Now that the Duke of Qin had relented—regardless of his reasons for compromising, and despite his abrupt departure after speaking—Sui Tan took it as having obtained both parental consent and a matchmaker’s approval. She immediately pulled Lin Qi and her prospective brother-in-law into discussions about the wedding arrangements.

Her top priority was to avoid delays, so she employed every persuasive tactic, appealing to both reason and emotion, determined to convince Zhu Yan to set the date just three days later.

Given the tight schedule, the ever-scheming Lord Zhu was initially reluctant to compromise.

But his prospective sister-in-law had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Seeing his absent-minded, in-one-ear-and-out-the-other demeanor, she suddenly blinked her bright almond eyes, grabbed the bodyguard, and planted a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek.

This bold move finally made Zhu Yan raise an eyebrow, settling in to watch the spectacle with amused interest.

Having always been upright and principled, Lin Qi flushed crimson the moment he was ambushed.

In stark contrast, Sui Tan—the one who should have been remorseful—instead sprang to her feet, declaring with righteous indignation:

“Lord Zhu, look! As her younger sister, I can kiss whoever I want whenever I want. How can you bear to let my sister fall behind me?”

“M-Miss!”

Such shameless words instantly turned the tips of his ears scarlet.

Lin Qi frantically tried to hush her while nervously scanning the surroundings to ensure no one had overheard. Fortunately, the servants of noble households knew their place—when the masters were discussing matters, they practiced “see no evil, hear no evil.”

Except for the tactless Yi Zhou, who stood there gaping. At a glance, it was easy enough to pretend otherwise.

“That does make some sense.”

Lin Qi wanted to brush the matter aside, but someone wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

Zhu Yan nodded as if genuinely enlightened, his smirk lingering on the spot Sui Tan had just kissed on Lin Qi’s face. He drawled,

“Then let’s set it for three days later. After all, we must let my Sui Zheng outdo her little sister for once.”

Lord Zhu’s word was as good as gold.

No sooner had he left than the betrothal gifts arrived at the Duke’s residence in a clamor of gongs and drums. The matchmaker led the party to the Capital Office to submit the marriage certificate, spreading the news far and wide that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Duke of Qin’s eldest daughter were to be wed.

Thus, before the rumors of “the Qin eldest daughter being a husband-killer” could fully settle, the gossip took an abrupt turn, shifting to critiques of her new engagement.

The betrothal gifts stretched for miles, carried through the capital in a procession of over a hundred chests, drawing gasps of envy before being delivered to the Duke’s precious daughter.

Amid the murmurs, people slowly remembered that beyond the broken engagement, the murder case, and the reputation of being a husband-killer, the Duke of Qin’s eldest daughter—peerless in both talent and beauty—had always deserved such treatment.

Sui Tan perched on the Duke’s residence wall, watching the commotion below while eavesdropping on the commoners’ chatter.

Zhu Yan’s subtle maneuver had dramatically shifted public opinion. At last, some began to recall just how extraordinary the Qin eldest daughter truly was.

“At eleven, she dazzled at the Qionglin Banquet. At thirteen, her performance at the Spring Banquet stunned the world. At fifteen, when refugees flooded the capital, she worked with the Compassionate Shelter to settle them, raising funds, distributing porridge, and bestowing kindness.”

“After her broken engagement, it was as though she could no longer compose flawless poetry, as though she no longer excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—as though she no longer possessed that purest, kindest heart.”

Sui Tan sighed, and Lin Qi fell silent.

The topic weighed heavily on them both.

But at least there was still the carefree Yi Zhou.

It was rare for the imperial prince’s shadow guard to witness such a lively occasion, and now he squatted on a tree branch, watching the ceremony with great enthusiasm.

At this moment, hearing their vague sighs—though he didn’t fully understand—he rolled his eyes and decided to chime in anyway.

“Miss Qin!”

Still too nervous to get too close, he shouted across several trees:

“I counted—Lord Zhu sent a full one hundred and eighty betrothal gifts! How many did His Highness give you when you were engaged to him?”

At these words, Lin Qi’s expression flickered slightly. Sui Tan, meanwhile, burst into laughter, propping herself up on the wall and jutting out her hips as she retorted:

“Your Highness is stingy! Aside from sending Lin Qi to my side, he gave me nothing!”

“Uh…”

Way to put my foot in my mouth. Yi Zhou instantly regretted opening his big mouth.

He shrank back fearfully, scratching his head and forcing an awkward laugh.

“It’s the thought that counts! Wait—no, that’s not the right way to put it! Ah—right! Shadow Guard Lin is worth ten thousand gifts! Yes, he’s that incredible, that important. With him here, His Highness can rest easy, hahahaha!”

“And—and His Highness isn’t stingy at all! If you want anything, just ask him, and he’ll definitely give it to you, hahahaha!”

The barely literate shadow guard stammered, sweat beading on his nose from sheer nervousness.

But to his surprise, the Second Miss Qin nodded in agreement.

“True.”

As she said this, she turned to Lin Qi with a soft smile—then suddenly let go of the wall and leaned back, plummeting straight down from the great height.

Yi Zhou gaped in shock, but Lin Qi was faster.

The moment she moved, his figure blurred as he instinctively rushed beneath the wall, catching her safely in his arms the next instant.

Sui Tan, entirely unshaken by the fall, only grinned brighter, her lively eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

“This is what I want~”

Lin Qi froze for a second before realizing she was responding to Yi Zhou’s earlier remark—”If you want anything, His Highness will give it to you.”

Though there was no further intimacy in her words, this simple statement struck him as more touching than any flowery confession.

He lowered his gaze imperceptibly, carefully setting her back on her feet. But the moment she landed, she was already skipping off to rejoin the excitement.

Just as she took a step, however, he suddenly called out:

“Miss.”

“Hm?”

Sui Tan turned back. Lin Qi took a deep breath.

“What Yi Zhou said earlier wasn’t wrong. Whatever you want, His Highness will give you.”

“And if what you want… is me—then I’ll stay by your side. Always.”

The spring day was bright, the sunlight warm.

Standing bathed in that light, his cheeks faintly flushed, he spoke each word with utmost sincerity.