cold clothes

"Your Highness, please don't tease me," Leng Yi said in a panic.

Is the Third Prince flirting with her? Please stop with that typical straight-man talk.

"A concubine is equivalent to a secondary wife in an ordinary household, so how can she not be considered a husband and wife?"

"Your Highness, please don't flatter me... Even if Your Highness were to elevate me to the rank of concubine in the future, it would not be considered a marriage without going through the royal ceremony, otherwise it would be against etiquette."

"I didn't expect you to be so meticulous." Zhao Qun laughed even harder at Leng Yi's words.

A nameless anger rose within Leng Yi. The Third Prince always treated her like a pet cat; was this what he called pampering? But she was truly annoyed… The Third Prince seemed to be expecting some interesting answer from her, something that would make her want to surprise him by doing something outrageous.

However, Leng Yi only thought about it in her heart. Despite the vast difference in their social status, she endured it; she was an undercover agent, she endured it; she didn't want to be dragged away and executed, she endured it!

Leng Yi lowered her eyes and said, "The old lady taught us women's etiquette from a young age, and I dare not slack off."

"Fengxianglou teaches such boring things?" Zhao Qun said.

It may seem boring, but it's the foundation for women's survival in this era.

“Your Highness is a man, so naturally you’d find it boring,” Leng Yi casually chimed in.

Zhao Qun glanced at Leng Yi and said meaningfully, "Women are so boring because they learn these things. They are like fragile flowers that cannot survive without soil once they leave the backyard. They should not learn these things."

Leng Yi was stunned.

Zhao Qun's thoughts drifted away, and he continued, "When I was a child, I thought that all women, except for my mother, were equally dull-witted, taciturn, timid, and weak, like my cousin, who was a very boring young lady from a wealthy family. It wasn't until I saw you when I was fourteen that I realized women could also wield swords and spears. After that, I stopped being confined to one perspective and observed that some of my sisters, whom I didn't know very well, were skilled riders. I then realized that princesses could be just like princes. Later, just a few months ago, I went to Jiangnan and saw that the women there not only wove cloth and picked lotus flowers as described in poems, but also cultivated the land and planted millet. At that time, I realized that women could also do what men do."

“Princesses can ride horses and shoot arrows, peasant girls can plant rice and farm, and courtesans can learn to dance and swords, while the young ladies raised by noble families are lazy, ignorant of farming, and only know the precepts of womanhood, which is laughable.” After saying this, Zhao Qun indeed gave a light sarcastic smile.

Leng Yi was truly shocked by Zhao Qun's words. In her opinion, even in a feudal era that promoted the idea of ​​male superiority and female inferiority, it was rare for His Highness the Prince to have such insights that implied gender equality. As a woman, she felt a deep respect for him.

Women become bored because they learn these things, not because women are born to learn these things.

Zhao Qun suddenly chuckled, "Your eyes are shining, are you happy?"

Uh, am I happy again?

Leng Yi's expression became reserved again after hearing this, and Zhao Qun quickly said, "Alright, I originally wanted to see how long you could pretend to be a lady, but alas, I can't stand watching you keep up the act. You should just go back to how you were on Qixi Festival."

Leng Yi was stunned for a moment, then her expression gradually turned somewhat pale. Under Zhao Qun's calm gaze, her eyebrows relaxed and her face softened, revealing a smile as clear as snow.

“Your Highness, it is truly…” Leng Yi realized she was already choking up after she finished speaking. She felt guilty for having any reservations about Zhao Qun. The Third Prince was truly an upright gentleman. If their meeting hadn’t been a conspiracy, they could have become friends.

Sunlight shines through the window onto the snow, making it a delightful white sight, with only small patches of shadow under the eaves.

Hong'e listened silently to the conversation inside the house from under the eaves.