Yun Jinnian looked at the brocade box in her arms, somewhat astonished and touched.
Her voice remained subdued, her emotions restrained.
If the Yun Jinnian of the past could laugh without a care in the world, now, after having that strange yet complete dream, she became oppressive and silent. Moreover, she mysteriously acquired the skills she saw in the dream.
To avoid repeating the same mistakes she made in the dream, she learned to be scheming.
Her courage grew as well.
Chu Yu humphed and stayed silent.
Yun Jinnian opened the brocade box to find a silver bracelet that was not quite like a bracelet, for its surface was inlaid with fine gems that made it exceedingly beautiful.
"Let Si Qin teach you how to use it, and have Si Qin send you back to Yingci’an. Come back before the evening meal to take my pulse!"
After Chu Yu spoke, he didn’t wait to see if Yun Jinnian was listening before turning and leaving.
Yun Jinnian looked at the brocade box in her hand, suddenly remembering the New Year’s purse Chu Yu had given her. It had been over two months, yet she hadn’t opened it, not daring to do so!
After Chu Yu left, Si Qin walked over while looking at the bracelet in Yun Jinnian’s hand, "Wow, Mr. Tian Jizi’s ’Soul-hooking Life-snatching Bracelet!’"
Soul-hooking Life-snatching Bracelet.
Yun Jinnian was startled.
Tian Jizi was a master of mechanisms, his secret weapons were exceedingly rare and expensive.
"However, this doesn’t look like it was made by Mr. Tian Jizi, but rather like...!"
Si Qin’s words puzzled Yun Jinnian.
"His Highness truly treats you in no ordinary way. Princess Jinfeng has begged him many times to make a bracelet for her, and he has never agreed!"
Yun Jinnian looked at Si Qin in shock, "What did you say?"
"That’s right, our master was a disciple of Mr. Tian Jizi!"
Si Qin said, taking the bracelet from Yun Jinnian’s hand and sliding it onto her wrist.
Yun Jinnian was slender, and the bracelet fit just right.
This showed how meticulous Chu Yu was.
"Isn’t this too precious?" Yun Jinnian asked softly, looking at the bracelet on her wrist.
"Today is your birthday, and you can accept even the most precious gifts. Come, let me show you how to use it. This item is much more powerful than the martial arts you’ve been learning!"
While speaking, Si Qin guided Yun Jinnian’s wrist, teaching her how to use the bracelet. With the activation of a mechanism, several silver needles shot out rapidly, and if not for their tips shimmering faintly, Yun Jinnian would have missed them entirely.
The speed was astounding.
"Did you understand how it works, Fourth Miss?"
Yun Jinnian nodded her head.
"Try it for yourself, Fourth Miss!"
After trying a few times, Yun Jinnian became adept at using it.
Si Qin retrieved the silver needles and reloaded them into the bracelet.
"Si Qin, do you also understand mechanisms?"
"I know a little, just scratches on the surface. Compared to His Highness, I’m worlds apart!"
Yun Jinnian smiled faintly without replying.
In her eyes, Si Qin was already very skilled.
Yun Jinnian returned to Yingci’an, where Mrs. Yuan grabbed ahold of Yun Jinnian inspecting her over and over again. Seeing Yun Jinnian’s complexion was much better than in the Yun Family, and her clothes were brand new and smooth to the touch, Mrs. Yuan finally felt at ease.
Ru Yue didn’t notice anything different about Yun Jinnian’s clothes, but Ming Yang, who had served the old lady for many years, could clearly see that the fabric Yun Jinnian wore was Qingyan soft Luo Sha, worth a thousand gold a bolt. The old lady had a few bolts stored away, and she was never willing to let her granddaughters wear them. Yet, Xu Xinmo had sweet-talked her way into getting several bolts for herself.
It seemed that Yun Jinnian had plans in coming to Yingci’an. The one who sent her here must be rich and noble, but who could it be?
Ming Yang couldn’t guess and didn’t dare to speculate.
After lunch at Yingci’an, Yun Jinnian went to the valley.
Meanwhile, Chu Yu sent a nanny to Yingci’an to teach Mrs. Yuan, Ming Yang, and Ru Yue proper manners. The nanny was strict and fierce, causing the three to complain endlessly, but after a few days, they suddenly realized they had learned a lot and stopped complaining. They earnestly followed the nanny’s lessons on conduct, and how to handle various situations.
Yun Jinnian was in the valley administering the antidote to Chu Yu.
Yun Jinnian wanted to delay the process, giving herself more time to read more books she’d never seen before and to learn a lot from talking with Chu Yu.
Chu Yu knew this but didn’t expose her, allowing Yun Jinnian to administer the antidote slowly. He arranged for various books to be gathered from all places for her to read.
Yun Jinnian’s ability to read ten lines in a glance and her extraordinary memory impressed Chu Yu, who remained nonchalant.
One silently contributed without a word.
The other went from being polite to accustomed, silently storing everything in her heart, etching it into her memory.
Time flew by; the days were growing colder and colder, and in half a month, it would be the New Year.
After the New Year, Yun Jinnian would be thirteen, and Chu Yu nineteen...
Princess Jinfeng still hadn’t married, but when she came to visit Yun Jinnian in the valley, there was now a handsome and graceful young man of about fourteen or fifteen following her...