Summer passed and autumn arrived. In the blink of an eye, the leaves on the trees outside the courtyard turned yellow with each passing autumn rain. Since their meeting at the Lotus Pond in Prince Chun's Mansion that day, Ushiha had never encountered that "scheming" person again.

Every now and then, when Ushiha recalled the scene at Lotus Pond that day, her emotions would surge, and sometimes she would even laugh foolishly at the air. Bechuk asked her several times why she was laughing, but Ushiha always brushed him off.

On this day, Princess Yartan of Gushan Doruo County sent invitations to Ushiha and Bechuk, inviting them to ride horses at their family's horse farm. This was actually a way for young women to get together. However, this wasn't a gathering of close friends; rather, it was a gathering of both men and women, providing an opportunity for young men and women who were not yet engaged to get to know each other.

It's worth mentioning that Yartan, Uxiha, and Bechuk are actually cousins, as her mother was the only fourth princess of the Empress Dowager De who didn't marry far away. At the time, the fourth princess found a husband in the capital and had two sons and two daughters, making her arguably the only princess among Emperor Kangxi's longest-lived and fortunate enough not to be married off to a distant land. Unfortunately, she didn't escape the calamity of her thirties, passing away from illness a couple of years ago. Empress Dowager De grieved deeply for her daughter's early death, but no matter how much she grieved, she couldn't bring the dead back to life; she could only do her utmost to care for her children. Therefore, Yartan was exceptionally granted the title of Gushan Duoluo Gege; otherwise, her status wouldn't have been able to elevate her to this position. She was the fourth princess's eldest daughter, much loved by Empress Dowager De and Emperor Kangxi, as she resembled her mother greatly. Later, Empress Dowager De found this niece a husband from a talented and prominent family. Now, Yartan is the principal wife of Fucha Fuheng, making her Fucha Mingyu's sister-in-law.

Because of her status and title, the gatherings she held in the capital were only for the daughters and sons of high-ranking imperial relatives or important officials. Since Ushiha and Bechuk were both granddaughters of Consort De, Yartan naturally invited them.

Ushiha couldn't refuse, since it was her cousin's invitation, and Lanqin wouldn't allow her to refuse, so she had no choice but to go with Bechuk. The two of them had put quite a bit of thought into their outfits for the day.

Ushiha was fair-skinned, which suited her well in moon-white with pink or grass-green trim, so today she wore a moon-white qipao with light pink trim on the collar and cuffs. Because of the cold weather, she wore a light grass-green vest over it. Her hair was styled in two buns, adorned with cherry-red carnelian hair ornaments, teardrop-shaped earrings, and a pair of violet jade bracelets, as fresh and delicate as flowers just beginning to bloom in the morning.

Bechuk wasn't as fair-skinned as Ushiha, so she was better suited to wearing a light cherry blossom color that brightened her complexion. Therefore, she wore a light cherry blossom-colored cheongsam, with two unique butterfly-shaped beaded flowers in her hair, and similar teardrop-shaped earrings, only in a different color. She preferred wearing gold jewelry; several exquisitely crafted dragon and phoenix bracelets adorned her fair wrists, making her appear elegant and graceful, more like an older sister than Ushiha, exuding a more composed and mature air.

“You’re not allowed to disappear like you did last time today,” Bechuk said.

"Alright, alright, when are you going to stop? Don't worry, I'm sticking to you all day, you can't get rid of me," Ushiha said with a fawning smile. She really did think Bechuk was her older sister.