May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

That evening, Wen Yuanshu was having dinner when Lu Chengyuan, whom she hadn't seen for many days, suddenly arrived.

"It seems I've arrived at just the right time." Lu Chengyuan didn't treat himself like an outsider and sat down immediately.

Wen Yuanshu was already used to his behavior, so she asked Chunhua to bring him a bowl and chopsticks.

After a couple of bites of rice, Lu Chengyuan became playful: "Did you miss me?"

Wen Yuanshu turned her head to the side: "No."

Looking at her slightly reddened ear tips, Lu Chengyuan chuckled softly, "I missed you too."

“I have to leave the capital soon and go to another place for a while,” Lu Chengyuan said. “It will probably be about ten days. When I come back, I will bring you some nice things.”

Wen Yuanshu nodded, without asking where he was going.

After all, he left the capital to take care of important business.

Since it's important, she'd better not know.

After a quick meal, Lu Chengyuan left.

-

A few more days passed, and the weather grew colder, but Lu Chengyuan still hadn't returned.

Wen Yuanshu got up early and went to the east of the city.

The blueprints for the girls' school were selected by the Empress Dowager and supervised by the Ministry of Works. She had no say in this matter, so she only glanced at the progress and left.

After strolling around the girls' school and returning home, with nothing else to do, Wen Yuanshu held the jade puppy in her hand and played with it for a while. Suddenly, she had a whim to go outside the city to see the maple leaves.

“It’s the perfect time to admire the maple leaves,” Wen Yuanshu said as she walked outside. “Let’s go see how Qinglan is doing.”

Since that blind date banquet, Wen Qinglan has stopped lecturing her all the time, and the two cousins ​​can get along quite well.

Upon arriving at Wen Qinglan's courtyard, they saw her sitting in front of her dressing table, just as she had been at the matchmaking banquet that day, carefully dressing herself up.

"Cousin?" Wen Qinglan was taken aback by her sudden arrival. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, and she instinctively stood up. "Why are you here?"

Wen Yuanshu subtly sized her up, her smile remaining unchanged: "I'd like to go outside the city to admire the autumn leaves, would you like to come along?"

"I..." Wen Qinglan's eyes flickered for a moment, "I won't go."

Seeing this, Wen Yuanshu didn't insist and left on her own. After getting ready, she took Chunhua and headed straight out of the city.

Outside the city, there is a mountain covered with maple trees. At this time, the mountain is covered with red leaves, and the pavilions and towers are all situated in a sea of ​​red, which is breathtaking from afar.

The two, mistress and servant, strolled leisurely along the mountain path. Chunhua's gaze suddenly turned, and she spotted a familiar figure: "Miss, isn't that Miss Cousin?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yuanshu looked in the direction Chunhua pointed.

A woman dressed elegantly stood not far away, her head slightly lowered, her face blushing shyly, and her clothes looked very familiar.

The person opposite her was obscured by a stone, and only the wide hem of their clothes could be seen.

It's a man.

"That's really strange," Chunhua said, puzzled. "Didn't Miss Biao say she wasn't coming?"

Chunhua looked at Wen Yuanshu again: "Miss, should we go up and say hello?"

Wen Yuanshu glanced at her helplessly: "Qinglan obviously has an appointment with someone else. What are we going up there for? We'll just embarrass her for no reason."

Anyway, they should be one of the people who attended the banquet that day, so there's nothing to worry about.

She looked around, then turned and walked onto a path.

The three walked away, and behind them, the man reached out and plucked a red maple leaf that had fallen on Wen Qinglan's head, his voice tinged with amusement: "Are you tired? Why don't we find a place to rest for a while? I'll give you a leg massage?"

Wen Qinglan's face immediately flushed red: "You are the son of a duke, how could you do such a thing for me?"

"Being the son of a duke is just a title, nothing more," the man said, taking her hand in his voice, which was unmistakably gentle and tender. "I only want to be good to you, Qinglan."

This was the first time Wen Qinglan had ever been so close to a man.

It was the first time a man had ever said something like that to her.