The moment that name was mentioned, the pavilion fell silent.
Qiu Lingxi.
The eldest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan’s household, descended from a military family. She had practiced martial arts since childhood and excelled at both horseback riding and archery. During the capital’s autumn hunt the previous year, she had shot down two wild geese with a single arrow, astonishing everyone present. She was famous throughout the capital as a bold and spirited young woman.
She was strikingly beautiful and carried herself with confidence. Her personality was straightforward and decisive. She walked with purpose and spoke with authority.
“Her?”
Shen Jinghong shot Fang Ziheng a glare and tilted his head slightly.
Fang Ziheng raised an eyebrow and began counting on his fingers.
“First, she’s highly skilled in martial arts and can spar with you. Second, she’s healthy as a horse she can practice boxing in the dead of winter wearing only a single layer without coughing once. Third, she can draw a bow on horseback and wield a saber on foot, which perfectly matches your requirement of ‘riding horses, drawing bows, and wielding weapons.’ Isn’t she basically your dream woman?”
Beside him, Zhao Zheng nodded vigorously.
“Makes sense, makes sense.”
Zhou Yanzhi joined in as well.
“And Miss Qiu is beautiful too. At last year’s autumn hunt, she was riding on horseback in hunting attire. She looked absolutely heroic. Half the young gentlemen in the capital couldn’t take their eyes off her.”
“Exactly!”
The more Fang Ziheng talked, the more excited he became.
“Miss Qiu and you would be a perfect match! You’re both fighters. After you get married, there’d be no need to argue at home just step into a ring and have a match. Whoever wins gets the final say.”
“Hahaha!”
Zhao Zheng laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.
“Then Jinghong would definitely be the one making all the decisions every day!”
The barrage of teasing left Shen Jinghong red-faced.
He hurriedly gulped down a mouthful of wine and cut them off.
“Enough, enough! Are you done yet?”
He paused, then set his wine cup down heavily on the stone table.
“Qiu Lingxi… well… she does fit the requirements I mentioned.”
The instant those words left his mouth, the eyes of everyone in the pavilion lit up.
They all leaned closer at once.
“At least she’s not sickly,” Shen Jinghong added matter-of-factly. “Sparring with her sounds a lot better than staring at some medicine jar all day.”
Zhao Zheng let out a meaningful “Ohhh,” exchanging a look with Fang Ziheng.
Just as Fang Ziheng was about to say something else, a burst of laughter drifted in from outside the pavilion.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
On the shaded path across Peach Blossom Creek, a group of finely dressed young ladies was approaching gracefully.
Some carried silk parasols, others held peach blossoms in their hands. Their flowing sleeves fluttered in the breeze as they chatted and laughed among themselves.
Leading the group was a young woman in a goose-yellow dress.
She had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a tiny beauty mark at the corner of her smiling lips.
It was Zhao Yun, Zhao Zheng’s younger sister.
She immediately spotted Zhao Zheng in the pavilion and waved her handkerchief.
“Brother!”
she called brightly.
Zhao Zheng stood and answered her. Then he shot Shen Jinghong a playful wink.
“My sister’s here. I’ll go say hello.”
Just as he was about to leave, Fang Ziheng grabbed his sleeve.
“Hey, hey, hey don’t go yet!”
His voice dropped, though the excitement in it was impossible to hide. His eyes remained fixed on the approaching group of young ladies.
“Have you heard? Several of the capital’s most beautiful women are here today.”
Zhou Yanzhi immediately leaned forward.
“Which ones? Which ones?”
Fang Ziheng raised a finger.
“First, Wang Yingxue, the eldest daughter of the Wang family. Last year she was selected as a candidate for the imperial harem during the palace selection, but for some reason she was later released. Her looks are… wow…”
He raised a second finger.
“Second, Li Shiyu of the Li family the one known as the Capital’s Greatest Talent. She’s proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her father insists she won’t marry anyone below the rank of top scholar, so she’s still unmarried to this day.”