Spring Appreciation Banquet, as the name suggests, is a place to appreciate the spring season.

The scenery of Biyuan Garden in early spring is already very pleasant. Peach blossoms, orchids, forsythia... all kinds of flowers are vying for beauty. After being nourished by a spring rain, the branches and leaves are even more verdant, making each flower look delicate and tender.

The banquet was held in the central hall of the garden, with men and women seated at separate tables, one to the south and one to the north, separated only by a row of wooden screens.

Qingying sat quietly next to Madam Pan, eating the pastries on the table. The things prepared by the Grand Princess were naturally of high quality.

Socializing and conversation have never been her forte. With Madam Pan by her side, she doesn't need to worry too much about socializing, as long as she doesn't cause trouble.

I thought it was just an ordinary banquet, but it turned out to be just the beginning.

The banquet lasted only a quarter of an hour before the Grand Princess ordered it to end. Everyone moved to the garden, where the real spring appreciation feast began.

She and Pan were separated, with women, girls, and men each assigned to a different place.

Qingying was led to the side of Tingyu Pavilion with a group of girls. A maid handed her a sachet. The lady who had led them there said, "Girls, take these sachets. You can give them to any gentleman you like."

"Thank you, sir." The group bowed.

"Alright, go have fun, everyone."

Qingying clenched the palm-sized sachet in her hand, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Just then, a woman dressed in a peach-colored dress came up to her and extended an invitation: "Miss Liu, would you do me the honor of enjoying the spring scenery with me?"

This person was the young girl who had just followed behind Madam Lu. She was Lu Xingli, the second daughter of the Duke of Lu's family, and was fifteen years old. She was a woman with graceful manners and demeanor.

Since Qingying was new to the area, she naturally couldn't refuse her, so she nodded.

The two walked together along the gravel path.

Lu Xingli looked at her and asked with a smile, "Miss Liu, are you feeling a little uncomfortable at this kind of banquet for the first time?"

"A little." She seemed a bit reserved.

"Don't be nervous. This spring banquet hosted by the Grand Duke is the most casual and relaxed in the entire capital. There are no need to follow so many rules here. Anyone can invite you to enjoy the spring, regardless of gender. As that gentleman just said, the sachet in your hand can be given to the man you admire, and the recipient cannot refuse."

Qingying blinked in confusion: "Does that mean a man can receive many sachets at the same time?"

"Yes, but each of those men also had a hairpin, which they could give to the girl they liked, so by the same logic, it was possible for a girl to receive many hairpins."

Qingying finally understood. The so-called Spring Appreciation Banquet was actually a "Spring Picking Banquet," a matchmaking event for young gentlemen and ladies.

She suddenly remembered what Granny Zhang had murmured, "But the young lady is only thirteen this year..." and realized that this was what it meant.

Is her mother already planning her marriage? Bringing her to the spring banquet today is probably a test of the waters.

Qingying had always known that her marriage was not her own choice, but she hadn't expected her mother to start making plans so early.

Lu Xingli patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, Miss Liu, you are still young. Just treat today as a day of sightseeing. It doesn't matter whether you give the sachet away or not."

Qingying nodded obediently.

"Sister Lu has come of age. Do you have a man you like?"

Lu Xingli seemed to think of something, and lowered her eyelashes shyly.

Although Qingying had never eaten pork, she had at least seen pigs run, so what did she not understand from her expression? So she smiled and teased, "I suppose the man who can catch Sister Lu's eye must be a gentleman, both talented and handsome."

"Oh dear~" Lu Xingli was a little embarrassed, but her eyes gradually filled with longing: "However, he really is both talented and handsome..."

"I wonder if Sister Lu's sweetheart has come to the spring banquet today?"

"They must have arrived."

Qingying noticed her somewhat evasive expression and understood. She said, "That young master must be a very outstanding young man. I'm afraid he must have received countless sachets."

Seeing that Lu Xingli's expression changed, she continued, "However, with Sister Lu's beauty and talent, she will definitely outshine them all."

“But…” Lu Xingli hesitated.

"Sister Lu, don't worry about me. There are Princess Lu's people everywhere in Biyuan. I won't get lost." She winked playfully.

Seeing this, Lu Xingli finally felt relieved and said, "Then I will go and take a look elsewhere. If you need anything, please send someone to call me."

"Okay." She said with a sincere and bright smile, "I wish Sister Lu all the best."

As soon as Lu Xingli left, Qingying stopped laughing, patted her cheeks, and complained, "We only met today, but we have to pretend to be best friends. It's so tiring."

Yu Yue asked, puzzled, "Don't you like this Miss Lu?"

"It's not a matter of liking or disliking her; I suppose she was instructed by the Lu family to befriend me."

Why is that?

Do you know why Mother befriended Madam Lu?

Yu Yue shook her head.

Qingying said, "Because the second son of the Lu family is already sixteen years old and is waiting to be married."

Yu Yue's eyes widened. "But Miss, you haven't even reached the age of marriage yet. Isn't this a bit too hasty?"

"That won't be long. After this month, I'll be fourteen..."

Many people are betrothed in childhood, so it's really not too hasty for her to start thinking about marriage at her age. Although she is born out of wedlock, she is still the only daughter of the Grand General's Mansion. Donglin Kingdom has always valued martial arts over literature, and there are countless families in the capital who are eyeing her marriage.

However, she has always been a go-with-the-flow type of person, and such matters are not her concern.

Seeing that there was no one in a pavilion by the water not far away, Qingying went over to sit down and rest.

However, before she could even sit down comfortably, she heard a series of talking and laughing voices coming from afar, all of them men.

Looking up, she saw three men walking towards her, and she was so frightened that she immediately got up and ran away.

Unfortunately, just as she stepped out of the pavilion, she saw another group of people walking towards her from the same path she had come from.

Caught between two attacks, she was stuck in place, feeling incredibly awkward.

It wasn't that she was afraid to see people; it was just that she had gone out so few times in the past ten years that she felt fearful whenever she encountered crowded places, and her palms would sweat uncontrollably.

"Oh, whose daughter is this? She looks young, but she's quite pretty."

"Yes, how come I've never seen you before?"

The person on her left had already reached her, and she was so nervous that she didn't know what to say, when a voice came from her right: "Miss Liu, why are you here all alone?"

Qingying looked over and discovered that the person in the lead was Wei Dongchen.

"Your Highness..." She quickly curtsied and said, "This humble girl greets Your Highness."

"No need for formalities," Wei Dongchen said with a smile, introducing the young lady to the others. "This is the daughter of the General's Mansion."

"So she's the daughter of a great general. No wonder I've never seen her before."

It was common knowledge in the capital that Liu Qingying had been ill since childhood and was physically weak.

At that moment, she felt like a monkey being observed and scrutinized, feeling both irritable and flustered. She wanted to leave immediately, but was afraid of being accused of being impolite.

Just as she was hesitating, a male voice saved her.

"I would like to invite you to join me for a drink at Qinyu Tower. Would that be alright?"

Qingying looked over and was stunned.

It turned out to be the man she had picked up at Chongfu Temple.