Second Madam Qi’s heart was still thumping wildly even after she boarded the carriage with Qi Yuan.
Last time, on the carriage, she had thought Qi Yuan was such an obedient and sensible child. But after that day, she understood what it meant to not judge by appearances.
When you hadn’t crossed her, Qi Yuan indeed seemed quiet and harmless.
But once you did, she would bare her fangs without hesitation.
This time…
Second Madam Qi glanced nervously at Qi Yuan, only to find her frowning slightly, lost in thought.
She couldn’t help but softly call out, “Ah Yuan?”
Qi Yuan returned to her senses and, seeing Second Madam Qi looking frightened, smiled gently to reassure her. “Second Aunt, there’s no need to worry. I’m only going to clarify something this time—there won’t be any major issues.”
Second Madam Qi subconsciously let out a breath of relief.
As long as it wasn’t something big.
By the time they arrived, many guests had already gathered.
Now that the Yongping Marquis household held considerable status in the capital, Second Madam Qi was greeted the moment she stepped down from the carriage and led to the rear garden where the spring outing banquet was being held.
The last polo match had been at Zhou Wang’s seperate estate, and this was her first time at his main residence in the capital. She lowered her voice and whispered to Qi Yuan, “Ah Yuan, flower banquets are different from polo matches—just stick with me.”
Qi Yuan had once been Feng Caiwei’s guard, so of course she’d seen many flower banquets.
Young ladies of noble families didn’t just enjoy riding, archery, and hunting; accomplishments in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were also critical displays of a family’s prestige. Polo matches and autumn hunts were the domain of military families’ daughters.
But flower banquets—those were the battlegrounds of the aristocratic scholarly clans.
Qi Yuan nodded, then glanced up—and caught sight of the stiff expression on Zhou Wangfei’s face.
Only then did she recall that Zhou Wangfei and Eldest Madam Liu were sisters.
And the downfall of Duke Chu’s household had countless threads tied back to her. It was only natural that Zhou Wangfei wouldn’t be pleased to see her.
She followed Second Madam Qi forward to pay respects. Zhou Wangfei’s expression was frosty, and after a long moment, she gave a thin smile and said, “Oh, look who it is—it’s the now-famous Miss Qi everyone’s talking about in the capital.”
Second Madam Qi’s heart instantly dropped.
She was terrified that Zhou Wangfei might make things difficult for Qi Yuan in public.
Not that she feared for Qi Yuan—she feared for Zhou Wangfei.
Fortunately, a report came just then: someone from the Chengen Marquis household had arrived.
Today’s main guests were precisely the Chengen Marquis household. Upon hearing they had arrived, Zhou Wangfei didn’t have time to quarrel with Qi Yuan and quickly ordered, “Bring them in at once!”
Soon after, a stately noblewoman with silver hair entered, flanked by several young girls.
Zhou Wangfei greeted her warmly, supporting her by the arm with a radiant smile. “It’s been so many years—please don’t be so formal, Madam!”
She then handed out small gifts to the girls.
The girls of the Feng family were all beautiful. Zhou Wangfei’s eyes lingered on them briefly before smiling and asking, “Which one is Miss Caiwei?”
As a royal household still favored by the emperor, the Zhou Wang house naturally understood what the Feng family represented.
Everyone was well aware—Feng Caiwei, born with an extraordinary background, was destined to become the future Imperial Grandson Consort.
The Zhou family certainly wanted to cozy up before others got the chance.
Madam Feng’s smile deepened as she gestured toward a girl in pale yellow. “Caiwei, come greet Her Highness.”
Feng Caiwei wore a pale yellow beizi jacket, a cloud-patterned high-collar inner garment, and a cream-colored eight-panel mamian skirt. She stood tall and graceful.
Compared to the other girls of the Feng family, her fair skin paired perfectly with the soft yellow tones. Her calm demeanor and refined manners made her greeting elegant and striking, making her stand out instantly.
Zhou Wangfei’s smile grew wider as she clasped Feng Caiwei’s hand, removing a twisted triple-ring white jade bracelet from her wrist and slipping it onto Caiwei’s. “A little gift for our first meeting. Take it and enjoy.”
Feng Caiwei glanced at Madam Feng beside her. Only after seeing her nod did she accept the gift gracefully and thank Zhou Wangfei.
Zhou Wangfei then instructed a maid to escort the Feng girls to the lakeside pavilion. “The others are already playing there—go and join them!”
She then looked at Qi Yuan. “Miss Qi, why don’t you join them as well? It’ll be more fun with more of you youngsters together.”
Almost the moment those words left her mouth, Qi Yuan felt Feng Caiwei’s gaze turn toward her.
She met it directly.
Their eyes locked for a moment. A flicker of surprise flashed in Feng Caiwei’s eyes, but it quickly faded. She offered Qi Yuan a warm smile.
Qi Yuan gave a faint nod.
The face before her slowly overlapped with the person she remembered from her previous life.
She was momentarily dazed, and by the time she came back to herself, she had already arrived at the lakeside pavilion.
As soon as she was seen, Wang Chan rushed over. “You’re finally here! We’ve been waiting forever!”
Qi Yuan didn’t respond. She looked around at the dozen or so small desks set up in the pavilion and asked in a low voice, “What are you doing?”
Wang Chan immediately lowered her voice. “They’re competing… in calligraphy.”
Calligraphy.
Qi Yuan nodded. Just then, she heard Feng Caiwei’s voice from ahead: “I wouldn’t say I’m good at it—just familiar, that’s all.”
Commandery Princess Luochuan had already received Zhou Wangfei’s instructions and naturally gave way, offering Caiwei a seat. The moment Caiwei started writing her first character, everyone around gasped in admiration.
Xiang Rong threw down her own brush and came over to Qi Yuan and Wang Chan with a faint sneer. “You shouldn’t have come. You’ve become someone else’s stepping stone.”
Wang Chan nearly panicked and almost covered her mouth. She pinched her. “Keep your voice down!”
Everyone knew the unspoken truth—why say it out loud?
Qi Yuan stepped forward a few paces to watch Feng Caiwei write.
At this point, Caiwei was still just a girl. In her past life, she had become renowned for her graceful zanhua xiaokai —everyone said her writing had echoes of Madam Wei, a famed calligrapher.
But now she was writing cursive script.
And the strength of her brushstrokes revealed an inner firmness that was unmistakable.
She wasn’t the same person as in Qi Yuan’s memories.
The Feng Caiwei of her past life would crumble at the slightest breeze—a sheltered noble girl, naive and inexperienced. But in this life, Caiwei moved with poise and confidence, neither arrogant nor servile. She was completely different.
And yet, Qi Yuan could be certain that she hadn’t been reborn like herself.
Because if Feng Caiwei had really relived a life like she had—given what she went through in her previous one—she would never have waited until now to return to the capital.
