The Capital City was scorching hot.
The cicadas were chirping incessantly.
The Former Crown Prince's birthday celebration had been grand, and so was his funeral.
It was said that the Former Crown Prince had died from depression while under house arrest. But how could depression kill? So there were rumors that he was murdered, or that he died from abuse, or that he hanged himself, drowned himself, or swallowed gold...
There were so many ways to die.
And so many rumors.
In the end, The Emperor put an end to all the rumors with a grand funeral.
It was his son, his own flesh and blood. Though a father might be angry at his son's mistakes, he wouldn't want his son's life.
The Emperor's decision to hold a grand funeral actually excited many people. For those aligned with the Former Crown Prince, it meant, at least for a moment, the possibility of forgiveness.
Would the Former Crown Prince's children be released from confinement?
Every move held deep meaning.
As Jiang Wan and her grandmother rushed towards the Capital City, they saw the fluttering white banners at the city gates.
Someone important had passed away.
Chu Xi glanced at Jiang Wan with some surprise.
Jiang Wan returned a faint smile.
Then she lowered the curtain again.
This journey together had continuously changed Chu Xi's opinion of Jiang Wan.
At first, he thought she was just a naive girl in love, unaware of the ways of the world. But as they conversed, he discovered she was very talkative, knowledgeable, and insightful - a very perceptive woman, rarely encountered in his life.
Perhaps it was because that Liu fellow had unexpectedly saved him, and the young girl, in the flush of youth, felt extra gratitude towards her lifesaver, mistaking it for love.
Chu Xi clearly knew that his cousin's marriage would not be smooth sailing. This Liu fellow already had a fiancée; his behavior outside was indeed improper.
Of course, what moved Chu Xi's heart even more was the information Jiang Wan inadvertently revealed in her speech.
She seemed extremely intelligent, as if she could deduce things from the slightest clues.
During the journey, they somehow got to talking about the Former Crown Prince, and Jiang Wan actually said the Former Crown Prince had to die. Only his death could break the deadlock and pave a way for his descendants.
At the time, Chu Xi thought it was nonsense. If one could live, everyone would want to live. Death was easy, but terrifying; everyone strived to live.
But now, her words had come true.
Chu Xi found Jiang Wan increasingly captivating, unlike any other girl. She was like an enigma.
He never thought there would come a day when he would be infatuated, lost in a woman.
And a woman who was secretly betrothed to another, at that.
Thinking about it, wasn't it thrilling?
Liu Tong saw that Wan'er and the Chu Heir were chatting happily along the way, but he wasn't jealous. Wan'er had said the Chu Heir was her cousin, a relative, and it was good to maintain good relations.
Moreover, she had already declared her feelings in front of the elders.
Although at certain moments, Liu Tong felt that Wan'er and the Chu Heir seemed too in sync, as if he were an outsider, he reasoned that it was normal for cousins. Besides, a girl had openly admitted her affection for him in front of everyone; she must be completely devoted to him, and he would certainly take responsibility.
They arrived at the Capital City.
Liu Tong felt nervous yet excited.
Nervous about how to tell his parents, excited at the thought that after informing them, he could marry Miss Wan. He imagined their future together, living in harmony, sharing common interests, painting and playing chess - life would surely be blissful.
He was also proud of his discernment. Who would have thought that on a journey, he'd find such a wonderful woman? It was worth it.
But when they reached the city gates and saw so many white banners, he hesitated. Which important figure had passed away? It looked like national mourning. Would it affect weddings?
Jiang Wan looked at the white banners and felt relieved. Everything was back on track. Although she only had her grandmother by her side at the moment, she had traveled with Chu Xi and, using her understanding of him, their relationship seemed even better than at the beginning of her dream.
In her dream, he had always been full of suspicion towards her at first.
Here, she was just playing the role of a naive girl in love with someone else. What schemes could a girl with love in her heart have?
As they entered the city, perhaps because Liu Tong had written to his family earlier about when they would arrive, there was a carriage waiting at the city gate.
A round-faced girl stepped down, looking unworldly. When she smiled, her pointed canine teeth showed, and her teeth were uneven, but she had deep dimples on both cheeks.
She saw Liu Tong and waved happily.
"Brother Liu, I'm here! Aren't I clever? I thought you'd arrive soon, so I've been waiting here for days. I finally caught you."
The girl smiled openly, making the sky seem brighter and the white banners gentler.
She was instantly likeable.
Then she saw Jiang Wan.
Liu Tong felt awkward.
Jiang Wan just nodded slightly to her. It was Miss Dong.
She stood beside Chu Xi.
Liu Tong sighed in relief and said, "This is my friend. We traveled back together."
Miss Dong saw Jiang Wan and was stunned. She sincerely praised, "Sister, you're so beautiful."
Jiang Wan nodded and smiled, somewhat reserved.
This was Miss Dong, the cheerful and innocent Miss Dong.
Miss Dong accompanied them, helping Jiang Wan settle in, chattering all the way.
Liu Tong finally managed to avoid Miss Dong and promised to come see Jiang Wan soon.
Jiang Wan just smiled gently, with a hint of sadness as she looked at Miss Dong outside.
The wind in the Capital City was dry and a bit harsh, but her whole body relaxed. She felt the familiar place, where every move had support. She was like a kite blown high by the wind, spreading her wings and flying high and beautifully.
The wind in Jingzhou was neither dry nor harsh, even a bit humid.
Classes had resumed.
At Shangqiu Academy, a group of girls were indignant.
Wu Yi'an and the others had worked hard to distribute porridge, but instead of gratitude, they were cursed at.
People accused them of being fake and deceiving the public.
Heaven knows, even though their porridge became thinner than at the beginning, it was still much thicker than Jiang Mianmian's.
But they didn't curse at Jiang Mianmian, only at them.
Wu Yi'an listened to everyone's complaints and cried, face down on the desk.
The young girl's shoulders shook as she cried, her long hair spread across the desk, her whole being fragrant.
Jiang Mianmian, who couldn't concentrate on her studies anyway, was disturbed by her deskmate's constant crying behind her.
It was like trying to memorize lessons while hearing a puppy whimpering next door.
"Stop crying. It's not your fault, it's their problem. You've already done very well."
Wu Yi'an looked up in surprise, her eyes red, tears hanging on her lower lashes, pouting, her chubby face with fine down still slightly twitching.
Her shoulders were still trembling slightly.
She was surprised that Jiang Mianmian was comforting her; usually, Jiang Mianmian mocked her.
"I gave them so much, and not only are they not grateful, they even curse at me. Do you know what that man who received porridge yesterday called me? He said I was stingy..." At this point, Wu Yi'an choked up again, her hands shaking.
She felt so wronged. For the porridge distribution, she had contributed all her secret pocket money saved for two years, yet that person called her stingy.
Jiang Mianmian watched the little girl cry and found it quite amusing. The little girl cried prettily.
She couldn't help but pinch her cheek.
Wu Yi'an cried even louder.
"You're bullying me too!"
Jiang Mianmian said, "You gave too much at first, and later it wasn't as good as before, so of course they complained. If you had given thin porridge at first, then made it a bit thicker the second day, and even thicker the third day, they would have been very happy. People always can't stand things going from good to bad, but they're full of hope and happiness when things go from bad to good, even if they end up getting the same amount."
Wu Yi'an listened and felt there was some truth to it, but she still wanted to cry.
She suddenly felt that Jiang Mianmian wasn't so bad after all. She had wanted to steal her thunder in distributing porridge, yet Jiang Mianmian was comforting her.
"Now that I'm advising you, don't you think I'm quite nice?"
Jiang Mianmian asked.
Wu Yi'an nodded with puffed cheeks.
"It's because I used to mock you all the time, and suddenly I'm being a bit nice to you, so you think I'm quite good. If I had been coddling you all along and now coddled you a bit less, you'd think I wasn't good anymore."
"I understand. Thank you."
Wu Yi'an thanked her, choking back tears.
At this moment, she really did think Jiang Mianmian was nice.
Jiang Mianmian took the opportunity to pinch her other cheek: "Balancing it out. The other side was getting a bit swollen."
Wu Yi'an, her face pinched, burst into loud tears.
"Jiang Mianmian, let go of me!"
"Okay, but that side's not swollen enough yet. Wait a bit."
"Waaaah... Teacher, help!"
The banana leaves swayed outside the window, while birds chirped merrily in the trees.
The breeze was warm, and time seemed to slow down.
...
