What is simple yet beautiful? It's clearly one of the most inconspicuous pieces here. Qiao Dong thought to herself, but she was grateful to Qiao Qiu for doing this. If she dressed in an unremarkable way and was outshone, Mu Yan wouldn't have his heart set on her.
Qiao Qiu found a place to sit down, a slight smile playing on her lips beneath her veil. Although the dress was simple, its beauty lay in the flower on the shoulder. The flower complemented her beauty perfectly, making her look better than any of the other clothes here.
If Qiao Dong weren't so gentle and refined, with her face, she should have chosen a fiery red dress; that kind of intense, captivating beauty would have been the most stunning.
Zhao Yucheng sat down next to Qiao Qiu and stared at her without any restraint. He had never seen a girl like her before. She seemed domineering, but she was very considerate of the overall situation.
Qiao Qiu wasn't afraid of Zhao Yucheng's scrutiny because her face was covered by a veil, but his gaze still disgusted her. "Young master, don't you think it's too frivolous of you to look at me like that?"
"My name is Zhao Yucheng. I am curious about your identity, young lady. Why can't you show your true face?" Zhao Yucheng was gentle and refined, his smile perfectly timed, leaving no room for error.
Qiao Qiu knew how clever this first male supporting character was; otherwise, how could he have kept his elder brother a cuckold for so long without being discovered? Her bright eyes, like autumn water, turned gracefully to Zhao Yucheng. She stood up, bowed, and said, "So it's the Third Prince. I, Qiao Qiu, have been very rude. Please forgive me. I am not yet married, and a young lady's appearance cannot be easily shown to others, hence the veil. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
“Miss Qiao, there’s no need for such formalities. Are you the daughter of the Prime Minister?” Zhao Yucheng raised his hand in a gesture of support. He had heard of the third daughter of the Qiao family, who was arrogant, domineering, and sharp-tongued. He never expected her to be such a clever and insightful girl.
"Your Highness has a good memory." Qiao Qiu stood up straight but did not sit down again. As a subject's daughter, she knew that she could not sit on equal footing with the prince.
Zhao Yucheng felt a little regretful that he hadn't seen Qiao Qiu's face. Since Qiao Qiu said that, he couldn't ask her to unveil herself, so he could only imagine what she looked like.
Qiao Qiu noticed his expression and secretly realized she was in trouble. She had been careless. Zhao Yucheng was obsessed with looks; if she let him imagine things, he would imagine them to the heavens.
She thought about it and figured that since she couldn't compare to Qiao Dong in looks anyway, she might as well let Zhao Yucheng see her and use it as a starting point to get the better of him.
Qiao Qiu made up her mind and went to pour tea, deliberately getting a corner of her veil caught in a splinter on the edge of the table. Zhao Yucheng, who was looking into her eyes, didn't notice her action.
Qiao Qiu handed water to Zhao Yucheng and said, "Your Highness, please have some tea."
"Thank you, Miss Qiao." Zhao Yucheng accepted the teacup and stopped looking at her.
Qiao Qiu took a step back, and her veil was caught by a splinter and gently pulled down. She pretended to be startled and reflexively reached out to catch the veil.
When Zhao Yucheng saw the veil slip down, he hurriedly looked up and saw a cute chubby face. Although it wasn't particularly stunning, it had a unique beauty.
Qiao Qiu reattached her veil, pretending to breathe a sigh of relief, and said to Zhao Yucheng, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was rude."
Zhao Yucheng smiled gently, "It's alright."
"Third Sister."
Upon hearing Qiao Dong's voice, Qiao Qiu and Zhao Yucheng turned their heads simultaneously, a look of amazement flashing in their eyes.
Qiao Dong wore a pink dress, her shoulders and waist slender, her cheeks rosy, her features deep and beautiful, as if meticulously sculpted. Her hair was styled in a flying fairy bun, with a red hairpin tilted at an angle, the tassels swaying gently, making her look like a celestial being descended to earth. This dress perfectly accentuated her beauty, and her beautiful eyes were captivating.
Qiao Qiu felt that she looked stunning even as a woman, so Zhao Yucheng should be about the same. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dumbfounded chicken. She smiled gently, picked up a veil, walked up to Qiao Dong, and handed it to her, saying, "Put this on."
Qiao Dong's expression was a little stiff. After taking the veil, he put it on as quickly as possible, stood behind Qiao Qiu, and didn't say anything more.
Qiao Qiu walked up to Zhao Yucheng and gave a graceful bow, "Your Highness, we sisters will take our leave now."
Zhao Yucheng regained his senses and hurriedly said, "No, no, what I mean is, since I promised your sister that I would escort her home, how can I go back on my word? Besides, I am also very worried about the three of you girls on your journey."
"So it's Your Highness. I didn't know. Please forgive my rudeness." Qiao Dong didn't want to step forward, but since the other party had called her name, she had no choice but to. Qiao Qiu didn't know what was going on either. Usually, she loved to compete with her, so why was she so quiet today?
Qiao Qiu flicked her sleeve, put down two silver ingots, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. Third Sister, aren't you leaving yet?"
...
Along the way, Qiao Qiu walked slowly at the front, while Zhao Yucheng and Qiao Dong walked a little behind. Each of them had something on their mind and would glance at each other from time to time, sometimes their eyes would even meet.
According to etiquette, Qiao Qiu should not walk in front of the prince, but Zhao Yucheng did not notice at all, which shows that his heart had already flown to Qiao Dong.
Back at the Prime Minister's residence, the two bid farewell to Zhao Yucheng. Qiao Dong followed Qiao Qiu, practically fleeing in panic, giving Zhao Yucheng no chance to stop them.
As Zhao Yucheng watched Qiao Dong's retreating figure, a look of unwavering determination flashed in his eyes.
After returning to the mansion, Qiao Qiu ignored Qiao Dong and went straight back to her room.
After Qiao Dong entered the mansion, Qiao Yang summoned him.
In the pavilion on the water, Qiao Dong looked at Qiao Yang's gloomy face, her heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"
Qiao Yang grabbed her hand and said, "Dong'er, do you know what? The people I sent to follow Qiao Qiu today all lost track of her."
"Lost her?" Qiao Dong was startled. After thinking carefully, his heart pounded. "Could it be that she deliberately appeared there?"
"Where?" Qiao Yang didn't understand what she said.
Qiao Dong recounted the events of the day to Qiao Yang in detail. After listening, Qiao Yang pursed his thin lips, a hint of doubt appearing in his deep eyes, before dismissing it, "If what you say is true, what benefit would it bring to Qiao Qiu to deliberately appear there?"
"I..." Qiao Dong's words caught in her throat. She couldn't tell anyone about her rebirth, and her biggest worry now was that Qiao Qiu had also been reborn. But if she had, it wouldn't make sense. In her previous life, Mu Yan had managed to deceive the Emperor; surely he could deceive a woman living in the Cold Palace? This was just her being paranoid.
After thinking it through, Qiao Dong felt relieved. If Qiao Qiu had been reborn, she wouldn't have been foolish enough to bully her like before.
Seeing her like this, Qiao Yang grasped her shoulders and said solemnly, "Sister, you have enough beauty to outshine Qiao Qiu. You are the most beautiful woman in the entire capital. Who doesn't know that? During the selection, you must prove yourself, understand? As for that prince, just forget about him."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Dong's eyes hardened, and he nodded emphatically, "I understand what to do."
"That's good." Qiao Yang breathed a sigh of relief. At this crucial moment, he didn't want any more accidents to happen.
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