Chapter 60: Second Cousin is Tempted and Concerned
Not only the old ladies were shocked, everyone present stared with eyes wide open in confusion. Princess Qinghuan continued to drink her tea calmly, as if she didn't need any rebuttal or opinions from outsiders, and just needed acceptance and approval.

It was the cousin-in-law Xiang who came to the rescue first and spoke to Princess Qinghuan.

"Congratulations, Princess."

"Madam, you are so polite. This princess and Prince Consort Cheng would like to thank you in advance."

At this point, even those who still had doubts and confusion no longer dared to show any surprise, and instead everyone began to admire.

Princess Qinghuan was fine, after all, she had been raised in the palm of her hand since she was a child. But Cheng Dengping next to her was a little bit uncomfortable with it. His ears were red and he looked a little anxious.

He was clearly just a scholar, so how come he became a Jinshi in the same year as his eldest cousin?

With Princess Qinghuan around, it would be easy to forge an identity, but Jiang Shiyuan didn't understand why the princess did this, and she could see that this marriage was not what Cheng Dengping wanted, but since everyone was present, she couldn't ask too much. She could only suppress the matter silently and speak up when she had the chance.

Instead, Pei Zisu glanced at Princess Qinghuan and saw the confidence and determination she showed when she looked at him. In an instant, he understood something. It seemed that there was a big fish behind Cheng Dengping.

But what exactly is this fish?
It was unexpected that Qinghuan, a princess of a country, could use her marriage as bait, so he also became curious.

Because of the arrival of Princess Qinghuan, the banquet in the mansion was naturally more lively than before. The ladies did not have many opportunities to see Princess Qinghuan on weekdays, so at this time, even if they could not catch the princess's eye, they would still come forward to make themselves familiar with her. Therefore, with her presence, and the two old ladies' eloquence, the atmosphere at the banquet was unusually good.

Jiang Shiyuan didn't move forward at this time. Pei Zisu stood next to her. He knew that she was not a person who liked to show off, so he kept her company.

The two of them stood at the door, and soon, they saw Pei Ziyao, who had been out for a courtesy, came back. Seeing her energetic look, Jiang Shiyuan seemed to relax a lot. Thinking that it was her first time meeting Princess Qinghuan, he was afraid that she might cause any trouble, so he stepped forward and gave her a few words of advice.

"Cousin, Princess Qinghuan is here."

"Oh? Really? Then I have to go and take a look."

"The princess has always been the most dazzling person in the crowd since she was young. I know that my cousin is the same. But sometimes it is better to keep a low profile to avoid being seen and spread unnecessary rumors."

Pei Ziyao was not stupid, so he could naturally hear that Jiang Shiyuan was doing this for his own good, so his impression of his future sister-in-law was further elevated. He then smiled sweetly, walked forward, and agreed.

"I understand. This is Xijing City after all, and she is a princess."

Pei Ziyao's personality is free and straightforward to put it nicely, but if you have to argue about it, then he is a little too straightforward. This is the first time the two of them are dealing with each other, so it is better to be gentle on him, so Jiang Shiyuan said this.

Pei Zisu, who was standing by, heard it and whispered into Jiang Shiyuan's ear.

"Don't think this girl is too straightforward. She has a lot of ideas. Even if you don't remind her today, she will know what to do."

Pei Zisu's words were full of sarcasm. He knew very well that his cousin Anian was doing this for the good of her younger sister. But even though his sister had grown up in the army for so many years, she still had to learn the rules and etiquette. Therefore, he was not afraid that his sister would lose her manners in front of the princess.

"Is that so? Then wouldn't I be adding unnecessary details?"

"No, you will be her sister-in-law in the future, so it's for her good to say a few more words."

Pei Zisu's words were full of doting, and Jiang Shiyuan shrugged helplessly. The two turned around and saw Pei Ziyao in the house making Princess Qinghuan very happy with just a few words. She was indeed a daughter carefully cultivated by the Pei family, who could ride a horse to stabilize the country and also be good at dancing in the backyard.

"Cousin is right, cousin is really amazing!" They were not the only ones who had the same thought. The ladies who had children and nephews at home looked at Pei Ziyao like bees seeing a honey pot, and everyone's eyes lit up.

This is the girl from the Pei family.

His identity, appearance, and ability were all impeccable. If one could win her favor, then no matter whose family it was, their status would rise. So someone mentioned it to Mrs. Pei.

"I wonder if Miss Pei is engaged?"

Mrs. Pei certainly understood what the other party meant, but she did not want her daughter's marriage to have anything to do with these powerful people in Xijing City, so she said something ambiguous.

"I have selected a few families for her and they are looking at each other now."

Upon seeing this, the lady also realized that the Pei family had no intention of marrying them, so she did not force it any further and turned to talk to other ladies. Marquis's wife Pei, who was sitting next to her, was a little puzzled, and then she leaned in and asked in a low voice.

"When did sister-in-law introduce someone to Ziyao? How come I didn't know?"

"With her personality, what do you think would happen if she knew I was talking about this with the ladies here?"

This rhetorical question made Madam Pei unable to help but chuckle. She turned to look at her niece Pei Ziyao. Yes, if this girl knew that her marriage had become a topic of gossip, she would definitely make a big fuss.

She pressed the powder on the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and felt that today was a very interesting birthday. Her mind was focused on the house and she didn't notice that her second son, who usually walked the cat and played with the dog in the pavilion outside the house, seemed to be a little different.

In addition to Jiang Shiyuan, the Jiang family's visitors today also include Old Madam Jiang, the Third Miss Jiang, and the Fourth Miss Jiang.

Jiang Huaishan was talking with other people with his nephew Jiang Shilin and his elder brother-in-law Wenyuanhou. Old Madam Jiang was also not idle. She dressed up carefully. Although she was not dressed in jewels, she still looked like a wealthy old lady at first glance.

Jiang Shishu and Jiang Shiyue behind her were like two flowers in bud, one looked like a gardenia, peaceful, elegant and fresh; the other looked like a hydrangea, a cluster of flowers, lively and bustling.

After seeing those young ladies from aristocratic families being either aloof or ostentatious, many young masters were curious about the two girls from the Jiang family whom they had never met before. So one of them boldly asked his second cousin Wang Kuan.

"Is this your cousin too?"

"I guess so, but we seldom interacted with each other before."

"You are a very lucky boy. Not only is your cousin as beautiful as a fairy, but these two are also rare beauties. Why don't you introduce one or two to me?"

The person who was speaking was Qiu Bojun, the son of the Shaoqing of Weiwei Temple, a good friend of his second cousin Wang Kuan.

He is a warm and cheerful person, but he is also a casual person, so when he asked this question, I was just purely curious and did not have any dirty thoughts. However, Wang Kuan had some other ideas in his mind, so he glanced at Qiu Bojun and issued a warning.

"Don't have any evil thoughts. They are all illegitimate girls. They can't stand your teasing. If someone sees them, they might say they are trying to get close to the rich and powerful. With your status, your family won't let you choose a illegitimate girl from the Jiang family, so you'd better stay away."

"Hey, are you having a good time today? I just said a few words and you're refuting me? I'm afraid you have some bad intentions and are deliberately picking on me, right?"

Qiu Bojun's words made Wang Kuan blush. It was rare to see him avoiding eye contact. The brothers from Weiwei Temple were so happy that they all came over and spoke teasingly.