Tang Ning was quite surprised by Qian Qi Yue's words, and even Xue Ru beside her couldn't help but look at her.
Qian Qi Yue's personality was fiery, and she was always serious, unable to tolerate even the smallest bit of nonsense. She was straightforward and never put up with anything that made her uncomfortable. They had thought that she would be very picky about marriage, perhaps choosing someone she liked, or someone who met her own standards. They didn't expect her to be so "casual" about it.
Seeing that both of them were looking at her, Qian Qi Yue raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me?"
"Don’t you want to find someone you like, Qian sister?" Xue Ru asked softly.
Qian Qi Yue smiled calmly. "Of course I do. What girl doesn't want to find a perfect husband? But where can you find anything that is perfect in this world? The good-looking ones might not have a good family background; the ones with a good family might not have a good character. Even if someone meets all the criteria, they might not like me."
"My mother always says I lack guile, and my father worries that I’ll be wronged when I marry, so they will definitely choose the most suitable person according to their standards. Instead of trusting my heart, which may take its time, it’s better to marry the person they pick for me. My parents would never deceive me."
Qian Qi Yue wasn’t someone who hadn’t thought about the kind of passionate, fateful love found in stories, but the reality was that such men were rare. More often, marriages were formed for various reasons of "suitability." Just like her parents, they had initially been married by her grandparents' arrangement, and only after many years did they develop a truly deep and loving relationship.
She would follow her parents’ wishes and marry the "most suitable" person. If, after marriage, they had the same kind of loving relationship her parents had, that would be ideal. But even if not, she would still be able to live in peace, respecting one another.
Xue Ru listened thoughtfully to Qian Qi Yue’s words, but Tang Ning, observing the carefree Qian Qi Yue, couldn’t help but smile softly.
Wasn’t Qian Qi Yue’s perspective also a kind of "enlightenment"?
Love at first sight and undying devotion might exist, but how many men could achieve such a thing with time? The relationship between King Cheng and Auntie had been deeply praised by the world, yet in the end, it almost cost Auntie's life.
Thinking about it, she herself wasn’t any different. In her past life, she had been obsessed with love, seemingly brainless, entangled in feelings that couldn’t come to fruition. In the end, it led to disaster. If it weren’t for meeting her older brother in this life, if he hadn’t taken care of her bit by bit, she probably wouldn’t have been able to open her heart again.
Qian Qi Yue wrapped her arm around Tang Ning and Xue Ru. "Alright, enough about me. Look, up ahead, there's some kind of commotion. It looks lively. Let's hurry up!"
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"Ah Qing?"
Not far away, in a restaurant, several young men were drinking and laughing when one of them suddenly seemed lost in thought, staring at the crowd below.
Seeing Fu Laiqing's gaze fall on the crowd, his friend sitting beside him couldn't help but nudge his shoulder and follow his gaze. "What are you looking at? Why are you staring so intently?"
Fu Laiqing pushed his friend's hand away. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" The man raised an eyebrow. "If it’s nothing, why are you staring over there so intently, like you've been bewitched?"
At these words, the others at the table couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
"Qi Ge, you’ve got it right. Fu Ge must have seen a beautiful woman."
"Yeah, with the Qixi Festival here, there must be a lot of unmarried girls out tonight. Perhaps Fu Ge has seen his beloved."
Fu Laiqing listened to their teasing and immediately spat, "If I had someone I liked, would I still be here with you all?" He was simply looking at that beautiful little peacock from the Qian family. He noticed that in the crowd, there seemed to be Princess Yi Yang and people from Jiyun Alley, likely out enjoying the festivities.
Both women were smiling as they walked through the crowd, their appearance striking no matter where they were. From the looks of it, the incident involving the Lu family’s secret plot seemed to have passed.
When Fu Laiqing saw that the two women had already blended into the crowd and were no longer in sight, he finished his drink and placed his cup back on the table. "I’ve had enough for today. It’s getting dark, I need to head back."
"So early?" His friend, who had been leaning on him, asked in surprise. "Could it be that there’s a beauty waiting for you?"
"Bah!"
Fu Laiqing shot his friend a glare. "Stop bringing that up. I made a mistake a few days ago, and my uncle gave me some work to do. I need to hand it in soon. Plus, I have duty tomorrow. If I get drunk and cause trouble, my uncle will break my legs."
The others burst out laughing.
"Why are you so afraid of Lord Cao?"
"Yeah, you’re already an adult, why does Lord Cao still treat you like a child?"
"Exactly! What’s there to be afraid of? Today’s the Qixi Festival, if you don’t feel like going to work tomorrow, just make up an excuse. With Lord Cao backing you, who would dare say anything?"
Fu Laiqing glanced at the person who spoke. "You don’t know what my uncle is like? If I dare use his name to bully people in the office, he’ll immediately denounce me as a traitor. By then, I won’t even have a place to cry. I’m not ready to die yet."
He ignored the others’ attempts to keep him and said to his friend, "Qi Cheng, you stay and have fun with them. I’m heading out."
The man called Qi Cheng’s expression changed slightly. He had only wanted Fu Laiqing to have some fun, but now things had turned awkward. He glanced at the person who had been teasing Fu Laiqing earlier, and then said apologetically to Fu Laiqing, "Go ahead."
Fu Laiqing nodded and left.
Once he was gone, the others spoke up.
"Lord Cao is really strict with Fu Ge."
"Yeah, I’ve heard he’s even more concerned about him than his own nephews."
"Yeah, what’s so good about that? He’s not even his real grandfather. Lord Cao’s overbearing. Fu Ge really is unlucky to be treated like a child even at this age. Doesn’t he worry about being ridiculed?"
Once the words were out, those who had previously spoken with envy fell silent.
Although they said Fu Laiqing was being overly controlled, they were secretly envious. The Fu family had only entered the upper echelons of the capital because of Fu Laiqing’s grandfather, who had a high position. But Fu Laiqing's parents were utterly useless.
Looking at how things were going, it was going to be difficult for Fu Laiqing to make a name for himself. Yet, who would have thought that he would be so lucky to have a distinguished maternal uncle in the imperial court?
The Cao family and the Fu family were very close. Lord Cao treated Fu Laiqing as his own grandson, and the other nephews of the Cao family didn’t resent Fu Laiqing’s preferential treatment. In fact, they got along very well with him. With their support, even though Fu Laiqing’s parents were ineffectual, his future in the imperial court would be bright.
As for them, although their fathers and grandfathers held official positions, they were far from having the power and influence of Lord Cao. Moreover, they all had brothers, so the attention and resources from their elders were divided among them.
If the brothers got along well, it was fine, but many of them were at odds with each other, each with their own agenda, and they had to fight behind the scenes to win the favor of their elders. If they wanted to enter the court, they had to scheme and struggle. How could they not envy Fu Laiqing’s straightforward path to success in the imperial court?
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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