The noble girl is beautiful.

By May, the weather had begun to warm up, and the maidservants changed out of their silk and cotton clothes for lighter garments. It was the Dragon Boat Festival, and the entire residence was filled with the scent of burning mugwort.

Early in the morning, Du Juan saw the sachet she made tied around Shen Yourong’s waist, and she, along with Hua Mei, were busy twisting colorful threads into small segments to tie onto the little maidservants.

Shen Yourong was in the inner room, arranging a bunch of freshly picked cattails.

Du Juan came in and said, “The festival gifts from the shop and last season’s account books have arrived.”

Shen Yourong placed the cattail-studded celadon vase by the window and said, “Let me have a look.”

Du Juan handed over the account books and said, “Last season, the glass shop had the best earnings. The nobility in the capital were eager for glass ornaments, and the Long Princess’s residence even requested glass for their windows.”

Shen Yourong flipped through the account books and said, “Glass for windows is good—it’s clean and bright. I wonder if other royal family members will follow suit and change their windows as well.”

She handed the account books back to Du Juan and said, “Since the glass shop is doing well, prepare to open a second store in the East Market. I plan to give this first shop to third sister; not only is the glass formula hers, but it also serves as a dowry gift.”

Du Juan agreed and took the account books to lock them away in the cabinet.

Shen Yourong rubbed her temples and said, “Call for lunch.”

Hua Mei quickly issued the order, and soon several servants brought in food boxes, setting out a variety of dishes on a table.

After her illness, Shen Yourong’s appetite wasn’t very good. She found that food tasted bland, and she had lost weight. Shen Shuo had sent several cooks—one from Shu Province skilled in stir-fries, one from Jiangnan adept at medicinal cuisine, and one from the palace with exquisite skills in pastries.

Even Shen Ying remarked on how much effort her brother had gone through to gather them from all over.

Looking at the array of dishes, Shen Yourong had little appetite. With Du Juan’s encouragement, she picked a few dishes to eat on the bed in the inner room, while the remaining roasted chicken, pork knuckles, steamed fish, and meat were given to the maidservants.

On the small table in the inner room, there were only a few seasonal dishes, such as acacia flower scrambled eggs, diced bamboo shoots with cured meat, and a dish of pan-fried ribs. Next to a white jade plate were two halves of duck eggs oozing with red oil. Shen Yourong enjoyed the duck eggs with a bowl of fish slice porridge; the fish was tender, and the duck egg was fresh and delicious.

Du Juan and Hua Mei watched, urging her to try each dish before they could finally put down their utensils.

After finishing her meal, Shen Yourong read by the window while Hua Mei brought tea. She tasted it and said, “What kind of tea is this? It’s sweeter than this year’s new tea.”

“It’s this year’s tea,” Du Juan replied while tidying up. “I heard that the tea gardens didn’t have enough rain this spring, so the tea before and after the rains wasn’t very good. This is the last batch. If you don’t want it, we’ll have to wait for autumn tea. I didn’t expect you’d get to taste this last batch.”

Shen Yourong smiled. She suddenly heard the sound of the door curtain moving and saw Shen Shuo coming in.

“Have you not taken a nap yet?” he asked as he sat down on a chair.

Shen Yourong replied, “I’m not tired yet. There’s nothing to do all day, just eating and sleeping.”

He smiled and said, “Being able to eat and sleep is a blessing.”

He took a sip of tea and asked, “Are the cooks I sent over these past few days satisfactory?”

“They’re very good,” Shen Yourong said. “Thank you, brother.”

He smiled and thought, the person you should thank is not me.

“By the way, things have been chaotic at home recently. Father has dealt harshly with the gossiping servants and even replaced an old steward in the old lady’s courtyard. If you’re feeling bored, you might as well spend a few days at the estate. At this time of year, cherries, cantaloupes, and fresh peaches are all ripe. You can enjoy the countryside.”

Shen Yourong became interested, and Shen Shuo, seeing her enthusiasm, continued, “Just go and relax. I’ll handle the rest.”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you, brother.”

The two of them made arrangements for the trip. Du Juan and Hua Mei were excited since they rarely went out, and even less often to the estate. They vaguely remembered accompanying the old lady to an estate once, which was much more comfortable than the residence. So they busily packed clothes and prepared luggage.

The next day, Shen Shuo arranged carriages—several large ones. Shen Yourong, along with Du Juan and Hua Mei, rode in one carriage, some servants in another, and the remaining carriages were filled with luggage. They set off for the estate in the suburbs.

Upon arriving at the estate, the land was covered with fields, stretching green to the horizon. The buildings in the estate were also quite rustic and elegant, with flowers every few steps and trees every five steps, mostly natural without any elaborate carvings.

Entering the main courtyard, they saw overgrown weeds and uneven grass. Du Juan frowned and said, “Why hasn’t the courtyard been tidied up?”

The steward replied, “It’s reserved for autumn frost.”

Du Juan was still not satisfied, but Shen Yourong said, “Autumn wind and withering leaves are also poetic.”

After a moment’s thought, She said, “Let’s go inside.”

Once inside, the rooms were clean and tasteful. Paper windows, bamboo tables and chairs, and light blue curtains embroidered with pale white orchids gave a fresh and unique look, suitable for a young lady.

Shen Yourong was examining an inscription when Du Juan and Hua Mei hurriedly made the beds. Outside was silent, except for the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. Shen Yourong opened the window to look outside, where the green grass swayed in the wind. She found it quite interesting, and even if it wasn’t autumn, it was still enjoyable.

After tidying up, they eagerly went outside. The back mountain had a large fruit orchard with all kinds of fruits. Du Juan found a bamboo basket and went out with Shen Yourong.

In the peach orchard, the neatly arranged trees were heavy with ripe fruit, almost bending the branches. Shen Yourong, wearing a narrow-sleeved blue dress and with two jade hairpins slanted in her hair, looked clean and elegant. She picked fruit, and the ripe peaches were as large as a fist. She wandered through the peach orchard, resembling a monkey in a peach garden.

After playing for a while, the basket was full, and she started heading back. Outside the courtyard, she suddenly noticed a loquat tree nearby, its fruit yellow and ripe.

She said, “I’ll go over there and have a look. You can head back.”

Du Juan said, “I’ll come back after putting down the peaches.”

She nodded and walked towards the loquat tree.

The loquat branches were low and full of fruit. She picked one, wiped it with her handkerchief, and tasted it. The juice was sweet and tangy, leaving a delightful taste.

While she was busy picking fruit, a perfectly round loquat fell from her hand and rolled to the feet of someone nearby.

Looking up, she saw Ji Zhuo standing under the tree’s shade, dressed in moon-white robes. The sunlight filtering through the dappled tree shadows cast a long shadow of him, and his features were bathed in light, with the dust floating lightly in the sunlight.

She froze, holding the loquat in her hands, not knowing what to do.

Ji Zhuo bent down, picked up the loquat, and walked towards her, placing it in her hand.

She pressed her lips together and said, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

He looked at her and explained, “This estate is mine, not your brother’s.”

“I guessed,” She said, “My brother doesn’t care for such things and couldn’t manage waiting for the grass to turn to frost.”

He smiled slightly and said, “I have the leisure to wait for the grass to turn to frost.”

She also smiled. She sat on a large stone by the wall, fiddling with the loquat wrapped in her handkerchief.

“I heard you were ill recently,” he said. “Are you better now?”

“Much better,” She said, but she still kept her head down, not looking at him.

His gaze remained on her, “The matter of the Emperor wanting you to enter the palace was a test for me; it had nothing to do with you. You don’t need to worry; you will not be going to the palace.”

She paused, feeling a weight lift from her heart, and her expression relaxed.

Ji Zhuo knew she was a thoughtful person. Even if she didn’t speak, she would hide things in her heart, filling it up and making her appear heavy-hearted over minor issues.

“Miss, will you marry me?” He suddenly asked.

Shen Yourong’s eyes widened in surprise. “What… what did you say?”

He patiently looked at her. “I asked if you would marry me.”

Shen Yourong’s initial shock faded, and she asked, “You want to marry me?”

He nodded, “Yes.” He had thought about it for a long time. Shen Yourong was the eldest daughter of the Qi State Duke. She was learned, talented, beautiful, and noble—everything was exceptional. He thought she was wonderful.

Even if she were not the eldest daughter of the Qi State Duke, even if she were rebellious and unruly, not skilled in the arts but adept at flattery, fond of indulgence and fine clothes rather than behaving like a proper noble lady, he still wanted to marry her.

He gazed at her, who now appeared more complex in expression, and asked, “And, can you marry me?”

His expression suddenly turned cold, as if he had been offended or hurt.

Shen Yourong lowered her head, rolling a fruit between her fingers and said, “That day, when I heard what you said behind the screen, my heart went cold. I don’t know if that was your true intention, but the fact is, you cannot marry me, and so I naturally would not marry you.”

He pressed his lips tightly together, his gaze becoming even more obscure.

“That was not my true intention,” he suddenly said.

She softly replied, “That… that’s good, of course.” But it couldn’t change anything.
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