Xie Qinglan has always been clueless and oblivious when it comes to matters of the heart. This is true of her naive liking for the Crown Prince and her affection for Xue Liulang.
In particular, Xue Liulang's drastic change made her even more confused about relationships and more hesitant.
Shen Youying gently stroked her much rounder cheeks with the back of her hand, without trying to persuade her, but said, "If you don't know, just spend more time with her and see. Don't rush. Your parents and even Cui Zichen won't force you."
Xie Qinglan sighed heavily and pouted, "So annoying. Let's not talk about me anymore, let's talk about you. I heard from Danzhu that you're going to Chuyun Temple again for quite a while?"
"You've only just returned from Longquan Manor, why are you leaving the capital again?"
Xie Qinglan spoke with a hint of envy. Young ladies from noble families like them, aside from marrying far away, rarely had the opportunity to travel, spending their days confined to their small courtyards.
Shen Youying could not tell the truth, so she could only say, "I heard that Your Highness said that your leg ailment has recently relapsed. It just so happens that Master Huodong has recently developed a new elixir, so Your Highness is preparing to stay at Chuyun Temple for a while."
Xie Qinglan had only a vague understanding: "Are those Taoist pills really effective?"
Shen Youying nodded: "Your Highness has survived all these years thanks to the pills from Master Huodong, so they must be effective."
Although Xie Qinglan had some doubts, she thought that the world was full of wonders, so she didn't say anything more.
The two rocked in their chairs, eating pastries, and the sun slowly swayed into the afternoon.
Shen Youying asked the kitchen to prepare Xie Qinglan's favorite dishes, and naturally wanted to invite her to stay for dinner. As the two were talking, they saw Xue Shen being pushed over by a guard, with an unexpected person by his side.
Xie Qinglan's eyes widened when she saw Cui Zichen: "What are you doing here?"
Cui Zichen was still wearing his official robes, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He smiled slightly at her, looking very refined and otherworldly: "I just happened to be passing by the Prince of Qin's residence, so I came to pay my respects."
It's like I had no idea you were here before I arrived, what a coincidence!
Xie Qinglan puffed out her cheeks, turned her head slightly away from looking at her, and whispered to Shen Youying, "See, I told you he was different from before."
It's said that you can't hit a smiling face, and Cui Zichen's handsome face, full of smiles, really makes it hard to get angry.
Shen Youying glanced at Cui Zichen, covered her mouth and chuckled, then said softly, "Qinglan is coming today, so I specially asked the kitchen to prepare a hot pot. Since Vice Envoy Cui is here, let's all join in."
"Then I shall accept your offer." Cui Zichen still smiled, speaking to Shen Youying, but his eyes were on Xie Qinglan.
Xie Qinglan glared at him secretly, but not too fiercely. In the end, she felt embarrassed by Cui Zichen's gaze and lowered her eyes.
The kitchen set up a hot pot in the pavilion. Because of the cold north wind in winter, Xue Shen was worried that Shen Youying would get cold, so he had thick curtains added around the pavilion before he felt at ease.
To make it easier to talk, no one was placed in the pavilion to serve them. The four of them sat around the hot pot, with the steaming mutton hot pot bubbling and emitting a rich aroma.
Besides the lamb rolls served with the hot pot and various seasonal vegetables, there are also sashimi of carp, venison, perilla shrimp, candied kumquats, and more.
Xie Qinglan glanced at it, then snuggled closer to Shen Youying and muttered, "As expected, Zhaozhao understands me best."
I know what her favorite food is.
Shen Youying smiled and picked up a shrimp for her: "Didn't you say that the chef in our household is very good at cooking? Then eat more. We're going to Chuyun Temple later, so you won't be able to eat any more for a while."
Xie Qinglan returned the favor by placing the most tender piece of meat from the belly of the fish on her plate and pouring her some wine: "Why do you say that I came here just to freeload?"
Shen Youying was about to pick up the wine cup when she saw Xue Shen naturally reach out and take the cup, drinking it all in one gulp: "Zhaozhao's cold is not yet cured, she should not drink wine."
Xie Qinglan asked in surprise, "When did you catch a cold? Are you fully recovered?"
Shen Youying: "..."
She glared at Xue Shen and could only vaguely say, "It happened a while ago, it's all better now."
Xie Qinglan believed her and glanced at Xue Shen. She then whispered in Shen Youying's ear, "Your cold is all better now. Drinking a cup of wine won't make any difference. Does the Prince of Qin always keep such a strict discipline over you?"
She thought she had spoken softly enough, but apart from the two women present, both of whom were skilled in martial arts and had exceptional hearing.
Xue Shen glanced at Xie Qinglan, who was completely unaware, as he twirled his wine cup.
Cui Zichen noticed this and placed a slice of mutton on Xie Qinglan's plate, saying, "If we don't eat the mutton soon, it won't be fresh anymore."
Xie Qinglan immediately forgot about the previous topic and turned to focus on cooking the mutton.
The dinner was a great success, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves. Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan were particularly happy, while Xue Shen and Cui Zichen mostly helped cook the mutton and rarely joined in the conversation between the two women.
After dinner, it was getting late. Xie Qinglan reluctantly pulled Shen Youying away to say goodbye: "I'll come find you to play again when you come back from Chuyun Temple."
Shen Youying nodded, then glanced at Cui Zichen and whispered in her ear, "If you and... make any new progress, remember to write to me. Don't wait until I come back from Chuyun Temple and your marriage is already arranged."
Xie Qinglan glared at her: "It can't be that fast."
Cui Zichen was right next to her, and fearing that the other party might hear something, she dared not say anything more and could only hurriedly say goodbye and leave.
Xie Qinglan came by carriage, and once she left the Prince of Qin's residence, she would be going home by carriage.
But Cui Zichen, with his hands in his pockets, walked leisurely with her to the car: "I happen to be visiting my teacher, so maybe I can hitch a ride?"
Xie Qinglan bit her lip, looked at the white horse behind him, and muttered, "Didn't you ride a horse?"
Cui Zichen said matter-of-factly, "It's cold in winter, and riding a horse is quite chilly. If there's a carriage, it's naturally better to ride in a carriage."
Xie Qinglan was speechless for a moment, stammering before finally managing to squeeze out, "Men and women should be different; it wouldn't be good if others saw us."
Cui Zichen was just teasing her. Seeing that she hesitated and her refusal was not firm, he thought that if he wasn't worried about being seen and gossiped about, he might have taken it a step further and shared a ride with her.
“Indeed, it was my oversight.” Cui Zichen stopped teasing her, nimbly mounted his horse, and rode alongside the carriage: “Then let’s travel together.”
Xie Qinglan boarded the carriage, glanced at him through the gap in the curtain, hesitated for a long time, and then asked the maid to send out her hand warmer.
Cui Zichen raised an eyebrow as he looked at the hand warmer the maid handed him: "For me?"
This hand warmer is exquisitely crafted, with a beautiful tassel hanging from the bottom; it's the one Xie Qinglan often uses.
The maid smiled and said, "Yes, sir, please take this to keep warm."
Cui Zichen took the hand warmer, feeling the gentle warmth spread from his palms. He glanced at the carriage with its curtains tightly closed and smiled slowly.
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