Su Xiaoqi listened to the journey of Liang Jinting, the heir of Prince Xiang, all the way and could only silently light a row of candles for him.
What kind of rotten luck was this, to be so terribly unlucky.
However, Shen Yun quietly commented, "The first time could have been an accident, the second time could also have been an accident.
The third and fourth times are harder to say."
Su Xiaoqi wholeheartedly agreed.
However, while the husband and wife were discussing heatedly at home.
When they met Liang Jinting, the heir of Prince Xiang, the two of them tacitly maintained the proper etiquette.
They greeted each other politely, took their seats according to rank.
During the conversation, Shen Yun expressed his desire to pay his respects to Prince Xiang and his consort.
Liang Jinting explained that their elders were not at home; they had gone to the palace and there was no need to pay respects.
He had prepared pastries and tea, and they could sit and rest for a while.
As Liang Jinting spoke, he would involuntarily glance at Shen Mingzhu.
Shen Yun's younger sister, a young lady rarely seen at the flower and tea gatherings of ordinary aristocratic families in the capital, yet he had seen her repeatedly at Chen Jin Ji.
He remembered the first time he saw her was one evening.
That day the weather was fine, with clear skies and faint fiery clouds reflected in the western sky.
He had always loved the pastries from Chen Jin Ji.
From the very first day the shop opened, after he had casually tasted them with a friend, he could never forget the exquisite taste.
After that, he would occasionally bring his attendant to buy them.
Moreover, he was unlike other young masters who would send their servants to buy if they wanted something.
He insisted on going in person.
Looking at the delicious-looking bread and cakes displayed on the counter, each one golden and tempting, he felt his appetite whetted.
After looking for a while, he would have his attendant buy the pastries he had chosen.
Then he would savor them carefully back home.
At first, it was purely for buying pastries.
Later, he became smitten with one of the girls inside.
She often appeared in the shop.
She wasn't wearing the shop's uniform service attire.
Instead, she wore the brocade long skirts of ordinary aristocratic young ladies.
Her clothing and jewelry were exquisite.
It was clear she came from a wealthy background.
But her demeanor was gentle and amiable, without any pretension, and very approachable.
When customers who didn't understand asked her questions, she would answer them enthusiastically.
Even if people's questions were foolish, she would still explain with a smile.
There were no negative emotions from beginning to end.
He was captivated at first sight.
From then on, he went every day.
But she wasn't there every time.
After waiting for more than half a month without seeing her, he couldn't bear it any longer and wanted to bribe a female shop assistant at Chen Jin Ji for information about her.
However, the people there were not easily bribed.
Fortunately, she was there that day.
He was eager to speak with her.
So he stepped forward.
But before he could strike up a conversation.
She was called into the back courtyard by someone else.
From then on, he suffered from lovesickness.
But he dared not confess, nor did he dare to inquire about her background.
He was an unlucky person; whoever he got engaged to would fall into misfortune.
This had already been proven by four innocent good girls for him.
He didn't want to harm a fifth girl.
He simply liked her, liked her with all his heart, and didn't want to think about anything extra!
Until that day, when he went to the shop as usual to steal a glance at her, to satisfy his growing longing.
He saw Princess Qionghua harassing her at Chen Jin Ji.
The first moment he saw her, he wanted to help her.
But the words Princess Qionghua spoke made him stop in his tracks.
It turned out she was the daughter of the Ning King's household who had been lost and scattered, a topic of much discussion in the capital recently.
Their identities were indeed a match!
However, listening to what Princess Qionghua said about her.
He felt her temper was far too good.
To be spoken of in such a manner, yet she remained unfazed, allowing Princess Qionghua to speak as she pleased.
Without any respect whatsoever.
If he married her, it would likely only lead to her suffering.
After all, in the royal family, a soft disposition was unacceptable.
Later, when Princess Qionghua became enraged and spoke those words.
He was so angry that he was about to reveal himself when he saw her raise her hand and slap Princess Qionghua across the face.
With a crisp "crack," it was evident she had put considerable force into it.
Or perhaps, she had endured too much and could no longer tolerate it.
At that moment, his mood was completely relieved.
Good, very good.
She could be soft and hard, patient and strong.
The more he looked, the more satisfied he became. The only remaining concern was whether his ill-fated marriage would affect her.
But these were concerns for later.
At that moment, he thought that he absolutely could not let the enraged Princess Qionghua harm her.
So he stepped forward.
Under the guise of Princess Qionghua's maternal uncle, he intercepted her.
He also sent people to escort Shen Mingzhu back to her residence.
She was the younger sister of Shen Yun, the top scholar.
And possibly the lost princess of the Ning King's household.
How coincidental fate was!
After escorting Shen Mingzhu back, he immediately rode out of the city.
He found Master Yuan Hui and, using the goodwill he had accumulated over the years, implored him to draw a lot for him.
His destined person had arrived.
"Having gone through tribulations for over twenty years, the one I waited for is only her!"
Liang Jinting, who had given up hope on marriage, suddenly felt his heart come alive.
It was as if a long-dried-up spring had suddenly gushed forth.
"Gurgling," though not grand, it was continuous.
He knew that someone as well-mannered as Shen Yun would definitely come to express his gratitude.
He had tricked his own father and mother into going to the palace long ago.
He had also briefed the estate manager for external affairs, all to leave a good impression on the Shen family.
The person before him wore a moon-white brocade robe, gentle yet noble, elegant yet kind, appearing to be a very approachable person.
Su Xiaoqi nodded at him, deciding to temporarily forget about Prince Xiang's unreliable doorman.
Shen Yun and Liang Jinting exchanged glances.
They had seen each other before in their lives.
But because they had no intersection in their daily lives, they had not had any deep conversations.
At this moment, their interaction was also polite.
After Shen Yun expressed his gratitude, he proposed to take his leave.
"So soon..." Liang Jinting was a little anxious, he still had many things to say.
Nor had he probed the Shen family's attitude towards Shen Mingzhu's marriage.
"I remember this kindness, and I will surely repay it in the future," Shen Yun replied politely.
"No need, no need. The person causing trouble yesterday was Princess Qionghua of the Ning King's household.
She is also my niece, and it was her fault. She deserved to be hit."
When Liang Jinting spoke of Princess Qionghua, he felt no fondness for her.
As a man, he could not say much, but in his heart, he truly looked down upon the three children born to his concubine sister.
Shen Mingzhu, upon hearing that he was Princess Qionghua's maternal uncle, her face paled slightly.
She thought that such a good person was actually a relative of Princess Qionghua.
Liang Jinting, seeing her expression, knew her thoughts.
On an impulse, he explained his true relationship with the current Ning King's consort.
Although he called the Ning King's consort "sister" and was the uncle of her children.
In reality, the Ning King's consort was not born of the same mother as him.
He had his own legitimate elder sister.
The Ning King's consort was merely a concubine's daughter from Prince Xiang's household.
Originally, with her status as a concubine's daughter born from their father's concubine, she was not worthy of the Ning King, who was then favored by the Emperor.
However, his own biological legitimate elder sister suddenly died.
At that time, Prince Xiang's household wanted to gain favor with the Ning King's household, which was highly favored by the Emperor.
So they secretly manipulated the situation, using the concubine's daughter to replace the deceased legitimate daughter.
To make the deception convincing, they specifically found the Liu family from Jiangnan to be the maternal family of her mother, Lady Liu, and requested the title of secondary consort and princess.
Just to maintain the relationship between the Ning King's consort and Liang Jinting, and to distinguish her title from that of Princess Ping'an, the legitimate eldest daughter of Prince Xiang, her title was set as Princess Pingning.
This matter was handled discreetly and was not widely publicized.
Therefore, not many people knew about it.
Those who knew were all discerning individuals, and Prince Xiang's household had covered their tracks so cleanly that no one dared to speak ill of it.
The old Ning King at that time also knew about this matter.
Thus, this marriage was finalized.
The two families, as they wished, became in-laws.
But no matter how close the two royal households appeared to outsiders.
In the hearts of Prince Xiang's consort and Liang Jinting, they could never acknowledge the Ning King's consort who had occupied the place of their most beloved.
The brother and sister had never been close.
After all, they were not born from the same womb.