There is a happy inn in the capital.

When Master Li heard Princess Changning say it was delicious, he quickly picked up a piece and put it in Madam Li's bowl, then added another piece for himself.

Li Lingxiao quickly picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, nodding repeatedly. It was delicious. She then picked up another piece for herself.

This was the first time he'd ever seen green peppers stuffed with minced meat. The meat wasn't greasy at all, and the peppers were very fragrant. His older sister is amazing!

Li Lingxiao suddenly remembered something: "Sister, is this dish on the inn's menu?"

Li Shuchen was bewildered; she had forgotten whether she had it or not.

Grape said, "Miss, this dish isn't on the inn's menu."

Li Lingxiao: "Sister, this dish is delicious and quite unique. You should add it to the menu."

Li Shuchen also thought it was a good idea, and nodded, saying, "I'll teach Aunt Wang how to make this dish tomorrow."

The stuffed green peppers were served with lightning speed; no one had touched them before Li Shuchen served them to Princess Changning.

The meal was a great success, with everyone enjoying themselves and almost every dish being finished.

After the meal, Princess Changning rubbed her stomach and licked her lips, saying, "So full."

I don't know when it started, but Princess Changning's gaze towards Li Shuchen became extremely ardent.

Looking intently at Li Shuchen, he said, "I'll come find you for a meal again next time I have time."

Li Shuchen raised an eyebrow: "Sure, just don't come empty-handed."

After seeing Princess Changning off, Li Shuchen lay on the bed pondering. The rumors were far too exaggerated; wasn't Princess Changning supposed to be quite adorable?

It's so cool to have someone wrap up your jewelry before you buy it!

Indeed, one should not believe rumors; one must experience things firsthand to know for sure. And so, I gradually drifted off to sleep.

I slept soundly through the night without any dreams.

She woke up early this morning looking radiant, perfect for a little dressing up—oh dear, she'd left her new clothes at the inn!

After washing up, Li Shuchen went to the inn. He was in a great mood the whole way, humming a little tune, admiring the scenery, and walking briskly.

Upon entering the inn, Li Shuchen wanted to check the accounts. He flipped through the ledger at the counter, wondering how much silver he had earned. It was almost the end of the month; had he met his mission target?

The man eating beef noodles spoke up: "Hey, have you heard? The eldest son of the Hanlin Academician (a third-rank official) went to the Gu residence today with betrothal gifts."

The voice of the man eating rice with shredded potatoes replied, "So fast, have they already paid the taxes?"

According to the Book of Rites, the betrothal gift, also known as "Nabi," was mainly a gift from the groom's family to the bride's family.

The man eating beef noodles slurped up another mouthful: "Of course."

The man eating rice with shredded potatoes shook his head and said, "Miss Gu is almost getting married already. Time really flies; she's already at the stage of betrothal."

The man eating beef noodles said, "This isn't a done deal. How many young men in the capital will be heartbroken and weeping?"

Li Shuchen was completely bewildered, and unable to bear looking at the bill any longer, he stepped forward and bowed.

He asked, "May I ask, sir, which family does this Miss Gu you're referring to belong to?"

The man eating beef noodles replied, "Who else could it be but the eldest daughter of Minister Gu, the Minister of Revenue?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen was taken aback. Wasn't this Ziying?

When did they get engaged? How come she knew nothing about it? She snapped back to reality.

Li Shuchen: "Thank you, brother."

Li Shuchen felt a little uncomfortable. Her gentle and understanding older sister was about to get married, and the man hadn't even passed her test yet. How could they get married?

Li Shuchen was in a hurry, intending to find Ziying and ask her for an explanation.

He was about to leave the inn

Grape: "Miss, where are you going?"

Li Shuchen spoke quickly, replying, "Go to the Gu residence to find Ziying."

Grape: "Miss, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Li Shuchen followed Grape's gaze to his right sleeve, where a patch of oil stain, which he didn't know when it had gotten there, was clearly visible.

It's really not very suitable.

Li Shuchen pulled Grape along: "Come on, come with me to change your clothes."

Luckily, the Sanbao Hall had clothes I just bought yesterday.

As I walked to the corner on the second floor, I heard a familiar voice.

Bai Yanran: "Miss Li, what are you doing? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Li Shuchen turned around and saw the ethereal Bai-girl standing in the corridor, smiling radiantly at her.

Li Shuchen replied with a smile, "Miss Bai, it's been a long time. I'm going to change my clothes to go find Ziying."

Bai Yanran: "I happen to have arranged to meet her at Xiangchi Tower. If it's convenient for you, why don't we go together?"

Li Shuchen hesitated for a moment. He knew Miss Bai must have something to discuss with Ziying, so he asked, "Won't this disturb you?"

Miss Bai smiled gently: "No, there's nothing else to do anyway."

Li Shuchen nodded: "Okay, please wait a moment, Miss Bai, I'll be right back after I change my clothes."

Bai Yanran replied gently, "It's alright."

Li Shuchen quickly changed her clothes, and Grape styled her hair and put on her newly bought hair accessories.

Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, he was slightly stunned.

Grape said as she adjusted her hair ornament, "Miss is so beautiful, more beautiful than many other young ladies I've ever seen."

The sound of grapes pulled Li Shuchen back to reality.

Looking at the grapes, they too had changed into new clothes; the little girl was very pretty and delicate.

So she smiled and said, "You look good too."

As expected, clothes make the man, and with the new clothes on, Li Shuchen felt like a completely different person.

After boarding Miss Bai's carriage, we soon arrived at Xiangchi Tower.

A waiter approached and said, "Miss Bai, please come upstairs. A private room is ready."

As soon as Li Shuchen entered the private room, he saw a familiar purple figure.

He then spoke: "Ziying"

Gu Ziying stood up: "Shu Chen, what brings you here too?"

Gu Ziying looked Li Shuchen up and down, then smiled and said, "Shuchen, you're getting more and more beautiful."

Li Shuchen replied, "Ziying is as beautiful as ever."

Gu Ziying was clearly smiling, but Li Shuchen always sensed a faint, lingering sadness between her brows.

Miss Bai explained, "I invited her over. Please sit down, don't stand and talk."

The three of them sat down

Bai Yanran: "Perfect timing, everyone's here, so I'll just say it all at once. It's been almost a month since I came to the capital."

Thank you for your care during this time. I prepared this meal before I left as a farewell.

Gu Ziying seemed to have anticipated Bai Yanran's departure and asked, "Is everything prepared?"

Bai Yanran nodded slightly: "Preparations are almost complete."

Li Shuchen asked, "Are you going back to Jiangnan? When are you leaving?"

Bai Yanran: "Around early April"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen thought it was perfect timing, as she was also planning to go to Jiangnan in early April.

So he said, "Would it be alright if I accompanied you?"

She needed to buy seeds, and having someone in the same trade as her would be helpful.

Gu Ziying asked in confusion, "Shu Chen, what are you doing in Jiangnan? It's so far away."

Bai Yanran was equally puzzled, but nodded in agreement; having someone to accompany her on the journey would prevent her from getting bored.

Seeing their expressions, Li Shuchen saw no point in hiding anything and explained, "I wanted to go there to buy some fruit seedlings and seeds, thinking that with summer approaching, it would be convenient for the inn to use."

Gu Ziying: "It's a good thing you want to grow fruit. In our Weijing, you can't get fresh, juicy, and delicious fruit without paying a high price."

Miss Bai took a sip of tea and said, "Is that so? Fresh fruit is quite easy for me."