The young man possessed a tall and graceful stature, as straight as a pine tree. The dark blue robe he wore exuded both nobility and elegance. His eyes were as dark as the night, reflecting varying depths of coldness, while his lips curved into a casual, mocking smile.

His single utterance of “Madam” was as mellow as wine, intoxicating everyone present.

He Yan was similarly affected, feeling the place where his breath had brushed against her instantly become rigid, leaving her momentarily speechless.

Young Lady Yan bit her lip as she looked at Xiao Jue, her heart filled with both amazement and jealousy. How could such a peerlessly handsome man already be married, and to this country bumpkin beside him? How was this fair?

Seeing He Yan’s silence, Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow and softened his voice even further, “Did she bully you?”

He Yan started to respond, but Young Lady Yan spoke first, saying, “My Lord, I certainly haven’t bullied anyone. We simply happened to fancy the same dress, that’s all.”

When addressing Xiao Jue, Young Lady Yan’s manner transformed completely from her previous aggressive tone to one of gentle sweetness, her eyes unable to leave his form.

“But I heard you saying our Young Madam had no money!” Steward Lin Shuanghe fanned himself, stirring up trouble. “Even I, as a mere steward, couldn’t bear to listen!”

The blue-clothed shop assistant, who had been silent at the side, secretly marveled at the word ‘steward.’ He had assumed they were young masters from some noble family, not expecting one to be a steward. How extraordinary – every member of their group possessed remarkable appearances and bearing. Could they be important figures who had arrived in Jiyang? He worried whether he had accidentally offended them earlier.

Xiao Jue turned to ask He Yan: “Have you chosen anything?”

He Yan shook her head.

Young Lady Yan then held out the light blue dress that He Yan had been eyeing earlier, which she had been clutching, and smiled, “If Miss truly likes this dress, I’m willing to part with it.”

He Yan remained silent.

How useful Xiao Jue’s face proved to be – the attitude change was so dramatic it seemed like a different person entirely. Being handsome certainly had its advantages, He Yan thought sourly.

Xiao Jue merely gave Young Lady Yan a bland look without reaching for the dress. He turned to the blue-clothed assistant and asked, “What’s upstairs?”

“In response to Young Master,” the assistant wiped his sweat while explaining, “our Xiu Luo House has five floors in total. The third to fifth floors all contain women’s ready-made clothes. The fifth floor houses our most precious garments, made specifically for noble personages, and the prices… are correspondingly higher.”

“Bring out your shop’s crown jewel.”

Young Lady Yan’s expression froze.

He Yan also started in surprise, tugging at Xiao Jue’s sleeve while whispering, “There’s no need, anything simple will do…”

She knew their household circumstances – how could they afford the most expensive items? He Yan felt this was highly inappropriate.

Xiao Jue’s expression remained calm: “Be quiet.”

The Xiu Luo House assistant proved quite capable, merely saying “Please wait a moment” before hurrying upstairs. Soon he returned carrying a small box wrapped in soft satin, placing it on the round table in the room.

He unlocked it and opened the box, carefully lifting out a thin, pale white silk dress. The dress’s pattern wasn’t complex, less ornate than the previous ones, but when sunlight from the window fell upon the fabric, the originally pure white color refracted rainbow-like hues, shimmering with faint traces of blue, purple, gold, and pink. As delicate and soft as it was, it seemed otherworldly.

“This garment is made from Mermaid Silk. I dare say not only in Xiu Luo House but in all of Jiyang and Great Wei, there exists only this one piece. We acquired this Mermaid Silk at a great cost from a sea merchant. The rest of the fabric was made into garments for the Princess, leaving only enough for this final piece called ‘Tear Silk,’ named because in sunlight, the dress shimmers with the color of mermaid tears. This honored guest is our shop’s greatest treasure.”

Xiao Jue’s gaze swept over the garment in the assistant’s hands and said, “Passable.”

He Yan thought all these flowery words were unnecessary – it was just a piece of clothing after all. What nonsense about Mermaid Silk, speaking as if merpeople truly existed. It was just a marketing ploy, yet people believed it.

“How much?” Steward Lin Shuanghe asked.

The young assistant held up one finger: “One Hundred Gold.”

“One Hundred Gold?” He Yan exclaimed, “Why don’t you just rob us outright!”

To sell a single garment for one hundred gold was far too extravagant! Even in her previous life as a noble young master and noble madam, she had never been so wasteful.

The assistant smiled and said, “Madam shouldn’t underestimate this garment. Beyond its beauty, it’s also a treasure that can serve as protection – impervious to blades and guns, resistant to water and fire. While one hundred gold might seem expensive for a dress, it’s quite reasonable for such a treasure.”

“Unnecessary,” Red Crow whispered to Flying Servant at the side, “What noble madam who can afford such a dress would need to brave knife mountains and fire seas? Truly pointless.”

“We’ll take this one,” Xiao Jue said flatly. “Also select several pieces from the fifth floor to go with it.”

“Certainly!” The assistant was overjoyed – such generous customers weren’t encountered every day. Striking while the iron was hot, he continued, “Would the honored guest also like to see our jewelry collection? This ‘Tear Silk’ would pair perfectly with a button-pearl peony hairpin and a pair of intricate white jade pendants. The shoes should match in color as well. Our Madam’s once-in-a-century beauty deserves nothing less.”

He Yan: “?”

Xiao Jue: “Choose as you see fit.”

Young Lady Yan watched in amazement while He Yan, feeling this was inappropriate, pulled at Xiao Jue’s clothes, tugging him toward her while saying, “This is too wasteful!”

Xiao Jue’s tone remained flat: “Let go.”

He Yan immediately released her grip.

The assistant did exactly as Xiao Jue had said, selecting several garments and pieces of jewelry, and bringing over a small box for everyone’s inspection. After detailing each item, he closed the box and announced, “The total comes to Two Hundred Gold.”

He Yan felt faint at hearing the sum.

Xiao Jue turned to Lin Shuanghe: “Pay for it.”

Lin Shuanghe started: “…Me?”

“Unless you expect me to pay? Steward.”

Lin Shuanghe: “…”

He had no choice but to pull out a banknote from his sleeve, forcing a smile as he said, “Very well, this humble one will pay.”

Just as he was about to hand over the banknote, Xiao Jue said, “Wait.”

Everyone paused, and He Yan’s heart lifted – had he finally realized his extravagance and decided to change course?

Xiao Jue turned to Young Lady Yan, his lips curving slightly as he said leisurely, “I forgot to ask – does the young lady also fancy this same set of garments? If so, Master Qiao is willing to part with them.”

Young Lady Yan’s face turned extremely ugly. Though her family was wealthy, they didn’t carry two hundred gold around casually. Moreover, with personal tailors at home making their clothes, spending two hundred gold at a ready-made clothing shop would be difficult to justify in the accounts. This impossibly handsome man… was taking revenge for his wife!

She gritted her teeth and said, “I appreciate Young Master’s consideration, but I… don’t care for them.”

Xiao Jue nodded, ordering Flying Servant to collect the box. As they were about to leave, he turned back to her, “Let me give you a piece of friendly advice.”

Everyone froze.

They watched as the jade-faced young man maintained gentle features while his tone filled with cutting mockery.

“Your skin is too dark – Xiu Luo House’s garments don’t suit you. Try another shop.”

…

Even after reaching downstairs, Steward Lin Shuanghe couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hahaha! Young… Master, you were so cutting! Did you see that girl’s face just now? Heavens, if I were her, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight! She had set her heart on you, and not only did you reject her, but you had to mock her like that. My goodness, hahaha!”

He Yan also felt Xiao Jue’s behavior was rather childish, but what surprised her more was something else. She caught up to Xiao Jue in a few steps and asked, “Was the reason she tried to take the clothes I chose because her dark skin wouldn’t suit these colors?”

She had wondered why someone would cause trouble for her when she was new to Jiyang and had no prior grievances. Only after hearing Xiao Jue’s parting words did she realize it was probably because the shop assistant had repeatedly mentioned “fair skin” while introducing the clothes to her, which had upset Young Lady Yan. There were people in this world who, lacking something themselves, would grow resentful seeing others possess it.

“Aren’t you supposed to be good at deception? Is this the extent of your ability?” Xiao Jue’s expression returned to its usual indifference as he said disdainfully, “Couldn’t you tell she was jealous of you?”

“I didn’t know I had anything worth being jealous of,” He Yan mumbled, “especially by other women.”

Being envied by men was common enough – for things like martial skills, speed, or drinking capacity – but being envied by women felt different. Thinking about it now, women’s jealousy seemed almost endearing, manifesting in verbal spats and minor tricks, unlike men who would resort to physical fights.

Moreover… she asked Xiao Jue: “Am I really that fair-skinned? Is that why she was jealous? Am I very fair?”

Having grown accustomed to seeing her dressed as a young man, the sudden sight of her with loose hair, though still in male attire, revealed the spirited and charming features of a young woman. Though she appeared somewhat naive, but…

Xiao Jue turned away his gaze: “You’re like a lump of coal.”

He Yan: “…”

Would it kill this person to say something nice?

Behind them, the newly purchased pink-clothed maids followed timidly, not daring to speak. Red Crow, watching He Yan deliberately teasing Xiao Jue, rubbed his arms and couldn’t help saying to Flying Servant: “This He Yan has adapted to the role far too quickly… Look at her now, she’s completely thinking of herself as a woman. It’s giving me goosebumps, feeling quite uncomfortable.”

Flying Servant: “Don’t look at what’s improper, don’t listen to what’s improper.”

…

After returning to the inn, the two little maids first glanced at He Yan, and one of them timidly said: “Madam, we’ll go up first to prepare your room. Please wait a moment before coming up.”

He Yan: “…Alright.”

After the two young girls went upstairs, He Yan asked: “Are these the maids you bought? Aren’t they too young!”

The two girls looked no more than twelve or thirteen, either naturally so or appearing young due to their frailness. They were identical twins.

Lin Shuanghe answered: “We had no choice. Our Young Master is too beautiful – if we found someone your age, they might develop other intentions. What if they tried to climb into Young Master’s bed at night? We could only choose ones this young who haven’t yet awakened to such thoughts – safe and reliable.”

Hearing this, He Yan thought Lin Shuanghe was brilliant. His reasoning made perfect sense – judging by Young Lady Yan’s reaction at Xiu Luo House, Xiao Jue’s face and figure were indeed enough to attract all sorts of attention. Better to be cautious.

Lin Shuanghe continued: “Though the girls are young, they cost me quite a bit of silver. I say…” He suddenly realized something and looked at Xiao Jue: “You didn’t bring me to Jiyang because you needed a steward – you needed a money bag!”

He Yan burst out laughing.

Lin Shuanghe continued his indignant criticism of Xiao Jue’s behavior: “Do you know how unconscionable this is? Buying clothes for your wife, buying maids, staying at inns – why should I pay for it? She’s not my wife!”

He Yan couldn’t laugh anymore.

Xiao Jue spoke flatly: “Why have you traveled safely to Jiyang?”

“…Because of you.” Lin Shuanghe replied. Obviously, with Xiao Jue present, no fool would dare to rob them.

Xiao Jue responded noncommittally: “There you have it – protection fees.”

Lin Shuanghe: “Pro-protection fees?”

He said: “Xiao-“

Xiao Jue made a gentle “shh” sound, looking at the boxes outside, and raised an eyebrow: “Go move the things, Steward Lin.”

Lin Shuanghe had never won an argument against Xiao Jue. He snorted, pulled several round objects from his sleeve, and stuffed them all into He Yan’s hands.

He Yan was puzzled: “What are these?”

“Rouge and powder for Madam.” Lin Shuanghe’s attitude toward He Yan remained very good. He said: “On our way back from buying the maids, we encountered Cui Yuezhi’s people. The Cui family had already arranged with the city gate guards to notify them upon seeing Qiao Huanqing’s travel permit. We’ll likely be staying at the Cui residence tonight. After thinking it through, you’ll need these.”

He Yan frowned at the cosmetics boxes in her hands – this was truly too challenging for her.

“I’ll go move the things.” Lin Shuanghe waved his hand, moving close to He Yan and whispering: “Little Sister He, make yourself beautiful, let those blind fools see how stunning you are. I have high hopes for you – tonight you’ll be the most beautiful pearl in Jiyang City.”

He Yan: “…” Thanks a lot.

From the corridor above came the clear voice of a little maid: “Madam, Young Master, we’ve prepared the room. You may come up now.”

Xiao Jue said: “Let’s go.”

He Yan tucked away the cosmetics and walked upstairs with Xiao Jue. When they reached the room’s entrance, she hesitated and asked: “You’re coming in too?”

Though they were nominally husband and wife, sharing a room… She still needed to change clothes, which didn’t seem appropriate.

Xiao Jue looked at her as if she were an idiot, and after a while said: “I’ll go to Lin Shuanghe’s room. Call me when you’re done changing.”

He Yan: “…Alright.”

She entered her room, and the two maids retreated to the sides, their grape-like eyes watching her, carefully waiting for her instructions. He Yan couldn’t bear the young girls’ gazes, so she sat down and asked kindly: “What are your names?”

“This servant is Cui Jiao.”

“This servant is Hong Qiao.”

He Yan nodded, “Good names. Cui Jiao, Hong Qiao, I’m a bit hungry now. Could you go down to the kitchen and help make some snacks for me? They should be fresh from the oven, and please watch over them carefully, can you do that?”

The young girls nodded eagerly, saying: “Yes, Madam, we’ll go right now.”

After Cui Jiao and Hong Qiao left, He Yan sighed in relief. She still wasn’t used to being served by others. Looking at the clothes and accessories in the box gave her another headache. After some thought, she decided to first wash her face and clean off the deliberately thickened eyebrows she had drawn.

Now traveling with Xiao Jue, for convenience’s sake, she hadn’t bothered to darken her face. After being covered up all winter in Liangzhou, her skin had become quite fair. The room had clean hot water, and He Yan washed her face, dried it with a handkerchief, and sat down at the table.

Perhaps due to aging another year, Young Lady He’s face had become much more graceful than a year ago, her features more distinct. What was once merely a charming beauty now showed a touch of heroic spirit and elegance, the former vulgarity washed away. At this moment, she was truly captivating.

Having grown accustomed to seeing herself in male attire, He Yan found the feminine appearance somewhat unfamiliar. She picked up the wooden comb from the table, first smoothing out her long hair, then turned her attention to the cosmetics Lin Shuanghe had given her.

Rouge and lip color… how were they used? She could barely remember anymore. As Madam He, she had used them a few times, but later had maids to attend to her, never needing to apply them herself. Now she truly didn’t know where to begin.

She picked up the eyebrow pigment from the table, deciding to start with what she knew best.

He Yan leaned closer to the mirror and began carefully drawing her eyebrows, one stroke at a time.

Just as she finished one eyebrow, someone knocked at the door. With the pigment in one hand, she opened the door to find Xiao Jue.

He thrust a box into her hands, saying impatiently: “You forgot your clothes.”

He Yan smacked her forehead, “Right! I almost forgot!”

What was the point of doing her makeup when she’d forgotten the clothes worth two hundred gold? She said to Xiao Jue: “Thank you.”

Xiao Jue’s gaze fell on her face, and he froze, asking incredulously: “What did you draw?”

He Yan: “Eyebrows! How’s my handiwork?”

Xiao Jue’s lips twitched.

Accustomed to dressing as a man, she had naturally drawn her eyebrows thick and heavy to achieve that “sword-like brows and star-bright eyes” look of a young man. Now with her hair down and face made up as a woman, she needed to draw feminine brows. And He Yan’s distinction between male and female eyebrows? She had simply curved the sword-like brows.

One curved, thick, heavy eyebrow lay above her eye like an earthworm – a particularly fat one at that.

Xiao Jue couldn’t bear to look anymore.

He grabbed He Yan’s arm and dragged her to the washbasin, saying coldly: “Wash it off.”

“Why?” He Yan looked up. “I think it looks quite good!”

Xiao Jue looked down at her with a slight sneer: “You think it looks good?”

“Alright,” He Yan said softly: “…maybe not that good.”

But what could she do? Different skills require different expertise. She was adept at male matters but clumsy with feminine ones – this wasn’t something that developed overnight.

“Where are those two maids?”

“They went to the kitchen to get me something to eat.” He Yan quickly washed off the eyebrow she had drawn, dried her face with a handkerchief, and feeling dejected, decided to give up entirely: “This is the only way I know how to draw eyebrows, unless…” she opened her palm with the eyebrow pigment lying in it, “you’d like to try?”

It was meant as a casual joke, but to her surprise, after giving her a look, Xiao Jue took it.

Now He Yan was truly startled.

Xiao Jue walked to the window, and seeing she hadn’t moved, said: “Come here.”

He Yan instinctively complied.

He added: “Sit down.”

He Yan sat on the stool before him. Still finding it incredible, she asked: “You’re really going to draw them for me?”

Xiao Jue’s gaze swept across her uneasy face, his lips curving as he asked meaningfully: “Scared?”

“Scared?” He Yan immediately sat up straight. “What do I have to be scared of? I’m just worried you won’t do it well, that you’re just boasting.”

Xiao Jue scoffed: “Unnecessary worry. Sit still.”

In March’s Jiyang, the warm sunlight crept through the window, stealing across the young man’s face. The beautiful man, pure as the spring moon, held the eyebrow pigment in his slender fingers, gently brushing it across the tail of her brow.

He Yan felt somewhat uneasy.

She had never imagined Xiao Jue would draw her eyebrows. Neither in her previous life nor this one had she been this close to a man. Even Xu Zhiheng, her husband, had never done such a thing during their newlywed days. A man drawing a woman’s eyebrows might be seen by others as frivolous or indulgent in beauty. Yet the sight of Xiao Jue seriously drawing her eyebrows momentarily enchanted her.

He Yan immediately recognized her enchantment and leaned back slightly.

Xiao Jue frowned: “Don’t move.”

She froze as his hand caught the back of her head, pulling her closer than before.

This allowed her to see him even more clearly.

Without his usual sharpness and coldness, Xiao Jue seemed extraordinarily gentle at this moment. His thick, dense eyelashes drooped down, half-hiding his dark pupils and concealing that autumn water coolness. Sitting there languidly, his features were incomparably elegant. His thin lips were crimson, so enticing that one couldn’t help but stare.

She remembered a rainy night in her previous life – if she had known it was him then, if she could have seen and accepted his kindness and gentleness, would she have been softer in her attitude toward such a face, rather than being so harsh?

Perhaps her gaze was too intense to ignore, for Xiao Jue’s hand paused and his eyes met hers.

He Yan immediately felt guilty, as if caught doing something wrong.

Xiao Jue frowned slightly: “Why is your face so red?”

“Mine?” He Yan started, instinctively covering her cheeks with both hands, indeed feeling the heat, and unable to find a reason, stammered wordlessly.

Xiao Jue stared at her for a moment, suddenly leaning closer, “You couldn’t be…” he raised his eyebrows, his eyes filled with unfathomable meaning, smiling as he said: “fond of…”

“No, no, no!” Before he could finish, He Yan immediately denied it, raising both hands as if taking an oath: “Really, no! With your heavenly bearing, how dare someone as ordinary as me have such thoughts! I absolutely wouldn’t dare to have improper thoughts about you! Really!”

Xiao Jue leaned back, still holding the eyebrow pigment, and seeing her hurried denial, sneered and said lazily: “I hadn’t even said what yet, why so excited?” He raised an eyebrow, “Guilty conscience?”

“I don’t!” He Yan grew anxious.

What was wrong with this person, why wouldn’t he let this go? Was teasing people so amusing? What a terrible sense of humor!

Outside the door, the two maids stood holding plates of snacks, unsure whether to enter or not.

“Are we going in or not?” Hong Qiao asked quietly.

“Let’s… not,” Cui Jiao said: “I’ve seen scholars reading poetry – Madam and Young Master are sharing an intimate moment, best not to disturb them.”

“Oh.” Hong Qiao nodded, seeming to understand but not quite.

Cui Jiao thought of that poem – how did it go? Ah yes: “After making up, she softly asks her husband: Are my eyebrows drawn to fashion’s taste?”

Just so.