Xu Yunci looked at her and saw her come over, making way for her. Li Shiyue's gaze fell on the painting, and the tension she had felt seemed to vanish instantly.
"The Prince of Yan wishes to see you."
The topic shifted abruptly, and Li Shiyue looked up at him, her face showing confusion: "Does the Prince of Yan want to see me?"
“Yes, he wants to see you. I think he wants to use Yunyang Earl to make you do something.” This was exactly what Xu Yunci was worried about. Faced with Li Shiyue’s confusion, he directly told her about burning the letter sent by the Prince of Yan.
Li Shiyue was at a loss for words, feeling a vague sense of satisfaction at Xu Yunci's actions. However, reason quickly returned to her mind, and she hesitated, saying, "If I don't see him, will the Prince of Yan cause trouble for my cousin?"
Will the Prince of Yan climb up to Chonghua Palace? Will he cause trouble for His Highness and his cousin?
Xu Yunci easily caught the hesitation in Li Shiyue's eyes, and when she looked up, she swallowed the words she was about to say. For in that instant, she sensed that Xu Yunci would definitely object to what she was about to say.
"Don't mention seeing him, I won't allow it. Just listen to this, and don't ask any other questions."
Xu Yunci saw through her intentions first. His gaze fell on Xu Lingzi, who came out of the house. He felt a mix of helplessness and reproach, but when he saw the teapot in her hand, he immediately stopped.
"You've finished painting? I just brewed a pot of tea, the timing is perfect." Xu Lingzi placed the painting in her hand on the stone table, her gaze falling on the painting in Li Shiyue's hand, praising it repeatedly.
"Second brother, when you have time, please make one for me. It would be perfect to hang in my study."
Xu Yunci remained calm, not even glancing at her, and sat down on the stone bench to sip his tea: "If you want to paint, learn if you don't know how."
Xu Lingzi pursed her lips and said nothing more.
Li Shiyue placed the painting in her hand into Chunling's hand: "Take this back and keep it safe."
After saying that, she sat down on the other side of Xu Lingzi and touched the warm cup with her hand: "Second brother just said that he will take us out of the manor tomorrow."
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Yunci looked over with a cold gaze, seemingly displeased that she had taken it upon herself to make the decision.
Li Shiyue met his gaze with composure and confidence. She could not back down. The fact that the Prince of Yan wanted to see her at this time was most likely related to her father.
She believed in Xu Yunci, but when it came to her father, she couldn't stand idly by.
However, Xu Lingzi was still in front of her. Li Shiyue's fingers traced the patterns on the cup: "But I would like to ask my cousin if my seventh cousin and the others want to come along."
Xu Lingzi had no suspicions and looked at Xu Yunci: "Then I'll go now. I'll feel at ease with my second brother here."
Her steps were light, and she was out of Chengyu Pavilion in the blink of an eye. Only Changshun and Chunling served her personally in the courtyard. Without her master's orders, they stood quietly to the side, heads bowed and silent, their eyes fixed on their feet.
Without Xu Lingzi, there's no need to hide anything anymore. Before Li Shiyue could speak, she heard a soft sigh beside her. She swallowed hard and almost instinctively looked up, her anxious gaze meeting those cold, helpless eyes.
"No matter what my cousin says, I still want to see the Prince of Yan. It's not that I don't trust my cousin, I just want to know what role the Prince of Yan played in this matter concerning my father."
“There are some things you can’t ask your cousin, but I can. Just look at the boasts the Prince of Yan made in the Imperial Garden that day. He’s been thinking about this for a long time.”
Xu Yunci looked at her intently: "Aren't you afraid of danger?"
Li Shiyue shook her head, her eyes showing no hesitation: "What does it matter if I'm afraid or not? If the Prince of Yan goes mad because of me and falsely accuses Chonghua Palace and the Duke's Mansion, wouldn't that be my fault?"
"Since I told my cousin the truth, he will protect me, won't he?"
She smiled sweetly at the end, tilting her head slightly, displaying a charming and playful air reminiscent of a teenage girl. This matter must not be alerted; the best course of action is for Xu Lingzi to summon the others from the household, and then find a pretext to separate them midway.
"Okay, I'll make arrangements for tomorrow."
Xu Yunci's gaze was deep. He didn't tell Xu Lingzi too much about the Prince of Yan, only that the Prince of Yan had been lustful and that Xu Lingzi should spend more time with Li Shiyue these days.
Xu Lingzi was also intelligent and didn't ask much about other things in the palace. Apart from teasing Li Shiyue, most of the time the sisters joked around.
The morning sunlight carries a touch of coolness, and the sun still rises from the east. The sunlight feels warm on the skin, unlike the scorching heat of summer, making it the perfect day for a spring outing.
The carriage came to a smooth stop in front of the "Guanqing Xiaoyuan" gate. The main gate was open, and as soon as you got off the carriage, you could see a row of bamboo trees in the courtyard through the gate.
Passing the main hall, one is surrounded by artificial hills and willow branches swaying on the bank. Looking out, one sees a lush, towering bamboo grove, with the small building sitting in the center, surrounded by a clear, green lake illuminated by the sunlight.
The path connecting the small building is a long corridor with varying heights. The lake on both sides is as clear as a piece of jade under the sunlight, flawless and transparent. The bright sun reflected on the lake is so dazzling that people can't open their eyes.
A gentle breeze stirred the lake's surface, creating ripples and disturbing its tranquility. Passing through the long corridor, the heat from the earlier blazing sun dissipated completely, leaving me feeling incredibly refreshed.
"Although Second Brother's Guanqing Garden is good for relieving fever, Cousin probably doesn't know that. It will be cooler when we come at the end of June." Xu Lingzi and Xu Lingwan walked at the back, their gaze passing through the people in front of them, and finally landing on Xu Yunci at the front.
The corridor was very long; it would take the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to walk through it. Fortunately, there was a canopy overhead that shielded us from the scorching sun, and we could see small boats moored on the distant shore of the lake.
This was indeed Li Shiyue's first time here. In her previous life, she had never interacted with the Xu family, let alone gone out together. She only remembered that many people coveted the "Guanqing Xiaoyuan" in Xu Yunci's possession, including Xu Yunyang.
Seeing it today, I can confirm that it truly lives up to its reputation; the unique little garden is a real treat for the eyes.
At the end of the corridor is the main entrance of the small building, and behind it is another long corridor. Behind it, an octagonal pavilion stands amidst artificial hills and green trees, with a small garden below.
Xu Lingqing and Xu Lingwan were, after all, children at heart. Hearing Xu Yunci say that they could play by themselves, they lifted their skirts and went to play in the back.
Xu Lingzi didn't follow, but looked at Li Shiyue: "There are private rooms upstairs. If you're not feeling well, would you like to go up and rest?"
Li Shiyue raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, her face showing hesitation.
"It's alright. It's just that you're so thin. You finally managed to gain some weight and then caught a cold. You're not exactly known for your health anyway. Go and rest. You can see the view from the back of the building."
Xu Lingzi seemed unconcerned, but personally escorted her to her room. Once everything was arranged, she went downstairs to find her two younger sisters.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com