“Did you all know? The Marquis Jing’an’s residence has requested the Minister of Rites to serve as matchmaker and has gone to the Li family to propose marriage again!”

“Gone again? What is Marquis Jing’an’s residence after? This is simply a mismatch in social standing.”

“We don’t know what they’re after, but the Li family is certainly basking in glory. A mere daughter of a Hanlin Academy compiler, able to become the wife of a First Rank Marquis upon marriage—tsk tsk, this kind of honor is something countless people couldn’t obtain even if they begged for it.”

Beneath the roadside trees outside Xingzi Alley, a tea stall had appeared at some unknown time, filled with people watching the excitement, now gathered together discussing the Li family’s fresh news.

“So the Li family agreed?”

“How could they not agree? This is a fine match that would be hard to find even with a lantern. The man is the Marquis Guanjun! When the Marquis Guanjun led the Northern Expedition Army into the city to receive rewards, our neighbor Old Wang’s third daughter caught just one distant glimpse and fell into lovesickness. Even now, she cries and refuses to marry anyone.”

With winter leisure and such warm, gentle sunny weather, people finally had such talk-worthy material. The more they spoke, the more excited they became, and no one noticed a carriage quietly driving out of Xingzi Alley.

Those discussion sounds drilled into her ears. Li Jiǎo, sitting inside the carriage, felt irritated and vexed, and suddenly lifted the curtain to look outside.

“Miss—” Her maid Xing’er was startled and couldn’t help calling out.

Li Jiǎo angrily dropped the curtain, her face covered with frost: “What? Do I need your permission to look at the scenery outside?”

Her days were truly stifling. Everything was unsatisfactory, and even her maid was timid and fearful, completely lacking the cleverness of Chun Fang and Qiu Lu.

“This servant dare not.” Xing’er lowered her head.

Li Jiǎo sneered coldly: “Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking? Let me tell you, no matter how bad my circumstances become, I’m still your master. Since you’ve become my maid, in the future we will share prosperity and adversity. You’d better weigh this point.”

“This servant knows.” Xing’er shrank back.

Seeing this, Li Jiǎo only felt more annoyed, snorted coldly, leaned against the carriage wall, and closed her eyes.

She had been confined for nearly half a year, compromising and humbling herself, and finally gaining some freedom recently. Otherwise, this outing would have been unthinkable.

But thinking of the reason for going out, Li Jiǎo felt even more depressed.

After withdrawing from the social circle of the capital’s young ladies for nearly half a year with almost no one inquiring, now invitations from various residences’ daughters flew toward her like snowflakes, all to inquire about Third Miss Li!

Why did Marquis Jing’an’s residence seek to marry Third Miss Li? Had the Marquis Guanjun long been infatuated with Third Miss Li?

Without even meeting those noble ladies, she knew what they would ask.

She declined all those invitations, only returning to her maternal grandfather’s residence, the Earl Guchang’s mansion, to meet her cousin Du Feixue.

She now understood clearly that without a distinguished birth, no matter how exquisite and tactful she was, it was useless. In those noble ladies’ hearts, she carried no weight at all.

And what about Third Miss Li? No matter how bad her reputation, after the Marquis Jing’an’s residence’s marriage proposal, she immediately attracted everyone’s attention. Those people completely forgot about that flower appreciation banquet, specifically held to mock Third Miss Li.

Surely after Third Miss Li truly married the Marquis Guanjun, she would become the guest of honor wherever she went.

Li Jiǎo closed her eyes, her lips tightly pressed, her hands hanging at her sides clenched tightly.

Why should it be so?

In terms of birth, they were both father’s daughters, and she was the legitimate eldest daughter. In terms of age, she was about to turn seventeen, clearly more suitable for the Marquis Guanjun. In terms of reputation, even if grandmother punished her, that was behind closed doors in the West Residence. Her external reputation was much better than Third Miss Li’s.

Yet the Marquis Jing’an’s residence sought to marry Third Miss Li!

Li Jiǎo bit her lip.

Third Miss Li must have long had a secret affair with the Marquis Guanjun!

Suddenly, cries of surprise came from outside the carriage.

“Look quickly, isn’t that group from the Marquis Jing’an’s residence? Are they coming to the Li family to formally propose marriage?”

According to custom, after the man’s family requests a matchmaker to propose to the woman’s family, if the woman’s family agrees to discuss marriage, next the man’s family needs to formally seek marriage from the woman’s family.

“My heavens, am I seeing correctly? The Marquis Jing’an’s residence is using live geese for the betrothal ceremony!”

“Really? In this dead of winter, where would live geese come from?”

Li Jiǎo suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and craned her neck to look.

A procession approached, with the person at the front dressed respectably, carrying a pair of live geese, while those behind carried gift boxes.

What made the crowd restless were precisely those live geese.

According to ancient rites, the betrothal ceremonies should use geese as gifts, but live geese were not easy to obtain, so over time they were replaced with gold, silver, silk and other items.

On such a winter day, for the Marquis Jing’an’s residence to use live geese as gifts when seeking marriage with the Li family showed the man’s sincerity sufficiently.

Li Jiǎo stared at that pair of live geese, fire blazing in her eyes, as if countless insects and ants were gnawing at her heart.

Why should Third Miss Li receive such a marriage fate? Why should she only marry into a farming household on the capital’s outskirts?

The madness in Li Jiǎo’s eyes made Xing’er feel palpitations, but she dared not advise further.

Outside the carriage was the boisterous excitement, inside the carriage was suffocating quiet.

In such quiet, Li Jiǎo slowly lowered the carriage curtain, her eyes calming.

Wet nurse was right—a woman’s future glory and dignity depended on what kind of family she married into. She would rather die than marry the capital’s outskirts!

Li Jiǎo closed her eyes. First flashing through her mind was the heir of the Marquis Taining’s residence, Zhu Yàn, then her cousin Du Feixue’s face appeared.

She shook her head with a mocking smile at the corner of her mouth.

Her cousin had devoted her heart to Young Master Zhu since childhood, even guarding against her, this cousin, fearing her treasured Young Master Zhu would be snatched away.

She had entertained this thought, but now it seemed, how could Young Master Zhu compare with the Marquis Guanjun!

Not to mention, she had almost no opportunity to interact with Young Master Zhu—even if she truly stepped over her cousin to marry Young Master Zhu, so what? She would still be a head lower than Third Miss Li and could never surpass her.

What should she do?

On the gradually departing carriage, Li Jiǎo seriously pondered this question.

Just as the marriage-seeking procession was about to reach the Li family’s West Residence main gate, suddenly two people rushed out carrying water buckets and splashed toward the Li family’s gate.

The black door and iron rings were instantly covered with filth.

Those two men, carrying empty buckets, loudly shouted at the marriage-seeking procession: “This Li family’s Third Miss was abducted and sold at the beginning of the year. She’s not some pure and innocent good young lady at all. We brothers are doing a good deed, giving your noble residence a heads-up, otherwise if you regret after the engagement is set, it’ll be too late!”

The two men’s eyes darted about wildly—clearly street ruffians deliberately causing trouble—but such humiliation was enough to make the woman’s family lose face completely.

Countless eyes stared at the Marquis Jing’an’s residence’s marriage-seeking procession. The matchmaker holding the live geese had long been stunned senseless.

The entire procession instantly fell silent, everyone looking at each other, momentarily not knowing how to react.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves rang out. Everyone heard and looked, seeing a young man in azure robes sitting upright on horseback, wearing a crimson cloak, followed by several uniformly dressed attendants, all reining in their horses with solemn, unparalleled bearing.

Shao Mingyuan’s face was like ice and snow as he looked down from his high position and asked the two men: “Who gave you the audacity to come and remind this Marquis?”