Two carriages headed to Hualin Garden. One carried the maid and dancer Lian Qinian, while the other carried Luo Lingyu and her younger sister. After rescuing the young nobleman, the maid Lingyu came from the back carriage to help look after him.
The young man introduced himself as Zhou Zibo, seventeen years old, newly arrived in Jianye. Being unfamiliar with the city, he relied on Luo Lingyu for guidance.
Luo Lingyu covered her mouth and laughed, her cheeks turning red. “I’m also from out of town. I came from Nanyang and have only been in Jianye for a month. I’m not very familiar with this place either.”
Young Zhou raised his eyebrows slightly. That hook-like movement, combined with his focused dark eyes and his warm spring-like demeanor… it all made Luo Lingyu’s heart flutter as she moved closer to him. She studied him carefully. Ever since learning that the person she and her sister had rescued before was Lu Yun, she had changed her approach—
Even if someone appeared poor and powerless, she shouldn’t judge by appearances… what if they turned out to be another “Third Young Master Lu”?
The current Young Zhou had eyes like warm jade and was graceful and pleasant, though his pale complexion suggested poor health… But judging by his manner of speech, the possibility of him being a second “Third Young Master Lu” was quite high.
When the carriage crossed the Qingxi Bridge, it swayed slightly. Luo Lingyu pushed aside her bothersome little sister and sat very close to Zhou. She feigned delight: “So neither of us is from Jianye. May I ask where you’re from, young sir?”
Zhou’s voice remained soft like gravel brushing past one’s ear, gently stirring something deep within the young lady’s chest: “Where three-story buildings are crowned by Huagai.”
Luo Lingyu froze: was this a riddle for her to solve?
Zhou had just said it casually, without meaning to challenge Luo Lingyu. But she was quick-witted.
As soon as the riddle was given, while her sister was still frowning trying to figure it out, she had already solved it and smoothly continued Zhou’s words: “So you’re from Yicheng! I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s also a prosperous place… Neither of us is from Jianye, yet we’ve met by chance despite coming from such different places. Young Zhou, we must be fated to meet.”
Fated?
The young lady’s enchanting gaze fell softly on the young nobleman, like spring waters rippling one wave after another. When she smiled again, she appeared even more youthful and charming, with a hint of… cunning in her eyes?
Zhou Yangling, alias Zhou Zibo, faced this young lady’s advances with a slight smile — this Miss Luo was trying hard to establish a connection with her, yet it wasn’t annoying, but rather interesting.
Indeed, the one dressed as the graceful “Young Zhou” was actually Zhou Yangling, daughter of the famous scholar Zhou Tan, whom Prince Chen Liu Shu had been unable to find.
Prince Chen had sent Third Young Master Lu to Yicheng to persuade the famous scholar Zhou Tan, hoping he would cooperate with Prince Chen to help commoner scholars enter officialdom and balance the current situation where the court was mostly controlled by idle noble families.
Traditionally, commoners aspired to join the nobility, but it was as difficult as climbing to heaven. Even for someone like the famous scholar Zhou Tan, who had traveled throughout the south and had three thousand disciples, Prince Chen’s conditions were attractive.
Moreover, to show his sincerity to the commoner faction represented by Zhou Tan, Prince Chen had proactively offered a marriage alliance.
In this era of strict division between nobles and commoners, it was extremely difficult for a commoner girl to marry into nobility or royalty. Since Prince Chen showed such sincerity, Zhou Tan sent his daughter Zhou Yangling to stay in Jianye for a while to observe the situation.
Although his daughter was physically weak, Zhou Tan believed that with her beauty and talent, the marriage alliance between nobles and commoners would surely succeed.
Both sides showed sincerity, yet no one had asked Zhou Yangling’s opinion. Upon arriving in Jianye, before Prince Chen’s people could arrive, Zhou Yangling had already changed her appearance and left.
Now Prince Chen Liu Shu’s people were searching everywhere for that beautiful lady, remembering only that Miss Zhou was “beautiful.” They tried every way to contact ladies who had recently entered or left Jianye. But they had fallen into a mental trap, never thinking to look among the young men—
Zhou Yangling lifted the curtain and looked out at the Qingxi scenery. She sighed: “Jianye truly is a place of natural and human excellence, no wonder my father also yearned for this place.”
Luo Lingyu’s heart stirred: these words suggested that Zhou’s father must be an important person, right?
See, she had guessed correctly – Zhou must be a young nobleman from some prestigious family who was traveling to study. Just like her cousin, Aunt’s son Luo Yan. This time coming to Jianye, Luo Lingyu had also brought gifts for her cousin Luo Yan. But Luo Yan hadn’t returned from his travels, and even Aunt hadn’t seen him for two years… Young Zhou was just like her cousin Luo Yan, both willing to travel thousands of miles, both well-educated and ambitious.
Luo Lingyu’s fondness for Zhou grew stronger, and she wracked her brains to establish a connection with this young nobleman— “Young Zhou, if you don’t have anywhere to go, why don’t you come with me to ‘Hualin Garden’? These days they’re having the ‘Flower Goddess Selection’ there, and Jianye’s noble young men and ladies all gather there. It’s quite interesting. I’m also going to participate in the selection, would Young Zhou like to accompany me for fun?”
“Flower Goddess Selection.”
Zhou Yangling’s eyes rippled with light as she pondered.
She had heard of this before, and her arrival in Jianye at this time might not have been unrelated to her father Zhou Tan’s pride — Famous scholar Zhou Tan had three thousand disciples, and Chen Xiu, who had been chosen as “Flower Goddess” in Jianye for three consecutive years, was Zhou Tan’s female disciple. If Zhou Tan’s disciple was so impressive, what about his daughter?
For commoners to enter the noble world, they needed to show their abilities. If Zhou Yangling had been received by Prince Chen’s people that day at the dock, by now she would probably be participating in this “Flower Goddess Selection” just like other noble ladies. If successful, Zhou Yangling would automatically enter the world of noble ladies.
Now dressed as a man, she no longer needed to compete for “Flower Goddess.” From participant to observer, it was quite interesting… Zhou Yangling smiled and nodded, accepting Luo Lingyu’s invitation: “Alright.”
Luo Lingyu was delighted. She had prepared several persuasive arguments but hadn’t expected this young nobleman to be so easily convinced. She had only said one thing, and he had… surely he must have some good feelings toward her too?
Luo Lingyu cast another enchanting glance at Zhou Yangling, her eyes soft and full of tender feeling.
Zhou Yangling: “…”
She could barely hold back her laughter!
Perhaps due to her beauty, this young lady’s flirtatious gestures weren’t annoying, but rather quite attractive… she was an interesting person.
At their first meeting, both women held good impressions of each other.
At Hualin Garden, Luo Lingyu took the lead in guiding Zhou inside. Although Zhou didn’t have an invitation to enter, the garden guards saw that the young nobleman had an elegant bearing and naturally assumed he was from a noble family, so they didn’t stop him.
Seeing her sister completely focused on clinging to the rescued young nobleman and ignoring them behind… Young Miss Luo Yunhuan puffed up her cheeks and blew at her bangs: yes, this was definitely her sister.
Still favoring the rich and despising the poor.
With her sister busy fawning over the young nobleman and ignoring her, Luo Yunhuan turned to the ox cart behind them, acting like a little adult, her voice crisp as she directed the maids to get down. Only when Lian Qinian got down from the back ox cart, her body swayed slightly and was steadied by Luo Yunhuan who was waiting nearby. Luo Yunhuan looked up at Lian Qinian’s face, which was pale despite the rouge, and was startled: “Sister Lian, what’s wrong, are you feeling unwell?”
Lian Qinian rubbed her temples, shook her head to clear her mind. Suppressing the discomfort in her abdomen, her face flushed as she said: “It’s nothing, just a private matter that young ladies have… Young Miss will understand when she grows up.”
Luo Yunhuan nodded, half-understanding.
Following behind them, Lingyu, who was directing the maids to carry the packages, heard Lian Qinian’s words and after a moment’s blank stare, worriedly watched Lian Qinian’s graceful figure: if her monthly cycle had started, could she still dance… given how much importance the young lady placed on this “Flower Goddess Selection,” if Lian Qinian messed up, wouldn’t the young lady be furious?
At this moment, Luo Lingyu was completely focused on Zhou Yangling, and with other maids behind her, she hadn’t noticed Lian Qinian’s unusual state.
…
Hualin Garden was vast. Upon entering, a steward led them to guest rooms to rest. Luo Lingyu led Zhou Yangling to the guest rooms, and along the way, the two women heard constant music from strings and woodwinds, along with drum beats, with crowds gathering to watch at times. Luo Lingyu pointed things out to the young nobleman beside her— “The Flower Goddess Selection lasts five days. Today is the third day. Many young nobles find it troublesome and have simply stayed here, waiting until the five days are over before leaving.”
“That’s what I plan to do as well.”
“Today is for dance and music competitions. To avoid complications, I’ve scheduled my time for the hour of Si. Young sir, let’s go back and get ready, then have Lian Qinian perform. You must see my work— both the dance and music are composed by me.”
The young lady’s voice was like an oriole’s, speaking gracefully, truly a pleasure to hear. Zhou Yangling simply remained silent.
Luo Lingyu furrowed her brows in slight confusion: “But there are so many people here, too many women… Are there really this many ladies competing this year?”
She had asked Lady Wang about the Flower Goddess Selection before, and noble ladies usually knew their own capabilities, so there weren’t usually many participants each year.
But this year, it seemed there were groups of brightly dressed young ladies laughing and chatting everywhere.
Connecting this with Second Young Master Lu’s attempts to discourage her from participating in this year’s competition over the past two days, Luo Lingyu felt slightly nervous: was something different this year?
Did Second Young Master Lu know some inside information that she had ignored when he tried to warn her?
Zhou Yangling comforted her: “Don’t worry, sister Luo, didn’t you say winning or losing doesn’t matter, as long as it’s enjoyable?”
Luo Lingyu: “…”
She quietly glared at Young Zhou: what did he mean winning doesn’t matter, that was just her being polite. In reality, winning was extremely important to her!
Suddenly Princess Pinning Liu Tang’s voice joined in: “Sister Luo, you’re here? I was just thinking it would be your turn soon, wondering why you hadn’t arrived yet.”
Luo Lingyu smiled: “Princess, didn’t you finish your competition the day before yesterday? How did it go?”
Liu Tang covered her blushing face and coughed: “It went well.” She noticed the handsome young nobleman beside Luo Lingyu, standing tall like jade, with an extraordinary bearing, and immediately exclaimed in surprise: “This young sir, I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
The youth was extremely beautiful, already androgynous, and Zhou Yangling’s male disguise had a rare air of refined and clear-minded valor in her features. When ladies saw her dressed as a man, they all found her handsome and well-spoken. When she said she was male, no one doubted it.
Of course, Zhou Yangling had never actually said she was male.
Luo Lingyu introduced the two, and Zhou Yangling bowed with flying sleeves: “So it’s Princess, I pay my respects.”
Liu Tang’s face reddened even more, and she kept backing away, stammering: “No, no, no need…” Usually she interacted with familiar noble ladies and young men, but this was the first time someone had given her such a formal greeting. Liu Tang looked at Luo Lingyu again, thinking that Sister Luo was really amazing, wherever she went, she could attract handsome young men who liked her and followed her.
Princess Pinning had completely misunderstood.
…
From afar, Chen Xiu was also strolling in the garden with her flattering maids, occasionally joining the crowds. While others went to watch the ladies’ competitions, Chen Xiu followed Third Young Master Lu. On the first day of the “Flower Goddess Selection,” when Third Young Master Lu appeared here and watched three competitions, they learned that one of this year’s five famous scholars was Third Young Master Lu.
All the noble ladies of Jianye were excited!
Those who originally hadn’t planned to join the excitement came to watch and play for Third Young Master Lu’s sake. The noble ladies were quite bold – living lives free from want, enjoying life, they were extremely fond of handsome men and would throw fruits and flowers to show their love. In this era, handsome young men shouldn’t easily walk into groups of ladies unless they had good martial arts skills…
This created this year’s shoulder-to-shoulder, massive crowds.
There were people everywhere, and ladies throwing flowers at Third Young Master Lu everywhere. Chen Xiu’s face was ashen. Her competition had finished on the first day, and she had held out until today just to wait for Third Young Master Lu, but… Squeezing out of the crowd, leaving the music behind, Chen Xiu spat: “Shameless! They’re all just looking at Third Young Master Lu, no one’s watching the competition.”
The ladies around her naturally flattered her.
Chen Xiu’s expression improved somewhat, but as she raised her foot to walk again, her gaze casually swept around and suddenly stopped in one direction, her shoulders freezing and her raised foot drawing back. The ladies flattering Chen Xiu looked where she was looking and saw the beautiful Miss Luo walking and laughing with a graceful young nobleman, their clothes flying together like dancing cranes and singing geese—
Chen Xiu hurriedly withdrew her step, turned her shoulders, and walked in the completely opposite direction from Luo Lingyu, urging in a low voice: “Let’s go, let’s go! Don’t run into her, don’t talk to her.”
Chen Xiu was still traumatized, remembering the loss she had suffered at Luo Lingyu’s hands that day. Her privileged noble life had made her naive, and she was no match for Third Young Master Lu’s cousin. The only solution was to avoid that lady and not appear in the same place as her.
The ladies beside her probed: “Miss Luo just arrived today, it seems she has her competition today. Should we go watch, Miss Chen?”
Chen Xiu: “Of course we should watch!”
Chen Xiu: “I want to see what abilities she has, coming to Jianye and provoking me right away. Such a bewitching face, doing whatever she pleases…” She suddenly blushed and closed her mouth, too ashamed to continue speaking such unseemly words.
…
Third Young Master Lu stood listlessly in the crowd, appearing to watch the competition intently while his mind had already wandered.
The little person in his heart yawned several times and fell fast asleep: indeed, this kind of competition was completely uninteresting.
He deeply regretted: why had he come to participate in this boring game just to spite Luo Lingyu?
He had to stay in this place for a full five days, while that cousin of his was who knows where enjoying herself… Third Young Master Lu gritted his teeth: his only motivation now was waiting for Luo Lingyu to appear so he could play a trick on her!
…
The Prince of Hengyang had also come here with Second Young Master Lu.
Recently, the Prince of Hengyang had been arguing furiously with Third Young Master Lu and Prince Chen at court, but after court sessions, he often spent time with Second Young Master Lu.
How strange.
Liu Mu’s face was dark as he was dragged here by Lu Xian after two or three days of pestering. Looking around at the ladies, the ferocity in his eyes intensified. The Prince of Hengyang was very impatient: “Where’s your cousin? Let her come out, I’ll see her once and leave… I warn you, stop pestering me! Even if you are the Second Young Master of the Lu family, I’m not afraid of you! Don’t push your luck!”
Liu Mu gritted his teeth: “As long as I agree to stay here today, remember what you promised me— stay away from me in the future, and don’t come to my Hengyang Prince Manor anymore!”
This showed the influence of great noble families— even royal relatives like Liu Mu couldn’t easily dismiss Second Young Master Lu.
Lu Xian felt very ashamed.
While repeatedly agreeing to the Prince of Hengyang’s terms, Lu Xian sent someone to ask about his cousin’s competition time, wiping sweat from his brow. He didn’t think his cousin could win against Prince Chen’s Zhou Yangling, but even if he didn’t have high hopes, he still supported his cousin. At the same time, Lu Xian thought about maximizing benefits— even if his cousin couldn’t win “Flower Goddess,” if her future husband saw her talents amazed people, wouldn’t it be good if he loved her more?
Since the Prince of Hengyang hadn’t fallen in love at first sight with his cousin Luo, it must be a case of love growing over time.
Liu Mu still hoped to maintain good relations with the future emperor and empress.
Although he was currently making his “future emperor” very angry, as his “future emperor” didn’t like him following along.
Lu Xian gave Liu Mu a mysterious smile: “You will definitely see cousin Luo’s good side…”
The Prince of Hengyang’s face was full of irritation as he forcefully held back: “…”
I’ve said it before, I don’t want to marry into your Lu family!
…
Luo Lingyu and Zhou Yangling returned to their quarters. Some maids had already gone to check their competition time, while others were busy with preparations like moving the qin and getting the flutes ready.
Luo Lingyu asked where Lian Qinian was, and when she entered the room with Zhou Yangling, they saw Lian Qinian curled up on the couch under a brocade blanket, pretending to rest.
Below the couch, Luo Yunhuan was being considerate, reaching out to massage the lady’s lower abdomen.
Luo Lingyu’s expression changed slightly when she saw this scene: “What’s going on?”
Luo Yunhuan turned her head: “Sister—”
Now when Lian Qinian heard Luo Lingyu’s pleasant voice, it felt like demons whispering in her ears. Her shoulders trembled as she hurriedly got up from the couch.
But when she got down, her knees went weak and she fell to her knees, breaking out in a cold sweat.
The maid Lingyu had been watching worriedly for a long time, and seeing Lian Qinian in such pain, she couldn’t help but go help her up. Looking back at the pale-faced Luo Lingyu, she said: “Young Lady, she, she…” Looking at Young Zhou behind Luo Lingyu, it wasn’t appropriate to discuss these things in front of a young man, and Lingyu’s face reddened.
As soon as the maid spoke, Zhou Yangling understood what was happening.
Zhou Yangling nodded to Luo Lingyu, speaking gently: “Young Lady, please deal with your household matters first. I’ll step outside for a bit.”
After Zhou Yangling left, Lingyu quickly explained Lian Qinian’s situation. Her voice grew quieter as she spoke because with each detail, Luo Lingyu’s gaze became sharper, like a knife cutting flesh, as if she wanted to flay them alive. Luo Yunhuan pleaded: “Sister Lian probably can’t dance now, sister. Can we just let it go?”
Luo Lingyu said harshly: “Lian Qinian should try first.”
When Lian Qinian was helped up, she only managed one spin before cold sweat drenched her eyes.
Her body swayed, her vision went black, and she collapsed without realizing it.
Lian Qinian was terrified but wanted to stand up and continue dancing. Luo Yunhuan and Lingyu both supported her, trying to convince her otherwise. Luo Lingyu remained silent while Lian Qinian gritted her teeth, shakily standing up again, forcing a smile: “I can do it…”
Luo Yunhuan: “You’ll faint… Sister Lian, forcing yourself won’t help. Sister, you…”
Turning back and seeing her sister’s expression, Luo Yunhuan froze, the urgency on her face subsiding. Her heart was in chaos, but she didn’t know how to comfort her sister. Should she let Lian Qinian continue dancing? She looked back at the pitiful dancer trembling in Lingyu’s arms. Should she let Lian Qinian give up? Looking up again at Luo Lingyu’s expression…
Gritting her teeth, Luo Yunhuan said: “Let’s… let’s make some red date and white fungus soup for Sister Lian…”
Luo Lingyu coldly watched them struggle as she sat down. They clumsily tried to convince Lian Qinian to lie down, but Lian Qinian was afraid of Luo Lingyu and struggled to dance. Luo Yunhuan had tears in her eyes, and Lingyu was also about to cry. They all felt somewhat resentful but didn’t know who to blame. In the chaos, they were all waiting for Luo Lingyu to speak… Luo Lingyu said coldly: “Enough, stop struggling.”
Everyone turned their heads, sorrowful: “Young Lady (Sister)—”
Luo Lingyu sat down, her back already numb. She said self-mockingly: “I prepared for fifteen days, but I can’t compete with your one day of illness. Even if I wanted to be cold and heartless and make you perform, you wouldn’t care as much as I do. If something goes wrong, I’ll still be the one bearing the consequences.”
“So don’t be afraid. Rest for now, and for the competition… I’ll try to postpone it, hoping you can make it.”
Luo Lingyu sent someone to ask about the timing, and they returned saying they could adjust it to the evening at the latest. Lian Qinian lay moaning pitifully on the couch while Luo Yunhuan and others kept her company. Luo Lingyu couldn’t bear to watch and walked out with a cold face, calling other maids to arrange things: “Find a screen as tall as a wall, fold some flower branches…”
Her mind was in chaos, but she had already decided to change her strategy.
While standing in the corridor giving instructions to the maids about changing things, Luo Lingyu’s hands and feet were numb. Her heart was full of anxiety and confusion, but she had to stay strong. After the maids left, she sat on the railing and lowered her head.
After a moment, tears fell drop by drop.
Her palms were digging into her nails, making her palms bleed… Suddenly, a hand reached out from beside her, grabbed her hand and opened it, using gentle force to make her stop hurting herself.
Luo Lingyu raised her tear-filled eyes to see it was Young Zhou who had returned.
Young Zhou stood gently before her, speaking softly: “I was worried about you, so I came back to check… why are you crying?”
“Young Zhou…” Luo Lingyu choked up. With no one to rely on, the grievances in her heart were hard to express. Haltingly, she explained her situation, “…if by evening, Lian Qinian still can’t get up, what about my ‘Flower Goddess Selection’? Am I going to miss it like this? I prepared for it for so long…”
Her long eyelashes were wet with tears: “I… the threshold for Jianye’s noble families is so high, I finally got one opportunity, I don’t want to give up…”
Zhou Yangling tilted her head, her eyes flickering: “Why give up? Didn’t you say you composed both the dance and music? Even if Lian Qinian learned from you for half a month, how could she be as familiar with it as you? She’s just fallen ill, yet you still have the energy to cry?”
Luo Lingyu: “…”
Her beautiful eyes widened: “Is Young Zhou suggesting I go myself? No, how could that work? How could a noble lady dance for others’ entertainment? Those who entertain others are lower class! People would look down on me.”
Zhou Yangling: “…you have quite deep prejudices against commoners and lowborn people…”
However, Luo Lingyu quickly bit her lip, realizing she had no other choice… She whimpered pitifully, her heart full of sorrow. To her, dancing seemed like a humiliation. The young lady was so adorable that Zhou Yangling wanted to pinch her cheeks.
Luo Lingyu was still crying: other noble ladies would be critiquing the dancers, yet she would have to be the dancer entertaining others… no, she couldn’t let people know it was her!
She wouldn’t let people know it was her – she would disguise herself as “Lian Qinian” and win this competition!
Prompted by Zhou Yangling, Luo Lingyu wiped away her tears and came back to life, her mind starting to calculate again.
Zhou Yangling smiled: “Young Lady saved my life, so let me add some flair to your performance. When I came to Jianye, my father had me bring a complete set of restored ancient bells. Originally they were meant as a gift for a noble… today, I’ll present them to Sister Luo.”
Her Luo sister was very happy, looking up to give her a smile before gracefully walking away to call the maids to arrange the new program.
Unlike noble ladies who liked to travel with groups of servants, Zhou Yangling came alone, leaving her servants at the rented courtyard.
After promising Luo Lingyu, she hurriedly left the room to get the bells she had brought from Yicheng. Though she appeared calm while comforting Luo Lingyu, she knew that adding the bells would require her own effort to turn things around. She hadn’t even seen what Luo Lingyu’s compositions were like yet, so she needed to hurry.
Rushing out with her head down, Zhou Yangling suddenly bumped into someone. Being physically weak, while the other person didn’t move at all, she stumbled back several steps.
Fortunately, seeing her stagger backwards, the person reached forward and pulled her steady.
Zhou Yangling looked up to see a noble young man with delicate features and clear dark eyes. She bowed and smiled: “I apologize for bumping into you, brother. I was in a hurry.”
Prince Chen Liu Shu watched her quietly. These past few days he had been troubled by Miss Zhou’s disappearance. He came to Hualin Garden seeking Third Young Master Lu for distraction, but unexpectedly saw an unfamiliar young nobleman. Prince Chen spoke slowly: “Who… are you? I… haven’t seen you before.”
I?
Zhou Yangling’s eyes flickered sensitively at this word choice.
She carefully introduced herself: “My surname is Zhou, given name Zibo. I just arrived in Jianye… I came here with Miss Luo from Nanyang. That’s why you don’t recognize me.”
Came with Third Young Master Lu’s cousin?
Prince Chen stared at her, feeling something was very strange but unable to pinpoint what. He could only nod, lower his eyes, and was about to let her go.
However, just as Zhou Yangling was about to leave, a voice came from the side: “My lord, did you come here looking for my third brother?”
Liu Shu turned his head to see Second Young Master Lu Xian and Prince of Hengyang Liu Mu approaching.
Following his dream memories, Lu Xian instinctively looked for someone by Prince Chen’s side.
In the dream, Prince Chen had appeared together with Miss Zhou, coming to escort her. He caught sight of the handsome young nobleman, and Second Young Master Lu Xian paused, surprised before showing delight: “This must be Miss Zhou, right? Indeed… quite unique. Prince Chen, why did you… have Miss Zhou dress as a man?”
This strange situation made Zhou Yangling’s breathing stop: “…”
Prince Chen also froze, then said awkwardly: “He… is male.”
Second Young Master Lu Xian: “…?!”
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