The voice of the young woman came from inside the flower hall, sounding somewhat familiar. A faint, unspoken expectation could be heard in her words, and when she mentioned the "young master," Li Shiyue's eyes widened in surprise.

But then the person inside the second gate spoke in a gentle voice, "Cousin Chunhui is spoiled and willful, causing the young master a lot of trouble. Actually, the solution is quite simple, as the young master has reached the age to seek a new wife."

"If the young master of the Rongguo Duke's mansion wants to marry, he naturally needs to be of equal social standing. Cousin Chunhui values ​​this point. But if the young master marries a new woman, what can Cousin Chunhui do? She will naturally forget about it in time."

"Moreover, there are only five or six families in the capital that are a good match for the young master, including the Changping Marquis's family. If the young master wants a peaceful and stable future, why not marry someone suitable among them?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Yunning's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. Being a young lady confined to her quarters, even expressing her feelings so subtly made her too shy to look up.

She didn't remember what age she was when she saw Xu Yunci after entering the palace, but just like the saying in the book, it was love at first sight, and she recognized him at first glance.

Over the years, she has been learning palace affairs in the Pixiang Palace, and naturally she will be able to manage the household affairs. As his new wife, she cannot be ignorant of everything, so she is learning how to socialize in the inner quarters by the side of the Consort, just so that one day she can stand openly by his side.

Moreover, the Imperial Concubine intended to find her a husband, and she naturally wanted someone from the Rongguo Duke's family. However, if she wanted someone like Princess Chunhui, she would have to plan carefully.

Li Shiyue, hiding outside the second gate, looked embarrassed. She had only just managed to catch a glimpse of Fu Yunning confessing her feelings to Xu Yunci. Faced with Fu Yunning's shyness, she couldn't see Xu Yunci's expression as he stood with his back to the second gate.

It seems she ruined someone else's good time.

Just as she was about to take Lian Dong for a walk in the front yard before returning to the inner quarters, she suddenly heard Chang Shun call out from behind, "Cousin!"

Startled, Li Shiyue lost her balance and fell against the door with a thud. The sound was quite loud, and Xu Yunci rushed over almost instantly. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he saw Li Shiyue holding onto the door latch with one hand and her knee with the other, her face filled with terror.

We're doomed.

Li Shiyue only had two words on her mind: Run!

In fact, she did just that, running straight through the flower hall, ignoring Fu Yunning's shocked expression, and quickly heading towards the back courtyard.

Interrupted from expressing her feelings, Fu Yunning looked bewildered. When she came to her senses, she subconsciously looked for Xu Yunci.

But he stood at the second gate, his expression gentle as he stared in the direction Li Shiyue had run off to, the tenderness between his brows seemingly unnoticed by himself.

Fu Yunning felt ashamed of being caught, so ashamed and angry that she just wanted her to run away too. But as soon as this thought came to mind, she looked at Xu Yunci with reluctance. Meetings were already rare, and she really didn't want to leave the manor like this, since she might not have this opportunity again in the future.

Unless Xu Yunci herself agrees, her marriage will be entirely up to the Imperial Concubine. Even her own daughter couldn't have her wish fulfilled, so there's even less chance for her.

With that thought in mind, Fu Yunning's gaze became even more greedy as she traced Xu Yunci's figure.

The next second, she met Xu Yunci's cold gaze. The change was so swift that Fu Yunning instinctively lost her footing and almost fell to the ground.

Xu Yunci didn't move his gaze at all, his hands behind his back, suppressing his impatience: "The Xu family has accepted the apology gifts. Does the Imperial Concubine have any further instructions?"

Fu Yunning felt hurt. Had everything she had just said gone unheard? Heaven knows how long she had planned for this day, and how much courage she had mustered to dare to express her feelings.

This shouldn't be happening; he shouldn't be behaving like this!

But that's the truth. Fu Yunning sniffed and looked at Xu Yunci with a wronged expression in her eyes: "Your Highness, I... I was telling the truth."

"Personal matters are none of your concern. See him out." With that, he walked steadily through the second gate, not towards her, but following the direction Li Shiyue had left in.

At this moment, Xu Yunci had no idea about Fu Yunning; his mind and eyes were completely focused on his little cousin who had just fled in a panic.

This was the first time he had ever seen his little cousin be so rude, but... she was kind of cute.

Chang Shun, who was following behind, looked at his elder brother, and Chang An stared at him wide-eyed. For some reason, they felt that the young master was a little too concerned about his cousin.

Could it be...?

Perhaps it was the unspoken understanding between brothers, their thoughts coincided, their eyes lit up, and they quickly chased after him.

A gentle breeze brushed past her ears, and the setting sun cast its rays on the emerald lake. Willow branches swayed in the wind, and white willow catkins drifted around her as Li Shiyue swiftly moved forward.

I felt like I had run a long way, and when I stopped, my legs were weak and my heart was pounding.

Good heavens, how did she overhear someone's feelings?

I wonder what my cousin thinks. Sigh.

Li Shiyue was filled with regret and anxiety. She should have just given it all to her aunt directly. She had insisted on being formal and thanking her in person. Now, every time she saw her cousin, she would remember this embarrassing incident. What should she do?

Her skin was fair, and her cheeks were already flushed from running so far. Coupled with the shame and indignation of witnessing someone's "good deed," her small face turned even redder.

"Girl, you've run quite a distance, sit down and rest for a while."

Lian Dong simply swept the stone wall with her sleeve, creating a space just large enough for one person to sit down and cool off.

"Actually, the girl didn't need to run. She could have just said that Chang Shun shouted and startled us, but then turned around and said she didn't hear anything. That would have been the same."

Li Shiyue blushed: "That's true, but my brain just now seemed to be unable to think. It scared me to death. How could I have thought of such a comprehensive picture?"

Lian Dong simply sat down on the stone at her feet: "The people of Dayong are open-minded, and it is important for young women and young men to express their feelings for each other. In the future, if a girl finds someone she likes, she should also express it in the same way. It's not good to marry someone without knowing what's going on."

“The fact that the ancestors of Dayong were worried about not knowing the other party’s character is why, in order to be open-minded, they allowed young men and women to have some contact before their engagement.”

Li Shiyue's cheeks visibly flushed even redder, and she said timidly in a low voice, "Why are you bringing this up? Let's go back now."

Her thoughts drifted back to the time when Xu Yunci had his back to her, and she hadn't seen any expression on his face.

Miss Fu comes from a noble family and has the support of the Pixiang Palace; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she has a distinguished background. A perfect match... it's not surprising that Xu Yunci's future wife will likely be the same.

What about my cousin? Does he like Miss Fu? After all, she's the one he'll spend his life with.

If two people can't stand each other, wouldn't that be a tragic fate?

Why are you running?