Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 309 Is it okay to perform beating someone up?

The two half-sisters, seeing Gu Qingyue's expression, were incredibly curious, but dared not approach, only observing her quietly.

Zhao Lingyun, who was sitting to their right, saw all of this clearly.

She rolled her eyes, lowered her voice and gave a few instructions to the maid behind her before sitting up straight again.

Soon, the performances for the Spring Festival banquet officially began.

This time, both men and women are welcome to perform on stage.

The venue is very large and divided into many areas.

There is a musical instrument performance area, which is closest to the main guest seats, as well as a chess area where you can freely challenge others, a calligraphy and painting area, and even an archery and special talent area for men. Basically, everyone has the opportunity to participate.

Of course, pseudo-noble ladies like Gu Qingyue, who had never received any formal education in traditional Chinese arts such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, were not even considered by the organizers.

Who would believe that a noblewoman of the third rank or above could do nothing?

Soon enough, the young ladies and gentlemen in the audience began to discuss it enthusiastically.

Some are even preparing to participate in multiple performances.

Gu Qingyue remained seated, watching with great interest as others played the zither, painted silently, went archery, or played chess—a diverse range of activities flourished.

An hour later, except for the instrumental performance area where scores were given on the spot, all other performances had their results recorded by eunuchs or their works collected and handed over to the judges in the main audience for processing.

Gu Qingyue watched Zhao Lingyun paint, play the flute, and then sit down to play chess with someone, feeling rather bored.

Gu Qingyue was very impressed; being a lady from a prominent family in ancient times was no easy task!

Regardless of your actual abilities, you need to have a bunch of talents to rely on.

Just thinking about it makes me tired!

While waiting for the judges to score, the people sat in twos and threes chatting idly.

Gu Qingyue took her two half-sisters to find Cui Jiaojiao and the others.

The girls got to know each other and chatted quite well.

Gu Qingyue could always feel the scrutinizing gazes of the wealthy women who were watching her and her group from not far away, pointing and whispering, which made her feel uncomfortable.

Of course, maybe they don't mean any harm, but who knows which of your things is being used as gossip by these people?

She can gossip about others, but when others gossip about her...

Humans are so contradictory, and they even have double standards!

"Why are you always looking over there?" Cui Jiaojiao couldn't help but lean closer and ask.

Gu Qingyue frowned. "Tell me, what are those ladies over there doing, pointing and whispering in our direction?"

Cui Jiaojiao glanced at it quickly, then covered her mouth and laughed, "You still don't understand? A lady from a prominent family is eyeing one of us, probably because she's taken a liking to him."

Gu Qingyue looked bewildered. What caught her eye? Clothing or headdress?

A few seconds later, she suddenly realized.

"Oh, I see. What will happen then?" Gu Qingyue asked in a low voice.

Mei Xiaoyuan leaned closer and said, "They'll probably ask someone to propose marriage or arrange a marriage."

So sloppy?

Gu Qingyue finally understood the meaning behind calling this spring appreciation banquet a matchmaking banquet.

However, she was also one of the people being reviewed and criticized, which made her somewhat unhappy.

"Master," Jiang Wan finally managed to squeeze through and whispered, "The Third Young Master is looking for you."

Gu Qingyue nodded, greeted the others, and followed Jiang Wan toward the Peach Garden.

Upon entering the peach orchard, I was stunned by the sea of ​​flowers before me.

To my surprise, the peach blossoms actually bloomed overnight!

The pink peach blossoms are like graceful young girls, so beautiful that they soften one's heart.

Gu Qingyue raised her hand to touch it, pulled down the branch, and brought it close to her nose to smell it.

The flavor is very mild, and the delicate stamens tremble gently in the breeze, making one want to stop and admire them.

After admiring it for a while, she released the peach branch from her hand. The branch swayed, and petals fluttered down from the sky. Gu Qingyue's heart skipped a beat. How beautiful!

Gu Qingyue turned around with a relaxed smile on her lips.

Suddenly, she saw a man standing quietly not far in front of her, looking her over. The man was handsome and refined, with a long purple robe covering his tall and slender figure, giving him a kind of ascetic beauty.

I don't know how long I stood there.

Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow and gave a slight curtsy, "Third Prince."

"Miss Gu is admiring the flowers? They're in full bloom everywhere, a sight not to be missed. Would Miss Gu be willing to accompany me for a stroll in this peach garden?"

Gu Qingyue's hands were itching again. She raised her eyes and said, "I am truly sorry. There is a difference between men and women, and I have other matters to attend to at the moment. I hope the Third Prince will forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Yue Zhiqi pursed his lips and slowly approached Gu Qingyue.

He stopped a step away from the other person, with one hand behind his back.

His eyes were fixed on Gu Qingyue's face. After a moment, he said, "In that case, I was being presumptuous. I won't disturb Miss Gu any longer. Farewell." After saying that, he looked at Gu Qingyue with a deep gaze for a few seconds before turning and leaving.

Gu Qingyue felt a chill run down her spine. Was this man crazy?

Standing so close?!

She had to restrain herself for a long time before she could suppress the urge to kick him away.

If it weren't for the reputation of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she would have actually done it! Provocation? Or flirting?

Seeing him lead his men away, Gu Qingyue turned and led Jiang Wan deeper into the peach garden.

"Please forgive me, my lord, I didn't see anyone at the other end of the path," Jiang Wan said, feeling very annoyed.

She had been staring at Gu Qingyue's back, only thinking that her mistress was breathtakingly beautiful standing in front of the peach blossoms, and she didn't notice that there was someone at the end of the path to the side.

He deserves to be hit!!

"It's alright," Gu Qingyue waved her hand, her voice lazy and casual.

Yue Zhiqi stopped walking again when Gu Qingyue's figure disappeared at the other end of the path.

He turned his head and looked at it, a strange smile appearing on his lips. He remained silent for a moment, then walked forward again.

"Master? This Miss Gu the Third?" the bodyguard behind him asked tentatively.

He felt that his master had been acting strangely ever since he saw Miss Gu today. Could it be that he had taken a liking to her?

"It is indeed breathtakingly beautiful, but..." Before she could finish speaking, she continued walking forward.

The guard behind him twitched his lips. Miss Gu was indeed stunningly beautiful, but his master was no less so. Didn't he know that?

Gu Qingyue and the others arrived near a small pavilion and saw four or five people sitting inside. Wasn't this the place where they had been gossiping last night?

"Third Brother?" Gu Qingyue approached the pavilion and saw Gu Yuanming, calling out softly.

"Little sister," Gu Yuanming stood up and waved.

Gu Qingyue walked over with light steps and found that apart from her third brother, everyone in the pavilion was a familiar face: Mu Yun Chu, her fourth brother, Prince Zhang, and Mu Jin Yan, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

Gu Qingyue greeted the group cheerfully, and when she turned to Mu Yun Chu, she gave him a bright smile.

"What are you doing here?" Apart from Prince Zhang, whom she wasn't very familiar with, everyone here knew about her relationship with Mu Yun Chu, so she stopped pretending.

Mu Yun Chu smiled indulgently, "How are you feeling?"

"It's quite fun, all handsome men and beautiful women, very pleasing to the eye," Gu Qingyue said with a smile as she poured herself a cup of tea.

"Cough cough-------", Prince Zhang next to him couldn't help but cough, almost choking on his tea.

He stared at Mu Yun Chu with wide eyes, as if to say, "You actually like this kind of woman?"

But Mu Yun Chu completely ignored her.

The others glanced at Gu Qingyue a few times, seemingly unfazed, and continued drinking their tea with smiles.

"Speak quickly," Gu Yuanming said, ignoring the subtle misunderstandings among the group.

Gu Qingyue looked at Gu Yuanming in confusion, "What did you say?"

"Little sister, my mentor, Headmaster Lin, is among today's judges. You've met him before; he prefers works that are unconventional and have their own unique ideas..."

Gu Yuanen was speaking earnestly when Gu Qingyue interrupted him, "What does this have to do with me? I have no intention of participating in the competition."

“I know you don’t want to participate, but what if someone challenges you?” Gu Yuanen raised an eyebrow.

Gu Qingyue was stunned. "It can be like this? What will happen if I don't accept the challenge?"

The talent show has only just begun, and after the performances are over, it will be time for the challenge segment. Gu Qingyue really didn't know that.

The group stared at Gu Qingyue as if she were an alien. Gu Qingyue immediately surrendered, "I don't have any special talents, how about I perform beating someone up?"

The group of people froze, their expressions filled with horror.

"Gu Qingyue, are you kidding me?" Mu Jinyan jumped out. "You're supposed to be a lady of high society now, have you ever seen a noblewoman perform a beating?"

Gu Qingyue awkwardly touched her nose.

Mu Yun Chu, standing beside him, remained calm, her smile undiminished.

Looking at Gu Qingyue and then at Mu Yun Chu's expression, Prince Zhang felt as if he were seeing a monster.

They've known each other for over a decade, and when had they ever seen this gentleman with such a gentle smile on his lips?

Shouldn't their expression be so cold it could freeze people?

"What do you think?" Gu Qingyue asked Mu Yunchu.