Li Youran responded politely with a smile, then pretended to be shy and slipped away, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"You Ran, you've finally come out."
Zhou Caidie, who had been waiting in the back garden for a long time, saw Li Youran arrive late and hurriedly stepped forward, grabbing Li Youran's hand and saying nervously.
"You Ran, are you sure those few lines of poetry you taught me will make Feng Lei understand my feelings?"
Zhou Caidie had heard that Feng Lei was illiterate, and she was worried that he wouldn't be able to understand the meaning of the poem.
"Cai Die, don't worry, I guarantee with my integrity that he will definitely understand what you mean."
Li Youran understood Zhou Caidie's feelings perfectly. She patted her chest and assured Zhou Caidie.
Sure enough, after hearing Li Youran's words, Zhou Caidie was no longer as flustered as before.
Just then, Jiang Qianqian rushed over, panting, and said to Zhou Caidie.
"You Ran and I will hide first. You wait here patiently. Feng Lei will arrive here soon."
After saying this, Jiang Qianqian pulled Li Youran and hid behind the artificial hill.
Zhou Caidie's previously calmed mood became tense again. She had just opened her mouth but before she could speak, Jiang Qianqian and Li Youran had already disappeared. Helpless, she could only sit in the pavilion with an uneasy heart.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Fourth Prince's Consort has sent her maidservant to the back garden."
Suddenly, a voice rang out, startling Jiang Qianqian so much that she almost screamed. Fortunately, Li Youran reacted quickly and covered Jiang Qianqian's mouth. Then, she pulled Xiao Hong behind her, and the three of them hid behind the artificial hill.
"I'm afraid it's too late."
Li Youran looked towards the narrow path leading to the pavilion and saw that Feng Lei was already on his way.
Jiang Qianqian gasped, thinking that if they were discovered having a secret rendezvous in the pavilion in the back garden, who knows what kind of scandal would spread.
“Cai Die is an unmarried girl. If rumors spread, it will be bad for her reputation. Even if she marries Feng Lei, people will still talk behind her back.”
Jiang Qianqian frowned and said to Li Youran.
To put it mildly, if Zhou Caidie doesn't end up with Feng Lei, Zhou Caijie might find it difficult to get married in the future.
Li Youran naturally knew the gravity of the situation, and her mind raced as she tried to think of a solution.
"Leisurely!"
Before Jiang Qianqian could react, Li Youran suddenly darted out from behind the artificial hill and sped towards Feng Lei.
A bold guess suddenly flashed into Jiang Qianqian's mind: Could it be that Li Youran was going to take this knife for Zhou Caidie?
Thinking of this, Jiang Qianqian's heart felt like it was about to jump out of her stomach, pounding wildly.
"Feng Lei".
Feng Lei, who was on his way to the pavilion, heard Li Youran's voice and looked over. When he saw that it was his future sister-in-law, he hurriedly stopped and bowed to Li Youran very respectfully.
Li Youran was slightly taken aback when he looked at Feng Lei. It was clearly their first meeting, but Feng Lei acted as if he knew him, which surprised Li Youran.
"Would it be possible to invite Young Master Feng to sit in the pavilion?"
"Of course."
Feng Lei smiled and spoke to Li Youran with great respect.
Seeing Feng Lei's behavior, Li Youran's doubts deepened, thinking that Feng Lei was completely different from the rumors circulating outside.
Just then, Zhou Caidie, who was sitting in the pavilion, heard Li Youran and Feng Lei talking. She hurriedly stood up and looked in their direction.
Just as Li Youran and Feng Lei were walking towards the pavilion, she glanced at the flower bushes and saw a pink figure behind a large willow tree. Li Youran knew that it must be the little maidservant beside Hu Qinqin.
So Li Youran spoke to Feng Lei in a loud voice.
"I invited you to the back garden today because I wanted you to help me deliver a letter to your brother. I felt a little embarrassed, so I asked a friend to come in my place. But after thinking it over, I felt it was inappropriate to do so, so I came here instead."
Li Youran's voice was neither too loud nor too soft; the little maid hiding behind the willow tree could hear it, as could Zhou Caidie standing under the pavilion.
This was different from what was planned. But Zhou Caidie quickly recovered; she knew that Li Youran must have had a reason for doing this.
"The princess and my elder brother are betrothed by the emperor. Before long, I will be calling you sister-in-law. If you need anything, just tell your younger brother to do it. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Feng Lei was initially curious and puzzled when he saw Li Youran, but he understood after hearing what Li Youran said.
Even though there were only the two of them, their voices were quite loud, clearly indicating that they were speaking to the people in the pavilion.
As Feng Lei spoke, he looked towards the pavilion, where a graceful young woman stood.
He immediately understood what Li Youran meant by those words, and subtly looked around, but did not notice anyone who should have been there.
However, Feng Lei didn't show any of this and always had a smile on his face.
Jiang Qianqian, who was hiding behind the artificial hill, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw You Ran and the other two sit down together.
It's inappropriate for a lone man and woman to meet, but it's acceptable for three people to meet, especially since Li Youran is Feng Lei's future sister-in-law, so it all makes sense.
"No wonder the Third Prince has been so quiet underground these days; he's been up to something behind the scenes."
Tang Lei frowned as he spoke, glancing up at the Second Prince.
He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and continued speaking to the Second Prince, Tianxia.
"Your Highness, please leave this matter to me."
"No, this is far too dangerous, we should..."
"Everyone knows that the Third Prince is ambitious for the world. I'm afraid that in a few days, he will be beyond our control."
Before the Second Prince could finish speaking, Tang Lei interrupted him.
As Tang Lei spoke, he knelt on one knee and looked at the Second Prince with a sincere expression.
"I humbly request that Your Highness entrust this matter to me."
"Your Highness, I humbly request that you entrust this matter to me and Tang Lei to handle together."
Tian Alang, who was originally standing to the side, was slightly surprised to see Liu Zhiyuan kneeling down on one knee with Tang Lei and clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Although Liu Zhiyuan and Tang Lei didn't blush when they met, their relationship wasn't exactly good either, since they both liked the same woman. However, the fact that they were now working together so well surprised Tian Alang.
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