Moonlit "sparring" and the "family rules" of the Prince's mansion

The undercurrents at the palace banquet dissipated with the night, but their aftershocks lingered. Especially for Shen Anci, those words intended to curry favor with Lu Beichen felt like thorns piercing her heart. She was straightforward and couldn't stand such convoluted schemes.

After the palace banquet, Shen Anci did not return directly to her residence. Instead, she took her horse and galloped to the martial arts training ground on the outskirts of the capital—the place where she and Lu Beichen often sparred in their youth. Sure enough, under the moonlight, a tall figure was already waiting there; it was Lu Beichen.

"Lu Beichen!" Shen Anci dismounted, pointed her spear, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Explain yourself! What do you mean by 'marrying someone of equal social standing'? Have you also been eyeing this possibility?"

Lu Beichen looked at the girl in front of him, who resembled a bristling little leopard in the moonlight, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes, but he deliberately put on a stern face: "Miss Shen, what do you mean by this? I, Lu, have always acted uprightly and honestly, and have I ever had any other thoughts?"

"No?" Shen Anci took a step closer, the tip of his spear almost piercing his chest. "Then why didn't you just say it clearly in the hall? Why did you let those people talk nonsense!"

"With His Majesty and his ministers present, if I were to refuse the marriage on the spot, wouldn't that embarrass the Duke of Anguo's family and only cause more trouble?" Lu Beichen explained helplessly, gently brushing aside the tip of her spear. "Besides, don't you understand my feelings?"

Shen Anci blushed, but refused to back down, saying, "Who, who understands your feelings! Don't give me that! Take this!" With that, she flicked her spear and attacked Lu Beichen. She was seething with anger, and her moves were fierce and merciless.

Lu Beichen knew her temper; if he didn't let her vent her anger, they wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation that night. So he drew his sword and began to "spar" with her. Under the moonlight, spear and sword flashed, their figures darting about; it was less a fight and more a tacit dance. After several dozen rounds, Shen Anci's anger gradually dissipated in the exhilarating combat.

Finally, Lu Beichen found an opening, parried her spear, and pulled her into his arms, whispering, "Stop fooling around. Once I get permission from His Majesty, I'll go to the Zhenbei General's Mansion to propose marriage. I don't want anyone but you, Shen Anci."

Shen Anci leaned against his strong chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat, and finally calmed down, humming, "That's more like it... If you dare to betray me, I'll..." She raised her fist.

"So what?" Lu Beichen chuckled.

"I'll break your legs!" Shen Anci said viciously, but his eyes were gleaming.

Meanwhile, the Prince Yi's residence presented a completely different scene.

Zhao Jingyi stole the show at the palace banquet tonight, and on his way back home he kept showing off, boasting to Qin Yuti about his "wit" and "righteousness".

"Wife, look at what I said today, wasn't it spot on? It completely shut down those people's plans! It did Shen Anci a huge favor!" He crossed his legs, beaming with pride.

Qin Yuti initially responded perfunctorily, but later she couldn't stand his nagging anymore. Especially when the carriage passed through a market and smelled a familiar stinky tofu smell that Zhao Jingyi hated the most, she suddenly had an idea.

She deliberately said to the driver, "Stop the car and go buy two servings of stinky tofu."

Zhao Jingyi instantly exploded: "Don't buy it! That stuff stinks! Anyone who dares to buy it, I'll break their legs!"

Qin Yuti said slowly, "Your Highness has done a great service today, and I would like to reward you. This stinky tofu smells bad but tastes delicious, and it is the best... to fight poison with poison, to cure your conceited habit."

"Qin Yuti! You did this on purpose!" Zhao Jingyi was so angry he jumped up and down.

Back at the palace, Qin Yuti actually had stinky tofu brought in and placed it on Zhao Jingyi's favorite rosewood tea table. The smell made Zhao Jingyi run around the room in a frenzy, and he was eventually forced to sign an "unequal treaty"—for the next month, without the princess's permission, he was not allowed to speak out in public (especially in the palace) and had to copy the "Qingjing Jing" three times to calm his mind.

While pinching his nose and copying the scriptures, Zhao Jingyi lamented, "I can't live like this anymore! I helped someone and still get punished! Is there no justice in this world?!"

Qin Yuti sat leisurely to the side, eating the fragrant osmanthus cake that the maid had reheated, and smiled slightly as she looked at his bitter and resentful expression.

The Prince Rui's residence remained shrouded in an unyielding silence.

Su Wanqing returned to her desolate room, removed her hairpins and jewelry, and looked at her exquisitely made-up self in the mirror, feeling utterly exhausted. The unspoken understanding between Shen Anci and Lu Beichen at the palace banquet was like a needle, piercing the calm she had tried so hard to maintain. Even though she and Prince Rui were in the same room, it felt as if they were separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.

On this night, some people poured out their hearts to each other under the moon, some were subjected to "family discipline" in their mansions, and some pitied themselves in front of their own shadows.

The story of Beijing continues to unfold slowly amidst this mix of joy and sorrow.

But the gears of fate never stop turning.