The Peach Forest Pavilion in the imperial palace.
Yan Peifeng rolled up his sleeves and personally brewed the tea. Only when the tea leaves had flattened completely, revealing all the buds and fine hairs, their color turning golden, could this spring’s Mengding Yellow Bud be considered ready to drink.
The Crown Prince accepted the Jianzhan teacup. “The aroma is delicate and pure, fresh and mellow with a lingering sweetness. It’s rare for you to be willing to serve me with this imperial-bestowed tea.”
Yan Peifeng took a sip. His skill had not wasted this fine tea, and he smiled. “The Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace is not lacking in good tea.” If the Emperor had gifted it to Yan Peifeng, he must have sent a portion to the Eastern Palace as well.
The Emperor doted on his nephew, but he also cherished his own son.
The Crown Prince laughed. “Isn’t it because I don’t have a tea master as skilled as you?”
He leaned forward, excited. “As soon as the imperial marriage decree was issued, Father immediately granted you an official position. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have to report to the Hanlin Academy for duty every day.”
The Crown Prince had long been attending court and handling political affairs, while Yan Peifeng had enjoyed over five years of leisure. The Crown Prince watched with envy, eagerly anticipating Yan Peifeng being tormented by the senior officials at court, to taste the hardships he himself had endured.
Yan Peifeng had once achieved the top rank in the imperial examinations, but before he could be granted an official post, he entered a period of mourning for his parents. Now, naturally, he was to assume the position he should have received earlier—Hanlin Academy Compiler, serving as a lecturer in the imperial classics seminars, drafting imperial edicts, and frequently appearing before the Emperor.
Yan Peifeng nodded. “His Majesty has commanded this humble official to serve as Hanlin Academy Compiler. If the Eastern Palace requires lectures, this humble official will naturally attend.”
The Crown Prince quickly waved his hand. “Don’t come. I find it tiresome. I’ve finally managed to stop the old masters from nagging in my ear.”
Changing the subject, the Crown Prince revealed his true purpose for this visit: “I heard you chose the obscure Third Miss of the Shen family? Did you really take a liking to Miss Shen? What about her caught your eye?”
The Crown Prince was genuinely curious and couldn’t resist coming to ask Yan Peifeng. The Emperor and Empress both said Yan Peifeng had chosen at random, but the Crown Prince simply didn’t believe it.
Would Yan Peifeng decide on a marriage so casually? It was possible he had already taken a fancy to her long ago.
Before coming, the Crown Prince had made inquiries and even questioned the Crown Princess, yet he had heard almost no concrete information about Shen Yunying.
Everyone knew of the existence of the Third Miss of the Shen family, but few had actually seen her. Whether it was music, chess, calligraphy, painting, virtue, or gentleness, not a single rumor about Shen Yunying had spread that was remotely related to these qualities.
Yan Peifeng sighed helplessly. He had known the Crown Prince would come to ask. Yan Peifeng’s thin lips parted slightly. “She is quiet.”
Yan Peifeng and the Crown Prince were not just ruler and subject; they were also like brothers. Yan Peifeng stated his reason for choosing Shen Yunying directly.
Behind them, Gu Dong, who was adding tea, paused in his movements. Had he done something wrong? He had deliberately mentioned Shen Yunying’s family background in front of Yan Peifeng, hoping his master would take note that there were many noble young ladies outside. He never expected his master to take a liking to Third Miss Shen at once. And for such a reason?!
“At Moon Shadow Lake, the Crown Prince attracted a swarm of social butterflies. Didn’t you find them noisy?” Yan Peifeng asked sincerely. It was precisely because he did not wish to be accompanied by a clamorous woman that he had instinctively chosen Shen Yunying, who most enjoyed tranquility.
If Shen Yunying could retreat to the peach forest to spend the Flower Appreciation Banquet in peace, then after marriage, she would likely remain quiet in the rear courtyard, not causing a fuss and not troubling him.
Thus, Shen Yunying could meet Yan Peifeng’s expectations for marriage.
The Crown Prince shook his head with a wry smile. “You weren’t this proper when you were young, were you? How can you speak of young ladies like that? A few rounds of chess are enough to send them away.”
The Crown Prince was gentle and refined, but on the chessboard, he showed no mercy to the capital’s young noblewomen who sought his favor. The women who lost would naturally retreat in shame.
Moreover, considering their fathers and brothers, the Crown Prince would not be like Yan Peifeng—cold-faced, sternly refusing, and even complaining about the noise.
Yan Peifeng’s expression remained unchanged. As a newcomer to the court, his heart and mind were fully occupied with political affairs, eager to achieve success early and realize his ambitions. Yan Peifeng’s understanding of women in the rear courtyard came from two sources: one was his mother, Princess Jiarong, who was in perfect harmony with her husband but had a somewhat frail constitution, unable to care for both her husband and son simultaneously. The other was the imperial harem, where women vied for attention and favor.
In Yan Peifeng’s view, as long as the rear courtyard did not hold him back, it was acceptable.
Seeing Yan Peifeng’s look of disdain, the Crown Prince suddenly felt a surge of interest, eagerly awaiting the day Yan Peifeng married to see if there would be any change.
With the imperial decree finalizing the marriage, the Ministry of Rites hastened the preparations, and the dowry was gradually assembled. While external matters were handled with assistance, the burden of adhering to the rules fell entirely on Shen Yunying herself.
That day, the Grand Preceptor had spoken, and the matriarch had agreed to instruct Shen Yunying. That very evening, she sent Mama Li to Yanju Courtyard, instructing Shen Yunying to spend her mornings at Jiahe Courtyard learning household management from Madam Wen, and her afternoons at Cihui Courtyard learning social etiquette from the matriarch.
Additionally, Mama Li was temporarily assigned to Yanju Courtyard to provide guidance to Shen Yunying at all times.
Day after day, Shen Yunying felt like a puppet in a shadow play, with strings tied to her hands and feet, manipulated at will. Whether walking, sitting, or lying down, she had no freedom.
A month passed, and Shen Yunying had visibly lost weight. She was busy from dawn till dusk, with no time to rest. The matriarch and Madam Wen were not like Jiang Wensheng; they were strict and rigorous in their instruction, testing her on what she had learned the very next day.
Shen Yunying dared not relax for a moment.
On a rare day off, Shen Yunying hurried to Jingyuan Studio. She felt that the matriarch was not teaching her how to be a wife after marriage but was instead carving her into a wooden puppet.
She had never lived such a strictly regimented life.
Shen Yunying wished she could marry tomorrow!
While Shen Yunying was preparing for her marriage, Shen Yunman was also seizing every opportunity to spend time with Zhang Xingyu. They met every few days to discuss poetry and appreciate calligraphy and paintings. Just the day before, they had even made plans to visit Lingcheng Temple to offer incense.
Shen Yunman slowly curved her lips into a smile. After returning from Lingcheng Temple, she felt the timing was right and hinted to Zhang Xingyu about proposing marriage.
Among the three Shen sisters, the eldest was seriously ill and could be set aside for now. With Shen Yunying about to marry, Shen Yunman, as the elder sister, could not lag too far behind. Zhang Xingyu found this reasoning quite sound.
Just as Shen Yunman had anticipated, Zhang Xingyu thought of the time he had spent with her, her smiling and cheerful demeanor, and felt a warmth in his heart. He wanted to marry Shen Yunman, believing they would be a loving couple, in perfect harmony.
That evening, Zhang Xingyu went to the main courtyard to find the Yong’an Marquis and his wife. “Father, Mother, I am fond of the second daughter of the Shen family. I hope you will grant your approval.”
Zhang Xingyu was quite confident that his parents would agree. The Yong’an Marquis Mansion and the Taishi Mansion had long intended to form an alliance through marriage. His mutual affection with Shen Yunman was a great blessing.
However, the Yong’an Marquis and his wife exchanged glances. They were aware that their son often went out with the second Shen daughter. Still, they wanted to put on airs, as the Yong’an Marquis’s wife was deeply dissatisfied with Shen Yunman treating her son as a backup plan.
At the palace’s Flower Appreciation Banquet, Shen Yunman’s behavior had been telling. With a little inquiry, the Yong’an Marquis’s wife had discerned Shen Yunman’s intentions—climbing the social ladder while keeping Zhang Xingyu as an option.
The Madam of Yong’an Marquis Mansion snorted coldly. Second Madam Wang had said that the Empress had personally sent an invitation, so Shen Yunman could not afford to be negligent. Moreover, since the marriage alliance between the two families had not yet been formally settled, Shen Yunman had no excuse to decline.
Everything she said was reasonable, but the Madam of Yong’an Marquis Mansion still felt uneasy inside!
“Xingyu, the Taishi Mansion is busy preparing for the marriage of their third daughter and Yan Peifeng. How could they possibly spare the effort to handle other matters? I’ve said it before—the marriage alliance with the Shen family will not change, but it must be delayed for a while longer. We can bring it up again later. If you two truly care for each other, waiting a little longer won’t hurt.”
The Madam of Yong’an Marquis Mansion wanted to keep Shen Yunman on edge. She could sense that Zhang Xingyu was clearly more attentive to Shen Yunman than to Shen Yunzhi.
There was another layer of displeasure that the Madam of Yong’an Marquis Mansion did not show.
Both had attended the Flower Appreciation Banquet in the palace. Since the Emperor and Empress favored the daughters of the Taishi Mansion, why did they choose Shen Yunying instead of Shen Yunman?
The judgment of the Emperor and Empress should be better than her own. Thinking of this, the Madam of Yong’an Marquis Mansion felt even more frustrated. After all, she had chosen Shen Yunman first and initially thought highly of her. But after the Flower Appreciation Banquet, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of loss.
It was as if the Yong’an Marquis Mansion had picked up something others had discarded.
Zhang Xingyu thought it over and agreed with his mother. The marriage between the third Shen daughter and Yan Peifeng had been arranged hastily, and there were many matters to attend to. As for his marriage with Shen Yunman, it would be better to wait a little longer. Since they truly admired each other, it wouldn’t matter whether it happened sooner or later.
Time flew by. Spring passed, and the height of summer arrived.
The sixth day of the sixth month was Shen Yunying’s coming-of-age ceremony, and the eighth day of the sixth month was her wedding day. After discussing it, the Old Madam and the Taishi decided to hold a small, private ceremony at home for the former, inviting only a few families to gather. Otherwise, having both events close together would make the Taishi Mansion appear too ostentatious.
Shen Yunying also breathed a sigh of relief. She had no objections to keeping her coming-of-age ceremony simple. One less hassle was better than anything else.
Yinping was registering the gifts sent from various places. “The Old Madam sent a gold phoenix hairpin, and the First Madam sent two bolts of Yuehua satin,” she recited as she wrote, secretly astonished. This was the most valuable set of gifts the young lady had ever received.
Yinzheng couldn’t hold back and specifically picked out the gift list sent by the Yan family. Since no one in the Yan household managed the inner quarters, it was naturally Yan Peifeng himself who had drafted and sent the list.
There was only one line:
One piece of cool white jade and one piece of warm Lantian jade.
Yinzheng hurriedly retrieved the sandalwood box and brought it before Shen Yunying. “Young lady, these are the jade pendants sent by Lord Yan. They even come as a pair.”
Shen Yunying’s eyes flickered. The two jade pendants were uncarved, their natural patterns subtly enhanced, giving them an ancient and dignified aura. The cool white jade resembled an autumn pond—fine, pure, and exuding a sense of coolness. The warm Lantian jade shimmered with a gentle glow under the sunlight.
One was cool to the touch, the other warm.
“Lord Yan is thoughtful. Such jade pendants could be passed down as heirlooms anywhere,” Yinping remarked with keen insight, immediately recognizing the exceptional quality of the pendants. Her face broke into a smile.
Yan Peifeng sending such valuable gifts showed that he valued their young lady.
Yinping was delighted for Shen Yunying.
Shen Yunying also liked the two jade pendants very much and immediately instructed, “Have two tassels made. Tomorrow, I’ll wear the cool white jade. In this sweltering heat, it’ll be refreshing.”
On the evening of the seventh day of the sixth month, Jiang Wensheng and Shen Yunying shared a bed as mother and daughter.
The candlelight flickered, filling the room with a sense of reluctance. Shen Yunying clung to Jiang Wensheng’s arm, unwilling to part with the days at Yanju Garden and reluctant to leave her mother.
Jiang Wensheng took out a spring palace album and instructed, “This is your mother’s treasured album, passed down from your grandmother. Tonight, I’ll hand it to you. Study it carefully tonight.”
Shen Yunying took it and glanced down, her eyes widening in surprise. “This… Mother, just look at it like this? Won’t you explain a thing or two?”
She skimmed through it hastily—it was all pictures, no words. Was she supposed to figure it out all on her own?
Jiang Wensheng shot her daughter an exasperated look. “Just look at it. If there’s anything you don’t understand, can’t you save it to ask your husband tomorrow night?”
“This is an important part too. If things aren’t harmonious in bed, it can really affect the relationship between husband and wife.”
Shen Yunying choked, her cheeks flushing red.
“He must have albums of his own too. The two of you can exchange notes, and things will naturally fall into place, won’t they?” Jiang Wensheng covered her mouth and laughed. “Don’t be shy. Matters of human relations and propriety, these things between men and women, are nothing to make a fuss about. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable.”
Shen Yunying nodded, taking the lesson to heart.
Author’s Note: