The sound of Fu Laiqing’s voice was loud enough to make Qi Cheng’s head buzz. He covered his ears and said, “Why are you shouting so loudly?”
After rubbing his ears, Qi Cheng replied, “I’m just discussing it, nothing’s decided yet.”
“My mother really likes the daughter of the Qian family. She says her personality is straightforward and her appearance is also good. My father also says that Minister Qian is an open-minded person who doesn’t engage in the usual political intrigues in the court. Marrying his daughter shouldn’t bring too many troubles.”
Qi Cheng didn’t notice that Fu Laiqing’s expression had changed. He just raised his eyes to look at the crowd not far away, where Qian Qiyue, the young lady who was competing in the needle threading contest for the Qixi Festival, was focused on her task. His gaze landed on her face, which was even more delicate than a peony.
They came from a military family. Qi Cheng had been practicing martial arts since childhood, and he didn’t know how to interact with a delicate young lady like her. But the daughter of the Qian family was different.
He recalled the last time he saw this girl holding a whip, chasing after a local thug who had been bullying people, her angry eyes blazing. Qi Cheng couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
She seemed more like the daughter of a military family, and if they were to marry, they would probably get along well.
Standing to the side, Fu Laiqing noticed the expression on his friend’s face and felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
“You like the daughter of the Qian family?”
“It’s not really about liking. I just think it’s a good match.”
Fu Laiqing’s face immediately darkened. “What do you mean by ‘good match’? If you’re marrying someone, it should be because you truly like them.”
Qi Cheng turned his head in surprise. “In families like ours, who talks about true love and affection? It’s already pretty good to find someone suitable. The daughter of the Qian family is good-looking and has a nice personality. We didn’t start off on the wrong foot…”
Before he could finish, Fu Laiqing turned and walked away. Qi Cheng, completely bewildered, hurried to follow him. “Hey, I haven’t finished what I was saying! Why are you leaving?”
Fu Laiqing shrugged off the hand Qi Cheng had placed on his shoulder and looked at his friend’s confused face. He wanted to say something, but after a long pause, he didn’t know what to say. His friend had an engagement lined up, which should have made him happy, but instead, he felt a dull ache in his chest, as if something was lodged there.
Fu Laiqing pursed his lips. “You haven’t even betrothed the daughter of the Qian family yet. Don’t speak about her so casually, or you’ll ruin her reputation.”
Qi Cheng laughed heartily. “I’m just telling you! You’re not going to blabber to anyone else, right?”
Fu Laiqing’s expression remained stern. “It doesn’t matter. A woman’s reputation is more important than anything else. If rumors get out, it could tarnish her name.”
Qi Cheng felt his friend’s strange mood tonight. Normally, they would talk without hesitation, and mentioning marriage wasn’t a big deal. But seeing Fu Laiqing upset, he didn’t press the issue. With a playful tone, he said, “Alright, alright. I won’t mention it again.”
The area by Yinghe Lake was crowded with people. The lakeside was set up with high platforms for the annual Qixi Festival contests.
Fu Laiqing raised his eyes and immediately saw Qian Qiyue among the crowd. She seemed to be standing next to Song Tangning, the daughter of the Song family, who had changed her name to follow her mother’s surname.
The little girl was focused on threading a needle. Qian Qiyue and Song Tangning stood quietly by her side. After a while, Xue Ru was the first to successfully thread the needle and placed it on the silver tray on the table.
As the gong rang, the announcement of "Lady Xue has won" echoed through the crowd, and applause erupted.
“Ah Ru, you’re amazing!”
Qian Qiyue rushed over to hug Xue Ru, laughing and jumping with joy. Even from a distance, it was easy to feel her cheerful mood.
Fu Laiqing softened his expression and couldn’t help but smile along.
“What are you laughing at?” Qi Cheng asked in confusion.
Fu Laiqing straightened his lips. “Nothing…”
He was about to suggest that it was getting late and they should head back when suddenly his attention was drawn to a group of people moving toward another contest stage. Qian Qiyue and the others were heading in that direction, and several people in the crowd appeared to be following them. He had noticed these same people earlier at the tavern, trailing behind Qian Qiyue and her companions.
Was it a coincidence?
Fu Laiqing frowned, unsure whether he was seeing things correctly. After all, most people gathered at Yinghe Lake during the festival, so it could just be that they were on the same path.
However, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he saw Qian Qiyue pulling Song Tangning toward a different direction, and the group of people followed suit, still maintaining the same direction.
Fu Laiqing’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly recalled the incident with Lu Qin, who had plotted to harm Song Tangning by tampering with her carriage and attempting to take her life. He quickly grabbed Qi Cheng and began walking briskly toward the lakeside.
“Hey, hey, Laiqing, what are you doing?” Qi Cheng, who was engrossed in the scene, nearly stumbled as he was dragged along.
Fu Laiqing lowered his voice. “Someone’s trying to harm the Princess of Yiyang!”
Qi Cheng paused for a moment. Princess of Yiyang? Song Tangning?
He quickly turned his gaze to the now-empty spot where Qian Qiyue had been, remembering the little girl in the fine clothes beside her. His face turned serious, and he followed Fu Laiqing into the crowd.
…
“You’re so amazing, Ah Ru! I didn’t expect you to finish threading the needle so quickly!”
Qian Qiyue was smiling broadly as she walked backward, laughing. “Did you see their faces? They were mocking me earlier, but now they’ve been slapped in the face by Ah Ru. Thinking about how they looked just now is so funny!”
Xue Ru’s face turned red from the praise. “I’m not that good…”
It was just threading a needle. She had very few clothes and no spare outfits to change into, so when no one was around at night, she would take her clothes off and repair them herself.
The lamp oil in her courtyard was very little, and sometimes she would save it and learn to thread the needle without any light. She never imagined that one day, she would be praised for this skill.
Song Tangning knew that Xue Ru didn’t know any needlework, as the Song family had never given her the opportunity to learn. She guessed that the reason Xue Ru could thread the needle so fast and accurately was because of her own resourcefulness. Her heart ached as she reached out to touch Xue Ru’s forehead.
“Ah Ru is amazing. Even myself and Sister Qian aren’t as good as you.”
Xue Ru’s face turned even redder, but her eyes sparkled with happiness.
The moment behind them, Hang Li, seeing the little girl’s joy from a few words of praise, furrowed his brows. He suddenly felt that back then, when he only broke Song family’s third son’s leg, he might have been too lenient with him.
As someone came toward them, Song Tangning pulled Qian Qiyue’s hand, and Qian Qiyue grasped it firmly.
“We’ll go over there in a moment. There’s another contest where you throw the needle into the water, and when it floats back up, you look at the reflection. Last year, someone threw out a rabbit, scissors, and a flower. Let’s see what we can get this time…”
“Bang!”
Before Qian Qiyue could finish her sentence, a loud crash echoed from the crowd nearby. It sounded like firecrackers had dropped, and the sudden explosion of light and sound scared everyone around them. The lively and crowded atmosphere instantly turned chaotic.
Song Tangning was caught off guard by the sudden uproar and, along with Qian Qiyue, stumbled forward. As she reached out to grab Xue Ru, she saw that Xue Ru had already been knocked backward by someone.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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