Ruyi lifted the hibiscus white jade cup beside her hand and took a light sip. The wine’s fragrance filled her teeth, entering her throat with lingering warmth.

Setting down the cup, the hunting ground before her eyes was already heated with atmosphere. More than forty young men and women in colorful clothes rode imperial horses, shouting at each other as if in demonstration. In the place they surrounded, a Heaven-Reaching Pillar towered into the clouds, with a blue tassel of red jade of excellent quality tied at its peak, shimmering with rippling light.

Li Zhaoying pointed at it with great pride: “I won it last year, and His Majesty rewarded me with a mansion at Houchao Gate.”

Ruyi clicked her tongue: “His Majesty truly shows deep imperial grace.”

Mansions in Lin’an City were not cheap. Many officials with meager salaries could only rent small courtyards for temporary residence, let alone those near Houchao Gate, which were worth millions in gold just for their proximity.

She couldn’t help but ask: “Does he also reward mansions this year?”

Zhaoying pursed her lips: “If he were still rewarding mansions, would I be sitting here? This year, it’s the marriage arrangements. Whoever seizes the red jade can be granted a marriage.”

Ruyi disappointedly settled her delicate posterior back into her seat.

Zhaoying glanced to the side and suddenly caught sight of someone.

“Eh?” After carefully examining that person and confirming she hadn’t done anything wrong, she was puzzled. “Isn’t Ningyuan Marquis already betrothed to the Wen family? Why is he also entering the field?”

Ruyi followed her gaze and saw that He Zeyou had changed into narrow-sleeved casual clothes and was mounting his horse.

She raised an eyebrow, thought briefly, then smiled: “How could this marquis be a creature of the pond? If he seizes the red jade, he can request any marriage. Perhaps he wants to catch a prince consort position. How could he not compete?”

Zhaoying shook her head repeatedly: “The Wen family’s betrothal came first. Even if there were a princess of suitable age, she wouldn’t be willing to enter the household second. He probably wants to take a noble concubine.”

What kind of noble concubine would be worth seizing the blue tassel red jade for? Just as Ruyi was about to ask, she saw that brown horse heading straight toward her.

“Does Yi’er still remember two years ago?” He reined his horse not far from her, saying softly, “I wore these same clothes and seized the red jade for you.”

It seemed there was such an incident.

Ruyi searched through her mind.

That was the moment Liu Ruyi loved him most. At that time, He Zeyou was still just a city guard who had the fortune to come to this hunting ground thanks to her. Green clothes on a brown horse, bravely seizing the red jade, the focus of thousands on the field, yet he turned back and walked straight toward her, presenting the red jade before her, his eyes filled with her reflection.

No wonder Liu Ruyi was moved. Who wouldn’t be stirred by such a scene?

But now…

Ruyi wouldn’t flatter herself into thinking this man had changed his heart and wanted to marry her. The Marquis Manor had now fallen into decline and relied on pawning to maintain expenses. What He Zeyou wanted was merely her shops.

With lips slightly curved, Ruyi raised her wine cup in a toast to him: “The past cannot be pursued. Marquis, please look to the side.”

In a pavilion not far away, Wen Zhenxue gazed from afar at this scene, the handkerchief in her hands nearly rubbed to pieces.

He Zeyou dared not look over. He knew this action would offend the Wen family. If he couldn’t seize the red jade back, it would be even more of a loss.

Without saying anything more, he rode his horse into the field with everything at stake.

The Central Palace Empress sat in the main pavilion, speaking with Shen Qiyuan.

“You’re not young anymore either. You should start a family before establishing your career. Dragging on like this, how can I account to Heyang?”

Shen Qiyuan looked at those people in the field with little interest: “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”

Another such perfunctory answer. The Central Palace Empress sighed directly: “Among so many people, isn’t there even one you fancy? General Hou’s daughter has directly said she wants to compete for you, and the Zhao family’s daughter is also in the field. If nothing else works, Zhaoying would be fine too. At least you know each other well.”

“Setting others aside, would Your Majesty also randomly arrange Princess Jinghong’s marriage? Aren’t you afraid the Song family boy will cause trouble in the palace?” Shen Qiyuan smiled lightly.

“The Song family boy?” The Central Palace was puzzled. “Song Zhenshan? How could that be? He doesn’t like Zhaoying.”

Shaking his head lightly, Shen Qiyuan leaned back: “Your Majesty need not say more. In today’s situation, Ziyan wouldn’t necessarily—”

Before his words finished, he caught sight of He Zeyou riding forward.

His eyes tightened slightly as he pressed his lips together.

“What’s wrong?” His speech abruptly stopping, the Central Palace looked at him in confusion.

“Nothing.” Suddenly rising, Shen Qiyuan bowed to her with cupped hands. “Your Majesty has taken such pains for Ziyan’s sake. Naturally, Ziyan cannot disappoint you. I shall go compete as well.”

Having said this, he moved quickly, jumping down from the side of the platform and calling in a low voice: “Tingchuan.”

Zhou Tingchuan held the idle duty of carrying Master Shen’s riding equipment. Every year, whatever condition it came in was what condition it went back in, to the point where he had been secretly sipping wine in the back. Unexpectedly, he was called.

He rose in surprise and saw his master striding over, his right hand quickly taking the bamboo hook while his left hand pulled, and the red and white riding outfit was draped over his body.

As a fellow man, Zhou Tingchuan couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. His master truly stood independent between heaven and earth, like clear wind scattered with orchid snow. From appearance to bearing, he was the finest autumn scenery on this field.

He mounted his horse, and the surrounding pavilions immediately stirred with commotion.

“Master Shen has entered the field! Does he also have a marriage he wishes to seek?”

“How could that be? I’ve never heard of it. Just now, I saw the Central Palace Empress having trouble persuading him.”

“That horse is truly beautiful. Is it a snow steed?”

“Are you trying to praise the horse or the person?”

“How annoying…”

Green hair ornaments and red sleeves all craned their necks to look. As that snow steed mixed into the field, the atmosphere within immediately reached a boiling point.

Zhaoying looked thoughtfully at Ruyi: “It’s you, isn’t it?”

“What?” Ruyi was concentrating on appreciating Shen Qiyuan’s graceful bearing and didn’t turn her head.

Zhaoying said earnestly, “All these years, he has never had any desire to compete for the blue tassel red jade. Even when I won it last year and wanted to give it to him, he ignored me. This year, you came, and he entered the field. If not to seek marriage with you, what else could it be for?”

Ruyi looked sideways with amusement: “Little Princess, given my status and his status, if he wanted to marry me, would it have to be an imperial marriage grant?”

“Maybe he just wants to give you glory.”

“He wouldn’t.” She snorted with laughter. “Shen Qiyuan wouldn’t want to marry anyone, and neither would I.”

It was just that Shen Qiyuan’s reason was his special official position—he didn’t want anyone to become his weakness and add unnecessary troubles. Her reason was not wanting to be bound by worldly rules. Once married, she couldn’t even go to Comfortable Pleasure Wine House. What would be the point?

However, Shen Qiyuan truly seemed to want that red jade very much. As soon as the Central Palace command flag dropped, among those forty-plus horses, he charged the fastest, reaching the Welcoming Wind Memorial Arch half a step ahead of He Zeyou.

The jade-seizing game required first using the bamboo hook in hand to take down the mugwort sachets hanging on the Welcoming Wind Memorial Arch. After collecting twenty, they would be placed in a plate beside it, then one could charge straight to the Heaven-Reaching Pillar and figure out how to climb up and pluck the red jade.

He Zeyou’s movements were already very fast, but he was always one step slower than Shen Qiyuan. Just as he finished picking the sachets, Shen Qiyuan had already begun running toward the Heaven-Reaching Pillar.

His expression darkening, He Zeyou slightly tugged the reins. When passing by Shen Qiyuan, he struck the snow steed’s front hoof with his bamboo hook.

The snow steed, startled, reared up on its hind legs and let out a long neigh.