Hua Cai looked at Yue Chen, and Yue Chen looked at Hua Cai.
It was said to be the finest mist tea from Yue Kingdom, but it had long since lost its flavor from being brewed. And in this vast imperial garden, apart from the occasional maidservant coming to add water, not a soul could be seen.
The tea-serving maid appeared again, and Hana, already a little full, quickly grabbed the maid who was trying to slip away: "Where is my father?"
This maid seemed to hold a high position in the palace. She remained calm even after being captured by Hua Cai, glancing at Yue Chen, whose face had turned completely black: "This servant does not know."
Bang--
Yue Chen slammed his teacup down on the table: "Then I'll trouble Aunt Zheng to go and see if Master Wei and Master Ling have come out yet. We're getting ready to head back."
The maid's eyes lit up: "The two masters have already returned. They told me to pass on a message to you: Master Jin has gone to attend to the matters he has agreed upon with the Emperor. It's not convenient for female guests to stay in the palace, so Miss Jin will need your help to look after her for the time being."
The temperature dropped by one degree instantly, then by another.
"Are you kidding me?"
Two voices rang out in unison.
Yue Chen frowned, a hint of joy involuntarily showing in his eyes.
Great, it's in my hands now. What if something unexpected happens—
Hua Cai said anxiously, "How can that be? I've never been separated from Father for so long before."
She felt uneasy as Jin Yin was out of her sight; who knew how many people the Emperor had sent to infiltrate the Li Kingdom and hunt down Jin Yin?
“This—” The maid pretended to be embarrassed as she carried the tea tray, accurately catching the joy in Yue Chen’s eyes. She secretly smiled to herself, but replied in a serious tone, “This is His Majesty’s decree. This servant has no choice. You two may stay in the Imperial Garden for a while if you have nothing else to do. If you wish to return, please do so.”
After saying this, the maid quickly bowed, turned around and left decisively.
The two men, their faces dark, walked toward the palace gate, a dozen meters apart, one on each side, as if they wanted to show everyone that they were strangers.
For Hua Cai, staying at the Third Prince's residence was no different from staying anywhere else; it was just that the two experts inside the prince's residence made it really inconvenient for her to move around.
"Baozi, you must keep an eye on the situation with Jin Yin. If there's any unusual activity, let me know immediately."
On the carriage traveling from the palace to the Third Prince's residence, Hua Cai and Yue Chen each sat on one side.
Yue Chen closed his eyes to rest as soon as he got into the carriage, while Hua Cai looked at the bustling streets of Yuedu from behind the curtain, ignoring him.
The servant, who was driving the carriage, sat outside the curtain, not daring to even breathe loudly. If it weren't for Yue Chen's instruction to arrange a guest room for Miss Jin when they arrived at the Third Prince's residence, he would have doubted whether there were two people in the carriage the whole way.
After respectfully watching the two enter the mansion, Lang handed the carriage to the gatekeeper and was about to go inside to arrange the matters Yue Chen had instructed when suddenly someone patted him on the back.
"Hey, little wolf, what did the Third Prince just tell us?"
However, it was said that Wei and Ling, who had already returned to their residence, were gathered around him with gossipy expressions.
Their duty was to protect Yue Chen's safety; how could they possibly let their two precious masters go back on their own at a time like this?
"My lords, what's wrong with you two—" Wolf One's face darkened. The two guest elders, who were usually serious and aloof, had "gone on their own" again.
Wei Tuo raised an eyebrow, craned his neck to glance at Hua Cai who was still standing inside the door, and winked at Lang Yi: "We are carrying out a mysterious and great plan. Don't ask so many questions, just wait to drink the wedding wine."
Wolf One's face darkened. This person was good in every way, except when it came to the Third Prince. When his gossip-loving heart was burning, he became—well, not so smart.
"The Third Prince instructed his subordinates to arrange a guest room for that young lady," Wolf said truthfully, wiping the black lines from his forehead.
"Arrange a room my ass! Listen to me, lad, put this girl in the Bright Moon Pavilion." Wei Tuo put his arm around Lang Yi's shoulder and chuckled, "The Third Prince will be very grateful to you."
Wolf One stumbled: "Brother Wei, this is too much! You're pushing me into a fire pit! You know what kind of place Mingyue Pavilion is. The Third Prince even thanked me. I have elderly parents and young children to support. Please, leave me a way out!"
Wolf Yi looked distressed and waved his hands repeatedly, his face clearly showing his refusal.
"Tsk, how come you're so inflexible?" Ling Heguang patted Lang Yi's shoulder and whispered in his ear.
Wolf's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he clapped his hands: "Since that's the case, then we'll do as you two say, let's go, let's go."
Hua Cai stood inside the Third Prince's residence, watching Yue Chen walk away without looking back. She didn't chase after him, but simply stood quietly waiting for the two people outside to come and arrange her accommodation.
She wasn't afraid that Yue Chen would make things difficult for her because her adoptive father was now in a cooperative relationship with the Emperor Yue. She was now a distinguished guest, not someone else's dependent. The Third Prince had a good reputation and wouldn't do anything underhanded in this matter.
She didn't have to wait long. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the three of them huddled together whispering. After a while, as if they had reached some kind of consensus, they walked towards her with smiles on their faces.
Hua Cai took a step back. This scene and this posture reminded her of the vicious villains in storybooks who were good at making things difficult for others.
Bring it on!
Hua Cai focused her mind and waited for the three of them to speak.
"Ahem, Miss Jin, please come with me." Seeing Hua Cai's wary look, Lang Yi's lips twitched, his gaze shifting to the two people behind him who were starting to act serious again, and he forced a smile.
"Thank you." One shouldn't hit a smiling face, and seeing that the person was speaking to her in a kind manner, Hua Cai returned the smile and followed Lang Yi toward her guest room.
Seeing this, Wei Tuo and the other man watched the two walk away with serious expressions, exchanged a glance, and then rushed to Yue Chen's study.
Hua Cai followed behind Lang Yi, and the more she walked, the more she felt something was wrong.
The scenery is becoming more and more beautiful, with small bridges and flowing water everywhere, and the winding corridors make the air seem fresher.
Is it really that high-end?
"This is it." Finally, Wolf One stopped in front of a delicate bamboo building with Hua Cai: "This is the main building, and the lower row is the bathhouse."
Upon hearing the word "bathhouse," Wolf's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
In this imperial city, in the Third Prince's residence, there is such a beautiful bamboo building.
Hua Cai glanced at the two bamboo houses, one tall and one short, and looked at Lang Yi without saying a word.
This place was clearly specially set up; are these guest rooms?
You must be kidding me.
Hua Cai had expected that she wouldn't be mistreated, but she never imagined it would be this—grand.
"This place—isn't this your prince's palace?" Hua Cai looked at Lang Yi, who had an upright expression, with suspicion.
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