Chapter 3

"What?"

Hearing Chu He's words, Chu Miaomiao stood up suddenly, and the pain in her injured area made her gasp.

"People from Quexian Tower are here?"

Chu He nodded.

Quexianlou is the largest and most reputable private matchmaking agency in Pingzhou City, specializing in matchmaking for young men and women. Chu Miaomiao is already seventeen years old and still hasn't found a suitable husband, which worries the Princess of Chu.

Logically speaking, Chu Miaomiao, with her noble status and strong family background, should have had a matchmaker come to her house when she reached marriageable age. However, everyone in Pingzhou City knew that the princess of the Chu Palace spent her days playing with cats and dogs on the streets, displaying the habits of a dandy. Although Chu Xinxiu was even more extreme in this regard, she was still a girl. What respectable family would dare marry such a woman?

Therefore, the princess of the Prince of Chu's Mansion was silently removed from the list of families discussing marriage in Pingzhou City, and her marriage was delayed until now.

The visitor from Quexian Tower was also somewhat troubled by this. He put on a smile in front of Princess Chu and carefully considered his words: "The princess is so noble, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a young talent of matching status in Pingzhou City—"

The Princess of Chu interrupted the visitor and said, "It doesn't matter if it's within Pingzhou City. Any noble family from Pingzhou or the surrounding prefectures and counties will be accepted. You must keep an eye on this matter for me. Once you find a suitable candidate, come to see me immediately."

Upon hearing this, the visitor breathed a sigh of relief, nodded repeatedly, and retreated respectfully.

"Sister Lianyue and I have inquired about this. The princess wants to find a suitable marriage for you in another place."

Chu He helped to sort out the silk threads while she told him the news she had gathered. "It would be best if it were within Pingzhou or a neighboring prefecture. It seems the princess doesn't want the princess to marry too far away."

Chu Miaomiao, who continued to busy herself with embroidery, curled her lips and said nothing.

"But it's time for you to find a husband. Most girls your age in this city are already married, and you're the only one who still hasn't found a husband."

"So what? I don't plan to get married." Chu Miaomiao said nonchalantly.

Chu He was stunned when these words came out: "Princess, don't talk nonsense. How can a woman in this world not get married?"

"Look at our palace, look at my father, do you still think getting married is a good thing?"

Chu Miaomiao sneered: "A girl of my age, just like the daughter of the prefectural governor married the grandson of Mr. Zhang, who retired from the Hanlin Academy. They are a perfect match, right? Didn't we run into that grandson entangled with a woman when we went to Lingyan Pavilion that day? Besides, our palace..."

At this point, Chu Miaomiao paused with the needle in her hand, her expression serious: "No, this is not appropriate."

Chu He handed the arranged silk thread to Chu Miaomiao: "No matter whether it is appropriate or not, Princess should finish the current task first." She raised her eyebrows and pointed to the orchid painting that had just been started.

Princess Pingyang said she had a headache.

*

Chu Miaomiao stayed indoors for three days to complete her embroidery, but she finally finished it. It wasn't lifelike, but it was passable enough to pass muster with Princess Chu.

After being stuck in the house for three days, Chu Miaomiao can finally step out of the house and go out to relax.

She has many friends in Pingzhou City, among whom is Jin Ji, a young master whose family runs the largest jewel house in Pingzhou City and is her best friend.

As soon as he went out, he ran into the servant of the Jin family, who said that Young Master Jin had set up a banquet at Zuiyun Tower and invited the princess to come.

"You haven't come out to play with me for six days in a row. I'm getting bored."

In Zuiyun Tower, Young Master Jin personally filled Chu Miaomiao's glass with wine. Chu Miaomiao, who had been recuperating from his injuries these days, quickly moved the wine glass aside.

Jin Ji looked a little hurt. "Why, Princess, do you dislike my money-grubbing nature and refuse to drink the wine I poured for you?"

"Don't think too much. I'm just recovering from my injuries. Forget about the wine."

As a fellow idle dandy in Pingzhou City and familiar with Chu Miaomiao, Jin Ji knew a little about Chu Xinxiu and even the family affairs in the Chu Palace.

"I don't understand either. You're the one who gets beaten every time, so why are you still biting Chu Xinxiu?"

"I just don't like him." Chu Miaomiao took a bite of the meatball, "By the way, are your people still keeping an eye on Chu Xinxiu recently?"

Jin Ji nodded and said jokingly, "How dare I act on my own without the princess's permission?"

Chu Miaomiao frowned and thought for a while: "Stop staring."

This time it was Jinji's turn to be stunned.

"It was dangerous to follow him into the mountains last time. I won't keep an eye on him anymore."

Jin Ji was curious: "Are you going to live in harmony with him?"

Chu Miaomiao didn't say anything else, just asked them to continue eating and drinking.

Chu Miaomiao, who was sitting by the window, was gnawing on chicken wings and chatting with Jin Ji when she happened to glance down and saw a familiar figure. She immediately dropped the chicken wings, rushed out of Zuiyun Tower with Jin Ji and Chu He.

"I have something urgent to do. I'll treat you later!"

Only Jinji was left staring at her quickly disappearing figure in confusion.

If you were to ask who Chu Miaomiao had met that could make her so excited, it would naturally be that nosy guy who caused her to be beaten and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall.

"Sir, please stay."

The cute Chu Miaomiao suddenly jumped in front of Wei Zhen with a kind smile on her face, blocking his way. The guards following her were about to take action, but were stopped by Wei Zhen.

"How is the princess?" Wei Zhen asked in a distant but polite manner.

Chu Miaomiao looked at the handsome and cool young man and smiled: "It has been a long time since we last met. This princess has always wanted to ask you something."

"Princess, please feel free to speak."

"Sir, do you think you're the only smart person in the world? Why do you want to get involved in other people's family affairs?"

"I had no intention of interfering, but I was inexplicably targeted and blamed for someone else's actions, which is really unpleasant."

"Are you feeling happy now?"

"Fine."

The man in front of her simply looked unyielding. Chu Miaomiao gritted her teeth when she thought of the punishment she would receive for his meddling, but she still had to maintain a kind and friendly smile on her face.

At this moment, an idea struck her, and she looked the victim up and down. The victim was calm, but the people around him were a little uneasy, and their eyes on her seemed to be piercing.

Chu Miaomiao walked to Wei Zhen with a sweet smile, pushed away the followers on the side, and affectionately put her arm around Wei Zhen in front of everyone.

Wei Zhen was startled and lowered his head to look at the oily claw marks left by Princess Pingyang on his new clothes.

So dirty.

Wei Zhen frowned and tried to pull his arm free, but the other person held him tighter. Just as he was debating whether to have the guards forcibly pull him away, he heard a crisp voice: "A Lang, why are you so cold to Miao Miao?"

"..." Wei Zhen's expression finally cracked. He looked at Chu Miaomiao with a look of disbelief in his eyes. "What did you say?"

"Has Alang forgotten the vows he made to Miaomiao that day?"

Chu Miaomiao's voice was loud and her identity was special. As soon as she said this, the attention of everyone on the street was attracted.

Not to mention the bewildered Wei Zhen, even Chu Miaomiao's personal maid was stunned at this moment: "Princess, what are you doing?"

Seeing more and more people coming to watch the fun, Chu He was almost crying in anxiety.

What's wrong with her princess? How could she grab a stranger on the street and get so attached to him? Has the princess even given up her own reputation?

Chu He went up to pull her princess over, but Chu Miaomiao held Wei Zhen tightly and refused to let go.

Wei Zhen's face was so black that ink could be squeezed out of it, and he could still hear Chu Miaomiao crying and shouting loudly.

"Ah Lang! How could you be so heartless? You clearly said, 'Three thousand rivers, I'll only take one scoop,' and that you'd marry no one but me in this lifetime, and that you'd come to the palace to propose marriage soon. It's only been one night, how could you turn your back on me?"

The crowd was shocked.

Chu He was so anxious that her head was sweating. She didn't care about the hierarchy and covered Chu Miaomiao's mouth to stop her from talking nonsense. But she couldn't control Chu Miaomiao by herself. She heard her crying and making a fuss that she must take that person back to the palace and marry him.

Wei Zhen, who was inexplicably forced to marry in public, almost had a fit, but then he thought that he just needed to check out the Prince of Chu's Palace. Now Princess Pingyang was crying and making a fuss about marrying him. Although he didn't know what her purpose was, it was a good opportunity for him to enter the palace.

Therefore, he once again stopped the guards who wanted to step forward to protect him, and when Chu Miaomiao was almost exhausted from acting, he said lightly: "Okay."

"ah?"

Chu Miaomiao was stunned by the overly straightforward and concise answer: "You agree so soon?"

"Will you let me go if I don't agree?"

Chu Miaomiao shook her head.

"Then I can only agree."

“…” Chu Miaomiao blinked, but she still felt like something was wrong.

On the top floor of Zuiyun Tower, Jin Ji leaned against the window and looked at the farce below. Seeing Chu Miaomiao clinging to a handsome man, his expression involuntarily revealed a bit of loneliness.

Within half a day, the news that Princess Pingyang of the Chu Palace had been having an affair and was forcing a marriage in public spread throughout the streets and alleys of Pingzhou City.

When Chu Xinxiu, who was enjoying himself outside, heard the news, he immediately rushed home, gloating over the misfortune and ready to watch the show. As he dismounted at the gate, he heard the King of Chu roar from inside the palace: "Go to the ancestral hall and kneel down!"

Chu Xinxiu was so happy that he hurried into the mansion with a smile.