The noble girl is beautiful.

After a month or two of renovation, by the time the flowers bloomed in June, the garden was fully prepared. The Duke of Qi personally wrote invitations to entertain both the Fourth Prince and Duke of Duan, and a lively three-day feast was arranged.
With the household previously busy with construction matters, now they could relax and enjoy themselves. Starting from the matriarch, they held a banquet with the ladies of the house.
The banquet took place on a waterside pavilion, with green mountains behind and reflections of flowers in the water. Occasionally, a cool breeze would pass by, refreshing everyone.
The matriarch sat at one table, with Lady Yang and Lady Li attending to them. Shen Yourong sat at another table with her sisters, each accompanied by their maids. There were various snacks on the table, with a central box containing assorted fruits.
On the stage, the young actors performed gracefully, capturing Shen Yourong’s attention. Shen Qingyan, noticing this, teased, “Sister, are these actors so captivating?”
Shen Yourong snapped out of her thoughts, scolding Shen Qingyan playfully.
Shen Sihui, not interested in the performance, sprinkled cake crumbs into the water, attracting a frenzy of colorful fish, adding to the liveliness.
A maid called Shen Qinghan away from Lady Yang’s side. Shen Qinghan toasted the matriarch and exchanged a few auspicious words to please her. Shen Qingyan remarked, “Only the second miss knows how to please the matriarch with her words and actions.”
Shen Yourong glanced in that direction and chuckled, “If you want, you could do the same.”
Shen Qingyan poured herself a drink and said, “I don’t have that much face.”
The matriarch favored legitimate daughters over concubine-born ones. Among the sisters, Shen Yourong was particularly favored by the matriarch, while Shen Qinghan, despite being a legitimate daughter, was not treated as well. Shen Qingyan, being born of a concubine, had even less status.
After the performance ended, the matriarch left the banquet, instructing Shen Yourong and her sisters to relax and enjoy themselves without restraint.
Lady Yang sat at the head of the table and said with a smile, “These performances are lively. If you find them tiresome, feel free to leave. This newly built garden may not have been explored by you yet. Have the maids accompany you, but be careful not to cause any trouble.”
Shen Yourong wanted to continue watching the charming actor, but Shen Qingyan and the others grew impatient and dragged her away to play elsewhere.
The newly renovated garden was quite large, with a lake dividing it in half. Lotus leaves covered the surface of the lake, and lotus flowers bloomed beautifully. Adjacent to the Duke of Qi’s mansion was the rear garden, while the eastern half was reserved for the Fourth Prince’s residence and men’s banquets.
“I don’t believe you truly enjoy watching these noisy performances. You’re just drawn to beauty and can’t resist,” Shen Qingyan teased. “Besides, that young actor is just ordinary; it’s only his graceful movements that make him stand out.”
Shen Yourong fanned herself and said, “Gracefulness matters, and appearance should also be enhanced.”
Shen Qinghan laughed, “Sister, you’re the most particular about these things.”
The sisters walked to a rocky area, with rose vines climbing the artificial hillside, and clear water flowing nearby.
“This place is nice, with good scenery and cool air,” Shen Yourong said, deciding to sit for a while. She instructed the maids to lay out floral mats and bring bamboo chairs.
Shen Qingyan walked to the edge of the lake, gazing into the distance. “Aren’t you going to explore with me? Being cooped up indoors all day is suffocating.”
Shen Qinghan and Shen Sihui went with Shen Qingyan to explore.
Shen Yourong brushed off the bamboo chair with her handkerchief and sat down comfortably. “You all go ahead and explore. The sun is strong, so be careful not to get overheated.”
The others left, leaving Shen Yourong alone to enjoy the coolness under the flower arbor. The sounds of the play from the waterside pavilion drifted over, adding to the pleasant atmosphere.
Du Juan sat on a small stool, fanning her.
“As summer sets in, the young ladies become even more lazy,” Du Juan remarked. “The newly built garden is waiting to be explored by you all.”
“In the future, there will be time for exploration. There’s no need to come out in the heat of summer,” Shen Yourong replied, her eyes closed as her handkerchief covered her face.
Du Juan smiled and continued fanning, urging her to rest.
Meanwhile, Shen Qinghan and Shen Sihui separated from Shen Qingyan. Shen Qingyan always enjoyed strange and mysterious scenery, appreciating beauty that others couldn’t see.
They arrived at a place called the Moon Gate, where several magnolia trees stood, their snowy white flowers against the backdrop of the green tiled wall, creating an elegant picture.
Seeing no one around, Shen Qingyan stood on a stone by the wall and reached out to pluck a couple of branches.
“Be careful not to fall,” suddenly a young man’s voice came.
Startled, she turned around to see a young man leaning against the gate. He was dressed in fine garments, with a jade crown on his head, and had handsome features.
She stepped down from the stone, covering her mouth with her handkerchief. “Who are you?”
The young man didn’t answer but smiled and asked, “Do you want these flowers? I’ll pick them for you.”
He approached and plucked the magnolia branches.
Offering them to her, she declined, “I don’t want them.”
Raising an eyebrow, the young man said, “I picked the flowers for you, yet you refuse. You have a cruel heart, Miss.”
She chuckled. “You picked the flowers, but they have nothing to do with me.”
Turning to leave, she walked past a hibiscus tree when the young man spoke again, “Miss, you dropped your handkerchief.”
She stopped and watched as he wrapped the magnolias in her handkerchief, offering it to her.
“I don’t want it,” she said.
Raising an eyebrow, the young man replied, “You don’t want it just because I touched it? You reject everything touched by men?”
“Not really,” She smiled. “If I dropped a purse of gold coins, I would still want it back, even if a man touched it. But a handkerchief is worth only a few coins; you can have it.”
With that, she turned away and continued on her way.
As she retraced her steps around the lake, she realized she had walked quite a distance, likely circling from the East Garden to this side.
Returning to where she had separated from Shen Yourong, she saw her sister lying on the bamboo chair, her long blue skirt pooling around her, with rose petals scattered around her feet. “Sister, you seem quite relaxed.”
Opening her eyes, Shen Yourong asked, “Where did you go? Even your maid, Yue, was worried and searching for you.”
Sitting on a small flower stool nearby, Shen Qingyan said, “I lost track of the path and wandered off. I also met someone.”
She recounted the encounter with the young man to Shen Yourong, her fan covering half of her face as she chuckled. “Sister, do you find him interesting?”
“I certainly do not!” Shen Qinghan approached with Shen Qingyan’s maid, her expression cold. “You meet a stranger and engage in conversation, and you find it interesting?”
Shen Qingyan raised an eyebrow. “Where does that come from? I only exchanged a few words with someone.”
“You even gave away your handkerchief,” Shen Qinghan retorted.
“It’s just a plain handkerchief, with no name or embroidery. It’s lost, so what’s the big deal?” Shen Qingyan looked at Shen Qinghan. “Second sister, why are you acting like a judge?”
Seeing the two arguing, Shen Yourong intervened, “It’s hot out here, and everyone’s getting agitated. Although Qingyan made a mistake, it’s not worth getting so angry about. Qinghan, come and sit down, away from the sun.”
Shen Qinghan sneered. “Elder sister always tries to smooth things over. It’s obvious she’s at fault here, meeting a strange man privately and showing no shame!”
This accusation was serious. Shen Yourong quickly dismissed the maids around and reprimanded them on the side.
Shen Yourong’s smile faded as she fanned herself and said to Shen Qingyan, “Second sister wasn’t talking about you; she was talking about me.”
Given her encounter with the Fourth Prince in the palace, it was hard for Shen Qingyan to hide. Compared to what Shen Qingyan had done, Shen Yourong’s encounter with the Fourth Prince clearly implied a desire for closeness.
Shen Qinghan’s face momentarily paled. “I didn’t mean that.”Shen Qingyan remained silent. Just then, an old maid approached. “The young ladies are needed to greet the guests.”
Shen Qinghan said, “I’m coming.”She left first.
Shen Qingyan glanced at Shen Yourong’s expression and felt she wasn’t truly angry. “Second sister has been buried in books, and her mind has become narrow. She sees innocence as something else entirely. She treats men like ferocious beasts. I want to see if she’ll ever get married.”
“You should refrain from saying such things,” Shen Yourong said. “Going out without a maid might seem harmless to us, but others might interpret it differently.”
Shen Qingyan agreed and then remembered Shen Qinghan. She muttered with resentment, “I’ll replace all of Second Sister’s books with something more open-minded to broaden her views.”
Shen Yourong chuckled, got up to change her clothes, and then went to the front to greet the guests. After a while, everyone changed clothes and went to the main hall. The four sisters were dressed in matching lotus red floral jackets and honey-colored brocade skirts.
Shen Yourong wore a phoenix hairpin adorned with pearls, looking dignified and elegant. Shen Qinghan’s accessories were simple and elegant, with a pearl comb in her hair matching the white jade pearl earrings.
Shen Qingyan wore a pair of pomegranate hairpins, sparkling in the sunlight. Shen Sihui wore a flower-shaped woolen ball on her head, resembling a New Year painting doll.
In the main hall, Duke Qi sat at the head, with a young man wearing a jade crown on his head and a waist ornament sitting on his left. Considering his identity, he should be Prince Duan Ji Zhuo. Sitting below was a young nobleman of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in exquisite attire with a radiant appearance. Shen Qingyan glanced at him and was surprised. He was the person she had encountered in the garden.
In front of them stood several young men from Duke Qi’s mansion, who had already greeted the guests. They were now standing to the side, listening to Duke Qi and Prince Duan’s conversation.
Seeing the girls enter, Duke Qi said, “These are the young ladies of the mansion.”He looked at the girls and said, “Greetings to Prince Duan and the Fourth Prince.”
Shen Yourong and her sisters bowed together and greeted Prince Duan and the Fourth Prince. Prince Duan’s voice was calm as he said, “No need for formalities.”
Shen Yourong and her sisters stood up. Hearing Ji Chengyao’s laughter, Shen Yourong had to introduce each of her sisters to the Fourth Prince. “This is my second sister, Qinghan, my third sister, Qingyan, and my youngest sister, Sihui.
Ji Chengyao’s smiling eyes focused on Shen Qingyan as he bowed, “The young ladies are very courteous.”
Shen Qingyan returned the gesture with pursed lips, feeling somewhat annoyed.
Duke Qi looked at Prince Duan and said, “My children are all dull, but I hope Your Highness won’t disdain them and will allow them to serve by your side. I hope Your Highness won’t mind teaching them a little something; that’s all they need.”
Prince Duan replied warmly, “You are too kind.”Duke Qi stroked his beard and looked at his children below, saying, “In the future, you siblings will study together, be diligent, and progress together.”
“Yes,” Shen Yourong and her sisters answered together.
Duke Qi waved his hand, and they went to serve tea to Prince Duan and the others, completing the ceremony of paying respects to their teacher.
Among the men, Prince Duan only accepted the tea from the second young master, while among the women, he took the tea offered by Shen Yourong.
Shen Yourong handed him the tea but felt a lightness in her hand. Looking up, she saw that Prince Duan had already taken a sip before setting it down. His gaze casually swept over, meeting hers.
She paused, then lowered her head. Prince Duan continued the conversation with Duke Qi as if nothing had happened.
Including their encounter in the palace, this was the second time she had met Duan Ji Zhuo. Yet, they still hadn’t exchanged a single word.
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