When news of Su Qing'er's suicide in prison arrived, Su Jinyu was sitting by the window, flipping through an old book.
The maid walked in from outside the door, her voice lowered to a whisper. “Miss... news has come from the palace. Miss Su has... committed suicide in prison.”
“Su Jinyu's” fingers paused on the page she was turning, stopping right in the middle, neither closing the book nor continuing to flip.
She said nothing, sitting in silence for a moment before closing the book, placing it on her lap, and looking out the window.
The sunlight outside was as bright as ever, and the plants in the courtyard remained as green as always, as if her death had not stirred even a single ripple in this world.
She found she felt little joy, nor even a particularly strong sense of relief; she only felt that a matter that had been hanging over her for a long time had finally settled.
Xie Tianci fell into a deep depression after Su Qing'er's death.
He had never excelled in either academics or martial arts, relying solely on the reputation of the Xie family and a barely sustainable facade of aristocratic decency. Now that this past scandal had been unearthed, many daughters of noble families avoided him, and his prospects for marriage grew narrower by the day.
“Su Jinyu” heard that he shut himself inside his manor to drink, only stepping out once every few days, looking thoroughly listless.
She dismissed the news upon hearing it, giving it no further thought. As the days drifted by, the wedding date drew closer.
Three days before the grand wedding, Su Jinyu shut herself in her room for an entire day.
She only gave brief, simple replies when her maid spoke to her, barely eating more than a few bites of food.
Sitting by the window, she gazed at the old locust tree in the courtyard. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering fragmented spots of light across the ground.
She did not know what she was thinking, or if she was thinking of nothing at all. She simply felt a tightness in her chest—neither sadness nor resistance.
Shen Sui scaled the wall and entered the Minister's manor on the night before the wedding.
He did not use the main gate, scaling the side wall as usual and landing on the corridor outside her window.
“Su Jinyu” heard the noise and pushed open the window. She saw him standing in the shadow of the moonlight, a withered leaf from the top of the wall clinging to the hem of his robe.
He did not approach the windowsill, standing a few paces away and looking at her across a distance that was neither too far nor too close. The night breeze swept through the corridor. He stood in the dark and watched her for a long time—so long that she thought he would not speak—before he finally said, “If you do not wish to marry, I will let you go. You should live for yourself for the rest of your life.”
After his voice fell, he did not move, nor did he wait for her response. Those words were spoken very softly, as if he had pondered them repeatedly for a long time, and by the end, he had no energy left to take another step forward.
Resting her hand on the windowsill, “Su Jinyu” looked at his silhouette in the moonlight—his lowered eyes and slightly pursed lips. Only after a long while did she speak, her voice calm. “Cousin Shen, thank you.”
Shen Sui stood in the moonlight outside the window, watching her quietly for a few breaths. He nodded slightly, asked no more questions, and turned to walk back the way he came. The hem of his robe brushed against the blue bricks of the corridor. He walked very lightly. When he scaled the courtyard wall, his clothes made a faint rustling sound against the top of the wall, which was immediately swallowed by the night wind.
There was no wedding feast on the day of the grand wedding.
Marquis Weiyuan's Manor claimed to the public that an urgent report from the border required Shen Sui's immediate return, so the wedding feast was simplified, and everything was kept simple.
“Su Jinyu” boarded the carriage wearing plain clothes. Shen Sui rode on horseback slightly ahead and to the side. In the morning light, the group exited the capital's north gate and headed all the way north along the official road.
After arriving at the border, “Su Jinyu” presented the booklet she had hidden for a long time to the Emperor.
The Emperor was furious and immediately decreed to seize the Minister's manor, ordering all those involved to be dealt with according to the law.
Because “Su Jinyu” had rendered great service through her report and had drawn a clear line between herself and Minister Su beforehand, the imperial court exempted her from all associated liabilities and specially bestowed upon her the title of First-Rank Lady of Mandate. When the news reached the border, “Su Jinyu” was drying newly harvested spiritual herbs in the courtyard.
She carefully folded the mandate document, put it in a drawer, and then turned back to continue drying the herbs.
The warm sunlight spilled over her shoulders and the ground. From outside the courtyard wall, the occasional sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps and the distant commands of camp drills drifted in. The wind blew from the north, carrying a dry and crisp scent.
She stood in the courtyard, reaching out to hang the last bundle of herbs, her fingertips brushing against the edges of the dried leaves with a soft rustle.
She withdrew her hand and stood in the courtyard for a moment. The wind blew her robe slightly, only for it to fall back to its place.
...
When Lin Zhiyue woke up, the light before her eyes was a soft, milky white.
She lay on a soft, warm patch of grass. Above her was a grayish-white sky, and the soil beneath her carried the scent of grass after rain.
Her memories were returning layer by layer.
She remembered her life as Su Jinyu. She remembered the little girl who grew up by her grandmother's knees, remembered her powerful words standing in the center of the hall when her betrothal was annulled, remembered her cold eyes under the lamp light on the night she avenged her grandmother, and also remembered the outline of the official road extending into the distance in the morning light as she rode out of the capital toward the northern border.
Those images were like a slowly rolled-up scroll, carrying wet ink and warmth, rolling back into her heart inch by inch.
She sat up and saw the real Su Jinyu standing not far in front of her.
Her figure was much clearer than before she entered the illusion. Her face was still delicate and pale, but the gloom that had accumulated between her brows for many years had completely vanished. Her entire being seemed washed clean by a heavy rain, and most of those stains and scars had faded away.
Su Jinyu stood there in a daze, tears welling up in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks, forming a glittering line.
She sobbed breathlessly, as if pouring out all the grievances and silence she had accumulated over a dozen years at this very moment. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, but they only flowed more. Finally, she choked up and raised her head to look at Lin Zhiyue, her voice halting. “So... I can live for myself too. So I am not worthless. So a woman does not have to be controlled by others. So... there has always been someone keeping me in their heart.”
Lin Zhiyue stood up from the grass, walked over to her, and reached out to gently pat her shoulder.
Su Jinyu's shoulders trembled slightly under her palm, only slowly stabilizing after a long while.
Her tears were still flowing, but her lips had curled into a slight smile, no longer hidden beneath the surface as before.
The system's light screen lit up at the edge of her vision, framed in a familiar gold border: 【System connection restored. Congratulations to the Host for completing the core main storyline of the “Chiyan Imperial Dynasty: Birthday Banquet Mystery” Story Quest and exceeding the target. Su Jinyu's long-cherished wish has been fulfilled. Reward: Premium Draw Ticket x15. The final skill of Forest Spirit's Verses, “All Life Springs,” has been unlocked.】
【Skill Description: Active cast. Within a short time, it significantly enhances the vitality of plant spiritual energy within the range, accelerating the growth of spiritual plants, repairing damaged vegetation, and exerting a long-term purifying effect on environments with resentment. Total Story Quest progress: 90%. Please continue to advance the remaining side quests, Host.】
Lin Zhiyue took a glance and withdrew her gaze, not immediately checking the fifteen tickets and the details of the All Life Springs skill.
She merely stood in that grayish-white sky, watching Su Jinyu slowly stop crying.
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