He Le'an picked up a box of bright red lip balm and applied it to Xue Huiyu's lips. Instantly, she became radiant all over. "You don't have to worry about what those young girls say. When it's time to dress up, just do it well. Some people depreciate with age, but some can turn their years into priceless treasures. This lip color is just a complement."

  "Who says younger people can use bright colors? You look better than many others with this stroke."

  Xue Huiyu smiled and said, "It's not because they always call me an old maid behind my back that I gradually stopped dressing up." It's just that she felt there was no one worth dressing up for. "Their little heads are containers for jewelry and makeup, but I'm not, so let them be."

  "I understand, a woman's beauty is for her own pleasure." He Lian'an smiled brightly and picked up another box of peony-colored lip balm, applying it to his lips. Satisfied with the color in the small mirror, he turned to the shopkeeper and said, "I'll take these two packages."

  Strolling around at leisure, He Le'an and Xue Huiyu took a break in the teahouse. Listening to the miscellaneous gossip of the streets, the trivial daily life of ordinary people, they also chatted about some things that were neither here nor there. Just as they were about to go out for another stroll, several familiar figures came into the teahouse, chirping and chattering away.

  "A while ago, Seventh Brother was injured and didn't see any guests. Now that he's recovered, I want to spend more time with him." A young girl smiled and said, "Eleventh Sister is the same, it's been ages since she last went out. Today we're going to have a great time and return home happy. This teahouse just opened, you guys must try their new pastries."

  "It's only you, who are used to being in the wilderness, that know at the first time which place has opened a new store and how it is. I really envy Da Li Temple's mansion, they don't have as many rules as our family does. Every day, my mother is either telling me to learn this or that, I'm not tired to death, but I'm annoyed to death." He Lejuan fanned herself with a round fan and complained.

  Because He Lian was sitting in a very corner position, they just entered the door and didn't see her, so they went straight upstairs. She also waited for them to go upstairs before getting up with Xue Huiyu to leave. However, it seemed that there were no more positions available on the second floor. As soon as she walked a few steps, they came down the stairs, “……”

  "Really, wherever you go, you can see some annoying flies!" He Leju said with a sneer as they met face to face.

  He Le'an didn't intend to argue with her, and wanted to ignore her, leaving with Xue Hui. However, she didn't respond, which didn't mean He Le'an was willing to let her off the hook. She continued, "I don't know how this teahouse does business, daring to let in those vicious women who enjoy tormenting others. Aren't they afraid of being jinxed and their business plummeting?"

  "So this is the rule of your family." Xue Huiyu turned back and sneered, "Today, not only did I see it, but everyone around here saw it. It's really eye-opening. You're not a wild dog, why do you have to bite anyone you see?"

  "I thought someone was whispering in my ear, but it turned out to be the infamous one who can't get married off in the entire capital city." He Lejuan said, "I wasn't talking to you, what are you interrupting for? You're so ill-mannered, no wonder you can't get married off."

  "Hmph, men who want to marry me can circle around this tea house and my home twice, that's how unworthy I am of getting married." Xue Hui said, "But as for you, even if you wanted to get married, with a shrew like you, I'm afraid no one would dare to take you in."

  "Anyone can talk big, but can you walk the walk? If you're really as great as you say, you would've been married off a hundred times by now. I don't know what's wrong with you that nobody wants you, it's not like we're trying to be fresh vegetables or something! He Lejuan sneered, "The old saying 'near the vermilion one is stained red, near the ink one is stained black' makes sense. Only someone with a heart as vicious as those poisonous women can call them sister and friend."

  "Your rules are really good, even managing other people's family affairs." He Le'an said, "Whether others get married or not has nothing to do with you, it's not like they're going to marry into your family. With all this time spent on meddling in other people's business, why not spend more time reading books and making yourself look like a refined lady? Instead of spending every day idle, only knowing how to waste time with that mouth of yours."

  "Stop pretending, I was born a noble lady, you lowly illegitimate daughter can only envy me. You should read more books and try to pretend to be a noble lady yourself, that way you might be able to deceive the whole world!" He Lejuan sneered with contempt.

  "Don't even mention envy, I'm not moved by your noble and elegant demeanor, but rather want to burst out laughing." He Lian said calmly, "Since you've described yourself as someone who doesn't eat the ordinary food of mortals, then you must not be interested in eating any fresh pastries." She turned to the shopkeeper and said, "From now on, don't bother serving this noble lady, I'm afraid our common goods would be indigestible for her."

  "Yes." The shopkeeper bowed respectfully and replied.

  He Lejuan coldly smiled and said: "What, can't get the better of me, using your status to pressure people away?"

  "I have the status to use, why not use it?" He Lan said, "No matter how noble the lady is, when she sees me, she still has to lower her head and say a few words. Do you think that's very fulfilling? If you like, I can let you stand on the city wall day and night talking nonstop. Noble lady, what do you think?"

  "You!"

  He Lejuan didn't believe she would really dare to disregard the face of the Jianing Marquis's household, and was about to retort when another young girl traveling with her hastily intervened, saying: "Eleventh Sister has always liked to joke around, if she has offended the Princess of Yue, please forgive her!"

  "Jokes are between friends, but obviously, my relationship with your eleventh sister is not close at all. If she says sorry, I won't mind." He Le An smiled and saw the girl quietly pulling on He Le Juan's hem to signal her.

  "It's no wonder she's the princess of Yue, whenever she puts on an air, it can make people tremble with fear." Xiao Qi, who had not spoken until now, said indifferently, "The Meng Duo Jiao hanging under the city wall is still vivid in my mind. It would be better for Miss He to apologize and avoid becoming the next victim." The words were full of mockery.

  "Those who provoke others are inferior, and if they're offended, it's not surprising that others will use their power to counterattack." He Lian said calmly. "Otherwise, who would strive to climb up in this world? Isn't it all about having the ability to resist or fight back when someone throws dirty water at you?"

  "They all say you're heartless and ruthless, I believe it now. You can be so indifferent to the person who saved your life, let alone me, your own sister!" He Lejuan said.

  He Le'an shrugged and said, "When did you ever treat me like a sister? You coldly ridiculed me, saying I was a fly. Now that you've made a mistake and others want to punish you, you suddenly remember that I'm still your sister? Even if I am your sister, I wouldn't easily ask you to apologize to Huiyu. If it were someone else, they would have been kneeling here long ago."

  She glanced at Xiao Qi, "However, today I can spare you for Xiao Qi's sake. As for the future, take care of yourself. An egg cannot be compared to a rock, how you treat me is how I will treat you. I won't tolerate you again and again just because of our relationship. If you give me face, I'll also give you face. If you offend me again, I don't mind teaching you what real rules are."

  He Le'an pulled Xue Huiyu's hand and turned away.

  He Le glared resentfully at her back until she disappeared from view, then fiercely spat out a mouthful of saliva, "Pfft, and to think she doesn't even look at herself, if it weren't for the care of the Jianing Marquis's estate, what would she be?"

  "It's obvious that she is not only the lady of the Jia Ning Marquis' manor, but also the princess consort of Yue. As for this question, you should ask yourself." Xiao Qi gave her a cold glance, seemingly unwilling to walk with her anymore, and continued downstairs, leaving directly.

  "Seventh Brother!" The young girl chased after him for a few steps, turned her head to look at He Lejuan with dissatisfaction and scolded, "Eleventh Sister, why do you have to be so overbearing? I finally managed to get Seventh Brother to accompany me out today! Look what you've done, you've scared him away!"

  He Le frowned and said disdainfully, "You're just a merchant, why are you so concerned? If it wasn't for you bringing me to this broken teahouse, I wouldn't have met that despicable He Le An and been humiliated by her!"

  "Hey!" The girl was furious, "If you didn't intentionally provoke me, I wouldn't have humiliated you. You hit your head against a stone and then blame the stone for being hard!" Thinking of Xue Qi leaving, she got anxious and her eyes turned red, "If Brother Qi dislikes me because of you, I won't play with you again!" After saying that, she ran out in a huff.

  He Lejuan disdainfully curled her lip, completely disregarding the girl's annoyance. However, as she continued downstairs, two familiar-looking men emerged from the corner of the stairs on the other side. One of them gazed at her with an odd expression, flashing disapproval in his eyes, and she suddenly became flustered and froze, "Chu San Gongzi!"

  He nodded slightly to her and was about to leave with Yin Yishan, but He Lejuan suddenly said, "Wait!" She then looked at Yin Yishan pleadingly, and Yin Yishan, being very understanding, said:

  "Chu San, I'm waiting for you outside."

  **

  In the corner of the tea house, facing Chu Mo Ran's puzzled urging, He Le Juan said in a low voice: "You, don't misunderstand me, I'm targeting Princess Yu only because she harmed my sister, I didn't intentionally look for trouble."

  "......Oh." Chu Mo Ran did not expect her to say something that had nothing to do with him, and he was taken aback, responding indifferently.

  "What a joy to pierce her heart!" He Le's eyes seemed to have been pricked by a needle, "Don't you believe she harmed my sister? My sister was originally very loving with Hang Shizi, but was plotted against by the King of Yue's consort, and had her reputation ruined. That's why she ended up in such a miserable state, hated by humans and ghosts alike, and went mad! She really wasn't as good as people imagined!"

  Zhu Mo Ran didn't know what others' wives had to do with him, so he simply replied: "Oh..."

  "I know you're engaged to the eldest miss of Qingguo Gongfu, but Qingguo Gongfu and Qianqin Wangfu are relatives. I'm afraid you've been deceived by someone and don't even realize it." He Lejuan's heart sank, and she said sorrowfully with downcast eyes.

  "Thanks." Chu Mo Ran said indifferently, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first. Yin Ge is still waiting for me."

  What else could He Lejuan say? She held back the tears that were about to burst out of her eyes, nodded and said, "Hmm." She watched him leave without hesitation, her heart was pierced by a needle and almost couldn't breathe. It's all because of that damn He Le'an! If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have made a fool of herself in front of Chu Moran!

  **

  On the street, Yin Yishan frequently glanced at Chu Mo Ran with a ambiguous expression, "We are popular among the younger generation, huh?"

  "...Chu silently responded with a cold expression."

  Yin Yishan patted his shoulder and said, "What's wrong? What did Miss He say to you? Your expression didn't even change."

  "...and didn't say anything."

  "What is it?"

  "She said the Duchess of York's palace was very deep."

  "Isn't that something everyone in the world knows?"

  "...Chu was speechless and had nothing to say in response,"So I said, she didn't say anything either."

  Yin Yishan said with a smile, "However, even so, she still made a special effort to talk to you. You're already engaged, don't do anything that might make other girls misunderstand, especially since He Xi is a spoiled and difficult woman who can hold her own against either the Princess of Yuanguo or Xue Si as an opponent, but your fiancée is different, she's been frail since childhood and can't withstand any turmoil."

  Chu Mo Ran felt himself to be quite innocent, from start to finish he had only spoken with He Le Juan no more than twenty sentences, normally apart from seeing each other at family gatherings and banquets they didn't have any contact or interactions. Wanting to think of what he did that made her misunderstand him, "I've thought about it seriously, I really haven't done anything to her."

  Yin Yishan patted his shoulder with a smile and said, "I still believe in you."

  **

  He Le'an went to Xiangguo Temple to visit her master, but unexpectedly found Rui Qin Wang playing chess with her master in the pavilion of the courtyard. She was quite surprised and muttered to herself, not knowing that they knew each other. As she approached, Rui Qin Wang discovered her and laughed in surprise: "It's my nephew's wife!"

  "Ah, my Master Yikong is someone I revered since I was young, but I never thought that the wise and kind king would also know him." Hele An opened the food box he brought and placed it beside the chessboard. "Master, please help yourself, and Your Majesty, don't be polite."

  "I've long heard that my younger brother's wife is an excellent cook, I didn't expect to be so lucky as to have a feast today." Prince Rui said with a smile.

  He Le'an smiled and said: "They are all vegetarian pastries that Master likes to eat every day, it's fine if you don't mind."

  The game is over, and Rui's king sighed, "Master Kong is indeed formidable. After all these years, I still can't beat you."

  With empty hands clasped together, he uttered a Buddhist phrase and said, "It is only the wise king who has yielded to this old monk."

  Three people sat opposite each other, eating and chatting casually for a while. Before long, Yixing was invited away by the little monk. Rui Qingwang He Le'an smiled and said, "I remember you mentioning your master by the Wishing Pool that day, I didn't expect it to be Master Yixing, he never accepts female disciples."

  He Le'an naturally also knew, raised his lips and was about to speak, when he heard Rui's close relative say, "You are the second person I have ever seen."

  She looked surprised and said, "I've never heard Master say before that I have an older sister."

  "To be strict, it may not even count as that. There was no ceremony, and it was a very brief relationship. Not many people knew about it, and it was just a chance encounter when the great master went out on a journey of self-cultivation. Even the people in the temple rarely knew about it, but I happened to have met her, so I know some things."

  He Le'an suddenly understood, "So that's how it is."

  "Does your wife play chess? Want to have a game?"

  "All right, but I'm not very good at chess, so you might laugh at me." He Lian said with a smile.

  The wise prince raised his hand to signal her to go first. "It doesn't matter, it's just a casual game, don't worry about it, just play as you like."

  White and black pieces are in opposition, the black piece intentionally lets the white piece go, but He Le An seems to be unaware of this. The white piece moves clumsily, several times it almost falls, but with the help of Rui Qin Wang, who seems reluctant to end the game early, it manages to continue on a more winding path.

  The subtlety of chess, He Le'an was secretly surprised, in the past, he would not have had the leisure to play chess with her, every time he saw her it was either an order or a conspiracy, and she knew very little about him. Yet at that time, he had already made up his mind and lost his senses. Until now, he can't even say why he liked this dangerous man who is as unpredictable as a bottomless pit.

  After a slow game, He Le'an said, "Let Rui Qīn Wáng see the joke."

  "My younger brother's wife is very good at it." Rui Qin Wang smiled and said.

  At this time, a bright red figure strolled over and said, "My An'er, whatever she does is always good."

  Ruixin Wang and He Le'an turned their faces at the same time, Ruixin Wang smiled and said, "Fortunately, I praised my younger brother's wife, otherwise you would have been heard by this self-infantile protection, and definitely remembered the hatred."

  Jiang Sunyu glanced at him with a seemingly careless tone, "Prince Rui, next time you want to play chess, you can find me. I'm worried that there's no one to match wits with, and every game is so dull. They say that among your many brothers, your chess skills are the most exceptional, but since I rarely come to the capital, I've never had a chance to play against you."

  "Good." Rui Qin Wang said elegantly.

  He Lian stood up and bid farewell to him, walked out of the pavilion, and naturally grasped the large palm stretched out by Zhong Sun Yue, smiling softly at him: "Why do you have to be so sour when speaking? We're just playing chess after all."

  "Aren't we having dumplings tonight? I brought vinegar myself."

  She let out a snort of laughter, pouting and shaking his hand, "Alright alright, who doesn't know you never dip your dumplings in vinegar? From now on, I won't play chess with anyone else. With my clumsy chess skills, it's not good to lose face again."

  "Considering today is Mid-Autumn Festival, I'll let you off this time."

  "He Lian said, 'That little guy has already thanked King Yue of Guangdong ~'"

  Rui Qin Wang watched them leave with affection and intimacy, only to remember that today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the streets were bustling. Later, every household would be noisy with family members, but his mansion was different, no matter what time it was, there was only him alone. His beloved was not by his side, and the lively person in front of him was not his either. The elegant smile on his lips gradually disappeared...

  **

  He Le'an and Zhong Sunyue joined in the festive bustle on the street, then brought back a pile of things they had bought along the way to the mansion, and were busy in the kitchen. At sunset, Xue Huiyu and Xue Shizi arrived, accompanied by Shi Qinghe, who was wearing half a mask.

  Xue Huiyu went into the kitchen to help He Le'an deal with the ingredients, while the men sat in the courtyard watching the sunset and drinking wine. Zhong Sunqian said, "It seems that Dongfang Er has taken over Su Song's position these days. I can see him frequently going to Rui Qinwang Fu, although it's secretly, but my people have indeed seen him, because they are afraid of startling the snake, they didn't dare to get too close to monitor."

  "We shouldn't jump to conclusions before we are 100% sure." Zhong Sunyue said.

  Xue Shizi said, "Since Dongfang Er stayed in the capital to develop, Zhi Yibo's wife also came, and Zhi Yibo didn't agree, so he and his whole family stayed in Fengzhou City." Dongfang Yi was a good man, hoping that Dongfang Er and his mother would not make the Bo Mansion lose all its honor.

  Zhang Sun said, "He was a protégé of the Prime Minister in his early years. He has been doing well in officialdom for many years and only recently returned from a transfer to Wing City. However, a man with such ambition as to usurp his elder brother's position as heir will not be satisfied with what he currently possesses."

  "A person with a greedy heart will easily go astray," said Shi Qinghe.

  "From the start, he had decided to take a crooked path and just sank deeper into it," said Zhong Sun Yue. The title of nobility has always been passed down from the eldest son, not the younger ones. After using every means to seize the position of heir, how could he be content with that small title?

  In the kitchen, He Le'an arranged the prepared dishes into a portion to be served by Xing Yu to Queen Jianqin. Later, she instructed the maid to take out the remaining items from the courtyard as night fell and the moon was full like a silver plate. The sound of laughter and chatter continued unabated.

  No matter whether the men were discussing politics or war, or something romantic, as long as Ruo He Le An and Xue Huiyu had an opinion, they would listen attentively and express different views or echo in a gentle tone, creating a warm atmosphere like a strong wine fragrance that lingered on.

  "Every three years in late autumn, the Tonghui country will send an envoy to form a marriage alliance. This year, it's unknown whether they want a boy or a girl." Zhong Sunxuan said, "Three years ago, it was Rongshun who was betrothed and sent over." If she knew that Zhong Sunxuan hadn't died, she wouldn't know if he would rashly come back to 'visit his relatives', her children are already two and a half years old.

  "It's August 15th today. I didn't expect heaven to arrange marriages, some people should hurry up." He Le'an ambiguously glanced at Xue Huiyu.

  The two countries are united in marriage, and the ones who have always been married off are young and beautiful girls. Someone like Xue Huiyu, an old maid, would never be pushed out unless the other side specifically asked for her name. Last time it was their side that married over, so this time it's likely someone from Tonghui Country is marrying in. Looking around the imperial court, the one who is easily remembered is not her, but Shi Qinghe.

  Receiving ambiguous gazes from everyone, Shi Qing calmly and composedly drank his wine. Pretending to be admiring the scenery, he couldn't hear anything, but it wasn't that he didn't want to marry Xue Huiyu. He had been yearning for her day and night, dreaming of marrying this woman, but Xue Huiyu's heart was tightly closed, making him feel jealous even towards himself!

  Xue Shizi said, "Speaking of Tonghui Country, the Crown Prince's mansion is indeed a big sensation. In the end, the title was still passed down to the illegitimate son."

  "That's also helpless, the eldest son died young, and the main room has not been able to produce anything. The king is old, and it's impossible to divorce his wife. The title of king will eventually be inherited after all." Zhong Sun said with a smile, "But no matter how hard the main room tries to calculate, they can't stop the illegitimate son from inheriting. It seems like everyone likes to play this kind of trick, as if the dead person has come back to life." Ming's words were full of implication.

  Jiang Sunyue seemed to be unable to hear him and continued drinking on his own, He Le'an smiled and said, "The play is not afraid of being old, as long as people like to watch it."