Though they had not seen each other for several years, Xiao Junhe recognized Su Fu at a single glance.
Before leaving the capital to follow his father to the northern frontier, he had secretly slipped into the Su residence to see her once.
At that time, Su Fu had not yet reached her coming-of-age ceremony.
There had still been a trace of youthful innocence and girlish softness on her face—completely different from the woman before him now.
The present Su Fu was calm and composed.
Her phoenix eyes were fixed unblinkingly on him. When their gazes met, she even gave him a faint smile.
Seeing the girl’s crescent-shaped eyes curve as she smiled at him, Xiao Junhe hurriedly withdrew his gaze, feeling unexpectedly nervous.
He silently scolded himself for being so unsteady. He had never once panicked on the battlefield—yet at this moment, his heart was in disarray.
Taking a quiet breath, he tried to steady his racing pulse.
Then a thought struck him—logically speaking, Su Fu should not recognize him. So what had that look just now meant?
Riding beside him, Cang Yu teased playfully, “Heir Apparent, why are your ears a little red? Have you taken a fancy to some young lady?”
After speaking, he added with exaggerated worry, “Speaking of which, you’ve reached marriageable age. I think the Grand Princess is already anxious on your behalf!”
Xiao Junhe turned his head and shot Cang Yu a cold glance. A chill ran down Cang Yu’s spine, and he quickly wiped the playful look off his face.
“Your subordinate knows his mistake!”
Meanwhile, in the teahouse above, Su Fu’s heart was pounding just as fiercely. Her eyes remained fixed on Xiao Junhe’s gradually receding figure.
Only when Qiu Xue called her did she finally snap back to herself.
“Miss, they’ve already gone far away!” Qiu Xue covered her mouth as she giggled.
Only then did Su Fu withdraw her gaze.
Qiu Xue sighed dreamily, “Miss, the Great General truly lives up to the rumors—imposing and awe-inspiring! And the Young General… in my opinion, he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen!”
Watching Qiu Xue chatter on endlessly, Su Fu smiled and shook her head.
After hesitating for a moment, Qiu Shuang finally asked, “Miss… do you like the Young General?”
She had not expected Su Fu to answer.
Su Fu turned serious as she looked at the two of them. She regarded Qiu Shuang and Qiu Xue as family. There was nothing to hide.
After all, she was destined to marry into the General’s residence in this lifetime.
“Yes. I like him.”
Qiu Shuang and Qiu Xue were genuinely surprised by her frank admission, yet it somehow felt reasonable. A man like the Young General—it was only natural to admire him…
Su Fu was in an excellent mood today. Seeing that it was still early and that she rarely came out, she took Qiu Shuang and Qiu Xue strolling around the city.
The three arrived at the capital’s largest and most famous jewelry shop—Luohua Pavilion.
The attendant at the entrance hurried forward warmly when he saw customers enter. “Miss, please come inside. What kind of jewelry are you looking for?”
“I’ll just browse.”
“Very well! Please follow me upstairs. You may enjoy tea while you choose. Luohua Pavilion has every kind of jewelry!”
Su Fu followed him upstairs. The second floor was crowded.
The attendant seated her in an unoccupied spot and soon brought out various exquisite pieces for her selection.
At a glance, Su Fu’s eyes were drawn to a crystal-clear white jade bracelet in one of the boxes. Just as she reached out to take it, a slender hand was quicker and picked it up first.
“This bracelet is beautiful! I’ll take it.”
Qiu Xue protested, “Our Miss saw it first!”
He Minzhu looked displeased. “You haven’t bought it yet, have you? Whoever pays first gets it.”
Turning to the attendant, she said, “I’ll buy this bracelet.”
The attendant looked troubled. He recognized this young lady—the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. He had heard her temper wasn’t very good.
“This… this…”
Seeing his difficulty, Su Fu said calmly, “It’s only a bracelet. If you like it, I’ll yield it to you.”
Unexpectedly, He Minzhu became embarrassed instead. “Forget it. You can have it. My mother said I mustn’t rely on my status to snatch others’… snatch others’…” She faltered and shot urgent glances at her maid.
Hongye quickly whispered in her ear, “Take what others favor.”
“Yes, yes! I mustn’t take what others favor. You can have the bracelet!”
Su Fu curved her lips into a faint smile. “Then thank you, Miss.”
He Minzhu studied Su Fu. Judging by her attire, she seemed like the daughter of some official’s household, yet she had never seen her in the capital before.
“Which household are you from? Why have I never seen you before?”
“I am Su Fu, daughter of Su Zhe, Vice Minister of Revenue.”
He Minzhu rested her chin on one hand and pondered. “Oh! So you’re from the Su Vice Minister’s residence! But… I’ve only heard that Lord Su has a daughter named Su Qing. I didn’t know he had another.”
Su Fu smiled gently. “Su Qing is my younger sister.”
He Minzhu grew more interested and introduced herself proactively. “My name is He Minzhu. My father is the Duke of Zhenguo.”
Though Su Fu had guessed her status was high, she had not expected her to be the Duke’s eldest daughter.
In her previous life, she had rarely gone out before marriage. After marrying into the General’s residence, she had lived even more reclusively, almost severing ties with the outside world. Thus, she had never met He Minzhu nor heard of her.
But Su Fu guessed that when the Crown Prince rebelled in her previous life, the Duke of Zhenguo’s residence likely met the same fate as the General’s residence…
“So you are the Duke of Zhenguo’s eldest daughter,” Su Fu thought. He Minzhu’s personality was straightforward—quite unlike the affected delicacy of most noble ladies.
He Minzhu asked curiously, “Did you never go out before? I’ve truly never seen you.”
“My health hasn’t been very good, and I don’t enjoy attending banquets, so I seldom leave home.”
He Minzhu’s eyes lit up. “You don’t like banquets either? I don’t like them either! Those so-called refined scholars only recite poetry and flaunt their talents all day, yet scheme against each other behind the scenes. Utterly hypocritical.”
Her tone was filled with disdain.
“Those soldiers clad in heavy armor, charging fearlessly into battle, fighting the enemy at close quarters and risking their lives—they protect our land and safeguard the people’s peace. They are the ones most worthy of our admiration!”
Her eyes shone with reverence and yearning.
Su Fu had not expected such words from her and felt a surge of fondness. He Minzhu was truly different from other noble ladies.
After leaving Luohua Pavilion, Su Fu noticed it was getting late and prepared to return home.
As she walked toward the carriage, Qiu Xue suddenly pointed ahead. “Miss, look! There are so many people over there—it’s so lively!”
Su Fu followed her gaze. The plaque above the entrance read “Manxiang Tower.”
She froze momentarily.
She knew of Manxiang Tower—it was a brothel, and its hidden owner was the Crown Prince. In her previous life, this place had been a contact point between the Crown Prince and the Western Ling Kingdom.
No one would imagine that the dignified Crown Prince would operate such a large brothel.
Thinking that Xiao Junhe’s death might have been connected to the Crown Prince, Su Fu’s hand tightened slightly within her wide sleeve.
At that moment, she saw a familiar figure step out of Manxiang Tower.
Su Fu quickly turned around and chose another path.
In this lifetime, she had no desire to have anything to do with Wu Yuan.