But just as her gaze fell upon the jewelry shop across the street, the handsome scholar who had just come to her rescue stepped forward again, pointing at Helan Jun and rebuking him: "How can a man make fun of a woman's age?"
"Moreover, this young lady is as beautiful as a fairy, and it is an honor for us mortals to have her grace us with her presence today."
"Your disrespect for the fairy will bring bad luck to your whole family!"
"Hurry up and apologize to this fairy!"
Hearing the scholar's words, Xiao Yunyan's lips curled into a playful smile: "You're saying I'm a fairy?"
"This young lady is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life; it would not be an exaggeration to call her a fairy."
"You've lived less than twenty years! How many women have you met?" Xiao Yunyan looked at Chu Yuning with a smile and couldn't help but tease him.
Chu Yuning blushed slightly and answered honestly, "I have been studying since I was a child, focusing on the imperial examinations, and I have indeed not seen many women. But after seeing you today, I feel that you are the most beautiful woman in the world, pure and elegant, alluring but not gaudy, truly beautiful!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Fu Hui, the head maid standing behind Xiao Yunyan, stepped forward and reprimanded him: "How dare you! How can you lowly people presume to comment on Her Highness's appearance?"
"Princess……"
Chu Yuning was clearly taken aback, then knelt on the ground in a panic: "This humble subject did not know that Your Highness was a princess. I have been so disrespectful. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
"Princess? Which princess?" He Lanjun, who was being held by the guards, dared not shout anymore. He stared blankly at Xiao Yunyan, seemingly unable to process what Fu Hui had said.
"idiot!"
Fu Hui stepped forward and slapped He Lanjun across the face, causing blood to flow from the corner of his mouth.
"The Great Yan has only one princess, and that is my princess—Princess Jingwan!"
Upon hearing the name of Princess Jingwan, the people immediately knelt on the ground.
Helan Jun finally realized he was scared and knelt on the ground, his face pale, begging for mercy.
Xiao Yunyan didn't even glance at him. Instead, she bent down towards Chu Yuning, stretched out a hand, and gently touched the back of Chu Yuning's hand with her nail-painted fingertips, signaling him to get up.
"Ignorance is no excuse, and I am not such a petty person. Rise, all of you!"
When Chu Yuning saw Xiao Yunyan's hand resting on the back of his hand, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and bowed to express his gratitude without making a sound.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Princess, I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!" Helan Jun knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing, soon drawing blood.
Xiao Yunyan waved her hand dismissively.
The guards then escorted Helan Jun to the Dali Temple.
Only after Xiao Yunyan had completely disappeared from sight did Chu Yuning stand up. He brushed the dust off his robes, a chilling smile curling at the corner of his lips, sending shivers down one's spine.
Shen Yuan didn't know what Chu Yuning's smile meant, but she inexplicably felt that the smile was sinister and gave her a chilling feeling.
This shouldn't be the case.
Chu Yuning shouldn't treat Xiao Yunyan like this.
Is there something she doesn't know?
Shen Yuan was puzzled when she suddenly noticed Chu Yuning looking at her. She quickly hid behind the shelf.
Chu Yuning looked at the jewelry shop across the street. For some reason, he felt like there was a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows, but when he looked back, he didn't see anything unusual.
Could it be that he successfully piqued Xiao Yunyan's interest, so Xiao Yunyan sent her secret guards to observe him?
Chu Yuning thought this guess was quite likely.
The imperial examination results haven't been released yet, and in this capital city, nobody knows him, and nobody cares about him. Except for Xiao Yunyan, who has taken a liking to him.
Having successfully made an appearance in front of Xiao Yunyan, Chu Yuning should have been happy, but for some reason, he couldn't feel happy at all.
At this moment, the person he was thinking of was Shen Yuan.
Chu Yuning turned her head, looked at the sky, and glanced south.
What is Shen Yuan doing at this moment?
She's probably still foolishly selling medicine at the pharmacy!
Alas, what a pity. Women cannot study or take the imperial examinations. No matter how hard she works to run her shop and earn money, she can't compare to him. He only needs to take one exam to obtain the wealth and status she can only dream of in her entire life.
Even if she gains the upper hand, he can easily ruin her painstaking plans.
However, he wouldn't do that. Now that he finally understands why Shen Yuan hates him, he will keep her by his side and make amends to her wholeheartedly.
"Young lady, do you like this hairpin?"
The shopkeeper noticed that Shen Yuan was holding a pearl hairpin, so he asked her a question.
Shen Yuan hid behind the shelf and, seeing that Chu Yuning had walked away, straightened up and smiled at the shopkeeper: "I really like it, how much is it?"
"Ten taels of silver! The pearls on this hairpin were fished out of the East Sea. They are not only large but also exceptionally lustrous. They are eye-catching and beautiful when worn! Moreover, this style is the latest! If you like it, please take it!"
Ten taels of silver?
Shen Yuan thought it was a bit expensive, but seeing that the sharp end of the hairpin was stained with a few drops of her own blood, she decided not to sell it anymore. So she took out ten taels of silver from her purse and handed it to the shopkeeper.
"I'll take this hairpin. Could you please wrap it up for me?"
The shopkeeper took the money, quickly squatted down, and rummaged through a drawer under the shelf to find a brocade box, intending to put the hairpin inside.
Just as Shen Yuan handed the hairpin to the shopkeeper, a hand suddenly reached out from the other side and snatched the pearl hairpin from her hand.
"I want this pearl hairpin!"
"This customer has already paid for this hairpin..." The shopkeeper was taken aback, then turned to look at the newcomer. After recognizing who it was, the shopkeeper quickly bowed and said, "Miss Shen, it's an honor to have you here! I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"
Shen Yuan followed the shopkeeper's gaze and looked over. When she saw Miss Shen's face clearly, Shen Yuan's expression froze.
The girl in front of her had a face that looked seven-tenths like hers.
this……
This was the first time she had ever seen anything like it.
Shen Yuan couldn't help but glance at Miss Shen a few more times.
Shen Yunjin took the hairpin, had the maid behind her hand over the silver, and then turned and left without saying another word.
Seeing this, Shen Yuan reached out to stop her: "Miss, I have already paid for this hairpin. Once you have paid for it, it has an owner. You should ask my opinion before taking it."
Shen Yunjin glanced at Shen Yuan, noticing her veiled hat and simple clothes, and then raised her chin dismissively, saying, "Who are you? How dare you snatch something I've set my sights on!"
Seeing that Shen Yunjin was unhappy, the shopkeeper quickly tugged at Shen Yuan and said in a low voice, "Miss, you don't know, this Miss Shen is Shen Yunjin, the eldest daughter of the General of the North, and she is not someone we can easily offend."
"Miss, how about you choose another style? I'll give you a 20% discount."
Shen Yuan broke free from the shopkeeper's hand. "Even if Miss Shen is of noble status, shouldn't there be a sense of order? She clearly stole my things, and her attitude was so rude. Why should I give in?"
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