After hearing her gossip, all the civil and military officials went crazy.

Chapter 166 The Love of Phoenix Seeking Its Mate
Fang Lingchu glanced over and thought, "Great! A dozen or so girls, each one a stunning beauty."

She quickly told the ladies to get up.

Then he bowed to the princesses.

[Guagua, are they all noble ladies taking the exam this time?]

The system said: "They all passed the exam, but not all of them are noble ladies. Some are already married, some are engaged, and some are daughters of county magistrates in small towns."

Only one of them was the daughter of a scholar who passed the imperial examination; the other one is someone you wouldn't expect.

【who? 】

The daughter of a wealthy landowner also passed the imperial examination.

Fang Lingchu was somewhat puzzled.

[Isn't it said that descendants of merchants are not allowed to participate in scientific expeditions?]

The system explained: "Host, this isn't the history of your era. This is a fantastical world woven together from the books, so it's perfectly acceptable. Your emperor hasn't explicitly forbidden it."

Okay, fine.

Seeing that everyone was standing, the eldest princess said, "Almost everyone has arrived. Let's go inside and prepare for the banquet."

The crowd replied, "Yes!"

Fang Lingchu: Here we go again. Can't you at least give her a heads-up beforehand?

Fang Lingchu awkwardly touched her nose and asked the system, "Guagua, how long do you think it will take for me to develop this kind of reaction ability?"

System: [Probably not! Host, don't worry about that for now. There's a lot of gossip surrounding these girls. Which one do you want to listen to? Someone's even triggered a destiny quest!]

Fang Lingchu couldn't help but roll her eyes.

[Guagua, we still have two luck-related tasks to complete, why is there another one?]

The system is completely innocent too!

"So what? The previous female lead's destiny mission is almost complete. As long as the Crown Prince kills that Zhang Sanqian, no one can affect the female lead from following her own path. After meeting her master, it will be almost complete."

As for the Third Prince's destiny mission, it can only be completed after he and the others confirm their wishes, so it's still a long way off.

So, do you want to take a look at this destiny quest?

While greeting her friends, Fang Lingchu said, "Of course I looked at it, maybe this one will be easier to finish!"

The system happily clicked to accept the luck mission.

(Fate Mission: Keep Zhuo Ruoshi away from the musician and achieve a heroine's comeback. Fate Points: 13 points.)
Fang Lingchu looked at the name on the list and confirmed that it was not someone she knew.

Who is this Zhuo Ruoshi?

As soon as everyone sat down, Fang Lingchu mentioned this name.

When they arrived, the eldest princess had already told everyone not to show anything, no matter what they heard at the banquet.

So when everyone heard Fang Lingchu's inner thoughts, they didn't react much, but they were still quite shocked.

Especially those young ladies from outside the area, they never expected that Fang Lingchu could become a princess and let them take the exam. So that's how it is. This is what she thinks and what her melon is like.

The system said: "The one sitting at the very back has a pale face with an unhealthy flush."

His eyes were deep, but lacked luster, revealing a faint melancholy.

She wore a simple, light-colored dress.

Her wrists were slender, the jade bracelet hanging loosely as if it might slip off at any moment, like the sunset glow, poignant and pitiful—she clearly possessed the air of a sickly beauty.

Upon hearing the system's words, everyone glanced at Zhuo Ruoshi.

After all, we've only just met, so it's normal that we don't know each other yet.

Fang Lingchu pretended to eat something, then looked up at the girl at the very back.

"It really is true, she looks so unhealthy!" the system said. "Would you like to hear her story? You'll understand after you hear it."

While eating, Fang Lingchu asked, "What kind of story is it?"

The system said: [The story of an exceptionally love-obsessed widow.]

Fang Lingchu nearly choked to death.

"Cough cough cough, water."

The eldest princess, who was standing nearby, brought Fang Lingchu a cup of tea.

"Eat slowly, no one will compete with you."

Fang Lingchu looked up and was startled to see that it was the Eldest Princess taking care of her.

He got up intending to admit his mistake, but was stopped by the eldest princess.

"Today we're just playing games together as girlfriends, don't worry about the virtual stuff."

Fang Lingchu quickly said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

[Guagua, you scared me to death! I thought Princess Chang was going to be poisoned!]

Princess: Poisoning you is not an option, not even the Emperor, but any of those adults could kill her.

The system said nonchalantly: "Don't make a fuss. The Princess isn't the kind of person who kills people at the drop of a hat."

Okay, would you like to hear Zhuo Ruoshi's story?

Others: Listen.

Zhuo Ruoshi: I don't want to hear it.

She just couldn't understand how she had suddenly become the center of attention!
And that luck quest, how did that melon know that the person she likes now is the musician?

Before they even had a chance to meet, she came to the capital to participate in the scientific expedition.

Fang Lingchu and the system had no idea about Zhuo Ruoshi's doubts and resistance.

Listen to what you've said, hurry up and tell me.

The system cleared its throat and then said: "Although Zhuo Ruoshi is 23 years old this year, her husband died half a year ago."

However, she could be said to be similar to Xia Ruirui. From a young age, she was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and music theory, and her talents were in no way inferior to those of men.

She married a local nobleman when she had just come of age. They had no children for five years, and then her husband died.

She returned home and was depressed every day. Her father thought she was heartbroken and prepared a banquet for her.

Because she herself was very outstanding, and her father was very wealthy, many of the people who came to the banquet were talented young men.

Unexpectedly, Zhuo Ruoshi didn't fancy any of them, but instead took a liking to a lowly musician.

Fang Lingchu seemed thoughtful: [That's normal. Women who crave love tend to like men who are a bit romantic and poetic. And then, do they end up together?]

The system said: "According to the original plot, they were together, but because the emperor asked the woman to participate in the imperial examination, she came to the capital and didn't have time to have much contact with him."

However, she's currently quite conflicted, after all, she's already qualified for the imperial examination! Whether or not to continue dating that musician is something she needs to consider.

Fang Lingchu was curious about what the original plot was like.

[What would it be like according to the original plot?]

The system said: "According to the original plot, Zhuo Ruoshi fell in love with the musician because of his rendition of 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix'."

Zhuo Ruoshi felt that every smile and frown of his was for her, and every note was played for her. His music expressed his deep love for her.

In an instant, she realized that while there are countless good men in the world, true friends are hard to find. He understood her loneliness, admired her unparalleled beauty, and knew what she wanted in her heart. He hoped to be a free and unfettered pair with her, like rocks and grass.

So she was moved, fell for him, and couldn't stop herself.

(End of this chapter)