Peerless Beauty

Just as Shen Lantang was thinking this, Xie Jin stepped through the courtyard gate.

"Father!" Xie Hongwen shook off the maid and toddled toward him.

Xie Jin scooped him up, warmth entering his voice. "Good boy."

Sunlight filled the courtyard. Shen Lantang stood not far from the doorway, watching him. Her gentle figure stirred a longing in Xie Jin's heart. Holding Xie Hongwen, he walked toward her, his gaze soft. "I'm back."

"Mm."

"You must be tired after the journey."

Shen Lantang took Xie Hongwen, then handed him to the maid looking after him. Two other maids brought a basin of water and a towel, and Xie Jin quickly washed his hands and face.

"Let's eat." The three of them sat together.

To be fair, Nanny Feng had been strict with Xie Hongwen. Whenever she was around, he acted like a little adult: no talking at meals, no picky eating, no making noise...

She had only been gone a few days, and without anyone watching him, he had gone back to acting like a child. He fussed and wheedled at both parents over dinner, asking Father to pick up one dish and Mother to serve him another. He even tried to sneak the greens off his plate...

After dinner, a maid carried Xie Hongwen away for a walk to help him digest. Shen Lantang was tidying her appearance in their room when Xie Jin, having changed his clothes, came over. The other servants tactfully withdrew.

Inside the room,

there was little space.

Xie Jin reached Shen Lantang in a few steps. She paid him no mind and remained seated before the dressing mirror. After a long pause, he finally spoke:

"Mother told me what happened with Nanny Feng."

His voice was grave. "I failed you."

Shen Lantang set down her comb and turned to him. "No one could have expected it. You were away training—how could you have known?"

"Even so, the Xie Family failed you."

Well, now it's the Xie Family. You'd never manage to date anyone in the modern world, would you?

"His Majesty gave me this gold-mounted emerald ring." Xie Jin slipped off a ring that had somehow appeared on his finger. Taking Shen Lantang's hand, he slowly slid it onto hers.

"It can't make up for what happened, but I hope you like it."

This emerald was a deep, rich green. Looking into it felt like gazing into a tropical rainforest. The ring's design resembled a Kunpeng spreading its wings, while layer upon layer of dazzling gold gave it a grand, opulent air.

The craftsmanship and design of a gold-mounted gemstone ring from the imperial household were exceptional. Shen Lantang worked in the trade herself, and the treasure delighted her both personally and professionally. She raised her hand and admired it from several angles.

"You like it?"

"Mm. I do."

Seeing that she liked it, Xie Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Lantang was no saint. Receiving such a fine treasure brightened her mood at once, and even her gaze softened when she looked at Xie Jin.

"Thank you," she said gently.

"No need. I'm glad you like it."

And with that, the matter of Nanny Feng was put to rest.

Shen Lantang said, "Hongwen has been waiting so long for his father to come home. Go play with him for a while."

"All right."

Xie Jin left the room and found two maids folding paper with Xie Hongwen in the courtyard. Paper folding had always been a popular pastime in the Jing Dynasty, especially since the Rainbow Paper Shop had opened in Zhaojing. Its paper came in all sorts of showy colors and patterns, and its bird and sailboat designs were so popular they had set off a craze. Anyone who came up with a new design could even take it to the shop to be displayed as a sample!

Xie Hongwen was trying to fold a frog. Frogs were simple to make and, as paper figures went, fairly cute—a favorite among children aged three to five. But Xie Hongwen had only recently started folding paper, and he stubbornly refused help. No matter what he did, the frog came out wrong. Xie Jin watched for a while before he could stand it no longer. He sat down.

"Let me."

He picked up a spare sheet of paper and began folding. About two minutes later, confusion crept onto his face, and his hands began repeating the same motions.

Shen Lantang, who had wandered over at some point, looked at him with faint disdain. "Forget it. Let me."

Two minutes later, Shen Lantang stared at the paper in her hands, now folded into a maze, looking just as lost.

"..."

Lan Xin could no longer bear to watch. She dipped into a slight bow. "Allow me."

She folded the paper this way and that, turning it over a few times. In moments, a lifelike frog appeared before the three of them. Press its back, and it even sprang upward.

The two Xies and one Shen: "..."

Shen Lantang cleared her throat. "Ahem. Well done, Lan Xin. You'll be rewarded. What else can you make? Teach the young master."

"Yes, madam."

Lan Xin crouched beside Xie Hongwen and took charge of his lesson. The two adults, whether because they had nothing better to do or wanted to redeem themselves, stayed where they were and casually folded a few more sheets.

They played until lunchtime and ate at home. Afterward, a maid took Xie Hongwen to the next room for his nap. Shen Lantang lay on the bed, her heart fluttering. A newly married man and woman alone together—anything could happen. But the midday heat was stifling, and Xie Jin was almost painfully proper, so who knew?

Her head was full of thoughts that would never pass a censor. Even a female mosquito flying by would have fled from the suggestive haze. A figure approached behind her, the edge of the bed dipped, and a warm body pressed against her back.

Xie Jin slipped an arm around her waist. "When it cools down this afternoon, I'll take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's a secret."

When the afternoon sun eased, they set off with bags of luggage. They would be spending the night away. The couple and their servants took two carriages, and the horses galloped out of the city. As Shen Lantang watched the scenery pass, a suspicion formed. Outside Zhaojing was the Summer Resort, built on a mountainside around a lake. Its abundant water and forest cover kept it cool, making it a favorite summer retreat for the city's wealthy and powerful.

Rankings

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Transmigration and Rebirth Romance

Only Eyes for You

Jiang Ciyu

Mind Reading

Laid-Back Life