A Spring Banquet

Chancellor Su Baili had difficulty having children. He was nearly forty when he finally had a daughter, whom he cherished like a precious jewel as she grew up. He had hoped to raise her into a peerless genius, but she was no scholar. The moment she opened a book, she would complain of headaches and fever, groaning and grumbling. Faced with such a delicate, adorable little girl, Su Baili could never bring himself to be strict with her.

Every day, he told himself to take it easy and be more patient with his daughter. But as he kept indulging her, she gradually grew into a famously pretty airhead in the capital.

She was forever saying things that left people speechless.

Worried that she might offend people without even realizing it, Su Baili wanted to find her a well-educated husband. Yue Huan, the brilliant young vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review who had achieved the top honors in all three imperial examinations, caught his eye.

Su Ruoyan was worried about having Yue Huan as her betrothed. He was so eloquent that countless talented young ladies swooned over him, and she could hardly find anything to talk about with him.

The imperial decree granting their marriage had already been issued, and Su Ruoyan could do nothing to change it. She went to a bookstore and bought some case records, hoping she and Yue Huan might have something in common. Instead, he caught sight of the books in her hands and silently passed her a beginner's primer, saying, “Miss Su would be better suited to this.”

Su Ruoyan: “…”

If not for the imperial decree, surely no one would ever like a man like this.