Ye Qingcheng quickly helped the old woman up.
As for Pei Changqiu, Ye Qingcheng caught a glimpse of him and saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Ye Qingcheng: ...
Well... how to put it! She wasn't that great, was she!
"Uh, Madam, I need Pei Changqiu to spar with me, so..." She hesitated to continue, as this matter was neither essential nor dispensable, but Pei Changqiu was supposed to go on a blind date. If it went well, it would lead to marriage.
She looked at Pei Changqiu. That one glance stunned her. Pei Changqiu, with his back to his mother, was gazing at her intently, as if she were his savior.
Ye Qingcheng swallowed, and forced herself to continue, "So, I need Pei Changqiu to stay."
Madam Pei looked left and right, somewhat troubled, as the young lady was already waiting. But facing her was the Princess! She dared not disobey and could only harden her heart and nod, "Alright, then this commoner shall not disturb the Princess. This commoner will take his leave now."
She still had to go back and apologize to the young lady.
Watching Madam Pei's frail figure depart, Ye Qingcheng shook her head, sighing! What was Madam Pei's fault? She merely wanted to find a wife for her son!
However, Ye Qingcheng couldn't help but suppress a laugh. If Old Master Jun wasn't here today, he would probably mock him.
Pei Changqiu saw it and sighed, "Princess, if you want to laugh, just laugh!"
Honestly, he felt a bit embarrassed. He, a dignified constable with a sword, being pressured by his mother to go on a blind date was too humiliating.
Ye Qingcheng burst out laughing, "Hahahaha, you shouldn't have refused. Perhaps that would have been your future wife!"
Pei Changqiu's face was one of awkwardness, "Princess, stop teasing me. With my position, what girl would fancy me?"
Ye Qingcheng looked at him, recalling Han Xuemei. Back then, Han Xuemei, relying on her status, was arrogant and condescending. Thinking of it now, she felt a pang of sadness.
"Oh, don't say such disheartening things. Come on, let's go to the arena for a spar."
Pei Changqiu also cast aside all his worries and nodded, "Alright."
As they arrived at the arena and were engaged in a heated match, Li Mo'er appeared.
"Sister Princess."
Ye Qingcheng turned upon hearing this and saw Li Mo'er dressed in a goose-yellow gown, her hairstyle cute and delicate, perfectly suiting her and highlighting her youthful bloom.
As she approached Ye Qingcheng, she resembled a little sparrow taking flight.
Pei Changqiu was utterly captivated.
Seeing her, Ye Qingcheng was somewhat surprised, "Why are you here?"
Li Mo'er stepped forward and directly linked her arm with Ye Qingcheng's.
"Sister Princess, I went to the Prince's mansion. The butler said you were here, so I came."
It was Li Mo'er's first time here. She had heard about this place before and knew about the embarrassing incident involving Miss Cheng a few years ago, so she was quite curious. As she looked around, she spotted Pei Changqiu.
At that moment, Pei Changqiu had just finished a spar. While he wasn't completely exhausted, his aura was particularly disheveled, his stray hairs were plastered to his forehead by sweat, and his Adam's apple bobbed wildly, exuding masculine charm. Coincidentally, Li Mo'er was sizing him up when their eyes suddenly met.
Li Mo'er felt her heart pounding as if it would leap out, and her breathing became difficult. She quickly averted her gaze, feeling unusually nervous in front of a man for the first time.
"Sister Princess, who is this?"
Ye Qingcheng had been tidying her hem and hadn't seen their exchanged glances. Hearing Li Mo'er's question, she remembered they hadn't met yet.
"Oh! This is Pei Changqiu, a constable from the yamen."
Li Mo'er's face lit up with surprise, "You are the hero who apprehended the robber!"
Ye Qingcheng was still somewhat surprised, "How did you know?"
Facing Ye Qingcheng, Li Mo'er lost her reserve. She spoke about criminal cases with great relish, "I heard it through the grapevine. They say the robber was also skilled in martial arts, and Constable Pei was very impressive, capturing him with ease."
Ye Qingcheng had only heard about it, but not in such detail, "Really!"
Pei Changqiu, uncharacteristically shy like a young boy, said, "Actually, the rumors have exaggerated it. The criminal did know some martial arts, but it was mere superficial skill, not worth mentioning."
The two of them got a general understanding.
"Princess, this is..." Pei Changqiu saw Li Mo'er and tried to control his breathing.
Ye Qingcheng remembered she hadn't introduced Li Mo'er yet.
"Oh! This is the youngest daughter of Minister Li, her name is Li Mo'er."
Pei Changqiu's smile gradually faded. She... was the daughter of Minister Li...
He had initially thought that the Princess was unpretentious, and the girls she knew, if he worked hard, he might be able to visit.
But this was Minister Li's household!
He was several levels below Minister Li. Moreover, he knew that Minister Li had never had a concubine, so Li Mo'er was the legitimate youngest daughter of the minister's household. How could he possibly aspire to her?
Damn it!
This was the first time he had encountered a girl who made his heart flutter. It seemed he could only admire her from afar and not bring her home.
Ye Qingcheng looked at Li Mo'er suspiciously, "Why do you have time to come find me today?"
Li Mo'er giggled, "Of course, I want to go play polo with Sister Princess!"
"Polo?" For some reason, thinking of polo reminded her of the Duchess of England and the county princess.
"What made you think of playing polo? Has your family organized another equestrian event?"
Li Mo'er looked puzzled, "What? Sister Princess didn't receive an invitation?"
"Hmm?" An invitation? She hadn't received one! "I didn't receive one! Who is hosting this time?"
Li Mo'er said, "The Duke of England!"
Alright! Ye Qingcheng finally understood.
"Are you sure that even though I had an unpleasant interaction with the Duke of England, they still sent me an invitation, and I'm supposed to go?"
Li Mo'er understood, "Then we won't go. Let's go to Sister Liu's house and play Touhu!" She looked at Pei Changqiu, "Constable Pei, you should come too! Both men and women can play Touhu!"
Ye Qingcheng looked at Li Mo'er and only then noticed that Li Mo'er's gaze towards Pei Changqiu was exceptionally different.
It was like a young girl in the throes of first love.
Ye Qingcheng smiled and decided to grant her wish, "We've been playing for quite a while today. How about it, Young Master Pei, would you like to join us? It's also a good opportunity to get to know more friends."
Pei Changqiu thought for a moment. If he went back now, his mother would definitely make him meet that girl. It would be better to go.
"Alright, it's also nothing to do, so let's go!"
Li Mo'er was naturally a hundred times willing.
Ye Qingcheng and Li Mo'er sat in the same carriage. Seeing her get into the carriage, still in a daze and smiling inexplicably, Ye Qingcheng teased, "What? Have you taken a liking to a certain Young Master Pei?"
Li Mo'er was startled, "Sister Princess, don't talk nonsense. I only met him today, and we've barely exchanged a few words. How can you say I've taken a liking to him?"
How could Ye Qingcheng not know that her delicate actions clearly indicated she had taken a liking to him?
"If you like him, I can be a matchmaker and help you connect. How about it?"