Shen Hanyue was on a viewing pavilion, admiring the scenery and chatting with several other noble ladies.
The young women were dressed to the nines, and the sound of their laughter carried far on the summer breeze.
Unmarried young ladies had few worries. Their fathers and brothers secured the family's future, while their mothers and grandmothers arranged their marriages.
Pampered in the seclusion of their inner chambers, they were draped in silks and fed delicacies since birth. Servants accompanied them whenever they went out, allowing them to live a carefree existence.
Cui Lingyao had once experienced such happy days herself.
Now, she couldn't help but feel a touch of melancholy.
Lifting her skirt, she walked up to the viewing pavilion in a few steps.
As she drew closer, she realized there was a familiar face among them.
The daughter of the Minister of Rites, Chen Peirou.
Years ago, Cui Lingyao and her older sister, Chen Minrou, had been sworn friends. They had known each other since childhood, grown up together, and often went on outings.
It was one of the few true friendships Cui Lingyao had in this world.
Back then, Chen Minrou would occasionally bring her younger sister along. Chen Peirou was six or seven years their junior, and since Cui Lingyao had no younger sister of her own, she was especially patient with the little girl.
She had fed her pastries and lulled her to sleep.
Later, she and Chen Minrou both married.
Not long after Chen Minrou's wedding, she left the Capital City with her husband for his provincial post. At first, they exchanged letters, but as time went on, the great distance made correspondence difficult, and they eventually lost contact.
Later still, Cui Lingyao faked her own death and disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, she had returned in a new body, and her old friend's little sister had grown into a graceful young woman.
'After so many years, I wonder how her sister is doing.'
Cui Lingyao was struck by a sense that everything had changed.
Over on the pavilion, Shen Hanyue saw her approaching and smiled, calling out, "Cousin, come have a seat."
Since they both came from the Duke Mansion, they were seen as a single unit in the eyes of outsiders.
Regardless of their private relationship, Shen Hanyue would never allow her cousin to be slighted in a public setting like this.
With a faint smile, Cui Lingyao sat down, sipped her tea, and listened to their conversation.
As her gaze drifted, she found herself unconsciously paying more attention to Chen Peirou.
She noticed the girl seemed distracted and out of sorts, not to mention her complexion was quite haggard.
Even the powder on her face couldn't conceal the dark circles under her eyes.
It seemed she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.
'That's strange. As the youngest daughter, Chen Peirou is the apple of Mr. and Mrs. Chen's eye.'
'She's been doted on since birth.'
'She isn't even married yet. What could possibly be troubling her so much that she can't sleep?'
Cui Lingyao was puzzled, and her gaze lingered a little longer.
It soon caught Chen Peirou's attention.
The girl looked over.
Their eyes met.
Cui Lingyao gave her a small smile. Chen Peirou paused for a moment, then returned the smile.
Neither of them spoke.
It was getting late, and not long after she sat down, the group began to disperse.
As they were getting up, Chen Peirou's sleeve knocked over a cup of warm tea, spilling its contents onto the dress of the young lady next to her, who let out a soft cry.
"I'm so sorry, that was clumsy of me! Are you alright? Did it burn you?"
Chen Peirou apologized profusely.
The young lady whose dress was stained had a straightforward personality and waved her hand dismissively.
"It's a good thing we were about to leave. If you'd done this right after we sat down, I wouldn't have let you off so easily."
The playful remark dispelled the awkwardness.
Chen Peirou smiled, her lips pressed together. "Even if I had, I know Shao Yi wouldn't have made things difficult for me."
Cui Lingyao noticed her personality had become somewhat timid, completely unlike the lively, sharp-witted child she once was.
'A girl changes a lot as she grows up,' she thought, not dwelling on it.
She followed Shen Hanyue in bidding farewell to everyone, and the two of them boarded the carriage back to the mansion.
The wheels began to turn slowly, pulling away from the Tea Garden.
Inside the spacious carriage, an ice basin in the corner slowly released a cool mist, dispelling the sweltering summer heat.
The two young women sat facing each other.
Shen Hanyue poured herself a cup of chilled milk, took a small sip, and suddenly asked, "Back there, why were you staring at the Chen Family's fourth daughter?"
The Chen Family's fourth daughter was Chen Peirou.
Cui Lingyao was taken aback. "She seemed familiar, so I just looked a little longer."
Shen Hanyue snorted, her expression clearly saying, 'I know what you're thinking.' "Although she's about the same age as my brother, she's not the daughter-in-law Mother is looking for. Besides, her marriage is more or less settled."
She thought Cui Lingyao was sizing up Chen Peirou as her future mistress.
That was why she was paying so much attention.
"So, how did it go today?" Shen Hanyue looked up and asked with a smile, "Did my brother accept you?"
Cui Lingyao: "..."
Rather than answer that question, she was more curious about something else. "Which family is Chen Peirou engaged to?"
"Do you still not believe me? She will absolutely not be marrying my cousin. Mother never had any intention of that. Now that her sister has had an accident, leaving two children behind, the Chen Family plans to marry another daughter into the Zhao Family. A biological aunt will surely take good care of her niece and nephew, saving them from having to live at the mercy of a stepmother."
At this, Shen Hanyue's expression grew complicated. "The Chen Family has plenty of daughters by concubines. The matter of becoming a replacement wife for her brother-in-law shouldn't have fallen to her, the legitimate youngest daughter... I heard that Chen Peirou volunteered to marry him."
Volunteering to be a replacement wife for her own brother-in-law…
Cui Lingyao's pupils contracted. "What happened to Chen Minrou?"
The question was so abrupt that Shen Hanyue was a little surprised. "You even know the name of Chen Peirou's sister?"
Chen Peirou's sister has been married for seven years. Seven years ago, her cousin hadn't even come to the Capital City yet. Logically, they should never have had the chance to meet.
Besides, Chen Minrou isn't a famous figure. She left the Capital with her husband for a provincial post many years ago. Unless one was a very close friend or relative, people rarely mentioned her.
'How does she know that name?'
Cui Lingyao couldn't come up with a suitable excuse right away. After a moment of silence, she resorted to a half-truth. "When I have nothing better to do, I make it my business to inquire about the temperaments, appearances, and family situations of all the eligible young ladies in the Capital who are of a suitable age for my cousin. Chen Peirou was one of them. I know that her full-blooded older sister, Chen Minrou, married into the Duke Zhao Mansion as the Heir's wife."
The original owner of this body had spent years aiming to become Shen Tingyu's concubine, and the young ladies of the Duke Mansion were all well aware of her intentions.
Investigating the character of her potential future mistress, and by extension her family situation, was a plausible excuse.
It was just so utterly demeaning, so incredibly pathetic.
...It made her seem rather pitiful.
Shen Hanyue held no ill will toward this cousin, nor was she particularly familiar with her. But as a fellow woman, she truly couldn't understand why Pei Shuyao would debase herself for a man, practically groveling in the dust just begging for a single glance of pity.
Even if that man was her own full-blooded brother, as gentle as jade and as handsome as a rare orchid.
A hint of pity entered Shen Hanyue's eyes. "Why are you so dead-set on becoming a concubine?"
In her opinion, if her brother had also been interested in Pei Shuyao, and their vast difference in status prevented him from making her his primary wife, it might be acceptable to become his concubine—as long as he promised to protect her for life.
But as it stood, her brother's heart was like iron.
He had made it clear he didn't want to take his own cousin as a concubine. Since that was the case, what good could possibly come from a young woman like Pei Shuyao throwing herself at him like this, other than being looked down upon?