Both Xiao Yang and Tang Hao passed the imperial examination and became Jinshi. Tang Hao, as the first place in the palace examination, was undisputedly chosen by the emperor as the top scholar, Xiao Yang was chosen as the second place, and another young man named Sun was chosen as the third place.
On the day of the top scholar's parade, the Xiao siblings had already secured their seats. Learning from their previous experience, Xiao Yi, Xiao Rui, Xiao Jun, and Xiao Qi surrounded Xiao Yao tightly. Xiao Jun even held his sister's hand the entire time, helping to smooth out any small cracks in her hood.
Last time, because the princess was there, it was inconvenient for him to follow, and the Xiao family thought that with so many guards around, nothing would happen. What happened? Xiao Yao showed up and attracted several marriage proposals. Among them was the Han family, who the Xiao family least wanted to deal with. So it was impossible not to pay attention!
Old Marquis Xiao couldn't bear to trap his granddaughter at home, so he ordered his grandsons to take turns protecting his two younger sisters, which led to the situation we have today.
Seeing how much everyone had done to herself, Xiao Yao secretly decided to reduce her outings in the future. She couldn't let her brothers' lives get disrupted just for her! Today was a special day, so she'd let them off the hook just once.
As soon as they arrived at the private room of the restaurant, Xiao Jun helped Xiao Yao take off her hat. He couldn't find a fan in a hurry, so he used his sleeves to fan his sister.
"Sister, you are hot! Are you thirsty? Fifth brother will give you a glass of honey water!" Xiao Jun fanned her for a while.
He asked again with concern.
"Fifth brother, I'm not thirsty or tired, so don't be nervous, okay? I'm not the delicate little girl from other families, so you don't have to stare at me without blinking." Xiao Yao pulled over a chair for Xiao Jun to sit down. She was thirteen years old, not a porcelain doll that would break if touched.
"Because you are not spoiled and too strong-willed, Fifth Brother cares about you so much. If you get married with your personality, you will definitely suffer in the future. Besides, there are few good people out there.
"You know that brat from Prince Qi's family! He already has seven or eight women in his house, and he keeps clamoring to marry you. I tell you, if my grandfather and father hadn't stopped me, I would have given him a beating long ago.
And that Yun Yichen, parading the city lord's daughter through the streets, told me to just take her back to Prince Jing's mansion to pay respects to heaven and earth, why are you beating around the bush? "Xiao Jun once again began to instill in Xiao Yao the idea that other men were not to be trusted, and that only he was the most reliable.
Yun Yichen, who was sitting next to him, had a cold expression on his face. He had heard rumors about himself and Xie Qingxuan in the past few days. He had always thought that they were just idle gossips by ordinary people and had ignored them.
Now someone had actually put eye drops in front of Xiao Yao, and the person who said this was her own brother. Yun Yichen felt really angry and had nowhere to vent, and at the same time, he was itching to grab Xiao Jun and challenge him to a single round.
"Fifth brother, let's not discuss this. No matter what, for the sake of the princess and the princess, our family cannot speak ill of the palace. If the prince gets married, the Xiao family will go to the wedding to give gifts and attend the wedding. If it's just a rumor or someone else gossiping, we have no right to speak out."
The little girl's words sounded much better, but why did her tone sound so casual, as if she was talking about a stranger getting married? Yun Yichen was very dissatisfied with Xiao Yao's tone and attitude. It was too calm, too plain, and he couldn't hear any dissatisfaction or sadness at all.
"What makes me most angry is that everyone is talking about how the city lord's daughter looks a lot like you, or even prettier than you. Who would believe that? You're kidding!"
"That would be wonderful. The hat of Kyoto's most beautiful woman is too big, and your sister's head is too small. It doesn't fit at all. If someone could help me take it off, I'd be so happy!" Xiao Yao also longed for the days when she could go out whenever she wanted. If she weren't so crowded, Xiao Yao would have urged her father to take her around. The days of freedom were few and far between, and it was so inconvenient to go out and have fun. It was so frustrating.
"To be fair, the city lord's daughter is indeed affectionate towards Prince Yun, but Prince Yun seems indifferent and doesn't seem to have that intention." Xiao Rui objectively evaluated Yun Yichen.
Yun Yichen and Xiao Rui had been together for four years, their relationship neither good nor bad. Unexpectedly, Yun Yichen realized the importance of having someone around to speak up for him. If public opinion sided with Xiao Jun, his future would be even more bleak. Just as Yun Yichen was lamenting, Xiao Rui dealt him a heavy blow.
"Perhaps the prince is playing hard to get. After all, a marriage with the Lord of Xuancheng will only benefit Tianyu and Prince Jing's Mansion. There are so many beauties that the royal family wants. Even someone with Ping'an's beauty can be found by them, right?" Xiao Rui was talking about Yun Yichen and Xie Qingxuan nonchalantly. He never dreamed that the person being discussed was sitting next to him, and almost every word of their conversation was overheard by others.
"This is the business of Prince Jing's Mansion and the Lord of Xuancheng City. We should not get involved." Xiao Yi got married and became a father. He has become much more stable. He is also the future helmsman of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery Mansion. Of course, he will not dare to express any opinions like Xiao Rui.
"Why are you comparing me?" Xiao Yao hated to hear someone bring her and Yun Yichen together.
"Why do I smell jealousy in the room? Brother, could it be that Miss Xie doesn't want to pay attention to you and likes her cousin, and you're jealous?" Xiao Yuan asked Xiao Rui while circling around him with his hands behind his back.
"Nonsense, I wouldn't like anyone who's not as good looking as Ping'an! There's no reason why my sister is so outstanding while my wife is useless!" Xiao Rui said unconvinced.
"Then you'd better be prepared to be single for the rest of your life." Xiao Yuan spread his hands and curled his lips at his brother with disdain.
"How come you don't have any confidence in your brother?"
"Tell me, how can I cultivate this confidence? It's so difficult!"
"you……"
"Stop arguing. The parade is coming this way. Ping'an, go put on your cap." Xiao Yi instructed his younger brothers and sisters to act quickly.
"I don't want to wear that. You four stand in front of the window and I'll hide behind it. Just leave a gap for me so that I can take a look at my third brother when he comes." Xiao Yao really didn't like wearing a hood. She wanted to see her third brother clearly so that she could draw a picture of the runner-up's parade after returning home.
"What if someone sees us?" Xiao Yi refused to give in even though his sister was acting coquettishly and trying to please him.
"I promise no one will see it." Xiao Yao raised two fingers and swore. It would take no matter how long it took for the third brother to pass by the window. No one would notice.
"If anyone sees you, grandpa and father will punish the four of us brothers. Then you will really become a disaster caused by a beautiful woman." Xiao Rui spoke again, seeming quite aggrieved.
"I'm not a child anymore. If I hadn't been watching those ladies throw their purses last time, nothing would have happened."
"Are you here to see me or Prince Yun?" Xiao Rui teased.
"It really is to see Prince Yun." Xiao Yao covered her mouth and laughed secretly, like a child who had secretly eaten candy, she was extremely happy.
"You!" Xiao Yi realized that his sister was just there to watch the fun, not really interested in Yun Yichen himself, so he felt relieved. But then he started to worry again. With Yun Yichen's current status and position, his sister didn't care about him. What kind of husband was she looking for?
"Let's also take a look at the top scholar, Mr. Tang. He has changed a lot since he was a child. I thought he could be the third place!" Xiao Yuan had some impression of Tang Hao and mentioned it casually.
"That child prodigy? He seems to be quite amazing." Xiao Yao admired knowledgeable people very much, and also admired the fact that he studied abroad alone, nothing else.
"You only met once when you were young. Do you still remember each other?" Everyone in the Xiao family except the two sisters knew about Tang Hao's intentions. If his family was not far away in Jiangnan, he would be the best candidate to be the son-in-law of the Xiao family.
Yun Yichen walked to the wall connecting the two rooms and listened carefully to the voices on the other side. If the little girl really had feelings for the newly crowned champion, what would he do? With his pride, he should have just turned around and walked away, but why was he so sad?
"I just think he is quite admirable. He can achieve such excellent results while studying in Beijing alone. The Tang family should be very happy! I remember there was an eighty-year-old centenarian in their family who gave me a jade pendant that year!" The room was full of family members, so Xiao Yao did not hide anything and told them her true thoughts in detail.
"From now on, Tang Hao has become the husband candidate that the daughters of the imperial families in Kyoto are vying for. Who knows who will win in the end?"
Xiao Yi looked at his sister's face and said slowly that his brother had already told his parents and himself that Tang Hao had feelings for Ping An. Such a rare candidate made them hesitant. Finally, Xiao Jingkang decided to see Xiao Yao's attitude. If she was willing, he would let her marry him despite her father's pressure; otherwise, he would refuse decisively and not waste Mr. Tang's time.
"Oh!" Xiao Yao replied with one word, nodded to her second brother with an expression of "I understand", then turned around and lay behind Xiao Jun to watch the parade that was getting closer and closer.
Tang Hao, wearing the top scholar's uniform, rode a tall horse at the front of the team. He looked handsome, gentle and humble.
"Sister, do you think he looks a bit like the groom?" Xiao Yuan was not afraid of being seen and squeezed in among the brothers to join in the fun.
"Looks like it, Third Brother is here. I still like Third Brother better, he's much more handsome than that third place winner. Look, Sister Shangguan is also in the crowd, and she said she doesn't dare to date Third Brother. I think it's obviously consensual, she's just embarrassed to admit it. No, I'm going to test her opinion in a couple of days. Third Brother is already successful, there's no reason for him to still be single!" Xiao Yao glanced at the parade team and focused her attention on Shangguan Yuhan.
Future sister-in-law, please come to my third brother's bowl! Our family is ready to hold another wedding.
This child is very clear-headed when it comes to other people's problems, but she gets confused when it comes to her own. What can she do? Xiao Yi looked at the two sisters who were discussing how to impress Miss Shangguan, and suddenly felt sympathy for his future brother-in-law. How can such an unromantic young wife get along with them?
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