The young ladies, gentlemen, and female relatives were all asked to leave, with lanterns clattering under the eaves outside. The overlapping lights illuminated Jiang Wanyi and the other women as they descended the stone steps. She looked back to see the silhouettes of a gentleman and a lady sitting beneath the window, hidden behind curtains and lantern light.

It was Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu.

After Lady Lu had driven everyone away, she said Lu Third Young Master and Lady Luo were quarreling fiercely, and the elder needed to mediate personally.

Lu Yun leaned against the window. Jiang Wanyi could only see how graceful his silhouette looked in the evening breeze through the curtains – his profile still handsome and elegant, unforgettable to all who saw it.

Meanwhile, Luo Lingyu sat demurely across from him, head lowered as she wept, her delicate breathing punctuated by tears that stained her cheeks – how fragile and pitiful she appeared.

Jiang Wanyi’s eyes dimmed, thinking that if she were to cry, she could never achieve Luo Lingyu’s appearance of profound sorrow and moving vulnerability. Though naturally gentle herself, she could never cry like that. The young ladies called Luo Lingyu “competitive,” so how could she have so many tears? Though dizzy with confusion, Jiang Wanyi kept remembering Lu Third Young Master’s words before she fainted: “I want to marry her.”

There were so many young ladies in the family who had known him for years… Lady Luo had only been here for half a year, yet he wanted to marry…

Tears welled in Jiang Wanyi’s eyes, her heart aching with jealousy. She wished she could go back and cry alongside Luo Lingyu, to compare whose grievances were greater.

Lady Lu had no time now to concern herself with the young ladies’ feelings. That single phrase from Lu Yun – “I want to marry her” – had shocked her so much that despite it not yet being dinner time, she had already lost her appetite. After everyone left, only Lady Lu, the matriarch of the household, remained to accompany them. Only then did Lady Lu earnestly try to mediate between Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu:

“So young, yet such hot tempers. Never mind that Lady Luo is already betrothed – even if she weren’t, I couldn’t approve of your marriage after all this shouting. You’re already quarreling like this now; wouldn’t the Lu family be torn apart if you two were together?”

“Third Young Master, you’re just bullying your cousin! Lady Luo is young and lively, fond of joking – how could you take it seriously? You even made Lady Luo cry? She’s our family’s relative; behaving this way makes people say the Lu family has lost its manners and looks down on old friends.”

“I’ll consider this just foolishness from both of you today, but it must not happen again. Stop talking about ‘marrying’ or ‘not marrying’ – Lady Luo has a fiancé, Third Young Master, you must consider her reputation.”

Lady Lu truly did not want her grandson to marry a powerless girl from a fallen scholar’s family. She directly defined this incident as children’s play. Lady Lu at the side pursed her lips – as the first person to notice the entanglement between the Third Young Master and Lady Luo, having investigated their relationship for so long, she understood their connection far better than Lady Lu. However, since her mother-in-law had spoken thus, she naturally wouldn’t contradict her.

Regardless, Lady Lu’s even-handed scolding finally stopped Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu’s quarrel and made them reconcile.

After Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu both rose to apologetically bow to each other and left together, Lady Lu’s expression finally softened. When the maid outside returned to tell Lady Lu and Lady Lu that “Third Young Master has escorted the young lady back,” the two women in the room truly relaxed – this incident was finally over.

However, Luo Lingyu ultimately left an impression on Lady Lu.

Lu Yun’s words about wanting to marry Luo Lingyu made Lady Lu quite uncomfortable. Like a thorn, it would prick her from time to time, preventing her from forgetting.

“What, what? What did I miss? Third Young Master wants to marry our Lingyu?” As Lady Lu and her daughter-in-law were discussing Lu Yun’s marriage prospects, with Lady Lu specifically showing her mother-in-law albums of noble ladies from Jianye, hurried footsteps were heard outside the curtain. The curtain opened to reveal Lu Ying in a narrow-sleeved riding outfit and tall boots, radiantly beautiful and full of curiosity as she entered the room, sat beside her mother, and craned her neck waiting for an explanation.

Lady Lu snorted: “Young Sister-in-law has returned early today, in time for dinner.”

Lu Ying ignored her sister-in-law, asking only what interested her: “I just got back and heard Third Young Master wants to marry Luo Lingyu. Is our Lingyu so charming that she can move Third Young Master’s iron heart even while betrothed? Ha, I’ve never seen Third Young Master so flustered before. Has he given up on his reputation?”

Lady Lu rebuked her daughter: “Stop talking nonsense! Don’t spread this around – if rumors start circulating outside, I’ll hold you responsible! Third Young Master and Lady Luo were just having a childish quarrel, yet you’re all making it sound like something real. You never care about your niece normally, why the sudden interest now?”

Lu Ying shifted uncomfortably under her sister-in-law’s gleeful stare: “Well, I’m asking about it now, aren’t I?”

She barely managed her son, how could she possibly manage Luo Lingyu, who was now only nominally her niece with no actual blood relation?

Lady Lu flipped through the album in her hands, and after one complete review, set it aside. Lady Lu sighed: “Third Young Master knows all these ladies in Jianye – if he had any interest, something would have happened long ago. I think we shouldn’t limit ourselves to Jianye; we should look at noble ladies from other places too. Write to Qingyi and ask if she knows any suitable ladies from good families to introduce to her third brother.”

“A family of our status doesn’t need to settle. When choosing a wife, we must consider both social status and the young master’s satisfaction. Make sure Qingyi understands – don’t make it seem like we’re disregarding the young master’s preferences.”

This was directed at Lady Lu. Qingyi was Lady Lu’s eldest daughter, now married and living in Hanzhong. Among the Lu family girls of this generation, she was the only one, so Lady Lu immediately thought of this granddaughter.

Lady Lu nodded.

Lady Lu considered asking other married-in women of the family to help look for matches. While the Lu family lacked girls, their relatives certainly had some. Through various connections, they should be able to find someone Lu Yun liked. Lady Lu thought again of Luo Lingyu, muttering to herself: “I suppose Lady Jiang has no chance now. We’ve introduced many ladies to Third Young Master before – lively ones, gentle ones, shy ones, bold ones… all sorts. But he didn’t like any of them. Does he prefer Lady Luo’s type? We can look for someone similar to Lady Luo. But what type is Lady Luo exactly?”

Lady Lu felt a tightness in her chest, unable to explain. She and Luo Lingyu had incompatible personalities, and she held many prejudices about the young lady’s daily behavior. Yet oddly enough, she found Luo Lingyu capable – the several small banquets at home had all been well-managed by her. When she was looking for a daughter-in-law, Luo Lingyu had helped her ask questions. Lady Lu felt conflicted, unsure how to evaluate Luo Lingyu.

Lu Ying understood her mother and sister-in-law’s meaning. She raised an eyebrow and said lazily: “Looking for someone like Lingyu? Then I advise you not to bother – Lingyu has already reached the peak of her type. You probably won’t find anyone better than her.”

Lady Lu looked at her daughter.

Seeing her daughter count on her fingers: “My niece has been competitive since childhood, quick to learn everything, never falling behind. When her family met with misfortune, I thought she surely wouldn’t survive, but unexpectedly she led her sister from Ruyang to Nanyang to find the Luo family ancestors. The destruction of the Luo family was such a major event that even I had nightmares for a whole year and couldn’t sleep well. Yet she lived contentedly in Nanyang and even found herself a fiancé. Heh, the Fan family of Nanyang is hardly inferior to the Lu family.”

“Every festival and holiday, she remembers to send me gifts, always calling me ‘Aunt.’ I’m naturally lazy and don’t usually care about such things. Normally when young girls encounter my indifference once or twice, they understand I look down on them and won’t approach again. But our Lingyu is different… she can thick-skinned keep calling me ‘Aunt’ warmly, persistently calling until I truly remembered her.”

Lu Ying smiled wryly: “She encountered some trouble in Nanyang and came to seek refuge in Jianye. If she hadn’t been writing to me and sending gifts all these years, I truly wouldn’t have taken on such a troublesome matter.”

“She’s truly sweet-tongued, good at pleasing people, and quick-witted. Yes, she has some schemes, and being young, doesn’t hide them well enough, but nobody’s perfect. As long as she doesn’t do anything truly despicable, it’s no great fault.”

“She’s truly strict with herself. How many years has it been since my young uncle’s family passed? She was only ten when she left Ruyang, but looking at her now, she hasn’t fallen behind in any of the skills a noble lady should learn. Music, chess, poetry, painting, cooking, needlework, games, appreciation… how many pieces must she split her day into to have learned to this level, Mother, have you thought about it?”

Lady Lu and the others appeared thoughtful.

Lu Ying propped her chin on her hand, sighing: “And our Lu Third Young Master, with his lofty nature, looks down on everyone. If a lady isn’t thick-skinned, she probably couldn’t even manage a few words with him. Luo Lingyu is lively and eloquent – there’s never a dull moment with her. Even the young ladies of our family, each with their thoughts, haven’t openly quarreled with Luo Lingyu. And given Luo Lingyu’s beauty, the number of ladies who dislike her must be far greater than what we’ve seen.”

“Luo Lingyu’s beauty is such, clear yet alluring. Since ancient times, men might speak of such bright beauties as ‘harbingers of disaster,’ but who doesn’t want to steal an extra glance? No matter how lofty and arrogant our Third Young Master is, he’s still a normal man.”

“Luo Lingyu has a slim waist and full chest, moving with graceful charm. Perhaps because she studied dance as a child, her bearing and demeanor are excellent. In just half a year in Jianye, she’s truly earned the title ‘Flower Goddess.’ Which gentleman or lady in Jianye now doesn’t know her? Hasn’t heard of her fame?”

Lu Ying laughed: “Lu Third Young Master must like this type of elegant lady. Lingyu has nearly perfected her style, raising Third Young Master’s standards so high… how will you find another? The lively ones might not be as beautiful as her, the beautiful ones might not have her figure, and those with her figure might not have her many talents… haha.”

Lu Ying couldn’t help but laugh at her own words, seeing the fascinating expressions on Lady Lu and Lady Lu’s faces. Though she wasn’t close to her niece, perhaps because of Luo Lingyu’s frequent gifts, at this crucial moment, Lu Ying spoke many good words for Luo Lingyu. It shows that diligence doesn’t necessarily make people show immediate warmth to you, but it certainly helps at critical moments.

Lady Lu, moved by her daughter’s words, also felt Luo Lingyu was quite remarkable. Lu Third Young Master was different from Second Young Master – Second Young Master had his parents to plan for him, but Third Young Master had lost his parents early, so his wife would certainly need to be capable of managing independently. When Lady Lu looked for a daughter-in-law for her grandson, she focused on noble ladies not just for the benefit of an alliance between prominent families, but because noble ladies had broad horizons and extensive knowledge, could maintain appearances, and wouldn’t hold her grandson back. She looked down on recently risen common families, as the difference in cultural foundation was too great – there was nothing to discuss between them.

But Luo Lingyu…

Lady Lu said: “She’s good in every way, except her family background is too poor. Marrying her would be like not marrying at all. Not only could she not help the Third Young Master, but he would have to support the Luo family of Nanyang. Third Young Master has already lost his parents, and in the future, his wife’s side wouldn’t be able to help him either. Though the Third Young Master’s path has been difficult, he has always been talented. He has finally made a name for himself through his abilities – I am his grandmother, I can’t bear to see him take the difficult path, can’t bear to see him fare worse than other young masters who don’t match his talents.”

Lu Ying shrugged indifferently. In her view, how difficult could life be for a noble young master? But she couldn’t say this – if she did, her mother would scold her for being cold-hearted and not caring about her nephew.

Finally, as the group discussed, their voices gradually grew softer. Lady Lu’s last sigh lingered: “…Let’s wait and see.”

…

It rained that evening, the raindrops pattering against the windows as Luo Lingyu dined in her courtyard. The air had cooled, and her younger sister Luo Yunwan, having heard about her quarrel with Lu Yun, came to check on her with blinking eyes. The young lady had her head patted by her sister, who smiled confidently: “Don’t worry, I have my plans.”

Luo Yunwan spent the entire evening with her sister, watching her practice calligraphy. The young lady lay on the desk, secretly watching her sister. She observed as Luo Lingyu’s initially calm expression gradually changed as she kept turning to look at the window and sending maids to check the courtyard. After watching her sister’s growing anxiety for some time, her little sister had a moment of insight: “…Sister, did you offend Third Cousin again?”

Luo Lingyu froze: “…”

She tapped her sister’s forehead: “What do you mean ‘again’? Don’t talk nonsense.”

Seeing the discomfort in her sister’s expression, Luo Yunwan sighed like a little adult: “I know, you must have used him again. Sister, you’re just used to using people to achieve your goals. But Third Cousin particularly minds this. If you’d just talk to him properly, he might help you willingly. You insist on staying quiet and using people as you please, of course, he’d be unhappy.”

“Besides, these past few days, I don’t think you’ve been good to Third Cousin. With so many young ladies visiting, you’ve been busy with your ‘sisters’ all day. When a Third Cousin rarely comes home and seeks you out to talk, you have no time for him. Having no time is one thing, but suddenly having time when you need something from him? What should Third Cousin think?”

Luo Yunwan wrote her characters stroke by stroke: “Sister, be careful or Third Cousin won’t marry you.”

Luo Lingyu became flustered with embarrassment: “What do you mean won’t marry?! He never said anything about marriage!”

“You’re just a child, what do you know? This is playing hard to get! When dealing with men, you have to…”

Luo Yunwan mimicked her words: “When dealing with men, you have to keep them hanging.”

The little sister made a face, but spoke truth: “But the person you’re trying to keep hanging is Third Cousin! The renowned Lu Third Young Master!”

She was deeply scheming, while he was extremely sensitive. Luo Lingyu lowered her head to reflect on whether she had become too arrogant these past days, whether she had only used Lu Yun without considering his feelings. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. With the new arrival of Young Lady Jiang Wanyi, she had been focused on making Jiang Wanyi concede, using Lu Yun as a tool in their competition. Lu Yun had given her plenty of face in public, but…

Luo Lingyu’s face fell: he wouldn’t be so accommodating in private.

Her precarious marriage dreams… why was she feeling more unsettled now that Lu Yun had told his grandmother he wanted to marry her?

Rattled by her sister’s words, Luo Lingyu spent the entire evening restless. Feeling irritated, she got up to pace, several times considering taking an umbrella outside. Given their afternoon quarrel and Lady Lu’s close attention, plus the distance between their courtyards… As Luo Lingyu was hesitating whether to send someone, there was movement in the courtyard.

Jinyue’s smiling voice came through: “Is the young lady home? Our young master asked this servant to bring you something.”

Another gift?!

Luo Lingyu stood behind the door, not immediately rushing to open it. However, the weight in her heart lifted, while her sister tiptoed up beside her to peek. Luo Yunwan teased her sister with a grin: “Oh, Third Cousin sent something again? It seems Third Cousin is foolish, truly unaware that you’re playing him.”

“Nonsense!” Luo Lingyu pushed her sister away, “Go back to your writing! Don’t meddle in adult matters.”

After quietly sending her sister away, Luo Lingyu coughed once, then spoke demurely through the door, brushing away some loose strands of hair from her cheeks: “Another gift… We just had trouble with Lady Lu this afternoon over gifts, I dare not accept any more from Cousin. Sister Jinyue, please take it back.”

But in her heart, Luo Lingyu thought: Don’t take it back!

As if hearing her thoughts, Jinyue laughed once across the door before saying: “Third Young Master asked me to bring you some account books… I don’t recognize many characters and don’t really understand them, perhaps the young lady could open the door and see for yourself? Originally Third Young Master wanted to come himself, but right after dinner, he was called away by Prince Chen’s people, something about another northern city being captured… Third Young Master left word for me to deliver the account books to you. When he returns, he’ll come to see you personally.”

What?

Lu Yun said he would come to see her personally when he returned.

Luo Lingyu’s legs went weak with fear, and after her sister’s reminder, she was somewhat afraid of Lu Yun finding her… Steeling herself, she opened the door and smiled charmingly: “What account books? I don’t know what you’re talking about, but with the rain so heavy, please come in first, sister.”

Jinyue led the maid in bringing several thick account books to Luo Lingyu. Luo Lingyu was bewildered, not understanding Lu Yun’s intention. But under the admiring gazes of the maids, she pretended to understand, as if she and Lu Yun had truly arranged something. Moreover, when Luo Lingyu was dealing with Jinyue, she casually flipped through the account books and saw the large sums of income and expenditure… The young lady clutched the edges of the books, unwilling to let go.

Completely shocked: So much money!

So much!

So very much!

Seeing such large sums of money, whether incoming or outgoing, Luo Lingyu couldn’t bear to return the account books. Her heart leaped with joy, her face flushed with excitement: Could Lu Yun be planning to give all these shops to her? Could this be the entire Second Branch’s property? All for her?

He… he… he… She would be willing to marry him in this life, the next life, and eighteen lives after, she would do whatever he said, completely devoted!

After Jinyue left and her sister was led away to bed after finishing her studies, Luo Lingyu still studied by lamplight. She placed the dozen or so account books on her desk, having no mind for washing up or sleeping. The young lady sat down with an abacus and began calculating the accounts. The more she calculated, the more delighted she became, growing increasingly dizzy… He was truly so wealthy!

Luo Lingyu was excited inside: Though Lu Yun might be difficult to talk to, he must be her ideal husband. No other young master would give her such large sums of money… Most of it was in land, estates, and harvests, earning many times more than the cosmetics shop she co-owned with Young Master Zhou.

The summer rain continued drizzling until midnight, and Luo Lingyu sat by candlelight for two full hours, the room filled only with the clear sound of the abacus beads. The young lady sat motionless, showing no fatigue. After some unknown time, as the rain outside formed rivulets and the water clock fell silent, the window made a soft patting sound as it was pushed open from outside.

Luo Lingyu remained completely unaware.

After a while, she heard an amused, cool male voice behind her: “If you love money this much, you wouldn’t notice if your room were on fire or if a thief came in the night.”

Lu Yun!

Luo Lingyu was startled, immediately standing and turning around. Seeing only a shadow, she had just begun to smile when she was caught by the waist and lifted. He had picked her up horizontally, her face pressing against his damp chest. The ornament in her hair swayed lightly, and she made a small sound, tilting her head back and wrapping her arms around him.

Being suddenly lifted by the young master made her heart leap and her face burned like fire. Yet at the same time, Luo Lingyu looked back reluctantly: “Put me down! Let me look at the account books one more time…”

Lu Yun looked down at her as she struggled to jump down and return to her account books.

Lu Yun’s expression remained calm, his eyes dark with ink. After watching her for a long while, he laughed softly: “Little Sister Lingyu shouldn’t push her luck.”

“I played along with your act this afternoon. You’ve been getting carried away for days now. Isn’t it time for that spirit to come down?”

“You’ve pressed me about marriage to such an extent. Using me as a tool in your competition with other ladies, only thinking about giving gifts to your ‘sisters’ without keeping me in mind… And even now, your mind is full of money…”

Luo Lingyu suddenly stopped struggling, propping herself up to hold him tightly. She looked up and quickly pecked his lips. Lu Yun’s breath caught, and just as he was about to speak, Luo Lingyu hurriedly kissed him again. She wouldn’t let him continue speaking, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing against his waist, shyly yet boldly trying to entice him.

The inner chamber was warm, and soon they retired for the evening. Through the night, the rain continued to fall gently outside while incense burned slowly in its burner, filling the room with a sweet fragrance that merged with the fresh scent of rain.