The noble girl is beautiful.

It snowed for three days, but finally stopped. After the sky cleared, the accumulated snow sparkled brilliantly.
As soon as the snow stopped, Shen Qingyan sent invitations to Shen Yourong and Shen Qinghan, asking them to come to Plum Garden for a banquet.
Plum Garden was filled with aged plum trees, mostly red plums, with some pale yellow and white ones. Despite the winter chill, everyone preferred the vibrant red plums.
Shen Yourong wore a snow-green embroidered satin long coat, draped in a feather-white cloak. Her delicate and lovely features were accentuated by the frost on her cheeks. She wore a ruby ring on her slender fingers, resting lightly on a copper peony-patterned hand warmer, leading the way as they walked through the snow towards Plum Garden.
In Plum Garden, there was an octagonal pavilion. Shen Qingyan had ordered silk curtains on three sides to block the wind, leaving one side open for viewing the flowers. Inside the pavilion, several charcoal braziers were burning, warding off the cold. On tall stands around the pavilion, there were several tall plum vases displaying perfectly bloomed red plum blossoms.
Shen Yourong entered, took off her cloak, and joked, “Oh my, are we having a feast here?”
Shen Qingyan hurriedly invited her to sit down and showed her the other side where meat was being roasted over the fire.
“Yatou really knows how to enjoy life,” Shen Yourong remarked. “Roasting meat and enjoying a feast.”
The maidservants brought bowls and plates for her, but she waved them off, saying, “I don’t need you to serve me. It’s more fun if I do it myself.”
So the maidservants all withdrew, leaving them alone at the table in the courtyard.
She picked up a piece of tender lamb from the pot, dipped it in the oil dish, and found it neither gamy nor tough but rather tender and delicious, whetting her appetite.
Shen Qinghan sat aside, eating lightly. After a few bites, she set her chopsticks down and played with a plum blossom.
“Coming out here to enjoy the snow after it cleared, I thought we were here to appreciate the flowers, but you two started feasting as soon as you arrived,” Shen Qinghan complained.
Shen Qingyan replied, “you’re too aloof. You only see the clear sky after the snow, but you don’t know how severe the disaster outside was. We should be grateful that we can feast here.”
Shen Yourong picked up some vegetarian delicacies and asked, “The snow was heavy these three days. Has it caused a disaster outside?”
“Yes,” Shen Qingyan replied. “The areas around the capital have been severely affected. I heard that many houses and livestock were lost in the outer city.”
Shen Qinghan added, “Now that you mention it, Mother said that this year’s harvest in our estate might not be as good as previous years.”
Shen Qingyan sighed, “Our family has had a hard time this year. Poor harvests on the estate, and we don’t know where to cut expenses by the end of the year.”
Shen Qinghan pursed her lips but remained silent.
Shen Yourong smiled, “It’s inevitable when times are tough. Managing the household diligently is something other noble ladies can’t compare to our Lady.”
Shen Qingyan realized her slip and quickly changed the subject, “I heard from the Fourth Prince that the snow disaster is even worse further north, affecting even the military.”
Shen Yourong frowned, “I hope it’s not Father’s Northern Garrison.”
“It’s not just the Northern Garrison,” Shen Qingyan continued. “Apparently, there’s a military unit that’s been completely abandoned.”
Shen Qinghan thought for a moment and whispered, “Could it be the Feng family…?”
The Feng family, the former Marquis Cheng’en’s family. Their entire clan was disgraced in the examination fraud scandal. The soldiers under their command were recalled by His Majesty, and now it seemed they were left to fend for themselves.
Shen Yourong paused, not continuing the conversation.
Shen Qinghan asked, “Third sister, how do you know so much about what’s happening outside?”
Shen Qingyan looked unhappy, “The Fourth Prince wants to ask His Majesty’s permission to manage the disaster in the northern regions.”
Shen Qinghan laughed, “He hasn’t even left yet, and you already can’t bear to part with him?”
Shen Qingyan snorted and asked Shen Yourong, “do you think His Majesty will agree to let the Fourth Prince go?”
Shen Yourong recalled what Shen Shuo had told her—that the Fourth Prince was the only grown-up son of the emperor. Yet, he had delayed appointing a crown prince, possibly because he wasn’t satisfied with him. This might be why he kept him studying instead of allowing him to attend court.
But Shen Qingyan was still waiting for Shen Yourong’s answer. She smiled, “You might as well ask Eldest Brother. What do I know?”
Shen Qingyan nodded, “True.”
Shen Yourong asked again, “Is the snow disaster outside severe? Has the government sent anyone to manage it?”
“Disaster relief,” Shen Qingyan replied cynically. “It’s mostly just a facade, deceiving the people. The commoners are the ones who suffer.”
Shen Yourong thought for a moment and suggested, “Why doesn’t Lady Yang take the initiative and buy some rice, flour, and cotton clothes to distribute outside the city? It would be a kind gesture on our part.”
Shen Qinghan thought it was a good idea, not only to help people but also to earn her mother some good reputation and enhance the reputation of the entire Qi Grand Duke’s Mansion.
In the evening, she came to find Shen Yourong, who was playing chess here.
“The matter we discussed during the day has been settled,” she said, holding a steaming cup of milk tea. “When mother mentioned it to Grandmother, she immediately said it was an accumulation of virtue and promptly took out two hundred taels of silver.
Mother and Second Aunt each took one hundred and fifty taels, and even the respectable stewardesses each contributed several tens of taels. I came to ask you how much we should contribute?”
Shen Yourong thought that any amount was fine, but Shen Qingyan might not have extra money at hand, so Shen Qinghan spoke first, “Father gave one hundred taels when we moved into the courtyard earlier. I’ll contribute one hundred taels.”
“Then let’s make it one hundred taels,” Shen Yourong immediately asked Du Juan to open the box and take out four ingots of snowflake silver to give to Shen Qinghan.
She took it and said, “I’ll send it over in a while.”
The two of them talked about this and dispersed.
The interior has collectively raised a total of two thousand taels of silver, and the letter was reported to the Qi Grand Duke’s Mansion. Shen Ying directly raised the five thousand taels of silver and sent people to settle the city’s disaster-stricken people.
Shen Shuo watched the steward, saying, “This is the disaster relief for the victims outside the city. If I know someone has filled their pockets or deceived them, I will cut off their hands and feet and throw them out without leaving a life.”
The steward was so scared that he repeatedly said yes.
A few days later, Ji Zhuo suddenly announced the suspension of the academic career. He received the holy order to relieve the disaster in the frontier.
Shen Yourong looked at him and looked at the screen. She wondered what he was thinking.
The affairs of the court are always subtle, with great meaning hidden in small movements.
During the break, she overheard Shen Qingyan and Ji Chengyao talking. Ji Chengyao seemed displeased; the task that he originally wanted was now assigned to Ji Zhuo. He had hoped to use this opportunity to formally enter the court. However, it was decided that Zhuo would go instead.
According to Ji Chengyao, Ji Zhuo was merely representing the royal family’s sincerity and was not actually going to do anything substantial. The Emperor had also appointed a trusted aide as his deputy.
Shen Qingyan consoled him, “It’s probably the same no matter who goes. Even if you went, it would just be to represent the royal family’s sincerity. The Emperor not allowing you to go is a consideration for you. The frontier is harsh, and there’s little real work to be done. You’re a distinguished prince, so why endure such hardship?”
She continued to chat with him, while Shen Yourong focused on copying books with lowered eyes.
After school, Ji Zhuo summoned her.
She politely asked, “What instructions do you have, Master?”
Ji Zhuo, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, exuded an air of dignity and grace that was beyond ordinary people.
“The characters you requested me to write for you earlier, I haven’t had the opportunity until now. Since I’ll be leaving in a few days, I might as well write them for you now,” he said, stepping forward, his waist ornaments jingling softly. “Follow me.”
The two walked behind the screen. Changming was not there, so she had to step forward herself, cutting a piece of three feet long and one foot wide rice paper, then rolling up her sleeves to grind ink.
He dipped his brush in ink and wrote on the snowy white paper with bold and powerful strokes that penetrated through the paper.
She watched him; he was still calm and composed as usual. However, the characters he wrote harbored sharpness and ambitious vigor.
“Is going to the frontier this time a good thing or a bad thing?” She suddenly asked.
He didn’t answer directly but smiled, and in an instant, his eyes and eyebrows revealed a sense of wilfulness. She understood then that for him, this was not a bad thing.
After the final stroke, he put down his brush, picked up a cloth to wipe his hands, and looked at Shen Yourong’s copy.
He suddenly took a step closer to her, who raised her eyes, looking somewhat wary. He smiled, halted his steps, and said, “During my absence, you should continue diligently practicing calligraphy, Elder Miss.”
With that, he turned and left, leaving her alone in the study, feeling at a loss.
That evening, the sky was overcast, and before long, snow began to fall again, fluttering like pear blossoms. Hua Mei returned happily from outside, saying that the plaque they had previously ordered had been engraved and was now being installed by the maids.
Shen Yourong also followed out, standing at the courtyard gate, watching the maids hang up the plaque. The plaque was covered in red cloth. Hua Mei handed one end of the red cloth to Shen Yourong.
With a slight tug from her, the red fabric fell away, revealing black lacquer red characters that read “Blowing Snow Pavilion.” On both sides, there was a couplet: “Faintly everywhere, blowing like snow; opening up, deep spring locust flowers.”
The maids held up lamps for her to examine closely. Du Juan stood by her side and laughed, “I thought it was named ‘Blowing Snow Pavilion’ because it was snowing. Now that I see the inscription by Prince Duan, I understand it’s because of the locust trees in our courtyard.”
Shen Yourong smiled and acknowledged it.
She looked up at the plaque in the snowy night. These were Ji Zhuo’s characters, strong and elegant. But to her, they always seemed to hide a trace of sharpness.
In this moment, she felt some regret. She shouldn’t have let him write the characters for her. When others came to her courtyard, the first thing they would see was his characters. What would that look like? Even if others didn’t know who wrote them, even if they didn’t know her relationship with him, she felt uneasy.
Between her and him, it was always something uncertain. Half a box of large characters didn’t amount to much. The pearl earring was no longer taken out, the rainy night painting had turned to dust, and the twenty-three fish in the bamboo basket had dispersed.
Since it was like this, why make a plaque engraved with characters that prominently hung at the main gate, where she could see it when she lifted her eyes, making her uneasy whenever she entered or left?