The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

In the evening, the guests had dinner at the Plum Garden before leaving.

Because the food and drinks were so delicious, many of the male guests got drunk.

Even the Seventh Prince got completely drunk, mainly because he was in a bad mood and was trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

The third prince tried to dissuade him, but to no avail.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, Murong Changyu's eyes became particularly clear from the alcohol.

He approached Su Qianqian and took out a small, exquisitely crafted mother-of-pearl box, about the size of a palm.

Although it was already dark, the surrounding area was brightly lit by lanterns, and the mother-of-pearl box shimmered with a rainbow of colors, making it very eye-catching.

"Miss Su, this is a coming-of-age gift for you."

In fact, Murong Changyu is quite handsome. Today, he is wearing a dark green wide-sleeved long robe, which makes him look dignified and imposing.

As the young master of the Murong family, he is skilled in both literature and martial arts, possessing the elegance of a scholar and the physique of a warrior.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs—he exudes pure masculinity.

Compared to Gong Yu, they each have their own merits and are both extremely outstanding men, which is why many young ladies frequently look over.

The girls were whispering among themselves—

"This is the first time Young Master Murong has publicly attended a banquet in the capital."

"Yes, Miss Su certainly has a lot of influence."

"It might not just be about saving face. I noticed that Young Master Murong's gaze towards Miss Su is quite unusual."

"Yes, Young Master Murong has given Miss Su a gift in private, so it must be something special."

"I heard that the Murong family doesn't even give face to the emperor. If I could marry the young master of the Murong family, it would definitely be very prestigious."

The mother-of-pearl box, reflecting the light, was held up in front of Su Qianqian.

"Miss Su, please accept this."

The gifts from each government office have already been registered, so Su Qianqian knows that the gift Murong Changyu is presenting now is on his behalf.

Su Qianqian accepted the gift without hesitation.

"Murong Changyu, consider this your gift to repay the debt of saving my life. From now on, we're even."

The young women then realized that it wasn't a romantic relationship, but rather a matter of saving a life. No wonder Young Master Murong never showed up at banquets in the capital, but only attended Miss Su's coming-of-age ceremony.

Miss Su saved the young master of the Murong family. I heard that the dog Miss Su raised also saved the young master of the Sikong family. Miss Su is about to win over the hearts of the five great families.

"Alright, we're even." Murong Changyu turned and left, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

He seemed resolute, but his eyes were glistening with tears.

Murong Changyu always thought that Miss Su didn't remember saving him and never took him seriously.

But it turns out that Miss Su always remembered that she had saved his life outside the city of Qinghe County.

Murong Changyu was unaware that Su Qianqian studied sketching and had developed a habit of carefully observing things. Moreover, someone as good-looking as Murong Changyu was hard to forget, so she didn't deliberately try to remember him.

After walking a distance, Murong Changyu turned around and saw that the Crown Prince of Gong had arrived.

Miss Su and Prince Gong stood facing each other, the lamplight casting long shadows of their different heights.

The two are a perfect match, both handsome and beautiful!

The young master of the palace could stay up for seven days and seven nights without sleep, just to catch a golden eagle to make Miss Su happy.

But he couldn't do it because he was the young master of the Murong family and was bound by family constraints, unable to do as he pleased.

Therefore, only someone like Prince Gong is worthy of Miss Su; Murong Changyu is not.

As soon as Murong Changyu left, Marquis Guiping got off the carriage carrying a large, snow-white dog.

"Qian girl, the emperor favors Nan Yue, so I snatched the dog back and also a Duan inkstone. Nothing in the imperial study is of poor quality. Hold on tight, don't drop it."

"The Emperor came to your coming-of-age ceremony today without bringing any gifts. He's so immature. Consider this your coming-of-age gift."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis." Su Qianqian accepted the inkstone, feeling both amused and exasperated.

The guests who were leaving one after another were all at a loss for words after hearing what Marquis Guiping said.

In the entire Great Qi Dynasty, only Marquis Guiping dares to steal from the emperor.

Those married women were the ones who truly envied Miss Su.

Because you can't find another father-in-law in the entire capital who dotes on his daughter-in-law like that.

Look how conspicuous the sign is outside the gate of the Marquis of Guiping's residence across the street! Illuminated by the lights, the words are clearly visible: "No Luo family members or dogs allowed."

Because the Luo family treated Miss Su badly, Marquis Guiping wrote this sign to humiliate the Luo family and to vent Miss Su's anger.

Moreover, I heard that Marquis Guiping has even assembled a team armed with sticks, which runs all over the capital, specifically to protect Miss Su's reputation.

Anyone who dares to speak ill of Miss Su or insult her will be surrounded and beaten.

￥￥

Murong Changyu returned to the Murong residence and was invited to the council hall.

Murong Fu's expression was stern. "When your sister had a conflict with Miss Su, did you side with Miss Su?"

"Father, after Yan'er lost the pitch-pot competition, she picked up the bronze pitch-pot used in the competition and tried to kill Miss Su. I intervened to save face for our Murong family. I didn't want others to say that we, the head of the five great families, couldn't accept defeat."

Murong Changyu had already prepared his explanation for this matter.

"Father, I'm not actually favoring Miss Su, but protecting Yan'er. You should know Miss Su's methods. If Yan'er had hurt Miss Su, it wouldn't have been as simple as her losing an arm today; she might have lost her life in the plum garden."

"Yan'er is from another world. I am protecting Yan'er for the greater good and for the future of the Murong family."

That makes a lot of sense, but Murong Fu wouldn't be easily fooled.

He felt that the most important reason his son favored Miss Su was that he had fallen in love with her.

Murong Fu had also been young once, and had also experienced romance and pleasure, so he was very familiar with the way his son looked at Miss Su, and saw the admiration in his son's eyes.

He would not allow the future head of the Murong family to be preoccupied with personal feelings and put his emotions above the family's interests.

"Changyu, you don't actually like Miss Su. It's just that many young ladies from prestigious families have tried to get close to you and flatter you, but Miss Su is different. She doesn't like to talk to you, so she seems very special to you."

"I can understand young people being attracted to young women. Miss Su is very outstanding, so it's normal for you to have some feelings for her. But you must remember that family should always come first. Women are just a seasoning in life."

"Understood, Father." Murong Changyu had always known that he had a mountain hanging over his head, and that mountain was called the family.

Therefore, he could not love as passionately as the Crown Prince Gong, nor could he give Miss Su happiness. So he never dared to step forward to fight for her, only wishing that Miss Su could be happy.

Seeing that Miss Su was happy, he felt that everything was worthwhile.