Luo Tan was feeling rather discontented lately.

The Luo family had all moved to Longye and had settled down here. After Shen Miao became the Empress, she wasn’t as free as before. She had to take care of the Emperor on the first and fifteenth days of the month, and also manage the inner palace properly. This was rather puzzling in Luo Tan’s eyes. After all, the Great Liang’s imperial harem only had Shen Miao, so what was there to manage?

Nevertheless, Shen Miao had indeed become busy, and Luo Tan felt somewhat bored.

But she had always been someone who couldn’t stay idle, so she simply spent her days traveling around mountains and waters, finding amusement for herself.

Now, the second branch of the Luo family was quite displeased.

Madam Ma would say every day: “You’re not that young anymore. Jiaojiao already has a son who’s over a year old. If you want to remain unmarried, others can’t interfere, but how can you continue being so impulsive all day? How will this work?”

Luo Tan was thoroughly exasperated. She felt that being single was just fine. She could eat, drink, play, and enjoy herself. Getting married was too troublesome—having to manage this and that, and also having to manage her husband’s heart. If the husband was good and didn’t bring random women into the household, then one would have to think about having children early. After having children, one still had to personally raise them. A woman’s youth was so short; how could it be wasted on these trivial matters? It was better to make the most of the good years, go out more, and visit famous mountains and rivers. That was what she called meaningful.

The Luo family wasn’t old-fashioned or traditional, and they weren’t eager to marry off their daughter at a young age. But as parents, they always hoped that their children could find a good home early. Luo Tan was careless and straightforward every day, and having lived to this age, she seemed to have never liked anyone before. If you were to talk about liking, it would just be her casually looking at some handsome actor on the street, regardless of gender. This kind of liking was no different from liking flowers and plants. Waiting for Luo Tan to understand matters of the heart on her own, who knew how many years it would take.

Madam Ma asked, “Tan’er, tell your mother honestly, is there no man you fancy?”

Luo Tan was so annoyed by the questioning that she said, “Mother, where would I find a man I fancy?”

“Even Qian’er has a girl he likes now, and Qian’er is younger than you.” Madam Ma was dejected upon hearing this and used Luo Qian as an example: “There are plenty of good men in this world, how is it that you haven’t seen one you like?”

Luo Tan pouted: “There may be plenty, but I haven’t seen many.”

“This can’t go on,” Madam Ma slapped the table. “I can’t let you continue like this. Now that Jiaojiao is the Empress, she must know several talented young men in the world. I need to ask her to help find someone for you. You will go and meet them properly.”

Luo Tan looked at her in disbelief: “Mother, are you serious? It’s not like I can’t get married.”

“It’s not that you can’t get married, it’s that you simply don’t understand,” Madam Ma said. “You must go. If you don’t go, I won’t let you out anymore.” She said and left without waiting for Luo Tan’s response.

…

Madam Ma took Luo Xueyan to the palace to see Shen Miao about this matter.

Although Shen Miao was now the esteemed Empress, she hadn’t changed her temperament. She was still as gentle as ever in front of her relatives. The Luo family and the Shen family still treated her as they had before, with no changes.

Madam Ma was very distressed when she brought up Luo Tan and asked Shen Miao: “Jiaojiao, you interact with many nobles daily. Can you help find some matches for Tan’er? We don’t need someone with a prestigious family background. The most important thing is character—someone with upright conduct. Tan’er is naive and doesn’t understand the complexities of a noble household. It would be best if the person’s family is simple, without complicated relatives. Ah, and preferably, he should be handsome.” Madam Ma was somewhat embarrassed: “Tan’er likes beautiful things. If he’s good-looking, she might be happy herself.”

Shen Miao was surprised and glanced at Luo Xueyan. Luo Xueyan also said, “Yes, Jiaojiao, please find someone for Tan’er.”

“Meeting potential matches is certainly not a problem, but…” Shen Miao hesitantly asked, “Does cousin truly not have anyone she fancies?”

“With her personality, waiting for her to take the initiative is impossible,” Madam Ma waved her hand, with an expression indicating she didn’t want to discuss it further. “If Tan’er was half as sensible as you, Jiaojiao, I wouldn’t need to worry so much.”

As sisters, Shen Miao had an eye for recognizing heroes, and at a young age, she had already secured Xie Jingxing, a rare talent in the world, which became a beautiful story. After marriage, she had kept Xie Jingxing entirely devoted to her. In the imperial harem of a nation, there were no other women besides the Empress. How many women envied Shen Miao but couldn’t match her? Moreover, Xie Jingxing himself was of excellent quality.

Looking at Luo Tan, having lived for so many years, not only had she not secured an outstanding man, but she hadn’t even shown any interest in an ordinary one. Originally, Madam Ma and Luo Liantai had thought that when their daughter grew up, suitors would come wearing down their doorstep, a house with a daughter sought by a hundred families, how lively that would be. But now, it was quiet, without even the shadow of a mosquito, let alone any sign of interest. It was truly frustrating.

“Has Cousin Tan agreed to meet potential matches?” Shen Miao asked.

“She wouldn’t dare disagree!” Madam Ma added, “Jiaojiao, you’re close with her. Please advise her when you have time. What kind of behavior is it for a young lady to frequent brothels all day? She knows all the gambling houses in Longye inside out. It’s truly a family disgrace.”

Luo Tan was naturally lively and disregarded rules and etiquette, living freely, which easily led to criticism.

Shen Miao readily agreed: “Alright, I’ll start looking for my cousin right away. But whether it works out or not still depends on whether the cousin likes them.”

“Thank you so much, Jiaojiao.” Madam Ma was overjoyed.

…

That night, Shen Miao held a long scroll, reading it page by page, and hadn’t slept until late at night.

When Xie Jingxing returned to the bedroom after handling official documents, he saw her still reading and asked, “Didn’t I tell you to sleep first?”

“There are some things I haven’t finished reading.” Shen Miao didn’t look up, her gaze still fixed on the scroll.

Xie Jingxing walked over and saw that on the scroll, each page had a small portrait of a man. Beside each portrait were the man’s name, family background, official position, and even his preferences and strengths.

Xie Jingxing closed the scroll and asked, “What are you looking at this for?”

“Move aside,” Shen Miao snatched the scroll back from his hand. “Aunt asked me to find some reliable men for Cousin Tan to meet. Don’t distract me.”

“Luo Tan?” Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow. “She’s getting married?”

“Aunt is very worried. It’s just something I can help with,” Shen Miao suddenly thought of something and looked at Xie Jingxing. “Speaking of which, what exactly is Gao Yang’s intention?”

“What intention?” Xie Jingxing was puzzled.

“Towards Cousin Tan,” Shen Miao stared at him. “I think he seems to like Cousin Tan, but he doesn’t say anything. If we wait for Cousin Tan to figure it out herself, we might wait forever. Cousin Tan doesn’t understand, but Gao Yang is a shrewd person. What does he mean by dragging this out?”

Xie Jingxing frowned, pondering, “Does Gao Yang like Luo Tan?”

Shen Miao poked him with her arm: “Are you blind?”

“How would I know what Gao Yang is thinking?” Xie Jingxing defended himself.

He was very astute in his own affairs, but when it came to his friends’ lifelong matters, he was extremely slow. Shen Miao realized that Xie Jingxing was also clueless and decided not to ask him anymore.

However, Xie Jingxing spoke up at this moment, saying, “Gao Yang is a clever person, and cleverness can sometimes be a hindrance.”

Shen Miao immediately understood his meaning. She turned her head to look at Xie Jingxing: “Are you saying that Gao Yang might know his feelings but deliberately doesn’t speak up, waiting for Cousin Tan to take the initiative?”

“Not everyone can be as flexible as your husband,” Xie Jingxing’s lips curved in a smile.

“Ha ha,” Shen Miao glanced at him sideways. “Why don’t you just say that not everyone is as shameless as you?”

Xie Jingxing’s face turned slightly blue, but then she heard Shen Miao continue: “But you’re right. The clever are sometimes hindered by their cleverness. With Gao Yang’s personality of wanting to control everything, if he’s waiting for Cousin Tan to figure things out, he’s likely making a mistake.”

Xie Jingxing seemed thoughtful: “What do you plan to do?”

Shen Miao stared at him: “Of course, to help Cousin Tan.” She then leaned closer to Xie Jingxing with a threatening look: “You’re not allowed to tell Gao Yang!”

Gao Yang was Xie Jingxing’s man, so Xie Jingxing occasionally needed to give him some hints. Xie Jingxing grabbed her hand with an ambiguous smile: “Well, that depends on how my wife performs tonight.”

…

Shen Miao was true to her word. The very next day, she prepared a booklet with three names and sent it to the Luo residence through Luo Xueyan. Madam Ma was so grateful that she wanted to personally visit the palace to thank Shen Miao, but Luo Xueyan persuaded her: “We don’t know if Tan’er will like them yet. Let’s wait until it works out before expressing gratitude.”

Madam Ma trusted the people Shen Miao selected. This time, she also had Luo Sui and Luo Liantai review the choices, and they both nodded in agreement. Luo Liantai, having taken an official position in Great Liang, had some understanding of various officials. The three men Shen Miao had selected were all top-notch young talents. They came from affluent families with unblemished reputations, and most importantly, their conduct was proper.

Luo Tan had thought that Madam Ma was just talking, and even if Madam Ma was serious, Shen Miao would surely side with her and wouldn’t make her meet these people. Unexpectedly, not only did Shen Miao go along with Madam Ma’s plan, but she even sent a booklet. Luo Tan was so upset that she sat in her room, looking at the mirror and lamenting repeatedly that her little cousin didn’t love her anymore.

Despite her reluctance, Luo Tan still had to meet these three young masters because Luo Liantai had cut off her allowance and forbidden her from going out. If she didn’t obediently comply, who knew how long she would be confined? Madam Ma had also tearfully pleaded with Luo Tan, who was softhearted despite being stubborn. Feeling that making her mother so troubled was indeed unfilial, she agreed to meet the three men.

The first one was a young master from the Grand Academician’s family, learned and refined, but when he spoke, Luo Tan felt drowsy. She dozed off throughout the afternoon and told Madam Ma afterward that if she were to live with such a person, just thinking about the tedium, she would seek affairs outside marriage.

This frightened Madam Ma, who immediately arranged for the second young master.

The second young master was a deputy commander in the front reserve. Though young, he was very mature for his age. Although handsome, he appeared intimidating. Luo Tan said that if she married such a person, she would likely fear being killed by her bedside partner at night, as he exuded too much murderous aura.

Madam Ma thought about it and agreed. After all, girls are delicate. Although Luo Tan appeared carefree, if she were to be with a military officer and they had disagreements, if he had a stubborn temperament and refused to yield, wouldn’t it lead to chaos? So she mentally ruled out the second candidate as well.

On the third day, they finally met the last candidate.

This one was Young Master He, the son of a middle-ranking official. Young Master He was just twenty years old, still quite young. Although his family was of civil officials, he also practiced martial arts. He was a talent well-versed in both civil and military affairs.

Upon meeting Luo Tan, he immediately complimented the small dagger at her waist, saying it was quite interesting.

It was a small dagger that Luo Tan had purchased for a considerable sum. Though it appeared unremarkable, it was a treasure that could cut through iron like mud. Ordinary people wouldn’t recognize its value, but Young Master He spotted it at a glance. Luo Tan was very pleased, and seeing that Young Master He had handsome features and a comfortable demeanor, as someone who appreciated beautiful things, she was especially willing to talk more with him.

As they talked, she discovered that Young Master He was indeed talented. Not only was he knowledgeable, but he had also been to many places. When he spoke of the strange events and customs of those places, Luo Tan listened with rapt attention. Although he was learned, he never showed off, nor did he use obscure words. Instead, he explained things in a way that Luo Tan could understand, speaking engagingly. It was enjoyable to listen to him, and before they knew it, they had talked until nightfall.

The day had passed unexpectedly pleasantly.

Young Master He also seemed quite pleased with Luo Tan, and they agreed to go out together again the next day.

Upon returning to the residence, Madam Ma asked Luo Tan, “Tan’er, what do you think of Young Master He?”

Luo Tan replied, “He’s not bad. As a friend, he certainly qualifies.”

Madam Ma and Luo Liantai were almost moved to tears with joy. Luo Tan judged people purely based on her preferences, and for someone to be considered her “friend” was already halfway to success. After hearing Luo Tan’s maid describe how pleasantly the two had conversed, Madam Ma finally felt relieved.

That night, when Madam Ma spoke to Luo Liantai about this, she said, “Should we pay a visit to the He family? I’ve sent a card to Madam He. Shall we meet with them another day?”

“What’s the rush?” Luo Liantai said. “Nothing’s certain yet.”

“True,” Madam Ma sighed. “I don’t worry about Qian’er, it’s Tan’er’s marriage that concerns me. Speaking of which, I thought that Doctor Gao was also quite good. He seemed to like Tan’er, but… Later, there was no further indication, so I must have misunderstood.”

Madam Ma had liked Gao Yang. He was handsome, without a complicated family. He had established his household, and if Luo Tan married him, she would directly become the mistress of the house, only needing to manage the servants. Who would have thought that Gao Yang didn’t seem to have such intentions? Madam Ma was a proud person—no matter how good you are, even if you’re a genius from the Great Liang’s renowned medical family, if you don’t like my daughter, then so be it. My daughter won’t lack for admirers.

Meanwhile, Luo Tan was resting her chin on her hand, thinking that she hadn’t seen Gao Yang for a long time.

Gao Yang had now returned to the Gao family. Although he didn’t live with them, he had rejoined the family registry. Gao Zhan had many things to pass on to him. Gao Yang used to frequently seek out Luo Tan, but now he came less often. The most recent time was a month ago.

Luo Tan felt a bit disheartened for some reason.

But then she thought, perhaps it’s because she didn’t have a playmate anymore. Fortunately, Young Master He was also quite interesting and could be played with. He was also very much to Madam Ma’s liking. Since that was the case, she might as well consider him a replacement playmate.

What Luo Tan didn’t know was that her tea-drinking session with Young Master He at the teahouse today had been observed by someone.

At this moment, Ji Yushu was feeding a parrot while saying, “I haven’t gone to play with Luo Tan for a long time. Why hasn’t she come over these days?”

Gao Yang was taken aback and asked, “What’s wrong?” Ji Yushu bringing up Luo Tan out of the blue meant something must have happened.

“Today, on my way back, I saw Luo Tan walking with a man,” Ji Yushu pondered. “They looked quite happy. Is she going to play with someone else from now on?”

Gao Yang was stunned and asked, “What did you say?”

…

The next day, Luo Tan indeed went to play with Young Master He again.

She had heard that Young Master He was very capable and had good prospects in his career, but she didn’t expect him to be so good at having fun. Luo Tan had thought that she knew Longye city quite well, having wandered its streets daily. However, with Young Master’s guidance, she realized that she wasn’t a native of Longye after all. Young Master He knew many small shops and restaurants that others didn’t, all of which were refreshingly novel. Luo Tan loved new and interesting things, which dispelled the gloom of recent days. She felt as if she was visiting Longye for the first time and bought many items.

The two of them seemed to be the same type of person—they loved to eat, loved to play, and were full of energy.

This day too, they played until sunset before reluctantly parting. Young Master He escorted Luo Tan back to her residence.

Gao Yang arrived at the Luo residence and happened to see Luo Qian coming out, probably heading somewhere. He was no longer the spirited youth of the past; he had grown much taller, and the childish features on his face were gradually showing the firmness of a man.

However, his lively nature remained the same as before, truly worthy of being siblings.

Upon seeing Gao Yang, he called out, “Doctor Gao!”

Gao Yang: “…”

The siblings both loved to call him “doctor,” but his identity wasn’t just that of an ordinary doctor. Besides, he also held an official position, didn’t he?

Luo Qian asked, “Doctor Gao, you’re here to see my sister, right? She’s not home.”

Gao Yang was startled but didn’t show it, asking calmly, “Oh? It’s so late, and she hasn’t returned yet?”

Luo Qian waved his hand, pretending to be mature, saying, “Well, she went out with that Young Master He. They probably lost track of time while having fun.”

“Young Master He…” Gao Yang mulled over this name, but before he could ask further, he heard Luo Qian say, “Huh? Speak of the devil, they’re back!”

Gao Yang followed Luo Qian’s gaze and saw a handsome young master walking with Luo Tan. Behind them, a servant was carrying a pile of items. Luo Tan was speaking generously to the young man: “In the future, when we travel across the great rivers and ride horses to the ends of the earth, count you in! It will be lots of fun!”

Young Master He smiled and said, “I’m honored.”

Gao Yang’s lips twitched.

Luo Qian called out to Luo Tan, “Sister! Doctor Gao is here to see you!”

Only then did Luo Tan notice Gao Yang. Gao Yang walked over, first smiling at Luo Tan, then turning to the legendary Young Master He.

Young Master He appeared to be a very handsome and refined young man. Just now, he had seemed to be in pleasant conversation with Luo Tan. Upon seeing Gao Yang, he said to Luo Tan, “Since you have a guest, I won’t disturb you.” He then instructed his attendant to take out a small box and said, “I happened to see this on the way back yesterday and thought you might like it.” He somewhat embarrassedly scratched his head, “I hope you don’t mind.”

Luo Tan accepted it happily and said, “Thank you. I’ve always trusted your taste.”

Seeing them chatting happily as if no one else was around, Gao Yang felt somewhat frustrated. Finally, after Young Master He left, Luo Tan asked Gao Yang, “Did you come to see me for something?”

Gao Yang narrowed his eyes at her and said, “Can’t I come see you if I don’t have something specific?”

“It’s not that,” Luo Tan said, “Aren’t you back with the Gao family with a lot of things to busy yourself with?” As she spoke, she focused on opening the box Young Master He had given her.

Inside the box was a bracelet. Luo Tan had never been fond of jewelry like hairpins and ornaments, but this bracelet was a thin gold chain with a small dagger charm, only the size of a little fingernail, vivid and lifelike, utterly adorable. Luo Tan immediately became engrossed in playing with it.

Seeing this, Gao Yang became increasingly displeased and said, “Since that’s the case, you should accompany me for a walk.”

“Why should I…” Before Luo Tan could finish, Gao Yang grabbed her arm and started walking outside. Although she had martial arts skills, they were insufficient against Gao Yang. Despite his appearance as a gentleman, Gao Yang was not physically weak. Luo Tan couldn’t break free from his grip and had to let Gao Yang lead her away.

Luo Qian waved to the two of them from behind, saying, “Come back early, Sister!”

Gao Yang led Luo Tan to a small alley before letting go.

Luo Tan’s wrist was sore from his grip, and she couldn’t help but shake her hand and complain, “Have you gone mad?”

Gao Yang paused, released his hold, and after a while said, “I’m very busy, but you’re not free either?”

“What?” Luo Tan didn’t understand.

“Did you have fun with Young Master He?” Gao Yang assessed her, but his tone was strange. “You’ve only known each other for a few days, yet you used the term ‘always.’ Are you that familiar with him? Do you trust him that much?”

Gao Yang was extremely peculiar today, and Luo Tan couldn’t make sense of it. She instinctively replied, “Are you sick? Do I need to tell you who I’m familiar with? What’s wrong with you today? Did you take the wrong medicine? Did your grandfather scold you?”

Gao Yang took a deep breath before saying, “If I hadn’t come to find you, would you have gone off with someone else to travel around?”

Luo Tan was confused by Gao Yang’s tone today. She wasn’t a patient person either, so she said, “You’re too domineering. If you don’t come find me, of course I’ll find others to play with. Should I just stay at home and die of boredom? There are so many people in the world, naturally I want to make more friends.”

“Just friends?” Gao Yang moved closer and said, “Aren’t you already meeting potential husbands?”

Luo Tan was startled and asked, “How do you know?”

Her words, to Gao Yang’s ears, seemed like an admission.

Gao Yang asked, “So what do you think of him?”

This time, he reverted to his usual gentle tone. Seeing his normal expression, Luo Tan thought he had come to his senses. She replied, “He’s not bad. Unlike those pedantic scholars, yet not crude either. He’s quite interesting.”

Gao Yang said, “Don’t meet him anymore.”

Luo Tan was puzzled: “What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep saying strange things today? Even though my mother wanted me to meet him, who I befriend or choose as a husband is my own business. Why are you meddling? Will you also interfere when I meet others in the future?”

“Yes,” Gao Yang interrupted her.

Luo Tan was stunned.

“I originally thought you would understand on your own. But you’re astonishingly dense, or perhaps you’re clever and deliberately taking advantage of me?” he pondered.

Luo Tan couldn’t understand his words, only hearing Gao Yang call her stupid, which immediately made her bristle: “You’re the stupid one. Not only stupid but unreasonable. I enjoy playing with Young Master He, and if you forbid me from seeing him, I’ll do it even more. How can someone be so unreasonable…”

Before she could finish, Gao Yang pulled her into his arms and sealed her lips with his.

His kiss was as gentle as he was, seemingly as decorous as a gentleman. However, amidst the gentleness, there was also forcefulness and a refusal to be rejected.

Luo Tan covered her mouth and stepped back.

No matter how careless she was, she knew what this meant. She had never deeply considered her relationship with Gao Yang. In her view, Gao Yang was a good friend who, although he liked to tease people and appeared gentle and easy-going on the surface but had a devious mind, could still be considered a gentleman.

But now this gentleman had taken advantage of her so openly?

If it were someone else, Luo Tan would probably have drawn her knife and chased them all over the city, or at the very least, given them a good beating. But with Gao Yang, apart from feeling flustered, she didn’t feel much anger.

It was as if she had already become accustomed to such intimate actions.

Yes, she had already grown accustomed to it.

From following him from Dingjing to Longye, staying at the Gao residence, for a long time, Gao Yang had been a true gentleman to her, but occasionally he would make some intimate gestures. Those gestures were very natural, and Luo Tan was carefree and didn’t care too much. As a result, like a silkworm eating mulberry leaves, it became natural, to the point where even such inappropriate actions now seemed quite normal.

Luo Tan shuddered.

Seeing her reaction, Gao Yang’s expression softened slightly, and his tone became gentler.

He said, “Don’t see him anymore in the future.”

Luo Tan was indignant: “Why do you…”

“If you can’t see it even now, I would truly have to wonder if you’re the second most foolish person in the world,” Gao Yang laughed lightly.

Luo Tan’s face turned from red to white, then from white to red, until she suddenly asked, “Could it be that you like me?”

Gao Yang cleared his throat and said, “I’ve made it this clear.”

But Luo Tan felt aggrieved. How was it clear? He hadn’t come to propose, hadn’t written love poems, and hadn’t occasionally said sweet words like Xie Jingxing did to Shen Miao. Only a ghost would understand!

Gao Yang said, “At first, I just thought you were fun and wanted to tease you. Later, I found you very interesting. When I saw you getting close to others, I felt uncomfortable. I thought that by letting nature take its course, you would eventually understand. But now I understand that with your brain, if I don’t say it, you’ll never understand in this lifetime.”

He stepped forward, not giving Luo Tan a chance to escape, and asked, “Do you understand now?”

Luo Tan was a bit confused by his words and nodded instinctively: “Hmm… okay.”

“That’s good.” Gao Yang pleasantly put his arm around her shoulder. “Now let’s go back to the residence.”

“Which residence?” Luo Tan asked.

“The Luo residence, of course,” Gao Yang smiled serenely. “It’s time to discuss our marriage with my mother-in-law.”

A moment later.

“Gao Yang, you’re asking for death!”