The noble girl is beautiful.

After chatting for a while, a message came from the front saying that the banquet was ready and they were called to go to the matriarch. Shen Yourong and Shen Shuo stood up and left. At the banquet, the whole family gathered and enjoyed their time together.
After being rejected by Shen Shuo, Ji Chengyao didn’t say much, maintaining a genial demeanor, but he harbored a sense of frustration. He had always been a favored child of heaven, and rarely encountered people who didn’t give him face. Thus, he ordered someone to secretly watch Shen Shuo and see what he had been up to recently.
Shen Shuo was a rising star, highly valued by the emperor. After reporting his duties to the emperor, he was promoted two ranks consecutively and was appointed to a fifth-grade official position, entering the Censorate. On the day he returned in his fifth-grade crimson official robe, many maidservants in the garden sneaked a peek at him.
Before long, Ji Chengyao heard that Shen Shuo had gone to visit Ji Zhuo.
“Ji Zhuo?” Ji Chengyao asked, “What business does Young Master Shen have with him?”
The guard replied, “I heard it was because of Miss Shen. Prince Duan Ji Zhuo is teaching Miss Shen calligraphy, so Young Master Shen went to thank him.”
Ji Chengyao pondered, and the guard continued, “Young Master Shen and Prince Duan hit it off right away. Both of them are skilled in poetry and literature, and they exchanged knowledge a few times. Young Master Shen even gifted Prince Duan two volumes of rare ancient books.”
“This is indeed strange,” Ji Chengyao remarked, “Although Ji Zhuo is a man devoted to poetry and books, he is usually aloof. Young Master Shen also seems to be a proud person, yet they have become so congenial.”
The guard thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps it’s because of Miss Shen? Everyone in the Duke of Qi’s mansion knows that Young Master Shen dotes on his sister the most. Prince Duan has been teaching Miss Shen with great dedication, so it’s natural for Young Master Shen to reciprocate.”
He touched the jade pendant at his waist and murmured, “Miss Shen…”
Shen Yourong, as usual, went to the schoolhouse on time. She fanned herself as she walked to the entrance of the Fu Yao Pavilion, where she happened to see a cluster of small purple flowers blooming on the vines on the rocks. The tiny blossoms were crowded together, bringing joy at first sight.
She took out a handkerchief and stepped forward to pluck the cluster of flowers.
“Young Miss seems to have a leisurely nature.” Suddenly, a voice came from behind, startling her. She turned around to see Ji Chengyao looking at her with a cheerful smile.
She let out a sigh of relief and stepped forward to curtsy, “Fourth prince.”
“No need for formalities, cousin,” he said with a smile, “Last time I also startled you while you were picking flowers. I should be the one apologizing to you.”
“Not at all,” She replied with a smile.
Ji Chengyao, hands behind his back, smiled as he looked at her. “It seems you really like flowers. Earlier, I noticed you had a hairband adorned with pomegranate flowers. It looked quite unique.
Coincidentally, I have two pots of camellias that someone recently gifted me. They are blooming exceptionally well. How about I send them to you for your enjoyment? It would be a blessing for those flowers too.”
She tightened her grip slightly and said, “It would be a waste to give such precious flowers to someone like me who only knows how to pick them. Why not give them to my third sister? She paints beautifully, and such exquisite camellias would be perfect in her artwork.”
He frowned slightly, “Third cousin, she…”
“What are you all standing here for?” A calm voice interrupted them. She looked over to see Ji Zhuo approaching in a simple white robe. He first glanced at her, then looked at Ji Chengyao and asked, “Why aren’t you going inside?”
Ji Chengyao had no choice but to stop talking. “We were just about to.”
With that, he entered the door first. Just as Shen Yourong was about to follow, she heard Ji Zhuo say, “Young Miss, you’re late again.”
She paused and replied, “Fourth prince is also late.”
He remained composed, “But he has never been late before. Today is his first time. Young Miss, however…”
Shen Yourong, who was habitually punctual, had been late more than once.
“I realize my mistake,” She said once again. “It won’t happen next time.”
As she finished speaking, he smiled. His eyes filled with warmth, and the distant air about him vanished, leaving only a refined and elegant nobleman.
She pinched the palm of her hand to bring herself back to reality, avoiding staring directly at him.
“May I go inside now, Master?” she asked.
“Wait,” Ji Zhuo called her back, pointing at her skirt. “Your dress is stained.”
She immediately looked down at her dress. Today, she was wearing a red dress with gold accents and a silver-red half-sleeve jacket. Because she had unconsciously held the flowers she picked while talking with Ji Chengyao, the flower juice had stained her skirt.
The bright red fabric was particularly delicate, and even a drop of flower juice would dull its color.
She took out her handkerchief, letting the flower residue fall onto a nearby stone. Du Juan quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the skirt, but the stain was already set and couldn’t be cleaned off.
Ji Zhuo said, “Never mind, Young Miss, go back and change your clothes.”
She felt a bit embarrassed and put away her handkerchief, saying, “Thank you, Master.”
After changing her clothes, She returned. Because she was late, she had to write double the amount of characters today. During each break, she buried herself in writing, leaving no opportunity for Ji Chengyao to speak with her again.
After class, Ji Chengyao returned to his courtyard in a sullen mood. Seeing his disheartened expression, his servant asked if he had anything troubling him.
Ji Chengyao didn’t answer, but after pondering for a while, he instructed him to handle a matter for him.
In the afternoon, the young masters of the Duke of Qi’s household practiced riding and archery with the Fourth Prince. Before they had finished shooting a hundred arrows, Ji Chengyao left early.
Since it wasn’t the Duke of Qi teaching them today, no one dared to interfere with the Fourth Prince.
He cooled off under a willow tree by the pond, plucking at the leaves while gazing across the lake. A servant boy ran along the path towards him, handing over something to him. He accepted it with a smile and said, “Well done.”
He pulled out a gold leaf from his pouch and tossed it to the servant boy, who thanked him profusely with repeated bows.
The two turned and walked back along the stone path. As they passed by the rockery, they saw Ji Zhuo sitting under a grass shelter, fishing.
Ji Chengyao stopped, tucked the item into his sleeve, and then walked over to him with a smile, saying, “Uncle, you’re in good spirits.”
Ji Zhuo noticed him and his gaze briefly flicked to Ji Chengyao’s sleeve. He asked, “Shouldn’t you be at the training ground right now?”
Ji Chengyao showed no sign of guilt and replied directly, “I got tired of being in the hot sun, so I came back early.”
Ji Zhuo disapproved, “The reason the Emperor had you stay temporarily at the Duke of Qi’s household was to avoid the excessive pampering you receive in the palace. The Duke of Qi is dedicated to teaching you, so why leave early?”
Ji Chengyao, not wanting to hear his lecture, simply said, “I understand, Uncle. I’ll go now. If I stay longer, the mosquitoes will start biting. You should head back soon.”
With that, he left.
Changming, who was serving tea by Ji Zhuo’s side, lowered his head as he offered the tea. Watching Ji Chengyao walk away, Ji Zhuo’s eyes lost their warmth and grew cold.
“Go and see,” Ji Zhuo said quietly.
“Yes,” Changming replied, putting down the tea and silently retreating.
At dusk, Changming returned from outside and saw Ji Zhuo’s tall, elegant silhouette cast on the window. He entered the room and reported through the beaded curtain.
Ji Zhuo was standing by the desk inside, using a cinnabar brush to circle characters in Shen Yourong’s writing, indicating that these characters were poorly written and needed to be practiced more.
He walked in and placed a pouch on the table, saying, “This is what the Fourth Prince obtained today.”
Ji Zhuo put down the brush, wiped his hands with a cloth, and then picked up the pouch.
Examining it under the light, he noticed the pouch was made of top-quality material, with a dark blue base embroidered with light purple bamboo leaves. On the other side, two small characters were embroidered: Xian Xian.
Changming said, “These are the small characters of the Shen family’s eldest daughter.”
Ji Zhuo raised an eyebrow. “Her pouch?”
“Yes.”
He rubbed the jade beads on the pouch’s drawstring, “I wonder what our Fourth Prince is plotting this time.”
Changming remained silent. He called for Bai Yan to come in. Bai Yan entered the inner room and respectfully bowed.
Ji Zhuo handed her the pouch, “Take this to the eldest young lady. Tell her you saw a servant pick it up and, thinking it was made of expensive materials and might belong to some lady or madam, you brought it to her so she can return it to the owner.”
Bai Yan asked, “If the young lady asks which servant picked it up, how should I respond?”
He thought for a moment and then asked Changming, “What is the name of the servant boy by the Fourth Prince’s side?”
“His name is Feng’er,” Changming replied.
Ji Zhuo nodded and looked at Bai Yan, “Go on.”
Today, Shen Yourong wrote double the amount of large characters, feeling a slight soreness in her wrists afterward. In the evening, she washed her hands with water mixed with rose lotion.
Hua Mei brought a box of rose petals and gently massaged her hands.
“There are many hibiscus flowers blooming in the back of our courtyard,” Hua Mei said. “Tomorrow, I’ll pick some good ones and come back to dye your nails, Miss.”
Shen Yourong looked at her bare nails. Lately, she had been practicing calligraphy diligently, so she trimmed her nails frequently, making them look unsightly. She muttered a few words of dissatisfaction in her heart as Du Juan brought a towel to wipe her hands.
When Bai Yan arrived, she saw her applying scented lotion to her hands. Shen Yourong was dressed in casual clothes, with her long hair cascading behind her.
Bai Yan delivered her message and placed the pouch on the table corner. Shen Yourong’s expression immediately changed. Hua Mei and Du Juan exchanged glances, both looking displeased.
She looked at Bai Yan and smiled, “I wonder who found it? I’ll thank them later.”
“It was a servant boy named Feng’er from the Fourth Prince’s courtyard,” Bai Yan said.
She nodded and chatted with Bai Yan for a few moments before politely seeing her off.
As soon as she left, Hua Mei immediately apologized to Shen Yourong. Shen Yourong usually managed her belongings, including jewelry, silverware, pouches, and sachets.
She knew it was impossible for her to have lost these items. The mystery of how they ended up there was intriguing.
She said to Hua Mei, “We need to discipline the people in our courtyard properly.”
Hua Mei agreed and promised to ensure her satisfaction. She glanced at the sachet with a hint of annoyance in her eyes. “Just burn it,” she said.