In the study, Pei Lian was engrossed in reviewing the memorials that had been sent back from the Jiangnan flood disaster area.
Just as he was deep in concentration, the voice of his cousin, Li Zhaohua, rang out from outside the door.
“Cousin Prince!”
This woman, she was here again.
Pei Lian’s brows knit tightly together. She had been coming for three days in a row; couldn’t she just settle down for a while?
“Cousin Prince.” Li Zhaohua tapped her hand against the study door, her voice pitched even higher.
After knocking for a long time and receiving no response, Li Zhaohua’s brows furrowed deeply. “Cousin Prince, are you inside?”
“Cousin Prince, I’m coming in.” With that, Li Zhaohua pushed the door open and walked in.
Realizing that hiding in the study was futile, Pei Lian could only set down the memorial in his hand, support his head with his hand, and call out helplessly, “Come in.”
Hearing the voice, Li Zhaohua immediately pushed the door open excitedly and entered. But upon seeing Pei Lian sitting at his desk, she said with dissatisfaction, “Cousin Prince, why didn’t you answer me when you were inside?”
“How hateful!”
“What business do you have here at my quarters?” Pei Lian glanced at her and asked perfunctorily.
At the same time, he understood perfectly well who had sent Li Zhaohua—who else could it be but his mother, the Empress?
Li Zhaohua was her niece, and the Empress had always been intent on matchmaking them.
But Pei Lian did not like Li Zhaohua at all; her personality was too impulsive, and she acted without considering the consequences. Furthermore, the Emperor did not care for the Empress’s maternal relatives; their power had grown too great, already causing the Emperor to feel wary.
If he were to marry Li Zhaohua, the Empress’s maternal clan would surely make some moves.
“The Qiqiao Festival is in a few days. May I invite you to go out and play?” Li Zhaohua asked, bracing her hands on the desk and looking at Pei Lian with a burning gaze.
The Qiqiao Festival?
Pei Lian was stunned for a moment before he realized it really was almost time for the festival.
Since he had begun to experience his rebirths, he had not celebrated the Qiqiao Festival, as he found it meaningless. But this time, the image of Shen Zhi’s face flashed through his mind.
“I have already made plans with someone else that day,” Pei Lian replied, looking at her.
When Li Zhaohua heard this, the smile that had been on her face collapsed instantly.
“Cousin Prince, who are you going with?”
Hearing this, Pei Lian’s eyes darkened, and he began to emit a cold aura.
“My affairs are none of your concern.”
“Ask one more question, and you will be kicked out of the Eastern Palace,” Pei Lian said coldly, showing her no courtesy at all.
Li Zhaohua did not expect Pei Lian to act like this, and she stood there stunned.
In the Li household, she was deeply loved by her parents, and here in the palace, she had her Aunt, the Empress, doting on her. Yet, she stumbled every time she dealt with this “Cousin Prince,” which made her feel deeply aggrieved.
“Cousin Prince, you are being mean to me!” Li Zhaohua’s temper flared up instantly. She pointed at Pei Lian with her finger, her voice rising, and tears already beginning to overflow from her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Pei Lian felt only annoyance.
Crying over such a trivial matter—what was there to cry about? All her luck would be cried away.
Besides, she looked hideous when she cried. Compared to Shen Zhi, Li Zhaohua looked ugly.
“I came to invite you to join the Qiqiao Festival, why are you so cold? You are like this every time.”
“You have no place for me in your heart at all!”
Li Zhaohua shouted, her vision blurred by tears, feeling utterly wronged.
Shen Zhi, who had been encouraged by Nanny Zhao to bring food to Pei Lian, stood outside the study, not knowing whether to enter or leave.
Carrying the food box, the word “awkward” might as well have been written on her face.
“Consort Shen, why don’t you go in?”
A voice suddenly popped up, startling Shen Zhi.
Turning around, she saw Pei Lian’s guard, Wubai.
“Oh, there is someone inside, so I suppose I won’t go in.” Shen Zhi said, hurriedly handing the food box to Wubai. “I must trouble Officer Wubai to deliver this to the Crown Prince for me.”
Wubai, who wouldn’t let her leave after she had come all this way, did not take the food box. Instead, he raised his voice even higher: “Consort Shen, please wait here; I will go report to the Crown Prince right now.”
Listening to him, Shen Zhi wished she could reach out and cover his mouth. He was being far too loud and would surely disturb Pei Lian inside.
Unfortunately, because of Wubai’s shouting, Pei Lian inside had already heard.
He couldn’t be bothered to bicker with Li Zhaohua any longer, so he supported his head with his hand and called toward the door: “Let her in.”
He felt a surge of excitement; he hadn’t expected Shen Zhi to come find him personally.
Having received permission, Wubai immediately piled on a smile and said, “Consort Shen, the Crown Prince has asked you to enter.”
With no other choice, Shen Zhi had to grit her teeth and push the door open to enter.
Once inside, she immediately bowed to Pei Lian: “Greetings, Your Royal Highness.”
“Lady Li.”
Li Zhaohua looked at this woman—she was extremely beautiful, dressed in a pale pink skirt with a few hairpins in her hair. Her fair face was lightly powdered, looking both beautiful and charming.
In an instant, her vigilance was raised.
“Shen Zhi, why have you come?” Pei Lian looked at her, his previously cold and icy voice softening.
“This concubine tried making some new pastries today; the taste is quite good, and I thought I would bring them for the Crown Prince to taste,” Shen Zhi answered, smiling at him.
He hadn’t expected Shen Zhi to make pastries for him personally.
“Bring them over; I shall taste them.” Pei Lian directly ignored Li Zhaohua at the side, his gaze fixed on Shen Zhi.
These pastries were indeed quite good; she had made them many times.
Shen Zhi said with confidence: “Your Royal Highness, rest assured, the pastries will surely satisfy you.”
She walked to Pei Lian’s side, opened the food box, and took out two plates of pastries: sponge cake and candied red date cake.
As soon as they were taken out, the unique aroma of the pastries immediately wafted through the air.
The pastries were still steaming hot; it seemed they had been brought to Pei Lian shortly after coming out of the oven.
“Your Royal Highness, please try them.” Shen Zhi stood to the side, wearing a smile.
Just as Pei Lian was about to eat, Li Zhaohua suddenly made a scene: “Your pastries are so shabby; do they even befit the status of the Crown Prince?”
Hearing this, Shen Zhi shifted her gaze slightly toward the other woman, and after sizing her up, she realized who she was.
Li Zhaohua, the daughter of General Wei Yuan and niece of the current Empress.
That meant she was Pei Lian’s cousin. First cousins are not supposed to marry each other—this was consanguineous marriage.
Shen Zhi knew this was ancient times and that they didn’t care about such things, perhaps even thinking it “kin marrying kin,” but in Shen Zhi’s mind, they shouldn’t be together.
“What are you looking at? A lowly orphan like you shouldn’t be looking at me at all. Why haven’t you knelt down to kowtow and apologize to me yet?” Li Zhaohua noticed Shen Zhi’s gaze resting on her. The fact that this woman dared to look at her caused Li Zhaohua’s temper to flare again.
Being scolded so suddenly like that, Shen Zhi sighed internally. It’s just a look; is it really necessary to get like this?
“I humbly ask Lady Li not to take offense.” Shen Zhi did not kneel as commanded; she was Pei Lian’s woman, after all.
Besides, Pei Lian was right here. If she knelt to another woman, wouldn’t that be treading Pei Lian’s own dignity into the dirt?
“This concubine only felt that you looked very beautiful.” Shen Zhi made up an excuse.
But Li Zhaohua did not take the opening Shen Zhi provided, becoming even angrier instead.
“I am not someone you can just look at. Kneel down and apologize!”
Pei Lian ignored Li Zhaohua and did not step in to help Shen Zhi, for he was busy eating the sponge cake slowly. The taste of this sponge cake was unlike anything he had eaten before—sweet but not cloying, with a rich flavor of eggs, soft and delicious.
“Or is it that you look down on me?” Li Zhaohua raised her chin slightly, her face devoid of a smile, acting as if she would show Shen Zhi what happens if she didn’t kneel.
“Lady Li, this concubine did not mean that.” Shen Zhi explained.
Damn it, does she really think she’s a national treasure? She really thinks she’s someone important just because you can’t even look at her?
“Then kneel!” Li Zhaohua commanded, pointing to the floor.
Shen Zhi: “…”
So she just wants me to kneel?
Well, I won’t!
“Lady Li, this concubine does not look down on you; you have misunderstood my meaning.”