Jing Lu immediately became serious and calmly offered a suggestion: "Yu Tong, you hide. I'll send Cheng Suyun away, and then you can avoid her when you go out."
Zheng Yutong couldn't control how Jing Lu got rid of Cheng Suyun; all she knew was that no one could see her and Jing Lu like this, so she quickly straightened her clothes and nodded.
Jing Lu opened the door and went out to deal with Cheng Suyun.
Cheng Suyun pretended to be taking a walk in the back hall. After all, she had lived in the palace for many years. Even though she had left now, she was still different from others when she came back. Not many people were watching her.
Cheng Suyun searched for a long time but couldn't find Jing Lu and Zheng Yutong, so she couldn't help but wonder if Xiange had seen it wrong.
It was snowing heavily, and she was exhausted. She wanted to find an empty palace to shelter from the snow, but unexpectedly, in the snow-blurred distance ahead, she saw Jing Lu walking towards her.
"Cousin Suyun, what are you doing here?"
As Cheng Suyun watched Jing Lu walk towards her, she subconsciously looked around but didn't see Zheng Yutong anywhere.
Suspecting the empty palace behind Jing Lu, she hurriedly brushed the snowflakes off her body: "Third Prince, I came out for a walk, but who knew it would start snowing so quickly? I didn't expect to run into you here. I'm looking for a place to take shelter from the snow."
Cheng Suyun tried to find an excuse to walk past Jing Lu, but Jing Lu took a step back and raised his hand to stop her, looking timid.
“Cousin Suyun, I advise you not to go. Not every empty room in Delin Palace is cleaned or decorated.”
"I just came out to sober up and accidentally entered an empty room. It was dark and there were no candles, and a cold draft was blowing in. You would definitely be scared if you went there."
"Since we can travel together, I'll personally escort Cousin Suyun back to the main hall."
Jing Lu stretched out his hand, indicating that Cheng Suyun could only turn back and could not walk behind him.
Cheng Suyun's path was blocked. How could she disobey a prince's request? If she went with a purpose, the Third Prince would surely see through it.
As she was struggling with her decision, a thick cloak suddenly fell on her; it was Jing Lu who had taken off his own cloak and given it to her.
Jing Lu looked worried: "Cousin Suyun, it's cold, and it's snowing now. If you go out without wearing warm clothes, you'll definitely catch a cold. Let's go to the main hall to warm ourselves by the fire."
Cheng Suyun came out of the main hall because she was angry to see Xiange being praised by her great-aunt. She couldn't sit down and intentionally brought Xiange out to warn her. She didn't plan to stay out for so long and didn't ask anyone to bring her warm clothes.
She had searched most of the house by now and was exhausted and covered in sweat. She was shivering when the wind and snow came. Looking at Jinglu's cloak, she was wary of the other person's concern.
"Third Prince, I've given you the cloak, what are you going to do with it?"
Jing Lu laughed, revealing a row of bright white teeth, looking quite carefree: "I'm a man, while Cousin Su Yun is a pampered girl. You and I are freezing, which is different. Let's go."
Jing Lu put his arm around Cheng Suyun's shoulder, turned her around, and the two walked out together.
Cheng Suyun was puzzled by Jing Lu's good intentions when Jing Lu began to speak to himself.
"Cousin Suyun, we didn't actually play together much when we were little, but we both grew up in the palace, so we're childhood sweethearts."
"So in my heart, you are just like my cousin Yutong, a girl who needs to be taken care of."
"In your heart, am I the same as Zheng Yu... no... as my cousin Yu Tong?" Cheng Suyun was greatly surprised.
Over the years, Yongshou Palace and Changshou Palace have not been on good terms. Not only does Jingshuo have a problem with Changshou Palace, but Cheng Suyun also dislikes everyone in Changshou Palace because Zheng Yutong is going to compete with her for the position of Crown Princess.
Jing Lu, a prince, surely knows this?
Jing Lu didn't notice Cheng Suyun's change and was focused on speaking his mind sincerely.
"Of course, Cousin Suyun isn't much older than me, and Cousin Yutong fell into the water in the autumn and has been unwell ever since. She couldn't make it back to Changshou Palace soon after attending the New Year's banquet."
“Cousin Suyun, as a young lady, how could she withstand this wind and snow? I know that Grandmother Cheng and my second brother have misunderstandings about me and Grandmother Zheng.”
“I believe they will reconcile one day. I also hope that Second Brother won’t blame me. And I hope even more,” Jing Lu stopped, a deep affection in his eyes that made Cheng Suyun dizzy.
"I hope to have more opportunities to meet with my cousin Suyun."
Cheng Suyun's heart skipped a beat, and her face turned bright red.
Jing Lu: "Cousin Suyun, there is a difference between men and women. If we walk together, we will attract attention. I will go back to accompany my grandmother first. This cloak is the first time I have used it, and no one will know that it is mine. You can just throw it away before you enter the palace."
“You lent me your cloak, how can I just throw it away?” Cheng Suyun said in surprise.
"It's alright. This cloak is valuable. The palace servants will find it and ask around in each palace. I'll just acknowledge it when the time comes."
With his worries gone, Jing Lu waved to Cheng Suyun before leaving, saying, "Cousin Suyun, I'm leaving."
Soon, Jing Lu disappeared from Cheng Suyun's sight. Cheng Suyun touched the cloak she was wearing and walked back absentmindedly.
When Xiange saw Cheng Suyun return, she hurriedly had someone hand her an umbrella and went to greet her, saying, "Princess, you're finally back! Otherwise, I thought something had happened to you."
"What could possibly happen to me?" Cheng Suyun scoffed, her wandering thoughts interrupted by the song.
Xian Ge: "Of course I know that the princess went after the third prince and the girl in pink. I'm afraid the third prince doesn't have feelings for the princess..."
Cheng Suyun quickly interrupted Xiange, angrily scolding, "You're clearly blind! There's no Third Prince here, no girl! You've made me waste my time."
"Princess, it's my fault," Xiange apologized carefully. Her eyes fell on the cloak that Cheng Suyun had suddenly put on, and she asked suspiciously, "Princess, isn't this cloak a man's?"
Cheng Suyun felt guilty instantly and raised her hand to pull it off, but she hesitated and lowered her hand: "Yes, I just ran into my second cousin's servant. He saw that I was getting wet in the snow, so he gave me my second cousin's cloak to use first."
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