That night, how did Lu Zhao let her go? How did she return to her room in a daze? The next morning, Shen Qingyao couldn’t remember clearly. It was like she had been pressed with a reset button. Except for the exaggerated laughter from the system afterward, she couldn’t recall anything.
She couldn’t help but think, Lu Zhao, this person, really had some kind of charm! Every time she got close to him, the script would go completely haywire!
[Congratulations, host!] Shen Qingyao had just woken up, and the cheeky voice of the system began her day.
Shen Qingyao had a blank expression. “What are you congratulating me for so early in the morning?”
[Don’t you feel like you’re getting closer and closer to conquering the White Moonlight?] The system was very optimistic.
“…What nonsense.” Shen Qingyao sighed. She couldn’t understand why, as a system, it couldn’t see the numbers above Lu Zhao’s head. If it could see them, it would know that successfully conquering him was nowhere in sight. Not only was there no sight of it, but it seemed like she was even getting further away from it.
“Alas…” Shen Qingyao hugged her blanket, speechless.
At the end of spring, not only did Lu Zhao get the title of Top Scholar, but he was also about to get married and start a family.
Grand Princess Duanhua was beaming with joy every day that she smiled at everyone she met. A matchmaker has also been sent to the Shen family to formally propose marriage.
With the days left, all Shen Qingyao needed to do was prepare for her marriage.
Shen Qingyao’s wedding was scheduled for May, while Shen Qingli and Xiao Mu’s marriage was set for mid-June. The two sisters’ wedding dates were very close, making the Shen family busier than ever. Compared to the Duke’s residence, the Shen’s residence was busier and had more joy.
The mansion was bustling with activity. Shen Qingyao tried to find her Mother and Eldest Sister several times, but couldn’t find them. Everyone was too busy, making her, the bride-to-be, feel a bit idle.
“Why is it so boring?” Shen Qingyao threw the book in her hand onto the table, unable to focus on a single word.
Cui Qiao came in with a bowl of lily soup, not surprised by this scene. She just came over and coaxed Shen Qingyao kindly, so she wouldn’t get too upset, “Miss, endure a little longer! You’ll be busy after less than a month when you get married.” So cherish this leisure time while you can.
Shen Qingyao pursed her lips, thinking to herself that even if she got married, Lu Zhao wouldn’t let her do this and that. She would just be even more bored than now.
“Where’s my Eldest Sister?” Shen Qingyao asked again, trying to find a fellow idle bride-to-be for herself.
Just as Cui Qiao hesitated for a moment, she still truthfully said, “Eldest Miss… she went out to take care of the shop.”
“…” Shen Qingyao collapsed back to her original position as if deflated. In the end, she was the only one left to be idle?
Seeing her like this, Cui Qiao couldn’t help but smile, comforting her, “Miss, Eldest Miss’s marriage is different from ordinary families. She is marrying into the royal family, so things are inevitably more complicated. That’s why she needs to personally take care of some matters.”
Cui Qiao paused and added, “Most newlywed brides are like Miss. Haven’t they all made it through?”
Shen Qingyao turned her head and stared at Cui Qiao deeply, her eyes silently questioning.
Cui Qiao fell silent. She felt guilty for saying that. In fact, ordinary people preparing for marriage wouldn’t have such leisure. It’s just that the Shen family was concerned about Shen Qingyao’s health and didn’t want Shen Qingyao to do anything.
[Host, is what you’re experiencing now pre-wedding anxiety? I heard that humans tend to have similar emotions before marriage.] The system’s curiosity was strong, but it hit a nerve with Shen Qingyao.
“I don’t have any! You’re the anxious one!” Shen Qingyao retorted.
The system watched her fidget with her hair and flip through the book restlessly, thinking that humans are truly not straightforward creatures. After a while, it responded, [Oh.]
By the time Shen Qingyao was looking for something to do, it was already afternoon. She had finally finished flipping through those boring books. Instead of asking Cui Qiao to find her new ones, she decided to go to the bookstore herself to pass the time.
Although Cui Qiao was surprised, she didn’t stop Shen Qingyao. Since it was the Shen family’s own bookstore, if the Young Lady wanted to go out for a stroll to relax, there was nothing wrong with it.
The bookstore was quite large, divided into two floors. As soon as Shen Qingyao arrived, she was respectfully greeted by the shopkeeper who had received advance notice. The shopkeeper was a slender middle-aged man, respectful but not obsequious, exuding an air of elegance typical of a scholar. Cui Qiao said that this bookstore was under the name of Shen Yushu, and this shopkeeper was Shen Yushu’s tutor from his youth.
With this revelation, Shen Qingyao suddenly felt even more respectful towards the old shopkeeper. She politely greeted him and told him not to bother about her, then, following Cui Qiao’s guidance, she lifted her skirts and ascended to the second floor—where the latest story books were kept.
As a seasoned webnovel reader, Shen Qingyao had plunged into the ocean of ancient-themed webnovels once before. Now, she was like a bookworm finding its way back to the rice jar, like a fish returning to the sea. Instantly, all her worries and boredom were forgotten as she delved into these unique and captivating stories.
It must be said that the imagination of the ancients was even more impressive than she had imagined. The plots were so well-written, they made her marvel. She was currently reading a chapter where a poor scholar spent the night in a mountain temple and encountered a male fox spirit who transformed into an enchantress.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside, as if something had collided.
Shen Qingyao immediately pushed open the window and looked out.
The window on the second floor of the bookstore had a great view. From here, she could see the main street and a luxurious inn across the street. Although this inn wasn’t as famous as Ruyi Pavilion, it was still considered upscale. However, there were several circles of people gathered in front of it now, and two carriages were stuck together, with neither side giving way.
Shen Qingyao’s attention was drawn to the commotion. She dropped the book in her hand and looked out for a moment before realizing that the two parties in dispute were actually acquaintances.
At that moment, it seemed that one of them noticed her gaze. A cool gaze swept over, startling Shen Qingyao. She quickly shrunk behind the window.
Breathing lightly, she was somewhat puzzled. How did those two end up together? Summoning her courage again, she peered out and confirmed that she hadn’t mistaken them—those were indeed Xiao Jing and Princess Yonghe.
She frowned, “System, do these two people have any connection in the original book?”
Shen Qingyao asked the system, afraid she might have missed some crucial plot point.
The system immediately denied, [No, host, there’s no record of any connection.]
Shen Qingyao nodded, indicating she understood, but her eyes still lingered on those two people.
The two didn’t seem to be involved in a simple traffic accident; it seemed more like they had already known each other but had some conflict. Xiao Jing’s face was dark and unpleasant, his expression as if he might strangle someone in the next second, while Princess Yonghe didn’t look any better, her pretty face deathly pale, as if she had suffered some great grievance.
Unfortunately, they were too far away for her to hear what they were saying.
Shen Qingyao sighed regretfully, feeling frustrated at only getting half the story.
If only Lu Zhao were here, she couldn’t help but think. Lu Zhao seemed to know everything; she could ask him anything, and he would give her a clear answer. Having such an all-knowing person around while enjoying the drama would be the best.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t meet Lu Zhao before the marriage.
Shen Qingyao sighed again.
“Pfft, why sigh so much when you’re still young?” a familiar voice came from the stairwell entrance. Shen Qingyao turned to look and was surprised to see Lu Zhao!
She was pleasantly surprised and stood up, “How come you’re here?”
After a moment, she realized, “Didn’t they say we’re not allowed to meet before the marriage?”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so bored at home.
Lu Zhao had achieved fame now but hadn’t been assigned a specific position yet, so like Shen Yushu, he only did some paperwork at the Hanlin Academy every day. He seemed to have just finished his work, still wearing his official robes, a little less celestial but a bit more dignified. Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but take a few more glances at him in this state.
Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow and came over, reaching out to touch her forehead. It didn’t hurt, but it tingled. He chuckled, “I just came to buy a couple of books, and unexpectedly ran into my fiancée. Is that not allowed?”
[Host! He’s lying! There are plenty of bookstores near the Hanlin Academy gate. Why would he need to come all the way here to buy books?!] The system thought it had caught Lu Zhao’s secret and couldn’t wait to blurt it out.
Shen Qingyao curved her lips, hearing what the system said but didn’t expose him. She just nodded, “Oh, I see~ What books did Brother Lu Zhao fancy? Let me give them to you~”
If she remembered correctly, this bookstore belonged to Shen Yushu, so taking a few books for her Eldest Brother wouldn’t be too much!
Lu Zhao seemed to be aware of this too, smiled, and said warmly, “Then thank you, Yaoyao.”
Shen Qingyao raised her chin, smiling with a nonchalant expression, then turned around and sat down gracefully.
Lu Zhao didn’t bother with pleasantries either, smiling as he followed her and sat opposite her, “Yaoyao, you sighed twice just now, what’s wrong?”
Shen Qingyao had been waiting for him to ask this question and immediately leaned in to recount what she had just seen and heard.
After hearing what she said, Lu Zhao glanced out of the window. The crowd had dispersed, and the protagonists of the story were nowhere to be seen. But even without looking, he knew they were plotting something.
“What do you think Princess Yonghe meant? Doesn’t she like you?” Shen Qingyao rested her chin on her hand, asking sincerely.
Lu Zhao squinted his eyes, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the young girl across from him, “Why does Yaoyao think she likes me?”
After pausing for a moment, he felt that asking like this was inappropriate, so he changed his question, “If she likes me, Yaoyao has nothing else to say?”
“En?” Shen Qingyao turned her head slightly, feeling a bit puzzled, “What’s there for me to say?”
Luo Zhao fell silent for a moment, his gaze darkening. He couldn’t help but think, this little girl, she was so jealous of Shen Qingli, but now that there’s a genuine rival, she doesn’t react at all?
However, Shen Qingyao had long forgotten the silly things she did when she first transmigrated, that she was forced to pretend to be jealous of her Eldest Sister to pursue Lu Zhao. She just didn’t understand why Lu Zhao suddenly stopped talking again. She couldn’t help but reach out and push his arm to urge him.
Lu Zhao sighed inwardly. Though he felt helpless, he patiently clarified for her, “Princess Yonghe likes the Ninth Prince.”
“What?” Shen Qingyao and the system exclaimed at the same time.
Didn’t the system say they had no intersection? How could there be a romantic storyline now? This doesn’t count as no intersection?
[Host, I can explain…] The system hurried to clarify. It really didn’t know.
But Shen Qingyao had already lost confidence in this unreliable system. She ignored it and continued to ask, “But last time she…”
She hinted to the time she went to listen to the announcement of the exam results for Lu Zhao’s sake. It’s hard not to misunderstand the Princess’s behavior then, isn’t it?
Lu Zhao smiled, knowing what she meant. He pushed a cup of tea towards her and said, “Whether she approaches me, deliberately troubles you, or tries to create discord between us, it’s all instructed by Xiao Jing.”
Shen Qingyao widened her eyes, “Why?”
Lu Zhao didn’t speak, and Shen Qingyao figured it out on her own. She incredulously opened her mouth and frowned, “Just to… win you over?”
Is this villain insane? If you want to win someone over, why not cater to their preferences instead of constantly dancing in the minefield?
And why should Princess Yonghe listen to him? She’s such a beautiful Sister, yet she’s helping her crush by flirting with others.
“This Xiao Jing is simply… the king of PUA…”
Thank you for the chapter! Lol the system’s unreliableness is slowly being revealed 😂