open to release her. "Fine."