Not only Xu Wan, but Qin Wanyin's eyes also lit up with curiosity. She couldn't help but tug at Li Shiyue's sleeve, forgetting that Wei Yujie was still there.
"You must tell me first. I've been hesitating about what to choose for your wedding dowry. For Fifth Sister's wedding, I chose a pair of jade hairpins. If Mother hadn't stopped me, I really wanted to make a matching set of jewelry."
Speaking of this, Li Shiyue couldn't help but smile: "You're really something. You can't keep any good things to yourself and you're always thinking about giving them to us. If you ever empty the Grand Tutor's mansion, I wonder how many times you'll be punished by writing papers."
Qin Wanyin stuck out her tongue. She was too lively in the Qin family, while her cousins were all taught to be too well-behaved by their uncles.
Only Xu Lingzi and Xu Wan were willing to play with her, and later Li Shiyue joined in. That's just her personality; she always tries to give more of the good stuff to those close to her.
Li Shiyue feigned distress, but her eyes were full of laughter: "If you keep sending things to the Duke's mansion like this, I don't know what gift to give in return."
"I reckon it won't be long before Yan Yan's dowry is all gone. Be careful, her cousin might complain to the Grand Tutor." Xu Wan, with her aloof nature, told a joke, revealing her dimples.
Although Xu Lingzi didn't speak, she nodded in agreement after hearing Xu Wan's words, making Qin Wanyin even more embarrassed.
Wei Yujie couldn't get a word in edgewise in the conversation, only managing an awkward smile. It was only when she heard Xu Wan call her "cousin" that she realized Xu Wan was also from the Xu family, though she hadn't seen him at the Duke's mansion, so he probably wasn't from the Rongguo Duke's branch.
Her eyes darted around; she had specifically inquired about it, and Xu Lingzi was the youngest daughter of the eldest son's family.
She got up and sat down next to Xu Lingzi. When Xu Lingzi turned her head, she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes. She raised her hand and touched the velvet flower in her hair: "Actually, I can make some velvet flowers. If you ladies don't mind, I'll have someone send them over another day."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible to everyone in the pavilion. For a moment, all eyes were on her, or more precisely, on the velvet flower adorning her temples.
Qin Wanyin shook her head without much thought: "I'll pass. I just got a batch of trinkets from Baoxianglou a few days ago, including their specialty velvet flowers."
Xu Wan shook her head shyly and even moved her body to the side: "I don't want to either. I don't like the material of velvet flowers. If I touch it, I'll easily get a rash."
Wei Yujie had lived in the Duke's mansion for some time, and her specialty, velvet flowers, were nothing special outside the mansion. Looking at Qin Wanyin and Xu Wan, she couldn't help but feel that the two were deliberately targeting her, but she couldn't say anything.
Qin Wanyin seemed to realize that her words might have been misunderstood, and hurriedly said, "I'm not looking down on your things. If my mother knew that I had added more jewelry, she would definitely scold me."
Wei Yujie forced a smile and said, "It's okay."
"A-Yin is the type to say whatever comes to mind, so don't take it to heart." Xu Lingzi paused, looking at the suppressed tears in Wei Yujie's eyes, and didn't know what to say. After thinking for a moment, she said.
"Grand Tutor Qin is an honest and upright official, and his wife is even more strict about the finances of the Grand Tutor's mansion. Therefore, A-Yin's jewelry is replenished regularly. If there is any excess, the rules of the Grand Tutor's mansion are not much more relaxed than those of the Duke's mansion."
Li Shiyue smiled slightly: "You sent many more velvet flowers to Chengyu Pavilion before, but I haven't worn them yet. They are very finely made, so you must have put a lot of thought into them."
"But doing it for too long will hurt your eyes and your health, so it's better to do it less. Don't end up like me, catching a cold so easily at such a young age."
As the conversation turned to her own situation, Xu Lingzi knew she was trying to change the subject, so she chimed in, "You're one to talk! You caught a cold a few days ago, you're the first one to do that."
The young master's courtyard was some distance from the women's. Xu Yunci and Guo Xun had just sat down, having deliberately found a quiet place, but inevitably some people came over to congratulate Xu Yunci on her engagement.
Xu Yunci didn't know how many times this had happened, but for the first time he felt exhausted. However, the smile on his lips never left when he thought about the marriage.
Guo Xun, sitting to the side, saw this. He had only known Xu Yunci for a short time, and after he married Xu Lingzi, he had never seen Xu Yunci so happy.
It seems there are still people who can subdue Prince Xu.
Xu Yunci looked up and saw the smile in Guo Xun's eyes. He couldn't help but chuckle softly. He didn't say anything. Both of them understood that marrying the one you love is something to be happy about.
"Prince Xu".
Xu Yunci looked up in response, and when he saw the person who had come, he stood up and suppressed his smile: "King Zhao."
Today, King Zhao was wearing an indigo-blue robe embroidered with gold pythons. He was playing with a lustrous jade bead in his hand, which looked smooth and delicate, suggesting that he had been handling it for some time.
Seemingly oblivious to Xu Yunci's probing gaze, he sat down on the other side as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, glanced at Guo Xun and Xu Yunci, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a leisurely sip.
"I have come to congratulate the young master on his engagement and to congratulate him on successfully winning the heart of his beloved."
Xu Yunci sat back down, nodded slightly, and smiled as he said, "It is the Emperor's will that grant my request."
The smile on King Zhao's face deepened. He turned his head to look around and gave Xu Yunci a meaningful look.
He reached out and touched the tip of his nose, then stared at Xu Yunci: "To be honest, I am really curious as to why the Princess of Yichang, a woman from another family, could win the Emperor's favor and even lead to Chunhui's marriage to a distant place."
"Tsk, but seeing the Princess of Yichang makes it clear. However, I would like to remind you, my younger sister is now married far away, and only her niece accompanies her in the Pixiang Palace. If your Rongguo Duke's Mansion is going to hold a wedding, do you think the one in the Pixiang Palace will be able to sit still?"
Xu Yunci did not look up: "With the Rongguo Duke's Mansion here, the Imperial Concubine cannot touch Yan Yan."
As soon as he finished speaking, a wicked smile appeared on King Zhao's face. He pointed to his forehead and lowered his voice: "Women's minds are really hard to guess. They say they like someone but are unsure of their feelings, yet they are always being used as pawns. The bad guys are naturally the ones who make the pawns. And some people are hiding behind the scenes. What's that saying again? When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."
"I just can't stand staying here, which is why I saw the Crown Prince being stopped twice by the maids of Pixiang Palace after he left the palace. You say that the person who loves the Crown Prince, Princess Chunhui of Pixiang Palace, who loves the Crown Prince, is no longer in the capital, so who else would be devoted to the Crown Prince?"
"I'm just a newcomer to the capital, and after a little investigation, I've learned some interesting facts. The people of Pixiang Palace really think she's a pitiful person. Chunhui isn't in the capital anymore; the Crown Prince and the County Princess are engaged. Who do you think she'll choose as her next pawn?"
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