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Chapter 39: Chapter 39 What Wish Was Made
Nanny Chen said earnestly, "Madam went out alone, probably just to stroll around the streets. She will be back shortly."
Lu Ying glanced around. Shen Yinning’s small courtyard didn’t have any festive arrangements typical of other maidens—no fruits, pastries, or needles and threads for the Qiqiao Festival. In the bedchamber, only a few faint green lamps were lit, giving the place a cold and distant feeling, entirely absent of holiday cheer.
Lu Ying’s gaze fell on the writing desk.
Beside the pearwood pen rack lay a palm-sized red paper cutout.
The cutout depicted a human figure.
He reached out to pick it up.
Haitang came in to serve tea and couldn’t help smiling, "It rained last night, and the house felt quiet and chilly. The maids had gone to sleep, so Madam, feeling bored, played with paper cutting by the flickering candlelight. I took a glance; the figure’s outline and features look remarkably like His Highness."
Lu Ying rubbed the little paper likeness between his fingers.
Was it truly his image?
He pictured Shen Yinning, carefully cutting out his likeness under the candlelight, and couldn’t help but be stunned.
Was she pretending to be infatuated, or was she genuinely longing for him?
Whatever the reason, Lu Ying’s expression softened nonetheless.
After a moment, he hung the paper cutout back on the edge of the pen rack and instructed Haitang and Wei Yu, "Go and buy some lanterns from the streets, bring them back here, and hang them in the courtyard."
It’s the holiday season; leaving the house all quiet and desolate feels inappropriate.
After a pause, he added, "Also purchase some tea pastries, specifically from the Mantangchun shop."
He recalled Shen Yinning’s fondness for Mantangchun’s cherry cake custard.
Haitang and Wei Yu exchanged a knowing smile and promptly left to carry out his orders.
In Fengjing City’s ancient street, a pleasure boat slowly drifted beneath an arched bridge.
The bamboo curtain hung low, and the interior shone with flickering lanterns.
Shen Yinning placed a chess piece on the board. "Shen Xinghan wants to win you over?"
"That was from some time ago," Cui Ji replied while placing his own piece. "He invited me for drinks several times and even mentioned his family’s concubine-born younger sister twice in relation to marriage."
Shen Yinning smirked slightly, "Shen Xinghan is trying to bind you to the Shen Family through marriage. And how did you respond?"
Cui Ji studied the intricate black-and-white arrangement on the chessboard. "He seeks my friendship, and naturally, I had no reason to refuse. As for the marriage proposal, I simply said I have no immediate plans to marry, so he didn’t press the matter further."
"If he invites you for drinks or banquets in the future, just accept them," Shen Yinning said playfully. "Lord Cui’s promising future means there’s no need to rush into marriage. Who knows? Better prospects might await you down the road."
Better prospects?
Cui Ji glanced at Shen Yinning.
Under the lantern light, this beauty’s face—like a blooming lotus—was breathtaking, enough to enchant an entire city.
He thought to himself that no woman in Fengjing City could surpass Shen Yinning.
Who could possibly be better than her?
A chess piece landed on the board, producing a crisp sound.
Cui Ji continued, "Besides that, I heard Shen Xinghan mention that his second brother, Shen Xinglei, will return to the Capital by year-end, just in time for Shen Yan’s fortieth birthday celebration. During these two years at the border, Shen Xinglei has accumulated many military merits. This time, his return to the Capital won’t just earn him a promotion to General; Shen Yan is even planning to request an imperial marriage decree for him."
Shen Yinning wasn’t surprised.
Her uncle and aunt had planned their three children’s futures meticulously.
The younger daughter, Shen Yunxi, was to marry into the Eastern Palace as the Crown Princess Consort, aimed eventually at becoming the Empress.
The eldest son, Shen Xinghan, followed the route of the civil examination and was already, at a young age, a member of the Cabinet. His future was aimed at being the Grand Secretary, and his wife, the daughter of Prince Langya—an exceptionally talented young lady with mastery in arts, known across the empire as the "first talent under heaven"—was destined to be the mistress of the Shen Guogong Mansion.
The second son, Shen Xinglei, being extraordinarily strong since childhood, pursued the martial examination route. Two years ago, he ventured to the borders where he distinguished himself with significant military achievements. As a young General, he excelled on the battlefield but had an impulsive temperament, prone to being provoked easily.
Shen Yinning surmised that Mrs. Qin would likely arrange for him to marry a refined daughter of a high-ranking civil servant’s family to temper his impulsive nature.
Thus, the Shen Guogong Mansion, once the branch from a concubine, had secured a prominent place in Fengjing City’s most illustrious social circles.
And the lynchpin of all their calculations was Shen Yunxi.
Someday, when Lu Ying ascends the throne, and Shen Yunxi’s son is crowned Crown Prince and then Emperor, her uncle’s family would become the Emperor’s maternal relatives—officially the pinnacle of aristocracy, matching even the Imperial Family.
Shen Yinning absentmindedly picked up a black chess piece.
The black piece entered the game, severing the lifeline of the white pieces.
Cui Ji held a white piece in his hand, staring blankly at the chessboard.
All the strategic arrangements he had so carefully planned were undone by Shen Yinning’s single move.
The entire game was lost.
Shen Yinning’s voice was icy. "I step into this game, determined to claim victory from fate itself."
She intended to disrupt Shen Yunxi and Lu Ying’s relationship and drag Shen Yunxi down from her position as Crown Princess Consort.
She raised her eyes to meet Cui Ji’s. "Lord Cui, will you always support me?"
The beauty’s gaze was calm and collected.
Cui Ji dared not meet her eyes directly; instead, he bowed his head with clasped hands. "Madam’s orders must be obeyed without question."
The pleasure boat slowly approached the shore.
Cui Ji stood on the bow, watching Shen Yinning step gracefully into the crowds along the riverbank. The maiden’s flowing robes fluttered, while even the colorful lanterns lining the street failed to dim her radiant beauty. She seemed like a star fallen to earth, dazzling the mortal world.
Cui Ji thought to himself—she had also fallen into the orbit of his destiny.
As Shen Yinning traversed the street, she had the uncanny sensation of being watched. Turning back to look, she found nothing but an empty pathway.
Feeling a vague unease, she was about to return to Haitang Lane where the Gao Family resided when she spotted Cuicui pacing at the alley’s entrance.
Cuicui’s role was to relay messages for Yin Yang. If Lu Ying was anywhere, she would report it promptly to Shen Yinning.
Cuicui bowed respectfully. "I finally found you, Madam! Yin Yang sent me to tell you His Highness isn’t spending the holiday in the Eastern Palace; his carriage has gone to the Gao Family."
Shen Yinning raised an eyebrow.
Lu Ying wasn’t in the Eastern Palace with Shen Yunxi for the holiday, yet he still took the time to see her?
She thought for a moment, then turned back to the street to purchase a lantern and wrote a prayer slip to affix to it.
Returning to the Gao Family courtyard through the side gate, she found the once-quiet yard now dressed with crisscrossing red strings and adorned with an assortment of lanterns. Everywhere she looked brimmed with festive charm. The stone table was laden with fresh fruits and sewing supplies—a traditional tribute to the Weaver Goddess.
It was likely all arranged per Lu Ying’s instructions to Haitang and the others.
Shen Yinning’s lips curved in amusement as she feigned an expression of surprise and innocence, laughing sweetly, "Well now, Haitang, Wei Yu—you’ve secretly celebrated Qiqiao Festival without me!"
"It was His Highness who ordered them to decorate,"
Lu Ying appeared in the corridor, hands clasped behind his back.
Startled by his voice, Shen Yinning widened her phoenix eyes in mock shock. Then her face softened into a crescent-shaped smile. Hoisting her lantern in one hand, she gathered her ornate hemline with the other and "joyfully" dashed toward Lu Ying.
She clung to Lu Ying’s waist, her voice ringing like silvery bells. "Brother Lu Ying!"
Rubbing her cheek lightly against his chest, she said, "Brother Lu Ying, I thought you’d spend the festival with your sister instead of coming to see me... I’ve missed you so much!"
"It’s only been two days; how is that so long?"
"The Classic of Poetry says, ’A day of separation feels like three autumns,’" Shen Yinning beamed up at him radiantly, "By that reckoning, it’s been six years since I last saw Brother Lu Ying! Don’t you miss me at all?"
Her heartfelt laughter was irresistibly sweet, capable of melting anyone’s heart.
Lu Ying’s gaze fell on the lantern she carried. "Your lantern?"
Shen Yinning nodded obediently. "I bought it at the Matchmaker Temple and even made a wish!"
Lu Ying asked, "What wish did you make?"
