Chapter 664 She’s the Most Beautiful Girl I’ve Ever Seen

Chapter 664: The Most Wonderful Girl He Had Ever Seen

The weather grew colder, and since Xingxing was granted the title of Lady of the Township last year for donating silver to the almshouse, the capital was exceptionally lively this year. Porridge giveaways, winter clothing donations—charitable works flourished, and everyone seemed a generous donor.

Lou Ruhui’s family, the Marquis of Mingguang’s household, also set up a porridge stall in the southern city. Lou Ruhui actually worked there for three full days.

Later, when Xingxing went shopping with Lou Ruhui and asked if she’d been tired those days, Lou Ruhui only smiled, her face reddening shyly.

Xingxing gave a curious “Hmm?”

But Lou Ruhui couldn’t keep a secret. Blushing, she whispered, “...I met a man while serving porridge. He was helping an elderly man with a broken leg stand in line for porridge. He’s so kind, and very handsome too...”

Even someone as outgoing as Lou Ruhui couldn’t continue, her ears turning crimson.

Seeing Lou Ruhui’s smitten look, Xingxing instantly understood.

She teased, drawing out her words: “Sister Lou~”

Though Xingxing hadn’t said anything explicit, Lou Ruhui stomped her feet. “Ah! Are you teasing me too?”

Pretending offense, she sniffed, “I was going to take you to see him secretly, but if you’re like this, I won’t.”

Xingxing clutched Lou Ruhui’s sleeve, pleading.

Lou Ruhui pretended to be haughty but then, recalling something, giggled quietly.

Her eyes shone with infatuation.

In the carriage, Lou Ruhui shared more. Xingxing learned the youth had come to the capital last year for the Imperial Examinations.

In his hometown, he’d won the provincial champion title, showing his literary skill. Yet luck failed him—on the eve of the capital examination, he fell ill with high fever and missed it, forced to wait three more years.

He chose to remain in the capital, studying while preparing for the next exam. In spare moments, he helped poor elders near his rented courtyard with farm work.

“He’s so good,” Lou Ruhui murmured. “Xingxing, you’ll see—he’s truly kind.”

From Lou Ruhui’s manner, Xingxing knew their interactions extended beyond those three days at the porridge stall.

Lou Ruhui brought Xingxing to a bookstore entrance. As the carriage stopped, they stepped out together.

Their elegant dress drew the clerk’s warm greeting: “Young ladies, seeking books or stationery?”

Lou Ruhui coughed lightly. “Just browsing.”

The clerk remained eager. “Of course! Please look around. Call if you need anything.”

After dealing with the clerk, Lou Ruhui pulled Xingxing to a quiet corner where they could peek around a folding screen.

Beyond it stood several long desks where young scholars busily copied books.

Xingxing blinked at Lou Ruhui.

Lou Ruhui tilted her chin toward them, whispering, “See the one with the green hair ribbon...”

Xingxing spotted a handsome scholar with a green ribbon, hunched over his desk, writing.

She turned back, mouthing wordlessly: “Him?”

Lou Ruhui’s flushed face confirmed it.

Xingxing strained against the bookshelf's edge, leaning forward to get a few more looks.

Lou Ruhui couldn't resist craning her neck to peek too.

Just as the two were caught up in their spying, a voice suddenly exclaimed, "Oh? Xingxing, what are you looking at?"

Startled, Xingxing and Lou Ruhui nearly jumped out of their shoes—after all, they were doing something sneaky, and their guilty consciences made them react strongly to the unexpected voice.

Clutching her chest, Xingxing turned to see Song Shouqing and was torn between annoyance and amusement. "Brother Song, you nearly scared me to death!"

Song Shouqing looked apologetic. "My apologies for startling you." He even bowed slightly in contrition.

Lou Ruhui didn’t recognize Song Shouqing and, still shaken, huddled closer to Xingxing as she eyed him warily.

Xingxing quickly introduced them. "Sister Lou, this is a cousin from my eldest sister-in-law’s side of the family, surnamed Song, named Shouqing. He studies alongside Ju Geer." Then she turned to Song Shouqing. "Brother Song, this is Sister Lou, a daughter of the Marquis of Mingguang’s household."

Song Shouqing promptly bowed again. "Miss Lou, please forgive my earlier rudeness."

Lou Ruhui observed that, aside from his initial abruptness, Song Shouqing was quite polite and sincere in his apologies, which nearly melted her irritation.

Then, after a moment’s thought, she suddenly realized— "Ah!" she exclaimed. "The Song family from Suyang?"

Song Shouqing replied modestly, "Indeed."

Now Lou Ruhui regarded him with newfound appreciation. "So you're a young master of the Suyang Song family."

Their commotion hadn’t gone unnoticed behind the screen.

The young man copying books set down his brush and stepped around the partition, pleasantly surprised to see Lou Ruhui. "Miss Lou? ... Oh, Brother Song, you're here too?"

Song Shouqing clasped his hands in greeting. "Brother Dou, what a coincidence."

The young man smiled candidly. "Not much of a coincidence—I’m just here copying books to earn some money."

Song Shouqing paused, finally realizing that Xingxing and Miss Lou had been hiding behind the shelves to watch Dou Chengsong.

Now it was a gathering of acquaintances.

Dou Chengsong offered warmly, "Since we’ve all met like this, why don’t I take everyone for tea at the nearby teahouse?"

Lou Ruhui hesitated.

She knew money was tight for Dou Chengsong and hated the idea of him paying. But as a young lady, it would be awkward for her to insist on covering the cost.

Fortunately, Song Shouqing jumped in smoothly. "Brother Dou, you’re too kind. This one’s on me—as an apology for startling Miss Xingxing and Miss Lou earlier. If you take this chance from me, I’ll feel awful."

Dou Chengsong considered this and nodded. "Well then, I won’t fight you on it."

With that settled, Xingxing and Lou Ruhui naturally didn’t refuse.

After all, they were no longer strangers.

Dou Chengsong first paid the shopkeeper before joining the others to the nearby teahouse.

Lou Ruhui, normally lively and outgoing, now turned shy and hesitant, like a girl meeting strangers for the first time, her voice barely above a whisper.

As they went upstairs, Xingxing and Lou Ruhui walked ahead. Suddenly, Xingxing paused and glanced downward.

Lou Ruhui murmured, "What's wrong?"

Xingxing, still unaccustomed to Lou Ruhui’s delicate way of speaking, flinched before answering, "...I just felt like someone was watching us."

Lou Ruhui also looked back but saw nothing unusual. The teahouse lobby had only a handful of customers scattered about, drinking tea—nothing out of the ordinary.

Xingxing hesitated. "Maybe I was mistaken... Never mind, let's go upstairs first."

Lou Ruhui nodded, her cheeks pink.

...

A maid slipped out of the teahouse entrance, pressing a hand to her chest in relief—she had nearly been spotted by Princess Fusui!

The maid ducked into a rouge shop across the street.

Yu Mingzhu was there perusing jewelry with her girlfriends. When she saw the maid return, she seized a lull to pull her aside and whispered, "Did you see clearly? Was Yu Xingxing really strolling around with two men?"

The maid replied in a hushed voice, "...I saw it clearly, absolutely true. But besides those two men, Miss Lou Ruhui was also with them."

Yu Mingzhu dismissed Lou Ruhui with barely a thought, her lips quirking in a faint sneer. She lowered her voice again, instructing the maid, "You've done well. Go back and keep watch for me, but don’t let anyone notice you."

As she spoke, Yu Mingzhu casually slipped a gold piece into the maid's hand.

The maid grinned ear to ear and quickly assured her, "Don’t worry, Miss. I’ll keep a close eye on things for you."

Yu Mingzhu let out a hollow laugh.

...

Inside the teahouse room, Lou Ruhui introduced Xingxing to a young man, Dou Chengsong, in her soft, timid voice.

Upon learning that Xingxing was Princess Fusui, Dou Chengsong rose and gave a deep bow. "So you are Princess Fusui. I’ve often heard from the almshouse that thanks to your generous donations, the lives of the elderly and children there have greatly improved... Please accept my gratitude."

Xingxing quickly rose and stepped aside. "There’s no need for such formalities, Mr. Dou. I merely did what I could to help others—nothing extraordinary. Please, don’t bow to me."

Dou Chengsong gazed at her with admiration. "Your Highness’s generosity is truly commendable."

Xingxing squirmed under the praise and protested weakly before finally sitting back down, somewhat embarrassed.

Lou Ruhui grew even more convinced of Dou Chengsong’s goodness.

Her eyes, secretly fixed on him, shone like stars.

Though they had gathered for tea, the four didn’t have much to discuss. After a pot of tea, they sat a while longer before preparing to part ways.

Song Shouqing mentioned wanting to ask Dou Chengsong about some academic matters and dragged him off to his rented place.

Xingxing and Lou Ruhui then climbed into their carriage to return home.

Lou Ruhui’s face was still burning.

Only after sitting in the carriage for a while did she cool down. Covering her reddened cheeks, she whirled to face Xingxing. "Isn’t he just wonderful?"

Xingxing nodded. "He does seem like a very kind person. But..."

She hesitated, carefully studying Lou Ruhui’s expression before whispering, "Sister Lou... do you fancy him?"

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Lou Ruhui blushed crimson to the roots of her hair, and Xingxing felt she could practically see steam coming off Lou Ruhui's head.

Lou Ruhui responded in a barely audible whisper, "Mm."

Xingxing couldn't help but worry for Lou Ruhui. Hesitating, she still asked softly, "Sister Lou, is this affection of yours... just simple admiration, or do you wish to marry him? If you truly want to marry him, would your family agree?"

Lou Ruhui was the legitimate daughter of a marquis' household, and the difference in status between her and Dou Chengsong wasn't exactly worlds apart, but it was still quite significant.

Would the Marquis and Marchioness of Mingguang ever bear to marry their beloved daughter to a family of unequal standing?

Lou Ruhui's face first flushed red, then paled. She lowered her head and, after a long while, shook it with a sigh. "Needless to say, my family would never agree."

"Then..."

But Lou Ruhui remained optimistic. Hiding her face, she said, "...It's hard to say. Anyway, I'm still young, and my parents have always doted on me. If Dou Chengsong is also willing to marry me, I can wait for him—wait until he passes the exams and gets an official post. Then my parents might relent somewhat..."

Xingxing wanted to say more, but Lou Ruhui was too embarrassed. She collapsed against Xingxing, placing a finger on Xingxing's lips. "Dear Xingxing, don't ask any more. I might not necessarily have to marry him... I just feel happy when I see him. When I don't see him, I often think of him... Right now, who knows?"

Since Lou Ruhui had said so, Xingxing naturally didn't press further.

She gave a small nod. "Mm, I believe Sister Lou knows what she's doing."

Lou Ruhui smiled sweetly.

Yet just a few days later, Lou Ruhui came to Xingxing in tears.

The moment she saw Xingxing, Lou Ruhui threw herself into her arms, crying bitterly.

Xingxing was completely baffled. "Sister Lou, what's wrong?"

But Lou Ruhui was too distraught to speak, crying uncontrollably.

Xingxing grew increasingly anxious. Finally, when Lou Ruhui's emotions stabilized slightly, Xingxing tenderly wiped the tears from Lou Ruhui's eyes with a handkerchief. "Dear sister, don't cry. You're breaking my heart with your tears. What on earth happened?"

Her words only made Lou Ruhui's tears fall again.

This time, however, Lou Ruhui choked out between sobs. "...Young Master Dou, he—he has feelings for Yu Mingzhu!"

"What?"

Xingxing was stunned.

Honestly, she couldn't fathom how these two names could appear in the same sentence.

"What... what exactly happened?" Xingxing found it hard to imagine. "Dou Chengsong and Yu Mingzhu?"

Lou Ruhui wiped her tears. "...This time, when I went to see Dou Chengsong, I noticed a painting on his desk—a portrait. The moment I saw it, I recognized it immediately. It was clearly a portrait of Cousin Mingzhu!"

"Young Master Dou has always been gentle, but when he saw me looking at that portrait, he reacted as if under siege, sternly warning me not to speak of it, for fear of damaging the reputation of the girl in the painting..."

"He's always been kind even to a freezing stray puppy. This was the first time—the first time I've seen him so severe... all to protect Cousin Mingzhu!"

"He defended her like that! I'm not stupid. I could tell at once—he has feelings for her!"

Lou Ruhui sobbed, torn between despair and confusion. "Xingxing, how—when did those two become involved?"

If the people involved didn't even know, how could Xingxing?

She was just as bewildered.

"Did you ask him?" Xingxing whispered. Lou Ruhui's tears and sniffles mixed together. "I did. I asked him how he knew Cousin Mingzhu. But he wouldn't say a word, only insisting that Cousin Mingzhu is the most marvelous girl he's ever met."