Quick Transmigration Sweet Story, The White Moonlight Rescue Plan

On the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, many prominent families went to the Princess's residence to participate in the selection of tribute items.

This selection process brought together all kinds of delicacies and fine silk fabrics from the Liang Kingdom, offering a truly comprehensive selection.

Furthermore, the goods displayed by each merchant were not only personally selected by the nobles of the palace.

Many famous princes, grandsons of emperors, and even noblewomen were invited to participate, and each person could only invite one person in addition to themselves.

Therefore, those who participated in this selection were either rich or noble, and everyone was eager to participate. Some noble ladies even secretly compared how many invitations they received, with the one with more invitations being considered more prestigious.

Xiaoxiao wore a light blue long dress today, with only a plum blossom white jade hairpin in her hair. Although simple, it made her look fresh and elegant.

Most of the men were in the front hall, while most of the women were in the back garden of the princess's residence.

The people of Liang are open-minded. Although there is no strict separation between men and women, there are still some restrictions between them.

As soon as Xiaoxiao and Lian'er entered the back garden, many eyes were cast upon them.

"Oh! Look who this is? Isn't this Miss Qin, the most beautiful woman in Liang Kingdom? Why are you dressed so plainly today? Have you changed your ways?" A pretty girl in a yellow palace dress said sarcastically.

"Cousin, you've mistaken her for someone else! That's not the Qin family's daughter," the girl in pink beside her kindly reminded her.

The woman in yellow looked her over carefully, then pursed her lips and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. But what can I do? She's not good-looking, and she looks just like that vixen."

The woman in pink quickly grabbed Xiaoxiao's hand and said, "I'm so sorry, young lady! My cousin is always impetuous and has been quite rude. Please forgive her."

"It's alright," Xiao Xiao said calmly.

Xiao Xiao recognized the woman in pink; she was Cao Qiao, the legitimate daughter of Cao Yao, a third-rank official in the Imperial Secretariat. She was a low-key and reserved person, practically invisible in the capital.

Xiao Xiao snapped out of her daze and saw that Cao Qiao was also looking her over.

When Cao Qiao saw that Xiao Xiao was also looking at him, he smiled shyly, his cheeks flushed red, which made him look very cute.

"My name is Cao Qiao. My father is Cao Yao, the Grand Secretary. You look unfamiliar, young lady. This must be your first time in the capital. May I ask your name?"

“My surname is Wen and my given name is Xiao. You don’t need to be so formal. I’m a few years older than you, so you can just call me Sister Xiao Xiao. I’m new to the capital and don’t have many friends here.”

Xiao Xiao stopped and looked at Cao Qiao's expression, who looked shy.

"Miss Wen is new to the capital, so..."

Before Cao Qiao could finish speaking, he heard a soft, delicate voice calling out from behind him.

"Sister, so you're here! Mother and I were catching up with Uncle in the front hall, and when we turned around, we couldn't find you anywhere. In the blink of an eye, you're here. I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Xiao Xiao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of beautiful women approaching. The woman in the lead was wearing a light pink palace dress with light blue butterflies embroidered on the hem, and a layer of white gauze over it.

A gentle breeze stirred, giving the impression of drifting away with the wind. Her silky black hair flowed freely down to her waist, highlighting her slender figure and delicate waist, making her even more captivating.

The woman looked somewhat similar to Cao Qiao, so it seemed that she was indeed Cao Zimo.

Both Cao Zimo and Cao Qiao were wearing pink palace dresses, but Cao Zimo's was a light pink, giving off a fresh and refined feeling.

Cao Qiao's was a deep pink, which looked a bit tacky, so it was outshone by Cao Zimo.

As soon as Cao Zimo arrived, she accused Cao Qiao of disrespecting his elders and leaving without the mistress's permission. What a cunning scheme!

Cao Ziming also saw Xiaoxiao and was slightly taken aback. Then she smiled softly and remained silent. However, a woman in green beside her spoke in a sharp and mocking voice.

"So someone's just trying to imitate her, doesn't she even know her own place? The most beautiful woman in the capital, is she someone others can imitate? Aren't she afraid of being laughed at?"

“That’s called birds of a feather flock together! People should associate with each other. Country bumpkins should only hang out with country bumpkins,” a woman in purple chimed in.

Only then did Cao Zimo speak softly:

"Don't say that. My sister probably thinks that Father is too serious and she doesn't like to be around him, so she came here to talk to her friend."

The woman in purple continued, "Zimo, you're so kind-hearted, yet you're helping this ill-mannered fellow cover up his lie."

"Minister Cao is a renowned gentleman in the capital; everyone knows him. If he's serious, then General Jiang is a living devil!"

After he finished speaking, another round of laughter erupted.

"How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to speak ill of my grandfather?"

The newcomer was a beautiful woman, dressed in a pale yellow silk dress with cloud-shaped patterns, her hair styled in a hibiscus bun, her eyebrows lightly painted and her face powdered.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the woman in purple instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

Upon seeing the newcomer's bright and beautiful face, Cao Zimo felt a surge of resentment welling up inside, but outwardly she spoke gently and kindly, "Sister Qin'er is here. We're all friends. I, your younger sister..."

Before Cao Ziming could finish speaking, Jiang Qin used her hand to block Cao Ziming's path, preventing her from continuing. She said with a disdainful look, "We're not familiar with each other, we don't know how to flatter, and we don't have time to entertain you with your charade."

Cao Zimo's face turned extremely ugly, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes. She then feigned nonchalance, glancing at Xiaoxiao beside her. "Zimo thought this older sister looked kind and was close to the eldest sister, hoping to make friends. Who would have thought they would bring up General Chen?"

Xiao Xiao also looked at this somewhat arrogant woman, who was Jiang Qin, the only girl among the grandchildren of the Jiang family.

Jiang Qin already disliked the pretentious Qin Xueyan, and now that she saw Xiao Xiao who looked so much like her, she naturally didn't give her a friendly look either. "And who are you?"

Cao Ziming felt smug, having successfully diverted her anger, and looked at Xiaoxiao with a hint of anticipation.

Xiao Xiao remained calm and composed, showing no signs of anger or displeasure. Instead, she introduced herself to the crowd with neither arrogance nor servility: "Wen family of Shengxianzhuang in the east of the city."

"So they're from a merchant family. No wonder they're so frivolous," someone in the crowd whispered.

"Sage Manor? Is that the restaurant where you can only enter with an invitation?" Jiang Qin's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Exactly."

Upon hearing Xiaoxiao's answer, Cao Zimo's eyes darkened. She clutched the handkerchief in her hand, secretly cursing herself for her recklessness. She had let go of a big fish like Xiaoxiao, only to have someone else benefit from it.

“My older cousin had long guessed that the owner of Shengxian Manor was a learned man, a doctor from a prestigious family! He never expected her to be a woman. I suppose he doesn’t believe it either.” Jiang Qin looked Xiao Xiao up and down and couldn’t help but sigh.

“So Miss Wen is the owner of Shengxian Manor! A few days ago, I heard Cao Dalang say that Shengxian Manor is now the most popular place in the capital.” The woman in yellow standing next to Cao Qiao chimed in.

"His Highness Prince Li also mentioned the Sage's Manor?" Cao Qiao, who was still lost in thought, immediately became interested upon hearing this.

"His Highness Prince Li is a regular at the brothels in the capital, so naturally he knows everything and is omnipotent!" the woman in green mocked before Cao Qiao could finish his question.

"Qin Ruyi, are you just too bored? If it weren't for your aunt's sake, I wouldn't bother with you at all."

Qin Ruyi's face turned pale and red after Jiang Qin's words, looking extremely unpleasant.

The woman in green, Qin Ruyi, was Qin Xueyan's younger sister. Her aunt had some connections with Old Madam Jiang, and she had to beg Old Madam Jiang to allow Jiang Qin to bring her to the meeting.

"Alright, alright, you're all sisters, why are you arguing? Miss Jiang didn't mean to say that." Cao Ziming tried to mediate, further provoking Qin Ruyi, who was already very concerned about her image.

Qin Ruyi, as if she had suffered a great humiliation, covered her face and ran out weeping. When Cao Zimo and the others saw Qin Ruyi leave, they hurriedly followed her to comfort her, "kindly".

"I don't like them! If you don't like me like this, you can leave with them." Jiang Qin said coldly, watching the group of people leave.

"I don't like them either!" Xiao Xiao smiled to herself and sat down.

"What's your name?" Jiang Qin asked, seeing that Xiao Xiao wasn't angry with her and was instead quite amiable, which made her even more curious about her.

"Wen Xiao".

"Wen Xiao? It's a good name. I'd much rather be friends with you than with that hypocritical woman," Jiang Qin confessed.

Xiao Xiao looked at the small river in the back garden of the princess's mansion, at the ripples created by the fish, and smiled faintly.

"Aren't you curious about who I'm talking about?" Jiang Qin knew a little about the relationship between Qin Xueyan and Han Chaoning, as well as the fact that Xiaoxiao was going to marry Han Chaoning.

"Qin Xueyan, the most beautiful woman in Liang Kingdom!" Xiao Xiao looked at the fish, her eyes lowered, revealing no emotion.

"So you knew!" Jiang Qin looked Xiao Xiao up and down, but seeing that she didn't react at all, she thought to herself that this person really had great self-control. After thinking for a moment, she added, "But I think you're prettier than her!"

"Oh? How could I possibly compare to the First Beauty? The First Beauty naturally possesses her own unique charm." Xiao Xiao's expression shifted slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.

“You are more genuine than she is,” Jiang Qin replied sincerely.

"Yes, I think so too."

The two of them turned to look at the woman in yellow next to Cao Qiao.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? You know I've never liked Qin Xueyan, so you must think Sister Awan is prettier!" Cao Guo felt a little embarrassed by their stares.

Just then, a commotion arose not far from them.

Looking through the crowd, Xiao Xiao saw bamboo rafts simply tied together with green bamboo floating on the river.

Han Chaoning sat on the bamboo raft.

Han Chaoning was exceptionally handsome, with exquisite features that seemed to be the most outstanding work of heaven. His smile, though wicked, was tinged with warmth, and his dark purple robe added a touch of devilish charm to his aura.

The simple bamboo raft appeared exceptionally elegant because of Han Chaoning's presence.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Han Chaoning slowly walked up to Xiaoxiao, smiling handsomely.

"The banquet is about to begin, and I have come here specifically to invite you to attend."

Look, they stirred things up a few days ago, and now they're asserting their dominance!

【Yaoyao: Awesome, awesome!】

Meanwhile, in the front hall of the Princess's residence, Prince Wu Hanchen was chatting with Yang Yong. Both of them were skilled in martial arts and disliked the flattery of others, so they naturally got along well.

"Your Highness has just returned to the capital, and there are probably many interesting things you haven't heard of. I recently came across one such story, and I'd like to share it with you to amuse yourself." Yang Yong may have a serious face, but he's a master of gossip and always eager to see any interesting tales.

Looking at Yang Yong's eager expression, Han Chen's interest was piqued: "What is it that makes Brother Yang so curious?"

Do you know Qin Xueyan, the number one beauty?

Han Chen thought for a moment and realized that there seemed to be such a person, but he didn't remember him very well.

"I heard a while ago that she had an allergic reaction to something she ate, and her face was swollen. I thought she probably wouldn't participate in this selection. But today, I saw the Qin family's carriage parked right in front of the Princess's residence!" Yang Yong said mysteriously.

"Oh? What's so strange about that?" Han Chen asked, puzzled.

"This Qin Xueyan is not Madam Qin's biological daughter. She was born to one of her maids who accompanied her in her dowry. The maid died in childbirth after giving birth to Qin Xueyan. Coincidentally, Madam Qin had not been pregnant for many years and thought she would not have any more children, so she took Qin Xueyan into her care and raised her."

"When they were three or four years old, I never expected to get pregnant," Yang Yong said, beaming.

"Then this young lady's life is probably not going to be easy!" Han Chen sighed.

"That's right, Qin Xu, that old man, really dotes on his daughter. He went through connections to get an invitation to the Chamber of Commerce this time. He's taking this opportunity to find a husband for his eldest daughter."

"Oh? Who has such great ability to get this invitation?" Han Chen asked curiously.

"That one in the palace," Yang Yong said mysteriously.

"Interesting." Han Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.