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Walking through a street and an alley, at the corner of the lane, the young man knelt before the Purple Gold Crown Young Master and said:
"Your Highness, I apologize for the offense caused by Zhichen earlier. Please forgive me."
"Get up," Qin Ke raised his hand to adjust the Purple Gold Crown and robe collar, glancing at the young man with displeasure. "Tong Zhichen, don't think that just because you are my companion, you can act so recklessly."
"I dare not, thank you, Your Highness," Tong Zhichen stood up and brushed his sleeves.
"Why did you pull me out of the door just now?" Qin Ke mocked and taunted, "A mere Seventh Sister from a Duke's residence can scare you like this? Have you never seen someone of high rank? Or are you taken by her beauty—"
"Your Highness, allow me to explain," Tong Zhichen said respectfully with a gentle smile, "I am not infatuated with that Seventh Sister, but I have indeed heard of her."
"So what?" Qin Ke raised his thick eyebrows in annoyance, his eyes gleaming with pride. "Even if she is a fierce tigress, I have no reason to back down!"
"I humbly request Your Highness to let me finish," Tong Zhichen said with a splitting headache. "That Seventh Sister from the Duke of E's residence is named Yun Kexin. She is the legitimate daughter of the Third House. The Second House's Madam is my mother's close friend. Recently, I saw both elders and Second Madam visiting our home; I heard they wanted to ask my father to take Yun Kexin as a student... I only realized it was her after hearing those two servants mention her."
"So, you dared to treat me this way just to leave a good impression on her," Qin Ke said sharply, his gaze cutting like a knife as he emphasized his words. "Tong Zhichen, your courage is really growing bolder—"
"No, not at all! Your Highness, please calm down," Tong Zhichen was startled and knelt down again in urgency. "I truly did not mean to offend you. You have been out of the palace for some time now and have walked quite far; we cannot be entangled in this matter any longer."
"Tong Zhichen, knowing that Zhen'er does not care for things from the palace but prefers common trinkets," Qin Ke turned away in frustration. "Those Seven-Colored Glass Beads she has longed for; I searched many places and finally found them, yet you—"
"Your Highness, please do not mention Zhen Girl; be careful about the Empress—" Tong Zhichen hurriedly interrupted.
"Don't mention my mother! I don't want to hear it!" Qin Ke stubbornly turned his face away and warned harshly. "Tong Zhichen, next month on the tenth is Zhen'er's birthday. If you can't get those Seven-Colored Glass Beads, just wait and see how I deal with you."
"Your Highness, why don't we go to Seventh Sister and ask her if she can part with the Seven-Colored Glass Beads?" Tong Zhichen said, feeling helpless and surrendering.
"You saw Seventh Sister's attitude just now. How can you expect her to give them up?" Qin Ke snorted coldly, mocking, "She's quite clever, yet she always comes up with such ridiculous ideas!"
"Let's give it a try," Tong Zhichen said gloomily. "If we're going to do it, we should hurry. If we wait too long, we might have to go to the Duke's residence instead."
Although Qin Ke was reluctant, he agreed. However, it had to be Tong Zhichen who went; he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had never been publicly rejected by a woman before, and just thinking about it made him angry.
The two of them walked out of the alley and headed back. In the distance, they saw three figures preparing to take a carriage back, and they hurried to catch up.
"Seventh Sister, please wait," Tong Zhichen said as he stood in front of Yun Kexin, smiling awkwardly. "I have a request, and I hope you will grant it."
Yun Kexin recognized these two as the men who had "competed" with her for the Seven-Colored Glass Beads in the shop. She felt no animosity but was not in a good mood either. She replied indifferently, "Please speak, young master."
"Could you possibly part with the Seven-Colored Glass Beads? I am willing to pay double or even more," Tong Zhichen said.
"If I cared about money, I would be willing to hand them over for its sake," Yun Kexin turned to look directly at Tong Zhichen and mockingly asked, "Wasn't your earlier refusal in the shop just an act? Young master, are we giving them up or not?"
Tong Zhichen was taken aback and secretly surprised; this Seventh Sister had quite a sharp tongue.
"No, no, Seventh Sister misunderstands," Tong Zhichen said nervously inside but maintained a calm smile on his face. "This string of Seven-Colored Glass Beads is very important to my young master. I hope you can make an exception..."
"But the Seven-Colored Glass Beads are also very important to me," Yun Kexin's attitude was not as firm as before, but she had no intention of backing down. "This is a gift for my grandmother; it has a Buddha statue engraved on it, and she would surely love it."
Tong Zhichen frowned slightly, appearing somewhat troubled: after all, it was meant as a gift for an elder—what else could it be? He glanced at Qin Ke, who also showed signs of impatience—in his eyes, Yun Kexin was just making excuses.
Tong Zhichen looked at Yun Kexin a few more times. She was a few years younger than him, with a graceful appearance, cold yet not arrogant, intelligent and witty, but not proud of her talents. He decided to make another effort.
"Seventh Sister, I understand your feelings for our grandmother," Tong Zhichen said with a smile, "but the situation is urgent. My young master truly needs these Seven-Colored Glass Beads. I hope you can be accommodating. I will go to the shop to order one for you right away, no matter the cost; I will cover it. What do you think?"
Yun Kexin could actually see the nobility in this Purple Gold Crown Young Master’s identity. The boy before her, speaking earnestly, did not seem like a servant; he should be a companion, though his status was not as high as that of the Purple Gold Crown Young Master.
What to do? Everyone has their difficulties; making a concession is not out of the question, but simply yielding like this would be too cheap for them.
"Ah, how lighthearted this young master is," before Yun Kexin could respond, Jin Xiu chirped, "Why don’t you tell us your name and family background? Otherwise, how can we trust you?"
"My name is Tong Zhichen. I live south of the capital, and my father holds an official position in the court—"
Yun Kexin's heart skipped a beat. His name is Tong Zhichen?!
"And your father is?" Yun Kexin took a breath and asked softly.
"Tong Ye, Grand Scholar of the Hanlin Academy," Tong Zhichen answered succinctly, proud but without boasting.
"Tong—Ye—" Yun Kexin exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening as she pronounced each word slowly.
She never expected to run into the son of her future teacher here. No wonder he looked so serious and meticulous, without any hint of frivolity.
Yun Kexin became nervous as she recalled her previous "recklessness." She suddenly felt embarrassed, especially since they might meet often in the future; it made her even more awkward.
"Young master, the Seven-Colored Glass Beads are here... take them." Yun Kexin lowered her head and handed the string of Seven-Colored Glass Beads to Tong Zhichen, saying, "There's no need to order another one."
Tong Zhichen, Qin Ke, along with Granny Feng and Jin Xiu, were all taken aback, not understanding why Yun Kexin's attitude had changed so quickly. She had been prickly like a hedgehog before, but now she was as docile as a cat, and even more "mysteriously," her face had turned red.
"Quickly take it, don't wait for me to change my mind," Yun Kexin urged impatiently when she saw Tong Zhichen in a daze. She couldn't wait for him to take it and leave so she could escape this "place of gossip" and the awkwardness.
"Yes, thank you, Seventh Sister," Tong Zhichen snapped back to reality and clumsily accepted the Seven-Colored Glass Beads. Perhaps he was still confused by Yun Kexin's sudden shyness, and he felt a hint of affection as well. "Also, thank you on behalf of our young master."
Before he could finish speaking, Yun Kexin had already climbed into the carriage with Jin Xiu's help, sitting inside without even saying goodbye, hastily instructing the driver to set off.
Tong Zhichen watched the carriage disappear into the dust, thinking that he would see the girl inside again in the future. A sense of warmth arose in his heart, and his round face broke into a smile.
"Tong Zhichen, Tong Zhichen," Qin Ke pushed Tong Zhichen, who was still lost in thought, teasingly saying, "Wake up! She's already gone."
Only then did Tong Zhichen come back to his senses and returned to his previous expressionless face.
"Your Highness, your Seven-Colored Glass Beads."
Qin Ke cheerfully took them, examining the Seven-Colored Glass Beads from left to right, feeling pleased. After a while, he looked at Tong Zhichen and mocked, "I never expected this Seventh Sister to be so snobbish. The moment she heard you introduce yourself and offer the Seven-Colored Glass Beads, she turned red. If I revealed my identity, wouldn't she want to 'offer herself'?"
"Seventh Sister is not that kind of person," Tong Zhichen couldn't help but defend Yun Kexin when he heard Qin Ke's exaggerated remarks. "I noticed that she only 'changed her face' after hearing my name." At this point, Tong Zhichen also felt embarrassed. "I’m not sure of the exact reason, but I guess it might be because she knows my father will become her teacher in the future and that she inadvertently 'offended' the teacher's son, which made her uneasy."
"Haha, you haven't even done anything yet and you're already defending her?" As they walked along, Qin Ke laughed mockingly. "But this is good; if I want to invite Zhen'er in the future, I'll bring you and this Seventh Sister along. Just right for you two..."
"I beg Your Highness not to tease me anymore," Tong Zhichen said with embarrassment. "I should accompany Your Highness back to the palace soon; otherwise it won't be easy to explain to the princess, and my parents will blame me too."
"Talking to you is so dull," Qin Ke rolled his eyes at him. "So old-fashioned and boring; let's see who would dare marry you in the future."
Tong Zhichen heard this and smiled slightly, not taking it seriously, being easygoing and magnanimous.
The carriage raced down the main road, while Yun Kexin sat in the carriage, lost in thought about today's "chance encounter."
Feng Momo and Jinxiu were quite surprised by Yun Kexin's completely opposite attitude today, but they didn't dare to ask too much; after all, this was a matter for their master, and a servant had no right to interfere.
"Sister, about the things we bought," Jinxiu checked again the items that Fu Lianyin had purchased today, expressing her concerns, "What if Third Madam really gets angry?"
They had bought everything they needed, but the prices were much cheaper than usual. Third Madam was known for being extravagant in the Duke's residence and cared a lot about appearances. If she saw a cart full of cheap goods, who knows what she would think.
"What's there to be angry about?" Yun Kexin dismissed the awkwardness caused by her encounter with Tong Zhichen and scoffed, "We got everything we needed; I just compared prices and chose wisely. What's wrong with that?"
She intended to give Fu Lianyin a warning, to see if she would still have the nerve to treat the accounts as her own.
Yun Kexin returned to her usual calmness and wisdom, with a hint of sharpness that left the two servants slightly stunned.
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