"I met her in the garden this morning. I thought she wanted to give you a thank-you gift, so I said she'd give me the same. But she didn't prepare anything, so forget it."
"I think, since you didn't know it was her before, you shouldn't accept her thanks for this, what do you think?"
"Originally, this is the Emperor's grace. If she wants to thank someone, she should thank the Emperor. There are three people here. If she only thanks you alone, it will make it seem like you two are doing something behind the scenes."
Dugu Yu's face darkened, "Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm just giving you a heads-up! Who told you to become so smart the moment you meet her? It would be so bad if you accidentally ruined her reputation!"
Dugu Yu: "I don't have any."
"I know."
She knew that Dugu Yu, as her current husband, was already a very good, considerate and family-oriented person.
But when he meets Lin Xiafeng, he just obeys her orders without thinking. This is the setting for Dugu Yu in the plot!
It will definitely influence his thoughts and behavior without him realizing it.
So, she had to tell him in advance to stay away from Lin Xiafeng if he met him!
In the garden, a large group of aristocratic young men headed by the Crown Prince and Prince Duan, and noble ladies from various families headed by the three princesses, were happily chatting and competing in poetry and couplets.
The one who caught people's attention the most was naturally Lin Xiafeng.
She is of humble status, but the most beautiful. She is not qualified to enter the palace banquet, but is personally invited by the emperor. Although she is a concubine's daughter, her poetry, songs, talent, and wisdom are all top-notch.
Qin Qingyao knew that the heroine had an aura around her wherever she went, was the center of conversation, and attracted everyone's attention, so she didn't want to go over and support her.
In such a situation, if she couldn't help but have a conflict with Lin Xiafeng, it would be really disgraceful and bring shame to Dugu Yu.
Although she knew that Lin Xiafeng was the protagonist and the biggest winner among women of her generation in the world, so it was normal for her to lose to her, but others didn't know!
Those cannon fodder female supporting characters are born to despise and bully the heroine, in order to highlight the heroine's calmness, magnanimity and brilliance.
"My husband, go play with them. I'll go see my mother and the old lady."
Dugu Yu was extremely surprised. This stubborn person who couldn't be chased away or beaten away actually stopped sticking to him today?
"Don't you want to go together?"
"I'm not going."
Qin Qingyao waved to Dugu Yu and left. Dugu Yu could sense that this girl wasn't really unhappy or anything. She just didn't want to play with that group of people.
Dugu Yu walked towards the pavilion and thought of what Qin Qingyao had said to him at Prince Duan's manor: 'First, stay out of the spotlight; second, don't talk about military affairs or the court; and third, don't play chess.'
"King Wu Ling, you are here!"
"Yes, King Wu Ling, it's been over an hour since lunch. What have you been doing?"
"Sorry, I'm on lunch break."
"Hahaha, I was wondering why you're so young and act like those old guys. Do you also take a nap at home?"
"Occasionally."
"Alright, alright. Prince Wu Ling was busy with official duties and might not have slept well last night. Where were we just now?"
"By the way, Your Highness, Miss Lin just made a pair, and we haven't figured it out yet. Would you like to try?"
As usual, Lin Xiafeng was neither self-deprecating nor arrogant in front of Dugu Yu. There was a gentle light in her eyes that could only be understood by the saying "you are my boyfriend and I am your confidante".
Dugu Yu instantly remembered what Qin Qingyao had said: Don’t try to show off.
"No one has figured it out correctly, so how can I do it? I'm good at marching and fighting. I'd rather leave the literary skills to the prince's companions."
The Crown Prince said, "Prince Wu Ling is being modest. You haven't even heard the first couplet yet, so how do you know you can't come up with a correct answer?"
"Ms. Lin, why don't you repeat your first couplet?"
"Yes!" Lin Xiafeng gave Dugu Yu a look that said, 'Just try it, I believe in you'.
"My first line of the couplet is, 'There are all things in the world, heaven, earth, and man. Heaven has its years, earth has its years, and man has his years! King Wu Ling, please come in!"
As soon as Lin Xiafeng finished speaking, Dugu Yu said without thinking, "Sorry, I can't match it."
After being married to Qin Qingyao for such a long time, I haven't learned anything else, but I have become a master at cheating.
Lin Xiafeng froze for a moment, and the ladies next to him covered their mouths and laughed, because they felt that King Wu Ling could not possibly not be able to make sense, and just didn't want to pay attention to Lin Xiafeng.
Prince Duan was right, but basically everything Lin Xiafeng did just now was countered by him. If he continued to do so, it would inevitably make people feel that something was wrong.
What's more, there are only a group of young people here. If you show off in front of them, you will not only not get any appreciation, but also lose your status.
When Qin Qingyao found the old lady, she was sitting on a chair, dozing off with her head propped up.
There were several ladies accompanying her, but none of them dared to speak.
Qin Qingyao didn't know anyone anyway, so she didn't greet them one by one.
"Old lady, why are you dozing off here?"
The old lady opened her eyes and smiled, "Hey, Princess, why are you here? Are you lost?"
"No, I asked several people before I found you. If you're sleepy, why don't you find a bed somewhere? It's so cold in October, you might catch a cold if you sleep like this!"
The old lady looked embarrassed and said, "How can you sleep in the palace?"
"What's going on in the palace? The Emperor and his wife sleep here every day. Let me tell you, the eunuchs have prepared a private room for each official to rest in. Didn't they give you one? I'm going to complain to the Empress!"
"Alright, alright, I'm glad you're so kind. It's getting late, and I'm an old man. I'll just sit for a while and then go back."
"Ah? You're not going to the dinner?"
"That's for you young people to have fun. My old bones can't handle it."
"Then I'll go out for a walk with you. It's sunny outside right now, but it's not too hot. Look, you're sitting here, your hands are getting cold!"
Qin Qingyao held the old lady's hand, and compared with her warm palm, the old lady felt that the room was indeed a bit cold.
"Okay, let's go out for a walk."
When Qin Qingyao supported the old lady, she did not stand far away like others, but held her arm intimately, looking like her own granddaughter.
"Let me tell you, old lady, there are so many flowers in this imperial garden. There are more than a dozen kinds of chrysanthemums alone. Let's go and take a look."
Around three o'clock in the afternoon, most people had come out and the garden was bustling with activity.
The weather is good today, with plenty of sunshine, but it's not too hot and doesn't burn people. After taking a walk outside, I warmed up and felt much better.
Qin Qingyao is a lively person and loves to laugh. It's not that kind of polite smile, she just laughs because she is in a good mood.
So looking at her made the old lady feel happy.
The more I look at this girl, the more I like her.
The people in the garden looked at Qin Qingyao and the old lady admiring the flowers with smiles on their faces. Some were shocked, some were dismissive, and some even sneered and thought she was putting on a show and trying to curry favor with someone powerful.
It’s a pity that Qin Qingyao, who was concentrating on looking at the flowers, didn’t hear a word of their whispers.
"Girl, you seemed to be alone this morning. Didn't you bring any servants with you when you entered the palace?"
Qin Qingyao, "I don't know if I can bring a maid with me, but fortunately, I don't need anyone to serve me all the time. There are many people in this palace, and I can always find someone if I need them."
The old lady looked at her helplessly. What a silly girl! No matter how many people there are in the palace, they can never be as reliable as their own people!
"You don't understand, and King Wu Ling won't teach you!"
"Hehe, my husband doesn't even have a servant with him, maybe he doesn't even know!"
"You, all you know is protecting him!"
"Don't worry, old lady, my husband treats me very well!"
The old lady gently patted Qin Qingyao's hand on her arm. Seeing her happy and proud face, the old lady felt satisfied.
This time, Yu'er may have finally gotten her wish after suffering so much.
"I should go back now. I'm going to say goodbye to the Queen. Don't worry about me. Go and see how much fun the girls are having. You should go too."
"I'm not a little girl anymore, I'm a young wife!"
The old lady poked Qin Qingyao's forehead and said, "You just keep talking nonsense. I'll leave Madam Hu to you. If you need anything, just tell her and send her back to me tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Mammy is old. Should she take care of me or should I take care of her? This is so bad!"
The old lady stopped and looked at her, "You little girl, don't be ungrateful. This is your first time at the palace banquet, but Madam Hu has been here more than a dozen times!"
Qin Qingyao finally understood that the old lady was afraid that she would not be able to cope at night.
"Thank you, old lady. You are so kind to me. I am so touched. Next time I go out to play, I will bring you some delicious food when I come back!"
After the old lady left, Qin Qingyao and Madam Hu went to a quiet place to bask in the sun.
"Madam Hu, this is my first time attending a palace banquet. If there's anything I need to be aware of, could you please tell me in advance?"
Matron Hu smiled kindly, "Princess, you misunderstood. You have always behaved well. There is nothing to worry about. The old lady left me here so that I could keep an eye on you."
"Prince Wu Ling is a man of great military and literary talents, outstanding achievements, and a young, promising, and handsome man. It's inevitable that he will be coveted."
"The old lady is afraid that someone with bad intentions or dirty hands might upset you. Princess, you are young and simple-minded, and I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it yourself."
Haha, she may not be good at anything else, but she is absolutely amazing at blocking peach blossoms for her husband! The old lady really underestimated her.
"Is that so? Then I'll trouble you, Madam. Also, I found that I don't recognize any of the wives, daughters, or princesses in the palace."
"Please also ask Madam Hu to stay by my side and give me some advice!"
"Don't worry, Princess. I'll take care of it!"
Dugu Yu found that socializing with such a large group of people in poetry, songs, calligraphy and painting was really annoying. He might as well go home and watch Qin Qingyao go crazy.
But the woman disappeared as soon as she ran. He looked around countless times but couldn't find any trace of her.
I'm so angry!
This idiot doesn't even know that being angry isn't anger, it's worry.
When the sun was setting, Qin Qingyao and Madam Hu were sitting on the top of the rockery watching the sunset.
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