My Lady is well

Shen Yueyao saw Jin'er bringing back the lunch box dejectedly, like an eggplant hit by frost.

"Why? Didn't you send it out?"

Jin'er was very confused when she saw that she didn't seem surprised.

"Master... Did you know all along..."

Shen Yueyao picked out a few boxes of ointment, put them to her nose and smelled them one by one, not caring about the pastries at all.

"It doesn't matter. He won't be seen today. We can continue to send him tomorrow."

Jin'er, on the other hand, was extremely anxious.

"What if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't show up tomorrow?"

Shen Yueyao seemed to have found the scent she liked. She gently rubbed a little with her fingertips and put it to her nose to confirm.

He said indifferently, "Then I'll send it the day after tomorrow."

"..."

Jin'er really didn't know what her intention was, seeing that she looked like she didn't care at all.

Suddenly, he felt that the emperor was not anxious, but the eunuch was, and his brows were wrinkled into knots.

Shen Yueyao found it funny to see her tense face.

"Jin'er, have I ever lied to you?"

Jin'er shook her head dully: "The master would never lie to Jin'er."

"It's good to know."

Seeing that she looked confident, Jin'er said no more.

On the second day, after lunch, Shen Yueyao prepared exquisite pastries in the small kitchen.

There was no need for her to be so meticulous. She expected that Jing Ruzhang would most likely not meet Jin'er. But after all, the human heart is the most difficult to guess, not to mention the future emperor.

What if he took it on a whim?

Jin'er delivered it to Jing Ruzhang's study strictly according to the time specified by Shen Yueyao.

Jiang Ye asked her to wait outside, and came out and said the same two words to her as yesterday: goodbye.

Shen Yueyao didn't take it seriously and sent it for ten days in a row. As expected, the result was the same.

Jin'er has become numb from being rejected. She felt lost at first, but now she is used to it.

But she still asked, "Master, do we have to continue sending it tomorrow?"

Shen Yueyao looked at her and smiled brightly, like a blooming flower. Jin'er blushed and lowered her head.

"Jin'er, you've worked hard these days. I won't go tomorrow."

Jin'er raised her blank eyes and looked at her. She had spent so many days delivering the gift, how could she let all her efforts go to waste?

"No, no, no, I will go tomorrow. I must let His Royal Highness eat the cakes made by the master. You have worked so hard to learn this, so no matter what, His Royal Highness must have a taste of it."

"Jin'er, I'm serious. You don't have to send me off tomorrow."

"Why, why?"

She just smiled and said nothing more.

In the study, ambergris given by the emperor was burning in the golden lion beast incense burner.

Jing Ruzhan was writing a memorial and inadvertently glanced up at the Nan window.

The pen in my hand paused for a moment, then continued.

"What time is it?"

Jiang Ye, who was waiting on the side, looked at the clepsydra and bowed.

"Your Highness, it is three quarters past the hour of You."

Jing Ruzhang was silent for a moment, always feeling that something was wrong today.

Not only him, Jiang Ye also looked out the door several times.

About a quarter of an hour later, Jing Ruzhan closed the memorial he had just written.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment.

"Today... no one from Liu Fengxuan came?"

Jiang Ye looked outside the door again and thought, people have been sending gifts for more than ten days in a row, but you ignored them. Why don't they come anymore and ask about it instead?

"No, he has been here for more than ten days in a row. I guess he knows that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not see him."

Jing Ruzhang frowned slightly and reflected on whether he had undermined her confidence.

"Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar year. Your Highness, would you like to go to Changning Palace for dinner?"

Jing Ruzhang hummed lightly.

The moon was hanging on the branches, and the moonlight shone on the soft waves. There was a little wind, gently blowing the loose hair on Shen Yueyao's forehead.

She sat lazily on the railing of the porch, watching the koi carps playing in the pond.

She was wearing a water-blue dress with a white silk sash lightly tied around her waist, which made her soft waist look slender enough to be held in one hand.

Her long black hair was tied up, with a jade hairpin loosely pinned on it. Her skin was as white as jade, and she was extremely beautiful, like a fairy or a demon.

Qiuju walked over in small steps and bowed.

"Master, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is coming."

As expected, he came after all. This tactic of playing hard to get was quite effective.

Shen Yueyao smiled softly, "I know."

In an instant, a trace of sadness that was just enough to make people feel pity appeared between her brows.

Jing Ruzhang stood behind her for a while, raised his hand to stop Jin'er from giving her instructions, and Jiang Ye signaled her to step back with a look.

Jin'er looked at Shen Yueyao worriedly and retreated respectfully.

Shen Yueyao didn't hear any noise for a long time. She turned her head and found Jing Ruzhang staring at her quietly.

"Your Highness?"

She opened her red lips slightly, was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up, walked forward and bowed.

"I have seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

He chose to ignore the surprise on her face and spoke indifferently.

"You have some free time. You have finished copying the Book of Rites."

Seeing that he didn't let her get up again, Shen Yueyao didn't do it again this time and still leaned forward.

But what’s going on with this feeling of the head teacher randomly checking homework?

It really wasn't suitable for the current atmosphere, but since he asked, she could only answer truthfully.

"I've finished copying. Your Highness, do you want to check it?

Jing Ruzhang suddenly opened one hand towards her, and Shen Yueyao naturally handed her soft and fair hand to him.

He was slightly stunned for a moment, and Shen Yueyao finally realized that what he wanted was the "Book of Rites" that she had copied.

She quickly pulled her hand back, and her round, beautiful nails accidentally scratched his palm, and his eyes darkened slightly.

Shen Yueyao's face flushed slightly because of the misunderstanding just now, and she said with a little embarrassment.

"It's in the inner room. Your Highness, please come in and have a cup of tea."

Shen Yueyao personally poured the tea and brought it to him. As he got closer, he could smell a faint fragrance, which was like orchid, but not the same. It was very pleasant.

Jing Ruzhang's eyes softened when he looked at her, and Shen Yueyao handed a stack of papers to him.

He took it and flipped through two pages. Shen Yueyao observed his expression carefully, expecting his comments. If she could give a word or two of praise, it would not be in vain for all her hard work in copying for several days.

Sure enough, once you have expectations for something like this, you will have to bear the risk of disappointment.

Jing Ruzhang flipped through a few pages casually and shook his head slightly.

"The handwriting is too ugly. Rewrite it."

Just six short words were like a bolt of lightning that struck Shen Yueyao.

If slander could hurt people, she would cut him into pieces.

At this moment, she no longer had the heart to be hypocritical with him. She lowered her eyelashes and her voice was a little cold.

"My name is naturally better than your Highness."

Jing Ruzhang looked at her calmly and said, "It's not that you are inferior to me, but you are the worst among all the masters in the Eastern Palace."

Shen Yueyao felt that it was no wonder that the ancients said that the emperor was a lonely man. He hadn't even become emperor yet, but she felt suffocated when talking to him.

It would be terrible if he really became the emperor.

She lowered her head and said helplessly: "I know I am stupid and dare not compare myself with other masters."

"He's quite self-aware."

Shen Yueyao suppressed anger in her eyes and did not dare to look up so that he would notice.

Jing Ruzhang didn't seem to want to let her go, and continued to ask: "Your calligraphy isn't very good, but what about needlework?"

Shen Yueyao pursed her lips, shook her head gently, and blurted out: "No."

Jing Ruzhang rested his elbows on the rosewood table, curled his bony fingers into fists, and gently pressed his temples, with a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"The eight arts of women: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers and tea. Which one do you know?"

Shen Yueyao thought for a moment and said, "Except for being able to recite a few poems, I don't know anything else."

Jing Ruzhang was quite surprised to see that she answered so honestly and did not feel ashamed of not knowing the answer.

Nowadays, the Eight Elegances are almost the most basic qualities for women from aristocratic families. The Shen family in Jiangzhou is considered a prominent family in the local area, but they produced a fool like Shen Yueyao.

"You said you could recite poetry. Recite one for me."

Seeing the mockery and contempt in his eyes, Shen Yueyao snorted in her heart and raised her eyebrows. She suddenly wanted to choke him and remembered an interesting poem written by Mr. Su Dongpo.

"The eighteen-year-old bride and the eighty-year-old groom, white hair and red makeup."

A pair of mandarin ducks sleep together in the quilt, and a pear tree overshadows a crabapple tree.

Jing Ruzhang held a sip of tea in his mouth, watched her finish reading seriously, coughed slightly, and swallowed it slowly after a while.

He frowned at her innocent look.

"You read it well, don't read it next time."

Shen Yueyao felt that she saw something unusual on his face, which was extremely rare, and she felt secretly happy.

Although Shen Yueyao expected him to come today, she didn't want to let him stay overnight in Liufengxuan.

Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and according to the rules, Jing Ruzhang should go to Changning Palace.

She didn't want the good relationship she had just established with the Crown Princess to be destroyed because of him.

"Why are you here today, Your Highness? Aren't you supposed to be in Changning Palace accompanying the Crown Princess?"

"Passing by."

Changning Palace is the central axis of the Eastern Palace, and Liufengxuan is in the southwest corner of the Eastern Palace. How is this road smooth?