She knows she's beautiful, but if she's beautiful yet lacks the ability to protect herself and doesn't know how to be discreet, that's a disaster.

Moreover, this is a feudal society where human rights are nonexistent, and the poor are nothing but ants in the face of imperial power.

Xiao Tao then realized her mistress's good intentions; the Third Prince would definitely not like her dressed like that, since it was too pleasing to the eye.

As dusk settled, Su Yujiao and Xiao Tao arrived at the entrance of the plum garden.

Gu Heng was waiting at the entrance of the plum garden early on. When he saw her dressed like this, his lips twitched at first, and then he smiled knowingly.

Su Yujiao smiled shyly, and Gu Heng joked, "You look great dressed like this."

The poetry gathering has already begun, and with a little inquiry, it becomes clear that tonight's theme is poems about the Lantern Festival.

Su Yujiao was eager to see the Third Prince and kept searching her mind for poems about the Lantern Festival, so she couldn't care less about anything else at the moment.

Anyway, the Great Ming Kingdom was a dynasty that did not exist in history, so no one knew that she plagiarized.

Aside from the fairy Lu Ziqian mentioned, it probably wouldn't be that coincidental.

If she were in the capital, Lu Ziqian would have treated her as an honored guest long ago.

Su Yujiao picked up her pen and wrote:

[The east wind blows through the night, scattering a thousand trees of blossoms, and scattering stars like rain. The road is filled with the fragrance of fine carriages and carved horses. The sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot's light turns, and fish and dragons dance all night. Beautiful women, adorned with snow-white willow branches and golden threads, laugh and whisper, their fragrance lingering. I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly turning around, I found him there, in the dim light.] (Excerpt from "Qing Yu An: Lantern Festival" by Xin Qiji)

Gu Heng stood aside, looking at Su Yujiao's poem, his eyes filled with shock.

He considered himself exceptionally talented, but he knew he could never have written such a stunning masterpiece in such a short time.

He had originally planned to write a poem for her, and he was confident that his poem would definitely win the favor of the Third Prince.

I never expected that she could write poetry herself, and even better than him.

He used to know that she was beautiful, kind-hearted, and had superb medical skills, but he never expected that her achievements in poetry and prose were also amazing.

How many more surprises will she give him?!

Su Yujiao handed over her poem, which was then sent to a side room.

The third prince silently recited the last line: "I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, but suddenly when I turned around, there he was, in the dim light."

"What a beautiful poem! What a beautiful poem!"

"Let her in."

The young eunuch invited Su Yujiao inside, and she felt inexplicably nervous.

Gu Heng comforted him, "Go inside. We'll wait for you outside. Whether it works or not, we have to try."

"Um."

Inside the room, the Third Prince was still admiring her masterpiece, seemingly lost in thought.

"What a wonderful poem!!!"

"Your humble servant greets Your Highness the Third Prince. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

The Third Prince did not put on airs; his tone was gentle and refined: "Miss Su, please rise."

Su Yujiao frowned. Did the Third Prince know her identity?

Shouldn't we call her Madam Lu or General's wife?

She clearly has a woman's hairstyle, so why would she be called "Miss"?

Su Yujiao looked up at him. This was the first time she had met the Third Prince. Before, she had mostly heard about him from Lu Ziqian.

The man was handsome with deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a beauty mark next to his peach blossom eyes, giving him a captivating charm. However, his extremely fair skin made him look even more eerily handsome.

While she was sizing him up, Chu Zhongyuan was also looking at her.

Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze, Su Yujiao dared not show it, after all, she needed his help.

"Does the Third Prince know me?"

Chu Zhongyuan smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He spoke gently, "I have been watching you for a long time."

Su Yujiao's mind went blank for a moment, and she looked at him in astonishment. What did he mean?

"Everyone says that General Lu's first wife is a beauty, and seeing her today, I can confirm it... she is indeed very beautiful."

Su Yujiao was somewhat at a loss. She tried to calm herself down and gave an awkward smile: "This humble woman is of humble appearance and does not deserve the Third Prince's praise."

"Miss Su is too modest. I have already seen your stunning beauty."

"Miss Su, please have a seat."

Su Yujiao was extremely flustered. She could feel that the Third Prince's gaze towards her was like that of a hungry wolf, naked and undisguised.

"Your Majesty, I dare not. I have come here today to ask you for a favor."

"I invite you to sit down." His tone was calm, but his attitude left no room for argument.

Su Yujiao hesitated for a few seconds before sitting in the seat furthest from him.

"Speak!"

His gaze remained fixed on her, moving from head to toe, finally settling on her chest without any attempt to conceal it.

Su Yujiao felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly explained her purpose.

Chu Zhongyuan withdrew his gaze, toying with the white porcelain cup in his hand, his voice still gentle and pleasant: "Miss Su, your timing is unfortunate. I have just received news that my uncle has unfortunately passed away."

"If Miss Su had arrived a few days earlier, perhaps I could have agreed to your request."

"What?"

Su Yujiao stood up excitedly, her chest heaving violently. For a moment, there was silence around her; she could only see the Third Prince's mouth opening and closing, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.

She realized that the Third Prince had already wrapped his arms around her waist, which startled her so much that she quickly took a few steps back.

"Miss Su, please don't be offended, you almost fainted just now."

Su Yujiao's face was pale, and she was panting heavily. She looked at the other person warily. She had indeed felt dizzy for a while after getting up too suddenly.

"You...you're telling the truth?" She refused to accept this fact.

Is it another case of wasted effort?

how so?

Why do I always give her hope only to disappoint her again?

Chu Zhongyuan showed her a secret letter, which also contained the imperial seal of the Xiao Nan clan.

This cannot be faked. Besides, the Third Prince has no reason to lie. The two countries are not far apart, and the truth can be easily found by asking.

"Actually, I do have a solution, but I don't know if Miss Su would be willing?"

Su Yujiao looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Please enlighten me, Third Prince!"

Only after she finished speaking did she remember to kneel down, which is the proper way to ask for help.

Chu Zhongyuan looked down at her, then suddenly leaned down and lifted the woman's chin, startling Su Yujiao so much that she quickly dodged away.

The man looked at his empty hand without caring, and still spoke slowly: "I am still missing a concubine. If we become family, I will release my brother-in-law."

Su Yujiao's face turned pale, and her voice trembled with fear: "I...I...I am already married, and my broken body is not worthy of Your Highness."

"I don't mind it."

"Your Highness is joking. How can a woman marry two husbands?"

Chu Zhongyuan looked at her with a half-smile: "I heard that Miss Su has moved out of the General's Mansion. Has she not yet successfully divorced?"

Su Yujiao trembled, her heart pounding. He even knew this?!

"The idea of ​​divorce is just something said in anger; what woman would actually dare to divorce her husband?"

"Today... let's pretend I never came. I'll take my leave."

Chu Zhongyuan stared at Su Yujiao's fleeing figure, a smile playing on his lips.

No rush, he'll make her come back on her own!

The man picked up the poem again, his eyes filled with possessiveness and ambition; he wanted both the empire and the beauty!