The surroundings were quiet, with the occasional breeze causing the branches on both sides to sway, like a girl dancing gracefully under the blue sky.

"Fifth cousin arrived just in time. Sixth cousin has been out for a while, and I was worried about her, so I came to look for her."

Li Shiyue placed her hands in front of her. She was not wearing a hairpin today. When she nodded slightly, the hairpin inserted in her hair would occasionally sway through the gaps in the treetops.

Xu Yunyao wanted to reach out to block the blinding beam of light, but as she raised her hand, the sunlight filtering through the treetops cast a halo around her figure, as if she were wearing a golden veil.

Xu Yunyao was stunned for a moment and did not come back to her senses for a long time.

Xu Lingqing had always intended for Li Shiyue to be his bride, and he actually knew this. Moreover, under Xu Lingzi's deliberate arrangement, he did not feel any aversion.

Moreover, his mother had approached him a few days ago and mentioned the marriage between Li Shiyue and the Xu family's young master, implying that it would be between him and Qilang.

It must be admitted that Cousin Yan Yan is truly beautiful; the golden "gauze dress" makes her skin appear even whiter. Xu Yunyao looked down at his exposed hands. The palms and the area between his thumb and forefinger were calloused from years of martial arts practice, while the backs of his hands and wrists beneath his clothes were a healthy wheat color.

Xu Yunyao felt a burning sensation on her ears and was even a little afraid to look up. She was nervous and at a loss, her hands hanging at her sides, clutching her clothes and then letting go.

He originally wanted to say that men and women should stay, but his second brother had said that his cousin Yan Yan had been frightened before, and since this wasn't his own home, it was really unsafe for her to be alone.

"I'll go with you to look for Sixth Sister."

Xu Yunyao took a half step back, not only creating distance, but also keeping her gaze straight ahead, not glancing at Li Shiyue.

Li Shiyue thought about it and decided that this was for the best, so as to avoid running into people she didn't want to see again. Xu Yunyao would be easier for her to get away from, or rather, safer.

"My cousin isn't here, and I haven't been to any other places yet."

This area isn't far from the small garden, but since everyone is having their feast in front, very few people are moving around. So, as you walk by, you can only hear the rustling of leaves and the subtle sound of your skirt being blown by the breeze.

Not far along, they saw three figures walking towards them from afar.

Li Shiyue's eyes lit up, and just as she was about to go over for a look, she saw Xu Yunci. He walked slowly and steadily towards her step by step.

He stopped in front of her, his gaze lingering on Li Shiyue, then on Xu Yunyao who was keeping his distance from her. His eyes fell on the space between the two of them, enough to fit two more people.

"So my cousin and my cousin are together. I was so worried."

Li Shiyue glared at Xu Lingzi with feigned anger, but only she knew that she wanted to escape Xu Yunci's gaze, as if he wanted to capture her, and she felt a little frustrated.

It was like a large net, tightly wrapping her up.

Xu Lingzi didn't mention what had just happened. She was even more confident that Xu Yunci would handle the situation better, and she just needed to wait.

"I was so engrossed in watching that I forgot the way back. Luckily, I ran into my second brother and Guo Shaoqing."

She turned to look at Guo Xun, meeting his warm gaze, and a warmth gradually spread across her face. Xu Lingzi looked back, lowering her eyes and forcing herself to stop thinking about the owner of those warm eyes.

Even if she were to marry, she should marry someone she likes in terms of appearance, character, and everything about her.

Li Shiyue's attention was always on her, taking in everything. Li Shiyue couldn't help but look in that direction at Guo Xun, then looked back at Xu Lingzi.

She seemed to have discovered something, but she was still a little unsure.

When they returned to the banquet, Feng Lanyin was sitting next to Madam Xiao, looking shy with her head down. Madam Xiao didn't know what to say, and Madam Yang nodded and smiled without saying a word or responding.

Li Shiyue sat down with Xu Lingzi. It has to be said that Madam Xiao is getting old and has a lot of patience. She kept saying that she wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Xu family, and she had her eye on the eldest son of the main branch. It was obvious that she was trying to get Madam Yang to agree.

However, Madam Yang was not the type to be easily manipulated. Faced with Madam Xiao's persistent questioning, she always managed to defuse the situation with a smile, as if Madam Xiao's efforts had always hit nothing but thin air.

She had brought up her thoughts again and again, but failed to achieve her desired result. Even though Madam Xiao was older and better at managing her emotions, a hint of displeasure appeared in her eyes.

If the daughter of the Feng family could become the wife of the heir of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, then the Ministry of Revenue's mansion would be aligned with Chonghua Palace. Even if the Crown Prince didn't think much of the other two princes, wouldn't the Ministry of Revenue's mansion be willing to side with someone else?

This makes it seem as if the Feng family's daughter is unable to get married and is forced to marry into the Xu family.

Madam Xiao gradually grew dissatisfied. Now that the Crown Prince was one year old, the position of Crown Princess was the most secure one within the Forbidden City. The positions of the two Consorts, which were the only ones besides the Crown Princess who could be listed in the Imperial Genealogy, had already been filled.

Even if the Feng family reneges now, they can't expect someone to give up a Liangdi position for their daughter. There are other positions in Chonghua Palace, but it's simply unacceptable for the legitimate daughter of the Minister's mansion to be ranked lower than Liangdi.

Yang raised her wine glass, then used her wide sleeve to cover her face. For a moment, her expression turned icy, much like Xu Yunci's.

She naturally understood the Feng family and Old Madam Xiao's meaning. The power of the Minister's Mansion should not be underestimated, especially since the Rongguo Duke's Mansion was now completely on Chonghua Palace's side. She dared not make decisions on her own.

We must go back and ask the master, as well as Old Madam Xu. After all, Xu Yunci was raised by Old Madam Xu since he was young. There is no reason for her to arrange a marriage for her son without the knowledge of her grandmother who has been close to her since childhood.

Madam Yang was not a fool. She lowered her sleeves, and her face regained its warm smile. Turning to look at her two sisters who had returned after a long time, she scolded them, "Were you so engrossed in playing that you forgot the way back?"

No wonder it is said that a mother knows her son's heart. Before the two of them could even speak, Madam Yang guessed the reason with just one glance.

When Xu Lingzi saw someone looking over, she didn't hesitate and stuck out her tongue: "It's my fault, it's my fault. Luckily, Yan Yan came looking for me, otherwise my daughter would have had to wander around for a while before she could come back."

Xu Yunci and the others were not mentioned to avoid causing trouble.

Madam Xiao's gaze fell on Xu Lingzi and Li Shiyue to the side. Seeing that the topic was about to be changed again, she was about to speak.

Xu Lingyu glanced at them and smiled as she looked at the two of them: "You've fallen back into your old habits again."

She turned to Madam Xiao apologetically and said, "My younger sister is good in every way, except that she has no sense of direction. But the scenery around the mansion is so pleasant, please don't take offense, Madam."

"Speaking of which, there are several younger sisters in the family. Ninth Sister is the quietest. Grandmother even said that Ninth Sister is more like my own sister. Sixth Sister, on the other hand, is like Fifth Brother's sister. They have been playing together the most since they were little."