Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

Nakata wasn't surprised by the first two invitations, but she was surprised by the third one. Who was it from?

Xia Muning said with a sneer, "She comes from the residence of the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. She is my mother's older sister. I should call her Aunt."

Zhongtian immediately understood. This Minister Xia had always looked down on the Xia family's background as merchants and never contacted them during holidays. This time, he was just trying to test Zhongtian's attitude since he was about to meet the emperor.

She glanced at the three invitations in her hand, tossed the other two aside, and picked up the invitation from General Yongning's Mansion.

"Go to General Yongning's Mansion!"

If Nakata's first appearance in the capital were at the Yongning General's Mansion, it would greatly enhance his status.

Instead of delivering gold and silver, General Yongning's Mansion sent an invitation, a gesture that was quite thoughtful and considerate, which Zhongtian appreciated.

The next day, Zhongtian prepared congratulatory gifts, and together with Xia Muning and his servants, they rode in a carriage to Yongning General's Mansion.

There were attendants waiting at the door. After Zhongtian introduced himself, two people appeared. One politely invited Xia Muning to the backyard, while the other led Zhongtian directly to see General Yue.

This caught Nakata quite off guard.

General Yue was surrounded by a lively crowd, with different people respectfully stepping forward to offer him a toast.

The attendant pointed, and Nakata straightened his clothes and stepped forward to pay his respects.

General Yue was not old, only 40 years old, with a tall and imposing figure and a dignified appearance.

She looked at Zhongtian with admiration. "You're the brave man who saved my two sons on the street yesterday? Wentao praised you highly when she returned. She instructed the gatekeeper to bring you back to me as soon as possible."

"You flatter me, sir," Zhongtian replied modestly.

"Let me see!" General Yue stepped forward and patted Zhong Tian's somewhat thin body with force, but Zhong Tian remained unmoved.

General Yue was clearly even more satisfied: "Hahaha, indeed, heroes have always emerged from among young women!"

General Yue wanted to say something more, but suddenly someone whispered something in her ear, and General Yue immediately left with a serious expression.

As soon as General Yue left, Zhong Tian immediately became the target of everyone's attention. Everyone looked at Zhong Tian with curiosity and doubt, not understanding who this strange girl was.

One of the gazes was the most prominent and vicious. Zhongtian immediately looked over, and the gaze disappeared.

Nakata straightened his body, ignoring everyone's prying eyes.

She went to the backyard to find Xia Muning. The backyard was a place for banquets and recreation, where many young men and women gathered to compose poems and laugh.

As Nakata walked and looked around, he suddenly heard enthusiastic applause.

Zhongtian went over to take a look and saw that someone was practicing swordsmanship. He held a long sword in his hand, his movements were light and graceful, but his eyes were extremely sharp. He was one with his sword and his whole body exuded a fierce aura.

Zhong Tian watched from the side. Xia Muning's whip moves were somewhat fancy but ineffective, but this young master must have been specially trained. His moves were very disciplined, and he could decapitate a person with a single sword strike.

This must be the eldest son of the family, Le Wentao! The one standing next to him must be the second son, Le Xingxi.

Although the two looked alike, all the praise was given to the older brother, while the younger brother, who was watching from the side, seemed rather overshadowed.

After the sword dance ended, Yue Wentao suddenly saw Zhong Tian. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately pulled her younger brother over to find Zhong Tian.

"Madam Zhong, I must thank you for saving my life yesterday!"

Zhongtian smiled demurely: "I was a bit redundant yesterday; Young Master Yue is capable of handling it himself."

Le Wentao wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Yes, yesterday, as soon as I stood up straight, I would have immediately plunged the dagger into that chaotic horse's neck. But yesterday you tamed the horse! The beast escaped with its life, but the fact remains that you saved me, and I am extremely grateful."

Le Xingxi, standing next to him, looked pale and clutched her chest in discomfort.

Le Wentao asked anxiously, "Xingxi, are you feeling unwell again? Have you taken the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Hospital on time?"

Le Xingxi nodded: "I ate on time, but there are a lot of people today, so I feel a little dizzy."

"Then you should rest now." Le Wentao looked at Zhongtian and said with some concern, "Madam Zhong, please take Xingxi back." Le Xingxi's personal attendant, Jingtai, wanted to follow, but was immediately stopped by Le Wentao.

Zhong Tian was filled with doubt. Why would a woman like her escort an unmarried man back to rest? Wouldn't it be more convenient if his personal attendant were here? Wouldn't this cause any misunderstandings between her and Le Xingxi?

Zhong Tian wanted to refuse, but Le Xingxi raised her head and looked at Zhong Tian with her eyes full of affection: "Please trouble Madam Zhong to take me back. I'm really feeling a bit unwell."

Both men thought there was nothing surprising about this behavior, and that it would seem pretentious for Nakata to refuse.

The two slowly left the crowd, with Le Xingxi walking ahead and Zhong Tian following at a distance.

Once they had passed the crowd, Yue Wentao stopped and looked at Zhong Tian: "Many women have offered to take me to rest, but you are the only one who won't take advantage of me."

"But, that's enough for now. I feel much better. Thank you, Madam Zhong."

After saying that, he left alone without waiting for Nakata's reaction.

Zhongtian's doubts grew even stronger, but she knew the saying that curiosity killed the cat. If she didn't try to understand or investigate, she wouldn't be bothered.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Xia Muning followed the servants of the Le family to the backyard.

This was his first appearance in the aristocratic circles of the capital. He originally wanted to keep a low profile, but his outstanding appearance attracted everyone's attention as soon as he appeared, causing the men to gossip and the bolder women to keep coming up to chat.

Xia Muning, with a cold expression, repeatedly emphasized that he was already married.

He was so annoyed that he went to a nearby pavilion to find some peace and quiet. It was springtime, and there was a beautiful peach tree next to the pavilion where he was sitting. The peach trees were in full bloom, their blossoms dazzling.

A gentle breeze blew by, scattering petals everywhere. Xia Muning watched the fallen flowers drift to the ground and into the pond, feeling a pang of pity. He placed his handkerchief on the table, thinking of collecting some peach blossoms to make peach blossom pastries for his wife to try.

To others, it was an extremely beautiful picture: the boy sat under the blooming peach tree, more beautiful than the peach blossoms in March, his hair as black as jade with a faint luster, and the skin on his neck as delicate as fine porcelain.

Not far away, someone saw it from afar and was somewhat stunned. She asked General Yue, who was bowing beside her, "Who is that? How can there be such a similar face in the world? I even feel as if I am seeing Consort Xia."