Window shopping

military integrity entails. Respect for Xu Family was inherited from their parents’ teachings.Ye Li finally understood why the Xu Family didn’t marry into the royal family even though they no longer...The Imperial Capital Ode 29. Shopping

29. Shopping

Aunt Zhao was indeed a clever person who didn't need Ye Li's help or hints; the next day, it was announced that Aunt Zhao was pregnant with a male child. Lady Wang almost immediately forgot about troubling Ye Li and started to scheme against Aunt Zhao instead. Since she had already firmly established her position in the Ye family, worrying about how a soon-to-be-married girl like Ye Li would affect her was laughable nonsense. In truth, the reason for targeting Ye Li stemmed from an unspoken jealousy and resentment towards Ye Li's mother. Now that it concerned the status of her beloved only son within the household, Lady Wang naturally put aside other matters without hesitation.

With Lady Wang no longer causing trouble and due to Leaf Ying’s disappointment at the Hundred Flowers Festival which left her in poor spirits, Ye Li found herself enjoying a period of freedom. Having shown promise at the Hundred Flowers Festival, Ye Li gradually entered the social circles of the capital's high society ladies. Apart from preparing for her dowry, she could also spend her free time with Qin Zhen, Tian Xiang, and Mu Gu Ting. On the third day after the festival, Miss Qin Yuling—whose family name was Qin and who was the younger sister of Mr. Qin Mu, a city governor in the capital—the lady whose poetic prowess had been usurped by Ye Li, sent an invitation to Ye Li. Despite not having much interaction before, Ye Li thought quite highly of this sister of the Iron-Faced Judge, and after exchanging several letters, they became more acquainted. In good spirits, Ye Li didn't mind Aunt Zhao's frequent visits to her Qingyi Pavilion for greetings or conversation. She knew what Aunt Zhao was thinking; as long as she behaved herself and kept her promises, Ye Li would not break them and ensure that Aunt Zhao reached Cloud State safely and gave birth.

This day, Ye Li accepted Qin Zhen's invitation to go shopping. With a few days of leisure, she planned to purchase some books since the ones left by her mother had been read through during her idle times over the past years. However, Ye Li was aware of her own limitations; even if she memorized all the books in this world, it wouldn't make her an accomplished woman like Qin Zhen who excelled in poetry, calligraphy, music, and chess. Simply put, she lacked the talent for it, regardless of her mother's status as the top literary figure in the capital. More importantly, with memories from a previous life, her way of thinking and perspective were already set, making it impossible to understand ancient people's sentiments and thoughts over the years. Therefore, while she could write some doggerel poems, writing outstanding poetry herself was virtually impossible. Thinking this way, Ye Li believed that forcing her grandfather to memorize so many classics had been very wise; at least in situations where she couldn't dodge it, she could recite two from memory.

"Senior Sister Qin, Tian Xiang, Mu Gu." When Ye Li arrived at the agreed teahouse, Qin Zhen and her companions were already there chatting over tea.

Qin Zhen turned to look at her and smiled, saying, "Li'er."

Meng Mu Ting pulled her down to sit beside her and said, "You finally came. How is everything Did your fourth younger sister not cause you any trouble"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and replied, "Sorry for being late, but why would you think she'd cause me trouble" In the past few days, not only Lady Wang was nowhere to be seen, even Ye Ying had disappeared as well. Where did she find the time to bother her

"It's better to be careful anyway. I heard that Consort Zhao in the palace has been in a bad mood these days," Hua Tian Xiang held her teacup, smiling gracefully.

Ye Li blinked and understood what she meant. She silently thanked Hua Tian Xiang, who raised an elegant eyebrow and lifted her cup towards her.

Meng Mu Ting looked around at her friends on both sides of her, unable to help but laugh as well, "Sigh,好不容易纔多了一個朋友，可惜璃姐姐過不了多久就要成親了。"

"We'll still be friends after I get married," Ye Li said. "Does that mean you won't consider me your friend once you're married"

Meng Mu Ting, lacking the demeanor of a lady from a noble family, leaned on the table with disappointment in her voice and replied, "Of course not, but when you become Queen Consort of Ding Wang, how can it be as free as now"

Wu Tianxiang smiled mischievously, pressing her lips together as she said, "Even after you get married, it will be the same."

"I don't want to!" Murong Ting called out. Her expressive almond-shaped eyes bulged roundly as she exclaimed, "There's no way I'm marrying that idiot!"

Huh Ye Li raised her surprised gaze from looking at the pouting Murong Ting and turned it towards Qin Zeng instead. Qin Zeng was chuckling to himself while whispering something in Ye Li’s ear. Then she understood that when Murong Ting was born, she had been betrothed to the Third Young Master of the Northern Defense General Manor, Leng Haoyu. However, compared to her elder brother Leng Qingyu who excelled both in martial arts and literary studies, Leng Haoyu was a good-for-nothing playboy who excelled in every form of debauchery. As someone from a military family and the only daughter of the prestigious General Yangwei, how could Murong Ting possibly look up to Leng Haoyu The two had never gotten along since they were little. Whenever they met, they would fight each other like cats and dogs. To make matters worse, Murong Ting was deeply trained by her father in martial arts and had an excellent fighting skill set, thus she could easily beat Leng Haoyu who could not hold his own against her.

"Hmph! My dad is just stubborn. He insists on keeping our promise even if it means dying. That idiot dares to marry me I’ll beat him so badly that even his father won’t recognize him," Murong Ting said indignantly with a pout.

Wu Tianxiang lazily supported her cheek, smiling as she remarked, "I actually think the Third Young Master is quite nice to you. In this whole city of Jingcheng, have you seen any men who are so obedient When you tell him to go forward, he never goes backward; when you tell him to turn left, he never turns right."

Murong Ting snorted and did not respond.

Ye Li found it amusing to watch her reaction. It was natural for girls to be drawn to men who were both talented and powerful. A man whom even a woman couldn’t defeat naturally wouldn’t impress Murong Ting, but she didn't seem as disgusted with this fiancé as she claimed to be. Moreover… How weak could someone be if he had been beaten up since childhood and still kept coming back for more If it was really like that, then maybe the Third Young Master Leng Haoyu was actually a masochist Ye Li mused these thoughts in her head but didn’t say anything to Murong Ting. It wasn't something she enjoyed doing anyway, and besides, she truly did not know much about this person called Leng Haoyu.

Meng Mu Ting was so furious that she recovered quickly, and soon pushed the annoying fiancé out of her mind. She clapped her hands and stood up: "Let's go shopping. We didn't come here just to drink tea."

The three girls plus one pseudo-girl happily穿梭在京城有名的商鋪裡，挑選著自己喜歡的各種首飾衣服。很快每個人都收穫頗豐。 Ye Li watched as the people following behind them were laden with large bags and packages, she laughed and followed the trio around. She had to admit that no matter which era it was in, women's shopping desire was always strong. Ye Li wasn't idle either; while accompanying the three girls for shopping, she also casually checked on the progress of several shops under her command that were currently undergoing renovations. Although she didn't enter any of them, from outside they looked satisfactory, and she believed they could reopen a month before the wedding date. She silently planned to perhaps ask her great-uncle at the time to write an inscription for the Treasure Pavilion.

After sending away the servants who helped carry things, the tired girls decided to find a place for lunch. Meng Mu Ting, most familiar with the delicacies of Jingcheng, recommended the famous Chu Xiangge restaurant.

The Chu Xiangge was indeed Jingcheng's most renowned restaurant; as soon as they stepped into the main hall and saw the luxurious decor that didn't lag behind noble families, it was clear that its owner had a formidable background. Although their arrival wasn't late, the business of the Chu Xiangge was even better than expected. The neatly dressed waiter respectfully apologized to them, saying there were no vacant private rooms available. Meng Mu Ting, who often ventured out, didn't mind not having a private room and directly asked the waiter to lead them upstairs to an open seat with decent positioning. Ye Li glanced around the main hall where several noble girls accompanied by attendants enjoyed their meals; thus, four of them sitting outside wasn't particularly conspicuous.

After ordering dishes, Meng Mu Ting said contentedly: "The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish at Chu Xiangge is unmatched in Jingcheng. I've been here twice but never got to eat it. Today when I invited you all,居然有幸吃到，今天真是好運氣啊。"

Ye Li curiously asked: “Meng Mu often goes shopping”

Meng Mu Ting laughed and said: "My father doesn't like to restrict me, so I can't stay in one place for long and usually go out walking around. My father loves gourmet food; as for me… I don't have a talent for it, so I just look for places with good food and bring them back for him." Speaking of this, Meng Mu Ting felt somewhat embarrassed, but anyone could see that the relationship between General Yangwei and his daughter was definitely different from that of the Secretariat's family. At least it was vastly different from the relationship between Secretary Ye and Ye Li.rt Dingwang. Thank you."Ye Li shook her head and glanced at the elegant Xu Qingchen on that side with a raised eyebrow, saying: “As for that person, don’t take him too seriously. My aunt-in-law scolds...