Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Chapter 304 The Nine Thousand Year Old's Brainless Adopted Daughter 6

In the afternoon,

As Xia Youmi answered Mu Ying's question in a serious manner, many people around them turned to look.

But seeing that their conversation was of no value, they continued to surround the imperial concubines.

Li Wanran also cleverly arranged the seating for the flower viewing party.

Although she and Xia Youmi were seated at the head of the table, they were positioned in the upper left corner of the entire gathering.

The candidates were positioned in a staggered manner, while several imperial concubines were neatly arranged in front of the main seat, like a checkpoint blocking the way.

The Dowager was friendly, and the noble ladies gathered together in close embrace.

Even if they are not selected, they will not feel ashamed, as if they have joined in the fun and made the elders happy.

If they lack the courage to leave their comfort zone, or simply don't care about Xia Youmi's feelings, they might believe that the Dowager Consort can make decisions for her, or at most, submit them to the Empress Dowager for review.

That's wrong, that's not what Xia Youmi wants.

She hopes someone will take the initiative to be interested in her and considers choosing a study companion a serious matter.

It requires her ruling.

but,

The appearance of this person was unexpected.

"Miss Xia, you look just like the Ninth Prince! Why are you an adopted daughter? Where are your biological parents?" Mu Ying asked Xia Youmi as if it were the most natural thing in the world, trying to satisfy her curiosity.

Hongxiao and the others frowned as they stood by her side. This young lady was so offensive, showing no regard for the occasion.

Even though she was of noble status, Hongxiao was ready to step forward and teach them a lesson about manners if her master showed the slightest displeasure.

but,

Xia Youmi straightened her face and replied seriously, "We look very alike, which proves that we are a match made in heaven. On the contrary, if the biological parents have a weak bond, they can only go their separate ways."

As he spoke, he gave Li Wanran a smug smile, indicating that he had used the principles he had been taught a few days ago and had earned her praise.

and,

Mu Ying was unaware that this was homework that Sheng Ze had arranged for Xia Youmi in advance.

Nodding his head enthusiastically, he was convinced by Xia Youmi's explanation.

Then, he brought up a strange gossip: "So, Miss Xia, do you have an adoptive father and an adoptive mother?"

At this moment, everyone nearby who was pretending to be busy pricked up their ears, eager to hear the latest gossip.

It is widely rumored in the capital that even a man of such great authority as the Ninth Prince has a lover.

There were all sorts of rumors: she died young, she ran away pregnant, she was hiding in the mansion. And there were also some clever people who guessed that she might be a concubine.

However, few people would directly associate it with the Empress Dowager.

Aside from the palace servants who would never utter a word, those who wanted to speak were now unable to utter a single syllable.

Even in the later years of his reign, the emperor did not use this matter to bring down the Empress Dowager. These were all guarantees for Lü Shuo's stable reign.

Everyone has a mouth.

Today, a clueless little child actually danced in front of me.

They were trying to make Xia Youmi unintentionally reveal something.

Li Wanran glanced at her palace maid, Aunt Shuang, who obeyed and secretly observed her suspicious expression.

However, the atmosphere between the two children was extremely open and honest.

She feigned confusion and asked, "Foster mother? Should I say foster father and wife? Or my adopted mother?"

"I'm not sure either. It seems like it is, but it also seems like it isn't." Mu Ying was caught in a dilemma.

“If so, then I have two adoptive mothers!” Xia Youmi counted on her fingers the Empress Dowager, who had treated her very well and cared for her like a daughter, then Sheng Ze’s partner, Li Wanran, whose name was temporarily withheld. When Xia Youmi counted the tenth person who had been kind to her, Mu Ying’s attention shifted, and she stopped dwelling on the previous topic.

It's quite a coincidence that, although Mu Ying's curiosity played a part, there might also have been some people stirring things up.

but,

This person is indeed a character in the story.

At first, she had some reservations about Xia Youmi's special nature, but after getting to know her, she found out that she was a bit simple-minded and they became best friends, both belonging to the scheming villain camp.

Having real power in the family is more prestigious than having an empty shell of a family.

Later, for reasons unknown, they had a falling out and lost contact.

When the adopted daughter grew up and wanted to marry Emperor Lü Shuo, he even came out to warn her not to go into the harem, but the adopted daughter did not listen to him.

Later, Mu Ying was also selected by Lü Shuo to enter the palace because of her family background.

The two were embarrassed and did not resume their usual interactions; there were even some instances of them arguing with each other during the meal.

The adopted daughter's actual life or death was uncertain, even though she appeared to be under house arrest.

Only Mu Ying spoke up to help, but in the end, her family was also purged.

Therefore,

Even though Mu Ying didn't come over to whisper to Xia Youmi.

She also has a place on Xia Youmi's estimated list.

Aside from the connection to the original book, the Mu family is destined to be caught in a vortex of conflict.

Rather than passively sending the obedient daughter into the harem, which she herself warned others to avoid, it's better to gain more options first.

The two were having a fairly good conversation, and the person with ulterior motives didn't get what they wanted.

Everyone's attention returned to the center of the commotion. At this moment, Consort Tong was holding a little girl in her arms, tenderly coaxing her. Her heartache was overflowing from her eyes to every joint, and she was about to lose her composure on the spot.

That person was Gu Xinyan.

Meanwhile, her cousin Gu Xin'e stood helplessly by, letting out a long sigh of frustration.

Every year, I never missed anything happening on the female lead's side.

He described it to Xia Youmi in a vivid and detailed manner.

Just now, as the young ladies were showcasing their talents, they gradually began to use competition and humor to complete similar performances together.

The winner will receive the Dowager's good fortune.

Then, the Gu sisters were teased.

Originally, one of them wasn't on the candidate list, and the other was still quite young, so neither of them needed to face the enemy head-on.

But it seemed that the person who started the conversation couldn't bring themselves to say anything, so they made a few sarcastic remarks to the Gu sisters.

Immediately,

Gu Xinyan stood up to fight for her sister.

They should each choose one subject to compete in first, and then the Dowager Consort will set a question for them. They must win two out of three subjects in a row.

Gu Xinyan chose to tell a story.

The girl opposite them chose paper cutting, which is something a five-year-old girl wouldn't normally learn. It was clearly an attempt to make things difficult for the Gu sisters.

Gu Xin'e immediately wanted to compete for his cousin, but his strong-willed cousin refused.

All we could do was watch with concern.

When it was the Dowager Consort's turn to choose a theme, she selected a few flowers, remaining impartial and unbiased.

If you pay attention during the banquet, you'll notice that all the flowers were introduced one by one. This shows the care and attention taken to the flower-viewing banquet, as well as the knowledge and memory one has, indicating that Consort Tong did not forget her original intention in choosing a companion for Xia Youmi.

The result of the competition was obvious: the female lead won decisively.

She connected the whole story from the paper-cutting, although in terms of the actual work, its exquisiteness and completion are not as good as the girl who proposed the paper-cutting.

but,

Combined with her story of crows feeding their parents, it was a great success.

This resonated with the kind-hearted mothers and filial daughters present.

For the last question, the paper-cutting girl panicked under the pressure of the atmosphere and couldn't even answer the simple question about the name of the peony, "Jingyu".

It would have been smoother for Gu Xinyan to simply answer with the word "peony".

then,

That's how the scene of him being held in the arms of the Dowager Consort came about.

Unfortunately, it seems the heat was a bit overdone.

The Dowager Consort seemed to prefer keeping Gu Xinyan under her care, and was trying to coax her into agreeing.

Even though the female protagonist doesn't quite understand social etiquette, she firmly remembers what her grandfather said: to choose a companion for her studies.

The Empress Dowager was quite disappointed and even took the initiative to bring Gu Xinyan to Xia Youmi, hoping to let her make a decision.