In order to eat, I signed a contract with the system

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it was the day for Qin Wanrong to come of age. Logically, Qin Wanrong's coming of age should have been known to a few elderly people in the Dongchang Marquis' Mansion, apart from the master and servant of Hanshan Temple. For this reason, Qin Wanrong and the other two only celebrated a simple coming of age day in the small backyard of Hanshan Temple.

But he didn't expect that Liang Duzhi came to congratulate him on the order of the emperor.

Qin Wanrong did not tell anyone about her birthday. Although she knew that her information had long been investigated by the government and it was not strange to know her birthday, Qin Wanrong, who seemed to know nothing about Brother Zhao's true identity, was naturally surprised and delighted.

Liang Duzhi saw Qin Wanrong's surprise and touching expression, and felt even more distressed for her. He thought that if the Marquis of Dongchang and his wife were not such bad people, Qin Wanrong's coming-of-age ceremony would have been grand and prosperous as the daughter of the Marquis's family. How could it be like now, with no one paying attention to it and not even having a coming-of-age ceremony?

"Miss Qin San, this is the coming-of-age gift that my young master specially selected for you. Please accept it, Miss Qin San."

The clerk wanted to take the gift box from Liang Duzhi on behalf of Qin Wanrong, but he saw Qin Wanrong shook her head, walked to Liang Duzhi herself, took it and opened it, and saw a jade hairpin inside.

"Thank you, Brother Liang, for coming to congratulate me on my birthday despite your busy schedule. Please tell Brother Zhao that I appreciate his kindness, but a jade hairpin is not something I, an unmarried woman, can accept."

After saying that, Qin Wanrong closed the gift box and handed it back to Liang Duzhi. She took the initiative to receive it so that she could return it. This would not only make Liang Duzhi feel her respect for him, but also avoid Liang Duzhi's dissatisfaction when the clerk returned the gift. Although she did play an ambiguous game with the official, this kind of thing can only be understood but not expressed in words.

Without any guarantee, it is absolutely impossible to admit it and leave no handle. The emperor has not revealed his identity to Qin Wanrong, and has never asked Qin Wanrong to marry him. Things like jade hairpins and jewelry, which can only be given by relatives, Qin Wanrong naturally cannot accept them.

Liang Duzhi also knew why Qin Wanrong refused to accept it, but he felt a headache when he thought of the emperor who was entangled in the palace. The emperor had long wanted to issue an order to summon Miss Qin San to the palace, but the emperor was too worried about gains and losses. He was afraid that Miss Qin San had no feelings for him, and he was also afraid that Miss Qin San would feel deceived after knowing her identity and would not want to enter the palace.

That's why the emperor used the jade hairpin to test him. If Miss Qin accepted it, it would mean that she had feelings for him. If Miss Qin refused, the emperor would feel as if his heart was hit hard by a hammer and it would hurt a lot when he thought about the fact that Miss Qin would refuse.

"Miss Qin San, my master's order is for us to deliver the things to you. If you don't accept them, we won't be able to report back."

When Liang Duzhi saw Qin Wanrong's refusal, his heart also skipped a beat. Could it be that they really misunderstood? Could it be that Miss Qin San had no feelings for the emperor? Liang Duzhi could not help but continue to persuade Qin Wanrong when he thought about how sad the emperor would be if he returned without sending the gift.

After hearing Liang Duzhi's words, Qin Wanrong naturally couldn't refuse too firmly, otherwise she might get into trouble. But she also couldn't agree too readily, otherwise people would easily suspect that Qin Wanrong was playing tricks.

Qin Wanrong was not good at pushing and pulling, but she had seen a lot of it. After hearing what Liang Duzhi said, her eyes turned red and tears fell gently. She pretended to be strong and lowered her head to wipe away her tears. She stared at Liang Duzhi with the appearance of a fragile and stubborn little white flower, suppressing her inner grief and angrily scolding him, "Brother Liang, I understand what you mean, but no matter what, I, Qin Wanrong, am the legitimate daughter of the Dongchang Marquis's Mansion. I can't do such a thing as teaching privately!"

"Go back and ask Brother Zhao what is the relationship between him and me? How can I accept his jade hairpin? I don't care about my status or family background, I just want a legitimate reason!"

"What does Brother Zhao think of me, Qin Wanrong, by doing this?"

As Qin Wanrong spoke, tears kept falling. She bit her lips lightly, her expression trembling, she tried hard not to cry but her tears were sobbing that it made people feel pity.

Qin Wanrong never liked crying. She always thought that crying in front of the enemy was a sign of weakness. However, after entering this world, the first thing Qin Wanrong learned from Daqin was to cry. Sometimes some things cannot be too absolute. A woman's tears can sometimes be a tool.

Perhaps it was because Qin Wanrong cried so beautifully that Liang Duzhi's heart softened, or perhaps it was because behind Qin Wanrong's seemingly questioning words lay a cautious attitude towards the emperor's feelings. Liang Duzhi returned to the palace with the jade hairpin, and after hearing what Liang Duzhi told the emperor, who was also touched by Qin Wanrong's questioning, felt both sour and sweet in the heart.

The sour part is that Qin Wanrong confiscated his jade hairpin out of self-respect, but the sweet part is that although Qin Wanrong questioned him, her words showed her affection for him.

"I think Wanrong must be heartbroken right now. No, I have to leave the palace. I want to tell her in person how I feel about Wanrong!"

After Liang Duzhi left, the clerk approached Qin Wanrong and asked her, "Miss, if you confiscate the emperor's jade hairpin today, will the emperor think that you don't want to enter the palace?"

Everyone could see that the jade hairpin today was the token of Mr. Zhao's proposal to Qin Wanrong. If Qin Wanrong accepted it, it would mean that she agreed to the other party. If she didn't accept it, it would naturally mean that she refused.

The clerk knew Mr. Zhao's identity a long time ago, and she was both worried and angry. She thought she would receive an imperial decree to summon the young lady to the palace today, but she didn't expect it was just a jade hairpin. What was that? You couldn't ask the young lady to be the emperor's concubine, right?

Nanny Xing didn't know Mr. Zhao's identity, but she had seen something from his age. Earlier, she had persuaded Qin Wanrong not to contact Mr. Zhao, saying that Mr. Zhao must have married at his age. Unfortunately, Nanny Xing couldn't persuade her daughter. Seeing that she gradually fell in love with Mr. Zhao because she lacked the love of male elders since she was a child, Nanny Xing was so worried that she couldn't sleep all night.

Later, the clerk discovered that something was wrong with Nanny Xing and leaked a little information, which made Nanny Xing think that Young Master Zhao was a royal relative. Thinking that with her status as a young lady, it would not be a disgrace if she could become Young Master Zhao's concubine, Nanny Xing did not interfere.

Now that the young lady has reached the age of marriage, not only did Master Zhao not come, he also did not even make a promise. He only asked his personal butler to send a jade hairpin as a token of trust. Nanny Xing did not know the value of the jade hairpin, she only knew that the jade hairpin was not a guarantee. Fortunately, her young lady did not accept it. She did not expect that Master Zhao would be such an irresponsible man!

"Bah, the young lady's affection is really wasted!" Nanny Xing had already made plans before going to bed. Next, she would comfort her young lady completely and ask her to completely forget about a cowardly man like Master Zhao.