Yellow leaves drifted on still waters as people savored lake crabs by the river.

The last day of the eighth month was the Empress Dowager’s birthday. This year marked her sixtieth birthday, making it particularly festive. Emperor Youning had issued an edict for three full months of preparations from the fifth to the eighth month. To please the Empress Dowager, he had invited a hundred-act performance troupe from among the common people.

From noble princes to common folk, everyone celebrated as if it were a festival. Coinciding with the harvest season, an atmosphere of jubilation enveloped the entire dynasty.

Shen Xihe had a brief morning meal before entering the palace. The birthday banquet would last from noon until dusk at the end of Your hour, held in the Lotus Garden.

She first went with Shen Yun’an to pay respects to the Empress Dowager in the palace. Shen Yun’an then left to pay respects to His Majesty and attend to him. Meanwhile, Shen Xihe remained at Yong’an Palace to accompany the Empress Dowager, traveling with her to the Lotus Garden.

All officials offered congratulations, noble ladies made their bows, and commoners shouted their well-wishes – the grand display showcasing the dynasty’s prosperity.

Silk and bamboo instruments played in harmony; strings and winds accompanied the dance. Bells and drums resounded as wine cups took flight.

Though the palace had hosted many banquets before, this one was especially unique – there was only celebratory music, and everyone wore smiles on their faces.

Shen Xihe enjoyed the singing and dancing while savoring the delicious food, feeling quite content.

“Sister Zhaoning.” Princess Pingling sat next to Shen Xihe and called out to her softly.

The music and dance were so loud that Shen Xihe didn’t hear her, but seeing Princess Pingling’s gesture, she leaned closer with an inquiring look.

“Sister Zhaoning, Fourth Sister asked me to inquire if the Young Master has any marriage arrangements?” Princess Pingling asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Shen Xihe turned to look at the Fourth Princess behind Princess Pingling. The Fourth Princess wore a peony crown and a lotus-colored long dress embroidered with peonies across the chest, covered by a snow-blue robe with wide trailing sleeves – both elegant and beautiful.

The Fourth Princess held the title Princess Changling. Among Emperor Youning’s surviving princesses, only four remained, each granted titles from the Five Mausoleums. But the Changling title was especially unique – because the princes avoided using the character ‘Hua’ out of respect for the Crown Prince, changing it to ‘Chang’, Changling stood equal with the princes.

This title falling to the Fourth Princess, who lost her mother in childhood, showed how much His Majesty favored her. Her privilege matched her name’s equality with the princes – even the Sixth Princess Pingling, who had two Prince brothers and a Noble Consort mother managing the Six Palaces, had to step back before her.

Meeting Shen Xihe’s gaze, the Fourth Princess lifted her chin slightly and nodded with a smile.

Shen Xihe withdrew her gaze and said to Pingling: “Such matters, the Fourth Princess should ask His Majesty directly.”

Shen Xihe had come to the capital to marry into the royal family – this was the agreement between Shen Yueshan and Emperor Youning, which included the condition of no longer interfering in Shen Yun’an’s marriage matters.

Though this dynasty was quite lenient regarding marriage – widows could marry their husband’s uncles or even father-in-law, commoner children could marry nobles without scandal, siblings could marry into the same family, and sisters and brothers could wed into the same household – these were all common occurrences. As long as blood relations weren’t involved, society was extremely tolerant.

While Shen Xihe marrying into the royal family meant a royal princess could also marry her elder brother, Emperor Youning wouldn’t make that decision unless Shen Yun’an personally requested it.

Who knew if this seemingly unapproachable Princess Changling truly had feelings for her brother, or if someone was pulling strings behind the scenes?

Wasn’t the capital’s prosperity good enough? Why run off to the northwest to face wind and sun?

Pingling made an almost imperceptible shake of her head toward Changling, whose expression changed slightly as she pressed her lips together, lost in thought.

Shen Xihe caught Hongyu’s eye, and Hongyu quietly withdrew. It would be better to give Shen Yun’an an early warning about this matter, lest it end up with him having no choice but to marry the princess.

Shen Xihe, whose spirits had been quite high, found her interest waning after this interruption. Having sat long enough, she silently rose with Biyu and left her seat, heading toward the restrooms.

She wasn’t going to the restroom but rather turned aside halfway to find a quiet spot to hide.

Shen Xihe had just sat down when she heard a familiar voice: “Why are you following me? Could it be you’ve finally discovered this Young Master’s handsome and magnificent bearing, realized that men can also find endless pleasure together, and therefore…”

Bu Shulin’s words were frivolous and ambiguous, heavy with suggestive meaning.

“Were those rumors outside your doing?” Cui Jinbai’s cold voice concealed anger.

“What rumors?” Bu Shulin played dumb. “I haven’t heard any rumors.”

Shen Xihe suppressed a silent laugh. The capital was abuzz with talk of how Young Master Bu and Junior Lord Cui had been caught in a late-night tryst, and in their panic, both fell into the river, becoming entangled like water weeds.

A few days later, Bu Shulin was reported to the Court of Judicial Review for getting into a fight. Unexpectedly, Cui Jinbai took personal revenge under the guise of public duty, punishing Bu Shulin to the fullest extent of the law.

Furious, Bu Shulin’s eyes rolled as she declared: “Fine, this young master admits it. Who told this young master to fall for someone so strictly righteous, harsh on others but lenient with himself? It’s only right that this young master, being his person, should suffer a bit.”

This nearly made Cui Jinbai faint with anger. Afterward, even wilder rumors spread through the capital – that Princess An’ling had personally witnessed them being intimate, that some young noble had seen them embracing.

People suddenly realized why Cui Jinbai, despite his young achievements, remained unmarried in his twenties. So it was because…

Some relatives with troops in Shunan, wanting to curry favor, had even ostentatiously sent Bu Shulin some delicate young men.

Bu Shulin had carelessly tossed them back, declaring: “This Young Master doesn’t fancy men in general, only the Cui family’s Junior Lord.”

The Cui family was furious, and Cui Jinbai’s parents were especially eager to arrange a marriage for him, but Bu Shulin disrupted every attempt.

Though Bu Shulin was improper in private life, she committed no other wrongs, and the Shunan Prince’s mansion was careful in word and deed, leaving the Cui family no way to deal with this troublemaker.

After all this commotion, no good family would marry their daughter to Cui Jinbai – who would want their daughter to marry someone who might prefer men?

“You—” Cui Jinbai’s face turned iron-gray with anger at her pretense. “You followed as soon as Princess Zhaoning left her seat. What are your intentions?”

“Intentions?” Bu Shulin’s eyes rolled. “My, such strong jealousy.”

Cui Jinbai’s expression grew even more difficult: “I just want to know if Princess Zhaoning instructed you to keep slandering me.”

“Oh my, oh my.” Bu Shulin blinked repeatedly. “You’re concerned whether I’m sincere about you, yet you say you don’t care for me, say I’m slandering you. I think you’re more anxious than I am…”

Before Bu Shulin could finish, Cui Jinbai angrily swept his sleeves and turned to leave. In the past, he would have fought with her in his anger, but after several confrontations, he’d realized he was no match for her.

“Oh my, don’t leave, let’s chat more…” Bu Shulin shouted at Cui Jinbai’s retreating. “Others might not have seen me following the Princess, but they saw you following me quite clearly. Junior Lord Cui, let’s chat longer – people will surely let their imaginations run wild. Life is so boring, let’s be kind and give them something interesting to talk about…”

Before Bu Shulin finished speaking, Cui Jinbai had already disappeared with rapid steps.