"Sir, Miss, this young girl says she's looking for you." The proprietor gently nudged the little girl forward.
The girl appeared to be about seven or eight years old, yet showed no timidity. She carried an exquisite gauze lantern depicting an elegant young lady sitting before a chessboard, one hand holding back her sleeve while the other delicately held a chess piece - the portrayal was remarkably vivid.
It reminded Shen Xihe of that not entirely honorable chess game she'd won in Old Man with White Hair's apricot grove in Luoyang.
"Miss Shen, a gentleman named Hua asked me to deliver this to you." The young girl spoke clearly as she handed the lantern to Shen Xihe. "He entrusted me to convey his wish that you may enjoy both personal happiness and lunar beauty year after year."
"Biyu." Shen Xihe accepted the lantern, and Biyu rewarded the girl with twenty coins, for which the young girl repeatedly expressed gratitude.
No sooner had the young girl stepped outside than someone came running over: "Sister Xihe, Sister Xihe! I knew I wasn't mistaken!"
It was none other than Xue Jinqiao with her maid Caocao.
"Sister Xihe, are you here to admire the moon too? Let me accompany you! I know where to find the most delicious sesame cakes, the finest wine, and where the moon appears most perfectly round..." Xue Jinqiao completely overlooked the very present Shen Yunan, gazing eagerly at Shen Xihe instead.
Shen Yunan: "..."
The way this young lady looked at his sister was more intense than any man's gaze.
"Not going.Shen Xihe maintained her cold refusal.
Xue Jinqiao's small mouth puckered again: "Sister Xihe..."
"Ahem!" Shen Yunan coughed heavily.
Xue Jinqiao seemed to notice there was someone else only then. She looked at Shen Yunan, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "Might I ask who this gentleman is?"
Shen Xihe: "My brother."
Xue Jinqiao, who had initially thought Shen Yunan looked like a rough, dark-skinned fellow, suddenly perceived him as tall and powerful: "Oh, Sister Xihe's brother!"
She quickly assumed a ladylike posture, slightly shy as she curtsied to Shen Yunan: "Greetings, Brother Shen."
Shen Yunan: "..."
He would have found it more sincere if this young lady hadn't so deliberately lowered her voice when addressing him.
"This is the seventh young lady of the Xue family."
"You're too polite, Seventh Lady." Shen Yunan returned the courtesy.
"Brother Shen, shall we go moon-viewing?" Xue Jinqiao had almond-shaped eyes that seemed to hold dewdrops, lively and clear.
Though Seventh Lady Xue's eyes shone with expectation and enthusiasm, Shen Yunan only lost his wits around his sister Shen Xihe. He could see at once that Seventh Lady Xue's interest wasn't genuine - what she really wanted was to invite his sister.
"Thank you for your kind offer, Seventh Lady. However, my younger sister has a delicate constitution. As night deepens and the chill sets in, I must take her back to our residence." Shen Yunan knew his sister best - she disliked social interactions.
"Is Sister Xihe that frail?" Xue Jinqiao showed no annoyance at the rejection, focusing instead on Shen Xihe's poor health. The concern in her eyes felt almost tangible.
Shen Xihe could sense her genuine concern. Though she didn't understand why she had earned the other's favor, such things were common back in the northwest. So she responded sincerely: "Mn."
"Then you should hurry back, and without even a cloak..." Xue Jinqiao began to murmur anxiously.
Shen Xihe, who normally disliked chatter, didn't interrupt her. She allowed Xue Jinqiao to accompany her and her brother downstairs while continuing her concerned muttering.
As she watched them board the carriage, Xue Jinqiao noticed the gauze lantern in Biyu's hand: "Sister Xihe, this lantern is quite unique. Why not give it to me?"
Shen Xihe had originally planned to discard it somewhere anyway. Since Xue Jinqiao wanted it, she motioned for Biyu to hand it over.After Shen Xihe's carriage departed, Xue Jinqiao slammed the gauze lantern to the ground and stomped on it twice: "Hmph, that libertine! How dare he harbor improper thoughts about my sister Xihe!"
Xue Jinqiao had sought out Shen Xihe because she too had taken a liking to this gauze lantern, thinking it would perfectly suit Shen Xihe, and wanted to buy it as a gift for her. However, someone had purchased it before her. She originally intended to catch up and ask if they would be willing to part with it.
Due to the crowded streets, she only saw the person hand the lantern to a young flower girl and have the girl deliver it. From below, she spotted Shen Xihe and initially thought she had missed her chance with the lantern, but was delighted just to see Shen Xihe. Then she witnessed the lantern being presented to Shen Xihe.
She knew full well it had been bought by a man!
"Young Mistress..." Caocao watched her lady's jealous outburst with growing unease. "The Princess is a woman..."
"Of course I know she's a woman." Xue Jinqiao looked at her maid as if she couldn't comprehend why she'd state something so obvious.
Only then did Caocao realize she had overthought the situation.
Unexpectedly, her lady continued: "She ignores me. If I became her sister-in-law, would she play with me then?"
Caocao's eyes widened, her lips trembling as she struggled for words.
Since childhood, she had known her lady to have peculiar ideas, stubborn behavior, a prickly personality, and often inexplicable whims—but she never imagined she could be this outrageous!
"Se-Se-Seven... Young Mistress, the heir is returning to the northwest! Even if you married him, you'd have to follow him there!" Caocao grasped at a sudden inspiration.
Sure enough, Xue Jinqiao's face fell: "That won't do. I want to be with her."
Caocao's delicate face wrinkled with worry. She couldn't understand why her lady had become so instantly infatuated—no, instantly attached—to the Princess, especially after witnessing the Princess discipline Hu Yingrao. The seventh young lady practically treated the Princess as her ideal suitor.
She spent all her time scheming ways to get closer to the Princess, repeatedly attempting to scale the walls of the Princess Manor, and had been hauled back to the Xue residence by the Princess' guards multiple times.
In Caocao's opinion, the biggest libertine in the Princess' eyes ought to be their own young lady!
Unaware that Xue Jinqiao was even considering using Shen Yungan to get closer to her, Shen Xihe returned to the Princess Manor to find Tianyuan standing in the courtyard holding a lantern.
It was an exquisitely beautiful lantern crafted from inlaid white jade, dazzling and radiant like ice in a jade pot.
From a distance, it resembled him holding a bright full moon.
"Your Highness, His Highness crafted this lantern." Tianyuan promptly offered it to Shen Xihe. "May the clear moonlight always accompany you."
"Guard Cao, propriety dictates separation between men and women. My sister cannot accept gifts from the Crown Prince." Shen Yungan intercepted first.
"Young Master need not worry. His Highness made three lanterns—one for His Majesty, one for the Empress Dowager. This cannot be considered a private exchange." Tianyuan explained calmly. "His Highness has few people to whom he can give gifts. I beg the Princess not to refuse and sadden him. His health is already frail..."
The Crown Prince indeed—aside from the Emperor and Empress Dowager, no one dared accept his gifts. Since it wasn't exclusively for her, Shen Xihe accepted: "Please convey my gratitude to His Highness... Guard Cao, wait a moment."
Shen Xihe turned and had Biyu pack some sesame cakes, handing them to Tianyuan: "These are some sesame cakes I made, as a token of reciprocity."
"Youyou! Those were made for me!" Shen Yungan could only watch helplessly as Tianyuan left carrying the food box.Was it his imagination, or did Tianyuan seem to walk even faster after he spoke?
Of course Tianyuan had to hurry—bringing back the sesame cake would surely earn him a generous reward!
Was it easy for his Highness? Just to maintain his disguise, he had to gift two lanterns, one of which had already been discarded!
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