Long before Li Tingwang had selected the peony silk flower, Yao Huang had already taken a liking to the pale yellow silk flower he ultimately chose, because she had always favored such colors.

However, the silk flowers sold outside the peony garden were far too expensive. The same quality placed in a shop would be half the price. The garden owner’s little stall profited from tourist business, and the ladies who were willing to spend one or two taels of silver to come to Jinxiu Garden to admire peonies naturally wouldn’t mind the difference of a few coins. As long as the peony silk flowers were beautiful, young madams and young ladies were willing to buy them.

So then, did Lord Zhao look at the peony on her head because she truly looked beautiful wearing it?

The old woman selling silk flowers still had her arm around Yao Huang’s shoulder. Yao Huang glanced at the female customers gradually gathering around, and thinking that the silk flower on her head had been paid for by Li Tingwang, Yao Huang pulled the old woman behind the stall and quickly negotiated: “I’ll help Auntie attract customers here for a quarter-hour, but Auntie must give me five coins of silver as wages. What do you think?”

The old woman instinctively frowned.

Yao Huang smiled, making a motion to remove the silk flower while saying: “Actually, I don’t really like this silk flower that much. My brother insisted on wasting money to buy it for me.”

Seeing this, the old woman quickly covered the beauty’s hand and coaxed: “Alright, alright, alright, just as you say. And if you’re willing to help me tend the stall for half a day, I can give you an additional two taels of silver!”

At this time of year, peony silk flowers sold well, but this beauty before her could definitely help her attract more business. For every additional silk flower sold, she’d gain four coins of silver in profit—she’d earn plenty.

Yao Huang smiled and said: “That won’t do. I’m also eager to enter the garden to admire the flowers. At most, I’ll help Auntie for a quarter-hour.”

She simply didn’t want to take advantage of Li Tingwang’s half tael of silver, but had never thought of using her own beauty to do business and earn wages.

The old woman agreed and began calling out even more loudly.

Yao Huang gave her brother and Li Tingwang a meaningful look, telling them to wait on the side. At this moment, Yao Lin also spotted Lord Zhao on horseback and enthusiastically ran over to pay his respects. When he went, Li Tingwang naturally had to go as well. In any case, they weren’t far from the silk flower stall, so if Yao Huang encountered any trouble there, they could rush over in time.

“What a coincidence! Is Your Lordship also here to admire peonies?”

Looking at Lord Zhao dismounting, Yao Lin said with pleasant surprise. Although Lord Zhao was overly pedantic, Lord Zhao had treated them to a fifty-tael banquet and lent them such a fine steed. Yao Lin wanted to be friends with him, if Lord Zhao didn’t mind.

Zhao Sui nodded, his peripheral vision sweeping across Li Tingwang’s shoulder.

When he was on duty, he only had time off on rest days.

On that rest day at the end of the second month, he had wanted to see Miss Yao. Because he didn’t know where Miss Yao would go, and directly inquiring about the Yao family residence and then rashly seeking her out would be improper, Zhao Sui had remained at the prince’s manor.

But the feeling of being physically in the prince’s manor while his heart was elsewhere was not pleasant. Moreover, Zhao Sui needed to confirm whether Miss Yao had feelings for him, so Zhao Sui thought of Li Tingwang.

The young man clearly admired Miss Yao. On both rest days, Li Tingwang had been together with the Yao siblings, so then on the next rest day…

Students of the martial academy would be released at dusk the day before the rest day. Zhao Sui had arranged for a guard to watch Li Tingwang. From the guard’s mouth, he learned that Li Tingwang had run to Jinxiu Garden to buy three flower tickets for today. After buying them, he went to the Yao family residence in Changshou Alley. Thus Zhao Sui simultaneously obtained two pieces of information: first, that the Yao family lived in Changshou Alley, and second, that Miss Yao would come to Jinxiu Garden today.

Even though what he was watching was merely a young man’s whereabouts, this act was still not that of a gentleman. Therefore, Zhao Sui did not respond to Yao Lin’s phrase “what a coincidence,” only saying: “Stealing some leisure from my busy schedule—I’m making you laugh.”

Yao Lin: “Indeed, grown men admiring peonies—especially us martial men—we should continue playing polo instead.”

Zhao Sui: “Why didn’t you go play?”

Yao Lin pointed toward his younger sister at the silk flower stall: “My sister likes admiring flowers. We came to accompany her.”

Li Tingwang: “We’ll be delayed here for a moment, so we won’t disturb Your Lordship’s refined interest.”

Zhao Sui: “Mm. I’ll go buy tickets. If fate allows, we’ll meet again in the garden.”

Telling his accompanying attendant Zhang Yue to find a place to tether the horses, Zhao Sui walked alone toward the shed opposite Jinxiu Garden’s main gate that sold flower tickets. Some people liked to buy tickets in advance, while others preferred to buy them upon arrival.

Li Tingwang noticed that a long queue had formed in front of the shed—there were young masters and misses from ordinary wealthy merchant families, as well as servants queuing to buy flower tickets for future days on behalf of their masters.

He pulled Yao Lin back to the front of the silk flower stall, but was blocked about ten feet away by the tide of female customers and their accompanying family members. He could only watch from afar as Yao Huang, with a smile as radiant as flowers, helped the stall owner attract customers.

Yao Lin: “My sister couldn’t be thinking of working here to earn money, could she?”

Li Tingwang also didn’t know what Yao Huang was planning. He simply went to a nearby beverage stall and bought three servings of peony flower tea contained in bamboo tubes.

Yao Lin: “How much?”

Li Tingwang said with displeasure: “If I’m treating you, just drink. Why ask so many questions?”

Yao Lin: “Alright, alright, alright. You’re the generous one. But isn’t there anything else? I don’t like drinking tea.”

Li Tingwang: “…”

After Yao Lin, who didn’t like tea, had nothing else to do and finished an entire bamboo tube of tea, Yao Huang also ran over from behind the stall. Smiling, she extended her clenched right fist toward Li Tingwang: “Catch.”

Li Tingwang instinctively reached out his hand and asked: “What?”

As Yao Huang’s fist opened above his palm, two one-tael small silver ingots and five coins of broken silver fell into his hand.

Yao Huang: “It’s fine to go out and play together, but I can’t always let you spend money. This is the flower ticket money and the silk flower money for us siblings. Put it away properly.”

Li Tingwang frowned and immediately tried to stuff the silver back to Yao Huang.

Yao Huang dodged his hand and ran several steps away, waving the flower tickets in her hand: “If you don’t accept the silver, I’ll return the flower tickets to you. At worst, I’ll take the silver and buy two more tickets.”

Li Tingwang knew that if Yao Huang said she would do it, she would. Moreover, she had brought the flower ticket money with her in advance, which meant she had long made up her mind to give it to him.

Li Tingwang suddenly felt defeated. He wanted to treat Yao Huang to flower viewing, not…

Yao Huang: “Let’s go. Soon there will be more and more people.”

She walked straight toward the garden gate without a sideways glance. Yao Lin craned his neck to look toward the ticket shed. Seeing that it was almost Lord Zhao’s turn, Yao Lin was just about to hold back his sister when Li Tingwang behind him suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pushed him forward.

By the time Zhao Sui got his flower ticket, the three of them had already crossed the threshold of Jinxiu Garden.

He silently followed after them.

Jinxiu Garden was a garden that the garden owner had created by purchasing five commoner households’ residences and connecting them. The garden scenery featured peonies, artificial mountains, and ponds as its main elements, with various colored peonies visible everywhere.

When the visitors crowded outside the garden dispersed throughout the spacious garden interior, it no longer seemed so crowded.

Yao Huang focused on admiring the flowers. Li Tingwang’s entire attention was on watching her. Yao Lin kept Lord Zhao in mind, looking all around. Not long after entering the garden, he spotted Lord Zhao lagging three or four measures behind. He happily waved his hand, and after receiving Lord Zhao’s response, he said to his sister and companion: “Let’s wait for Lord Zhao.”

Yao Huang glanced back with little interest, then lowered her head again to admire the peonies before her.

Li Tingwang very much wanted to heavily stomp on Yao Lin’s foot.

Zhao Sui soon came before the three of them. Yao Lin proactively walked beside him to chat. Yao Huang continued admiring flowers in front, while Li Tingwang maintained a distance of two or three steps following her, guarding against her being bumped into by visitors walking back and forth.

After passing through a patch of Zhao Powder peonies, the largest flower bed ahead was planted entirely with Yao Huang peonies. In front of the flower bed, there were even two painters in their forties or fifties, painting specially for visitors.

Yao Huang was someone who loved liveliness. She squeezed behind one painter to watch. When she squeezed in, Li Tingwang immediately followed. Yao Lin then brought Lord Zhao to squeeze in as well. Ultimately, all three ended up standing behind Yao Huang.

Yao Huang looked at the young teenage girl in silk sitting on a stone bench, then at the nearly completed painting on the paper. Indeed, there was about forty to fifty percent resemblance.

Li Tingwang: “Do you want a painting?”

Yao Huang was somewhat moved, but looking at the stack of pre-painted peony background papers beside the painter, she shook her head and said softly: “They’re all the same.”

It was just like when she wore a beautiful skirt and was feeling happy about it, when suddenly a dozen or so young ladies walked over in the distance, all wearing exactly the same thing…

Unexpectedly, the painter’s ears were quite sharp. He turned his head and glanced over. His gaze paused on Yao Huang’s face, and his displeased expression became somewhat more amiable. He explained: “Of course, you can also choose a scenery and I’ll repaint the peonies anew, but that would be too slow. The payment would be five times that of this semi-finished painting.”

A semi-finished painting cost one tael of silver per piece. A completely new peony portrait would cost five taels of silver!

Yao Huang turned to leave.

A clear and gentle voice suddenly came from the side: “If the young lady doesn’t mind, I can paint it for you.”

Yao Huang had heard her brother chatting with him for quite a while now, so she naturally recognized this voice. She looked toward his tea-white brocade robe, her heart feeling sweet, surprised, and also flustered.

Sweet because such a handsome person was indeed willing to try to please her. Surprised because someone with such high polo skills could actually paint as well. Flustered because a dignified prince was willing to lower himself for her—was he already viewing her as a duck being cooked in the pot? Because he was certain he would eventually get to eat her, he was willing to take the trouble to make her happy first?

This person already knew her father’s official position and had thoroughly investigated her background. If he truly intended to force her to become a concubine, Yao Huang would be helpless even if she stubbornly resisted.

Rather than clash head-on, create bad blood, and endanger her father’s official position, she might as well first probe what he was actually thinking. He didn’t seem to have the disposition of a wastrel—perhaps she could reason with him.

Various thoughts flashed rapidly through her mind. Yao Huang looked up and smiled at him: “Substitute brush, substitute brush—has Your Lordship brought a brush?”

Zhao Sui looked toward the extra set of easel, painting paper, brushes, and pigments the painter had prepared. He took out a hundred-tael banknote and handed it to the painter.

The painter immediately invited him to help himself!

Zhao Sui indicated for Yao Lin and Li Tingwang to move the items.

His Highness Prince Hui was accustomed to ordering people around him, though he was currently in the identity of Lord Zhao. Having two students from the martial academy do things was within reason.

Yao Lin, while shocked at his generous spending, went to move things. Li Tingwang, feeling stifled and aggrieved but unable to make a scene, also went to move things.

Zhao Sui invited Miss Yao to choose the scenery to be painted.

Yao Huang surveyed this Yao Huang peony flower bed and asked the flower-tending servant whether she could walk to the grassy area inside the flower bed and have her back to the crowd while being painted.

At the same time, Zhao Sui handed a one-tael gold ingot to this servant.

The servant immediately agreed, but only the young lady being painted and the young master doing the painting could enter. Yao Lin and Li Tingwang could only wait at this end, because painting was a refined matter. The depths of the flower bed could be as elegant as one wished, but could not have idle people.

Yao Lin didn’t care—as long as his sister was happy, that was enough.

Li Tingwang could barely conceal his hostility toward Lord Zhao.

Zhao Sui did not make eye contact with Li Tingwang. For the first time, like a servant, he took the easel and other items, following behind Miss Yao while carefully avoiding each peony plant along the way. Finally, they arrived at the small patch of grass under the willow tree at the other end of the flower bed.

The spring breeze blew gently, the flower fragrance was elegant, and the clamorous voices outside the flower bed instead made this place seem exceptionally tranquil.