An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

The scent of agarwood incense filled the hall as the curtains were lifted. The empress sat upright on a phoenix throne inlaid with precious stones and smiled as she saw them enter.

The Queen specially wore a crimson purple dress with a phoenix pattern today. The nine-phoenix hairpin with pearls in her hair made her look less majestic, but made people want to get closer to her.

"Your son/Anping/I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen." As the three of them saluted in unison, the hems of their clothes made a slight rustling sound.

The Queen raised her hand and motioned for them to stand up: "Everyone, stand up." Her eyes paused as she glanced at Tao Chengrui, "This person must be..."

"Your Majesty, this is none other than Tao Chengrui, Master Tao, of the Ningguo Mansion." Xu Zize leaned over to introduce him, subtly nudging Tao Chengrui's elbow. Tao Chengrui immediately understood and took another half step forward, bowing deeply. "Your Highness, Your Majesty, I respectfully wish the Empress well."

The queen smiled and nodded, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes softened by the sunlight filtering through the crimson screen. "Please take a seat," she said, turning to the seat on her right. "It just so happens that the old lady and the first lady of General Jing's mansion are here too. It's quite a lively day."

As the palace maid led me to my seat, the seats were deliberately arranged and I sat between Xu Zize and Tao Chengrui.

The first person opposite is my grandmother, the one facing me is my aunt, and the girl sitting next to me is wearing a goose yellow skirt and a white magnolia hairpin in her hair - isn't she my cousin Mingyue?

"Greetings to my grandmother and aunt." Jing Chunxi called sweetly, and winked at Jing Mingyue, "Cousin, you look really beautiful today." She deliberately emphasized the word "today", causing Jing Mingyue's ears to redden slightly.

Xu Zize nodded and smiled at the elder opposite him, and greeted him "Old Madam" and "First Madam" before sitting down.

The Queen had already ordered someone to serve them tea and introduced them, "Young Master Tao, you probably don't know them yet." Her fingertips brushed across the other side. "This is the old lady of General Jing's mansion. Next to her is the eldest lady, and next to her..." She paused subtly, "This is Miss Mingyue, the eldest daughter of the general's mansion."

Tao Chengrui, who had not yet sat down, calmly saluted the old lady and the first lady. "I have long admired the reputation of you generals. I greet the old lady, the first lady, and Miss Mingyue."

"Good boy, you sit down too." The old lady looked at the person opposite her. Just as Jing Chunxi said, he was indeed handsome, his words and actions were very calm, and she nodded slightly and smiled.

Jing Mingyue slowly stood up at her mother's beckoning. Her skirt remained motionless as she saluted, only the magnolia hairpin at her temple trembling slightly with her movements. "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, to Princess Anping, and to Master Tao."

Her voice was as clear as ice crystals melting from the eaves, but her fingertips hidden under her wide sleeves were quietly clenching her handkerchief.

Xu Zize watched the pair greet each other from a distance of ten feet. Using his sleeve to conceal his presence, he touched the back of Jing Chunxi's hand and whispered, "See? Cousin's ears are completely red."

Sure enough, although Tao Chengrui sat down with forced composure, his jade-white earlobes were already stained with a rosy glow, and he was indeed not unromantic.

Just then Jing Mingyue looked up and stole a glance, their eyes met in mid-air, then hurriedly looked away. The girl hurriedly held up the teacup to cover up.

The Queen observed the two ladies' expressions and saw that they were also smiling. She suddenly chuckled, and the gold and jade bracelet on her wrist slid down to her forearm as she raised her hand. "I remember that the peonies in the imperial garden are in full bloom."

She glanced out the window meaningfully, "Zize, take Master Tao and Miss Mingyue to see. Xuecheng, Yunshu, Yunwang and the others are all waiting for Sister Chunxi back there!"

Xu Zize immediately understood and stood up: "I was just about to say that the peonies here are much more gorgeous than those in my palace."

He turned to Tao Chengrui, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Cousin, why don't you come with us? You can help us pick out some good ones to take back for transplanting."

Jing Mingyue's neck was now flushed pink, yet she still stood up and saluted politely. When she bowed her head, the pistil of the magnolia hairpin was facing Tao Chengrui's direction, almost transparent in the sunlight.

The young scholar stared at the trembling pistil and was even half a beat slow to respond to the queen's questions, which made the three elders smile.

Suddenly, the sound of birds singing was heard outside the hall.

Jing Chunxi couldn't help but smile secretly - Brother Xiaokang was really good at judging people, and the other couple he was helping would definitely be successful.

Four people came out of Fengyi Palace, Xu Zize and Tao Chengrui walked in front. Both of them had tall and straight figures, and their long robes shone softly in the morning light.

The coiled dragon jade pendant hanging around Xu Zize's waist swayed gently with his steady steps, while Tao Chengrui tilted his head to listen from time to time, with a calm look between his brows.

Jing Chunxi and Jing Mingyue followed a few steps behind, their skirts brushing against the blue bricks of the palace path, making a subtle rustling sound. Jing Mingyue, wearing a light purple silk dress, looked even more gentle.

They were talking to each other, a deep male voice came from the front, and a woman's soft laughter came from the back.

"Hehe, Xier, what you said is right, right? Do you like it?" Jing Chunxi chuckled into Jing Mingyue's ear, and his warm breath brushed past her ear with a bit of mischief.

She even pointed her slender fingers at Tao Chengrui in front of her, her eyes full of pride. Unexpectedly, Jing Mingyue pinched her arm fiercely. Although she grimaced, Jing Chunxi didn't dare to cry out in pain. She could only bite her lip and glare at her, which earned her a reproachful look from her cousin.

From the shy smile on my cousin's face as she lowered her head, her slightly red ears and slightly pursed lips, it can be seen that she is also satisfied with Tao Chengrui.

Naturally, her strong recommendation and evaluation of him must have played a role as well.

After all, she had rolled in the same bed with Jing Mingyue last night, and she had said a lot of praise for Tao Chengrui's talent and character. She had even told her everything the two brothers had done and said in Jiujiang County and Jian'an County, no matter how big or small.

Along the way, her maternal grandparents knew that they would never push their own family into trouble, but rather wanted to give them the best, especially Jing Chunxi. She knew in her heart that if this marriage could be completed, it would be a good thing for both Jing Mingyue and Tao Chengrui. It could be said that it was destined by fate.