Miss Shen is a woman of many talents, excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is one of the most outstanding noble ladies in the capital. Shen Mingguang is an upright official with a bright future ahead of him.

Therefore, as soon as she came of age, she naturally became the girl that various noble families wanted to marry, and during this period, the threshold of the Shen family was almost worn down by the crowds.

Lady Yongbo could no longer sit still, so she sent a letter to visit Lady Shen as well.

Madam Shen warmly received her.

Among the many noble young men who sought his hand in marriage, Qi Shaocheng was the best candidate. He was handsome, came from a good family, was upright, and had now become the commander of the Imperial Guards. His only shortcoming was that he was a bit too old.

Therefore, Shen Mingguang and his wife did not agree immediately.

Furthermore, since Qi Shaocheng had been stationed on the Northwest battlefield for many years, Shen Mingguang did not know much about him and thought he needed to observe him more closely.

Today, Qi Shaocheng was on leave. His servant came to tell him that Miss Lu had gone out with her maid, and it seemed that they were heading towards the peach grove in the outskirts of the capital. The key point was that she was not with His Highness Prince An.

Qi Shaocheng immediately changed into casual clothes.

Lady Yongbo received news that Lord Shen and his wife had taken Miss Shen out for a stroll today. If they could catch a glimpse of her son's handsome appearance, then age would not matter.

Lady Yongbo hurriedly came to find her son. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw her son dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, with a leather belt around his waist. His long hair was tied back with a white jade hairpin. He had a handsome face with chiseled features and a healthy wheat-colored complexion. He was simply a dashing young gentleman.

Lady Yongbo was increasingly pleased with her son. If Lord Shen and his wife were still not satisfied with his appearance, then in the entire capital, unless there was a man with the same dragon-like appearance as Prince An or the Fifth Prince, there would be no other suitable man.

She walked up with a smile and said, "Shaocheng, you have a day off today, how about you accompany your mother for a walk?"

Lady Yongbo glanced at the servant Afu.

Afu blinked, indicating that he hadn't said anything to his wife.

"I heard the peach blossoms on the outskirts of Beijing are in full bloom, they're very beautiful. Mother has been cooped up at home for too long, and you rarely get a rest either, so why don't you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qi Shaocheng came up to help her: "It's my fault. I'll accompany you out for a good walk to clear your head."

The two left the house, each with their own thoughts.

On the day of the imperial examination on March 18th, the Second Prince Zhu Heng plotted a rebellion. As a result, neither ordinary people nor officials, merchants, and noble families dared to go out easily. For a long time, the entire city of Shengjing was shrouded in gloom.

Now that all the rebels have been executed, and today is a rare sunny day, more people are going out to enjoy the scenery and go on spring outings.

The peach orchard is covered with peach blossoms, a vast expanse of bright red and delicate pink, extremely beautiful and attracting many people.

From early morning, many horse-drawn carriages gathered at the city gate.

When wealthy and powerful ladies went out, they had dozens of maids and guards, making the place even more crowded.

A long queue formed at the city gate.

Qi Shaocheng was anxious to see Lu Xiaoyun, and seeing that the procession was moving very slowly, he lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage.

Lady Yongbo asked anxiously, "Shaocheng, where are you going?"

"Mother, I'm going to go ahead and take a look. Please don't get off the carriage." After saying that, Qi Shaocheng also went ahead.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were directing the carriages to go out one by one, but there were always a few people who disobeyed orders and tried to cut in line, which slowed down the whole procession.

Each of them was a high-ranking official, and the soldiers guarding the city dared not offend any of them. They could only try to persuade them with kind words, but to little avail, which slowed the advance of the troops even further.

When Qi Shaocheng arrived, the city guard captain saw that it was Commander Qi and frowned with a bitter expression.

As soon as Qi Shaocheng stood at the city gate, his tall and slender figure and imposing military bearing immediately made him stand out from the crowd.

He announced loudly, "All carriages shall obey my command and exit the city gate in order, holding their assigned number tags. Anyone who tries to cut in line shall go to the very back of the line. No one shall have any special privileges."

He was the commander of the Imperial Guards, a favorite of the emperor, and a former general of the Northern Army. Once he said this, who would dare disobey?

He instructed several soldiers to quickly distribute the numbered tags and ordered others to maintain order at the scene.

Shen Mingguang and his entourage's carriage was also blocked at the city gate.

Zhu Yu also claimed to be in their carriage and was sitting next to Madam Shen.

"Lord Shen, Madam Shen, whose voice is this?"

Shen Mingguang listened intently and said, "It sounds like Commander Qi."

"The newly appointed commander of the Imperial Guards?"

Madam Shen thought to herself, "You, Miss Lu, were once engaged to him, so why do you seem not to know him very well?" But she couldn't say this in front of her daughter.

Shen Mingguang then climbed out of the carriage and stood on the shaft, looking ahead and saying, "That's right, it really is Qi Shaocheng. His method is quite good. There are too many people who don't follow the rules. Commander Qi really knows how to handle things. The procession is now running smoothly."

Madam Shen also came out. She had only seen Qi Shaocheng once before, at a palace banquet. She had noticed him then; he was handsome, had a tall and straight posture, and a righteous air about him. Now that she saw him, she was even more satisfied.

The couple exchanged a knowing smile and got into the carriage.

Zhu Yu clapped his hands and said, "Commander Qi is amazing. Miss Shen, what do you think?"

Shen Shuyi knew that Qi Shaocheng's mother had come to propose marriage to her. She blushed, lowered her head, and twisted the handkerchief in her hand, whispering, "Commander Qi is young and promising, and is naturally very capable."

Madam Shen calmly observed this "Miss Lu," wondering what she meant by saying those words to her daughter.

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