The next morning, while Yue Yao was still having breakfast, Chun'er hurried in and said, "Madam, the princess is here."
"Then quickly invite her—"
Before she could finish her words, Huaining barged in.
"I can't go on living!"
With a tear-streaked face, Huaining plopped onto the bed, her eyes swollen from crying. "Brother Xiao suddenly got engaged, and he chose Chen Shiyun!"
Yue Yao quickly tried to comfort her. "Your Highness, don't be upset. This matter was decided rather abruptly..."
Huaining grabbed her hand. "Was it really Brother Xiao's own choice? Was he forced? Did my father pressure him, or was it the old madam?"
She simply couldn't believe that Brother Xiao would like a woman like Chen Shiyun!
Seeing her red, puffy eyes, Yue Yao felt a pang of sympathy but still told the truth. "The marquis made the choice himself."
Huaining froze as if the sky had collapsed.
The last glimmer of hope in her heart shattered completely.
Yue Yao gently held her hand and said softly, "Your Highness, no matter how outstanding a man is, if his heart doesn’t belong to you, he isn’t worth it. You are a noble princess—why subject yourself to such misery?"
As an outsider, Yue Yao saw things clearly. If Ling Xiao had even the slightest affection for Huaining, he wouldn’t have completely disregarded her when choosing a marriage partner.
But Huaining, blinded by her feelings, preferred to deceive herself.
Huaining burst into loud sobs and threw herself into Yue Yao’s arms.
Chun'er stepped forward to pull her away, but Yue Yao shook her head.
Since Huaining was leaning on her right side, it didn’t aggravate her wound. Let her cry for a while—she was pitiful, after all.
Once she finished crying, she would naturally come to her senses.
But after a quarter of an hour, Huaining suddenly jerked her head up from Yue Yao’s embrace, startling her.
Her eyes were red, her face streaked with tears, but her gaze burned with determination, her spirit unbroken.
Yue Yao asked softly, "Are you feeling better, Your Highness?"
"Brother Xiao must have been blinded by that Chen Shiyun!" Huaining declared indignantly.
Yue Yao blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
Huaining gripped her hand and said angrily, "How could Brother Xiao like a woman like Chen Shiyun—so affected and pretentious? He must have been deceived by appearances! But someone as sharp as Brother Xiao will surely see through her true nature soon!"
"But they’re already engaged..."
Huaining waved it off. "Engagements can be broken! There are still three months left. Once Brother Xiao sees her for who she really is, he’ll definitely call it off!"
Yue Yao swallowed hard. She wanted to say that Ling Xiao didn’t seem like the type to take such matters lightly.
But Huaining was too worked up, and Yue Yao didn’t have the heart to crush her hopes, so she kept silent.
Huaining immediately regained her energy, wiped the tears from her face, and lingered at Yue Yao’s place for half the day before finally returning to the palace.
That night, Ling Xiao still didn’t return to the marquis’s residence, choosing instead to stay at the Dali Temple.
Jian Shuang waited until he had finished reviewing the case files before stepping forward to report. "Marquis, Princess Huaining visited the residence today. It seems... it was about your engagement."
Ling Xiao couldn’t be bothered. Huaining was spoiled and willful—when things didn’t go her way, she would throw a tantrum.
"Was she sent back to the palace?"
"Yes. Madam Ling spent half the day consoling her before she calmed down. Then she was escorted back."
Ling Xiao’s fingers, flipping through the case files, paused briefly, his gaze flickering.
The restlessness he had suppressed for days suddenly stirred again.
He reopened the file he had just finished and asked casually, "How is she?"
Jian Shuang took a moment to realize that the "she" the marquis referred to was Madam Ling.
The marquis always referred to her as "she"—did he truly dislike her that much?
Jian Shuang quickly replied, "Madam Ling has been resting in bed these past few days. Her wound is healing well. Today, it was thanks to her comforting the princess, or else who knows how long the commotion would have lasted."
Having witnessed the little princess’s temper before, Jian Shuang knew she could turn the world upside down if left unchecked.
But Ling Xiao found the words displeasing, his expression darkening. "She comforted her?"
"Yes. The servants said Madam Ling spent half the day soothing the princess. Despite her own injury, she still managed to send the princess back to the palace peacefully. She was quite diligent."
Jian Shuang couldn’t help but speak up for Jiang Yueyao—there really was nothing to criticize about her actions.
Yet Ling Xiao’s gaze turned even colder, his fingers gripping the case file so tightly his knuckles turned white.
She had the leisure to comfort the princess—she didn’t care about him at all.
The restlessness in his chest flared even stronger, nearly uncontrollable.
Seeing the marquis’s worsening mood, Jian Shuang thought he had misspoken and hastily lowered his head. "This subordinate was merely speaking thoughtlessly."
Ling Xiao forced himself to calm down, his expression eerily composed. "Dismissed."
Cold sweat trickled down Jian Shuang’s back. Having served the marquis for so many years, he knew his temper well.
The marquis’s current calm demeanor only made him dread the extent of his fury.
"Yes. This subordinate takes his leave." Jian Shuang retreated immediately, not daring to linger.
Ling Xiao reopened the case file, but the words blurred before his eyes.
Frustrated, he tossed it onto the desk and leaned back in his chair.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he had planned, without the slightest deviation—yet he was still restless.
Unable to focus on work, he grabbed his sword and strode out.
Only after an hour of sword practice did he finally rid himself of the agitation.
She was just a woman—why should she occupy his thoughts?
---
After two weeks of bed rest, Yue Yao grew restless and began moving about, even visiting Fushou Garden to pay her respects to the old madam.
"Child, why trouble yourself with formalities when you’re still injured? You should be resting!" Madam Lin scolded.
"I’ve been lying in bed for too long—it’s stifling. The wound on my shoulder is much better now, and moving around doesn’t affect it. The imperial physician also said some light activity would be good for my health," Yue Yao replied with a smile.
"Well, if you’re feeling better, that’s good. But don’t push yourself—you must recover fully. Otherwise, if you neglect it and develop chronic pain, it’ll trouble you for years. You’re still young."
"I understand, Mother." Yue Yao smiled.
After a pause, she spoke again. "There’s something else I’d like to ask of you."
"What is it? Just say it."
Yue Yao was always sensible and rarely made requests. Madam Lin knew her well.
"I... I’d like to open a perfumery shop."
During her illness, the palace had sent many gifts.
She knew such generous rewards were likely due to the emperor’s regard for Ling Xiao.
The rare, imperial-bestowed items were for display only, but the thousand taels of silver could be freely spent.
Madam Lin nodded repeatedly. "That’s a wonderful idea! Your incense blends are exquisite—opening a shop would be perfect. Big Son often praised your skills and wished you’d start a business."
"Yes! Thank you, Mother!"
With Madam Lin’s approval, Yue Yao began preparing for the shop. Since she couldn’t go out yet, she sent Chun'er to scout for a suitable storefront—anywhere bustling would do, as she wasn’t too particular.
After a few days, Chun'er found a location, and Yue Yao, now mostly recovered, went to inspect it herself.
"Madam, do be careful." Chun'er supported her as she stepped down from the carriage, still somewhat worried.
"It's alright, I've mostly recovered. It's high time I got some fresh air."
Yue Yao was brimming with excitement. After alighting from the carriage, she first wandered around the shop. The place had once been a teahouse, and though modest in size, it retained an elegant charm—perfect for a small spice shop.
Yue Yao nodded in satisfaction. "This shop is quite good. Let’s take it. The layout is tasteful enough; it won’t need major renovations. A few simple adjustments should suffice."
"This servant will hire craftsmen tomorrow, then."
Yue Yao handed over a blueprint. "Have them adjust the shop according to this plan."
"Understood!" Chun'er carefully stored the blueprint away. "Shall we return to the estate now?"
Yue Yao turned to leave. "There’s one more thing I need to do..."
Just then, an ornate carriage pulled up at the entrance. The curtain was lifted, revealing a dignified noblewoman seated inside.
"Madam Ling?"
Yue Yao was taken aback. "Miss Chen."
Chen Shiyun smiled at her, though the usual eagerness to ingratiate herself was absent. Instead, her demeanor carried a newfound haughtiness.
"What brings you here, Madam?"
