Su Mingli was followed by two servants, one carrying his zither, the other holding a birdcage.

The birdcage was gilded, and inside, a parrot with emerald feathers and a red beak hopped about.

Zhou Ming noticed that quite a few onlookers had gathered across the street, craning their necks and whispering as they pointed at the Young Master's attire.

Su Mingli was completely oblivious, or to be more precise, he clearly relished the attention, even tapping his palm nonchalantly with his folding fan.

Just then, Empress Su Mingyue stepped over the threshold.

Su Mingli's eyes lit up. With a sharp "snap," he closed his folding fan, held it by the ribs with two fingers, and let out a loud whistle at Empress Su Mingyue.

Right at the main gate of the Yongning Marquis Mansion, in front of the steward, the Guard Commander, a crowd of maids and matrons, and dozens of onlookers across the street, the dignified Young Master of the Yongning Marquis Mansion was whistling.

Empress Su Mingyue's expression darkened instantly.

"Mingyue!" Su Mingli, oblivious to any impropriety, tucked his fan into his waist, leaned sideways in his saddle, propped his chin with one hand, and examined Empress Su Mingyue from head to toe with a grin.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, your outfit is far too plain. Do you not have any pretty clothes? I'll have Mother send a few more bolts of fabric to your Begonia Court later."

Before Empress Su Mingyue could reply, he patted the silver bell on his white horse's neck of his own accord.

"How about it? Why not ride a horse like your brother? My Big Black was washed today and is still in the stables. If you want to ride it, I'll have someone bring it out. It's far more comfortable than that suffocating carriage of yours."

Empress Su Mingyue glanced at him expressionlessly and said indifferently, "No need."

She then walked straight to her carriage, where her maid was already holding the curtain open, waiting for her.

Su Mingli was left standing there, but he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he laughed heartily and turned to his parrot, saying, "See that? My sister is giving me the cold shoulder again."

The parrot hopped twice in its cage and shrieked in imitation, "Cold shoulder! Cold shoulder!"

The onlookers across the street burst into laughter.

Su Mingli nodded with satisfaction and jerked the reins. The white horse reared its head and neighed, causing the silver bells to jingle noisily.

Waving his fan with one hand at the group behind him, he announced loudly, "Alright, alright, everyone is here, let's go!"

The group marched imposingly through the streets, heading towards the west of the city.

As soon as the Yongning Marquis Mansion's caravan hit the street, vendors and pedestrians along the way hurriedly made way.

The old man selling sugar paintings hurriedly dragged his stall back three feet, a peasant woman carrying a vegetable load shrank into an alley entrance, and even the tea drinkers leaning out of the second-floor windows of the teahouse leaned out further, wanting to see whose procession this was.

Zhou Ming followed behind Empress Su Mingyue's carriage, head lowered, walking silently.

Following behind were a squad of guards with long swords at their waists and several carriages loaded with supplies, the wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement with a dull rumble.

After leaving the city, the view suddenly opened up.

On both sides of the official road lay vast stretches of newly turned farmland, with wheat seedlings just half a foot tall, spreading out in a lush green carpet to the horizon.

Zhou Ming looked up and saw that they were not the only ones on the official road.

Young Masters and Young Misses from various mansions had also set out from their respective estates.

The caravans slowly converged outside the city gate, gradually forming a winding Dragon that moved slowly along the official road toward West Mountain.

With so many people, the carriages naturally slowed down.

If the carriage in front slowed down a bit, the procession behind had to stop.

Starting and stopping, stopping and starting, by the time they finally reached the top of West Mountain, the sun had already climbed high into the sky.

A row of shade pavilions had already been set up on the summit of West Mountain according to yesterday's arrangements.

The distance between each family's pavilion was just right—neither too distant nor too crowded.

Maids and matrons bustled about, opening the food boxes they had brought and arranging various preserved fruits and assorted pastries on the tables.

The mountain breeze, which had blown through the realgar and sulfur sprinkled around the pavilions, kept any mosquitoes and insects at bay.

Zhou Ming and a few attendants stood behind the pavilion, facing the cliff, looking out over the view below West Mountain.

The entire Yuyang Commandery was in full view, the grey-blue city walls shimmering faintly in the sunlight, with the moat winding around the city like a silver ribbon.

Further away were layers of undulating mountains, their pale green outlines gradually melting into the skyline.

The mountain breeze brushed against their faces, carrying the scent of flowers, which was quite refreshing.

From behind, the sounds of poetry recitation from the various Young Masters and Young Misses drifted over intermittently.

The first to speak was a Young Miss from an unknown family in the eastern pavilion; her voice was soft and gentle as she recited a seven-character poem about peach blossoms.

Zhou Ming listened intently; the rhymes were neat and the allusions were appropriate. While it couldn't be called a masterpiece, in this setting, it at least wouldn't embarrass her family.

Zhou Ming had some knowledge of these ancient poems. In his past life, he had memorized plenty of ancient poems during his nine years of compulsory education, and combined with his university major, he actually had quite a deep understanding of them.

Following that, several other Young Masters and Young Misses recited poems one after another, with varying levels of skill, though most were decent and standard.

Empress Su Mingyue also composed one. When she recited it, her voice was low, her tone flat, and the words were cold and detached, much like her own personality.

The Young Misses from the neighboring pavilions listened, nodded slightly, and exchanged a few words in low voices.

Then, Su Mingli stood up.

With a "snap," he opened his folding fan, strode to the front edge of the pavilion, and cleared his throat.

Zhou Ming's heart sank; he had a strange feeling that something was about to go wrong.

"Springtime Young Master Appreciating Peach and Apricot Blossoms: The spring breeze blows warm, the flowers bloom, the Young Master strolls out to enjoy the spring. The peach blossoms are vibrant and lovely, the apricot blossoms are simple and play the good girl. A group of Young Misses lined up in a row, competing to praise the flowers, comparing them to their delicate cheeks. The Young Master stares in a daze, looking at flowers is not as good as looking at the ladies."

The entire venue fell silent.

Then, someone—it was unclear who—let out a laugh, and immediately, the laughter spread like a contagion, erupting one after another.

Several Young Masters in the eastern pavilion laughed until they were bent double, barely able to hold their fans.

The Young Misses in the western pavilion covered their faces with round fans, their shoulders shaking as they tried to stifle their laughter, with occasional cries of: "Vulgar." "Lecher!"

Even some of the attendants and guards from various families couldn't hold it back, covering their mouths and turning their heads away.

Su Mingli, however, was completely oblivious. Instead, he "swished" his folding fan shut and bowed to the direction where the laughter was loudest.

He looked immensely pleased with himself, his expression as if to say, "Excuse me, excuse me, you have now witnessed this Young Master's literary talent."

Zhou Ming noticed that Empress Su Mingyue had lowered her head at some point, her bangs covering half her face, making her expression unreadable.

Her hand, resting on her knee, was tapping lightly, one beat after another, as if counting time or perhaps restraining herself.

Just as Zhou Ming was silently mourning for Eldest Miss, an arrow cut through the air and slammed into the center of the venue.

"Hum..."

The nock of the arrow vibrated incessantly, and the previously lively venue fell silent instantly.

Everyone's gaze locked tightly onto the abruptly appearing arrow.