Jiang Chan had originally thought that if Shen Qing went to play, she could tag along and get to know some people. However, Shen Qing didn't seem to have any intention of joining the fun.
Jiang Chan's little sisters were from less prominent families and had married into less prosperous households than her. Naturally, they hadn't received the invitation. With no one she knew around, and Xu Yanchi having gone to the male guests' area, she had no choice but to sit there idly with Shen Qing.
When Ji Junye arrived, the atmosphere instantly turned cold. Fortunately, the Grand Princess was good at organizing things, and soon, the young ladies and gentlemen were having a great time together.
Ji Junye didn't like to chat idly, so the Noble Consort had to step in to liven things up.
"Where's Jingyang? It's been a while, but I still haven't seen her," the Noble Consort asked.
The Grand Princess laughed and said, "She went out early. Maybe she's playing with someone. That girl is getting more and more wild. This morning, I told her to do her makeup, but when I wasn't looking, she grabbed something and ran off. She's becoming more and more unruly and doesn't seem to care about her marriage at all."
Although the Grand Princess was complaining about Ji Qingshu, it was obvious from her words that she doted on the girl.
At this moment, the maid beside her said, "Princess, look. Princess Jingyang is playing cuju over there."
The Grand Princess's gaze immediately shifted over.
"She's really good at playing. It's a pity it's summer. If it were spring and she was playing polo, she'd be like a wild horse running loose!"
The Grand Princess couldn't help but scold with a smile, "Look at her. Where's the dignity of a princess? His Majesty should give her a good talking-to when he gets the chance."
The Noble Consort also laughed and said, "I think the young men on the field are all quite good. Auntie, you should choose a good one for Jingyang today. Your Majesty, what do you think?"
Ji Junye had been looking at Shen Qing. He saw her sitting there, carefully using the lid of the teacup to skim the foam off the tea. Every now and then, she would look at what others were doing. Hearing this, he said, "Jingyang is a princess of the royal family, my only younger sister. Even if she remains unmarried, I can ensure she lives in comfort for a lifetime."
The Noble Consort looked a bit embarrassed and said, "Your Majesty is right."
Seeing that Ji Junye's eyes were always looking outside, the Noble Consort couldn't help but look over. She saw Ji Junye staring at a tree. Just as she was about to ask what was so interesting about the tree, she noticed that there was actually a person sitting under it!
The Noble Consort's view wasn't as good as Ji Junye's. She couldn't see Shen Qing clearly, only vaguely making out that it was a graceful young woman.
An alarm bell went off in the Noble Consort's mind. His Majesty hadn't originally planned to bring her today. She had found out about the banquet in advance and deliberately waited at the door for His Majesty to take her along. Yet, His Majesty had never looked at her so intently!
The Noble Consort's face darkened. She waved for a maid to come closer and whispered in her ear, telling her to find out who was sitting under the tree.
If His Majesty really had feelings for that woman, she had to inform her father in advance. She couldn't let that woman enter the palace!
Under the tree, Shen Qing watched the lively scene below. As expected of the Grand Princess's courtyard. It was spacious, and there were plenty of things to do.
There were games like arrow throwing, backgammon, hook hiding, guessing games, chuiwan, and on both sides, there were cuju fields and archery ranges.
Ji Qingshu was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and was playing cuju on the field with great enthusiasm.
Someone had proposed dividing the players into male and female teams. The martial arts-trained men were afraid of hurting the girls, so they didn't use their full strength. Ji Qingshu didn't care about that. She led the female team and defeated the male team completely. In the end, the male team's score was really pitiful.
Ji Qingshu stood on the field and burst out laughing.
These young men were all somewhat famous. They had never played such a frustrating game of cuju before. Now, being laughed at by Ji Qingshu, and since she was a princess, they didn't even dare to say a harsh word to her.
The person who had proposed the game had originally wanted to please his sweetheart. He had invited his friends to help and planned to let the girls win to make his sweetheart happy. However, although his sweetheart was happy, he had been defeated so badly that he didn't even have the face to propose marriage.
After Ji Qingshu had played a great game of cuju, she left the field quietly. The people on the field dispersed, but the young man who had proposed the game was squatting behind a tree, looking very dejected.
"Hey! Idiot! What are you doing here? Are you a sore loser just because we won?"
The young man turned around and saw his sweetheart peeping at him from behind. His face immediately turned red, and he said, "Of course not!"
"Then what is it?" The little girl jumped out, her round face all scrunched up. "Do you think you've lost face because you lost the game and don't want to be with me anymore?"
"I don't!"
Young love is always shy and passionate. The young man stared wide-eyed and hesitated for a long time. Just as his sweetheart was about to get angry, he finally said coyly, "I'm afraid you think I'm not manly enough. Even the princess plays cuju better than me..."
"That's just what you think. I don't think so. I, I think..."
The little girl's voice got softer and softer. Just as the young man was about to ask what she thought, he suddenly felt a soft touch on his cheek that disappeared in an instant.
"I think you're very manly when you let me win..."
After saying that, the little girl ran away with a blushing face. The young man was stunned for a long time. When he realized that he had been kissed, he was so happy that he almost floated up into the sky.
He tremblingly touched the place where he had been kissed. The soft feeling seemed to still linger there.
When he got back, he would ask his mother to propose marriage!
No, he would ask the Grand Princess to bestow the marriage right away!
Perhaps the two of them were too shy to notice that Shen Qing had witnessed their entire encounter.
Youth is truly wonderful.
She had once fantasized about such a beautiful love, but in the end, it was just a fantasy.
Shen Qing smiled faintly, as if to pay tribute to her youthful fantasies.
She got up to leave.
Jiang Chan asked, "Sis... Madam, where are you going?"
"The restroom."
Jiang Chan didn't ask any more questions.
After Shen Qing left, she didn't go to the restroom. Instead, she headed towards the pavilion where Jiang Chan had met Ji Qingshu in her past life.
She wasn't sure exactly where it was, but there weren't many pavilions around anyway. She just wanted to take a stroll and relax.
As she walked along a long corridor, she suddenly heard some faint voices. As she got closer, she realized they were male voices.
"Have you seen Princess Jingyang? She was really majestic on the cuju field. Her charm is no less than that of a man!"
The teasing voice of another person came, "So, you want to marry the princess?"
The man quickly said, "I wouldn't dare. I want to marry a beautiful young woman. A princess like Jingyang... Would I have to treat her like a brother in bed every day?"
"The princess is valiant and heroic. May I ask what high positions the two of you hold that you dare to talk about the princess like this?"
Just as the two men were talking excitedly, a person suddenly appeared behind them. They were both startled. When they realized that they had been lectured by a strange woman, they were both furious.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere with us? Do you know who I am?" one of them roared.
Shen Qing said, "Who I am is not important. What's important is that talking about the royal family is a capital offense. Sometimes, a slip of the tongue can lead to trouble. Your words and actions are not what a gentleman should do. You sound more like gossiping women in the market. If it weren't a princess but an ordinary woman today, and your words were to spread, how could she get married?"
The two men blushed and were really dissatisfied with Shen Qing's words. One of them stuck out his neck and said angrily, "My father is the prime minister. She's just an unimportant princess. Why would His Majesty blame me for this?"
Stubborn fools.
Shen Qing had brought Zhuxing with her today. Zhuxing had been whipped twenty times the other day. She had originally wanted to bring Yingxiu, but Zhuxing insisted that she was better and wanted to come and protect her. She gave Zhuxing a look, telling her to report what had happened here to Ji Junye later.
Unexpectedly, a strong female voice came from behind.
"What? Do you think you can talk about me casually just because you think I'm not in His Majesty's favor?"