Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 29. Shopping
29. Shopping
Concubine Zhao was indeed a clever woman. Without needing Ye Li’s help or guidance, news spread through the mansion the next day that Concubine Zhao was pregnant, and it was said to be a son. Almost immediately, Ms. Wang forgot about causing trouble for Ye Li and turned her attention to dealing with Concubine Zhao. She was well-established in the Ye family, so worrying about Ye Li, who was soon to be married, was laughable. To be honest, the reason for targeting Ye Li stemmed entirely from her unspeakable jealousy and resentment towards Ye Li’s biological mother. Now that her beloved only son’s position in the mansion was at risk, Ms. Wang naturally pushed all other matters aside without hesitation.
With Ms. Wang no longer picking fights and Ye Ying’s spirits dampened by her disappointment at the Blossom Festival, Ye Li took the opportunity to relax. Making her debut at the Blossom Festival had gradually brought her into the social circle of Capital City’s young ladies. Besides continuing to prepare her dowry, in her spare time, she would hang out with Qin Zheng, Hua Tianxiang, and Murong Ting. The young lady also surnamed Qin, whose original top position in poetry had been surpassed by Ye Li at the Blossom Festival, was Qin Yuling, the younger sister of Qin Mu, the Governor of Capital City. She also sent an invitation to Ye Li. Although they hadn’t interacted much, Ye Li had a rather positive impression of this sister of the "iron-faced judge." After several correspondences, their friendship deepened. In good spirits, Ye Li didn’t much mind Concubine Zhao coming to her Qingyi Pavilion now and then for a chat. She, of course, knew what Concubine Zhao was thinking. As long as Concubine Zhao kept her promise and behaved herself, Ye Li wouldn’t break her word either and would ensure her safe arrival in Yunzhou to give birth to her child.
One day, Ye Li accepted Qin Zheng’s invitation to go shopping. Having been idle for a few days, Ye Li had intended to purchase some books for herself; she had nearly finished reading all the books left by her mother over the years. However, Ye Li was also well aware of her own limitations. Even if she had a photographic memory and could memorize every single book in this world, she would never become a talented woman like Qin Zheng, who excelled in zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and essays. To put it plainly, she didn’t have the talent, even though her mother was once the Number One Talented Woman of Capital City. More importantly, her mind and perspective had been shaped by her past life’s memories. Even after so many years, she still couldn’t comprehend the artistic conceptions and thoughts of ancient people. Therefore, while she could probably produce a few limericks, it was practically impossible for her to write any outstanding poems. Thinking of this, Ye Li felt her grandfather’s decision to force her to memorize so many classics was extremely wise. At the very least, it allowed her to recite a few lines to get by when she had no other choice.
"Sister Qin, Tianxiang, Murong," Ye Li greeted as she arrived at the agreed-upon teahouse. Qin Zheng and the other two had already arrived and were chatting over tea.
Qin Zheng looked back at her and smiled, "Li’er."
Murong Ting pulled her down to sit and said, "You’re here at last. How is it? Your Fourth Sister hasn’t been giving you any trouble, has she?"
Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "I apologize for being late, but why would you think she would trouble me?" In the past few days, not only Ms. Wang but also Ye Ying seemed to be preoccupied with something else. They haven’t even been seen, so where would they find time to bother her?
"It’s always better to be careful. I heard that Her Highness Zhao Yi in the palace has been in a bad mood these days," Hua Tianxiang said, holding her teacup, her smile reserved and elegant.
Ye Li blinked, understanding instantly. She silently thanked Hua Tianxiang. Hua Tianxiang raised her eyebrows and lifted her teacup to her in acknowledgment.
Murong Ting looked at her friends around her and couldn’t help but laugh. "Ah, we finally have another friend, but it’s a pity that Ah-Li will be getting married soon."
"We’ll still be friends even after I’m married," Ye Li replied. "Are you suggesting that once I’m married, you won’t recognize me as your friend anymore?"
Murong Ting slumped onto the table in dismay, completely lacking the demeanor of an aristocratic young lady, and lamented, "Of course not! But after you become Princess Consort Ding, how can you be as free as you are now?"
Hua Tianxiang giggled, covering her lips. "It will be the same for you once you’re married."
"I refuse!" Murong Ting exclaimed, her expressive almond eyes widening. "I will never marry that idiot!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Eh? Ye Li looked up in surprise, first at the indignant Murong Ting, then turned her gaze to Qin Zheng. Qin Zheng was giggling as she leaned in to whisper in Ye Li’s ear. Only then did Ye Li learn that Murong Ting had been engaged since birth to Leng Haoyu, the Third Young Master of the Mansion of the Northern Garrison. However, compared to his older brother Leng Qingyu, who was proficient in both scholarly pursuits and martial arts, Leng Haoyu was a profligate skilled only in wining, dining, and merrymaking. How could Murong Ting, who came from a military family and was the only daughter of General Yangwei, possibly look up to Leng Haoyu? Moreover, the two had never gotten along since childhood and would basically fight whenever they met. Ironically, Murong Ting, who had inherited General Yangwei’s excellent martial arts skills, would always beat Leng Haoyu; he couldn’t even defeat her. Each time he was thrashed into a sorry state, which made Murong Ting despise him even more.
"Hmph! My father is so obstinate, always insisting that a man of his word must keep his promises. He refuses to cancel the engagement, no matter what. That idiot! If he dares to marry me, this young lady will beat him so badly his own father won’t recognize him!" Murong Ting declared, her little chin tilted up defiantly.
Hua Tianxiang, lazily cupping her cheek, smiled charmingly and said, "I actually think Third Young Master Leng treats you quite well. In this entire Capital City, have you ever seen a man so obedient? If you tell him to go forward, he absolutely won’t go backward. If you tell him to go left, he never goes right."
Murong Ting just huffed and didn’t reply.
Ye Li watched her reaction with amusement. It’s natural for girls to be drawn to excellent and powerful men. So, naturally, Murong Ting wouldn’t think much of Third Young Master Leng, who couldn’t even defeat a woman. However, it seemed Murong Ting didn’t dislike her fiancé as much as she claimed. And... a man who has been beaten since childhood, always loses, yet still frequently comes looking for a beating—is he really that weak? Or perhaps Leng Haoyu is actually a masochist? Ye Li’s thoughts ran wild, but she didn’t voice any of them to advise Murong Ting. Interfering in her friends’ choices wasn’t something she liked to do, especially since she truly didn’t know Leng Haoyu.
Murong Ting’s anger subsided as quickly as it had flared. She clapped her hands, stood up, and said, "Alright, let’s go shopping! We didn’t just come out to drink tea."
The three young ladies, plus Ye Li—a young lady in appearance but with a maturity beyond her years—joyfully wove through Capital City’s famous shops, picking out all sorts of jewelry and clothes they liked. Soon, everyone had a fruitful harvest. Ye Li watched the servants behind them, their hands full of large and small bags, and followed the other three around with an amused smile. She had to admit, a woman’s desire to shop is strong in any era. Ye Li wasn’t idle either; while shopping with the three, she also took the opportunity to glance at the progress of several shops under her management that were currently being renovated. Although she didn’t go inside, the results visible from the outside were satisfactory. She believed they could reopen a month before her wedding. At that time, perhaps she could ask her eldest male cousin to write a new plaque for the Treasure Collection Pavilion. Ye Li silently made her plans.
Dismissing the servants who were helping carry their things, the young ladies, tired from shopping, decided to find a place for lunch. Murong Ting, who was most familiar with Capital City’s delicacies, recommended the city’s most famous establishment, Chuxiang Pavilion.
Chuxiang Pavilion was indeed Capital City’s most famous restaurant. Just by stepping into the main hall and seeing its luxurious and opulent décor, which was no less impressive than that of a noble family’s residence, one could tell that the owner of this restaurant undoubtedly had a significant background. Although they hadn’t arrived late, Chuxiang Pavilion was even busier than they had imagined. A waiter in clean and appropriate attire respectfully apologized to the four, explaining that there were no vacant private rooms left. Murong Ting, who often went out, didn’t particularly care about having a private room. She simply had the waiter lead the four of them upstairs to a vacant table in a fairly good spot. Ye Li glanced around the main hall and saw quite a few aristocratic young ladies dining in groups of two or three, so their sitting in the open area didn’t seem particularly conspicuous.
After ordering their food, Murong Ting smiled contentedly. "Chuxiang Pavilion’s squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is considered a Capital City specialty. I came twice before and didn’t get to eat it. I didn’t expect it to be available today when I came with you all. Today is truly a lucky day!"
Ye Li asked curiously, "Does Murong often come out shopping?"
Murong Ting laughed. "My father doesn’t like to restrict me, and I can’t stay idle myself, so I often come out to wander around. Besides, my father loves delicious food, and, well... I don’t have much talent in that area, so I look around for tasty things to buy for him." As Murong Ting said this, she seemed a little embarrassed, but anyone could see that the father-daughter bond in General Yangwei’s household was definitely different from that in Minister Ye’s household—at least, it was absolutely different from the relationship between Minister Ye and Ye Li.
Hua Tianxiang smiled. "That’s why I usually drag Murong along when I go shopping. There’s no place in this Capital City that she doesn’t know."
As the four were chatting happily, the door of a private room on the other side slammed open from within, and a striking figure in a vibrant red dress rushed out. All four of them turned in unison to get a clear look at the person. Murong Ting exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Isn’t that... Look out!" Before her words faded, Murong Ting had already stood up and leaped out swiftly.
