Although the matter at Cui Zhu Yuan was suppressed by Madam Liu, it did not escape Leng Jin Yu’s notice.
However, Leng Jin Yu acted as if nothing had happened, arriving early in the morning with a small wooden box to find her.
It made her suspect whether Leng Ruo Shuang was truly Leng Jin Yu’s daughter. What kind of father would ignore his own daughter’s troubles yet dote on another? This was not Leng Jin Yu’s usual demeanor.
At that moment, she was practicing her morning exercises in the courtyard. As he entered Ming Yue Yuan, he stood silently by the side, watching her perform various strange movements, his gaze filled with shock.
Only after she finished her training did he walk over.
“Li’er, what martial art are you practicing? Why are the movements so peculiar?” Leng Jin Yu asked curiously.
“Father, Li’er is not practicing martial arts; it’s a close-quarters combat technique,” Leng Ruo Li explained patiently.
“Close-quarters combat technique? Father has never heard of it,” Leng Jin Yu asked, full of confusion.
Leng Ruo Li chuckled.
“Father, this close-quarters combat technique was created by Li’er. What was your impression after watching it?”
She didn't know how to explain where this close-quarters combat technique came from, so she could only fabricate that she had created it herself.
“Li’er, your close-quarters combat style is fast, precise, and ruthless. Your strikes are accurate, your control over force is excellent, and you can strike vital points with lightning speed. For example, the face, abdomen, and ribs can incapacitate an opponent. If you have internal energy, its effectiveness will be even greater.”
Leng Jin Yu offered his daughter a serious critique.
Leng Ruo Li nodded. People who practiced martial arts were indeed different; his assessment of the close-quarters combat technique was very accurate.
Leng Ruo Li glanced at the small box in Leng Jin Yu’s hand and asked curiously, “Father, why did you come to see your daughter this morning with a small box?”
“Li’er, this is the double phoenix pattern gilded silver hairpin that the Empress sent as a betrothal gift on behalf of Prince Qing. Since you treated the Empress Dowager in the palace a few days ago, and Father was busy with military affairs, I hadn’t had time to return it to the Empress. Today, I have a day off from court, so I brought it to show you.”
As he spoke, Leng Jin Yu opened the small box, took out a hairpin, and handed it to her. Although such gold and silver hairpins were not particularly precious to ancient officials and nobles, their craftsmanship was exquisite and not something that could be easily bought elsewhere.
Leng Ruo Li merely glanced at it indifferently and did not reach out to take it.
She understood Leng Jin Yu’s intention. He was afraid she would regret breaking off the engagement with Prince Qing and had come to confirm it with her.
“Father, what was the betrothal gift my mother sent to Prince Qing on my behalf?” Leng Ruo Li asked.
“It was a jade bracelet, one that your mother always wore,” he replied.
“Alright, Father, please return it to the Empress. Li’er will not regret breaking off the engagement with Prince Qing.”
“Good, that’s settled. Then Father will return it to the Empress for you.”
“Mhm~”
Leng Ruo Li nodded in agreement.
After Leng Jin Yu left Ming Yue Yuan, Leng Ruo Li returned to her room, flashed into the bathroom in the system space, took a refreshing bath, and changed into a plain, wide-sleeved gown with white plum blossoms. She wore no expensive jewelry, only a small fan-shaped hairpin made of white jade to elegantly tie up her long, dark hair. She was dressed very simply, yet it could not suppress her innate aura, especially her clear and bright apricot eyes, which were like glazed glass.
As she emerged from her room, she saw Xing’er and Ling’er sitting in the small pavilion in the courtyard mending clothes.
She walked over and looked at them, noticing that her two little maids were wearing washed-out clothes and mending rather worn-out trousers.
This made Leng Ruo Li feel a pang of sadness.
“Stop mending, you two. Come, I’ll take you shopping for clothes,” Leng Ruo Li said to them.
“Miss, these clothes can still be worn after mending. Let’s save money.”
Xing’er, having experienced poverty, felt it was too extravagant now that their basic needs were met.
“Yes, Miss. The clothes I wore before were even more torn than these. They can still be worn after mending,” Ling’er chimed in.
Leng Ruo Li sighed helplessly.
“Alright, you two continue mending. I’ll take you out shopping once you’re done.”
—
A moment later, Leng Ruo Li, along with the two maids, appeared on the most prosperous street in the capital.
Leng Ruo Li bought many delicious treats for her two little maids, and the three of them strolled along the street, eating as they went.
As they passed a clothing store, Leng Ruo Li stopped and led the two little maids inside.
The clothing store had many people coming and going, but few were actually buying clothes; most would just look and leave.
The moment Leng Ruo Li stepped into the shop, the shopkeeper greeted them, sizing them up from head to toe.
Seeing their extremely shabby attire, he said contemptuously, “Three young ladies, are you here to buy clothes?”
Leng Ruo Li noticed the shopkeeper’s gaze but couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, so she nodded indifferently.
Subsequently, the shopkeeper led the three of them to a corner on the left to choose clothes.
Leng Ruo Li immediately recognized that the fabric of these clothes was coarse linen and cotton, the kind worn by ordinary folk. She asked the shopkeeper, “Do you only sell this coarse linen and cotton here?”
The shopkeeper replied, “Of course not. This clothing store is the best clothing shop in the entire capital in terms of fabric.”
He then pointed to the clothes in the corner on the right, which not only had good fabric but also new styles.
Leng Ruo Li’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she said to the shopkeeper, “Then why did you lead us to this corner to choose these coarse cloth clothes?”
The shopkeeper glanced at their attire again. “Young ladies, the clothes in our shop are very expensive. Those made with better quality fabric cost at least one tael of silver per set. Judging by your attire, you probably can’t afford such fine fabric clothes, can you?”
This shopkeeper was truly looking down on them.
Xing’er and Ling’er beside her were furious with the shopkeeper.
“Shopkeeper, our Miss is…”
Just as Xing’er was about to reveal Leng Ruo Li’s identity, a娇气 (jiao qi - delicate/affected) female voice came from the entrance. It was Ye Mei Qian, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites, and Shen Yue Jia, the second legitimate daughter of the Minister of Justice.
“Haha—Miss Ye from the Ye family and Second Sister Shen from the Shen family! Welcome, welcome!” the shopkeeper said with a fawning smile.
As soon as Ye Mei Qian entered, she pointed at Leng Ruo Li and said, “Shopkeeper, how can you let such beggars into your shop?”
“Uh… but Miss Ye, they are here to buy clothes. It wouldn’t be good to chase them away like this.”
“Shopkeeper, what’s so bad about it? If you don’t chase them away, we’ll never come to your clothing store to buy clothes again.”
“No, no, Miss Ye, I’ll have them three leave right now.”
With that, the shopkeeper walked up to the three of them and said with a stern face, “Three young ladies, please leave. Don’t disturb our distinguished guests from choosing their clothes.”
Xing’er and Ling’er were so angry that they immediately started arguing with the shopkeeper.
Leng Ruo Li merely gave the shopkeeper a cold glance, then lightly pulled the two maids, who were still arguing with the shopkeeper, away.
In a flash, Leng Ruo Li and her two maids entered another clothing store opposite the previous one, named Jin Xiu Ge.
This shop was very quiet, contrasting with the bustling clothing store opposite.
As Leng Ruo Li, Xing’er, and Ling’er stepped into this shop, a handsome and tall young man came out to greet them with a smile.
“Three young ladies, are you here to choose clothes?”
Leng Ruo Li nodded.
Then, the young man gestured towards the clothes inside the shop.
“Young ladies, please come in and choose freely. I’ll give you three sets of clothes for five hundred wen.”
“What?”
The three of them were stunned by the young man’s words.
At this, the young man thought they still found his clothes too expensive and said, “Young ladies, do you still find it expensive? How about three sets for four hundred wen?”
Leng Ruo Li and the two little maids were dumbfounded.
“Miss, his clothes are too cheap,” Xing’er said, regaining her senses.
“Yes, Miss. The coarse linen and cotton clothes opposite cost five hundred wen per set,” Ling’er said, also astonished.