Nanqianyue stared in disbelief, then burst out laughing, "Mother, I never knew you were so open-minded!"
The Prime Minister's wife chuckled, "Miss Lu is different from the Second Prince. She is well-educated, kind-hearted, and the Duke's family are all of good character. It won't be easy for Prince Anzheng to ruin this marriage."
Nan Qianyue's smile gradually disappeared. "But Mother, Qin Yi and I... have already had that kind of relationship. I'm afraid I can't marry anyone else."
This was in ancient times; who could accept a woman who wasn't a virgin?
She can just not get married. Who says a woman has to get married? Besides, what if she comes back to the modern world someday?
The Prime Minister's wife held her hand tenderly, "Mother knows you are virtuous and that what happened was out of necessity, but a man who truly loves you wouldn't care about such things. If it were really..."
"Alright, Mother." Nan Qianyue shook the Prime Minister's wife's hand, "Don't worry too much. I've only been back for a short time, and you're already in a hurry to marry me off. Let me spend more time with you, okay?"
She'd be a little reluctant to leave if she ever actually went back.
...
The following day, the Duke's mansion was bustling with activity.
The capital's elite families all gathered here.
The young ladies, led by their stepmothers, arrived at the Fenghe Garden Flower Hall, while the male guests gathered at the Yifeng Pavilion in the garden.
The flower hall stands amidst a hundred flowers, is well-ventilated on all sides, and is equipped with semi-transparent gauze curtains.
Yifeng Pavilion is built on an artificial stream, on a high elevation. The pavilion has large doors and windows on all four sides, allowing a panoramic view of the garden from inside.
Inside the flower hall, Nanqianyue and her younger sister sat on either side of the Prime Minister's wife, one listless and the other sitting motionless.
Actually, Nanqianyue was wondering why Miss Lu wasn't here.
My mother said that Qin Yi will definitely be invited, but I don't know if he will come.
The Duchess, with a kind face, was talking with the ladies of various families when she suddenly noticed Nan Qianyue's listless appearance and couldn't help but softly call out, "Poet Immortal?"
The Prime Minister's wife turned slightly as she moved south, then came to her senses and smiled at the Duchess of the State.
The Duchess smiled gently, "You seem a little listless. Is the tea and snacks not to your liking?"
Nan Qianyue gently shook her head. "Thank you for your concern, Madam. The tea and snacks are exquisite and delicious. It's just that I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm a little listless. I hope you can forgive me."
The Duchess smiled and nodded. She looked at the ladies and said considerately, "Girls, go for a stroll in the garden. We older folks won't keep you company."
Most of the girls were happy to hear this. Many of them wanted to take this opportunity to meet the young men from various families. They went for a stroll in the garden, and the opportunity came.
"Poet Immortal, why don't you and Miss Nan go for a stroll? The camellias in the garden are in full bloom; they might just inspire your poetry." The Duchess was incredibly considerate.
The woman who moved south knew perfectly well that the Duchess was creating an opportunity for her and Young Master Lu to meet.
"Then my sister and I will take our leave." She departed with a graceful smile.
.
The Wind and Spring Garden is very large and has a complex structure.
It has everything: low bushes of flowers, towering trees, oddly shaped artificial hills, and winding man-made streams.
Nanqianyue and her sister got lost while walking, but Nanqianyue wasn't worried.
"Big sister, I feel like I'm lost." Nan Kezhi looked around.
Nanqianyue leisurely plucked a petal from the flower. "It's alright. A servant will pass by anyway. We can just have him take us back to the flower hall."
Nan Kezhi felt relieved. "That makes sense, huh?"
She suddenly turned her head and looked ahead. "Big sister, there seems to be someone up ahead. Shall we go and take a look?"
Nanqianyue, however, calmly picked a light pink camellia and placed it in her sister's hair, saying, "It looks beautiful."
Nan Kezhi smiled and picked a flower, placing it on Nanqianyue's head. "Eldest sister looks the best."
Nanqianyue raised her eyebrows and said, "They all look good. Let's go."
She pulled Nan Kezhi along and walked forward, but after walking for only a short while, she suddenly stopped.
Because she saw a familiar black figure.
"Shh, wait for me here, don't make a sound." Nan Qianyue had her younger sister stand behind the artificial hill, while she secretly moved forward.
She finally hid behind a lush camellia tree, tilting her head slightly to reveal half of her eye.
In the pavilion embraced by clusters of flowers, Miss Lu was weeping, her face streaked with tears. Suddenly, she knelt down, but was helped up by a large hand halfway down.
The person who helped her up was Qin Yi.
Because of the distance, Nanqianyue could not hear what they were saying.
But you could see that Qin Yi's expression was gentle, and he even seemed to smile.
As she moved south, Yue frowned, a sudden, inexplicable unease settling in her heart.
Men's words are indeed deceitful.
In another direction, Qingyi was hurrying towards the pavilion, and he could see the southward-migrating moon from the spot he passed by.
However, just as he looked over in surprise, Nanqianyue turned and left.
Qingyi sensed something was wrong and quickened her pace to the pavilion.
"Your Highness!" he called out loudly, but that was the end of it.
Qin Yi glanced at him, then slightly raised his hand to Miss Lu, "You may go ahead. I will handle this matter."
Miss Lu bowed and retreated with tears in her eyes.
Qin Yi straightened his sleeves. "You found out?"
The man in green nodded solemnly. "I've found out, but I have another matter to report."
Qin Yi stared coldly at Fan Hua, "Speak."
The woman in green kept her head down and said, "...Someone saw you and Miss Lu."
Qin Yi remained unfazed. "So what if I saw it? It just goes to dispel the old emperor's doubts."
Qingyi mustered her courage and said, "It was Miss Nan who saw it."
The air was deathly silent.
Two breaths later, Qingyi felt a dark shadow flash before her eyes. When she looked up again, the pavilion was empty, and the prince was nowhere to be seen.
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