Ruyi picked up the hibiscus white jade cup beside her hand and took a light sip. The wine’s fragrance filled her teeth, warming her throat as it went down.

“Elder sister, please don’t drink anymore.” The woman across from her spoke with a slight sob in her voice. “I know my elder sister feels unhappy inside. Elder sister, please don’t blame the Marquis. This is all my fault. It’s because I couldn’t control my feelings for the Marquis, it’s because I—”

“Zhenxue, stop talking.” He Zeyou pulled her into his embrace. “You’re a young lady, how can you bear all this?”

After speaking, he raised his head to look at her: “Zhenxue and I are truly in love. I’m also very grateful for your support these past years, but now everyone outside knows that Zhenxue and I have feelings for each other. If I don’t marry her as my wife, how can she establish herself in this Lin’an City?”

How wonderful.

Ruyi couldn’t help but clap her hands.

The person who stole someone else’s lover couldn’t bear the gossip and rumors, so they wanted her, the victim, to tearfully give her blessing.

Perhaps the mockery in her eyes was too obvious. He Zeyou softened his voice to console her: “I know you won’t marry anyone but me. After Zhenxue enters the household first, we’ll wait a year, then I’ll come to welcome you too.”

Welcome her for what? To be his concubine?

Ruyi raised her eyebrows high.

“Elder sister must be very surprised too, right?” Wen Zhenxue straightened her posture. “Since that’s the case, then those thirty-six shops on Worship God Street—although the Marquis has already taken charge of them for quite some time, elder sister has always kept the property and land deeds hidden without giving them over. Since we’re all family now, the elder sister should still send someone to deliver them as soon as possible.”

He Zeyou nodded along.

As the wine’s effects surged up, Ruyi’s head buzzed. She couldn’t help but raise her head to glance at the Moon Gazing Pavilion.

In this small wine house’s private room, they could gather two shameless people at once—what great fortune indeed.

She swayed as she stood up, raised her sleeve to wipe the remaining wine from the corner of her mouth, and finally opened her mouth: “I wish you two harmony like qin and se, and to grow old together with white hair—as for my marriage, including those thirty-six shops, neither of you need to worry about them anymore.”

Upon hearing this, He Zeyou immediately stood up: “What do you mean?”

“Nothing much. You marry someone else, and I’ll take back the shops. The things my mother gave me, how could they fall into the hands of beasts?”

“You!”

“Elder sister, what kind of words are these?” Wen Zhenxue also became anxious. “With your elder sister’s current reputation, if you can’t marry into the Marquis’ Manor, you’ll be beaten to death by the old Grand Preceptor.”

Was she afraid of her being beaten to death, or afraid of her taking back the shops?

Ruyi stared at these two people, staring until both of them guiltily turned their heads away.

How boring.

She threw down the wine cup and flicked her sleeves as she walked outside.

“Stop.” He Zeyou hurriedly followed her. “We haven’t finished talking. Those shops—”

Ruyi quickened her pace. After exiting the door and turning right, she discovered there was no path ahead.

The person behind had already reached out to grab her arm: “Listen to me.”

Avoiding his movement by withdrawing her hand, Ruyi simply pushed open the tightly closed door of the adjacent room, entered, and immediately latched the door behind her.

Inside the room, the gauze curtains were set flying by her movement, and within the interweaving blue and yellow colors surged a faint mint fragrance.

She inexplicably relaxed somewhat.

He Zeyou still persistently knocked on the door, but after only a couple of knocks, someone scolded: “Impudent! How dare you disturb our lord’s peace!”

Ruyi was startled, only then realizing there were people in the room.

She quickly turned around, and a sword gleaming with silver light had already arrived coldly, positioned exactly at her throat.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she swallowed her saliva.

The person before her had eyebrows like twin swords, eyes containing cold stars, and contours sharp and hard like forged white iron, looking particularly not to be trifled with.

But…

Her gaze shifted sideways.

This person actually had a small tear mole below the outer corner of his left eye, light and shallow, like sand brushed onto rice paper.

Looking further down, his lips were also slender and soft. Even though they were pressed tightly together, they made one want to reach out and caress them.

She subconsciously swallowed her saliva.

The sharp blade at her throat moved an inch closer. Ruyi came to her senses, blinked, and honestly raised both hands high, silently mouthing with her lips: “Misunderstanding.”

The person opposite clearly didn’t buy this. He reached out to pinch her sleeve pocket, then used the sword hilt to prod her chest, confirming she carried no lethal weapons before relaxing his grip.

He stepped back half a step, but this young lady followed him forward half a step, pressing her entire body closer.

The wine fragrance hit his face. He frowned in disgust and was just about to wave his hand to make her leave when he heard someone outside shout: “Ruyi, don’t startle Lord Zongzheng, come out quickly!”

Lord Zongzheng?

Ruyi raised her eyebrows and lowered her head slightly, only then seeing that this person wore the Crimson Cloud-Patterned Brocade of the second rank.

The Zongzheng Bureau managed the conduct of all officials and their family members, could remonstrate directly to the ruler, and held great power. Even the Ningyuan Marquis would have to fear him somewhat.

A thought surged up. Not only did Ruyi not retreat, she actually stood on her tiptoes, lazily stretched out both hands, hooked them around this person’s neck, and called out: “We had originally arranged to meet here. How could I startle my lord? I trouble the Marquis to give us some convenience—the wine and food at the neighboring table, I’ll treat you to it.”

He Zeyou was stunned, and the guards outside were also stunned.

Lord Shen is having a private meeting with someone? What kind of joke was this? That was Shen Qiyuan, son of the current dynasty’s Eldest Princess, personally appointed by His Majesty as Administrator of Zongzheng Affairs and concurrently of the Ministry of Justice. He was famously upright and law-abiding, the model of the imperial clan.

It would be more believable if she said the Jade Emperor descended to have a private meeting with her. How could it possibly be Shen Qiyuan?

He Zeyou said impatiently: “Come out quickly. I don’t want to see your name in the Zongzheng Bureau’s reports.”

Ruyi pouted: “It’s been so long, has he driven me away?”

Indeed, he hadn’t driven her away, only gripped her wrists with both hands, looking at her with eyes that seemed ready to devour someone.

She smiled slightly, completely unconcerned, even leaning forward to explore a bit, her warm breath brushing over his throat, wine vapors swirling densely.

The anger in Shen Qiyuan’s eyes intensified, but his spine also stiffened. A blush spread upward from the base of his ears, tinting his cheeks.

Ruyi looked on with surprise, clicking her tongue: “My lord is so easily teased?”

As soon as the words fell, her mouth was covered by someone’s hand.

Ruyi blinked innocently.

Shen Qiyuan’s hand used considerable force, his eyes ice-cold: “Say one more word, and not a single person in your Liu Manor will escape responsibility.”

The aura around his entire body was very frightening, like dark clouds pressing down on a city about to be destroyed. The gauze curtains in the room responded by wildly rolling, and the celadon vase on the nearby flower stand also swayed along with it. No matter who stood in this room, their legs would have to go weak.

However, for some unknown reason, Ruyi simply wasn’t afraid of him.

She smiled as she looked at him sideways, obediently nodding, but her gaze started from his throat and traveled downward, examining him all the way.

Shen Qiyuan suddenly released her and turned his head away: “That person has left.”

The wine fragrance and mint fragrance in the room were both blown away clean by the wind.

Taking half a step back, clarity returned to Ruyi’s eyes. She properly performed a respectful bow to him: “Thank you, my lord. I was very presumptuous just now. Please don’t take it to heart, my lord.”

Her attitude was quite good now.

Shen Qiyuan relaxed his expression and was just about to speak when the person before him turned around directly and left his room with a flourish.

Without giving him even one more glance.