0081 Spring Outing (Part 1)

Leaving aside the details of their fight in the tent, let's focus on Shu Wei. After talking with Shu Fuche in the study, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she felt inexplicably relaxed.

On the morning of the day Shu Fu set off for Fan Chuan, before dawn, Shu Wei woke up from her long-awaited deep sleep and woke up Xu'er, who was sleeping in the side room.

Shu Wei sent her to the gatehouse to keep an eye on Shu Fu and see if she really dared to go against her mother's wishes and abandon Liang Zhiyan's invitation to attend Li Miao's banquet.

At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), after she finished her second cup of tea, Xu'er slowly walked in from outside.

“Miss,” she curtsied to Shu Wei, who was sitting in a round-backed chair, and then said, “The Second Miss has indeed gone out. The Princess’s Mansion sent a carriage to pick her up, and the gatekeepers did not dare to stop her, so they let her go.”

Shu Wei nodded, surprised but not entirely unexpected, only curious about how Luo would act after finding out.

After Xu'er finished speaking, seeing that Shu Wei's expression was normal, she boldly continued, "Miss, would you like to take another nap or get up now? If you get up now, while it's still early, I'll style your hair into a high bun. I guarantee the Prince won't be able to take his eyes off you."

Shu Wei frowned and turned to look at her: "What did you say?"

"Has the young lady forgotten? The Prince said he wanted to send you koi fish, and we arranged to go to the West Market to pick them out today..."

Seeing that Shu Wei did not answer for a long time, Xu'er suddenly remembered that the other party had recently had such a big argument with the Prince of Wuwei, so it was normal for her to feel uncomfortable and resentful at the moment.

However, she didn't think Shu Wei would drift apart from Li Qiao, after all, she had seen how much Shu Wei cared for Li Qiao over the past two years.

After much deliberation, she still whispered her advice: "Miss, the prince is only temporarily infatuated. You must not let such a small matter cause you to drift apart from him."

Actually, it wasn't that Xu'er was particularly considerate of Li Qiao; rather, she knew Shu Wei too well. She would rather be scolded by Shu Wei now than have Shu Wei regret her impulsive actions later.

Shu Wei was silent for a moment, then snorted coldly: "I'm not going!"

Xu'er was stunned, watching as Shu Wei suddenly stood up and walked straight towards the bed.

Xu'er had considered many possible reactions from Shu Wei. She might wallow in self-pity or pretend nothing was wrong, but she never imagined that Shu Wei would adopt such a resolute attitude.

Shu Wei sat on the bed, forcefully ripped open the snow-blue brocade curtains, half-hidden within them, and said coldly, "Shu Fu dares to defy even her own mother, so why should I be afraid of Li Qiao? His words have ruined everything, which shows his despicable character. Since that's the case, I will never keep any more of his appointments from now on."

Xu'er stood there stunned, never expecting Shu Wei to say such resolute words.

Almost at the same moment Shu Wei finished speaking, the jade orchid that Li Qiao had sent all the way from Jiangnan and tied to the tent with gold thread fell straight to the ground with a thud, shattering into several pieces of jade.

Xu'er subconsciously took out her handkerchief, intending to pick it up and find a jade craftsman to repair it in the future, but she did not expect Shu Wei to speak first: "Bring a broom in and clean it up. After dawn, you take a few maids and collect the rest of the things in my room that came from the Prince of Wuwei's mansion. They will have to be returned to the Prince sooner or later."

Xu'er paused in her bowing motion, then looked up at Shu Wei sitting in the tent. She felt as if the moonlight had dissipated, and something that had been weighing on her had finally vanished.

...

The awkwardness between Shu Fu and Zhan Yaoguang a few days ago had not been completely resolved by that passionate encounter, so she did not have time to tell Zhan Yaoguang about going to Fanchuan and staying there for a while.

It wasn't until this morning, when she sat up in bed at the exact moment, waking the sleeping boy beside her, that she suddenly remembered the incident.

However, time was of the essence, and he was not fully awake, so she did not intend to explain. Instead, while she was getting dressed, she gave the half-asleep Zhan Yaoguang a perfunctory hug and whispered to him, "Wait for me at home, I'll be back soon."

As for how long "soon" means, that's up to her to define.

The boy buried his face in the girl's soft bosom, feeling its warmth and fragrance. He didn't hear what she was saying at all, and after being coaxed and tricked by her, he calmly turned over and fell asleep on his side.

Shu Fu boarded the carriage sent by the Huayang Princess's Mansion and headed towards Fanchuan.

...

Fanchuan, located in the southern suburbs of Chang'an, is a plain stretching fifteen li (approximately 7.5 kilometers) between Shenhe Plain and Shaoling Plain. During the Han Dynasty, it was the fiefdom of the military official Fan Kuai, hence the name Fanchuan. By this time, it had become a prime location for numerous prominent figures in Chang'an to build their villas. ①

Two years ago, Li Miao acquired a prime piece of land on the north bank of the Ju River and spent a fortune building a private garden for himself. It was only recently completed, and he also received a calligraphy piece from Her Majesty the Empress, who bestowed upon him the name "Chang Yi".

When Shufu arrived, the Red Crow was leaping up from the plain, illuminating the vast plain as if it were bathed in gold.

Li Miao stood at the entrance of the garden to greet her. When she saw her get out of the car, her previously expressionless face immediately broke into a bright smile: "Afu!"

The two were about ten feet apart. Shu Fu looked over when she heard the sound and saw Li Miao slightly tiptoeing and waving an arm at her. So she lifted a corner of her skirt and ran towards Li Miao.

"杪杪——"

Shu Fu stopped abruptly when she got close to her, stared at her for a moment, and then suddenly rushed up and hugged her: "I've missed you so much!"

Shu Fu leaned on Li Miao's shoulder, her eyes slightly warm. She had gone against Luo Shi's wishes to come here, and her heart had been pounding all the way. Only now, seeing Li Miao's bright and smiling face, did she feel a sense of relief.

Some people are born with weak ties to their parents, but fortunately, fate is not entirely unkind to her. Although she has weak family ties, she has many more people who are genuinely kind to her.

As for how Luo might make things difficult for her after she returns, she is willing to accept it and will think of other ways to deal with it.

Li Miao was unaware of Shu Fu's inner turmoil. She only felt a soft warmth on her body, and her brows immediately furrowed. She pulled Shu Fu off her and said, "You're so hot. Don't bump into me like a little kid. Even my seven- or eight-year-old cousins ​​don't do that anymore."

Shu Fu blinked and obediently let go.

Li Miao raised her head and took a few steps forward. Seeing that Shu Fu hadn't followed, she awkwardly turned half her body to the side and tossed an arm at her: "Fine, don't look at me like that. This princess is soft-hearted and easily swayed, so I'll just give you an arm. Be careful not to hold on too tightly."

“Alright,” Shu Fu said, her face clearing of the mix of genuine and feigned grievance. She quickly walked to her side. “I’ll help the princess inside.”

———

①: Relevant information is sourced from Baidu.