In a dark corner under the stage where the bonfire could not reach, Wei Hanzhang stood quietly in a cloak.

The hood of the cloak covered most of her head, and the light was dim, so no one around recognized her.

And she didn't know what she was waiting for.

The autumn wind brings the surrounding noise into my ears.

She saw the man on the platform nod slightly and praise her calmly: "You play well."

When these words were spoken, the ministers around him had different feelings.

Or frustrated, or surprised, or envious.

Marquis Yongyi could not hide his joy, and hurriedly said to his daughter, "Why don't you thank His Highness?"

The girl playing the zither showed just the right amount of shyness on her face, and she moved gracefully to the middle, bowing gracefully: "Your Highness, I, He Lian'er, thank you for your compliment."

Xiao Junzhan held the wine glass in his hand, lowered his eyes slightly and looked at the graceful girl, and said, "Continue."

He Lian'er was stunned at first, but she quickly reacted and bowed with a shy look on her face to agree.

The sound of the piano rang out again, but this time it was no longer the majestic military marching song, but the sentimental Jiangnan tune.

Wei Hanzhang grew up in Jiangnan and also learned the art of playing the zither. He could tell that this was the famous Smoke and Clouds tune from Jiangnan, which was often played by men when they were pursuing women.

This Miss He is an extraordinary zither player. The way her bare hands pluck the strings is smooth and pluckable, which is pleasing to the eye. Even if you don't know the name of the piece, you can still hear the girl's shyness and admiration in the melodious sound of the piano.

...Whoever sees this will not praise the love between the man and the woman.

It's not wrong for a man to be romantic. A beauty should be paired with a hero.

What’s more, he is the current crown prince and the future emperor.

Wei Hanzhang stood in the cold wind and listened to the piano music for a while, then slowly turned around. Seeing the maid's worried look, he smiled slightly and said, "You go back first. I'll stay for a while."

The man on the platform seemed to sense something, frowned slightly and looked down, then withdrew his gaze after finding nothing, raised his glass and asked calmly, "How is she?"

Ning Hai, who was standing by the side, quickly realized who was asking this question and said cautiously, "After you left, Miss Wei cried for half an hour. The medicine she should take at night was just delivered to her. She should have taken it and prepared to rest."

I cried for half an hour...

Xiao Junzhan paused for a moment. All he could see were the little girl's red and swollen eyes from crying. No one was there to comfort her, so he could only fall asleep feeling aggrieved.

He tried to suppress his heartache, but in the end he resigned himself to his fate, put down his wine glass, stood up, and strode off the stage.

...Why could she cry so much? He thought she would be happy if he left.

The melodious piano music was disrupted for a few beats.

He Lian'er, who was playing the piano, looked at the Crown Prince, who was above everyone else, approaching and subconsciously held her breath.

The ministers all looked at her in strange ways. While they were daydreaming, Xiao Junzhan walked past her and left without stopping.

Not even a glance of pity was given.

Ning Hai sighed secretly.

Sure enough, except when facing that person, his prince is still the same prince as before.

He is not interested in women and has no desires.

At the women's table, Jiang Zhixue also breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously.

She said that the Crown Prince, who was so arrogant, would never be interested in such a petty trick.

That person's heart and eyes are so full that he probably can't let go of anyone else.

…………

As expected, the master and servant came back empty-handed, as Wei Hanzhang was not in the tent.

Lu Zhu said, "The girl said she felt bored staying in the tent and wanted to go for a walk by herself."

Xiao Junzhan looked at the empty tent and asked, "Did she apply medicine on her chin?"

Luzhu lowered her eyes to hide her resentment: "...I did."

Xiao Junzhan glanced at her and asked, "What about dinner? Did you enjoy it?"

"You went to the Zhulu Arena?" Xiao Junzhan frowned slightly, "She cried again?"

"I didn't cry," Lu Zhu shook her head slowly, "but I know that the young lady is upset."

Hearing this, Xiao Junzhan was stunned. He stood there for a long time, then lifted the curtain and walked out.

Where is Wei Hanzhang now? She is by the stream not far from the camp.

I sat on a big rock with my knees hugged, listening to the sound of gurgling water.

There are bright lights in the distance, but it is dark here and no one will pay attention.

But even this place has someone competing with her for it.

There was a familiar sound of footsteps behind him. Wei Hanzhang's eyelashes trembled. He put down his hands that were holding his face, folded them on his knees, and then rested his chin on them.

At first glance, she seems gentle, peaceful, obedient and cute.

Gu Yunran never thought that these two words would appear on his childhood sweetheart.

He stood there and took a deep breath. "It's windy at night. Are you healed? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold if you go out alone?"

Wei Hanzhang was not surprised by his rash words. They had grown up together, so she didn't think the man's footsteps could fool her.

But she didn't want to talk, so she remained silent and motionless.

Gu Yunran waited for a while, thinking of the rumors he had heard in the past two days, and walked up to her and asked softly, "Are you in a bad mood?"

Wei Hanzhang lowered his eyes and hummed, "It's really not good."

Under the bright moonlight, her face was blurry, but her hoarse voice could not be hidden.

Gu Yunran's expression changed and he squatted down in front of her, but because of the light behind her, he still couldn't see her face clearly.

I don’t know if she cried.

"Don't stay here," he squatted in front of him. Wei Hanzhang lowered his eyes and just saw him. He said, "Our identities are awkward, so it's not good for us to be alone."

The young man stood still and said softly, "You have changed a lot."

Such a spoiled and unbridled girl would actually be so cautious.

Wei Hanzhang felt a lump in his throat and almost burst into tears again.

She endured for a long time before she said, "We have all changed. Gu Yunran, are you doing well?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she reacted.

Look what she asked.

His wife just passed away. Even if he has no feelings for her anymore, how can it be considered a good thing for him to be a widower?

Gu Yunran didn't mind at all. Hearing this, he just said, "Do you know what the princess said to me on the day Qi Yuxiao was buried?"

Wei Hanzhang tilted his neck to look at him, "What?"

"She told me that the reason she forced my family to come to her house to propose marriage was because someone instructed her to do so," he said in a low voice. "Even the urgent wedding date, which was set within a month, was decided by that person."

"Ran Ran, tell me, who could force the princess to marry her daughter off in such a hurry?"

Does she need to say this?

Wei Hanzhang lowered his eyes and remained silent.

After waiting for a while, Gu Yunran said: "We originally..."

"We were never going to have a future," she interrupted. "Princess Chengyi fell in love with you, the princess obeyed her in everything, and you and your Gu family couldn't refuse the princess. Even if she didn't say anything, you would still marry Qi Yuxiao in the end, it's just a matter of sooner or later."

Gu Yunran's whole body stiffened.

She was right. He was of low status and his words did not matter. Since Qi Yuxiao insisted on getting married, he had no choice but to marry her.

He smiled bitterly: "These days, I often think how good it would be if we had always been in Xuzhou."

(End of this chapter)