Chapter One, the Fourth Miss of the Xiang Residence

The man was indeed the third son of the current Left Chancellor, Qin Xiaoyuan, who was also the elder brother of Qin Mingyue. As Qin Xiaoyuan looked at the book on the ground, his handsome face turned as red as fire. Although he was aware that his younger sister had unusual preferences, he never expected that she would be looking at adult illustrations in broad daylight

Miss... I have come to inform you that the Master has sent word to the young ladies of each courtyard, indicating that there will be an examination of your virtues and skills tomorrow afternoon..." Cui Zhu looked at Qin Mingyue with a sense of grievance, her voice gradually weakening under Qin's furious glare.

Cui Zhu received Qin Mingyue's glare, her blushing little face pouting in grievance as she softly said: "I called out 'Miss' very loudly, but Miss... Miss was too engrossed... I... Miss..."

Uh... this... this is just pure admiration... Qin Mingyue, no matter how thick-skinned she was, felt her face flush with embarrassment. Looking at the gentle and handsome man in front of her, she suddenly realized that she had made a huge mistake. She hurriedly bent down to pick up the adult magazine on the ground, not forgetting to shoot a glare at the shy and blushing Cui Zhu, who dared not meet anyone's gaze. It's all this dead girl’s fault; why didn't she tell her that Third Brother was also here!

At this moment, Qin Mingyue was lazily lying on a soft couch by the bamboo forest, dressed in a white linen garment. She held a book in her hand, seemingly engrossed in reading. Her ink-black hair cascaded down at an angle, obscuring half of her face, while her pair of eyes were intently fixed on the book in her hands, as if she were reading with great concentration

"What? Cui Zhu, what did you just say? You said that old man is going to test his moral and artistic skills again?" Qin Mingyue suddenly jumped up from her chair, colliding with the unsuspecting Cui Zhu and causing her to stumble. With her beautiful big eyes wide open in shock, she looked at Cui Zhu and asked, "Is what you said true?"

The surroundings are quiet, and this beautiful scene is one that no one would wish to disturb, yet now there have come those who intrude. Moreover, it is not just one person.

Cui Zhu stared foolishly as her young lady nonchalantly walked into the house. It is said that Young Master Yu Qing possesses countless masterpieces, yet her young lady only took a portrait to study the painting techniques. Indeed, her young lady is not someone ordinary can compare to. Cui Zhu blushed as she stood up, not daring to look at Qin Xiao Yuan, and walked into the house.

In fact, everyone in the Prime Minister's residence, and perhaps everyone in the entire Western Chu Kingdom, knows that those are not tear stains, but rather the marks left by the Fourth Miss, who possesses mediocre talent yet delights in wielding swords and knives. The unsightly knife marks on the bamboo are all her handiwork

Ah! You little brat, why are you shouting so loudly? Do you think my life is too long? Qin Mingyue's ears were almost deafened; she raised her head and glared at Cuizhu, her delicate little face filled with anger. Why did she have to come at this moment, when she was so engrossed in her reading?

Suddenly

The nearby kitten also reluctantly withdrew its gaze, glaring discontentedly at the bamboo, having similarly been disturbed from its reading.

Oh! So this is it! I understand! Qin Mingyue lowered her head again and continued reading.

Beside her lay a small cat, entirely snow-white and lazily sprawled out. The tiny body of the cat was pressed closely against Qin Mingyue, and its pair of jet-black eyes were also fixed on the book in Qin Mingyue's hands, seemingly engrossed in it as well

The nearby emerald bamboo looked at Qin Mingyue in surprise, wondering if this book was really that captivating. It made the young lady, who was usually afraid of being tested on her morals and skills by the master, turn her fear into curiosity. She lowered her head to look at the book in Qin Mingyue's hands.

Miss! Miss! Something is wrong! Something is wrong! Qin Mingyue's personal maid, Cui Zhu, rushed in from outside in a panic. Upon seeing Qin Mingyue, her eyes lit up, and she began to shout.

After hearing the words of the man behind her, Cui Zhu not only did not lower her voice, but instead raised it even louder. She turned her head and glanced at the man, saying: "Third Young Master! You know very well that our young lady will not be disturbed. As soon as she starts reading, she cannot hear anything else."

After Qin Mingyue finished speaking, she hugged the kitten and walked into the house, not forgetting to turn back and call out to the two people who were still standing there in a daze: "What are you dawdling for, Cuizhu! Hurry up! Third Brother, please come in and have a seat!"

Miss! Miss! Something is wrong! Something is wrong!" Cui Zhu looked at Qin Mingyue and shouted again: "The master has sent word to the young ladies of each courtyard, stating that tomorrow afternoon he will assess the moral character and artistic skills of all the young ladies, Miss! Miss...

It is rumored that in the Kingdom of Western Chu, there are two prominent figures, one male and one female. The man is charming and handsome, surpassing even Pan An in appearance, yet he appears and disappears without a trace. He possesses exceptional martial skills, and even the Jianghu Baixiaosheng's rankings cannot uncover his origins, earning him the title of the Carefree Young Master. The woman, on the other hand, is of ordinary looks and mediocre talent, lacking any skill in the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Strangely, she has a penchant for wielding swords and knives, and it is said that she cannot even drive away a wild cat that comes to steal food, making her the laughingstock of the Kingdom of Western Chu, a topic of conversation for everyone during their leisure time. This woman is none other than the Fourth Miss Qin Mingyue of the current Left Prime Minister's residence.

The man smiled silently, raising his eyes to look at Qin Mingyue, who was not far ahead, completely absorbed in her book, unaffected by her surroundings. Indeed, once she started reading, she seemed to hear nothing else. The cat beside her was equally fixated on the book, seemingly unaware that someone had already entered.

What is going on? The love between men and women is nothing unusual in this world, so why the fuss? Qin Mingyue also glanced at the book on the ground, shot an annoyed look at Cuizhu, and upon raising her head, saw a man in white standing in front of her, exclaiming in surprise: "Third... Third Brother, what brings you here?"

Cui Zhu ran over and, after finishing a conversation, saw that Qin Mingyue was still staring at the book. Displeased, she pulled at Qin Mingyue's ear and shouted loudly.

This man and woman, one beautiful and one unattractive, one a gem and the other a stubborn stone, have nonetheless equally secured the top position on the West Chu National Wind and Cloud Ranking. This has persisted for five years, seemingly exhibiting a trend of enduring popularity

Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoyuan stood by, staring blankly at Qin Mingyue's back, his handsome face flushing red and then pale, only to turn red again, resembling a piece of water-soaked pork belly, momentarily unsure whether he should go inside and take a seat

Miss! Please lower your voice, the Lord is your father! Ah... Miss, you... how... how could you look at this..." Cui Zhu said halfway, her gaze unintentionally sweeping over the book that had fallen to the ground, and she gasped in shock, covering her face and screaming.

"Um... it hurts..." Cui Zhu covered her forehead, grimacing in pain as she looked at the unconscious Qin Mingyue. She whispered, "Just now, Steward Xu conveyed a message to each courtyard, saying that the Xiangye said this."

"Done!" The book in Qin Mingyue's hand fell to the ground with a 'thud', and she slumped back into her chair, sullenly saying, "That old man is really just looking for trouble, constantly testing this and that every few days. Doesn't he get tired of it? Now I have to kneel in the ancestral hall again"

"Cui Zhu! Speak softly, do not disturb your young lady." Not far behind Cui Zhu followed a young man in white, whose face was like a jade crown, with a gentle demeanor, walking in slowly and unhurriedly.

"Enough! Enough! This is the painting of the most charming young master Yu Qing of our time. I am merely using it to learn his technique." Qin Mingyue, with a calm demeanor, tucked the completed drawing into her bosom and turned back to casually observe the still blushing handsome man in white: "Third Brother, what brings you here to visit Fourth Sister today? Cui Zhu! Quickly brew a cup of fine Bi Luo Chun for Third Master."

The afternoon sunlight illuminated a small courtyard in the northeast corner of the Prime Minister's residence. The courtyard was tranquil, devoid of any clutter, and was solely adorned with a vast expanse of bamboo forest. Each bamboo was marked with mottled tear stains, particularly striking under the sunlight