Chapter 29

For the first time, Jian Yuyan clearly realized that he genuinely had some feelings for Yan Yiming.
In this world, aside from Jian Yu'er, Yan Yiming was the second woman who made him unable to resist feeling distressed and caring for her.
Even though it started because her face bore such a striking resemblance to Yu'er, in the six months since he had known Yan Yiming, he rarely saw traces of Jian Yu'er in her anymore.
Yan Yiming was an extremely contradictory yet strangely harmonious woman. When she was wanton, even the women in the brothels couldn't compare to her, yet when she picked up a brush or played chess, she was more composed and refined than many noble young ladies. Despite her lowly status, she carried an indescribable elegance.
Jian Yuyan smiled wryly. He hadn't visited A'Ming recently, yet thoughts of her had been increasing day by day.
He was currently working on a portrait of a beauty. Originally painted for A'Ming, it was accidentally seen by Yu'er. Over the past couple of days, Yu'er had been asking from time to time if the painting was finished, so Jian Yuyan had to start a new one for Jian Yu'er.
His brushstrokes were still familiar, he had painted many portraits of beauties, but most were of Jian Yu'er. Picking up the brush casually, a clear outline soon took shape, followed by the careful detailing of her features and eyes.
When he presented the framed painting to Jian Yu'er, she looked surprised. “Huh? Why isn't it the one from the other day? That one was already very good.”
“I accidentally made a mistake with a stroke in that one,” Jian Yuyan said with a smile. “Do you like this one?”
“Of course I do.” She happened to have worn this exact outfit a few days ago, so her brother must have painted it specially for her recently. Jian Yu'er examined the painting carefully several more times. “Brother, your painting skills are truly getting better and better.”
Jian Yuyan affectionately ruffled Jian Yu'er's hair. “As long as Yu'er likes it.”
Chancellor Jian sent someone to fetch Jian Yuyan. The smile on Jian Yuyan's face vanished completely; after bidding farewell to Yu'er, his beautiful, upturned peach-blossom eyes quickly turned deep and complex.
When Chancellor Jian summoned Jian Yuyan, he dismissed everyone else before leisurely speaking to him in a low voice, “His Majesty is gravely ill.”
Jian Yuyan abruptly looked up.
The current emperor wasn't actually very old, just past forty. But like the founding emperor, the successors of the Nan family never seemed to live long.
The emperor's ascension to the throne had always been a secret no one dared to discuss openly. After all, he was neither the legitimate heir nor the eldest son. Perhaps because of this, he had been exceptionally diligent since taking the throne. Now, with peace reigning across the land, his health had deteriorated from overwork.
Chancellor Jian's face showed no trace of joy, while Jian Yuyan's heart was filled with indescribable complexity and sorrow.
As Yan Yiming watched the replay of the plot, she noticed Jian Yuyan's expression shift abruptly after bidding farewell to Jian Yu'er, and a strange feeling washed over her.
What exactly Jian Yuyan and Chancellor Jian discussed afterward, Yan Yiming did not know. However, the game later provided a brief summary of the broader context: the emperor had fallen ill, ordering the crown prince to oversee state affairs, while all regional princes were summoned back to the capital.
Yan Yiming stared at the words “regional princes” and suddenly realized, “Is Nan Gongye returning to the capital?”
Little A paused for a moment. “Ah... right.”
The region north of Beiping was far from peaceful. Another male lead in the game, Shao Jingyu, was stationed at the Northern Camp, even further north than Beiping. Prince Yue, Nan Gongye, had been guarding Beiping for a year and hadn't even returned to the capital for the New Year, indicating the sheer volume of political affairs in the region.
If Nan Gongye were to return to the capital this time, it would be his first visit since leaving.
Thinking of Nan Gongye, Yan Yiming sighed with a touch of melancholy. It had been a year and a half since she left the first world, and Nan Gongye had now turned eighteen, truly an adult.
She wondered how much he had changed since then.
Little A pondered but couldn't provide much insight. After all, Nan Gongye wasn't one of the four main male leads, so the game offered very little about him. The only significant mention occurred in the future, leaving Little A with little to say.
Fortunately, Yan Yiming didn't press further. Instead, she took out the card for Jian Yuyan, the current target of her strategy.
The card would only reveal the full story summary after the strategy was complete. For now, the back of the card bore only one sentence: “Trust and redemption, bringing you happiness in the darkness of the world.”
When Yan Yiming first read this without knowing Jian Yuyan's identity, she assumed it referred to his dark romantic experiences. But after learning his true background, the meaning behind the words became far richer and more profound.
Bearing a dark identity starkly contrasting his gentle appearance, he had carried an inescapable burden of hatred since the moment he was born.
On the back of the card, aside from Jian Yuyan's handsome photo, were his four stats:
Intelligence: 155, Emotional Intelligence: 197, Action: 98, Decision-Making: 89.
Yan Yiming frowned slightly at the last two stats.
In terms of intelligence and action, Jian Yuyan scored 10 points higher than Nan Gongxuan. However, since this was an SSR card with inherently higher base stats, Jian Yuyan and Nan Gongxuan were likely roughly equivalent in these areas.
Among the four, Jian Yuyan had the highest emotional intelligence, with a staggering score of 187, completely overshadowing Nan Gongxuan's measly 22, which was practically emotionally disabled.
However, when it came to the final attribute, decision-making, Nan Gongxuan's SR card boasted a high score of 178, while Jian Yuyan, despite being an SSR card, only had a decision-making score of 89.
For a ruler, especially an emperor, exceptional decision-making was undoubtedly the most crucial requirement. Yet, Jian Yuyan's decision-making ability was alarmingly low.
During the time Yan Yiming had known him, she observed that Jian Yuyan was, in fact, a very soft-hearted person. That was why he could quickly change his mind after Yan Yiming feigned weakness. His relationship with her remained unresolved, and with Jian Yu’er, he had been unable to let go or speak openly for years. He was emotional and easily swayed, put nicely, he was gentle and considerate; put bluntly, he was indecisive.
With such a temperament, Yan Yiming truly doubted whether Jian Yuyan was suited to be a decisive ruler who could act with resolve.
At times like this, Little A would always play dead, and Yan Yiming couldn't get any answers from her. She remembered that Little A had once let slip that Nan Gongxuan had not ascended the throne smoothly.
The Chinese language was truly profound. Yan Yiming still couldn't figure out whether the emphasis in that statement was on “smoothly” or “ascended the throne.” No matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn't deduce what the final outcome would be.
So, she decided to stop thinking about it. Shaking her dizzy head, Yan Yiming went back to catch up on sleep.
Why bother overthinking? What was meant to happen would happen. She just needed to go with the flow and follow the story's progression.
Although Jian Yuyan never brought up the matter of not visiting the Plum Garden again, he had already promised Jian Yu’er. As a result, he no longer stayed overnight in the Plum Garden and visited much less frequently during the day.
Unable to bring himself to reject Jian Yu’er, yet unwilling to abandon Yan Yiming, Jian Yuyan found himself in a predicament with no idea how to resolve it.
Yan Yiming had once discussed Jian Yuyan's conflicted psyche with Little A.
First, he couldn't let go of Jian Yu’er, he loved her to the bone. Second, he still held onto the illusion that the probability of him ending up with Jian Yu’er wasn't zero.
As for not letting go of Yan Yiming, first, he had developed feelings for her after spending time together. Second, while he didn't believe the chance of ending up with Jian Yu’er was zero, it wasn't 100% either. In other words, he was prepared to use Yan Yiming as a backup if his illusions were shattered.
If it were Nan Gongxuan, he would never have such concerns. A person like him, if he liked someone, it would be 100%.
Being too soft-hearted and leaving the initiative in this matter to Jian Yu’er was the main reason Jian Yuyan found himself trapped in such a dilemma.
After listening half-asleep for a long time, Little A finally summarized, “So, in the end, you're just a backup. Once Jian Yuyan and Jian Yu’er really get together, you'll definitely be the one kicked to the curb, right?”
Yan Yiming: !!!???
That didn't sound pleasant at all, but it seemed to be the truth.
If Jian Yu’er were truly willing to be with Jian Yuyan, no matter how soft-hearted or guilty Jian Yuyan felt, he wouldn't stay by Yan Yiming's side.
“So,” Yan Yiming circled her name with a pen, “if I don't want to be kicked to the curb, there's only one way now.”
“What method?”
“Completely shatter Jian Yuyan's illusions,” Yan Yiming said softly. “I'm going to take a gamble, betting whether Jian Yu'er will keep Jian Yuyan by her side or send him to me.”
Two days later, Jian Yuyan visited Plum Garden once. When he arrived, Yan Yiming was painting.
Thanks to retaining the memories of the former Lady Yan, Yan Yiming was quite skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, though she still couldn't match Jian Yuyan's mastery.
Jian Yuyan chuckled softly as he walked over, standing behind Yan Yiming and gently holding her hand to patiently teach her. After a while, he watched as Yan Yiming slowly sketched on her own, soon outlining the handsome contours of a man's face.
Yan Yiming looked up with a smile and asked him, “Am I learning quickly?”
Only then did Jian Yuyan realize that Yan Yiming had been drawing him. He couldn't help but laugh, feeling a warmth in his heart. Vaguely, he recalled that he had once taught Yu'er how to paint too, but as she grew older, she gradually stopped learning from him.
Snapping out of his reverie, he noticed Yan Yiming gazing at him intently. A pang of guilt stirred in Jian Yuyan's heart. He reached out, took her hand, and pulled her onto his lap, whispering, “Have you been feeling bored lately? Let me take you out for some fun.”
Since the last incident, he had visited less frequently and, fearing that Yu'er might see them again, had never taken Yan Yiming out. Yan Yiming, by nature, loved to have fun, and being cooped up indoors every day was truly dull for her.
Unexpectedly, Yan Yiming shook her head. “I've caught a chill recently and haven't been feeling well. I don't really feel like going out. It's just as well that you're not around often, Brother Yan, so you won't catch it too.”
Jian Yuyan said nothing more but took the opportunity to discreetly ask the maid beside her if Yan Yiming had been unwell these past few days.
The maid shook her head in confusion. “The young lady has been perfectly fine.”
Jian Yuyan sighed. A'Ming must have said that intentionally. How could he let go of such a perceptive, clever, and considerate woman?
He didn't expose her lie. Instead, he had someone deliver high-quality tonics and instructed the young maid serving Yan Yiming to accompany her out of Plum Garden for walks whenever possible. Since he couldn't be with her, he wanted her to enjoy herself on her own.
Soon, it was early March again, with peach blossoms covering Fuyu Mountain. Jiang Yi accompanied Jian Yu'er to Fuyu Temple.
During this time, her brother no longer went out every day, and her father was extremely pleased with Jiang Yi. Jian Yu'er was also happy. On their way back from Fuyu Temple, while chatting with Jiang Yi, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
Though she had only seen that woman once, Jian Yu'er remembered her, especially since she happened to be wearing the same pure white gauze dress with silver trim as that day.
Even though Jian Yuyan had stopped seeing this woman, Jian Yu'er felt a surge of curiosity. She wanted to see what kind of woman could captivate her brother so deeply and began walking in the woman's direction.
Jiang Yi had already noticed the woman the moment Jian Yu'er turned her head. Instantly, he recalled the smiling eyes of that woman when she suddenly looked back that day, and a flicker of interest stirred within him. With a light chuckle, he reminded Jian Yu'er to slow down, then quickened his pace to catch up. Just as he did, the woman turned around.
In that instant, everyone's expressions froze on their faces.
The woman’s eyes widened in shock, but as if she had realized something, she hurriedly pulled out a veil to cover her face. Forcing a smile, she turned and walked away.
Left behind were Jiang Yi, his gaze deep and unreadable, and Jian Yu'er, whose hands trembled uncontrollably from the shock.
Jian Yu'er had no idea how she made it back to the Jian residence. It wasn't until a familiar voice sounded beside her that she snapped back to reality. Jian Yuyan, noticing her pale complexion, naturally reached out to feel her forehead. “Are you feeling unwell? You look so pale.”
Jian Yu'er abruptly came to her senses and, upon recognizing who it was, took two steps back to avoid his touch.
Jian Yuyan’s hand froze mid-air, his smile strained as he called her name again, “Yu'er?”
“I... I need to go back now,” Jian Yu'er avoided his gaze, not giving him a chance to ask further questions before hurrying away.
Jian Yuyan’s handsome features lost all expression as he watched her retreating figure disappear. After what felt like an eternity, he turned and left the residence, heading in the direction of the Plum Garden.