Chapter 51

As soon as Su Lixiao's cough recovered, she immediately asked Hehua to come and take An An to her yard. An An hadn't seen his grandmother for a long time, so he stayed with her obediently. In addition, his grandmother loved him so much that she would make him any snacks he wanted.

Su Lixiao is very good at making dim sum. An An was so happy while eating them that he didn't even bother to ask his father to take him out to play.

Gu Yanling couldn't sit still. Now that he had come to the capital, which was so prosperous and bustling, how could he stay in the house all day? While An An stayed in his mother's yard during the day, he went out for a walk by himself. In just a few days, he made a group of playmates.

They are all famous playboys in the capital, and each of them has a prominent background. The leader is Shen Qingyun, the second son of the Minister of War. He and Gu Yanling met in a cricket fighting restaurant and got along very well. So he took Gu Yanling with him wherever he went. Today they played Cuju together, and tomorrow they held a pitching pot competition in their private farm and invited people to come and taste wine together.

When Gu Yanling first went out, she was afraid of meeting Xiao Xinghan, but after playing like this for half a month, she felt that the capital was so big that it was not so easy to meet someone, so she gradually relaxed her vigilance.

Shen Qingyun got two good horses and asked Gu Yanling if he could ride a horse. They planned to go to the outskirts of Beijing for horse racing.

Gu Yanling naturally knew how to ride a horse, and since he had nothing to do, he accepted the invitation.

Shen Qingyun was riding a tall horse, with an attendant leading a fine horse behind him. When he met Gu Yanling, he asked in confusion, "Ah Yan, I've invited you three times, but you don't want to be my guest. Why?"

It’s not that Gu Yanling was unwilling to visit his house, but mainly because Shen Qingyun was not married and the family had not yet separated. The residence of the Minister of War was on Chunjing Street, so how could he dare to go there?

Gu Yanling definitely couldn't tell him the truth, so she said, "I'm afraid of running into your father. I heard your father doesn't like the friends you make."

Shen Qingyun: "..."

Gu Yanling said in a joking tone: "Your father is such a high-ranking official. If I offend him again, a commoner like me will not be able to bear the consequences."

Shen Qingyun didn't know what to say. He was the second son in the family, and his elder brother had already become an official in the court. He was idle all day long, which his father naturally couldn't stand and he was often scolded. Most of his playmates were also the second sons in the family, and they all had an elder brother who held an official position. If these people got together, it would be unwelcome. It was understandable that Gu Yanling had such concerns.

"Forget it. There's nothing fun to do in the mansion. It would be more fun to go to the farm in the suburbs. Ah Yan, hurry up and get on your horse. Let's go out of the city while there are fewer people."

The attendant led the horse to Gu Yanling and wanted to lend a hand, but he saw Gu Yanling holding the reins, stepping on the stirrups, and sitting on the horse's back.

Shen Qingyun smiled and said, "Let's go!"

You can't gallop in the city, so the two of them rode slowly out of the city. Others were already waiting outside the city. When they saw them coming, they whistled, "Come on, race."

Shen Qingyun pulled off the jade pendant from his waist and held it up: "Since it's a competition, there must be a prize. Whoever wins will get this jade pendant!"

Although everyone present has enough of these things, it is a competition after all, and it is more fun with prizes.

"Come on! Whoever reaches the hill opposite first wins!"

Gu Yanling had no fighting spirit. Everyone had already rushed out on horseback. He rode slowly behind them, as if strolling in the garden, leisurely and leisurely. When they arrived at the place, everyone was already sitting on the ground, chatting and laughing.

Seeing him coming, Shen Qingyun joked, "Ayan, you're finally here. Those who know you think you're riding a horse, while those who don't think you're walking."

Gu Yanling jumped off the horse nonchalantly: "Who won?"

Shen Qingyun tossed the jade pendant a few times and said, "Needless to say, I'm the winner!"

Gu Yanling could also guess that although Shen Qingyun was a bit uneducated, he was the son of the Minister of War after all. He was not weak in boxing and kicking, and was proficient in riding and other things. "I will treat you to dinner at the restaurant when we return to the city later."

"Then I'm going to Baoweilou. I heard they have new dishes recently, I want to try them."

The main reason why Gu Yanling could play with them was that they had similar interests. Although these people were uneducated, they just loved to eat, drink and have fun, and had no other bad habits.

"Okay, let's ride for a while and then we'll go back."

…

Private room on the second floor of Baowei Building.

Xiao Xinghan sat by the window. The window was open at the moment, and he could see everything on the street.

The emperor will be celebrating his 55th birthday next month, and Xiao Xinghan is in charge of the preparations. He went to the Ministry of Rites today to discuss the matter with them. When it was almost lunchtime, the Minister of Rites invited him to dine at Baoweilou, the best restaurant in the capital, and he did not refuse.

The meal had not been served yet, only a pot of wine had been served.

The Minister of Rites stood up and was about to pour wine for Xiao Xinghan when he saw His Highness stand up without any warning.

"Your Highness?"

Xiao Xinghan's eyes, concealing his emotions, stared intently out the window. Although his expression remained unchanged, his hand resting on the table betrayed his current mood. The veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible. The Minister of Rites had never seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince lose his composure like this before, and curiously followed his gaze.

On the long street not far away, several young men were riding horses and talking and laughing towards Baowei Tower. Leading them was the second son of the Minister of War. Not only that, he also saw his own disappointing son.

Minister of Rites: “…”

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince followed the figure of one of them without blinking. The person was wearing a pomegranate-colored riding habit, with her hair tied up high, revealing a bright and delicate face. Her beautiful eyes were filled with a brilliant smile, and every frown and smile was extremely attractive.

He clearly had no resemblance to the person he was looking for, yet he felt very familiar with him from head to toe.

Gu Yanling had no idea that Xiao Xinghan was in Baoweilou. After all, in his memory, this man was always particular and never ate outside. He rolled off his horse, threw the whip to the waiter at the door, and led the group into Baoweilou with ease.

The second brother led them to the second floor and booked a room.

Several people were already hungry and clamored for the food and wine to be served quickly.

Gu Yanling also likes to drink the wine from this restaurant, but only a small glass at a time because An An can't smell the smell of alcohol.

Shen Qingyun saw him squinting his eyes and taking a small sip of wine, his eyelashes trembling with satisfaction. He smiled and said, "Ayan, what's the point of drinking like this? A real man should be like us."

He drank it all in one gulp.

Gu Yanling was too lazy to pay attention to him: "I told you not to drink too much. My son is still young and can't smell the smell of alcohol."

Although Gu Yanling does not look his age and looks no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, he is older than them after all. These people are only sixteen or seventeen years old and have not yet married. Even if there are one or two people serving in the courtyard, it is impossible for him to have a child without a wife.

"I've always heard you say you have a child—"

The door opened from the outside, interrupting the conversation, and several people subconsciously looked towards the door.

When Gu Yanling heard the noise and looked up, she saw the person standing at the door. She was so scared that her wine glass fell to the ground with a clang and rolled around.

Chang Feng walked into the house with a normal expression and said to Gu Yanling, "Sir, my young master wants to see you."

His young master is Xiao Xinghan, and Xiao Xinghan is in Baoweilou???

Did Xiao Xinghan see him? He looked like this now, so why would he want to see him?!

I am afraid of the mouth

Gu Yanling was a little panicked when she suddenly saw Chang Feng appear, but when she saw that he looked at her like a stranger, she quickly calmed down and said in a very soft voice, "I don't know your young master."

Chang Feng was only following orders. His Highness had told him to come to this room and bring over the man in the pomegranate-colored riding uniform. Seeing that the man refused to stand up, he raised his hand and said firmly, "Please cooperate, young master."

Seeing that the newcomer had bad intentions, Shen Qingyun stood up and said, "Ayan doesn't even know your young master, so why would he go with you?"

Others also echoed: "Exactly, who is your young master? Let him come over and let us see how arrogant he is!"

The Minister of Rites appeared at the door, and one of them hurriedly asked in surprise, "Dad? Why are you here?"

"How dare you! Come back with me now! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is inviting someone, and you, a bastard, have the right to speak."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

The room suddenly fell silent, and no one dared to speak.

The Minister of Rites took a close look at Gu Yanling. No matter how good-looking he was, he was still a man. Not to mention that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince never liked beautiful women, he couldn't figure out what His Royal Highness meant for a moment. However, His Royal Highness had just told him that he had something else to do today, so he stood up and said goodbye.

The Minister of Rites grabbed his son's ear and led him out of Baowei Tower. The others had no appetite and were wondering how Gu Yanling had offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, after all, His Royal Highness had lived in the palace for a long time.

Gu Yanling followed Chang Feng nervously all the way to another upstairs room, where the door was closed.

Chang Feng stood at the door and reported, "Your Highness, the person has been brought here."

The door opened from the inside. Li Youfu took a look at Gu Yanling and found that it was someone he had never seen before. He was surprised and couldn't understand what the prince meant.

Gu Yanling was in a complicated mood at the moment. She stood at the door motionless. Li Youfu reminded her, "Your Highness asked you to come in."

Gu Yanling had no choice but to step into the house. He heard the sound of Li Youfu closing the door from the outside. The room was too quiet. When he thought of Xiao Xinghan in the room, he wanted to run, but his heels were stuck to the ground. He could neither move forward nor turn around.

Soon a person walked out from behind the screen.

Xiao Xinghan stared at Gu Yanling sharply.

Gu Yanling didn't dare look at him. She lowered her head and felt like she was being stared at by a wild beast. She felt a chill on her back. Woo woo woo, it was so scary.

Xiao Xinghan walked over slowly, stopped in front of Gu Yanling, raised his hand to hold his jaw and forced him to raise his head.

Gu Yanling met his inquiring and scrutinizing gaze, blinking his eyes and pretending to be calm, but his constant swallowing of saliva revealed his inner nervousness.

Stay calm! Don't panic! He won't recognize you! Don't show off!

Gu Yanling encouraged herself in her heart, but was still a little surprised why Xiao Xinghan wanted to see her.

Xiao Xinghan said nothing, his eyes carefully scanning Gu Yanling's bright and delicate features inch by inch, feeling the familiar smooth and lustrous touch in his hands.

Gu Yanling was frightened by his gaze and finally lost her temper. She pinched her throat and whispered, "I don't know how I have offended His Royal Highness. I hope Your Highness will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Xiao Xinghan became even more certain that the person in front of him was the one he was looking for. In the past few years, Xiao Xinghan often recalled every little detail of their time together, the tone of their voices, and the expression on their faces when they were guilty. Xiao Xinghan was too familiar with these. The hand that was holding his jaw suddenly lost its strength. Gu Yanling almost cried out in pain, and soon mist filled his eyes.

They were truly a pair of beautiful and bright eyes. In the past, these eyes always showed intelligence, with pupils black and bright, serving as the finishing touch on that ordinary face. I never thought that those eyes had lost some of their brilliance in comparison with the eyes in front of me.

Xiao Xinghan did not let go just because he cried out in pain. When he thought that not only the other party's identity was fake, but even his appearance was fake, it was no wonder that he had been looking for him for three years and couldn't find him. Everything could be explained.

What made Xiao Xinghan most angry was not only these, but also that since the other party had come to the capital, he had never thought of looking for him. Just now, he saw Gu Yanling riding a horse by the window, chatting and laughing with others, with a bright look in her eyes, and she was really very happy.

I'm afraid he has forgotten me a long time ago.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's anger reached its peak, but he gradually calmed down. There was only one thought in his mind, which was how to teach a lesson to the person who was playing tricks on him.

Gu Yanling was afraid that Xiao Xinghan would remove her jaw, and she didn't care whether he was the Crown Prince or not. She raised her hand to pull Xiao Xinghan's wrist while crying.

"I, I tell you, even if you are His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and I am a good citizen, I have never committed murder or arson, but you cannot act without reason!"

After all these years, Gu Yanling still hadn't changed his audacity and sharp tongue, completely unaware that he had revealed a lot of flaws when facing Xiao Xinghan. Xiao Xinghan didn't remind him, but slowly withdrew his hand, looking at the obvious red marks left on the white jade skin. Tears slid down his face over the red marks, feeling a little irritated. He said coldly: "I just think you look like an old love of mine."

Gu Yanling raised her hand and wiped away her tears: "Your Highness is such a joke. I have only been in the capital for a month. How could I be your ex-lover?"

Xiao Xinghan listened to the familiar tone and said with an ambiguous tone, "I've been here for a month."

Even after three years of separation, Gu Yanling still remembered that this man loved to speak in riddles. However, he thought that Xiao Xinghan didn't recognize him, so he felt relieved and was not so nervous at first. He even dared to sneak a glance at Xiao Xinghan.

Three years is neither long nor short. An An is two years old now.

Xiao Xinghan looked a little more cold and unapproachable than before, but other than that, there was no change.

He was stealing glances at Xiao Xinghan, and Xiao Xinghan was also looking at him. When their eyes met, Gu Yanling instantly looked away, keenly aware that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the room.

Gu Yanling couldn't wait any longer: "Since Your Highness has recognized the wrong person, I will leave first."

Without waiting for the other party to speak, he turned around and was about to leave when he heard Xiao Xinghan's cold and deep voice: "Did I tell you to leave?"

Gu Yanling: “…”