The newcomer was a beautiful woman of twenty-six or twenty-seven, with an oval face and limpid eyes like autumn waters. She wore a lotus-white brocade gauze dress, with ancient blue-green jade fastened at her slender waist.
Her figure was graceful and willowy, her bearing gentle.
Yet as her eyes moved, hints of shrewdness and quick wit surfaced. She was not as easily taken advantage of as her appearance suggested.
Behind her followed several pretty maids in colorful clothes, carrying fans and baskets-a considerable entourage.
As for Peng Qing, who had gone out earlier, he followed close behind, not daring to raise his head.
Afraid of offending the person before him, he kept his eyes fixed on his toes, his expression exceedingly respectful, a faint sheen of sweat at his temples...
"You flatter me, honored guest. I would hardly presume to instruct you."
The woman covered her lips and smiled softly. In that brief instant, her gaze had already swept Chen Heng from head to toe.
Then she approached the table with measured steps. Without needing any instructions, the maids behind her understood and brought out fruit and tea, presenting them one by one.
"Do you know the origins of the New Year's Day Appraisal, honored guest?"
Amid the curling fragrance of tea, the woman gently waved her flowing sleeve and gestured for him to sit, asking with a radiant smile.
"I've heard a little."
Chen Heng did not decline. Spreading his sleeve, he sat across the table from her. After a moment's consideration, he said:
"I heard that several Clan Elders of the Twelve Great Clans first proposed it. Ostensibly, they claimed they did not wish the distinguished figures of the Nine Provinces and Four Seas to hide their traces and bury their names.
"Brilliant talents and outstanding figures should