Under the willow tree, a young woman in a light yellow hu dress with a charming fallen horse bun, only two simple decorations on her head, slender and elegant figure, eyebrows and eyes like a painting. She was smiling and speaking politely, looking dignified and generous, with an indescribable freshness and elegance, just looking at her was already very pleasing to the eye. Indeed, she was a rare beauty, but for Ning Wang, beautiful women were not something rare, especially in this situation. So Ning Wang only glanced at her a few more times before turning his eyes away, saying lightly: "I don't see where I've seen you before."

  The young man didn't miss the gaze that lingered on her body for a moment, and he tentatively said: "Your Highness, take a look at her standing posture, it really resembles someone." This sentence was heavily laced with innuendo, essentially trying to get the Ning King to take another glance.

  Ning Wang indeed looked at Peony twice again, although he ultimately turned his horse's head without a word, but there was no sign of annoyance on his face.

  As long as you're willing to take a second look, it means there's potential, and men are indeed all lechers. Meng Ruo saw an opportunity and took it, muttering to herself while pretending to say: "It seems I was wrong, this is indeed the first time we've met today. But this Miss He is truly one of a kind, not only beautiful and gentle, but also very generous and courteous, much more so than that rough and arrogant girl from the Huang general's household."

  When she mentioned Xue Niang again, Ning Wang couldn't help but frown and said coldly: "What are you doing with a child? It's better for you to recite scriptures and pray for blessings on behalf of the queen, rather than coming out to provoke trouble! Today you're provoking General Huang, tomorrow will you go provoke Chancellor Lu as well?" After finishing speaking, he immediately left.

  Meng Ruren knew that he was in a bad mood, but she didn't get scared and lost her composure. She calmly turned around and whispered to Li Niang: "Go ask what this woman is doing here, you must ask clearly and carefully."

  Ling Niang nodded, got off the carriage and lied that she had dropped something at the villa, wanting to go back to get it. She asked a guard to follow her back, and then went to the villa to inquire about Peony's identity without mentioning anything. Meng Ruren ordered the coachman to hurry up and chase after Prince Ning, she must enter the mansion with Prince Ning together, otherwise, they would not have a good life afterwards.

  Meng Ru sat on the headrest, looking at the two old women sitting in front of the carriage who seemed respectful but actually didn't take her seriously, and gradually fell into deep thought.

  On the Double Seventh Festival, Ning Wang refused to stay in the mansion and instead came to this villa to avoid the heat. She followed him here with great effort, but didn't get the desired effect. After carefully following him for a few days, she accidentally touched him one early morning and was sent back immediately. Even her personal maid looked down on her. How could she face returning to the mansion? Luckily, she met this lively girl from the Huang family, who became an outlet for her emotions and provided a legitimate reason for waiting with Ning Wang to return together. Heaven has eyes, letting her meet such a beautiful person.

  This woman with the surname He, although she is mixed up with the daughter of that General Huang, but her manner of treating people and things is so smooth and familiar, absolutely not like a delicate girl raised in the boudoir, nor is it like those arrogant daughters from famous families. She should be someone who often deals with external affairs and interacts with people. Moreover, among the influential families in the capital, she has never heard of anyone as outstanding as this woman. Therefore, she inferred that this He surname woman's background must not be high, but also won't be low. With such a background, she is not stupid either, just suitable to enter the Wang Fu, and not qualified to be her opponent, but can become one of her great helpers.

  It was previously rumored that she had been promised to someone else, and it made her particularly disappointed. However, just now looking at Ning Wang like that, although he didn't say anything, he kept looking at her, clearly having taken a liking to her. As long as he's interested, everything can be discussed. Being promised to someone is nothing, especially when she hasn't married yet. Moreover, it's not uncommon for princes to take other people's wives and concubines. As long as he likes her... even the Empress herself would think she's being virtuous.

  It's said that after Consort Qin passed away, Prince Ning was ill for a while and then became depressed. The Empress Dowager was worried about him and had sent people to the manor several times. However, those people couldn't compare to this Miss He in terms of looks, and more importantly, they all had the same demeanor, having grown up in the palace since childhood. Prince Ning might have been fed up with them already, how could he still be interested? Meng Ruyi slightly raised the corner of her lips - how can a dead person compare to a living one?

  And without mentioning how Meng Ruo's side calculated, this side Peony and Xue Niang bid farewell to the short and fat man, mounted their horses, and slowly headed towards Fangyuan. Xue Niang had gained face from Ning Wang's special envoy coming to apologize, so she threw away all the grievances and injustices from earlier, excitedly saying: "He sister, the rumors outside are indeed true, Ning Wang is really reasonable, it's just that this woman in his household is annoying. He should be well-controlled."

  Feng Da Niang laughed and said, "Why should I discuss this with the imperial relatives? The emperor himself has his own eunuchs. These princes have thousands of people under their command, and there are dozens of women in their households. They are concerned with state affairs, where do they have time to bother with these trivial matters? As long as it's not outrageous, it's just a minor flaw that doesn't overshadow the bigger picture. This is just something we happened to encounter today, who knows how many other things go on in other households?"

  The Snow Maiden thought for a moment and said, "Well, let's just assume it is that way."

  The peony smiles, not because it's like that, but because the rules are like that. What about sweeping one house and then sweeping the world? The words "cultivate oneself, govern the family, govern the country, and pacify the world" are only mentioned when needed, and most of the time, the nobles enjoy their privileges with peace of mind. Or, to put it another way, what seems like a big deal to ordinary people is just a trivial matter in the eyes of those in power.

  For example, in today's matter, Meng Ruo Ren pretended to be overly aggressive and beat Xue Niang, but Huang Jiang Jun was not satisfied and went to reason with him. The best result would be that Ning Wang abandoned the woman he didn't love to appease Huang Jiang Jun, but what could Huang Jiang Jun gain from it? On the other hand, Ning Wang could gain a good reputation. However, Meng Ruo Ren didn't even hit anyone, just made things difficult for her, so all the conflicts were still within reason.

  Xue Niang didn't think much about these things, and after saying that, she threw it to the back of her mind. She smiled again: "The Ning King is really handsome, no wonder I've heard people say before that among the young princes in the capital, he's the most handsome and looks the most like the Emperor."

  Peony nodded casually, she had been curious about what the Ning King, who had a deep connection with the Li family, looked like when he grew up. Now that she saw him, she didn't feel particularly shocked. High nose, double eyelids, two eyebrows and one mouth, he had everything a person should have. If there was anything more, it was just the dignity that only those who had been in power for a long time could possess, which ordinary people couldn't fake. Compared to Ning King's appearance, she cared more about whether Ning King could succeed in the end and whether the Li family could rise to the top.

  Xue Niang chattered excitedly, looking around: "He sister, that time you were sick, the Jiang family sent a sedan chair for you, wasn't it around here? I remember they had an estate nearby."

  Peony was still lost in her own thoughts and replied casually: "Yes."

  Xue Niang laughed until her eyes became crescent moons: "Where is it? Point it out to me. I was curious, what kind of place would someone like that live in? That day when I went back and told my sisters who I'm familiar with, they were all very curious."

  In ancient times, there were also star-chasers. Peony used a whip to point forward: "I haven't been there, but it should be over there, see if you can find it, there are many big trees surrounding it, and outside is a large field of rice paddies."

  The Snow Maiden stretched her neck to look over, but saw a large expanse of golden rice swaying in the wind. In the distance, a green canopy surrounded several greyish-white dots, and a winding path about a zhang long, shining with white light, emerged from there, passing through the undulating rice fields all the way to the top. The scenery was truly beautiful, she was slightly dazed, and softly said: "How far is your farm from here?"

  "Peony Road: 'It's not far, I haven't calculated it specifically, if you want to know, you can calculate it yourself now.'"

  Xue Niang uttered an "oh" and stopped asking questions, furrowing her brow in silent calculation.

  Peony led Snow Daughter and others around the already formed river, pond, and artificial hill, directly into the house, and arranged for the servants to take care of Snow Daughter. She then put Snow Daughter in a side room next to her own, assigned Feng Dama and Atao to take care of serving water for washing, food, and other trivial matters, while she herself didn't even wash her face before hastily starting to soak the several baskets of peonies in warm water. Then, wearing a bamboo hat, she called out to several farm women who were working in the Fragrant Garden, who usually looked honest and reliable, and went with them to the nursery garden to transplant seedlings.

  Everyone followed Peony's instructions, applying the well-prepared, fully fermented and lime-mixed fertilizer to the soil, deeply turning it over and flattening it out, creating small raised beds. At the same time, they teased Peony: "He Niang, it smells terrible here, be careful not to get smoked and tanned too dark or you won't look beautiful anymore! Let us handle this fertilizing and bed-making business, you just go rest for a while and come back later to see, it'll still satisfy you."

  Peony just smiled, leaning against the bamboo hat and standing under the tree shade to watch them busy, and took the opportunity to chat with them: "The days are really passing quickly, I came last time, looking at the rice seems to be ripe?"

  A young daughter-in-law named Zhengniang smiled and said, "You only pay attention to the scenery, but you don't see people busy in the fields, it's clear that they have already started harvesting. If not for your family's high wages, we would probably all go harvest too."

  "Later on, I'll have to hire people frequently. As long as the work is done well, the wages can be higher. Once they're familiar with it, we can sign a longer contract." She had thought this through early on - the servants she bought couldn't handle farm work, and many times she still needed to find local farmers. With them helping out together, it was equivalent to having an additional layer of personal relationships locally.

  Everyone looked at each other and burst out laughing: "As long as you pay us a high salary, we can even make flowers bloom in the ground for you."

  The peony smiled: "I don't want you to pile flowers for me, just help me plant them."

  As they spoke, Xue Niang changed into a refreshing light blue blouse with a cyan silk skirt and came out smiling, embracing Peony's shoulders and looking at the women: "I heard you will dance under the moon tonight, is that true?"

  "It's certainly true, on a fine day like this, after cutting the rice, we'll have dinner in the field and then dance under the moonlight until midnight. People from nearby villages will all come out to watch the excitement, don't you want to join in the fun too?"

  The Snow Daughter happily said: "My original home was a place where I could only dance in spring."

  "Ah, these past few years have been good harvests. If you want to go, who cares about winter, spring, summer or autumn? If you really want to go, we'll come call you after dinner."

  Xue Niang pulled on Peony's sleeve and said with great anticipation, "He sister, can we go too? I'm almost suffocated by my mother."

  Peony recalled the magnificent scene of the Tapping Song stage mentioned by Zhen Shi, and was also very interested. He smiled and said, "Since there's nothing else to do, let's go take a look."

  Xue Niang heard this and happily hugged her tightly for a few moments, almost rubbing her head against her body: "Good sister, you're really great."

  After everything was ready and all the preparations were done, Peony inspected the garden again, washed up and lay down for a short rest. Just as she felt like she had just closed her eyes, Xue Niang rushed over to wake her up: "Dinner is ready, dinner is ready, hurry up and eat! After eating, let's go quickly!"

  Yu He has rushed back from the city, and when she sees Peony opening her eyes, they are still red, clearly not having rested well. She can't help but glance at Xue Niang with a hint of resentment, who is running in and out, excitedly chattering away. Yu He slowly pours water for Peony to wash up, and according to Peony's habit, brings her a cup of cold boiled water. After Peony finishes drinking slowly, she finally calls for someone to serve the meal, which makes Xue Niang anxious to death.

  Peony knew that this body was not good, and she never picked at her food when eating, instead emphasizing slow and careful chewing. Xue Niang had already finished a bowl of rice, but Peony was still holding half a bowl of rice, eating slowly, which made Xue Niang sigh repeatedly. Peony smiled and said: "What's the hurry? Didn't you say we're going to jump to the middle of the night under the moon? The person is right there, they won't run away. Besides, at this time, they are still working, and haven't even eaten yet."

  Xue Niang had to tap her fingers on the table, sitting anxiously waiting. As soon as Peony put down the bowl and washed her hands, she hastily pulled Xue Niang up and went out to the kitchen to look for Zheng Niang. When they arrived at the kitchen door, they saw a large group of women squatting under the shade of a tree outside the kitchen, each holding a large earthenware bowl filled with food, eating and chatting, among whom was that Zhou Ba Niang.

  Zhou Banniang saw Peony approaching, not feeling the slightest bit uneasy. She stood up and directly said to Peony: "He Niang, I heard you're going to hire someone as a long-term worker. Just now I was telling them that from now on, it's better if your family's kitchen is managed by me."

  Peony never thought of having a virtuous wife to be his cook, but it was also not good to refuse her on the spot, so he just smiled and said: "I'm afraid you'll be too busy."

  Zhou Ba Niang glanced at her sideways and said, "Since I've spoken up, I don't think about anything else. If you're willing, I'll do a good job; if not, just let me leave."

  Being forced to give herself a task, this feeling is neither good nor bad. However, in her heart, Zhou Bamao was indeed not bad, and she had already said it here, so Peony said: "Okay."

  Zheng Niang saw Mudan and Xue Niang come to the kitchen, so she knew they were waiting for her to take them to watch the rice-pounding ceremony. After finishing eating, she smiled and said: "It's still early at this time, otherwise I'll lead the two young ladies out for a walk to digest their food."

  The peony hadn't even opened its mouth yet, but Xue Niang was already smiling and saying: "Great, where are we going?"

  Zheng Niang said: "Tà Gē is on the embankment of Huang Qu, we walked along the ridge to get there."

  A group of people left the Fragrant Garden and walked along the ridge for about two tea breaks. As they watched, the sky gradually darkened and the moon rose. Suddenly, a clear and melodious female voice sang from afar: "A thousand wishes before bed, but wait till the green mountains wither away. The water's surface will float with lotus flowers, only when the Yellow River dries up completely. When the white day appears in the east, the Big Dipper turns its face southward, don't rest yet, wait until you see the sun again."

  The singing voice was melodious and winding, but before Peony could react, Snowy's face had already turned bright red. Her mother, Mrs. Fu, frowned even more, her whole face showing displeasure. Just as Mrs. Fu was about to express her opinion that these songs were not suitable for young girls to listen to, someone else sang: "There is a plum blossom, actually it is seven. I beg of you, noble scholar, until the auspicious day! There is a plum blossom, actually it is so. I beg of you, noble scholar, until today! There is a plum blossom, and now it's time to pick it. I beg of you, noble scholar, what do you say?"

  That person sang beautifully, with a cheerful and elegant voice. Peony was just about to praise her when Xue Niang stomped her foot and said coquettishly: "Oh dear, why do you always sing this?" It's either about longing or making someone come after her.

  Zheng Niang smiled carelessly: "It's just what I usually sing." She glanced at Fu Mama, who was full of anger, and Feng Dama, whose face was expressionless, and said: "You two ladies shouldn't feel embarrassed either. Look over there, there are also several madams who have come to escape the heat and watch the excitement. They come every day, listen and watch, but don't say anything. When they're happy, they even reward money or things to those who sing and dance the best. Occasionally, someone will follow along and sing a few lines."

  Peony looked in the direction she was pointing, and indeed saw a few young women standing under the lush willows on the embankment not far away. They were wearing brightly colored underskirts, with high hair buns, each holding a fan to cover their faces, whispering and laughing softly. They should be the hostesses of the nearby village. It's really nice for young women to listen to love songs and sing love songs on a clear night with sparse stars.

  Not far away, there were five young men in a group, dressed in bright clothes, laughing loudly and occasionally glancing at the surrounding women, each of them was very excited, as if it were a grand festival.

  The peony couldn't help but smile. She didn't care if Snow Daughter was embarrassed or if her mother was angry, and she firmly followed Zheng Daughter over, no matter what, tonight's lantern viewing was something she had to enjoy. Snow Daughter saw her walking ahead with confidence, and straightforwardly shook off her mother's hand, heading straight forward.

  As night falls, more and more people gather on the embankment, including men and women, old and young, with the majority being young women. It's unclear how it started, but it seemed to begin with a clear and melodious flute sound, as several bold women formed a circle, hand in hand, tapping their feet to the beat, swaying their waists, dancing and singing: "Don't cling to me, my heart is biased. I am the willow by the Qujiang pool, this person broke that person's branch, love for a moment." As they repeated the song, more and more people joined in, until even the young men who were watching also participated, without distinction between male and female, stomping their feet to the music, clapping hands together. Those who had mutual feelings would use the dance to exchange flirtatious glances, creating a lively and relaxed atmosphere.

  The night grew darker, the atmosphere reached its climax, Peony and Xue Niang stood under the willow tree, smiling and watching the lively crowd, humming softly, but not daring to sing out loud. Zheng Niang jumped out of the crowd with a sweat-drenched face, excitedly stretched out her hand to pull them two: "Let's dance together! What's the point of just standing there?"

  Xue Niang was eager to try, but Mudan was someone who had never danced before. Although she also wanted to go, she felt a bit shy and couldn't help but laugh: "I'm clumsy, I'm afraid I won't be able to."

  She saw Xue Niang wanting to go, and was afraid that she would be taken advantage of by Deng Tu, so she hurriedly stopped her. Xue Niang pouted and said: "Are there still a few people standing like us? The ladies who came earlier also went to jump, I just jumped on the outside, and didn't come."

  As soon as she looked, she saw that the few young women from just now were indeed following to trample the songs. The people standing around watching the excitement were sparse, and unintentionally, her gaze collided with a person standing not far away with their hands behind their back. Both of them were stunned for a moment, and Peony reflexively smiled at that person. That person's expression was somewhat flustered, and then burst into a big smile, revealing two rows of neat white teeth, and then walked towards Peony, it was Jiang Changyang who had not been seen for a long time.

  He walked very quickly, and Peony felt that in the blink of an eye, he was already standing in front of her, smiling slightly shyly: "Madam He, you're also here to watch the lanterns? Do you live on the estate?"

  "Ah, I've come to the manor to plant flowers. I heard there's a lively scene here." She glanced behind him, "Are you alone? Why haven't I seen Director Wu?"

  "Look, he's over there, dancing with Tuo Ge," said Jiang Changyang. He pointed to Wu, who was jumping around like a crab, and said to Peony, "See, he's right there, making a total fool of himself. What a big mouth he has."

  Wu's dance moves were really clumsy, Peony couldn't help but laugh and said in a not-so-polite tone: "He really has a lot of guts." She thought to herself that Wu danced so badly, Jiang Changyang didn't dare to dance, was it because he would look even more ridiculous? And what would someone with such a good figure look like when dancing? With ill intentions, she laughed and said: "Why don't you go dance?"

  Jiang Changyang saw her smile strangely and smiled back asking: "Why don't you go jump too?"

  It was probably because of the pleasant interactions they had before that Peony subconsciously thought he was a trustworthy good person, and also because they were in such a relaxed and happy atmosphere, she felt more at ease, so she said straightforwardly: "Because I don't know how to dance, afraid of losing face. You're not dancing either, what's the reason?"

  Jiang Changyang smiled: "I can dance, I just don't want to. It's actually very simple." He looked at Peony a few times, hesitating whether or not to invite her to give it a try.

  Xue Niang stared blankly at Jiang Changyang, tightly grasping his sleeve, even her fingernails digging into her palm without realizing it. From this angle, Jiang Changyang's nose bridge was straight and handsome, his jawline strong, his posture tall and elegant, his expression warm and gentle, making him seem more familiar to her than the few times she had seen him before. And that Adam's apple on his neck... everything about him made Xue Niang's heart beat faster, and she involuntarily called out: "Mr. Jiang."