Lingqi, supporting his waist with his hand on the edge of the carriage, felt his throat burning from running, and watched as the girl's flowing clothes quickly disappeared into the carriage curtain.
She gasped for breath, "Why have you been running around like a mouse these past few days after school? It's like a dog is chasing you!"
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the girl was fleeing from war!
After being harshly criticized by her, the person sitting in the car was also not at ease. Tianyun gasped for breath and secretly lifted the heavy curtain to look outside. Seeing that no one was chasing after them, she hurriedly urged the driver, "Master Liu, hurry up!"
Lingqi used both her hands and feet to climb onto the car.
"Yes, young lady." Master Liu cracked his whip.
The Akhal-Teke horse reared up, snorted merrily, exhaled white mist, and its hoofbeats and neighs pierced the sky as it galloped away from the vermilion gate.
When Xiao Ziwu arrived, he only saw dust billowing everywhere and the carriage shadow gradually shrinking. If he still couldn't realize that the girl was deliberately avoiding him, then he would be a fool.
But why?
After leaving the clinic, she avoided him and refused to see him. Even when their eyes met by chance, she would quickly look away, looking guilty as if she had done something wrong behind his back. Occasionally, she would even pretend to be calm and give him a gentle smile, which made him both annoyed and amused.
After being tormented by her aloof attitude for several days, Xiao Ziwu couldn't take it anymore. Today, he was determined to chase her out of the palace and get to the bottom of it!
Xiao Ziwu returned to the hall by himself. The bright candlelight illuminated the blue stone floor, making it appear spacious and cool. He closed his eyes and asked Changwang, "Have the fish in the hall been fed?"
Chang brushed the dust off him, then thought for a moment and said, "There's still quite a lot left, stored in the honey pot. Does Your Highness want to feed it to the fish?"
Xiao Ziwu was absorbed in his own world and seemed not to hear what he said. He parted his thin lips slightly and said to himself, "Since we don't have any left, I'll go out of the palace later and buy some to keep on hand."
Chang Wang: "..."
I won't bother replying to you!
※※※※
The winter rain will stop today. After the rain, the sky clears up and the clouds and mist dissipate. The sky, which has been gloomy for a long time, is clear and bright, like a flawless blue ribbon, which makes people feel refreshed.
Inside the flower hall of the Siye Mansion.
It was rare for Shangguan Jingyi to be away from the dance studio. She was taking a nap on the chaise lounge in the inner hall, with a maid standing on each side massaging her shoulders and legs. A contented smile appeared on her face, and she seemed even more at ease than a proper mistress.
Tianyun fled from the palace back to her residence. Stepping over the carved threshold and around the square bronze beast-shaped incense burner that emitted wisps of smoke, she slowly opened her eyes when she was right in front of her.
Tianyun sat down in the rosewood armchair and said with a slight smile, "Cousin, you seem to be enjoying yourself very much. You've completely adapted to life in Shengjing. It seems you don't plan to go back to Weixian."
Did she go to great lengths to attend the Hundred Flowers Banquet simply to make an appearance and then obediently return to Wei County when the time came?
It's definitely impossible!
Ever since her cousin caused such a ruckus at the teahouse in an attempt to curry favor with Prince Qi, she had a vague feeling that her cousin was ambitious and probably had no intention of returning to Wei County.
This Hundred Flowers Banquet is her opportunity to stay in the capital. If she can use it to gain the favor of influential people, it would be a good stepping stone.
"What if I go back, or what if I don't? Is my sister afraid that my presence will steal her thunder?" Shangguan Jingyi's eyes were full of sarcasm, but she dared not show it in front of others, after all, she still needed to rely on her uncle's influence!
But if it had been my father who was promoted to a high-ranking official in the capital...
She stole all of this from herself. Those who are unworthy of their position will surely suffer misfortune. Shangguan Tianyun is incompetent and talentless; it's time for him to return what he has gained, bit by bit!
"Cousin, you're joking. What are you trying to steal my thunder from?" With her slender waist gracefully adorned with a lake-blue crescent moon sash, Tianyun played with a sachet embroidered with a child leading a deer.
"Heh~"
Shangguan Jingyi chuckled softly, brushed aside the maid who was massaging his back, sat up from the chaise longue, and looked directly at her.
Her movements were indeed much more graceful and elegant than when she first arrived in the capital, no longer as unrestrained and boisterous as a country woman.
It seems that learning to dance has indeed been very effective for her.
"Grandmother and my eldest uncle discussed it and specially allowed me to attend this Hundred Flowers Banquet as the eldest daughter of the Siye Mansion. Therefore, I can only ask my younger sister to attend the banquet as the second daughter of the Siye Mansion."
She concealed her delight and raised her chin slightly, saying, "Not only that, but it will also be inconvenient for my sister to discuss marriage in the future."
If the person who comes to propose marriage is after your sister's name and wants to marry your eldest daughter, you shouldn't rush to ask the matchmaker to clarify things! Maybe the person who is proposing marriage is... me.
"If you end up disappointing me, then it will be my fault!" Shangguan Jingyi gently curved her lips into a smile: "I apologize to you in advance."
"No need, I can't accept that, little sister." Tianyun lifted her eyelids to look at her, and took a sip of melon tea with a half-smile.
Today, Shangguan Jingyi wore a bright pink brocade dress with lace-stitched patterns. Her originally sallow complexion did not blend well with the ivory-white face powder, turning it into a somewhat dull gray. The bright pink dress was more eye-catching and flamboyant, which made her complexion appear even darker.
But the confidence in her eyes and brows was undeniable.
I really wish I could share half of my inferiority complex with her.
Lingqi couldn't stand her arrogant and shameless attitude, so she retorted, "Young lady Tang is indeed quite capable. Last time, her crying and wailing earned her a place at the Hundred Flowers Banquet. This time, her tantrum allowed her to steal the title that should belong to us young ladies. She really is more attention-grabbing than us proper young ladies!"
Shangguan Jingyi pointed at Lingqi and glared at her: "I am the master and you are the servant. How dare you speak rudely to me?" Relying on the fact that she had been by Shangguan Tianyun's side since childhood, this wretched girl had never been afraid of picking on him.
Just you wait and see.
Wait till I marry into a wealthy family, and see how I deal with you!
Lingqi was not afraid at all, and said in a low voice with a smirk, "Miss Tang doesn't need to remind us all the time that you are the master. Our entire household has witnessed your power."
"Lingqi, say less," Tianyun stopped her. This girl was starting to speak without thinking again.
Shangguan Jingyi was still unwilling to give up and wanted to teach her a lesson. Just then, the gatekeeper's servant announced from outside the hall, "Miss, I have something to report."
Tianyun put down his teacup: "Go ahead and tell me."
"Outside the mansion gate, the Prince of Qi's son, Ziran, presented a visiting card and asked me to announce his arrival. The servant beside him only said that they were there to deliver a thank-you gift to Miss Shangguan, but did not say which Miss Shangguan it was?"
"Of course it's me!" Shangguan Jingyi murmured to himself, then took the lead out of the flower hall, his steps revealing an eagerness.
"Hey!" Lingqi called out to her briefly, but she didn't turn around.
They clearly came for our girl, so why are you in such a hurry, Miss Tang?
Lingqi urged, "Miss, let's hurry up and go." If we stay any longer, the gift will be pocketed by the young lady.
She's not incapable of doing something like that!
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