Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Flower Festival was the birthday of all the flowers.

Young girls wore brightly colored clothes and head ornaments in between their brows. They walked with dainty, light footsteps and swayed while they walked. They worshipped the Flower God with their servants as their escorts.

The audience in the streaming room taunted that it was definitely a day that singles would suffer.

“Spring is approaching. Every living organism is reviving its vitality. It’s a day when young men reveal their innermost feelings and when singles continue to cry.”

Jiang Pengji sat on a fallen trunk, and there was a gathering in the distance. The young, beautiful, and youthful girls were indescribably pretty under the spring sunshine. Not only did they attract Jiang Pengji’s attention, but they also attracted the attention of many young aristocrats.

White was chewing the weeds on the ground. It vomited after chewing, then continued to eat another bunch of weeds. She curled her lips and poked at White’s mane using the tip of her toes. It walked away with a cold shoulder.

Jiang Pengji smiled and said to White, “You’re not little anymore. Do you want me to find you a companion so you can give birth to a few foals?”

White blinked its eyes and gave a snort, as if it was laughing at her.

She could not understand the horse’s language, but the angels in the streaming room seemed to have learned the foreign language, so they translated it for her.

Yechouchang: “White is trying to say that its master hasn’t washed her feet for days.”

Wodedipan Tingwode: “That’s wrong. White clearly said, ‘A single is still trying to laugh at me. How cunning!’”

Renzhong Chitu: “It’s popular. I noticed that a strange horse was trying to make eyes at it just now.”

Jiang Pengji secretly rolled her eyes. Was she less attractive than a horse?

She leaned against the trunk and shut her eyes for a catnap. Due to its geographical location, Langye was warm and humid. Pear blossoms, which only bloomed in March, had already bloomed. Petals would fall occasionally when there was a spring breeze.

She rested her head on the trunk and raised her legs.

She placed one hand on her knee and her other hand was carrying the clogs that she had taken off. She was only wearing a pair of white socks.

Most of her body was hidden among the pear blossom shrubs. If one did not look closely, one would not even realize that someone was laying on top of the tree.

A cool breeze blew and the pear blossoms fell.

A whisper vaguely rang in Jiang Pengji’s ears. “Wuniang, you really take things too seriously. You’ve told your father about how you feel?” The girl had a sweet voice, but her voice was so sweet that it made people feel sick.

“Father is an enlightened man. If I tell him about it, he’ll make a decision for me.” The voice of the girl who was called by the name Wuniang was a little hesitant and depressed. “However, Brother Ci likes someone else. Father doesn’t approve of it. He wants me to look for another person that I like during the Flower Festival.”

The girl with a somewhat sweet voice pouted, clearly dissatisfied. “How can he act this way… Do you know who the girl is?”

With a somewhat gloomy face, Wuniang replied, “I don’t know. I asked my father about it, but he didn’t want to tell me. He only said that I’ll find out about it naturally when the time comes.”

The young girl tilted her head, thought for a while, and responded earnestly, “He must be an indecent person.”

Wuniang did not understand. She asked in confusion, “Why do you say that?”

“You don’t get it. Wei Langjun is already 21 years old. If he really likes someone, he definitely wouldn’t drag it on like this unless the girl he likes doesn’t have a good background. For example… girls from those ‘places.’ He’s ashamed to marry her. Don’t you know that the matchmakers in Langye County don’t dare to recommend girls to him? He’s a tough nut to crack. If he keeps dragging this on, how is he going to carry on his family line?”

Wuniang only understood what she meant after quite some time. She suddenly became flushed and was a bit angry. “Brother Ci isn’t pedantic. Even if he really likes a girl in the brothel, he wouldn’t be so conscious about his honor.”

Wei Ci would never let the girl he liked feel wronged just because of his honor. Wuniang would not allow anyone to defame Wei Ci like this.

“Then he must like a married woman,” the other girl responded, interrupting Wuniang. “The matchmakers in Langye County want to hold their breath and avoid Wei Ci. No one acts as a matchmaker for him and there’s no news about his marriage. Now that there’s a beauty like you who had taken a fancy on him, he should be happy to respond. Why would he decline you by saying that he has a lover?”

Wuniang was a bit mad. “I won’t let you talk about him like this. He’s a benevolent gentleman. How is it possible for him to have his eyes on someone else’s wife?”

The girl pouted and replied rudely, “You’re taking his side so diligently, but he doesn’t even look at you. Does he show any interest in you when you suck up to him? What good is Wei Ci? He’s a bane who’s fated to mourn the death of his wife, children, parents, and clan…”

“What a foolish opinion!” Wuniang was so furious that she was taking heavy breaths. She looked even more irritated. “You should look at Brother Ci’s manners if you are going to judge him as a person. He respects his teachers, is kind to his classmates, and is lenient towards his juniors. How can you judge him solely on the eight characters of a horoscope? There are many people in this world who share the same eight characters of a horoscope as the emperor. Why is he an emperor but the others are just small tradesmen and porters?”

“Hmph. Yes, yes, yes. I’m foolish. I’m not as knowledgeable as you.” The girl was furious too; it was as if her sore spot was touched. She replied, “You’re highly cultured, steeped in propriety, and considerate, but you like a man that nobody wants. You’re doing great!”

“You…” Wuniang widened her eyes upon hearing her words. She was so angry that her fingers were trembling.

“No matter how bad Zixiao is, he isn’t someone who can be belittled by the daughter that was born of a mistress into a poor family! You were asked by your own mother to be someone else’s second wife.”

The two girls were getting louder and louder, and they seriously disturbed Jiang Pengji’s quality of sleep. She could not help but jump off the pear tree and interrupt them.

The two girls looked into the direction of the noise, only to see a young man who was dressed in brightly colored clothes smiling. He was only wearing socks and carried his clogs in his hand.

The young girl was shocked by Jiang Pengji’s appearance. Her face turned pale when she thought of what she had said just then.

Wuniang was still somewhat puzzled and asked curiously, “Be someone else’s second wife?”

“Let this be a lesson to you in the future. It’s better for you to stay away from this vicious beauty who likes to gossip and judge someone with her sinister intentions.” Jiang Pengji went forward and could see the girl’s innate character thoroughly with just a glance. She scanned the girl from head to toe with a spurious smile. “She belittles Zixiao, not because she really looks down on him, but because she just wants to make plans for herself.”

“Huh?” Wuniang was stunned.

“Her mother wants her to be the second wife of a man who could act as her father. She isn’t willing to and wants to cut out a good path for herself. Zixiao is discriminated, but she doesn’t have a high status, either, and no one cares about her at home. She probably thinks that they’re a good match.”

The little girl’s face was extremely ghastly and she wanted to escape. What Jiang Pengji said revealed her inner secrets. “If I hear any rumors that defame Zixiao and this young lady in the future…” Jiang Pengji suddenly had a cold look on her face. “…I will know who the rumor came from.”

Wuniang was a pure, little girl, but she had an enlightened father who was knowledgeable and wise. How was she capable of having such sinister schemes that ruined people’s reputations?