Ming Xian smiled and said, “I’ve heard about it too. What a coincidence—they’re both discussing the daughters of Lord Xue’s household. They’ll be brothers-in-law in the future.”
Ming Chong was first surprised, then burst into laughter. “Truly, there’s no story without coincidence.”
“Jingheng, Shi Shen, congratulations.”
Cui Shishen replied flatly, “I haven’t agreed yet.”
“Why not?” Ming Chong asked with a smile. “The other day when I entered the palace, I heard my mother and Madam Zhou mention Lord Xue’s two daughters. Both are said to be as beautiful as flowers, true beauties. You needn’t worry.”
“It’s not about their appearance,” Cui Shishen said. “The duties at the government office are numerous, and I’ve just started. I don’t yet have the capacity to care for a family, and I dare not let a young lady come here to suffer.”
“You make it sound as if once a young lady marries you, you won’t be able to handle your duties,” Ming Chong laughed. “If it were truly as you say, then so many officials in Jingcheng wouldn’t dare to marry.”
Cui Shishen pursed his lips and remained silent.
Ming Xian shook his head and said helplessly to Ming Chong, “Look at him—his mouth offends people as soon as he opens it. Thankfully, Third Brother and Jingheng usually protect him.”
“Shi Shen’s straightforward nature is actually quite rare,” Ming Chong said, turning to ask Zhou Jingheng, “Jingheng, what do you think of this marriage arrangement?”
Zhou Jingheng smiled gently and replied, “In matters of marriage, it’s the parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s words. I’ll follow whatever my parents decide.”
Cui Shishen lowered his eyelids and spun the small porcelain bottle in his hand.
It was the Rizhu Snow Bud tea leaves the shopkeeper had just given him.
The owner of Qingfeng Chalo was very adept at handling affairs. Whenever someone won a tea competition at the teahouse, the shopkeeper, following the owner’s instructions, would personally present a small amount of high-quality tea leaves as a congratulatory gift.
However, no one had ever seen the owner of Qingfeng Chalo.
Today, Cui Shishen hadn’t won, but given his close ties with the two princes and his position as an official in Taifusi, Qingfeng Chalo still relied on his patronage. How could the shopkeeper dare to neglect him? Thus, he gave him the same gift as Zhou Jingheng.
Ming Xian smiled and said, “Jingheng handles matters appropriately and is the most reassuring. No wonder Father often praises him.”
Zhou Jingheng quickly replied, “That is His Majesty’s grace.”
Ming Xian waved his hand. “No need to be modest. The entire Jingcheng knows that the second son of the Guogong Fu is as gentle as jade, noble and refined.”
“When you marry the young lady of the Xue family in the future, it will surely become another beautiful tale.”
A minor official entered from outside, leaned down beside Ming Chong, and said, “Your Highness, General Wu from the Jingji Grand Camp has returned. His Majesty requests your presence to receive General Wu.”
Ming Chong said to Zhou Jingheng, “Come with me. The Ministry of Rites needs assistance from the Jingji Grand Camp for the Qiqiao Jie celebrations. You should go and greet General Wu first.”
“Yes,” Zhou Jingheng replied.
Ming Xian and Cui Shishen stood up to see them off. After they had gone far, Ming Xian and Cui Shishen headed to a private room on the second floor.
The shopkeeper, Yuan Pu, personally served them tea.
While knocking and waiting for permission to enter, Yuan Pu faintly overheard Cui Shishen’s voice: “Yesterday, while drinking with Zhou Jingheng, he inadvertently mentioned that three summers ago, Prince Chu met Yuan Zheng.”
Yuan Pu’s expression stiffened slightly.
The attendant guarding the door pushed it open, and Cui Shishen’s voice promptly stopped.
Yuan Pu entered with a slight bow and presented the tea to them.
“You may leave,” Ming Xian said.
Yuan Pu backed out of the room, and the attendant closed the door, watching him closely.
Yuan Pu did not linger. He walked to the back, passed through a narrow corridor, and arrived at a room where he knocked on the door.
Hanlu opened the door to find Xue Chenxing seated before the desk, flipping through a ledger.
Her expression was calm and composed, a stark contrast to the Second Miss Xue whom Madam Xue so despised.
Yuan Pu hurriedly closed the door behind him and strode to the desk, whispering a few words to Xue Chenxing.
Xue Chenxing looked up, a flicker of coldness in her eyes. “Prince Chu and Prince Qin?”
Yuan Pu nodded. “Since they brought it up, it must be connected to them.”
“But Prince Chu and Prince Qin are both imperial princes. How can we possibly get close to them?”
Xue Chenxing rested her wrist on the ledger, her slender, pale index finger tapping lightly on the desk.
A faint smile touched her lips, her gaze deepening. “We may not be able to approach Prince Chu or Prince Qin, but Cui Shishen and Zhou Jingheng can.”
&
As the sun began to set, Xue Chenxing returned to the Xue residence.
She held a greased paper bag, nibbling on sugar-coated hawthorns.
Xue Chenyue was helping Madam Xue out of the main hall when they happened to run into her.
Seeing her carefree and untidy appearance, Madam Xue immediately flared up and shouted, “Stop right there!”
Xue Chenxing halted, still chewing on a hawthorn.
Madam Xue’s face turned livid. “You are in the Xue residence now, not some rustic village. If you can’t change these unrefined habits, don’t even think about leaving the house—lest you disgrace our family.”
Xue Chenxing crunched loudly on the sugar coating of the hawthorn, utterly indifferent to Madam Xue’s words. “If Mother finds me so unrefined, why not double my dowry and marry me off as soon as possible? Out of sight, out of mind.”
“You…” Madam Xue trembled with rage. “Shameless!”
“Go out and ask—which respectable young lady from a noble family haggles over her dowry?”
“And look at yourself—do you even deserve such a generous dowry?”
“Mother, don’t be angry,” Xue Chenyue quickly soothed Madam Xue. “You know how our sister is—she speaks without thinking.”
She then smiled gently. “Father and younger brother just returned, saying they’re starving. Now that our sister is back too, let’s go have dinner.”
With Xue Chenyue’s soft words, Madam Xue’s expression softened slightly.
She changed her tone, speaking earnestly to Xue Chenxing. “I don’t want to scold you either, but a young lady must act with grace and virtue. Look at your elder sister—who doesn’t praise her when she goes out?”
“You need to change. Running around like a wild horse all day—who knows how many people are laughing at you? I’m only saying this for your own good.”
Xue Chenxing hated nothing more than hearing those words—”for your own good.”
Belittling her like a roadside weed to be trampled upon, while praising Xue Chenyue as if she were the moon in the sky—was that truly for her benefit?
She tossed the hawthorn in her fingers back into the greased paper bag and let out a cold laugh. “If Elder Sister had grown up on a rural estate, with Father and Mother ignoring her for over a decade, I wonder if Mother would still be able to sing her praises so easily?”
Xue Chenyue froze, her eyes instantly reddening. Her lips trembled as she said, “It’s all my fault… I’ve wronged my sister…”
Madam Xue stepped in front of Xue Chenyue, pointing angrily at Xue Chenxing. “Why blame your elder sister? Did she cause this?”
“In the two years since you returned to the residence, haven’t I taught you proper manners? Did you learn any of them?”
“Instead of striving to improve, you shift the blame onto others. You have no shame at all—how did our Xue family produce someone like you!”
As Madam Xue berated Xue Chenxing, servants watched from a distance, and her two sons, Xue Chenhui and Xue Chenguang, emerged upon hearing the commotion.
Madam Xue’s words were too harsh. Xue Chenyue covered her mouth, her eyes wide with tension as she stared at Xue Chenxing. The servants in the distance held their breath.
Xue Chenguang, the youngest, shared Madam Xue’s disdain for Xue Chenxing and could not stand her unrestrained, rustic ways.
He echoed Madam Xue’s words with a mocking tone: “What a disgrace to the family!”