Chapter 6 I Became the Goddess's Son-in-Law?! (Part Six)
After drinking the medicine brewed from the Nine-Star Heavenly Ginseng, General Si Ye's illness miraculously disappeared overnight. This news spread far and wide, becoming a widely discussed and talked-about tale. Everyone knew that a few years ago, the country…
After drinking the medicine made from the Nine-Star Heavenly Ginseng, General Si Ye's illness miraculously disappeared overnight. This news spread to the outside world and became a strange and talked-about event.
Everyone knows that the country was not peaceful in previous years. It was only thanks to the great generals who repelled enemy troops abroad and quelled rebellions at home that we have the prosperous and peaceful era we enjoy today.
However, people tend to forget their roots when life is peaceful for too long. Seeing that the general's health was deteriorating day by day, some people began to covet the hundreds of thousands of elite troops behind him. But now, Si Ye has recovered overnight, and it is said that his physical strength is even greater than before. How could those who had such intentions not be disappointed?
General Si was only middle-aged, still sharp and capable, and not yet ready to retire. His presence alongside Si Xuansu eased much of her burden. However, as her father's successor, she didn't slack off in the slightest. Now, at a young age, Si Xuansu was already a general in the central army, no less capable than General Si had been in his prime.
For several days, Jiang Yiqing explored the General's Mansion, hoping to find a rare treasure like the Nine-Star Heavenly Ginseng. However, it seemed impossible to keep up her luck. All she found were low-grade medicinal herbs similar to the Purple Narcissus, with market prices ranging from a few to tens of coins.
However, Jiang Yiqing did not give up just because the profit was not much. She wanted to accumulate more things, which might come in handy sometime - just like when she used the Fragrance Soul to exchange for the Dressing Powder.
Moreover, taking a walk can also be good exercise, so it's a win-win situation.
As she was wandering around that day, Si Bai, who was by Madam Si's side, came to tell her: "Madam Ningyang Marquis has invited you to the Peony Banquet, and she asked me to invite your son-in-law to come along."
Jiang Yiqing's first reaction was surprise and worry: "Won't my identity be exposed if I go?"
“Outside, just say you’re Madam’s distant niece, and no one will suspect a thing,” Sibo said with a smile.
"I see," Jiang Yiqing thought, "This way she can go out and about as a woman, and even visit Si Xuansu at the military camp. I'm very happy about this, and I have to thank Madam for her thoughtfulness."
However, Jiang Yiqing smiled shyly—"Will Sister Si go?"
What she cared about most was whether Si Xuansu would go. If she went too, she could really enjoy the banquet; otherwise, she would only meet strangers and find it meaningless.
Moreover, Jiang Yiqing felt that the gathering of nobles was definitely not so simple, and she didn't know what might happen.
"Young Master, please go later," Sibo said.
"Great!" Jiang Yiqing readily agreed. "Then I'll pack up right away and set off with my mother-in-law!"
Sibo gestured to the two maids beside him to bring the clothes to Jiang Yiqing and said, "Madam has already asked the tailor to make more clothes for the young master. This is a masterpiece that has just been made. Please take a look. Madam's intention is for you to wear this when you go."
Jiang Yiqing's gaze had long been drawn to the dazzling and gorgeous dress. It was a lake-blue dress, with the color gradually deepening from top to bottom. It was embroidered with koi and wave patterns in colorful peacock feather thread, making it look refreshing, elegant, and beautiful.
"Isn't this... a bit too flashy?" The dress was beautiful, but Jiang Yiqing felt it wasn't understated enough.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Sibo covered his mouth and laughed, saying, “Madam said that you are a beautiful young woman in the prime of your youth. If you don’t dress up nicely now, when will you?”
"Thank you so much, Madam," Jiang Yiqing said, touched. Girls really do love beauty; even Jiang Yiqing was tempted by such a beautiful dress.
After she changed into this "Seascape Leaping Carp Dress," she looked completely refreshed. Her already beautiful face was made even more stunning. Zhi Gui and Zhi Li showed her in the mirror and praised her endlessly.
Jiang Yiqing followed Si Bai to Baiyang Courtyard, and together with Madam Si, they rode in a sedan chair to the Ningyang Marquis's residence.
Because she was seated separately from Madam Si, Jiang Yiqing couldn't hide her excitement throughout the journey. She pulled back the sedan curtain and looked outside; it was the first time she had ever seen the world outside the General's Mansion.
When she first arrived, she was so nervous sitting in the wedding sedan chair that she didn't even dare to look out the window. But now it's different. Jiang Yiqing is openly enjoying the scenery outside.
What came into view was an unfamiliar street and unfamiliar people, but the earthen and wooden buildings looked extremely ancient, and just looking at them made people yearn for them. Jiang Yiqing saw a child on the street biting his finger and casting a curious look at her, and couldn't help but laugh.
She thought that the scenery unfolding before her would become increasingly expansive. Without realizing it, she no longer felt any fear about having traveled to this world.
About 15 minutes later, the sedan chair stopped in front of a magnificent mansion that rivaled the General's Mansion. Several carriages and sedan chairs were already parked in front of the gate. Jiang Yiqing was helped out of the sedan chair by her maid and walked with Madam Si toward the location of the Peony Banquet.
Many people greeted them on the way. With Mrs. Si's introduction, Jiang Yiqing greeted those people and they became acquainted.
Upon arriving at the venue for the Peony Banquet, Jiang Yiqing was immediately captivated by the sea of peonies. The phrase "a riot of colors" was simply insufficient to describe their beauty. Flowers, wherever they may be, are indeed things that bring joy.
Peonies are flowers of spring, but it is said that this family specially built a greenhouse to cultivate peonies so that they could enjoy their beauty even in winter, which amazed everyone.
After everyone enjoyed the flowers for a while, Si Xuansu arrived late. Jiang Yiqing had been waiting for her for a long time, and when she saw her, she immediately waved to her.
Si Xuansu walked towards her and Madam Si with a smile. She was wearing a red riding outfit, and her long legs were very eye-catching, making her stand out among the group of fragrant beauties.
Jiang Yiqing's eyes almost popped out of her head, thinking that no matter where she was, the goddess was always the most eye-catching person in the crowd.
The goddess is like the bright moon in the sky, pure and radiant, gentle and profound.
But seeing such a goddess, someone actually made a sarcastic remark. It was a guy who appeared out of nowhere who said to the goddess, "Outlandish clothes, shameless."
Si Xuansu glanced at him, said nothing, and her imposing aura made the man lower his head. She politely ignored him and went to Jiang Yiqing and the other woman's side.
Jiang Yiqing was still very unhappy. No one could mock the goddess, no one! She wanted to teach that person a lesson, but Lady Ningyang spoke up.
"Kang'er, you're so insensible. I should have known better than to call you over."
"Aunt, I was wrong." Someone whispered a few words in that person's ear, and that person seemed to realize Si Xuansu's identity, and immediately dared not breathe.
Lady Ningyang came out to calm things down, and Jiang Yiqing felt embarrassed to keep pressing the matter, so she temporarily suppressed her anger.
Afterwards, a competition was held at the peony banquet, in which the distinguished guests guessed which peony was the most valuable.
The distinguished guests placed their most prized possessions under the peony they had chosen. After the final reveal, those who guessed incorrectly had to hand over their items, while those who guessed correctly could choose whatever they wanted from among them.
As soon as Jiang Yiqing heard the rules, she knew she was going to win the competition.
She could tell at a glance whether a peony possessed any spiritual energy. A flower without spiritual energy didn't even qualify to be reduced to fragments, and the more precious the flower, the higher the value of its fragments.
The distinguished guests handed over their treasures one by one, including rare and unusual items such as mutton fat jade, exotic bodhi seeds, luminous pearls, and ivory dice.
Jiang Yiqing saw that the guy named Zhou Kang didn't seem to have brought any treasures and was standing there looking embarrassed, and thought to herself that he deserved it.
"Host, that guy named Zhou Kang thinks he doesn't have any treasures, but he actually carries a rare treasure that's no less valuable than a nine-star celestial ginseng. Of all the treasures present, his is the most precious." The system then told Jiang Yiqing.
Jiang Yiqing was quite surprised. She hadn't expected that Zhou Kang, a mere nobody, would possess such a treasure. But... wasn't this perfect? How dare he speak ill of the goddess? She'd make him suffer the consequences.
Having made up her mind, Jiang Yiqing walked over to Zhou Kang and asked him, "Young master, did you bring any treasures with you?"
When Zhou Kang saw a beautiful woman with a fair face approaching him, a cool fragrance wafted over her as soon as she got close. Before she even spoke, he was already feeling a little distracted.
What's rare is that this beautiful woman is also so warm-hearted.
He scratched his head and said, "What bad luck! If I had known there would be this, I would have brought the antique jade from home with me..."
Jiang Yiqing sneered inwardly at his forced composure, but smiled and said, "I do have a few extra treasures here. I can give one to you, young master. What do you think?"
"Really? What kind of treasure is it? Let me see." Zhou Kang was worried because he didn't have any treasures and didn't have the face to ask his aunt for help. Hearing that she was willing to help him, he asked eagerly.
Jiang Yiqing took out a crystal cup from her spatial storage. This crystal cup is common in modern times, but it was a rare and precious treasure in ancient times.
Upon seeing the crystal glass, Zhou Kang exclaimed in shock, "Girl, you actually possess such a treasure! It's truly astonishing!"
Moreover, she mentioned having "a few extra treasures," which made Zhou Kang marvel at her wealth. He wondered which family she belonged to, and thought it would be nice to get to know her.
He hadn't looked closely enough and didn't realize Jiang Yiqing was sitting next to Madam Si and Si Xuansu; otherwise, his eyes would have popped out of their sockets.
“But, young master, I can’t just give it to you for free, don’t you think that makes sense?” Jiang Yiqing smiled slyly, but Zhou Kang didn’t notice at all. He only thought that the beauty was even more beautiful when she smiled, and stared at her intently.
“That’s natural…” Zhou Kang said, looking at her, “but I don’t really have anything on hand right now, so how about another day…”
“Let’s do it another day,” Jiang Yiqing said. “Who knows when I’ll see you again? What do you have on you right now? I’ll just pick one out of there. You know I don’t lack treasures, it’s just for a fair trade.”
Zhou Kang nodded repeatedly and said, "What you say is true, young lady."
He started searching his purse, completely unaware that he had walked into a trap set by Jiang Yiqing.
When Jiang Yiqing saw the contents of his pouch, a string of words appeared before her eyes: "Silver Thread Spirit Fang Fragment x1".
That thing that looks like a white kidney bean is the Silver Thread Spirit Tooth? Jiang Yiqing couldn't believe it, but it was probably true.
Zhou Kang reluctantly spread the contents of his purse out in his hand and said, "If there's anything in here that the young lady wants, feel free to take it."
"You said it yourself, so I won't stand on ceremony," Jiang Yiqing thought to herself, pointing at the silver silk spirit tooth and asking, "Where did you find this thing?"
Zhou Kang was puzzled as to why she would ask about the origin of such an inconspicuous bean, but he still said, "I found this on the road. I thought it was a bit peculiar, so I kept it. Don't laugh at me, I sometimes like to pick up strange things. If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Jiang Yiqing was a little disappointed. She thought the place where he found the Silver Silk Spirit Tooth was a special place. It seems she was overthinking it. This guy, like her, was just lucky to find the treasure.
However, this treasure now belongs to her.
Zhou Kang placed the Silver Silk Spirit Tooth in Jiang Yiqing's hand, which she accepted, saying, "Then I'll give you the crystal cup."
Zhou Kang, looking delighted as if he'd gotten a great deal, said, "Miss, you're so easy to talk to. By the way, what's your name?"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yiqing turned and left.
Zhou Kang stared at her retreating figure with a sense of loss, completely unaware that he had suffered a great loss.
Jiang Yiqing returned to her seat. By then, the guests had already handed in their gifts, and it was time for the flower judging.
Jiang Yiqing said to the two of them, "I'm quite knowledgeable about flowers."
“Is that so?” Madam Si smiled. “Then Xuan Su and I will follow your choice, Yi Qing.”
"Okay! I definitely won't let you lose money, we're going to make a fortune!" Jiang Yiqing said with a bright smile.
Madam Si certainly didn't lack these things, and she wouldn't mind losing them. However, seeing how enthusiastic she was, she couldn't help but feel the vitality of youth and laughed along with her.
On the other side, Si Xuansu's expression was somewhat gloomy.
When Jiang Yiqing turned to look, she was startled. She thought to herself, "It must be because of what I did to Zhou Kang earlier that the goddess misunderstood!"
She quickly explained, "Xuan Su, I just..."
Before she could finish speaking, Si Xuansu interrupted her, saying, "You don't need to explain. I believe you have your own reasons for doing things. I'm just a little sleepy after returning from the army."
That being said, why does the goddess look somewhat disappointed?
Jiang Yiqing looked at her cautiously and asked, "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
"It's nothing," Si Xuansu said.
She just thought the man looked a bit of an eyesore.
After handing over the crystal cup, Zhou Kang began to examine the quality of the flowers, hoping to make a profit. However, he suddenly felt a chill, as if he were being watched by someone with sharp, piercing eyes. He turned around and saw the woman in riding clothes.
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