Chapter Thirty-Six: Not a Single Word Will Be Spoken

Unlike the other noble youths who were close to him, most of them were extremely fond of hunting and were rarely seen around. Shen Sinian sighed, "In previous years, when you went, I could at least talk to you. Now that you’re not going, I can't even pull Xiao Yan along."

"No one said you couldn’t; he himself said he needed to recover from his injuries. It has nothing to do with me." Xiao Yan listened quietly at the side, a strange, indescribable emotion rising within him. It was as if he had been drifting alone on the lake, and finally found a patch of land where he could rest—an unexpected sense of peace.

Neither of them had ever treated him like a servant. At first, it had been odd and uncomfortable; he found them peculiar and was constantly cautious and alert. But now, he realized that, without noticing, he had already adapted.

They were different.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes clear and gentle, a faint softness shining within.

—

Shen Nanyuan had originally intended to take Xiao Yan with her to the Prime Minister’s residence, but suddenly remembered that it might be improper to bring a man to Meng Chuyue’s home, so she went alone.

Though she felt regret at missing such a good opportunity for Xiao Yan and Meng Chuyue to meet, she consoled herself: after all, they were the protagonists of the tale, and sooner or later, their paths would cross.

After the Prime Minister’s wife sent assassins after the Second Miss, and the legitimate daughter pushed the concubine-born daughter into the water, the household had clearly grown desolate. The servants hurried about, heads lowered, careful not to be swept into the oppressive whirlpool of the manor’s affairs.

Shen Nanyuan was led to Meng Chuyue’s courtyard. Though she was a concubine’s daughter, her residence was exquisite and elegant; Shen Nanyuan, though she had never seen the legitimate daughter's quarters, could tell this courtyard was certainly not inferior.

Meng Chuyue was delighted to see her. She had been sitting on the couch and quickly stood up, her almond eyes full of smiles. "Yuan Yuan!"

She took Shen Nanyuan’s hand and pulled her to sit beside her. "I had planned to visit Duke Zhen’s mansion once I recovered, but I didn’t expect you to come."

"I’ve wanted to see you for a long while," Shen Nanyuan looked at her slightly pale face, a little worried. "Are you feeling better?"

"More or less," she replied. "I’ve been resting for half a month, but my father insists I recuperate further."

The Prime Minister was disappointed and angry with his eldest daughter, yet felt compassion for Meng Chuyue. With the affair now known throughout the capital, he was overwhelmed with troubles.

The mistress and the legitimate daughter’s reputations were ruined after this incident. No one wanted to marry the legitimate daughter; in the end, she was hastily wed off.

This suited Meng Chuyue’s wishes.

In the original story, she was never a naive, sweet girl; later, the women who surrounded the male lead were quietly dealt with by her. So with her deep scheming and Xiao Yan’s, they made a fitting pair.

A maid poured tea nearby. Meng Chuyue glanced at Shen Nanyuan, as if pondering something, then her lips curved in a faint smile.

"Yuan Yuan truly is different from others."

Shen Nanyuan was puzzled. "How so?"

"All the young ladies who visit me show indignation on my behalf, probing about the incident both openly and covertly. Only you neither ask nor show curiosity."

So that was the reason.

Shen Nanyuan smiled. "This is your family matter. If you wish to speak, you will; I dislike being questioned about things I'd rather not discuss."

Meng Chuyue looked at her, head lowered as she sipped her tea, and felt a warmth rise in her heart.

"I don't wish to talk to others, but I want to speak with you."

The maids here were all trustworthy, so Meng Chuyue spoke without reserve, her voice soft. "Since childhood, I stayed by my mother’s side, often witnessing her and my elder sister come to sneer and mock us. My mother and I could only kneel before them, not daring to lift our heads. My father rarely involved himself in household affairs, leaving everything to the mistress. We were frequently deprived of essentials. I knew then that if I wanted a good life, I had to rise above others."

"When I gained some reputation in the capital, my father finally took notice of me, and from then on, life improved for my mother and me."

"But my mother did not spare me. When she saw my reputation surpassing my elder sister’s, she smiled kindly in public, but secretly sent people to kill me. Since that was so, I could not continue to sit idly by."

"She prized her daughter above all. So, when she was confined, I knew my elder sister would come to demand answers. I purposely chose the pond as the setting and deliberately provoked her. She herself did not have the strength to push me in—it was I who feigned a fall, using her momentum to tumble into the water."

"It was also I who had this matter spread throughout the capital, along with her attempt on my life, ruining their reputation."

Meng Chuyue spoke calmly, and Shen Nanyuan listened with composure.

All of this was written in the original story, so it did not surprise her.

Meng Chuyue looked at her, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. "Yuan Yuan, you really are special."

"If I were you," Shen Nanyuan met her gaze, "I would have done the same."

She tapped the table lightly with her fingers and continued, "You did nothing wrong. With people like that, this is how it must be; otherwise, you will always be the one suffering. You’re willing to tell me, and I know it’s because you trust me. Rest assured, I’ll forget everything I’ve heard—I won’t utter a word outside."

Meng Chuyue’s eyes flickered and, after a moment, she looked away, pushing the pastries toward Shen Nanyuan.

"Eat more."

Shen Nanyuan picked up a pastry and took a gentle bite; its sweet, soft flavor spread across her palate.

Meng Chuyue appeared to confide everything, as if she trusted her deeply, but in truth, it was not so.

She was testing Shen Nanyuan’s reaction, probing what kind of person she was—whether she would speak of it elsewhere, and whether she deserved trust.

Besides, even if she spoke, no one would believe it. The legitimate daughter had truly pushed her, everyone in the capital knew it; how could anyone accept a lone voice against that?

Nevertheless, Shen Nanyuan was not offended by the test.

After all, they had only met three times; such trust would be difficult even for her to accept.

Now, seeing Shen Nanyuan’s attitude, Meng Chuyue must have felt a bit guilty—guilty for testing someone who treated her sincerely.

Shen Nanyuan did not miss the chance. She smiled brightly, "Once you’ve recovered, let’s go boating together."