Having always prepared an extra set of clothes in the carriage when going out to banquets, Chunling was quick, and Li Shiyue changed into clean clothes and was about to head back.

Suddenly she heard soft sobbing ahead. Startled, she was about to leave with Chunling when the woman saw her.

It is Fu Yunning.

Her eyes were red, and a flash of malice crossed her gaze as she looked at Li Shiyue.

"Yan Yan".

Li Shiyue looked at Xu Yunci who was walking over, her eyes filled with surprise: "Cousin? What brings you here?"

Xu Yunci walked quickly to Li Shiyue, whose clothes were no longer the ones she wore when she left the mansion that morning.

As if unaware that there was another person on the other side, his eyes never left Li Shiyue: "I accompanied Guo Xun to find Wu Niang, but I didn't see you. Miss Qin said you were here."

"I accidentally got my clothes dirty, so I went to change into a clean one. I didn't go very far; Ayin's maid and Chunling accompanied me." Li Shiyue smiled slightly, noticing the worry in Xu Yunci's eyes.

This feeling isn't so bad; it's the feeling of being cared for, not just talk, but something that can be shown through actions.

Her shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled and shook her head at Xu Yunci, indicating that he shouldn't worry.

Xu Yunci nodded, and when she looked up, she seemed to notice another person not far away, looking at them with sorrow in their eyes.

Fu Yunning's gaze reminded him of what the King of Zhao had just said. His eyes gradually deepened, and his deep gaze fell on Fu Yunning's face, but he quickly looked away.

He lowered his head to look at Li Shiyue, a slight smile on his lips and tenderness overflowing in his eyes, as if he were handling a precious treasure, speaking softly as if afraid of startling the woman beside him.

"Guo Xun wants to go boating on the lake with Wu Niang and the others later. You should go."

Li Shiyue looked surprised: "The Grand Tutor's residence allows boating on the lake?"

Xu Yunci saw the joy in her eyes and was happy that he had guessed the young lady's thoughts correctly.

"The Grand Tutor's Mansion has a long history. It was renovated from the former residence of a prince and is actually more spacious than the Rongguo Duke's Mansion."

“It’s a nice time of year to go boating on the lake. I heard from Miss Qin that it’s just ahead. That’s why I came to find you so we can go together and meet up with Fifth Sister and the others.”

Li Shiyue nodded, gave Fu Yunning a slight nod in acknowledgment, and then followed Xu Yunci to the other side.

After passing through the long corridor, they turned left onto a pebble path. Looking at Xu Yunci's leisurely demeanor, Li Shiyue asked with a puzzled look, "Cousin, have you been to the Grand Tutor's residence before? You seem to know the way very well."

Xu Yunci's expression remained unchanged; he simply coughed lightly and said, "I haven't been here much, but I have a feeling it will be from here."

Li Shiyue turned to look at Xu Yunci, her eyes filled with suspicion. Had they gotten lost?

Fortunately, it just took a little longer to walk, and at the end of the cobblestone path were the boats for boating on the lake. In the pavilion on the shore, Qin Wanyin was pulling Xu Wan out, with Xu Lingzi and Guo Xun following slowly behind. It didn't seem like they had been there for long.

Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue walked over. The boat was not big, and there were windows in the cabin. Inside, there were simple stools and a table attached to the boat.

There was also a chessboard and black and white pieces, as well as brewed hot tea. Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze and walked over with Xu Yunci.

The pale yellow pattern on Li Shiyue's newly changed jacket shone brightly in the sunlight, just like the surface of a lake.

"Yan Yan!" Qin Wanyin held onto Xu Wan tightly, preparing to board the boat, when she saw Li Shiyue and Xu Yunci walking over and quickly waved to them.

Seeing the two walking over together, Qin Wanyin pulled Xu Wan aside and covered her mouth with a faint smile, occasionally looking up at Li Shiyue and Xu Yunci, as if she had discovered something interesting.

Li Shiyue looked at Qin Wanyin with a playful smile. Qin Wanyin and Xu Wan exchanged a smile and then became more reserved.

"Guo Shaoqing".

She slightly bent her knees and glanced at Guo Xun beside Xu Lingzi, as if to say hello.

Guo Xun stood beside Xu Lingzi, his gentle smile unwavering despite the girls' banter. His attention, however, never left Xu Lingzi; the moment she moved, his gaze followed.

"Princess of Yichang County"

Guo Xun looked at Xu Yunci beside Li Shiyue. Both of them were like this. Li Shiyue and Xu Lingzi followed Qin Wanyin and Xu Wan hand in hand. Only then did the two young men board the boat.

Once everyone was seated, the boat slowly moved towards the center of the lake. The bamboo blinds outside the windows were lowered to block the sunlight, and figures could be vaguely seen through them.

The chessboard table was placed right next to the window, while on the other side of the window was a long, narrow table with a tea set on it.

Even the tea leaves were freshly prepared. Li Shiyue walked to the table, picked up the porcelain white teapot, and examined it closely: "This white porcelain is so well made. I must try the tea from the Grand Tutor's mansion."

Qin Wanyin pulled Xu Wan inside, where there were two cushions for seating. She glanced at Li Shiyue's hand, then at the two young men who had entered, her eyes flashing with a sly smile.

"To be honest, I've never had tea brewed by Yan Yan before. I wonder if I'll have the honor of tasting the County Princess's tea today?"

Xu Wan, who was closest to her, couldn't help but laugh at her mischievous appearance: "You probably want Yan Yan to brew the tea, and your cousin, the Crown Prince, to hand it to you."

Seeing Xu Yunci looking over, Qin Wanyin's eyes darted around and she quickly made a gesture of surrender: "I didn't say anything, how could I dare to order the young master of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and the county princess?"

Li Shiyue put down the teapot in her hand, sat directly behind the long, narrow table, looked around at the objects on the table, and then her slender fingers began to work.

She looked up and met Xu Yunci's gaze, then shook her head with a light laugh as if in exasperation: "You just want to say you want tea, but I can't obey Miss Qin's orders, this is the Grand Tutor's residence."

Xu Lingzi sat directly next to Li Shiyue and, without any regard for her feelings, began to wash her teacup.

"It's probably unlikely that you'll be able to order my second brother around; Yan Yan would feel bad about it."

The tea that had been brewed earlier had gone cold, so it was poured into a small bucket on the side. Chunling sat on the other side, cleaned the teapot, and then covered the small bucket.

Xu Wan sat down next to Qin Wanyin, turned her head and saw Li Shiyue's red earlobes. She covered her mouth and chuckled, then nudged Qin Wanyin to signal her to look over.

Qin Wanyin also noticed Li Shiyue's red earlobes, and the two smiled at each other.

Xu Wan glanced at Xu Yunci. The four women had known each other for a long time. Xu Yunci and Guo Xun simply sat smiling at the chessboard table, each holding a piece, ready to play.

"Is it Yan Yan who feels sorry for her cousin, or does her cousin feel sorry for Yan Yan?" As Xu Wan finished speaking, her smile deepened with Qin Wanyin beside her, and she naturally didn't miss Li Shiyue's angry glare when she looked up.