Chapter 268 The Daughter of a Fifth-Rank Official, Tao Jiang ^^……

The emperor finally wants to get married.

The trusted confidants spread the news excitedly, overjoyed. This was a major event, and could not be taken lightly.

This time, of course, the flower-viewing banquet couldn't be held in the name of the Third Princess; she was far from pregnant and was too busy staying at home.

It would be a great trouble for the clansmen and uncle to arrange the banquet, as his highly respected daughter-in-law would be the one to host it.

It just so happens that it's almost April now. Luoyang is known for its exquisite peonies. Every year at this time, prominent and wealthy families have several pots of fine and rare peonies in their homes, or they compete by having an entire estate filled with blooming peonies.

While Lady Qi extended her invitation, several other powerful ladies in the capital, at the behest of their heads, also hosted banquets inviting noble ladies. Everything seemed normal; the spring flower banquet, a chance to admire the younger generation, couldn't be cancelled. But only the new emperor's confidants knew the truth…

On this day, the new emperor secretly went to the peony banquet hosted by Lady Qi, while everyone else was keeping quiet.

The reason was simple: the families invited by Madam Qi were mostly officials of the fifth or sixth rank, of average social standing, with no distinction between civil and military officials, and their social status was not particularly important. This was not the highest-profile banquet held this month, so it naturally did not attract the attention of other interested parties.

...

Tao Jiang, dressed in a crimson dress, sat awkwardly beside her mother, somewhat absent-minded.

She is eighteen years old this year, but still unmarried. There is no other reason than that her original fiancé was unlucky and passed away from illness a few years ago. However, her future in-laws believe that she was the cause of his misfortune and have been harassing her relentlessly. Tao Jiang's reputation has been damaged, which is why she has been unmarried until today.

Unexpectedly, a change of emperor occurred, and rumors spread that the new emperor favored older women. Everyone knew that the current emperor was currently alone, and if a woman caught his eye, she would enjoy endless blessings and honor. Tao Jiang, however, benefited from this misfortune, attending numerous flower-viewing banquets with her mother, but gained nothing from them.

It wasn't that there were no promising young men at the banquet. Rather, Tao Jiang knew that even if her mother had a preferred candidate in mind, she wouldn't reveal it at this cautious juncture. At least—before His Majesty announced the date for the selection of candidates, no household in the capital, large or small, waiting to find a match would leak any information.

Even if someone had no ambitions and arranged a marriage on their own, it was done secretly and quietly, without daring to make a sound, for fear of offending the new emperor whose temperament was unknown.

Ultimately, everyone here has their own ideas.

Tao Jiang looked around and thought.

"Mother, it's a bit stuffy here, I'd like to go for a walk." The April breeze was chilly, and Tao Jiang pulled her heavy spring coat tighter around her, feeling a bit stuffy. She quietly got up to take her leave.

"You child..." Tao's mother didn't hold her back, scolding her gently before letting her go off to slack off.

Tao's mother felt at ease.

The flower banquets held in the capital recently were all hosted by families related to the royal family. The hosts had all seen her daughter's appearance, so half of the purpose of bringing Jiang'er here today had been achieved. The other half was not up to Tao's mother to work on.

If nothing else works, she will go and ask the other companies she has found.

well.

It's about getting to know each other, making preparations, and then getting married... My daughter will be approaching twenty by then.

Tao's mother was terrified whenever she thought about her daughter's age, even in her dreams.

Fortunately, the current emperor dislikes young women, which has led to a more lenient attitude towards older women in the capital.

Qi Chengming found it very interesting.

When he arrived at the banquet quietly, he saw that the girl who had worn the emerald green dress last time had changed into a bright red dress that exuded the spirit of spring, making her even more beautiful—yet, she was still arguing with the girl he had met before.

Are the two of them at odds?

Qi Chengming found it somewhat amusing and moved closer to observe secretly.

"Stop putting on airs in front of me, it's a waste of your time! Go find someone else to use these tricks on." The girl nonchalantly covered her mouth and nose with her fan, obscuring the lower half of her face. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't be undignified in public, she would have rolled her eyes at the girl's angry expression.

Tao Jiang pursed her lips unhappily.

This is so annoying.

She finally managed to escape the noisy banquet and wanted to take a walk by herself, but this annoying person immediately seized the opportunity to pester her.

Hearing Tao Jiang's merciless scolding, the girl opposite was furious. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she said softly, "Why does Miss Tao hold such a grudge against me? I only brought my half-sister out to explain the misunderstanding from last time..."

This time, a timid girl was by her side, silently accompanying her, at a loss and not daring to step forward, only able to stammer, "Yes... my elder sister, she didn't mean any harm."

Tao Jiang was even more furious and speechless.

Sure enough, quite a few people noticed the argument and walked over to watch from a distance.

She suddenly smiled, a smile that seemed dangerous: "Jiang Jiayun, do you enjoy climbing up the ladder by stepping on my reputation? Is that fun? Whatever you think, you don't need to get close to me and put on an act! We're not close."

After saying that, the girl turned and left, decisively and cleanly.

The girl following behind hesitated for a moment, then quickly caught up, saying softly and anxiously, "Sister Tao! Sister Tao, you've misunderstood...!" It seemed she needed to explain further. The girl's steps were swaying, delicate as a willow in the breeze, exceptionally beautiful, but not as swift as Miss Tao's strides, so she naturally couldn't catch up.

Qi Chengming looked around thoughtfully.

Given the choice between a seemingly fragile yet cunning girl and a straightforward and frank girl, he inevitably tends to focus his attention on the seemingly fragile one at first glance.

But if all these actions were merely a performance to attract her future husband, Qi Chengming thought it over and decided he preferred his future wife to be more genuine in front of him. Her gentleness would be real. And besides, she would be the future mother of the nation…

The list states that both girls are legitimate daughters of their families, raised as primary wives, and highly skilled at managing household chores. In these aspects, neither is superior to the other.

Thinking of this, Qi Chengming quietly chased after her in one direction and found the girl behind a rockery, her cheeks puffed up with anger, sulking to herself.

Qi Chengming wanted to go forward, but he didn't know how to start a conversation.

Looking back on both lifetimes, he still hasn't...

After much thought, Qi Chengming realized that what he sought was a sense of authenticity and peace of mind, another connection and source of solace between himself and the world.

He simply stepped forward, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Miss, I apologize for disturbing you—I just witnessed your argument. You are a kind-hearted person, why bother yourself with such trivial matters?"

Tao Jiang turned her head in surprise and saw a young man. After hearing what he was saying, Tao Jiang felt a little embarrassed and astonished. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, but she couldn't help but ask him, "Young master, don't you think..."

Her beauty was comparable to Jiang Jiayun's, but at the last flower banquet, the young masters' attention was drawn to the delicate and aggrieved Jiang Jiayun. This time, Tao Jiang was more shrewd and turned away immediately, otherwise it would make it seem like Jiang Jiayun was the one suffering in silence. But in any case, she was very self-aware; compared to Jiang Jiayun's habitual pretentiousness, the young masters' attention would never be drawn to her first.

But she absolutely cannot be made to act so affectedly.

But this young man—was he here specifically to comfort her?

Tao Jiang felt bewildered by this unusual situation, but also feared she was overthinking things. The girl lowered her head and clutched the hem of her skirt, completely losing her previous imposing manner.

Next, Qi Chengming and Tao Jiang exchanged names.

Of course, Qi Chengming still used the pseudonym "Qi Zhong" when reporting the news.

To his shame, before his transmigration, Qi Chengming would have scoffed at such tropes, but now that it was his own turn, he wanted to remain anonymous for the time being. He was terrified that once people heard his name and identity, everything would change. Since ascending the throne, Qi Chengming had only been surrounded by acquaintances, and he wasn't ready for... this kind of situation.

The two walked quietly and nervously for a while.

Qi Chengming noticed that Tao Jiang's gaze kept lingering on the blooming peonies on both sides of the road, and he wanted to ask her about her preferences: "Do you like flowers and plants, young lady?"

Tao Jiang remained silent for a moment.

Qi Chengming saw the girl hesitate for a moment on her beautiful face, then boldly raised her eyes to look at him and said softly, "I love the sound of string and wind instruments more than flowers and plants, and I also love the rustic charm of the countryside. Do you think I am not quiet enough, Young Master Qi?"

Qi Chengming thought to himself, "That's clever; he also loves to play outside."

He then chose a topic that interested him as well: "I've loved these things since I was a child. Does the girl know that something called a bicycle is all the rage in the south?"

Qi Chengming saw the girl's almond-shaped, moist eyes suddenly light up, and his tone immediately became less reserved. He said with regret and frustration, "I heard it's a lot of fun, but my mother won't let me play it. She says it's too naughty. I... I'm not a little girl anymore."

Qi Chengming looked around, then looked at her encouragingly and lowered his voice: "Want to ride a bicycle?"

"You mean..."

Tao Jiang looked at him hesitantly, not daring to say what she was going to say next.

"To be honest, Madam Qi, who is hosting the Peony Banquet this time, is my aunt. She will give me that much face; I only need to give the order. This flower banquet is indeed a bit boring."

Tao Jiang clutched her handkerchief, but still nodded expectantly.

From the moment she heard the surname, she had already made some guesses: since they both had the surname Qi, Young Master Qi might have some connection with the main family, and perhaps he was one of those distant relatives, a member of the prestigious imperial clan.

Seeing the young master smile, she gave a signal to those behind her. Soon after, a group of maids politely invited the distinguished guests to the other side of the estate, where the grounds were flat and there were many novelties from the south—bicycles were popular with young men and women, and they hoped the younger generation present would not be shy and enjoy themselves.

Since the host had said so, those who wanted to try it out went up first. Seeing that she wouldn't attract attention, Tao Jiang's mother had no reason to scold her anymore. She enthusiastically lifted the hem of her skirt and got on a bicycle. She didn't know how to ride yet, so she could only wobble and support herself.

Qi Chengming blinked: "..."

He'd heard many similar stories from his school days, where if he were to personally guide someone in a situation like this, perhaps some feelings would develop. But Qi Chengming didn't see it that way. He projected his own experience onto others—playing is definitely more fun when you play it yourself! Having others pointing fingers and giving instructions is just a waste of time. What's the point?

The feeling of failure when starting from scratch is nothing to a beginner.

Qi Chengming thought to himself with a straight face.

So he found another scooter nearby and didn't bother the girl who was riding so wobbly. Since leaving Liuzhou, he had never had the time or energy to enjoy riding a scooter like this again.

—We're going to have a blast today!

Madam Qi, who was secretly observing with an expression that was extremely difficult to describe, was speechless.

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Author's Note: Madam Qi: Is that right?