Chapter 503 The Prince Rescues

A few days later, a chrysanthemum viewing banquet was held in the palace.

It was both to suit the occasion and to welcome the Gu family and several other noble families who had just returned to Beijing.

In the imperial garden, various famous varieties of chrysanthemums compete with each other in beauty and fragrance.

The ladies of noble birth were elegantly dressed and talking and laughing happily.

Gu Qingran attended the event with her mother Wen Wanqin, still wearing a simple yet classy dress.

She followed her mother quietly, responding appropriately but not saying much.

She seemed out of tune with the noble ladies around her who were competing with each other for beauty and laughing loudly, but she had her own unique style of coolness and elegance.

Miaomiao also came. She was pulled by Zhaozhao and looked a little listless and absent-minded.

I was thinking, will Brother Huailin be punished by father again today?

When familiar noble ladies from the royal family came up to talk to her, she just smiled and agreed.

But her eyes would always involuntarily drift towards the male guests, searching for a certain figure.

Cui Huailin naturally came too.

As soon as he appeared, he attracted the attention of many noble ladies.

But just like Miaomiao, he looked a little absent-minded.

When greeting people, his eyes always seemed to glance at the female guests.

When he saw Miaomiao's face seemed to have become thinner, he frowned slightly.

Crown Prince Yan Xingtian appeared with the eldest prince Yan Xingyi and the fourth prince Yan Xingchuan.

Yan Xingyi was still the focus of the crowd, handsome and flamboyant, chatting and laughing with a group of noble sons.

Yan Xingchuan was much quieter, admiring flowers and paintings with several young men from the families of upright scholars.

As the crown prince, Yan Xingtian is the center of attention.

He behaved calmly and steadily, and when he talked with important officials and heads of aristocratic families, his words and deeds showed the demeanor of a crown prince.

His eyes also swept across the entire place lightly, and did not pause at all when passing by the women of the Gu family.

It seems no different from looking at other places.

However, only he himself knew the slightest fluctuation in his heart when his eyes passed by the light blue figure.

When the banquet was at its peak, the Queen smiled and suggested that the young gentlemen and ladies should demonstrate their talents.

It doesn't matter whether it's poetry, calligraphy, painting, piano or dance, as long as it adds to the fun.

The children of many families responded one after another.

There were noble ladies painting, young men writing poems, people performing stunning dances, and people playing the pipa. The scene was extremely lively.

When it was Gu Qingran's turn, she wanted to decline, but she saw the queen looking at her with gentle encouragement.

Her mother also nodded slightly to her.

She then stood up and bowed gracefully: "Your humble knowledge and talent are limited, but I would like to play a piece of music for you, Your Majesty, to help you enjoy the moment."

The palace maids carried up the zither table and placed the zither on it.

Gu Qingran sat upright in front of the piano, held her breath and concentrated for a moment, then gently plucked the strings with her slender fingers.

A song "Autumn Water" flows from the fingertips.

The sound of the zither is gurgling, and at first it is like a spring flowing over rocks, ethereal and clear;

Gradually it opens up, like an autumn sky with light clouds and gentle breeze;

The ending is a bit bleak, but then returns to peace, with a long aftertaste.

She is technically proficient, but what is even more rare is her emotional involvement.

The open-mindedness and light thoughts of autumn are integrated into the sound of the piano, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

When the song ended, the whole place fell silent.

After a moment, Wen Li'er glanced at Xing Chuan.

Seeing that he was listening with fascination, he was the first to clap his hands with a smile:

"Excellent! This song is profound and refreshing. Minister Gu and Madam Gu, you have raised a wonderful daughter."

Everyone echoed and praised.

Gu Qingran blushed slightly, stood up to express her gratitude, and remained calm and composed, unperturbed by praise or criticism.

Yan Xingtian's hand holding the cup paused slightly.

Autumn Water...

It is not her best piece, "Youlan Cao".

His eyes swept across her slightly flushed cheeks and her eyes that were particularly bright because of her concentration on playing the piano, and something in his heart relaxed slightly.

Next.

It was the turn of a young lady from a noble family to perform calligraphy.

The eunuch carried the table to the front, but was accidentally tripped by the young lady from the duke's family.

The inkstone on the desk fell over, and the thick black ink splashed out violently, going straight towards the skirt of Gu Qingran who was quietly avoiding it.

The incident happened suddenly and no one reacted.

Gu Qingran was so shocked that she took a step back, but it was too late.

The plain and elegant light blue skirt was suddenly stained with a large and abrupt ink stain, making her look a little disheveled.

The lady who got into trouble apologized repeatedly.

Gu Qingran looked at the ink stain on the hem of her skirt and frowned slightly.

But he did not panic, nor did he blame.

She just said softly: "It's okay, Miss didn't mean it."

However, in such occasions, it is impolite to let your clothes get dirty.

There were whispers and some strange looks around.

Wen Wanqin glanced at the young lady from the duke's family, her expression thoughtful.

She was about to apologize to the queen and take her daughter to change clothes.

At this moment, a clear, calm voice sounded, breaking the subtle awkwardness:

"Mother, I remember one piece of the cloud and water satin tribute from Jiangnan a few days ago was the color of rain-soaked sky blue, which is perfect for Miss Gu's age and temperament."

"Why not bring it to Miss Gu to avoid being disrespectful?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the prince who spoke.

He looked indifferent, as if he was just mentioning it casually to solve a trivial problem.

A hint of surprise flashed across Wen Li'er's eyes.

She looked at the silly Xing Chuan, then at Xing Tian who had spoken, and then smiled and said:

"The Crown Prince is very attentive. I had actually forgotten about this. Dieyi, go get it quickly."

Gu Qingran also looked up in surprise, looking at the high and mighty crown prince.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... actually noticed such a small matter?

And you even spoke up to help her out?

She hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen, and Your Highness the Crown Prince."

But she couldn't help but wonder, how did the prince know what color suits her temperament?

Is it just a coincidence?

Yan Xingtian didn't look at her, just nodded slightly, and then turned to continue the previous topic with the minister beside him.

It was as if he had just mentioned it casually.

Soon, the palace maid brought the brand new dress made of cloud and water satin.

Gu Qingran followed the palace maid to the side hall to change.

When she changed her dress and came out, everyone's eyes lit up.

The blue sky after the rain really suits her perfectly.

Elegant and pure, like a lotus after rain, it perfectly highlights her scholarly air.

It is more graceful than the previous light blue dress.

Even Zhao Zhao, who had never shown much interest, couldn't help but take a second look and muttered:

"This color really suits the young lady of the Gu family."

Miaomiao also echoed in a low voice: "Yes, it's really beautiful, like a beauty walking out of a painting."

Wen Li'er nodded with satisfaction and looked in the direction of the prince with a hint of deep thought in her eyes.

The prince remained calm, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Only Yan Xingchuan, who was closest to him, noticed it keenly.

When Miss Gu came out after changing into her new clothes, the fingers holding the cup seemed to tighten slightly for a moment.

The chrysanthemum viewing banquet continued as if it were an insignificant episode.

However, there was news that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally rescued a court lady who had just returned to the capital and gave her some clothing fabric.

But it quietly cast a stone in the hearts of everyone present, causing ripples.

This young lady from the Gu family seems... a little unusual?

Late at night, the banquet ended and the wheels of the carriage rolled over the bluestone road.

Gu Qingran sat in the shaking carriage, looking at the cloud-water satin on her body, which was as smooth as water and extremely clear in color.

The prince's handsome yet indifferent face appeared in his mind again.

This Crown Prince seems to be different from the cold and majestic one as rumored?

She gently touched his sleeve and it felt cold.

In the study of the East Palace, Yan Xingtian dismissed his attendants and stood alone in front of the window.

The image of her wearing that sky-blue dress after rain appeared in my mind.

The corners of his lips lifted up slightly, barely perceptible.

Sure enough, it suits her perfectly.

…