"..." Shen Hanyue fell silent, giving her a strange look. "What sort of method?"
Cui Lingyao lifted her chin. "I've been chasing after my cousin for so many years. I have my ways."
The carriage drove into the Duke Mansion.
That was the last thing Xie Jinbai and his servants heard.
'So, what method was it, exactly?'
Xie Jinbai's eyes darkened as he stared fixedly at the gates of the Duke Mansion.
A moment ago, he had almost wanted to charge in and drag that girl out.
'But what would he do after dragging her out?'
'Interrogate her?'
'Interrogate her about what?'
'Or rather... what was he suspicious of?'
As the sun set, Xie Jinbai sat astride his horse, hands on the reins, his back ramrod straight. The setting sun enveloped him, casting a faint golden halo around his form. His expression was indistinct, his emotions unreadable.
But Li Yong, who had followed him for many years, could clearly sense that his master was not at peace.
No one dared to approach and disturb him.
An unknown amount of time passed before another carriage pulled into the Duke Mansion.
The carriage was jet-black, understated and reserved, but the canopy was carved with the Shen clan crest—a symbol only direct descendants of the Shen family were permitted to use.
It was Shen Tingyu's carriage.
Every word of the conversation he had just overheard swirled in his mind.
'The girl who had so unsettled him said she'd been infatuated with her cousin for years... and it seemed she even wanted to become that man's concubine.'
'Become! A! Concubine!'
Having stood frozen for a long time, Xie Jinbai finally moved.
He slowly turned his head and ordered the man behind him, "Investigate. Within one day, I want to know every detail of the life of this young cousin of the Shen Mansion."
His voice was low and hoarse.
As if he were desperately holding something back.
Li Yong's heart tightened. He bowed and complied.
...
「Meanwhile, in the other carriage.」
Seeing Cui Lingyao's confident expression, Shen Hanyue's lips twitched, but she said nothing.
'Words truly failed her.'
'It was true that she'd pursued him for three years, but what had it accomplished, other than making her brother avoid her like the plague?'
'How could she be so sure that experience would help her win over Prince Yu?'
'This was Prince Yu they were talking about!'
'Her brother was good-tempered. Even when being pestered relentlessly by a girl, he rarely said anything harsh, despite his annoyance.'
'If it were Prince Yu instead...'
'Even with the thickest of rose-tinted glasses, Shen Hanyue couldn't, in good conscience, say that Prince Yu had a better temperament than her own brother.'
'In all these years, she'd never heard of any girl who dared to pester Prince Yu relentlessly.'
'Anyone who actually dared to do so must not want to stay alive and in one piece.'
Amidst the silence, the carriage came to a halt.
As the only person who knew of Shen Hanyue's feelings, Cui Lingyao had barely stepped out of the carriage before she was pulled into Shen Hanyue's courtyard.
Assuming Hanyue wanted her to offer a strategy, Cui Lingyao quickly recalled the process she had used to win over Xie Jinbai. She gave a low cough and was just about to speak when Shen Hanyue said, "I appreciate the thought, but let's just forget about the method."
'She wouldn't dare use any of the absurd things her cousin had done to her brother over the past three years on Prince Yu, not even if she borrowed courage from the heavens.'
Cui Lingyao finally recalled her original body's cringey history. Her expression turned awkward for a moment as she explained, "My methods aren't the ones I used on my cousin before."
"Alright," Shen Hanyue shook her head gently. "I know you genuinely want to help me, but I'll just accept the thought."
"Since Your Majesty intends to choose a new Princess Consort for Prince Yu, he might attend some of the banquets in the Capital these days. I'll just have to show my face in front of him more often. If he comes to see me in a special light, then I'll decide whether or not to reveal my feelings."
When it came to boldness, Shen Hanyue, who had been doted on and spoiled since childhood, was not lacking.
She was brave enough to confess her feelings to a man.
However, to relentlessly chase a man who had no feelings for her like Pei Shuyao did, casting aside all her dignity and face—that was something her pride would never allow her to do.
Shen Hanyue said with regret, "I heard Prince Yu was at the Tea Garden today. It's such a pity I didn't get to see him."
She didn't know that the very person she longed to see, but couldn't, had appeared right before her unprepared cousin.
'After not seeing him for three years, Xie Jinbai had changed so much that Cui Lingyao almost didn't recognize him.'
'But the mission still had to be completed.'
'Fortunately, she didn't have to take the field herself this time.'
'Cui Lingyao had already thought it through. It would be best if Shen Hanyue could win Xie Jinbai's favor.'
'If she couldn't, then she would just have to try her best to set the two of them up.'
'Where there's a will, there's a way.'
'Besides, she already had the answer key.'
'Wasn't she Xie Jinbai's ideal type?'
'In that case, she could totally replicate another version of herself and re-run her original strategy.'
'Truthfully, Shen Hanyue was very similar to how she used to be.'
'Both were doted on by their parents and brothers as they grew up.'
'Both had proud and radiant personalities.'
'In terms of looks, Shen Hanyue was also beautiful.'
'And in terms of background, she was a perfect match.'
'Cui Lingyao could almost see the day her mission would be complete.'
The two of them chatted for a long time. For the first time, Shen Hanyue discovered that this cousin of hers was very much to her liking.
She spoke softly, yet without a hint of fawning. Her words were not only substantive but also made one feel as pleasant as a spring breeze.
It was utterly refreshing.
When Cui Lingyao mentioned that it was getting late and she should be heading back, Hanyue felt a little reluctant to let her go.
She wanted to ask her to stay the night, but then she remembered that her aunt was gravely ill and would likely be worried if her daughter didn't return, so she had to let her leave.
Shen Hanyue personally walked her to the courtyard gate and said earnestly, "I was too biased before. I thought you only cared about chasing after men, that you had no self-respect or self-love, and I was ashamed to be associated with you. Only now do I realize that you are beautiful on the inside and not an airhead at all. If my brother took the time to truly get to know you, he would never treat you this way."
Cui Lingyao was baffled by her sudden mention of Shen Tingyu and looked at her in surprise.
Shen Hanyue smiled slightly and said, "Don't you worry."
With that, she waved her hand and saw her out.
By the time Cui Lingyao left Shen Hanyue's courtyard, the afterglow of the sunset had mostly faded, and the red blush on the horizon was receding bit by bit.
The Duke Shen Mansion was vast, and the courtyard where the original owner and her mother lived was in a rather remote corner.
Cui Lingyao walked back from memory, not forgetting to instruct the maid behind her, "Don't tell Mother anything that happened at the Tea Garden today."
"Yes, I understand."
The mistress and her maid were on very good terms and didn't fuss over status in private. After acknowledging the order, Zhiqiu said with a smile, "The young miss is so close to you now. In the future, she'll surely be able to put in a good word for you with the young master."
Hearing this, Cui Lingyao froze.
'Zhiqiu was her personal maid, yet even she thought that getting so close to Shen Hanyue today was all for the sake of becoming Shen Tingyu's concubine.'
'Did that mean Shen Hanyue thought the same way?'
'No wonder Shen Hanyue's words and actions had seemed so odd when she was seeing her off just now.'
'She wasn't actually planning to put in a few 'good words' for her with Shen Tingyu, was she? All so she could become the concubine of the Duke Mansion's young master?'
'What would that make her in Shen Tingyu's eyes?'
'She had just told him she'd given up and would never do anything foolish again.'
'But now it would look like, after failing to drug him, she had immediately turned around and tried to use his sister to get to him.'
Cui Lingyao felt a headache coming on.