Early the next morning, Shen Xiling got up at the hour of Yin when it was still dark, half-shrouded in darkness. Yesterday she had heard Qi Ying say he would take her to the Qi family today, so she packed her things through the night. Fortunately, she had very few possessions – just one small trunk was more than enough. The trunk contained her own set of clothes and dress, plus the two fox lanterns she had received the night before, and… and the long fur coat he had draped over her when she first met Qi Ying.

Speaking of which, she had worn two pieces of Qi Ying’s clothing – one was this fur coat, and the other was the cloak he had wrapped around her that day when she fell asleep at the door of Wangshi. Later she had returned that cloak, but this fur coat she had secretly kept all along. She had no ulterior motives – it was just that this fur coat had after all covered her mother’s remains, so returning it to him wouldn’t be quite appropriate. She kept this garment firstly to commemorate her mother, and secondly…

This was Shen Xiling’s secret, not to be shared with outsiders.

She had packed her things through the night and hadn’t slept soundly all night. As soon as it reached the hour of Yin, she got up, put on her outer robe, and stood at her room’s doorway watching for movement from Qi Ying’s quarters. Before long she saw him, with Qing Zhu and Bai Song on his left and right, the group walking toward the main gate.

In the dim morning light, Qi Ying spotted Shen Xiling and was quite surprised. He turned to walk toward her, seeing that the young lady had already groomed and washed herself, looking ready to go out at any moment. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and ask: “Why are you up so early?”

Shen Xiling blinked her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and asked: “Hmm? Didn’t Young Master say you would take me to the Qi family today?”

Qi Ying was silent for a moment, then said: “…But I must first attend court.”

Shen Xiling: “…”

She hadn’t thought of this at all. After the Lantern Festival, the New Year had passed, and since it wasn’t a rest day, Qi Ying would indeed need to attend court.

Shen Xiling awkwardly lowered her head.

A trace of amusement flashed through Qi Ying’s eyes. The young lady was too adorable, prompting him to reach out and smooth her hair, saying in gentle tones: “Go back and sleep a while longer. I’ll come get you when I return.”

This was the first time Qi Ying had treated Shen Xiling with such intimacy, and both of them were stunned for a moment. He quickly realized this behavior was improper and withdrew his hand, but Shen Xiling felt the warm touch of his palm still lingering in her hair, making her somewhat reluctant to let it go.

Both remained silent for a while.

Finally, Qi Ying broke the silence. He coughed once and said: “Go back inside, it’s cold out here.”

Seeing he was about to leave, Shen Xiling became somewhat anxious and reached out to grasp his sleeve. Qi Ying turned back to look at her, and she withdrew her hand with some embarrassment.

Qi Ying asked: “What is it?”

Shen Xiling twisted her fingers together and mumbled: “I… I don’t know if my appearance like this can be considered proper?”

Qi Ying looked at her, seeing the young lady’s clothes were simple but neat, her hair combed tidily, presenting an obedient, clever, gentle appearance, yet her expression was very nervous, like a serious little Taoist nun.

Qi Ying thought for a moment and said: “Go back and sleep a while first, otherwise your complexion won’t look good.”

Perhaps she hadn’t slept well last night – there were some dark circles under her eyes.

Upon hearing him say this, Shen Xiling immediately felt she must look disheveled and quickly covered her face, then nodded somewhat dejectedly.

Another trace of amusement passed through Qi Ying’s eyes as he told her: “I must go now. Rest peacefully, and when I return I’ll have someone help you with your grooming.”

Shen Xiling obediently nodded upon hearing this, docile and adorable like a little cat, making Qi Ying’s gaze soften accordingly. Then he left, with Shen Xiling watching him depart.

After entering her room, Shen Xiling looked in the mirror and indeed saw a circle of darkness under each eye. She couldn’t help but cover her face in embarrassment. She wasn’t normally someone who particularly cared about her appearance – this was the first time she felt awkward and regretful about such a thing. This feeling lingered in her heart for a long time, until she fell asleep.

She originally didn’t want to sleep, but waiting and waiting, she grew tired. Perhaps she had indeed slept too little the night before, or perhaps the room was too warm – she fell into a deep sleep. When the maids woke her, it was nearly the hour of Si, and Qi Ying had already returned from court.

The sisters who came to wake her looked unfamiliar – one called Shuipei and one called Fengshang. They said Young Master had sent them to help her with her grooming. The two sisters were careful and skillful, serving her on left and right as she washed and changed clothes. Shen Xiling had never been waited upon like this and was naturally quite uncomfortable. Seeing her so stiff, both sisters covered their mouths and laughed, also praising her for being born beautiful. After fussing over her for quite a while, they finally brought her out.

They styled Shen Xiling’s hair in the most fashionable way among the noble ladies of Jiankang City that year, and changed her into new clothes – a light purple long dress embroidered with white plum blossoms. The fabric was precious and the embroidery exquisite, paired with a light-colored jacket trimmed with rabbit fur, making her as pretty as a porcelain doll.

Shen Xiling had never had her hair styled like this, nor worn such precious clothing. She felt uncomfortable everywhere, but though she had lived in hardship since childhood, her bearing was like that of a proper noble lady. Though her father hadn’t brought her into a distinguished family to raise her, her education had always been good. Changing into this outfit, Shen Xiling showed not the slightest sense of being unworthy of it. Rather, it made people feel she was born to grow up with such golden honor and jade nobility.

Sister Shuipei and Sister Fengshang led her from her own room all the way to Wangshi. Along the way, the passing servants all secretly stole glances at her, making Shen Xiling quite embarrassed. When they reached Wangshi, Bai Song was still standing at the door with his sword as usual. Seeing her, he was also stunned for a moment, a flash of amazement passing through his eyes, then he smiled at her and nodded.

The flush that had reddened Shen Xiling’s small face all along the way still hadn’t cooled. She greeted Bai Song and followed the two sisters through the door.

When Qi Ying raised his eyes to look toward the doorway, he first caught sight of the hem of Shen Xiling’s dress, then saw her step through the door, and then saw the red mole between her brows and the blush on her cheeks.

This made him recall the scene when he first met her.

At that time, the young lady wore plain clothes and sat disheveled in the snow, her entire person so pale she almost merged with that heavy snowfall. The first time he saw her, he remembered the red mole between her brows – like a delicate flower ornament adorning her forehead, it became the only color on her body at that time.

Later, when he kept her at Fenghe Courtyard, the young lady continued to wear plain clothes. He normally paid little attention to girls’ clothing, so he never felt anything was amiss – until yesterday when Yao’er came.

Sometimes Qi Ying also felt he was somewhat strange, always unconsciously comparing Shen Xiling with Zhao Yao. For instance, when he saw Zhao Yao’s hands stained with rouge while Shen Xiling’s hands had chilblains, he would feel something was wrong. Or yesterday when he saw Zhao Yao dressed in brocade while Shen Xiling wore simple clothing, he again felt something was wrong.

Last night on the long street, precious horses and carved carriages filled the road with fragrance. Yao’er, in her bright-colored dress, laughed and played among the flower lanterns, lively and delightfully charming. Yet he thought of Shen Xiling, that young lady who always kept her eyes lowered and was careful in everything. He inexplicably kept wondering: if she too wore such clothing, if she too were pampered by thousands, what would she look like?

Today he saw the answer.

Qi Ying was someone who looked lightly upon external things, and such people cared even less about others’ appearances. Yet he had always known that Shen Xiling was born beautiful. Only today, after she had carefully groomed and dressed herself, she appeared excessively gorgeous, beyond his expectations. Last night Qing Zhu had brought him Xiao Ziheng’s warning, saying this young lady was born too beautiful, which was a very dangerous thing. He hadn’t taken it much to heart at the time, but now he deeply agreed.

Shen Xiling entered the door of Wangshi and saw Qi Ying looking at her with rather complex eyes, his expression also somewhat serious. She couldn’t help feeling intimidated, thinking perhaps her current appearance wasn’t quite proper. She moved closer to him and cautiously asked: “…Young Master?”

Qi Ying seemed to have just come back to his senses and replied: “What is it?”

Shen Xiling mumbled: “Am I like this… inappropriate?”

She indeed felt it was inappropriate in her heart, feeling this outfit was too luxurious. She was merely an orphaned girl who had to depend on others for survival, yet she was dressed up like a noble lady for no reason – this was never quite right.

Qi Ying saw through her thoughts, knowing the young lady had misunderstood him. Since he couldn’t very well explain to her, he remained silent for a while before telling her: “It’s not inappropriate at all. Very beautiful.”

When he said the three words “very beautiful,” his voice was low and deep, making one’s ears burn. Shen Xiling was already blushing, and now her face was even more like peach blossoms and plum flowers. Seeing this, Qi Ying was even more convinced: what His Fourth Highness said was true – indeed… quite dangerous.

Qi Ying secretly sighed, coughed once, and said: “Let’s go.”

Author’s Note: Some people appear to be cool on the surface, but actually engage in little schemes behind the scenes (tomorrow he’s meeting the parents, hehe).