“Of course.” Jun Beiyue agreed with a smile, taking Ziqing’s hand and saying, “If you like this prince’s life, I suppose I’ll have to find a way to give you that too!”
Whether Jun Beiyue was playing along deliberately just to irritate Situ Xin’er, Ziqing couldn’t say—she only knew that as he spoke those words, his eyes were fixed on her, and in those deep, unfathomable eyes was a tenderness so thick it seemed impossible to melt away.
Warmth spread through Ziqing’s chest, so warm that it no longer felt like the depths of winter, but as if spring had bloomed all around her.
She smiled, sweet as could be. “I told you long ago—your life has always belonged to me.”
She had said it before, hadn’t she?
Back when he lay unconscious, she’d pitifully draped herself over him and whispered secretly, “Jun Beiyue, I like you. You’re mine.”
Jun Beiyue smacked his forehead, delighted. “How could I have forgotten—it’s always been yours! Hah, if you still want it, I’ll give it to you again in the next life too.”
This man—when he turned on the charm, he was every bit as smooth-tongued as the dashing Situ Haonan himself.
Ziqing, thoroughly amused, blushed faintly, not knowing quite how to respond—she just smiled, a foolish little smile.
Beside them, Situ Xin’er’s glass heart shattered into pieces. Feeling utterly humiliated, she stood off to the side, not daring to say another word, terrified that Han Ziqing might echo her again to ask Jun Beiyue something else, and heaven knew what he’d say next to embarrass her to death.
The two bolts of fabric were both purple—a pale lavender touched with white, noble without being showy, elegant without being plain. It was exactly the kind of color Ziqing loved.
Jun Beiyue personally selected several more bolts of fabric for Ziqing, consulting the old tailor Autumn Mother’s opinion, before finally settling on five or six bolts. The Flower Queen Pageant only required a single outfit, but of course, it had to be chosen with the utmost care.
Situ Xin’er stood off to the side in silence, not daring to speak for the longest time, and only came back to herself once Jun Beiyue and the others had left, stamping her foot furiously. “Han Ziqing, I will absolutely outshine you!”
Just as Situ Xin’er was about to storm out after them, a woman in purple entered the shop, leading two maidservants whose hands were full of packages. The maidservants set the packages down and immediately removed the woman’s hood, arranging her long hair.
In that instant, not just the shopkeeper and clerks, but even Situ Xin’er found herself staring, utterly transfixed!
This woman—she was stunningly beautiful!
It seemed as though no words could describe her beauty without somehow diminishing it.
Compared to her, even Han Ziqing’s beauty seemed like nothing more than the modest charm of a simple, humble girl. This woman in purple possessed the true refinement of a noblewoman, a beauty genuinely capable of toppling cities and nations.
Her purple robes were close in color to what Ziqing had just chosen, yet carried an extra note of understated luxury that surpassed Ziqing’s choice.
It was hard to tell whether the clothes complemented the woman, or the woman complemented the clothes.
Situ Xin’er felt that neither this garment nor this woman had any equal in the world—for the first time in her life, she found herself willingly captivated by another woman’s beauty, staring in a daze, momentarily forgetting to chase after Jun Beiyue and the others.
“Shopkeeper, are you still doing business or not!” One of the maidservants rapped sharply on the counter, finally jolting the shopkeeper’s soul back into his body.
“Heh heh, of course! Of course we’re doing business! This humble shop carries fabric from every store in the capital—and even things not found anywhere else in the capital, this humble shop has! Miss, please, feel free to browse and try anything at all!”
The shopkeeper’s enthusiasm wasn’t mere friendliness—it was outright obsequiousness. Seeing the items in the maidservants’ hands, and taking in this young lady’s attire and appearance, he immediately understood she was here for the New Year’s Eve Flower Queen Pageant.
Though he hadn’t yet laid eyes on the other beauties competing, his years of experience judging people told him this young lady would surely place among the very top.
If her garments were made from fabric bought at his own humble shop, then this little store’s future prospects would be limitless indeed!
The woman in purple smiled slightly in response, sweeping her gaze across the rows of fabric on display, but none seemed to catch her fancy—until her eyes landed on a few bolts near the shopkeeper’s hand, and she smiled at once!
That smile left the shopkeeper stunned all over again, and Situ Xin’er beside him equally so!
That smile seemed to make flowers bloom across the earth, to bring spring back to the world—a smile capable of toppling cities, nations, all under heaven.
“I’ll take those bolts right there. Shopkeeper, if you’d be so kind as to wrap them up and deliver them to the Murong residence, west side of Xuanwu Street.” The woman in purple said calmly.
“Yes, yes, of course!” The shopkeeper immediately moved to comply, but the clerk beside him hastily stopped him. “Shopkeeper, those bolts were just ordered by the previous customer—they’re meant to be delivered shortly!”
Only then did the shopkeeper come back to his senses, remembering the arrangement. Though it put him in an awkward position, he had no choice but to decline—those earlier customers had clearly been people of considerable standing, not the sort one wanted to offend.
“I’ll pay double the price. I hope the shopkeeper might be willing to make an exception.” The woman in purple said.
The shopkeeper looked troubled. “Miss, it’s not that this humble one is unwilling to accommodate you—tsk, tsk, it truly is a pity. If that fabric were worn by you, it would bring honor to this humble shop as well. It’s simply that you arrived just a step too late, I’m afraid.”
“Then… is there no more in stock?”
“My apologies, Miss. Every pattern in our shop only comes in a single bolt—we never carry duplicates.”
The woman in purple sighed repeatedly—even her sighs were breathtakingly lovely, as befit a true beauty.
“Shopkeeper, what if I only need one bolt? Please, would you be so kind as to think of some way to help me?” The woman in purple pleaded, her eyes filled with a wistful, pitiable light that would stir sympathy in anyone who saw it.
“Shopkeeper, that group of people just now were friends of mine—just give the fabric to this young lady. I’ll handle explaining it to my friends myself!” Situ Xin’er suddenly spoke up.
Of course she too could tell that the woman in purple was here for the Flower Queen Pageant.
If this woman stood beside Han Ziqing, she would immediately make Han Ziqing look dull and lackluster by comparison—how could she not help her?
To Jun Beiyue, the Flower Queen Pageant was perhaps nothing more than a diversion to entertain Han Ziqing. But Situ Xin’er was determined to make Han Ziqing understand exactly what it meant to lose face.
The woman in purple seemed to notice Situ Xin’er only now, and upon hearing her words, her face lit up with delight at once. “In that case, I’m deeply grateful to you, Miss!”
The shopkeeper had been hesitant, but seeing Situ Xin’er and Situ Haonan bickering earlier and addressing each other as siblings, he took her word for it and said hastily, “Miss, are you quite certain about this? If the customer comes back to raise a fuss, you’ll have to take responsibility, understand?”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility—I’ll explain it to them myself. It’s just one bolt of fabric, after all. That friend of mine is from the capital and won’t mind the cost, doesn’t care in the slightest!” Situ Xin’er, in high spirits, spoke without a second thought.
A flicker of cunning passed through the woman in purple’s eyes as she smiled. “In that case, I owe you my deepest thanks, Miss. I wonder if you might have some free time—this humble girl would like to treat you to a cup of tea, as a token of gratitude.”
Situ Xin’er had been wondering how to get closer to this woman in purple, and hearing this offer was exactly what she’d hoped for. “I have time, I have time! You must be new to the capital—come, let me take you to a teahouse.”
The woman in purple beamed with delight. “Little sister, you have such a keen eye! I only just arrived in the capital and don’t even know my way around yet!”
“Heh heh, meeting like this must be fate. Don’t worry, sister—whatever you don’t know, just ask me!”
The two women grew close within moments, calling each other sister, and set off together toward the teahouse…