The noise around him pulled him out of his thoughts.
Lu Shiji came back to himself, lifted his eyes, and looked at Zhang Rongyu. The corner of his lips moved slightly, hiding the trace of sarcasm deep in his eyes.
“You flatter me, Young Master Zhang.”
Zhang Rongyu’s gaze paused for a moment. For no clear reason, he felt a subtle pressure, even though Prince Ning in front of him looked completely calm.
Before he could think more about it, other guests came forward to offer congratulations. Vice Minister Zhang wisely led him away first.
Soon after, more guests came forward to congratulate them.
The Duke of Ning warmly exchanged polite greetings with each guest.
But the clear calmness in Lu Shiji’s eyes was already showing a hint of impatience.
He turned to look outside the window. Through the branches of flowering trees, he caught sight of a slender red figure. She was sitting in the octagonal pavilion, listening to someone speak.
She nodded with her big, round eyes wide open, while casually picking up a piece of flower cake and feeding it into her mouth, not neglecting herself in the slightest.
A light breeze passed by, blowing a strand of hair from her cheek to her lips. She must have accidentally bitten it, because she scrunched up her little face and lifted her pinky finger to move the strand of hair away from her lips.
All her emotions were written clearly across her face.
“Shiji?” the Duke of Ning called out.
Lu Shiji came back to his senses. “Father.”
“Now that the Dingzhou rebel case is closed, your marriage shouldn’t be delayed any longer. It’s better to settle it as soon as possible.”
The Duke of Ning spoke again about the marriage, this time more seriously. “Your grandmother’s health isn’t good, and she’s been hoping you would marry soon and bring some joy to the household. Your mother is also very concerned about this.”
The moment these words were spoken, even the people behind the screen fell silent.
The lively flower hall from earlier slowly became quiet, as if everyone was waiting for something.
After a moment of silence, Lu Shiji finally said slowly, “Father is right.”
The Duke of Ning smiled in satisfaction and nodded. “Very good. It seems our Duke’s residence will welcome a new bride this year.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful news. I wonder which family’s daughter will have such good fortune,” someone said flatteringly.
The Duke of Ning glanced at Lu Shiji, then smiled and said, “For this marriage, I think it’s best to let his mother make the decision. She has been very worried about this matter.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Marriage is a major life event. Of course it should follow the parents’ wishes and the matchmaker’s arrangements. Only a noble lady from a matching family background would be worthy to be the Crown Prince’s consort of this Duke’s residence.”
Everyone laughed and flattered him. Soon, the flower hall became lively again, filled with chatter and noise.
Lu Shiji raised the teacup in his hand to his lips. The corner of his mouth shifted slightly, and a trace of sarcasm appeared in his eyes.
He had already lost patience dealing with all of this. He casually made an excuse, stood up, and left the flower hall.
How could the Duke of Ning pay attention to him? People kept coming to flatter him one after another. He was so caught up in the praise that he had no time to care about anything else.
But Madam Shen, watching from behind the screen, saw Lu Shiji stand up and leave. A faint unease appeared on her face.
She had never been able to see through this stepson of hers. Even though recently he and A Li seemed to be getting along well, she still felt uneasy. She always felt that this marriage might not go smoothly.
At this critical moment, if his marriage with A Li couldn’t be settled, she might not be able to hold back the visiting cards sent by other families.
Could it really end up with nothing gained and everything lost?
Madam Shen’s face darkened. Absolutely not. Even if she had to use every method possible, she would make this marriage happen.
Outside the main hall was the garden. The weather was cool today, and all kinds of flowers were blooming in the garden. Naturally, many people were strolling outside.
Lichu and Zhang Jingshu were still sitting in the octagonal pavilion arranging flowers. Earlier, they had picked many flower branches and asked the maids to bring two vases that Lichu had carefully kept, so they could arrange flowers.
Suddenly, Zhang Jingshu heard some movement. She looked up, then immediately nudged Lichu’s arm and whispered, “Prince Ning came out!”
Lichu paused her flower arranging, then turned to look.
Lu Shiji had just walked out of the flower hall. A few noble ladies who were strolling and admiring the flowers were secretly watching him, but none of them dared to go up and speak to him.
Everyone knew Prince Ning was strict with himself and followed rules closely. Naturally, he didn’t like women who didn’t behave properly. If they accidentally made him dislike them, it would only bring trouble.
Even the bolder ones only dared to bow properly and greet him softly, “Prince Ning.”
Lu Shiji paused his steps and gave a slight nod.
Maybe seeing that his temperament seemed gentle, one noble lady gathered her courage and continued speaking, “I heard that in just half a year, Prince Ning wiped out the Dingzhou rebel army. Your talent is truly outstanding. My father often says that with capable ministers like you, the people of Great Zhou will surely live in peace without worries.”
“Just part of my duty. Miss, you praise me too much.”
Watching from a distance, Lichu suddenly felt a strong sense of danger.
She tightened her little face and shot to her feet. “We can’t wait any longer! We have to press forward while we have the chance. Hesitating won’t get anything done!”
Zhang Jingshu was startled by her, then quickly nodded. “That’s right! Chuchu, I support you!”
Lichu picked up the bundle of peach blossoms from the stone table and walked out proudly, full of determination.
“Cousin!”
Lu Shiji turned his head and saw Shen Lichu walking toward him, holding a large bunch of peach blossoms. Her bright red dress stood out even among the flowers. Half of her face was hidden behind the branches, but her bright eyes shimmered.
The corner of his lips lifted slightly. “A Li.”
Lichu walked up to him excitedly. “I picked a lot of peach blossoms. I was thinking of taking them back to arrange in a vase. Cousin, do you think these flowers are pretty?”
He lowered his eyes to the peach blossoms blooming beautifully in her arms, as bright and lively as she was. “Pretty.”
Lichu blinked. Sure enough, all the effort she had put into charming him lately was working. The relationship between them had gotten much closer.
Now it was the final step. No matter what happened, there had to be a result.
Lichu raised a bright smile again. “Then I’ll take them back and arrange them.”
As she spoke, she happily stepped forward, turned to leave, and the red hem of her skirt spun into a beautiful arc before falling back into place as she walked.
A handkerchief slipped out along with her skirt and fell into the grass beside the pebble path.
From the corner of her eye, Lichu saw the handkerchief fall out. She stopped in “surprise,” then frowned slightly in difficulty.
She was holding a large bundle of peach blossom branches, clearly making it inconvenient for her to pick up the handkerchief.
And her maid Chunxing wasn’t by her side at the moment.
She looked at Lu Shiji with a troubled expression.
The noble ladies nearby stiffened for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening. Was Shen Lichu trying to make Prince Ning pick up her handkerchief for her?!
A handkerchief was such a private item. If an unrelated man picked it up for her in front of everyone, how could this end without an engagement?!
Using such a low-level trick… did she think Prince Ning was a fool?
For a moment, the stiff atmosphere turned subtly into quiet gloating.
This kind of situation would be hard to resolve. Naturally, it would be interesting to watch.
Lichu felt a little nervous inside too, not completely confident. But she had worked so hard for so long. Good or bad, there had to be an outcome. She couldn’t drag this out any longer.
If it didn’t work… then she would just go back home.
The atmosphere fell silent. Everyone held their breath and quietly waited.
Suddenly, Lu Shiji took a step forward.
One of the noble ladies nearby couldn’t help whispering, “Is Prince Ning just going to walk away?”
“If he doesn’t leave, then what? Stay and let Shen Lichu ruin his reputation? If she twists the story later, how would he even explain it?”
“That’s true. If she makes such a joke of herself, it’ll be quite something to watch…”
Lu Shiji followed the pebble path and slowly walked to the grass. He bent down and picked up the handkerchief.
Everyone sucked in a breath, almost unable to believe it.
Prince Ning actually fell for such a trick?!
Lichu’s eyes lit up. The tense look on her little face disappeared, replaced by a bright, proud, excited smile.
Holding the handkerchief between his fingers, Lu Shiji slowly walked toward her. But his clear eyes seemed deep and unreadable.
Everything from the past had already passed. Whether she hated him or blamed him, that was all from their previous life.
Why should he keep holding onto it?
He didn’t want to stay stuck in the past, and he didn’t want to keep arguing about who was right or wrong in their previous life.
Since they had been given another life, they had a new beginning. The current Shen Lichu only had him in her heart and eyes. There were no more obstacles between them. Naturally, they should be together.
He would treat it as giving himself closure… giving both of them closure.
He walked up to Lichu and stopped in front of her. Then he handed the handkerchief to her and said gently, “A Li, your handkerchief.”