Hearing this, Wen Ruxue feigned surprise. She spoke up, "Young Master Tang has been in the Western Regions for some time. You should understand the local customs here, right?"
Tang Youyou nodded in response.
"You should also know that those who serve as officials in the Western Regions basically can't leave this place," Wen Ruxue continued.
As soon as Wen Ruxue said this, Tang Youyou instantly felt something strange.
What puzzled her was why Wen Ruxue would suddenly shift her attention to "Young Master Tang", who seemingly had nothing to do with her.
Following Wen Ruxue's words, Tang Youyou asked, "So, Your Highness means..."
Seeing that Tang Youyou was still pretending to be innocent, Wen Ruxue said straightforwardly, "It means that you might have to stay in the Western Regions forever. After all, a handsome young man like you must be popular among many girls."
"Today, I'd like to take the initiative to find a marriage for this well - known Young Master Tang. Moreover, this is what the ministers present have been looking forward to. I believe that Young Master Tang... or rather, Inspector Tang won't refuse, right?"
Goodness! This woman wanted to find a marriage for her. Why was she playing the matchmaker out of the blue? Tang Youyou thought to herself that she hadn't done anything to offend her.
Due to Wen Ruxue's proposal, the originally taciturn civil officials all became eager to express their opinions.
Rong Jiangyu certainly knew what Wen Ruxue was up to. He had heard in the Ming Dynasty's imperial palace that Tang Youyou and Concubine Wen had never gotten along well.
It seemed that Wen Ruxue had come prepared this time, afraid that Tang Youyou wouldn't take the bait.
Rong Jiangyu followed the civil officials' wishes and casually pointed at one of them, Lord Wang, the Minister of Revenue.
Lord Wang hurriedly walked out of the crowd, hunched over, and slowly made his way to the center. With a hoarse voice, he struggled to express his innermost thoughts.
"Your Highness, this Young Master Tang is handsome and clearly a man of integrity and great potential. I dare to recommend my little daughter to Inspector Tang. I hope that Inspector Tang can live with my daughter and spend the rest of their lives together. If so, I'll have no regrets in this life."
Hearing this, the wine that Tang Youyou had in her mouth couldn't be held back any longer and all spilled out. She looked at the old man strangely, feeling that he was somewhat familiar.
Right! This was the old man who had gone to her courtyard to propose a marriage the other day. This old man always thought that she had an affair with Rong Jiangyu and that his Highness had a preference for men.
She was so wronged! She really had no way to express her grievances.
Tang Youyou was about to stand up and refute, but then she saw a beautiful young woman in a green dress appearing behind the old man.
This young woman was extremely good - looking. She had an oval face that grew more appealing the longer one looked at it. Although she wasn't as stunning as Tang Youyou in women's clothing, she was still one of the most beautiful women in the Western Regions.
The woman walked gracefully towards them. Facing everyone's gazes, she became even more composed. She knelt on the ground and her voice was extremely pleasant.
"I, Shen Mengyun, pay my respects to Your Highness and the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. May both of you enjoy good fortune and peace!"
Her voice was like a silver bell ringing in everyone's ears. Some girls envied her for her courage, while others were jealous of Shen Mengyun because they didn't have the guts.
Shen Mengyun glanced at Tang Youyou. Tang Youyou was dressed in white, with a handsome face as if carved by a knife, looking like a refined young master from a wealthy family. There was a hint of ambiguity in Shen Mengyun's eyes.
But when her gaze fell on Rong Xun beside Tang Youyou, she couldn't help shivering. Although this man had a face that could make both gods and humans jealous, there was a hint of killing intent in his deep eyes.
This man gave her the first impression of being extremely dangerous!
Shen Mengyun knelt on the ground and said sincerely, "Your Highness, I'd like to boldly play a piece on the guqin for everyone here. If I can win everyone's favor, could Your Majesty give me a reward?"
Shen Mengyun spoke very implicitly, but Rong Jiangyu understood what she wanted and nodded in agreement.
"Sure. You can start now."
After their conversation, two people walked over from afar, carrying a fine guqin in their hands. Every string of the guqin was brand - new, as if it had been carefully prepared by Shen Mengyun.
Shen Mengyun sat in front of the guqin. Her slender fingers continuously plucked the strings, and the beautiful music spread out, calming people's minds.
There were many playing techniques in it, really giving people the feeling of "big pearls and small pearls falling on a jade plate".
Tang Youyou was also deeply immersed in it, completely forgetting that the girl's father had just proposed a marriage for her.
As Shen Mengyun played the last note, Tang Youyou slowly opened her eyes. She looked at the girl, so gentle, virtuous, and kind. Lord Wang was really good at raising his daughter.
Rong Jiangyu clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Lord Wang's daughter is truly proficient in all aspects of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It's just that there's not much time today. If there were, I'd definitely let your wonderful daughter show off her talents properly."
He looked at the girl in front of him with a smile and then softened his tone, probing, "Since you've won everyone's favor here, then tell me what you want. As long as it's something I can do, I'll give it to you."
Rong Xun's eyes seemed to be glued to Tang Youyou and couldn't be moved away.
Rong Xun leaned close to Tang Youyou's ear and said in an extremely charming voice, "Do you know? This little girl might... have feelings for you."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou immediately turned her head and looked at Rong Xun, who seemed to be acting non -chalantly, as if he hadn't said those words just now.
Tang Youyou frowned and said with a bad temper, "You're really hopeless!"
On the other side, Shen Mengyun slowly said, "I'd like to ask for a marriage for myself, a marriage between me and this Young Master Tang."
Rong Jiangyu found the situation getting more and more interesting and immediately responded, "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Shen Mengyun said, "I had a brief encounter with this young master. Since then, I've been unable to forget his face. Such a wonderful young man has been lingering in my mind. I miss him so much that I can't eat or sleep well."
"But when I learned that this Young Master Tang has become the Inspector Tang in the Western Regions, I couldn't hold back my longing any longer. So I came here to ask Your Highness for a marriage, which will also bring joy to the Western Regions!"