After sharing a body with her husband

The Qingxi Grassland on the outskirts of Beijing is as vast as a grassland, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with a pleasant landscape.

The banquet was held at the foot of the mountain, and above the entrance to the courtyard was a plaque with four large characters:

Spring Creek Gathering.

It is the calligraphy of the owner of this grassland, the late Queen.

Behind the courtyard lies a peach grove in the mountains, and there is also a garden of a hundred flowers created by skilled craftsmen, where hundreds of flowers bloom in spring, creating a magnificent sight.

Not far to the left of the courtyard lies the famous Qingxi Lake, its waters shimmering and gently flowing.

Whether it's gathering together to fish or taking a boat trip on the lake with a few friends, it's all quite enjoyable.

This is also one of the activities of the Spring Appreciation Banquet.

Of course, the biggest event at the Spring Festival banquet was the horse race, which is why the name "Grassland" includes the word "Grassland."

To the right of the courtyard lies an endless grassland, the perfect place for horse racing.

For this lively spring celebration banquet, almost all the women of the Xie family were present.

"I heard there's a new feature this year. This pasture used to be only for men's horse racing, but this year women can also ride horses to compete. I think it's something like that..."

The youngest daughter of the Murong family, Xie Zhiyuan, chattered all the way, like a joyful little pink bird.

She patted her forehead, as if trying hard to remember.

"What was it again? Oh right, the 'Passing Flowers and Letters' contest!"

Lady Shang walked alongside Old Lady Wei and Lady Murong.

She wore a light blue satin brocade dress with cloud patterns, and a moon-white vest embroidered with begonia flowers over it. She was gentle and dignified, and she was not afraid of the slight chill of the mountain breeze.

"Flying flowers conveying messages? What's that?" Shang Lingjun asked in confusion.

Xie Zhiyuan smiled brightly.

"Little aunt, you don't understand, do you? The 'Flying Flower Passing Paper' means that while riding a horse, you must hook the flower paper corresponding to your number, and after getting the flower paper, you must immediately rush to the recitation platform."

Read aloud the poem on the note, and add an extra line of poetry that is appropriate for the spring season. The person who finishes in the shortest time will get a point, and the person whose extra line is exceptionally beautiful will also get a bonus...

Xie Zhiyuan explained the rules of the flying flower letter exchange. Shang Lingjun listened carefully, seemingly understanding, but still somewhat confused.

"Once the match starts, you'll see them play the previous game; the rules aren't hard to understand."

Old Madam Wei spoke slowly.

"Yes, yes, Auntie, let's sit together later, and I'll introduce you!"

Xie Zhiyuan affectionately linked arms with Shang Lingjun.

"Okay." Shang Lingjun smiled gently.

She was only half a year older than Xie Zhiyuan, but their personalities were completely different.

Xie Zhiyuan is a favored legitimate daughter who was carefully nurtured as she grew up. Her heart is as clear as crystal, and every move she makes is charming and adorable.

As for Shang Lingjun herself, she had seen all the wickedness in people's hearts. From a young age, she was cautious and meticulous. Not only was she meticulous, but she was always wary when interacting with others, for fear of being schemed against.

Different destinies lead to different fates.

However, Shang Lingjun really likes Xie Zhiyuan's personality. Seeing her bright and cheerful smile, it's as if she herself has gained a few more rays of sunshine.

I both yearn for it and envy it.

Murong smiled with satisfaction and said:

"There's still a while before the horse race. Let's sit down, have some tea and snacks. Yuan-jie, your aunt isn't familiar with this place, so please take care of her."

Without a second thought, Xie Zhiyuan said in a sweet voice:

"I didn't need my mother to tell me; I felt an instant connection with my aunt the moment I saw her, so of course I'll take good care of her!"

The group chatted and laughed as they went to the seats reserved for the Xie family's female members.

As the women of the various families took their seats, they inevitably engaged in conversation and socializing. Murong Shi took good care of Shang Lingjun, introducing her to many noblewomen and exchanging greetings with them one by one.

Those people couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, their eyes revealing deep thoughts, wanting to gossip about something, but out of politeness they didn't dare to speak up, only whispering a few words from afar.

It's nothing more than the incident Xie Zhaoqing caused on her wedding night; let them talk.

"So that's Yan An's new wife. She's pretty and has a gentle demeanor; she's quite nice."

"The Xie family is really something else, actually marrying her off to Seventh Master Xie. Although Seventh Master had an accident, his private savings are piled up like mountains, he's incredibly rich!"

Wouldn't all that mountain of gold and jade wealth go to that young merchant's wife? And if she adopts another child, she'll live a very comfortable life…”

"Hey, have you heard? The Xiao siblings have both fallen into a trap. Xiao Jing was tricked by Xie Zhaoqing!"

"You think this is anything new? Everyone in Shengjing knows about it. Even though the young master of the Xiao family was framed, he was still genuinely involved with Xie Zhaoqing..."

The man didn't say anything more, but all the women around him knew what he meant.

"Oh dear, oh dear, please don't say that! It's indecent if someone hears it!"

"The Xiao family is unlucky, and the Xie family is unlucky too. They were both plagued by evil spirits, and Xie Zhaoqing even committed suicide. Alas, they are pitiful. Tell me, where did these evil spirits come from in Shengjing?"

"Don't say that's unlucky. Our master is afraid that evil spirits will wander around, so he's invited several groups of Taoist priests to exorcise them! He's afraid they'll haunt the men in our family; they're scared out of their wits..."

Even though it happened a long time ago, so many people gathered together in this setting still chatted with great interest.

After Grand Master Meng Shu exorcised the evil spirits from the Xie family, many other households in Shengjing also hired Taoist priests to perform exorcisms, fearing that their children might also be afflicted by such unlucky evil spirits.

They couldn't invite Grand Master Meng Shu, and there were only a few Taoist temples outside the capital. At one point, it even got to the point where people were offering extra money to snatch Taoist priests.

However, Shang Lingjun was a sharp-eared person and didn't care about the others. One of the women said that Xie Yan'an was extremely wealthy.

How come she didn't know?

A mountain of private wealth? That's an exaggeration. Xie Yan'an is just a young man who hasn't even married yet. Where would he get such a large fortune?

[See, that's how rumors spread, getting more and more outrageous. Xie Yan'an doesn't have the enormous wealth they claim.]

Shang Lingjun muttered to herself.

Huo Chuan was silent for a moment, then said:

【Perhaps it really is true. You've only just begun. Once you have adopted a child, Old Madam Wei will pass it on to you.】

Shang Lingjun stroked the teacup in her hand, and hesitated for a moment. Was it true or false?

If that's true, then Xie Yan'an is truly pitiful. Such a vast fortune, yet he has no heir. Isn't it just a waste for someone else? What good child could he possibly adopt? How could they compare to his own?

Shang Lingjun's heart stirred slightly, and she asked again:

[Chuan Chuan, don't you think so?]

Huo Chuan grunted, unsure how to respond. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it."

Shang Lingjun pursed her lips and remained silent. "That's not necessarily true..."

"Stop talking! The Xiao family is here!"

Someone shouted, and everyone fell silent.

Pei Zhiying, accompanied by a maid, strode towards Shang Lingjun, a smile on her face, and said:

"Ati! Come and see what your mother brought you!"

Her tone was as intimate and familiar as ever, as if the scandal had not affected their mother-daughter relationship in the slightest.

Everyone around them turned to look, even Old Madam Wei looked over.

In front of everyone, Shang Lingjun had to save face for her adoptive mother, so she stood up and went to greet her with a smile.

"Mother, you're here too? What did you bring?"

At the same time, Pei Zhiying also greeted Old Madam Wei.

"Greetings, Madam."

Old Madam Wei nodded with a smile; they were now officially in-laws.

She chatted politely with Pei Zhiying, and the two families got along quite well.

This greatly disappointed the onlookers. How could the two families, after such an incident, still be able to sit down and talk with smiles on their faces?