Chapter 35

Qiao Jiaojiao turned her head to look, only to see a fiery-red-clad girl sitting on horseback near the riverbank, waving her hand.

Her eyes were bright, her cheeks were rosy, and there was a spirited air about her.

What was most remarkable was the joyful smile on the girl’s face, even more dazzling than the peach blossoms behind her!

Despite today being the poetry festival, the girl still wore a neat equestrian outfit, looking full of vitality and vigor.

Qiao Jiaojiao followed the direction of the girl’s waving hand and was almost mesmerized.

Another girl was riding a pure white foal, slowly approaching this way.

She wore a white jade hairpin on her head and a jade belt around her waist, with gracefully soft facial features. Her skirt fluttered slightly in the spring breeze, with delicate eyebrows and jade-like skin, she was truly a first-rate beauty!

The loud voice of the girl in red also attracted the attention of others, and someone immediately identified the identities of the two girls.

“Aren’t those the two young ladies of the General Hussar’s family?”

“Yes, the one in green is Miss Xiao Qianlan, and the one in red is Miss Xiao Qianyue!”

“I heard that Miss Xiao Qianlan is known as the number one beauty in the capital. Seeing her today, it’s indeed well-deserved!”

“Hey, brother, if we’re talking about the number one beauty in the capital, it should be Sheng Xiuran from the Duke Qingguo’s residence, right?”

“Is that so?”

“Sheng Xiuran will definitely be here today. We’ll know for sure when we compare them later.”

As people began to chat excitedly, Qiao Jiaojiao instantly forgot about her own affairs.

After all, she was still far from three years old, and enjoying herself was the right thing to do!

“Ah! The Xiao sisters are here! My silly second brother, do you see? That’s my sister-in-law!”

Excitedly jumping in the Crown Prince’s arms, Qiao Jiaojiao turned to the Crown Prince and said, “Crown Prince, your beloved has arrived! That’s your concubine!”

Qiao Diyi didn’t need Qiao Jiaojiao’s reminder at all; he was already dumbfounded!

There were countless women in the capital, and Qiao Diyi had never bothered to take a second look at any of them.

The reason being, all the young ladies were delicate and gentle, making him afraid he might accidentally break their hands with his rough hands and feet.

But the girl in front of him was full of vitality, sitting on horseback with skillful movements, full of vigor and vitality, completely capturing the heart of Qiao Diyi, which had never stirred before!

Miss Xiao… My sister-in-law!

At this moment, Qiao Diyi couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.

In contrast, the Crown Prince was more reserved.

He knew very well that there were two candidates for the position of Crown Princess. One was Miss Xiao Qianlan from the General Hussar’s family, and the other was Miss Xiao Qianyue from not far away.

The Empress favored Miss Xiao Qianlan, so the Crown Prince also leaned more towards the Xiao family.

But the selection of the Crown Princess was related to the fate of the country, and the Crown Prince didn’t dare to interfere too much with personal feelings. However, seeing Miss Xiao Qianlan at this moment, his eyes still brightened.

“Sister, wait for me!”

Seeing Xiao Qianyue pulling the reins to ride freely again, Xiao Qianlan couldn’t help but feel a headache.

Before going out, her mother had repeatedly instructed her not to let her younger sister play too wildly, but her younger sister had a wild nature. How could she restrain her?

She could only accompany her in her mischief.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qianlan lightly kicked her horse’s belly and galloped away, leaving behind a green figure in the wind.

Seeing this, Qiao Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up instantly, filled with longing.

“Wow, wow, wow, Miss Xiao Qianlan seems quiet, but her equestrian skills are also excellent! Elegant and dynamic, no wonder the Crown Prince is smitten with her!”

Thinking of this, Qiao Jiaojiao looked at the Crown Prince with a sly smile.

The Crown Prince had just withdrawn his gaze without a word, only to see Qiao Jiaojiao staring at him with a mischievous smile.

Unable to help himself, the Crown Prince chuckled, “You mischievous little girl, what are you smiling about?”

Qiao Jiaojiao snorted.

“You were peeking at Miss Xiao, and I saw it!”

“Sigh, I hope the Empress can persuade the Emperor to let Miss Xiao become the Crown Princess.”

“Otherwise, if the cheating scandal involving the Duke Qingguo’s residence comes to light, and they have committed such a big crime, their family won’t even think about seizing the position of Crown Princess.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Tianjing deeply agreed.

Fortunately, he and his father had already begun to plan. If the Duke Qingguo dared to indulge in bribery and corruption during the Spring Examination, his father would definitely strip off his skin!

As for Qiao Diyi, forget it. His soul had already drifted away with Miss Xiao.

The poetry festival officially began at midday, and the time was approaching.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince no longer hesitated, and quickened his pace while holding Qiao Jiaojiao.

Passing through a forest of peach blossoms, the scene that greeted their eyes was a large open space that had been specially set up.

On the north side of the open space was an exquisite platform, already equipped with tables, brushes, ink, and paper.

Below the platform were many stone tables and cushions, arranged in a casual manner.

The Crown Prince had attended several times before and knew the rules inside out.

The poetry festival in the capital did not distinguish between men and women, rank or relationship; everything depended on literary talent and poetic skill.

Although everyone still made veiled remarks and comparisons, on the surface, it was all harmony.

The young gentlemen and ladies who arrived early were very tacit in vacating the front row of stone tables.

Taking a quick glance, Qiao Jiaojiao noticed that the male lead had arrived!

He was sitting in the second position from the left, with his head down, lost in thought.

He was extraordinarily handsome, almost attracting everyone’s attention just by sitting there. The situation only changed slightly when the Crown Prince arrived.

Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly remembered the female lead, Meng Guxue.

She had been so busy admiring beautiful women earlier that she had almost forgotten about the female lead!

Qiao Jiaojiao carefully searched around on the right and finally saw Meng Guxue sitting on the edge!

She was only ten years old this year, a bit early to participate in the poetry festival, and her whole person hadn’t fully grown yet. Among the beautiful ladies, she was very inconspicuous.

No one would notice her, except for Qiao Jiaojiao.

Meng Guxue was leaning towards the left, her small mouth slightly open, her face full of naked astonishment.

Her gaze was fixed firmly on the second prince on the left!

Seeing this, Qiao Jiaojiao couldn’t help feeling a bit dumbfounded.

In Meng Guxue’s eyes, was the second prince so handsome that every encounter felt as astonishing as the first?

As her thoughts reached this point, Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly felt extremely sour.

In the original story, there were too many scenes of the male and female leads being sweet together.

From spending three days and three nights in bed without getting enough to simply wiping each other’s mouths after eating, Qiao Jiaojiao couldn’t help but skip some of them.

In the end, it was still because the author’s writing wasn’t enough. With such a handsome face like the second prince’s, it made her feel greasy.

Regardless of Qiao Jiaojiao’s complaints, today was indeed the first time Meng Guxue had seen the second prince.

And with just one glance, she was completely captivated!