The Queen asked the two to "stand up" and offered them a seat. He was no longer as harsh as before, but said in a gentle voice, "I asked you to come here for no other reason than to have you accompany me and talk. I've lived in this harem for so long that it's really boring."

Although the Queen said so, if anyone really gossiped to him, it would be extremely tactless.

The Queen smiled and said, "Do you two have any good ways to pass the time on weekdays?"

The Queen asked about "ways to pass the time", but what she really wanted to know was what talents they were proficient in.

Si Jiang said, "I have some knowledge of literature, but I can only read some elegant poems. I read the "Man's Virtue" and "Man's Training" most often. In my spare time, I admire and copy some famous paintings and calligraphy, but I don't know how to create my own. Mother always says that I am too stupid. After all, I have only learned the basics and cannot be worthy of the elegant hall."

The Queen smiled and said, "You are a man, and you don't have to take the imperial examination. The most important thing for you to study and practice calligraphy is to learn some principles and cultivate your sentiments. It is already extremely rare that you can read poetry and copy calligraphy and painting."

The Queen's gaze fell on Shen He'an again. Just as Shen He'an was about to answer, there was a noise at the door, saying that Master Pei Jiusheng from the Minister of Personnel's family had arrived.

Just as the Queen's expression was about to darken, Ling Shumo walked in from behind the screen with the image of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. "Father, please forgive me. I ran into Master Pei from the Minister of Personnel's family in the snow plum forest behind Changle Palace. We got along so well and I lost track of time, causing him and me to be late."

The anger that had been building up on the Queen's face disappeared in an instant. He said to Yingxi, "Hurry up and put a cushion on that yellow pear wood chair. Shumo has been outside in the cold wind for so long, she should sit down and rest."

Pei Jiusheng followed Ling Shumo into the house. As soon as he entered, he knelt down and kowtowed to the Queen. "I was not able to come to pay my respects to the Queen on time. I deserve to die."

The Queen saw a plum petal fall on Pei Jiusheng's shoulder, which just confirmed what Ling Shumo said about meeting him in the snow plum forest.

The Queen said in a gentle tone, "You child, why do you give me such a big gift as soon as you come in? Hurry up and get up. You've been outside in the cold for too long. Ask the servants to bring you a hand warmer first. As for your late arrival, I don't blame you this time. Just be more careful next time."

Chen Hean's gaze turned to Pei Jiusheng who was kneeling on the ground. He and Si Jiangzhi came to pay their respects to the Queen in a proper manner, but Pei Jiusheng went straight to Xuemeilin and met Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess by chance.

How could there be such a coincidence in this world?

If Pei Jiusheng had not planned this for a long time and deliberately waited on the road that Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess had to pass, his name, Chen Hean, would have been written backwards.

Pei Jiusheng was helped to stand up by his servants.

The moment he looked up, the Queen's originally casual gaze suddenly froze.

Pei Jiusheng's skin is whiter than snow, his eyes are as gentle as water under his feathery eyebrows, his nose is high, his lips are red, and his teeth are white. He just stands there, without doing anything, and you can see his gorgeousness and nobility from his trembling eyelashes.

This is not what the outside world speculated, that he is too ugly to be seen in public. Pei Jiusheng is simply a beauty with a radiant look. He is a gentleman as gentle as jade. He has the purity and innocence that a young man from a noble family should have, but when he purses his lips and smiles, he still looks charming and bright.

The Queen was originally curious about how this Mr. Pei and her daughter had similar interests. Now that she saw Pei Jiusheng's appearance, she finally understood.

It doesn’t matter what Pei Jiusheng said, his daughter just liked this face.

The Queen couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder the Minister of Personnel has been hiding you at home, not letting outsiders see you. Otherwise, the door to the Minister's house would have been trampled down by people proposing marriage. How could he have kept you until you were seventeen before discussing marriage?"

Pei Jiusheng was not good at speaking. After hearing what the Queen said, he just lowered his head and thought hard for a long time before replying dryly, "My Lord, the Queen, your praise is too great. I am ashamed to accept it."

The Queen thought he was just shy and didn't care about his simple reply. Instead, she turned her attention back to Shen Hean and said, "You haven't told me what you like to do to pass the time."

Chen Hean was truly stunned by Pei Jiusheng's stunning beauty. He hadn't recovered from his shock when the Queen suddenly called out his name. It took him a moment to realize what she was asking, and he quickly and respectfully replied, "I have dabbled in all eight arts of male refinement. My father, Mr. Li, was from Jiangliu Town in the south of the Yangtze River. He was quite proficient in guqin, pipa, and other musical instruments. I learned all the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from him, so my best skill is rhythm..."

When Shen Hean said this, he realized that the Queen's mind was not on him.

Not only the Queen, but also Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess and Si Jiangzhi no longer listened to him seriously.

If Si Jiangzhi still had some concerns and was just looking at Pei Jiusheng vaguely, then the Queen Jun and Ling Shumo's gazes were much more straightforward.

Ling Shumo smiled and said to Pei Jiusheng, "You've been sitting for such a long time, the hand warmer in your hand should not be warm anymore. Ask the waiter to change it for you."

Pei Jiusheng stood up to express his gratitude, but the servants of Fengyi Palace quickly made him sit down again.

Yingxi was just about to ask a second-class attendant to fetch the hand warmer when she heard Ling Shumo say, "I remember my father and the Queen had a red copper hand warmer with a plum blossom pattern. That design should be a perfect match for the clothes Master Pei is wearing today."

The Queen scolded Ling Shumo with a hint of blame, "That plum blossom hand warmer was given to me by His Majesty in early winter. Master Xu, who painted it, has been dead for two years. That style of hand warmer is a unique piece that cannot be replicated. You are so good at picking out things to offer as a favor, giving my things to Master Pei as a favor."

After hearing what the Queen said, Pei Jiusheng ignored the servants' attempts to stop him and immediately stood up and knelt before the Queen, saying, "Such a fine item is truly unworthy for me to use."

At this time, Yingxi did not let the servants run errands for him. He personally went to get the hand warmer and placed it on the table in front of Pei Jiusheng. "Her Royal Highness said she wanted to give it to Master Pei. In this world, there is no one more worthy of this plum blossom hand warmer than you. Master, please do not refuse it again."

The Queen seemed to recall something and said to Yingxi, "I have prepared gifts for the three gentlemen this morning. We have almost finished our conversation now. Please bring them here."

Yingxi asked her servants to bring three extremely exquisite small boxes. All three boxes were made of rosewood and did not differ much in appearance. But if you look closely, you will see that the middle box has golden light flashing on its side, the box on the left has silver shimmering light, and the last one has nothing on it, it is just an exquisite rosewood jewelry box.

The jewelry box in the middle was opened by the attendant, and inside was a colorful gold Qiongying hairpin. The plum blossom carved on the top was lifelike, as if dew could drip from the stamens.