Yuan Yuan getting jealous and fearing that she would be taken away by some wild man outside was really cute.

“What good point?” Seeing that Yan Jin’s expression didn’t change at all, Yu Shu knew she was distracted. He reached out and lightly pinched her. “You weren’t listening carefully at all.”

Yan Jin patted Yu Shu’s head. “I wanted to listen carefully to what you were saying, but I kept getting distracted.”

Yu Shu was a bit dissatisfied. “There’s only the two of us here. What could possibly distract you?”

“Distracted by Yuan Yuan.” Yan Jin tapped Yu Shu’s perky nose. “Yuan Yuan is too cute. I can’t help but want to look at you all the time, not even paying attention to what you’re saying.”

“…” Yu Shu tried hard to keep a straight face. “How can you be like this? When I’m talking, you need to listen carefully. Don’t keep looking at my face. It’s not like there are words written on it.”

Yan Jin was always like this. Every time he talked to her, she would say something to make his heart flutter and distract him.

“Indeed, there are no words written on your face, but I want to kiss it.” Yan Jin’s voice was gentle. “Thinking about how this adorable Yuan Yuan is now mine, I just want to kiss you.”

Yu Shu secretly curled up the corners of his mouth, his tone also unconsciously softening. “We’re still outside now. I won’t let you kiss me.”

Seeing Yan Jin sigh with some disappointment, Yu Shu leaned close to her mouth and gave her a light kiss. “Here’s a little taste for you first. I’ll let you kiss me to your heart’s content when we get back to the room.”

After the two finished their affectionate dinner, they prepared to go stroll around the city.

As Yan Jin and Yu Shu walked hand in hand, chatting, they didn’t notice a woman in fine clothing on the upper floor retracting her gaze.

Standing behind the finely dressed woman, a servant-like person respectfully asked in a low voice, “Master, that young gentleman has come out. Should we find an opportunity to lure away the woman beside him?”

“No need.” The finely dressed woman waved her fan. “That young gentleman and his woman are behaving intimately. They should be a couple.”

The servant sighed regretfully. “What a pity. That young gentleman was not fated to be with you.”

“There’s nothing to pity,” the finely dressed woman said. “No matter how beautiful a man is, once he’s with another woman, he’s not worth anything anymore.”

“But that woman beside him, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before,” the finely dressed woman said with a slight frown. “Her bearing and appearance don’t seem like someone from a small place. But among the young ladies in the capital, I’ve never seen her either.”

As if sensing something, Yan Jin looked up at the upper floor and happened to make eye contact with the finely dressed woman.

In that brief moment when their eyes met, the finely dressed woman finally remembered why she found her familiar.

“Heavens!” The finely dressed woman instinctively turned away to avoid Yan Jin’s gaze. Still shaken, she patted her chest and mumbled to herself, “Luckily, the Old Madam didn’t come this time, or she would have been scared out of her wits.”

Even though many years had passed, whenever the Old Madam at home mentioned this person, her hands would tremble while drinking tea.

To be precise, from the Emperor down to her family’s Old Madam, anyone who had been slapped by this person back then would tremble when recalling the past.

However—the finely dressed woman couldn’t help turning slightly and sneaking a glance at Yan Jin.

As expected of the legendary figure, she has the secret to staying young!

“What’s wrong, Yan Jin?” Yu Shu was talking to Yan Jin when he suddenly saw her turn her head. Thinking she had seen something strange, he curiously turned his head as well, but there was nothing upstairs.

Seeing the finely dressed woman upstairs actually avoid her gaze, Yan Jin was slightly surprised in her heart, but she smiled and shook her head at Yu Shu. “It’s nothing.”

That woman’s hands holding the fan were as white as carved jade, clearly from a wealthy family. Yet she didn’t dare to meet her gaze?

Yan Jin suddenly recalled what the system had said before.

Yan Jin thoughtfully touched her face.

Could it be another person who had seen a high-ranking official with a face similar to hers?

The mother of the finely dressed woman, Yuan Xiaoshuang, was one of the generals who had fought alongside the Emperor to establish the dynasty. The companions who came with her to the city to see the lantern festival were also from noble circles.

A group of unmarried noble ladies, in order to fully enjoy themselves, didn’t stay with their families who had come together, but instead stayed with their friends in the same courtyard.

Originally, they had agreed to go visit the brothels together today, but Yuan Xiaoshuang insisted that she had met a rare beauty and had to go meet the beauty first. Although the group of noble ladies were a bit spoiled, they were not inconsiderate. So they let her leave.

They thought that at dinner, they would see Yuan Xiaoshuang showing off her trophy. Who knew that when they saw Yuan Xiaoshuang at the dinner table, she was sighing in grief.

A blue-robed noble lady curiously asked, “What’s the matter?”

“What else could it be?” Another noble lady said with a grin. “Judging from her appearance, she probably got the cold shoulder from the beauty.”

“Don’t mention the beauty.” Yuan Xiaoshuang sighed. “Now whenever the beauty is brought up, my whole body feels uncomfortable. Do you know whose person that beauty is?”

A noble lady spoke up, “Could it be the Emperor’s?”

“I don’t think that’s right.” Another noble lady shook her head. “The Emperor hasn’t visited Xingyang City for many years. This year’s Lantern Festival, the Emperor should still be spending it in the capital.”

…

“You all guessed a bunch, but none of you guessed it right.” Yuan Xiaoshuang looked around. Even though there were only a few of them in the room, she still lowered her voice. “It’s that person.”

“Gasp!”

Even though Yuan Xiaoshuang didn’t mention a name, the group of noble ladies all gasped in unison.

The red-robed noble lady spoke tremblingly, “You mean the one in that painting where I accidentally pressed a handprint when I was little, and my mother beat me with thirty strokes for it?”

Yuan Xiaoshuang nodded gravely.

“Oh my god.” The noble ladies looked at each other and swallowed their saliva.

“Luckily my mother didn’t come to see the lantern festival this time.”

“My Old Madam is getting old. I’m afraid if she sees that person, she might get frightened and fall ill.”

…

“Everyone, don’t scare yourselves.” The red-robed noble lady pretended to be calm. “That person hasn’t shown up for many years. Since she’s appearing in the city this time, she probably doesn’t want to be disturbed by others. We just need to act like we don’t know about this.”

Everyone nodded, but their hands holding the teacups couldn’t help but tremble.

Yan Jin and Yuan Yuan had never been to An Country before.