Shen Youying was taken aback. Meeting his gaze, she remembered what he had said in the Wenhe Hall—

"I'll let you off today, but things won't be like this again once we return to the capital..."

Her cheeks flushed red, and she looked left and right, not daring to look at Xue Shen. After a long while, she instructed Bai Luo, "Go to Prince Chen's residence and deliver a message, saying that the prince is still unwell and I'm worried about him, so we'll have a small gathering another day..."

Bai Luo's gaze shifted between the two, sensing an indescribable atmosphere between the prince and her young lady. Unable to figure it out, she could only go and reply. Dan Zhu, however, seemed to understand better. After a moment's hesitation, she found an excuse and quietly slipped out, also dismissing the maids serving her.

In a short while, only Shen Youying and Xue Shen remained in the room.

Shen Youying wasn't very good at handling such occasions, especially since Xue Shen's gaze towards her today seemed to carry a different meaning. Although the two hadn't officially consummated their marriage, counting the time at Wenhe Hall, they had actually been intimate twice.

In matters of love, Xue Shen was indeed not as rough as rumored; on the contrary, he was quite considerate of her feelings. If Xue Shen really wanted to consummate the marriage, she wouldn't feel embarrassed or resistant.

However, I am too thin-skinned to be as calm and composed as the person in front of me.

Shen Youying felt her ears burning. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch them, pursed her lips, and laid out the prepared tea set one by one. She pretended to be calm and said, "Does Your Highness have anything else to attend to? If not, you can stay and have a cup of tea. Among the gifts sent from the palace, there is a box of Dragon Ball Tea. Wang Deshun said that Your Highness does not like tea, so he sent it to me."

The silver thread water sprouts are selected from ripe sprouts, then the tenderest part is removed, leaving only a single strand of its heart. This strand is then soaked in clear spring water in a precious vessel. Its color is bright and clear, like silver threads. It is made into a small square plaque, with a small dragon winding on it, hence the name "Dragon Ball Surpassing Snow".

Longtuan Shengxue is a tribute tea. Such a high-quality compressed tea cannot be bought in ordinary places. Only when it is bestowed as a reward by the palace can one possibly obtain such a small box.

Yesterday, Wang Deshun delivered this small box of compressed tea, which delighted Shen Youying. Today, she specially asked Danzhu to bring out the best tea set to prepare tea.

I never expected Xue Shen to arrive so conveniently.

Seeing her eyes crinkling with delight, Xue Shen smiled.

It wasn't that he didn't like tea, but he simply didn't have the leisure to appreciate it. Knowing that she liked it, he specially instructed Wang Deshun to send it over.

"Nothing to do today." Xue Shen nodded slowly and turned his wheelchair to face her.

Shen Youying responded softly and began to rinse the teaware and serve the tea.

Her movements were slow and steady, her wide sleeves hanging on her arms, sliding down a bit with each movement to reveal her snow-white wrists. The translucent jade bracelet on her wrist, like her, was warm and clear, and even just sitting there quietly, it still radiated a soft, undeniable glow.

Xue Shen didn't care about her tea-making skills; his gaze was completely drawn to her composed and elegant movements.

He only raised an eyebrow in surprise when Shen Youying dipped a teaspoon in water and began to draw on the snow-white tea foam.

Nowadays, tea whisking is popular. After the tea soup is boiled, various paintings are drawn on the snow-white tea foam with a tea spoon, which is called tea art.

Being able to brew a good cup of tea is already difficult enough, let alone creating art on the tea froth, which is even more challenging.

In Xue Shen's memory, there were no fewer than two people who were proficient in tea ceremony, and Shen Youying was not among them.

He only knew that she often sat alone making tea to pass the time, but he didn't know that she had such a good skill.

Watching the clump of green bamboo gradually grow taller and more lush under her hands, Xue Shen waited patiently for her to put down the tea spoon before speaking: "I never knew that the Princess Consort was so skilled at making tea."

Shen Youying smiled slightly, picked up the teacup with both hands and offered it to him, without any hint of pride: "As I get older, I get bored at home, so I think about some little gadgets to pass the time, which are just for my own amusement."

Xue Shen took the tea, looked down at the delicate tea surface, took a sip, and sighed, "Your father raised you very well."

With such beauty and talent, she was neither arrogant nor impatient; many young men raised in noble families might not have her character.

If the Shen family hadn't run into trouble, Shen Mingjiang probably wouldn't have been willing to hand over such a precious gem to him.

Xue Shen suddenly felt a sense of relief, but also a strong determination to succeed.

Xue Shen drank a cup of tea, sat for a while, and then went to the front yard.

Not long after he left, Wang Deshun returned carrying several boxes, his eyes practically slits from smiling. "These are tea cakes bestowed by the palace in previous years. His Highness specially ordered them to be found in the storeroom. Please take a look, Your Highness, and see if there's anything you like. If not, His Highness said he'd find some better tea for you another day."

Shen Youying looked at them one by one, and they were all treasures.

She was somewhat excited, but she didn't understand why Xue Shen had suddenly sent so many rare and precious tea cakes. She hesitated and asked, "Why did the prince suddenly ask you to send tea cakes?"

Wang Deshun chuckled, his hands tucked into his sleeves. "His Highness said this is a gift of a precious sword to a hero, a reciprocal gesture."

It turned out to be that cup of tea from earlier.

Shen Youying accepted it without hesitation.

Seeing this, Wang Deshun narrowed his eyes even further, leaving only a slit, and hurried off to reply.

*

Xue Shen said he would stay overnight, so Shen Youying assumed he would arrive in the evening.

To everyone's surprise, Xue Shen arrived in the evening.

Besides the guests, there was also a banquet and a pot of fine wine.

Shen Youying was somewhat taken aback by the spectacle. After everyone had left, she asked in confusion, "Is today some kind of auspicious day?"

Otherwise, why would we make such a big fuss?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!