Brewing tea requires a great deal of patience, and this was the first time Li Shiyue had ever brewed tea for them. So Xu Lingzi was worried that if Li Shiyue was too hasty and made a mistake, she could help her from the side.

Surprisingly, Li Shiyue's every step was orderly and deliberate, her skillful movements suggesting she hadn't done this before.

"My grandmother taught me how to brew tea, but I haven't done it for years. If the tea doesn't smell good today, please don't be offended. It has nothing to do with the tea from the Grand Tutor's Mansion," Li Shiyue said with a smile, teasing Qin Wanyin in the process.

Qin Wanyin smiled as she took the teacup from Chunling's hand, then looked at Li Shiyue with a smile. The latter returned the smile and turned to hand the teacup to Xu Lingzi.

Xu Yunci was engrossed in the game when he sensed someone sitting down beside him. Seeing that it was Li Shiyue, he picked up the teacup next to him without hesitation and took a sip.

However, Qin Wanyin couldn't sit still. She pulled Xu Wan out of the cabin and went to the bow of the boat to enjoy the scenery. Occasionally, you could hear her talking to the boatman.

"Ah Yin's personality is truly enviable, so carefree." Li Shiyue lowered her head, her round fan slightly covering the corners of her upturned mouth.

Xu Lingzi smiled faintly: "That's just how she is. When Awan and I first met her, she was even more mischievous. Back then, the girls were all very young. The first time Awan and I visited the Grand Tutor's mansion, she wanted to drag us up a tree. When the Grand Tutor's wife found out, Ayin cried for many days."

"Later, when A-Wan and I met her, we learned that she was crying not only because she was punished by the Grand Tutor's wife to write large characters, but also because she had finally managed to invite us to her mansion as guests, but she couldn't take us up a tree to cry. At that time, we couldn't understand, but later we learned that A-Yin thought climbing a tree was a very interesting thing."

"She was probably crying because we couldn't do things together, which made her sad. So when she saw you, she liked you a lot and wanted to treat you better and better."

Li Shiyue seemed to remember something, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards even more: "When will she ever treat me well? Sending things to the Duke's mansion every few days. If she keeps returning gifts like this, I'm worried that she'll empty the Grand Tutor's mansion, or that my dowry will be gone too."

That's just an exaggeration; it wouldn't go so far as to empty both houses.

Xu Lingzi smiled and looked at Xu Yunci, her voice much softer than before: "I've met that Wei family lady, and to be honest, I don't think she's a good match."

She shook her head slightly. Although she didn't say it explicitly, the only thing she mentioned to Xu Yunci about Wei Yujie was the Wei family's desire to form a marriage alliance with the eldest branch of the family.

Xu Lingzi is usually cheerful and appears to be a spirited and uninhibited woman, but in fact she is very meticulous.

Li Shiyue sensed it on the second day after arriving in the capital: Xu Lingzi's thoughtfulness was no less than that of Xu Lingyu and her brother Xu Yunci. After all, she was Xu Yunxu's older sister, and she naturally wouldn't stand idly by if Xu Yunxu were to marry a new woman.

Seeing Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue looking over, she shrugged: "She was also going to come and enjoy the lake earlier, but for some reason she didn't."

"Yan Yan had just changed her clothes and left when that woman from the Wei family started talking to me nonstop. She was saying that she didn't have anyone to talk to in the Duke's mansion, and that she wanted to ask if she could go to the Guo family to keep her company."

Xu Yunxu is currently staying at the Guo family's residence; he dares not return to the Rongguo Duke's mansion.

Xu Yunci caught a glimpse of the surprise in Li Shiyue's eyes out of the corner of his eye, and his brows furrowed with displeasure: "Don't you have anyone you're on good terms with? The people from Chun Jinxuan go to Chengyu Pavilion every day, and even she clings to them for days on end. For a while, I didn't even dare to go to the inner quarters of the Duke's mansion."

If she doesn't have any close friends, then why is she clinging to him?

Xu Lingzi's gaze held a hint of inquiry and surprise. When Li Shiyue saw her looking over, she could only nod: "What my cousin said is true. She hasn't been in the household for long. The Wei family rarely comes to the capital, and they don't know anyone from the capital."

“You know your third aunt’s personality. Cousin Wei is her niece from her maternal family. The day Cousin Wei first entered the mansion, I thought it was my first time meeting someone, so I praised the novel velvet flower in her hair bun, only to find out that she made it herself.”

"Now that you've also married into the Duke's family, I'm the only one left. My third aunt is thinking that she should get closer to me so that my maternal grandmother can see her more often and take a good look at her. She hopes that my maternal grandmother will show her more affection and help the Wei family find her a reliable marriage."

Li Shiyue paused for a moment, glanced at Xu Yunci, and both of them looked helpless.

“My maternal grandmother was kind-hearted, especially towards the younger generation. She didn’t want to embarrass my third aunt in front of the Wei family. But she didn’t expect that the Wei family would be eyeing the eldest branch of the family the day after the imperial decree for the marriage was issued. It wasn’t my sixth cousin at first.”

Xu Lingzi frowned, her eyes filled with shock: "If it's not Liu Lang, then who else is in the eldest branch—"

She paused and looked at Xu Yunci, her eyes filled with shock. Seeing Xu Yunci calmly looking over, Xu Lingzi's eyes showed disgust: "The Wei family thinks too highly of themselves."

Guo Xun pushed the teacup towards her and patted her wrist reassuringly. However, Xu Lingzi's eyes showed disgust. Remembering that Li Shiyue had just shown some consideration for Wei Yujie, her disgust for the Wei family intensified.

Li Shiyue sighed, guessing that this was her reaction: "After her aunt and cousin found out, they warned her. But her third aunt was an elder and was kept in the dark. She was given a slap and then a sweet treat. Her aunt also dealt with the gossiping servants in the mansion, and the matter was over."

"As for her relationship with my sixth cousin, it was probably because someone saw the things she sent to his courtyard that rumors started circulating that the two were getting along well. Actually, my sixth cousin hadn't returned home with his cousin and uncle during those days, which clarified the situation."

"But my aunt's meaning is very clear: she wants to hear what my sixth cousin himself has to say. Speaking of meeting him, I heard my aunt mention that she has only met my sixth cousin once, so she doesn't remember him very well."

Li Shiyue told Xu Lingzi what she knew, keeping her voice low. After speaking, she picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then said, "As for my cousin Wei, my grandmother only said that I should take care of her a little while we're out, but not get too close to her."

After all, Wei Yujie is now living in the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, and if she breaks the rules, it will also be a disgrace to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. Even if Old Madam Xu didn't say anything, Li Shiyue couldn't forget that the Wei family's reputation had nothing to do with them, but the Rongguo Duke's Mansion was different.

Xu Lingzi suddenly realized why he hadn't come along earlier; he must have gone to find Xu Yunxu.

Xu Lingzi's tone was more mocking than sympathetic.

Guo Xun touched his nose helplessly after hearing this, not expecting that his brother-in-law's reason for "running away from home" was like this.

He looked up at Xu Yunci: "Since there's nothing to do at home, it would be good for Liulang to come and stay for a while, so that Azi won't be bored at home."