Su Wanyan's expression immediately brightened. She put her already intertwined fingers around his arm and rubbed her head against his arm. Yu Nanqing really understood her.
Yu Nanqing smiled, her thoughts drifting away.
Neither of them noticed that Lu Chao, who was almost squeezed, showed no intention of backing down. Instead, he clenched his fist in his sleeve. When Yu Nanqing suddenly approached, his heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head and pursed his lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've arrived." As he spoke, the NPC stopped in his tracks.
Su Wanyan looked up and saw a small alley in front of her. At the entrance of the alley was a table with a customs stamp on it.
According to their explanation, Su Wanyan roughly understood the rules. Because there were many alleys in this residential area, they fenced off this area and turned it into a maze.
The maze has four entrances in the enclosed area, each of which can be used as an entrance or exit. In other words, the entrance is the exit, and the exit is the entrance.
When you first enter the maze, there is a pre-arranged route to prevent players from turning back to the entrance at the beginning. Each time one person enters, another person enters after a short interval (about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea).
In other words, she and Yu Nanqing will also have to separate.
The reason why this game requires a man and a woman to participate is because there are special levels designed for couples, which can be considered as a way to match today's Qixi Festival theme.
After Su Wanyan had a general understanding of the rules, she saw that the man who had led the way had already put away the red lanterns.
Then it dawned on him that no wonder there were so few mobile checkpoints on the street. Every time a player participated, they would put away the red lanterns and only go out to recruit more people after they finished playing.
"Madam, this is your admission pass. Please take it." A gentleman-looking man handed over a wooden plaque, only the size of a finger, with a tiny maze pattern carved on it and the character 'Enter' engraved in vermilion below.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, which of you would like to go first?" the gentleman-looking man asked respectfully.
Su Wanyan glanced at Yu Nanqing, while Lu Chao pursed his lips. Given Yu Nanqing and Su Wanyan's status, no one dared to interrupt at this moment.
Yu Nanqing asked curiously, "Shall I go first?"
"No." Su Wanyan raised her hand, excitedly holding the small wooden entry token: "I want to be first! I want to be the first in! The first out!"
Yu Nanqing smiled, finding her extremely adorable: "Okay."
When you first enter, a young girl will guide you. Floor lamps are placed on both sides of the alley, and every now and then, Su Wanyan can see constables patrolling inside.
Su Wanyan immediately asked curiously, "Are they also carrying out missions?"
The girl leading the way smiled and said, "They are here to protect the safety of the people, but you can give it a try, madam."
Su Wanyan's eyes brightened slightly. She didn't deny it, so it's possible.
After turning a few corners, the girl bid farewell to Su Wanyan, and soon Su Wanyan was all alone.
No, that's not how it works. Besides the constables who frequently patrolled the alley, Su Wanyan saw a small vendor at the end of the alley and hurried over.
Before Su Wanyan could speak, the vendor greeted her with a smile, "What would you like, esteemed guest? We have everything: clay figurines, colorful flowers, sachets, and more. We can give you one for free."
Su Wanyan raised an eyebrow: "What if I want to buy a few more?"
"Please forgive me, Madam, this is a gift, not for sale."
Su Wanyan understood.
Outside, Yu Nanqing was patiently waiting to enter.
Lu Chao watched Su Wanyan's figure disappear at the alley entrance, then glanced at Yu Nanqing out of the corner of his eye.
From her angle, all she could see was his shoulder.
She suddenly stepped forward: "I never expected Your Majesty to be so competitive. I usually see Your Majesty as gentle, virtuous, dignified and generous, but after seeing you today, I have a new understanding of Your Majesty."
Her tone was soft and gentle, which would make anyone feel comfortable.
Unfortunately, the other party was Yu Nanqing. He seemed not to have heard her words, staring intently at the alley where Su Wanyan disappeared. He was even somewhat wooden when faced with Lu Chao's words.
Seeing that Yu Nanqing did not react, Lu Chao dared to look up at his face. His profile, which was as perfect as if it had been sculpted by a master craftsman, made Lu Chao's heart flutter. It was like a painting that made her have endless imagination.
However, she quickly suppressed her thoughts.
She asked with a smile, "Your Highness and Your Highness have such a good relationship, may I be so bold as to ask, how did Your Highness and Your Highness meet? Could it be that Your Highness fell in love with Your Highness at first sight?"
"..." The noise from the side was a bit loud.
Yu Nanqing lowered her eyes, her indifferent gaze suddenly fixed on Lu Chao.
Lu Chao's heart skipped a beat. His gaze was not as tender as when he looked at Su Wanyan, but rather carried a chilling indifference, so cold that it was as if he were looking at an ant that could be crushed at will.
The horrific image of the Bai family being wiped out flashed through Lu Chao's mind. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to gamble: "Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my fault for being so talkative. I was just... too envious of the relationship between Your Highness and the Empress. The Empress is so kind and generous. I thought that if I could learn even a fraction of her kindness, I would be incredibly fortunate."
After uttering those flattering words, Yu Nanqing narrowed her eyes.
Just then, the girl who had escorted Su Wanyan into the maze came out of the alleyway, and the gentleman guarding the alleyway asked with a smile, "Who's next?"
Without saying a word, Yu Nanqing stepped inside.
Lu Chao's heart, which had been pounding, finally relaxed.
The young lady from the Mu family, who came out with her, saw her actions and couldn't help but walk up to her and whisper a reminder: "Chaochao, don't follow in the footsteps of the Bai family."
The Mu family's daughter, Mu Jin, is seventeen years old this year and is engaged to the young master Fu that Lu Chao mentioned earlier.
Lu Chao was also still shaken. She wasn't stupid, and she pursed her lips and whispered, "I know."
Come to think of it, it was also on Qixi Festival last year. She knew long ago that Yu Nanqing and Su Wanyan were going out for a spring outing, so she deliberately mentioned it to Bai Jiaojiao.
Bai Jiaojiao is naive; she believes everything she is told.
Yu Nanqing is Prince Gong of the Great Jin Dynasty, whose power is second only to the emperor. Which girl in Fucheng wouldn't want to marry such a superior man?
The new emperor was young, so there was no hope of selecting a concubine. When Lu Chao heard that Prince Gong had been enfeoffed in Fucheng, she had already set her sights on him. At that time, she hadn't even met Yu Nanqing yet.
Not only her, but also her father, her mother, or, to put it more broadly, anyone with an official position in Fucheng, who wouldn't want to climb this social ladder?
Furthermore, there are rumors that the Empress Dowager is now in power, and many officials in the capital are dissatisfied. Although Prince Gong lost his struggle against the Empress Dowager in the capital, there is no guarantee that he might start a rebellion someday. If that day comes and he succeeds, the Lu family will be the great heroes.
However, things cannot be accomplished overnight; they must be done gradually.
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