"As a princess, don't you think it's going too far to target a young lady like this?" Fu Erkang once again displayed his inexplicable confidence, speaking shamelessly, "Your incognito travels aren't in the palace, so why is Your Highness being so aggressive?"

Anke: Damn, I was too kind back then.

An Ke scoffed. Since she had booked the entire backyard of the inn, the environment was exceptionally tranquil and the atmosphere serene. "It seems that what happened in the palace didn't teach you a lesson. Anyone who addresses me by my name must be related to me. Is she related to me? Does she think I'm targeting Ziwei?" An Ke retorted.

Yongqi stood quietly to the side, acting as a background figure, clearly sensing that his cousin was angry. While others would yell and shout when angry (Fuerkang: Is she implying something about me?), Anke remained calm on the surface, her tone even more unperturbed.

"Isn't that right? You've opposed everything Ziwei said along the way. Isn't that clearly targeting her?" Fu Erkang glanced at the frail Ziwei behind him and said stubbornly.

"You think I'm targeting you?" An Ke glanced at Fu Erkang with a mocking smile, her voice carrying an air of authority. "Then gouge out your eyes, and you won't be able to see or feel it anymore." An Ke didn't want to explain further to them; it was a waste of breath.

"Does going on an inspection tour mean we don't have to follow the rules? According to the plan, I, the princess, am the young lady, and she is the maid. Go ask around and see which maid dares to call her mistress by her name!" An Ke said mercilessly. "It's late at night, and we have to travel tomorrow. A good dog shouldn't block the way!"

An Ke's identity and solemn demeanor forced Fu Erkang to step back and make way for her.

Qing'er glared angrily at Fu Erkang from the moment he uttered his first words, realizing that she had been so naive as a child, actually thinking that such a person was a man of integrity.

Perhaps it was An Ke's overwhelming aura that stunned Xiao Yanzi, who didn't reach out to stop her. Under the silent watchful eyes of their small group, An Ke pulled Qing'er back to her room, ignoring the group behind her, who would only cause her trouble.

After they left, Yongqi put his hands behind his back and left without saying a word. Ertai beat Yongqi to it, turning and walking away immediately. Only Benjamin, Xiaoyanzi, Fuerkang, and Ziwei remained.

Xiao Yanzi was also a bit confused, but seeing Ziwei's aggrieved look, she said angrily, "Ziwei, I think that Anke is really wicked, always bringing up rules and regulations. It's like she hasn't left the palace and is still being restrained. Let's not go near her anymore." The main point was that the two of them seemed to be at odds, a sentence Xiao Yanzi didn't say aloud because she didn't know how to describe their relationship.

Fu Erkang tenderly wiped away the tears that fell from Ziwei's face. "It's alright. Once your identity is restored, you'll be the Emperor's daughter, and naturally you won't be inferior to her. It's fine if you don't cultivate a good relationship with her during this time. After all, our main task is with the Master." Fu Erkang thought to himself, if Ziwei became a princess one day, wouldn't he be able to marry her and become her consort? At that time, he wouldn't care about the imperial guards anymore.

Ziwei listened to Erkang's words in silence. During her time in the palace, she had already learned everything from the palace servants. Besides the fact that, as they had said, this princess was a woman of exceptional talent, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she was indeed greatly favored by her father, the Emperor. Everyone in the palace said that the Emperor treated her the same way as Princess Hejing. If she was treated the same as Princess Hejing, how could her status in the Emperor's heart be lower?

Besides, even if they didn't win her over, they could try to win over Qing'er. Everyone in the palace said Qing'er had the softest heart. And Qing'er was a close friend of the princess. If they could persuade Qing'er, the princess would have no choice but to side with them. A hint of hesitation flashed in Ziwei's eyes, but she gradually convinced herself, and her gaze became more determined.

From Jinan to Beijing, she had traveled for far too long. She desperately wanted to reunite with her father. Every day, watching her father's affection for Xiao Yanzi in the Shufangzhai, she wondered why she hadn't persevered. If she had, would all of this have happened?

But time, like an invisible hand, pushes them toward the unknown future.

That evening, Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi returned to their room in disappointment. Benjamin and Erkang exchanged a glance and also went back to their room. Normally, Erkang and Ertai should share a room, since they were brothers, but it seemed the two brothers had been having a falling out lately.

When asked who to share a room with, Ertai unhesitatingly chose Yongqi, who was standing next to him. Fu'erkang immediately felt embarrassed; they were brothers, after all. How could he lose face in front of everyone? Fu'erkang, being quite tough, directly chose Benjamin, who was standing next to him.

Even outside the palace, An Ke still got up at 3:45 AM every day to practice her skills and ran two laps around the small courtyard.

After returning to her room and washing up, she went with Qing'er to the front hall to have breakfast with the master and the others before setting off.

Upon arrival, Anke immediately looked around and found the town to be quite clean and tidy. The vendors along the street were also neatly arranged.

The master first sent Emin to rent an inn for them, so when they arrived, they parked the carriage directly at the rented inn. Looking at the bustling street and seeing the people living in peace and contentment, the master was very pleased and wanted to take a good stroll around the area.

However, at that moment, the people on the street suddenly headed in one direction. Seeing the surging crowd, the master sent Emin and Zhaohui to investigate what was happening ahead.

Emin quickly grabbed a passerby who was walking by, politely inquired about his whereabouts, and then approached the master.

"Master, you've found out that this town is the town of the Matchmaker. And today, the daughter of the Hu family is said to be the most beautiful woman in town. She's going to shoot arrows in front of the Matchmaker Temple to find a husband, so all the people in the town have come to join in the fun." E Min said with a smile. This was originally a happy occasion.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanzi's eyes lit up a little. "Shooting to find a husband? What's shooting to find a husband? Ziwei, why don't we go and take a look?" After saying that, she prepared to pull Ziwei along.

But Ziwei stopped her, saying, "Little Swallow, if you want to go, you have to ask Master if he wants to go first." After saying that, Ziwei turned to look at Master's expression. Little Swallow was also nervously clasping her hands together.

The master was also a person who loved to join in the fun. Seeing Xiao Yanzi's curious look, he nodded and said, "Let's go and take a look together."

Since the master had spoken, everyone naturally followed his lead.

Upon arriving at the Temple of the Matchmaker, they were indeed greeted by a sea of ​​people. To say the entire town had come out to see the spectacle would be an exaggeration. But the sheer number of people certainly gave Anke the feeling that the town was deserted. Later, led by the old man, they found a relatively spacious spot, at least not as crowded as before.

In the crowded conditions just now, Anke held Qing'er tightly to prevent her from being pushed to the back. They even bumped into Ertai a few times in the process.

However, every time An Ke turned to look at Ertai, Ertai's ears would turn red, but he would still reach out to help her steady herself.

Then I saw something that looked like a turntable, with several colorful balls hanging on it.

It has to be Uncle Fu Liu! He's already gathered all the information from the surrounding area and immediately answered their questions. "It's said that this shooting contest for marriage is a very effective method at the Matchmaker Temple. Look at those dozen or so colorful balls hanging over there. When someone shoots at them, the balls start to spin, and the love lock is hidden inside one of them. Only the person who receives the love lock can marry the family that's hosting this event."

Qing'er furrowed her brows slightly. "With so many balls, how are we going to find the love lock? Besides, once these balls start spinning, even hitting them will be a problem." Qing'er's concerns were not unfounded.

Master Ji stepped out from behind Fu Heng, saying as he walked, "That's why we're here at the Yue Lao Temple, asking for Yue Lao's help. Those who are destined will naturally be able to hit the love lock. And look at all these red ribbons hanging on this Yue Lao tree, all for those seeking marriage. If any of you are seeking marriage, you can naturally hang a red ribbon on this tree as well." After saying this, Master Ji chuckled and stroked his goatee.

The old man looked at the children beside him with amusement, paying particular attention to his niece. Before he could ask a question, Anke walked straight to Master Ji's side.

After standing up straight, she bowed to Master Ji. "Master Ji is truly learned and talented. Could it be that you also wish to wear a red ribbon?" After saying that, she even blinked her big, dark, clear eyes at her master with feigned innocence.

When Master Ji saw An Ke approaching, he already had a bad feeling. When he heard her first words, he thought she was really praising him, but after her next sentence, he almost choked on his breath. "How could that be? How could that be? Master is so old and no longer has a chance to find a partner. Let those who are destined to be together find their own." As he spoke, he swallowed a few times.

Anke: I knew Master Ji wasn't up to anything; he was definitely setting a trap for someone.

Sure enough, the next second, the uncle asked with a smile, "Does An'an want to wear a red ribbon?" After saying that, he glanced at Ertai, who was staring blankly at the Matchmaker Tree, with a hint of annoyance.

"Why hang it?" An Ke crossed her arms, looking relaxed and nonchalant. "Does my marriage depend on just one red ribbon? With so many red ribbons, even the Old Man of the Moon would be overwhelmed. What if he accidentally pulls the wrong one?" An Ke wanted to say she didn't believe in these things, but considering that this was a feudal dynasty and she was still in the Matchmaker Town, saying she didn't believe in the Old Man of the Moon would only make the surrounding people stare at her intently.

"Oh? How does An'an know that if you hang it up, the Old Man of the Moon won't find you your destined one?" The old man looked at the restless commoners beside him, and then at the young people behind him, all of whom were staring at the ancient matchmaking tree. Only his niece was idly arguing with him and Ji Xiaolan.

Anke walked to her uncle's side, glanced at the people around, and prepared to tiptoe and whisper something. The old man seemed to instantly understand her thoughts, and bowed his head in agreement. "Since we are destined to be together, we certainly can't rely on a simple red ribbon. Uncle, have you ever heard the saying, 'Those destined to meet will find each other even from a thousand miles away'?" With that, Anke straightened up and winked at the old man.

The old man pondered the words carefully: "Those destined to meet will find each other even from a thousand miles away." "That's well said."

The people behind the master were completely bewildered, not understanding what the two were talking about.

"Besides, if two people are destined to meet, why would they be afraid of not meeting again? If they are truly destined, then there is a will in the universe." An Ke's words were a bit mystical. At least in E Min and Zhao Hui's eyes, they were mystical.

The old man just smiled, made no comment, and didn't say anything more afterward, just watched quietly.

Little Swallow then became quite enthusiastic, even offering to play matchmaker. "Hey, young master, I've heard that Miss Hu is a great beauty. You gentlemen shouldn't miss this opportunity. Benjamin, would you like to marry a Chinese bride?"

As soon as Xiao Yanzi finished speaking, the young men surrounding her changed their expressions, especially Benjamin, whose face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip water.

Looking at their expressions, Little Swallow muttered to herself, "Hey, judging from your expressions, you don't seem to appreciate it much. You're the oldest among us, don't you want to settle down?" Little Swallow knew how to cut to the bone.

Benjamin's voice turned even colder, like shards of ice, upon hearing this. "Don't worry about my business. Go watch your show."

At that moment, Anke felt sorry for Benjamin, being pushed away by the girl he liked. He shook his head and stopped looking in their direction, but even without looking, their voices still reached his ears intermittently.

Ertai looked at the excited little swallow and silently took a step away from them.

Little Swallow was thinking too simply. How could young masters like them not want to marry someone of equal social standing, or someone beneficial to themselves and their families? Why would they choose to marry a beauty from a remote place? Isn't that going against the grain, going in the opposite direction? Anyone with a brain wouldn't fight for this so-called opportunity. Between family prospects and beauty, they would naturally choose the former. They're not stupid!

Just then, a carriage slowly approached. Before anyone could see the person clearly, the surrounding people shouted, "Miss Hu is here! Miss Hu is here!"

An Ke looked at the carriage with interest, after all, Miss Hu in the drama was indeed very beautiful. The carriage curtain was slowly lifted, and a pair of fair and jade-like hands peeked out from inside.