Shen Jiaojiao ate slowly, making sure she finished eating just as the other person finished.

Chunhua naturally stepped forward and paid the money.

Seeing Zhang's embarrassment and hesitation, Shen Jiaojiao led the two of them slowly down the street.

The government office wasn't far from the city gate. Just then, a carriage slowly drove up from the city gate. The carriage itself was nothing special.

The main feature was the long convoy following behind, clearly loaded with goods, each box tied with a red rope.

This is quite eye-catching.

Shen Jiaojiao and the others stopped and stood by to watch.

People speculated that this was probably a wedding procession, but they didn't know whose caravan it was.

The city gate guard stepped forward and asked, "People inside, come out and present your travel permit!"

"Cough cough cough!"

A heart-wrenching cough came from behind, like that of a seriously ill patient.

The guard quickly covered his mouth and nose with one hand and took a few steps back.

Holding a sword and pointing it in the direction of the car, he shouted, "What's going on inside? Huh? What illness?"

The two maids standing to the side remained silent; they were used to it and their expressions were indifferent.

As the crowd watched, the carriage curtain was slowly pulled open.

A slender hand stretched out, its fair skin appearing even more delicate against the dark blue curtain.

Slowly, a girl stepped down from the carriage.

The girl wore a light green, flowing dress with wide sleeves, and her hair was adorned with several unique hairpins inlaid with gemstones, quite different from those in the capital. She had almond-shaped eyes and her brows were slightly furrowed, making her incredibly endearing.

Two maids in green quickly stepped forward to support her. The woman moved with delicate steps, displaying a frail demeanor, and bowed gracefully to the guards, whispering:

"Sir, I am Liu Piaopiao, the daughter of the Liu family in Jiangnan. I have been invited by the Imperial Concubine to stay in the capital for a few days. I hope you will do me a favor."

The maid behind him quickly stepped forward and handed him a purse.

The guard squeezed the light purse, guessing that it contained silver notes, and his expression softened slightly.

"Okay, let's go in!"

Liu Piaopiao didn't get into the carriage; instead, she was helped by two maids to walk slowly forward.

Perhaps because the initial coughing sound was so deeply ingrained in people's minds, even when Liu Piaopiao later appeared, everyone viewed him with the eyes of a seriously ill patient.

Although she was beautiful, she was in poor health and died young!

That's what everyone thinks.

When she revealed her family background, some people standing nearby heard it.

"Who exactly is the Liu family of Jiangnan?"

"You didn't know that? Just recently, Consort Liu in the palace came from the Liu family!"

"Consort Liu is the mother of the newly appointed Prince An! Prince An is getting married in three days. Surely the Liu family isn't here to attend the wedding banquet?"

"What kind of wedding banquet is this! Didn't you see the string of things behind that person all tied with red ribbons? They look like dowry items to me!"

"So, which family is Liu Piaopiao going to marry into? I haven't heard anything about it!"

"It can't possibly be Prince An! After all, he's getting married soon!"

"This girl is beautiful, as expected of women from Jiangnan. It's a pity she's sickly!"

"That's such a pity!"

"that is!"

…

The people around speculated that Liu Piaopiao, who had been looking unpredictable, suddenly stopped in her tracks after hearing something.

Listening to the conversations around her, Shen Jiaojiao realized that having come from the palace, she knew more than others.

So this Liu Piaopiao is the wife that Consort Liu chose for Prince An!

But his physical condition is indeed poor, which shouldn't be the case!

No matter what, she should find someone healthy. I don't know what she was thinking.

Moreover, she hadn't noticed it while she was in the carriage, but after getting off, two maids helped her.

The maid was about 1.6 meters tall, but Liu Piaopiao was more than a head taller than her.

I'd conservatively estimate she's over 1.8 meters tall! Is this a woman?

Shen Jiaojiao's gaze swept back and forth over Liu Piaopiao.

Hmm, you can't tell the gender from the face.

She's very thin, so it's hard to say for sure.

These breasts? Although they're small, they do have some curves, so they might be fake.

Hmm, let's move our gaze downwards... Hmm? How come that hand is blocking it?

Shen Jiaojiao looked at Liu Piaopiao, wondering if something was amiss.

Liu Piaopiao's face was pale, and she gave a weak smile. She had just noticed that a woman in the crowd had a very presumptuous look in her eyes.

He sprayed bullets at himself!

She pretended not to know.

The main reason was that she had just heard people in the crowd say that Consort Liu's son would be getting married in three days, and not to her.

That's good, anyway, I don't want to be with him!

She stood on the street, her breathing seemed to quicken, then she started coughing a few times, and slowly the coughing grew louder and louder.

Everyone quickly moved away.

Shen Jiaojiao covered her mouth, preparing to back away. She had mistaken the person for someone else and needed to leave quickly!

She had just taken a step when, a second later, Liu Piaopiao, who was not far away, suddenly coughed loudly.

His mouth was aimed directly at Shen Jiaojiao, and a mouthful of blood rushed to his face.

Shen Jiaojiao opened her eyes wide, gently grabbed her hand, and took a few steps back to avoid the embarrassment of being sprayed with blood.

When she came to her senses, the blood on the ground was only a step away from Shen Jiaojiao's feet.

The moment I looked up, the culprit over there closed his eyes and collapsed.

"Miss! Miss! Why have you fainted!"

"Quickly, take the young lady to the clinic!"

The two maids had already started making a lot of noise.

After all, this was my first time in the imperial city, and I was a little flustered.

Shen Jiaojiao didn't want to get involved, but she had some doubts in her mind earlier: was such a tall woman really that tall?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!