Chapter 19 — An Unexpected Turn
Less than fifteen minutes later, Cao Jin arrived in a hurry. The moment he spotted Nanny Hao, he broke into a grin.
“Where is she? Where’s the girl?”
Nanny Hao’s face darkened. She glanced around nervously, and after making sure no one was nearby, quickly grabbed hold of the impatient man.
“The one sleeping inside is still the daughter of the Marquis of Xuanyi,” she warned in a low voice. “Your Heirship, keep it quiet. Don’t make too much noise.”
Cao Jin clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“If I don’t make noise, how’s anyone supposed to know we spent the night together?”
He licked his lips eagerly, desire practically dripping from his eyes.
“Tonight, I’ll make your young lady feel like she’s in heaven. You don’t need to remind me, old woman. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Nanny Hao rolled her eyes inwardly.
“Just be careful you don’t kill her.”
The mere thought of Xue Ning’s snow-pale skin made Cao Jin’s whole body tingle. Lewd excitement flickered in his gaze.
“Relax. I won’t kill her.” He grinned. “I’m still planning to marry her and bring her home as my wife.”
Nanny Hao could no longer stop him. Trembling, she finally let him inside.
Cao Jin hurried to the meditation room in a few quick strides. Standing at the doorway, he narrowed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
The air was filled with the soft, sweet fragrance unique to a young woman.
Xue Ning was breathtakingly beautiful—he knew very well how intoxicating her scent was.
Even brushing past her was enough to leave him weak in the knees, as though the fragrance had seeped straight into his bones.
Back at the Marquis household during Madam Hou’s birthday banquet, he had stared at that delicate, alluring beauty from afar, able only to admire her and never touch.
But tonight…
His clever little cousin had handed him the perfect opportunity.
There was no way he would let it slip away.
In a moment, he would make Xue Ning understand exactly how capable he was.
With that thought, Cao Jin gently pushed open the door to her room.
The candles inside had long since gone out. Dawn had not yet fully broken, and fine snow drifted lazily against the half-open lattice window.
The meditation courtyard was deep and quiet among the trees and flowers, the room dim with shadow.
He fumbled his way to the bedside. The moment his hand brushed the soft bedding, a rich, delicate fragrance rushed toward him.
“Miss Xue… you smell so good…”
“This heir will take very good care of you tonight. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself.”
His eyes gleamed brightly as he swallowed hard, greedily slipping a hand beneath the covers.
“Hm?”
Instead of a woman’s soft body, he touched something hard.
Before he could react, a woman’s sharp cry suddenly rang out from outside.
“Someone, come quick! There’s a thief!”
“Someone broke into the meditation quarters to steal!”
“Hurry!”
The shout shattered the temple’s stillness in an instant.
Nanny Hao’s heart lurched. She sprang to her feet in alarm, but before she could enter the courtyard, a squad of guards armed with sabers stormed into the room ahead of her.
Moments later, they dragged out a shrinking, pale-faced Cao Jin.
Something was wrong.
Nanny Hao immediately tried to slip away unnoticed—but the moment she turned around, she saw Xue Ning calmly walking in from outside the courtyard.
Nanny Hao’s face turned deathly white.
“Y-young Miss… why are you outside?”
Xue Ning’s delicate face was cold.
“Nanny Hao, is this how you keep watch over the courtyard? A thief entered my room, yet you noticed nothing?”
Being restrained by the guards, Cao Jin suddenly shouted, “I am the heir of Earl Jiqing! I’m no thief!”
Xue Ning lifted her pale, beautiful face slightly.
“If you’re not a thief, then why were you inside my room?”
Cao Jin choked.
Facing her lovely, tender features, his face flushed bright red.
“I… I was…”
He stammered for half a day without managing a single explanation.
Meanwhile, more and more spectators gathered nearby. The noble guests staying at the temple had also begun crowding over to watch.
Xue Ning knew he would never dare reveal his true intentions, and she had no intention of letting him off so easily.
She snatched the jade bracelet still clenched in his hand and presented it to the leader of the Black Eagle Guards.
“Sir, this is what Heir Cao coveted. The bracelet belongs personally to Madam Hou of the Marquis of Xuanyi’s household and is worth a fortune. A few days ago, during Madam Hou’s birthday banquet, Cao Jin took a liking to it. I never imagined he would follow me all the way to Zhenguo Temple just to steal it.”
“If you doubt me, you may bring the bracelet before Madam Jiang or the Marquis heir, Su Zhan, and verify it yourself.”
A mere jade bracelet alone might not have caused much trouble.
But the moment Su Zhan’s name was mentioned—the young Assistant Minister of Justice who had already gained a fearsome reputation despite his age—the atmosphere shifted instantly.
No one present dared take the matter lightly anymore.
The Black Eagle Guard leader glanced once at the bracelet before tightening his grip painfully on Cao Jin’s arm.
Cao Jin yelped.
“I didn’t steal anything! Let me go! If you don’t, you’ll regret it!”
“The heir of Earl Jiqing?” The guard leader sneered. “Since Your Heirship insists you did not steal from the Marquis household, then we shall invite the old earl to personally clear your name.”
“Don’t!”
Cao Jin instantly panicked, his face turning sheet white.
But he also dared not admit that he had conspired with the third branch of the Marquis household to trap Xue Ning for the sake of seduction and scandal.
Fortunately, stealing a bracelet was not a serious crime for someone of his status.
Once they returned to the capital, he could simply pay someone to bail him out.
“It’s only a bracelet!” he snapped bitterly. “So what if I liked it?”
The Black Eagle Guard leader gave a cold laugh.
“Take him away. He can explain himself before the magistrate.”
Cao Jin could only swallow the humiliation. Before leaving, he shot Nanny Hao a vicious glare.
Nanny Hao lowered her head, not daring to utter a single word.
Then Cao Jin looked toward Xue Ning again.
His heart twisted with unwillingness, crawling restlessly like countless ants beneath his skin.
He had desired Xue Ning for a long time. He had already sworn that he would never marry anyone else.
Everything had almost gone perfectly tonight.
Yet a single jade bracelet had ruined his entire plan.
That soft, delicate-looking girl actually had a sharp mind hidden beneath her gentle appearance.
He narrowed his eyes darkly, utterly unwilling to accept defeat.
Several meditation courtyards beside them stood along the water, connected to a vast natural lotus pond.
The Black Eagle Guards had bound his hands.
Cao Jin pretended to follow them forward for two steps—then suddenly spun around and charged straight at Xue Ning.
Someone screamed.
“Ah—!”
“Miss, watch out!”
Chaos erupted instantly.
The sudden turn caught Xue Ning completely off guard.
She had been standing right at the pond’s edge, speaking with the Black Eagle Guard leader. There was no time to dodge.
Grinding his teeth viciously, Cao Jin slammed into her with all his strength.
With a loud splash, Xue Ning was thrown into the lotus pond.
Icy water surged over her from all directions, swallowing her mouth and nose in an instant.
She was not a strong swimmer.
The pond appeared shallow near the surface, but beneath it lay frightening depths.
She struggled desperately for a moment, but her body sank faster and faster into the freezing darkness below.
On the shore, Cao Jin burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Someone save Miss Xue! Hurry and pull her out!”
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
The monks panicked and rushed to fetch bamboo poles.
Saving her was important—but Xue Ning was still an unmarried noble lady.
The women dared not jump into the freezing winter water, while the men hesitated for fear of damaging her reputation. The moment they heard she was the daughter of the Marquis of Xuanyi’s household, none of them dared move.
“Please! Somebody save my young miss!”
“Miss—!”
