After the servants finished counting, Eldest Princess Jing An was about to speak when she saw that Xiao Zheng had already dismounted at the side gate.
She said, "What is it?"
Xiao Zheng said, "Young Master said that the matter discussed that day was entirely up to your highness, the Eldest Princess."
Eldest Princess Jing An was slightly surprised. She looked at the servants who had their heads lowered and said, "You come with me."
The two of them arrived at a quiet place. Eldest Princess Jing An frowned. "It's rare for Yun'er to care about getting married. It's only been a few days. Why has he changed his mind? Tell me what happened?"
Xiao Zheng hesitated for a moment but still told the truth about what happened that day. Even if he did not say anything, the Eldest Princess only had to send someone to the marketplace to inquire about the ins and outs of the matter.
"This girl of the Bai Family is so arrogant that she doesn't even like my son?" Eldest Princess Jing An was displeased. "Yun'er put down his pride and begged her, but she rejected him so decisively? Does she want to marry a prince?"
Xiao Zheng said, "Fifth Miss Bai is an emotional person. I think she has considered it seriously. However, she is not fated to be with the Young Marquis and is unwilling to become a resentful couple."
Eldest Princess Jing An snorted coldly. "Sure, I don't think much of her. The Northern Garrison Marquis Manor has been around for generations, and she, the daughter of a boorish villager, dares to embarrass Yun'er like this."
"You may leave."
Xiao Zheng sighed, "Your subordinate takes his leave."
…
Due to the upcoming palace examination, the top three in the metropolitan examination were ordered to go to the Imperial College to prepare for the examination.
The top three were Xie Xingyun, Li Jigeng, and Lin Xingjian.
On the day they entered the Imperial College, a banquet had been set up by the official-in-charge of the Imperial College. A few of them sat and discussed the Dao. It became a beautiful scenery in the boring school.
In the hall, a golden peony was laid out on a seat. The woman was wearing a white skirt of plum blossoms that dragged on the floor. Although her facial features could not be said to be beautiful, she was attractive. At this moment, she was taking a teacup from the maid.
This position happened to be opposite Xie Xingyun, and there was no obstruction.
"Your Highness, yesterday, your maidservant heard news that Young Marquis Xie threw a flower at the Bai family's young Miss that day after he had aced the metropolitan examination, but she rejected it. However, in the end, Young Marquis Xie forcefully inserted the flower in the hair of Bai family's young Miss… Now, this news has already spread like wildfire. Everyone is saying that… Young Marquis Xie and Fifth Miss Bai will probably have to choose a date…"
Li Changning's hand that was holding the teacup trembled as she interrupted her unhappily, "Did you hear it correctly? Was that my elder Cousin?"
"That's right. your maidservant dared to report this matter to you only after I had heard it clearly."
With a bang, Li Changning threw the teacup in her hand to the ground and sneered. "Is this how you do things? I told you to keep an eye on Cousin at all times, and that if any woman from Lushan Academy wanted to get close to him, to come and tell me. Now that Cousin and Bai Xianyu have progressed to the point of openly flirting on the streets, then you're telling me?"
The maidservant hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed with all her might, her body trembling. "Seventh Princess, this maidservant always remembers! But Bai Xianyu and Young Marquis Xie rarely interacted in the academy. This maidservant doesn't know when they had gotten together…"
"Useless thing!" Li Changning suppressed her anger. "I'll deal with you when we get back!"
…
"I'm afraid I'll have to embarrass myself in front of His Majesty this time. With Brother Xie and Brother Lin such outstanding talent in front of me, I'm really ashamed…"
"Sigh, Brother Li, you're wrong. You're second place. I think I'll be at the bottom in the end."
The official-in-charge of the Imperial College had already left, and there were only these few people in the courtyard.
Lin Xingjian chatted with Li Jigeng for a while and saw that Xie Xingyun was looking at the pouch at his waist in a daze.