After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

Rong Yingluo was taken aback. She was just making conversation out of nothing. When chatting, you always have to talk about things you're familiar with. It seems she was showing off too much.

"Well, Madam Qi, I was just saying that casually," Rong Yingluo said shyly.

"But I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Our Qi family has also invited a Taoist priest to come and look at the feng shui. Although I didn't accompany him, I heard my husband mention it, and it's not as good as you say." Madam Qi was also a talented woman, and she could tell whether Rong Yingluo's words were good or not just by listening.

Rong Yingluo thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, please set a time and take me to the Zhao family."

Perhaps this way we can send a glimmer of hope to the Empress and it will be good for her health.

The two agreed to this.

We came across a small field of flowers, all golden chrysanthemums. It was a sudden and breathtaking sight.

"My God, the glass is so beautiful! It's even arranged in the shape of a plum blossom. Whose idea was this?" Ke Miaoran exclaimed.

Several young men and women were admiring the flowers nearby.

"Yes, this is the first time I've ever seen a design where flowers are arranged to resemble another kind of flower," one of the ladies chimed in.

"Next time my family hosts a flower viewing party, I'll ask my mom to do the same. I really want to draw it," said another young lady.

"It was my idea. Since all the ladies like it so much, I'll give each of you two pots after the banquet. For those who want to paint them, I'll have the maids prepare brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for everyone right away." Rong Yingluo didn't mind letting people know that she was talented.

Today is also her chance to step into the elite circles of Beijing.

"Thank you, Mrs. Gu."

Rong Yingluo let them eat and take things, finally making the young ladies less arrogant.

These flowers are all grown in pots, and their blooming period will last for at least another month. If you take them home and put them in your room, you can enjoy them for a long time.

No young lady disliked it.

"Aren't you afraid the Duchess will disagree?" Madam Rong tugged at her daughter's sleeve.

"Don't worry, Mother. Father bought these flowers. Isn't it only right that I make the decision?" Rong Yingluo used these flowers to win people over. Who would dare to object?

Rong Yingluo led the three of them on a stroll. Every now and then they encountered groups of young men and women chatting and laughing.

Just as she had guessed, Gu Qingya followed Prince Xuan and Princess Xiangyi.

How much she wants to marry into the Xuan Prince's mansion!

Should I grant her wish? Rong Yingluo wondered.

In her eyes, Yuwen Tai wasn't a good man. He relied solely on his status; he didn't have much ability of his own. Although he wasn't exactly a playboy, he wasn't very promising either. He was already nineteen years old, and the Emperor hadn't assigned him any important tasks.

Gu Ce became the top scholar in the imperial examination at the age of eighteen through his own abilities.

Compared to this, it's like comparing heaven and earth.

When they arrived at a waterside pavilion in the northeast corner, a group of young noblemen were having fun there.

Rong Yingluo saw several people gathered together, and through the gaps, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face.

"Mother, it looks like my eldest brother."

Madam Rong examined it carefully as well: "It is indeed him."

"Liuli, let's go take a look too." Ke Miaoran wanted to join in the fun.

"You two go ahead, I'll accompany Madam Rong for a stroll." Madam Qi knew that young people loved to have fun, and having them accompany her would be restricting them.

Rong Yingluo took Ke Miaoran's arm and went over, only to find Rong Zhixiu playing chess with someone, Li Xuanye.

Black and white clouds have already laid out most of the strategy.

Observing the game in silence, Rong Yingluo stood behind her brother, watching him make his moves.

"Liuli, you know how to play chess?" Ke Miaoran asked, seeing her watching intently.

"I know a little bit," Rong Yingluo said modestly.

As soon as the two spoke, Li Xuanye and Rong Zhixiu, who were playing chess, looked up and saw Rong Yingluo and a woman coming to watch the game.

"Mrs. Gu can play chess?" Li Xuanye asked with a smile.

"What? You look down on me?" Rong Yingluo had inherited her master's true skills and was also quite accomplished in Go.

Cultivating the Tao is about cultivating one's character, and playing chess is the best way to calm one's mind. Whenever she has free time, her master will take her to play chess.

Every time they played chess, her master would explain his strategy in detail. After so many years of being influenced by her master, her chess skills have improved by leaps and bounds.

"I'm not very good at this game. How about you come and help me defeat your elder brother?" Li Xuanye suggested.

His purpose, of course, was to take the opportunity to get closer to her.

Rong Zhixiu gave an encouraging smile, looking like he wasn't afraid of losing.

Li Xuanye, playing black, started by occupying the 3-3 point and the star point, displaying a dignified and upright opening strategy, reminiscent of the sharp and decisive tactics employed on the battlefield.

Rong Zhixiu, however, acted out of character. For the first dozen or so moves, he placed his pieces on the high and low points, leaving the white pieces suspended above the four lines, floating about as if they were just a few strokes of cursive script written carelessly.

"In this game of chess, elder brother is playing the landscape, while Prince Li is playing the military strategy. You two are on completely different paths."

Rong Yingluo could see that although her elder brother's chess pieces were scattered, each one was secretly positioned around the center point, like a net cast out, waiting to tighten suddenly when the black pieces penetrated deep into the center.

Li Xuanye, however, remained oblivious and continued to advance cautiously on the outskirts of the territory.

"Prince Li, take a step back here," Rong Yingluo pointed out.

Li Xuanye raised an eyebrow: "Retreat? That won't do. I need to patch this loophole."

"The loophole isn't in the corner," Rong Yingluo shook her head, "the loophole is in the heart. You're focused on the gains and losses of a single city or battleground, but you haven't seen that my elder brother has already laid out a nineteen-layered net in the center. With three more reinforcements, the corners may be an impenetrable fortress, but the black dragon in the center will never be able to break through again."

She reached out and took a black piece from the chess set: "Place it here."

With a flick of her wrist, she placed the black piece on the top three lines of the chessboard.

It was an extremely ethereal place, with no boundaries in front or behind, and no foundation in left or right. In the eyes of ordinary chess players, it was simply a useless piece.

"What do you mean by this?" Li Xuanye's brows furrowed even more.

"This is the Awakening of Insects," Rong Yingluo said. "Right now it looks like an isolated piece, but the wider my elder brother's white pieces spread in the center, the more it resembles a thorn stuck in the cloth. When his net tightens to its tightest point, you can launch an attack from this piece, supporting the large dragon on the left and counterattacking the center on the right, turning the entire game upside down."

Rong Zhixiu stopped waving his fan. He didn't look at the newly placed black piece on the chessboard, but instead looked up at his younger sister, his eyes overflowing with doting affection.

"My little sister is still as clever as ever. If this continues, I'll have no choice but to admit defeat."

Several other young men watching the game couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Young Madam Gu is truly talented. We've been watching for so long and still couldn't figure it out. You only glanced at it and immediately identified the problem, deciding the winner before the game was even finished." It was none other than Tan Feiran, the second young master of Princess Pingyang's residence.

"You flatter me. I'm just too familiar with your chess style, brother." Rong Yingluo smiled mischievously. "Brother, you're too kind."

Sure enough, in the next few steps, Rong Zhixiu had to divide his forces to block them. The large dragon on the left took a breather, and the black formation on the right took the opportunity to connect into one.

After another dozen or so moves, Rong Zhixiu pushed aside the chess jar, smiled, and said, "I lost."

Li Xuanye laughed loudly: "Haha, Madam Gu, you show no mercy when you bully your elder brother."

"That's right, he's my older brother, he's willing to let me bully him." Rong Yingluo knew that her older brother doted on her, which was why he didn't go all out. In fact, her older brother's chess skills were unmatched.

"Mrs. Gu is a true woman of talent." Tan Feiran gave a thumbs up.

Just then, a commotion arose in the distance.