She recalled that rainy day when she had been extremely embarrassed in front of Zhao Qin. However, Zhao Qin truly had the air of a literati, and she was really grateful for his help that day.
"That's not the case. I've heard that Zhao Qin has taken a concubine. I can't approve of this. If you were to marry into his family, you'd surely have to compete with that concubine. That won't do," the old lady frowned. "As for General Wu, although he's a capable general who has just moved to the capital after making great military contributions, his wife is a village woman, and his mother also comes from a small - time rural family. There'll be endless troubles in such a family. You should avoid getting too close to his son. Otherwise, he might pester you."
Liu Yushu rarely saw the old lady gossiping about family matters. She couldn't help but smile: "Granddaughter understands. Grandmother, please rest assured. Tomorrow when I go, I'll just eat and drink. I won't care about anything else."
"That's right," the old lady beamed.
It wasn't that the old lady looked down on village women, but the mother - in - law and daughter - in - law of the Wu family were truly petty. After the Wu family moved to the capital, they had been sneered at by the capital's nobility because of their humble origins.
The next afternoon, Liu Yushu changed into a light green dress, and Zui Tao helped her do her hair. She looked at the rough silver hairpin at the bottom of the jewelry box. The crystal embedded on it used to be shiny, but now it had turned dull and yellowish on the surface. It was obviously a cheap street - stall item.
"Miss, this hairpin is so old. Why do you still keep it?" Zui Tao asked in surprise. Even the maids in the mansion wouldn't look twice at such a hairpin.
Liu Yushu just smiled and said nothing. She silently put the hairpin back.
In the afternoon, she took a sedan chair carried by two men to the Marquis of Xianping's Mansion. After getting off the sedan chair, a maid from the marquis's mansion led her into the main hall.
The front hall of the Marquis of Xianping's Mansion was magnificent.
"Miss Shu, the tea party is about to start. Come with me to the back to taste the tea," Mrs. Zhang greeted her with a big smile. She pulled Liu Yushu through the corridor towards the back.
Along the way, the gentle breeze blew. There was a small bridge and a flowing stream in the back, creating a unique and secluded scene. There were also many precious trees planted beside the lake. In summer, it was very cool. The clear lake water made people feel open - minded and in a good mood.
Liu Yushu couldn't help but secretly sigh that the Marquis of Xianping's Mansion truly lived up to the emperor's favor.
The long seats were already occupied by the young ladies, except for the one on Mrs. Zhang's left.
"Come, Miss Shu, please take your seat," Mrs. Zhang smiled and motioned for her to sit down.
Liu Yushu smiled politely. This seat was reserved for her.
Liu Yushu slowly sat down, and Mrs. Zhang smilingly asked the maid to pour tea for her.
She then noticed there were two tea bowls in front of her.
Mrs. Zhang said, "Today we have chrysanthemum tea brewed with snow water, and Tieguanyin tea, which was bestowed by the emperor last year and also brewed with snow water. It tastes wonderful. Which one do you prefer, Miss Shu?" Her tone was very kind.
Liu Yushu smiled politely and said, "Both are good. I've never tasted either before. I'll have a try of both today." This answer was very clever.
Mrs. Zhang's question was a bit malicious. One was her own tea, and the other was the tea bestowed by the emperor. If Liu Yushu chose one, she would offend the other. So she decided to drink both.
Seeing this, the other young ladies sitting there were only envious, jealous, and resentful. Mrs. Zhang's attitude towards them was completely different just now.
Two young ladies sitting at the end started whispering to each other.
"Who is she? Mrs. Zhang is such a proud person, but look how enthusiastic she was towards her just now. She was almost about to pour tea for her personally."
"Don't you even know her? Your question makes me think you've just come from the deep mountains. She's the legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Liu and a well - known figure in the capital's noble circle."
"So she's the legitimate daughter of the grand tutor that all the young masters in the capital are vying to marry. She's really beautiful. Not only men, but even I, a woman, would be captivated if I looked at her for a while."
"She's one of the most beautiful women in the capital. Haven't you heard that even the Third Prince is interested in her? But Concubine Yun is so domineering, and her father is on the Crown Prince's side. The Third Prince was severely scolded by Concubine Yun just for mentioning her once."
Liu Yushu knew that people would surely talk about her behind her back, but she pretended not to know and focused on drinking tea.
Mrs. Zhang's tea party was held in two venues. The young ladies were tasting tea in this courtyard, while the young masters were composing poems in the southern courtyard.
After the tea - tasting, Mrs. Zhang led the young ladies to the southern courtyard. Originally, Liu Yushu was being led by Mrs. Zhang at the front, but she thought that if she was led by Mrs. Zhang, she would surely attract attention when they reached the southern courtyard. She didn't want to be too high - profile, so she made an excuse, stayed behind for a while, and then slowly walked to the southern courtyard.
The trees in the southern courtyard were denser than those in the northern courtyard. The wind blew through the leaves, making a rustling sound. There were huge ice blocks placed at the four corners of the courtyard, and the wind blowing towards them was very cool.
Liu Yushu hid behind the shade of a tree. Her gaze passed through the intertwined branches as she watched the people in the courtyard. The green leaves clustered around her fair and beautiful face, making her look like a red flower among the green leaves, extremely beautiful. Her almond - shaped eyes were full of tenderness and glistening. A servant in the courtyard accidentally caught sight of her and immediately stared at her in a daze.
In the courtyard, the young ladies seemed a bit constrained when they saw five or six young masters there. They covered their faces with fans, showing only their eyes as they flirted with the young masters. Soon, Liu Yushu could feel the ambiguous atmosphere pervading the courtyard.
"Miss, shall we go over there?" Zui Tao handed her a light - gauze fan with a white jade bamboo handle. "This is prepared by Mrs. Zhang for all the young ladies."
Liu Yushu shook her head with a smile and took the fan in her hand. The handle of the fan was slightly cool, and it felt very comfortable to hold. She thought that Mrs. Zhang was really thoughtful.
Well, since today was a matchmaking event for young ladies and young masters, it was natural to be well - prepared.
"Accompany me to stand on the pavilion for a while," Liu Yushu said as she turned towards the small bridge. She had no interest in the matchmaking at all.
Little did she know that a figure behind her had already been completely captivated by her graceful figure. Zhao Qin followed her, walking and stopping, for fear of being discovered by her.
He stared at Liu Yushu's back, his heart burning like a raging fire. He kept swallowing his saliva, and his breathing was already extremely rapid.