That afternoon, at the hottest time of the day, Wei Yujie wiped the sweat from her cheeks with a handkerchief, wondering whether to turn back or continue walking towards Shousong Hall.

"Cousin Wei?"

A young girl's voice came from behind her. Wei Yujie turned around and looked at the pair of mistress and servant walking towards her. She met Xu Lingqing's gaze. He was a little shorter than her and looked somewhat familiar, but she just couldn't remember him.

Seemingly noticing Wei Yujie's puzzled expression, Xu Lingqing walked up to her, concealing the displeasure that surfaced in his eyes, and instead smiled: "It's understandable that Cousin Wei doesn't remember me. I was ill a few days ago and only left the manor today."

"I am Xu Lingqing from the fourth branch of the family, and I am the eighth child in the family. I am looking at Cousin Wei's figure from afar. Is she going to Shousong Hall?"

Wei Yujie was puzzled. She hadn't seen Xu Lingqing in the past few days and thought he looked familiar, probably because he resembled Zhou Shi.

She found it strange, though. How could someone recognize her just by looking at her back, even though it was their first meeting? It seemed her father was right; the Rongguo Duke's mansion was no ordinary family, and the women of the Xu family seemed to be people she couldn't compare to.

"Yes, would you like to go see the old lady? I am so grateful to my cousin Yan Yan for her kindness in giving us some velvet flowers, which are just some little trinkets that I made myself."

Xu Lingqing then noticed the maid following behind Wei Yujie, who was carrying a wooden tray with all sorts of velvet flowers, which looked quite unusual.

However, having grasped some key words, she looked at Wei Yujie with surprise, but quickly concealed it: "I see. Luckily I came today and didn't miss these things."

She wanted to say something more, but she accurately caught the change in Wei Yujie's gaze and followed it. Even as Xu Yunci approached, she didn't say anything to remind her.

It seems she's discovered something incredible.

Xu Yunci came from the direction of Shousong Hall. Perhaps in a good mood, he stopped when he saw Xu Lingqing and asked, "Is your cold any better?"

She didn't glance at Wei Yujie on the other side. She didn't know what she was thinking, but the joy in her eyes turned into sadness as she lowered her gaze to the tips of her shoes.

Xu Lingqing didn't miss this scene out of the corner of her eye. She smiled sarcastically to herself, thinking that she must have thought that someone of such low status as the Wei family could be so highly regarded by Chengyu Pavilion. But it turned out that even someone from a humble background like the Wei family was bowing down to her second brother.

What she thought in her heart, she dared not reveal on her face in front of others. When she looked up, she showed a smile befitting her age; she would be sixteen after the New Year, and her face had matured considerably compared to last year.

"I'm much better now. Otherwise, why would I have come all this way today to congratulate my second brother and cousin on their happy occasion?" she said with a smile, her eyes glancing at Wei Yujie's expression out of the corner of her eye.

Sure enough, after she said those words, Wei Yujie's face showed a hint of dejection, and all her thoughts were written on her face.

Xu Lingqing's smile deepened as she looked at Xu Yunci: "Second brother, you're going to pay your respects to Grandmother at this hour? If I remember correctly, you rarely go to Shousong Hall at this hour."

She hadn't asked the question intentionally, hoping that if Xu Yunci left Shousong Hall at this hour, Li Shiyue might also be there. However, Xu Yunci's next answer caught her off guard.

"I didn't go to Shousong Hall because Grandmother was already taking her afternoon nap. I went to Chengyu Pavilion because there are some things that Yan Yan needs to look at."

Xu Yunci spoke casually, and even the smile in his eyes didn't seem out of place against his indifferent expression.

Chengyu Pavilion is Li Shiyue's residence. Xu Yunci went there to see Li Shiyue, and the things he needed to inspect were probably the items for the wedding banquet.

Compared to Xu Lingqing's slightly calmer demeanor, Wei Yujie stood to the side, biting her lip, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.

Xu Lingqing smiled, feeling that now was the perfect time to add fuel to the fire: "Second brother is so good to his cousin. I even heard that second brother specially went to the Funing Palace to obtain the imperial edict. Cousin is truly blessed."

"Having Yan Yan is a blessing for me. I have to go now, I have something to do."

Xu Yunci looked down at him, her eyes devoid of any hint of amusement. This caused Xu Lingqing's smile to freeze, and he stared blankly at Xu Yunci's gradually disappearing figure, a sense of disbelief washing over him.

After all, in my memory, my second brother was always cold to outsiders, and even with his younger siblings, he rarely opened up to them. Most of his thoughtfulness was shown in the details that he rarely mentioned.

"The young master is so kind to Cousin Yan Yan."

Wei Yujie knew that envy was welling up inside her. Thinking of her own situation, she realized that countless letters urging her to go to the capital were on their way. The Wei family desperately needed a son-in-law from the capital to support them.

Wei herself was already quite old, so she was the best candidate among the Wei family's daughters.

Xu Lingqing snapped out of her daze, raised an eyebrow slightly, walked to Wei Yujie's side, and sighed casually, "Yes, my cousin is too lucky."

Meeting Wei Yujie's questioning gaze, Xu Lingqing pinched her right palm hard with her left hand hidden in her sleeve, finally revealing a bitter smile: "Before my cousin came to the manor, my grandmother also doted on us sisters. It seems that after my cousin came, my younger sisters and I rarely get to show our faces in front of my grandmother, let alone now that we live next door."

"Cousin Wei may not know this since she just arrived in the capital, but Cousin Yan Yan's title of County Princess was obtained after my second brother entered the palace, and even her bestowed name was from that."

"With a gentleman like my second brother, who is so upright and honest, anyone could get some favors from him. Who knows, these favors might end up in his hands."

Xu Lingqing seemed to come to her senses and looked up. "Since Grandmother is taking a nap, I'll head back now. I should go back and take my medicine at this hour. I'll bother Cousin Wei again another day."

Xu Lingqing turned around, a knowing smile in her eyes, and with her maid, she didn't look back.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Even after Xu Lingqing had walked away, Wei Yujie remained standing there, still dazed.

Night fell, and the full moon hung high overhead on the fifteenth of the month. Wei Yujie stood by the window, lost in thought, until her personal maid, Ling'er, hurried in.

“Miss, I’ve found out. The county princess entered the manor before New Year’s Eve the year before last. The young master picked her up in Shangjing County, and she’s been staying at the Duke’s manor ever since.”

"I heard that the Earl of Yunyang favored his concubine over his wife. The old lady of the Earl of Yunyang's mansion was worried about the county princess, so she arranged a marriage with the Duke of Rongguo's mansion before she died. The county princess came to the capital for this reason."

Later, the heir apparent was chosen. Today, the heir apparent went to Chengyu Pavilion to let the county princess inspect the silk of the wedding dress. It is said that the county princess is going to sew the wedding dress for the heir apparent herself.

As Ling'er spoke, she noticed Wei Yujie's expression and didn't understand why the lord (Wei Yujie's father) had sent the young lady to the capital to find a noble husband and inquire about the Xu prince who was engaged to her.