The gifts from the seventh prince’s residence arrived not long after sunset. There were not many people in Tianjing who had seen the private stores of a prince who spent most of his youth guarding the northern border. Some had assumed Xiao Jingyuan’s betrothal gifts would be respectable but plain. After all, border princes often held military merit but lacked the refined treasures accumulated by those raised in the capital.

Then the chests entered the Shen residence one after another: northern sable cloaks with fur so dense they gleamed beneath lamplight, a pair of snow jade bracelets from the old border mines, bolts of heavy cloud brocade suitable for winter, medicinal herbs rare in the capital, including hundred-year snow ginseng, a complete set of inkstones carved from black northern stone, ten boxes of gold, twenty boxes of silver, military-grade protective inner armor made soft enough to wear beneath formal robes, and a deed to a courtyard residence near the seventh prince’s estate, placed directly under Shen Yuheng’s name for his private use.

Finally, there was a long narrow box sealed with Xiao Jingyuan’s personal mark. Inside lay a dagger. The blade was thin, bright, and cold, but the hilt had been wrapped in pale leather embroidered with silver thread. It was beautiful enough for a noble spouse and sharp enough to kill.

The seventh prince’s steward bowed respectfully. “His Highness said that the capital is different from the northern border. He does not know what noble gers usually prefer, so he prepared items he believed were useful. If Young Master Shen dislikes anything, the residence will change it.”

The hall was silent.

Useful. A prince giving his future spouse inner armor and a dagger could have sounded improper if anyone else had done it. However, the seventh prince had also sent gold, silver, brocade, medicine, jade, and private property. His generosity was visible, and his intention was clearer. He was not treating Shen Yuheng as a decorative ger to be placed behind screens. He was preparing for him as someone who might need warmth, wealth, medicine, protection, and a blade of his own.

Shen Huaili’s expression shifted several times. Madam Xu’s smile became almost impossible to maintain, while Shen Yulan stared at the snow jade bracelets until her eyes reddened again.

Shen Yuheng stood before the open chest and lifted the dagger. The weight suited his hand. It was not ceremonial, but balanced. He lowered his eyes, and for a moment, the corners of his lips curved.

The system scanned.

【Weapon quality: excellent.】

【Practicality: high.】

【Auxiliary user intention analysis: protection, respect, courtship, mild uncertainty regarding recipient preference.】

Shen Yuheng almost laughed. Mild uncertainty. He could imagine Xiao Jingyuan standing in his residence, frowning at rows of gifts and deciding that, since he did not know what Shen Yuheng liked, he would send things that could keep him alive. That was very Xiao Jingyuan.

The seventh prince’s steward saw his expression and finally relaxed. “Young Master Shen, His Highness also sent a message.”

Shen Yuheng looked up.

The steward bowed lower. “His Highness said: the dagger is not for you to use because I cannot protect you. It is for the day you wish to protect yourself before I arrive.”

The hall became even quieter. Shen Yuheng’s fingers tightened lightly around the hilt.

After a breath, he said, “Please tell His Highness that I like it very much.”

The steward smiled. “Yes.”

In the palace, news of the betrothal gifts reached the emperor before nightfall. The emperor listened to the report, then laughed for a long while.

“Inner armor and a dagger?”

The chief eunuch lowered his head, smiling. “Yes, Your Majesty. His Highness also sent snow ginseng, brocade, gold, silver, and a private courtyard deed. The list is generous.”

“Generous, yes. That dagger, though…” The emperor shook his head. “Other princes send pearls to coax beauty. Seventh sends a blade.”

The chief eunuch said carefully, “Perhaps His Highness has a soldier’s heart.”

The emperor leaned back. “He has more than a soldier’s heart. He is telling the Shen family and the capital that Shen Yuheng is not entering his residence to be displayed. He is entering as someone under his protection and beside his authority.”

After a pause, the emperor’s smile faded into thought. “He is serious.”

From behind the carved screen, a palace maid lowered her head and withdrew. Soon, the same news reached the empress.

Empress Ji sat beneath a phoenix lamp, listening quietly as her attendant repeated the list. “Snow jade bracelets, sable cloaks, northern medicinal herbs, gold and silver, a private courtyard deed, soft inner armor, and a dagger.”

The empress slowly turned the jade ring on her finger. “Interesting.”

Her attendant lowered her voice. “Does Your Majesty think the seventh prince has been bewitched by beauty?”

Empress Ji’s eyes were cool. “Beauty can make a man lose discipline for a moment. It cannot make Xiao Jingyuan send private property and protective armor after one banquet unless he has thought further.”

She had watched the seventh prince grow from a solemn child into a border-trained young man. He was not raised by her, but he was still an imperial prince under her gaze. Xiao Jingyuan was direct, but not foolish. If he valued Shen Yuheng this much, then Shen Yuheng was worth observing.

“A declining House of Rites,” Empress Ji said softly. “A legitimate ger child without strong backing. Beautiful enough to stir gossip, calm enough not to drown in it. And now he has Xiao Jingyuan’s open favor.”

Her attendant asked, “Should we summon him after the wedding?”

“Not immediately.” Empress Ji lowered her eyes. “Let him enter the residence first. A person’s worth is not seen only in how he sits at a banquet, but in how he handles a household after the door closes.”

She paused. “Still, place his name where I can see it.”

The attendant bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The ten days passed like a river in flood. Wedding robes arrived from the palace, the Ministry of Rites sent officials to instruct ceremonial procedure, and the Shen household repaired gates, cleaned ancestral tablets, counted dowry chests, received guests, and smiled until their faces stiffened.

Madam Xu no longer dared make obvious moves. The dowry list had already been checked and registered, and the seventh prince’s residence had also sent someone to “assist” with transport arrangements. That assistant had a polite face, military posture, and eyes sharp enough to make even the Shen steward sweat.

Xiao Jingyuan did not visit again at night. Every morning, however, something from the seventh prince’s residence arrived: medicine for recovery, soft winter bedding, a small box of northern pine incense with a note saying it had been checked and was safe, and a set of account ledgers from the seventh prince’s residence, copied cleanly and sent for Shen Yuheng to review “if he wished.”

That last delivery caused Shen Huaili to sit silently for a long time. A prince’s residence accounts were not toys. Sending them before marriage meant trust. It also meant warning. Shen Yuheng was not entering that household as an ornament.

On the seventh day, Shen Yuheng opened the account ledgers beneath the window. The system scanned rapidly.

【Document structure clear. No major concealment detected in visible ledgers.】

【Military supply channels marked separately. Access likely restricted.】

【Household expenditure modest relative to prince rank.】

【Conclusion: Xiao Jingyuan’s residence has low internal luxury, high military-linked expenditure, and relatively clean administrative habits.】

Shen Yuheng was satisfied. A clean household was more useful than a rich one filled with worms.

On the ninth night, Qingmo helped Shen Yuheng try on the wedding robe. Red silk unfolded beneath the lamplight like burning clouds. The robe had been made urgently, yet palace craftsmanship was not careless. Gold thread traced auspicious cloud patterns along the sleeves and hem, the waist was fitted without being restrictive, and the collar framed his pale throat. Against his snow-like skin, the vivid red made his beauty almost breathtaking.