Volume Two, Chapter 1

"Judging by the meaning of these rotten verses and lines, that should be it."

"...Why wasn't she selected?" he asked, sounding somewhat reluctant.

"How could such perfunctory portrait albums..."

"Xiaojing, don't speak to me in high-sounding words. Tell me the truth so I know."

"..." Li Chenjing was silent for a moment, parted his lips, and replied, "Her father's official rank is not high enough, her standing at court is low, and her family also lacks influence."

He took a deep breath, sighed in relief, "Looking at it this way, she truly isn't suited for me at all. At least... for now, she isn't."

"..."

"All right, let's go. We might as well head back and properly drench ourselves in affection for the woman the Prime Minister carefully selected for me." He turned to leave.

"Your Highness." Li Chenjing called out to stop him.

"Mm?" He looked back.

"Do you have the inspiration for the second line?"

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"If you don't mind, would you allow me to try?"

"Who told you to paste these rebellious, cliché phrases on the door! Hurry up and tear them down for me!"

"I was already farsighted enough to paste it on the back door anyway. Fine, fine, old man, I'll go tear it down."

Zhu Furu, who was being chased around with a whip by her own old man, opened the back door and stood on tiptoe, about to tear off the slip of paper pasted on the door when her toes brushed against a scroll of paintings. She skeptically squatted down to pick it up, unfurled the painting to look at it—

"Eh? Isn't this my consort-selection portrait album? How did it end up here... Could it be that the albums of the rejected maidens all