After leaving the Shen family, the carriage from the Prince of Qin's mansion did not immediately take the official road back to Dongjing City. Instead, it turned at a fork in the road and entered another manor.
Wang Deshun carried lotus leaf tea inside and saw the King of Qin sitting by the lotus pond feeding the fish.
"The birthday gift has already been sent to the Princess. I think she liked it very much, and she even sent a return gift." He handed the can of lotus leaf tea to the Prince of Qin: "The Princess said that she personally prepared the tea and wanted Your Highness to try it."
Xue Shen lazily raised his eyes and glanced at it.
The porcelain jar containing the lotus leaf tea was as exquisite as its owner. The light green glass jar was semi-transparent, allowing glimpses of the curled, brownish-green tea leaves inside. The jar was sealed with a matching pagoda-shaped lid, topped with a deeper green glass bead. At the junction of the glass bead and the pagoda lid, a light pink lotus tassel was tied, emitting a delicate fragrance.
"Take it away, I don't like drinking this." Xue Shen didn't look at it much, casually waved his hand to signal Wang Deshun to take it away, pinched a few fish food with his thumb, index finger and middle finger together, and threw them into the water, attracting a group of koi to fight for them.
Upon hearing his words, Wang Deshun's smile faded. Earlier, when he reminded His Highness that the Princess's birthday was approaching, the Prince had asked him to prepare, leading him to believe that the Prince treated the Princess differently. Especially after the Prince personally came to this remote estate, it solidified his belief.
But looking at his master's expression, Wang Deshun became uncertain again, as if he had misunderstood.
Therefore, he asked somewhat hesitantly, "Should we still set off the fireworks we prepared earlier?"
"Since everything is prepared, let it go. There's no need to tell the princess."
Xue Shen casually gave an order, fed the fish, and then turned his wheelchair and headed out. Wang Deshun heard him instruct the guards in the courtyard, "Return to the capital."
*
Because of the unique peony hairpin sent by the King of Qin, Shen Muyu felt quite uncomfortable.
From childhood to adulthood, Shen Youying has always received more preferential treatment and affection than her. Now, even the fierce and ruthless King Qin remembers her birthday and specially sends her a birthday gift.
But when she touched the bracelet on her wrist, Shen Muyu became happy again, thinking that Prince Chen treated her no worse than Prince Qin treated Shen Youying.
Once she marries into the Chen Prince's mansion, she will surely not let Shen Youying outdo her again.
After comforting herself like this, she felt a little better. When she saw Shen Youying in the next courtyard picking through the new and interesting things in the box, she didn't feel so jealous anymore. She smiled sweetly and said while fanning herself with a round fan, "The King of Qin is so attentive to my second sister. Those rumors seem to be untrue."
Shen Youying fiddled with an exquisite Luban lock in her hand and casually said, "Rumors are a mixture of truth and falsehood."
Shen Muyu didn't find out anything, so she snorted softly and went back to her own courtyard.
Bai Luo watched from the side and whispered, "The young lady seems to be in a good mood today."
Unlike before, when people would make sarcastic remarks to upset their daughters if they saw that their daughters had something they didn't have.
Shen Youying was engrossed in playing with the Luban lock when she casually remarked, "She seems to be in a good mood lately."
Apart from hearing her complain a few times in the first two days after Shen Youying returned, I haven't heard her say anything unpleasant since. Every time I meet her, she seems to be in a good mood.
Thinking this, Shen Youying was stunned, and her hand, which was turning the Luban lock, gradually stopped.
That faint sense of unease resurfaced from the depths of her heart, reminding her that something was amiss.
But she couldn't quite figure out what was wrong.
Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard the sound of firecrackers in the distance, followed by the servants' exclamations: "Look! Someone is setting off fireworks!"
Shen Youying subconsciously looked up and saw dazzling fireworks blooming one after another against the dark night sky.
Shen Muyu, who had already gone inside, was also startled by the commotion. She lifted her skirt and ran out to see what was happening, exclaiming in surprise, "Why are people setting off fireworks on a day that isn't a holiday?"
The servants exclaimed excitedly, "These fireworks are even flower-shaped!"
Bai Luo and Dan Zhu looked on in surprise and exclaimed, "Look, doesn't that look like a peony?"
Bright fireworks rose from afar, exploding into dazzling flowers in the sky before quickly fading away like shooting stars.
Shen Youying looked in the direction the two were pointing and indeed saw one "peony" flower after another blooming. She slightly opened her lips and exclaimed in amazement.
Thousands upon thousands of peonies bloomed simultaneously, painting the night sky with color, creating a scene even more breathtaking than the blooming peonies in Tokyo.
She tilted her head back, and her bright eyes shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
At the same moment, Xue Shen was sipping wine in the Red Mansion, surrounded by beautiful women and accompanied by the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments.
The dancers, dressed in light gauze, swayed their waists like snakes as they danced toward him, their bodies enveloped in a fragrant breeze that was alluring and warm, capable of stirring up desires deep within one's heart.
Xue Shen frowned. What he could have tolerated before suddenly became unbearable. He pushed away the beauty who was throwing herself into his arms and showed his disgust: "The incense is too strong. It's giving me a headache."
The dancer was terrified and turned pale. She prostrated herself on the ground, begging for forgiveness, her plump, fair body trembling in the summer heat.
The noblemen drinking with him were taken aback by his sudden outburst of anger, yet not surprised. One of the bolder, more meddlesome men even took advantage of his drunken state to advise, "If the King of Qin doesn't like these women, I can simply have a new batch brought in. Why throw a tantrum and frighten these delicate beauties?"
Xue Shen showed no mercy whatsoever, his expression turning sinister as he said, "Get lost."
The dancers retreated hastily and in a panic.
Xue Shen sat in the private room, his brows furrowed, still surrounded by the lingering fragrance and smell of wine from the dancers.
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