Chapter 3: Mutual Renunciation

“Fu Jinhe—she’s just returning to the mansion like that?”

The crowd was stunned, watching as Fu Jinhe walked away with delicate, graceful steps.

Her waist was slender and elegant, her plain-colored skirt swaying with charm, like a heavy pear blossom stirred lightly by the wind—unpretentious and refined, pure without harshness.

This seemed to be her true self. The Fu family was one of the noble clans of Chang’an, and their carefully cultivated young lady should present herself just so.

They exchanged glances in silence.

Fu Jinhe had come to the banquet merely to prove she had not pushed Miss Jiang into the river, then left decisively.

She seemed to care about Miss Jiang’s feigned head ailment, which was only a ploy to frame her and saddle her with baseless accusations.

She even mocked General Song, her fiancé, for not trusting her and rushing to defend Miss Jiang, which only deepened her disdain.

The expressions among the onlookers gradually grew strange.

Indeed, Fu Jinhe appeared like a different person.

Jiang Manxue’s fainting, Fu Jinhe’s heart worthy of condemnation, publicly humiliating her and carelessly throwing dirt on her name.

Previously, Jiang Manxue had never taken Fu Jinhe seriously because she was no threat. But today, this grievance would be etched deeply in her mind, and Fu Jinhe would pay the price!

Rising solemnly from her seat, Jiang Manxue performed a formal bow before the assembly, raising her hairpin and declaring with righteous authority, “That day’s fault was indeed mine. I suffered from a head ailment and mistakenly believed Miss Fu had once again secretly harmed me as before. I apologize to all of you.”

“As for my relationship with General Song, I swear on this hairpin, we have a clear conscience.”

Even if she and A Yao harbored feelings for each other, what fault was there? Love never fettered itself to a mere marriage contract. Their souls resonated together, their thoughts aligned—they were a match made by heaven.

The true error lay in the rigid customs of this era. They sought the freedom to pursue a connection of the soul.

Chu Changling was deeply pained. For Fu Jinhe to force his beloved to swear on a hairpin—she truly deserved to die.

He indignantly agreed, “All this is Fu Jinhe’s own doing. Had she not repeatedly targeted Miss Jiang, how could suspicion have fallen upon her?”

“Moreover, since Miss Jiang has sworn on the hairpin, it must have been an unintentional mistake.”

Seeing Jiang Manxue’s fearless and unwavering expression as she held up the hairpin, then hearing Chu Changling’s words and recalling Fu Jinhe’s confirmed attempts to harm Jiang Miss several times before, the crowd’s sympathies shifted toward Jiang Manxue.

Trying to smooth things over, someone said, “Miss Jiang would never stoop to such things. We certainly believe in her character.”

“If you ask me, Fu Jinhe is just being ruthless and even showing us disdain.”

“Enough, enough. Let this matter drop. The spring is warm today—Miss Jiang, would you grace us with a few poems to enjoy?”

Jiang Manxue withdrew her hairpin and smiled brightly as if nothing had happened. “Very well, I shall do my best to entertain.”

Look at that.

The trap Fu Jinhe so carefully set was dismantled in just a few words.

She possessed extraordinary talent, naturally attracting everyone’s admiration. Fu Jinhe, a blockhead, could never compare.

Only Song Junyao remained silent, his face darkened deeply.

Had Fu Jinhe lost her mind? How dare she say she disliked him?

Who in Chang’an didn’t know how utterly infatuated she was with him, doing foolish things for his sake? The eldest daughter of the noble Fu family, lowering herself like a servant, baking pastries to please him. He loved collecting weapons; she, a woman, shamelessly searched everywhere for them. These were but a few examples among many.

He hurried after Fu Jinhe’s retreating figure.

The sudden departure startled the crowd once more. “Is General Song chasing after Fu Jinhe to apologize for misunderstanding her?”

Jiang Manxue’s smile froze.

Anger surged within her. Where had Fu Jinhe learned such seductive arts, using pathetic tactics of feigned reluctance and invitation?

…

“Fu Jinhe.”

“Fu Jinhe, stop!”

Song Junyao’s quick steps closed the distance, his voice sharp as he called after her.

A fleeting hint of scorn flickered in Fu Jinhe’s eyes.

She turned back indifferently.

Song Junyao approached, noticing the impatience on her plain face, a vein twitching at his temple.

His tone grew sterner: “Why did you deliberately embarrass A Xue in front of everyone?”

“If you return and apologize to A Xue, I will forgive your rudeness.”

Fu Jinhe’s gaze was like a thin blade.

It was the same as before. Whenever she quarreled with Jiang Manxue, he would angrily scold her without hearing her side, accusing her of jealousy, doubting their pure friendship.

Unable to argue, she would storm off in anger.

He would purposefully ignore her for days. Bound by the plot, she loved him deeply, fearing to lose him. When she softened, he would condescendingly demand she apologize to Jiang Manxue, cementing her ill reputation.

She smiled faintly, but the warmth never reached her eyes. “Chang’an says General Song is sharp and perceptive, a fine horseman and archer. Yet I find you blind and heartless.”

“I merely stated the facts. Miss Jiang admits her fault as well. How am I deliberately embarrassing her? In truth, she is the one who owes me an apology for the days of false accusations.”

Song Junyao’s eyes flashed like fireworks as he stared hard at Fu Jinhe.

Good. She had the nerve to call him blind and heartless. But even temper has its limits.

He almost cruelly thought that if he ignored her for months, she’d be crushed, begging him humbly to take her back.

“Before, you secretly harmed A Xue many times, yet she forgave you magnanimously. Why can’t you now understand A Xue’s head ailment? Why must you be so merciless when you’re in the right?” Song Junyao’s voice pressed down like a weight.

Fu Jinhe’s eyes reflected a chilling clarity: “Ask yourself honestly—was I truly the one always harming her?”

Song Junyao met Fu Jinhe’s clear gaze; his heart tightened as if all his shameful, vile thoughts were laid bare.

He looked away with a sneer. “You know full well what you have done.”

Indeed, Song Junyao knew. Even if she was not at fault, he still indulged Jiang Manxue, helping her drag Fu Jinhe into an abyss from which there was no return.

Though her love and feelings for him had vanished in the previous life, Fu Jinhe still felt a cold chill throughout her being.

Before the heroine appeared, they were childhood sweethearts. His youthful admiration was genuine; his eyes held burning stars.

But in the blink of an eye, true feelings changed. He came to hate her profoundly, even to the point of destroying the Fu household to eliminate future troubles—all for a smile from Jiang Manxue.

Just because the story demanded it.

Fu Jinhe closed her eyes, long lashes fluttering like wings.

When she opened them again, her gaze was as sharp and cold as frost.

She wished no further words and turned to leave.

Suddenly, her wrist ached sharply.

Song Junyao gripped Fu Jinhe’s wrist firmly, barraging her with questions: “I won’t argue about anything else today, but one thing—this is my final warning: Miss Jiang and I are purely close friends, nothing more.”

“You slandered us in front of everyone, even claiming to dislike me. Such behavior is utterly unreasonable. Is this how the Fu family raised you?”

Fu Jinhe met Song Junyao’s gaze squarely.

Her eyes were as cold as a vast, falling snow.

“We had an engagement, yet you call Miss Jiang ‘A Xue’ so intimately, while you call me by my name, Fu Jinhe.”

“When I quarrel with her, you always stand by her side, no matter her faults.”

“You say your feelings start and end with friendship, but your heart has long turned to her.”

Fu Jinhe brushed off Song Junyao’s hand, unwilling to be tainted even slightly by him.

“You are hypocritical and disrespectful of propriety. I despise you, and rightly so.”

She turned away again, gazing into the boundless sky.

Next, she would find the right moment to annul the engagement granted by the late emperor to Song Junyao, severing all ties without lingering regrets.