Chapter 15 015 Touched
"Oh my god, it looks like the polo ball just hit someone!"
"Xuanhuai, is that your sister?"
In a panic, Vice Minister Li explained, "No, I... I didn't expect the polo ball to go astray."
The incident happened suddenly. Su Xuanhuai looked into the distance and saw that Su Furong was in a state of chaos. He glared at Li Shilang, gripped the reins tightly, and turned to run towards the viewing platform.
The second half of the polo match has also concluded, with Jinwang Team taking a commanding lead and winning the championship, prompting cheers and jubilation from the crowd.
The Prince of Jin raised his hand and smiled, "You flatter me."
The prince's expression stiffened slightly, but out of politeness, he maintained a relatively harmonious demeanor. The others returned the greeting and then dispersed to change into their polo clothes.
Before leaving, Prince Jin glanced at the observation platform and instructed, "Huaiyuan, you should also take a look. After all, it's the Su family in the manor you're in charge of. If they're really injured and it gets to the Emperor, it won't look good."
Xie Huaiyuan glanced at the railing where no one was leaning anymore and said, "Understood."
People on the viewing platform nearby either peeked out, stood up and went forward, or stared intently into the distance, only to see the beautiful woman huddled beside someone in fright.
"How are you? Are you hurt anywhere? That damned Vice Minister Li is blind; he couldn't even see such a wide shot!" Su Xuanhuai shouted.
"It's nothing," Lin Wan muttered. If anyone was blind, it wasn't him.
“How can you say it’s nothing?” Su Furong complained. “It was hit. Look, the hairpin is broken. Is that what you call nothing? Luckily, it didn’t hit my face.”
Lin Wan whispered, "It's just a hairpin, it's nothing."
Unexpectedly, Su Furong, who had scolded her that day for not being interested in the prince, was in such a hurry. Thinking that this place was different from the others, all of whom were high-ranking officials and nobles, she squatted down, picked up the broken hairpin, and said, "If it's broken, just replace it with a new one."
A clear voice rang out: "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, young lady. The broken hairpin is mine..."
Lin Wan stood up with Su Furong's help. A gentle breeze blew, causing a strand of hair to fall out as the hairpin was knocked off. She looked in the direction of the sound.
This is a young man with a clean and handsome face and clear eyes, but there is a slight hint of immaturity between his brows.
After Li Shilang saw the woman's face clearly, his fair cheeks gradually turned red. He stood there stunned, completely bewildered, and even forgot to say a word.
Lin Wan knew that the polo ball that had just been thrown at her was one that had gone astray, but in this situation it was not appropriate to say too much about it, so she smiled and said, "It's okay, it was just an accident."
The young man's gaze remained fixed on her, his ears gradually turning red. He even forgot to reply until he heard voices behind him, at which point he withdrew his attention from her.
Steward: "Miss, the Princess Consort learned of the accident at the viewing platform of the football field and asked this old servant to come and see if there is any help needed?"
Lin Wan: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It's just a small matter, how could I dare to trouble Your Highness?"
Steward: "Your Highness, this..."
"There's nothing seriously wrong here, go and report back."
Lin Wan, who had stood firmly against Su Furong, let her hair fall lightly and playfully onto her face. Her moist eyes, as if holding half a pool of spring water, looked at Xie Huaiyuan, the most eye-catching person walking in the crowd.
The surprise on her face caught Xie Huaiyuan's eye.
Manager: "Alright then."
Xie Huaiyuan glanced at her calmly; her hair was a little loose, but the rest of her hair was unharmed.
Just as Li Shilang, who was watching Lin Wan with longing eyes, was about to say something more, Su Xuanhuai pulled him towards the stairs of the viewing platform.
As Su Xuanhuai pulled the man along, he said, "Minister Li, I didn't expect you to have such good eyesight! You managed to hit the ball over to my sister's side from so far away! Let's talk about this."
Su Furong blinked and said mischievously, "Look, your brother went to help you get revenge."
Lin Wan nodded and lowered her eyes, responding with an "Mm".
As noon approached, most of the spectators on the platform had left. Upon learning that Lin Wan was unharmed, Madam Meng left ahead of the other two ladies, urging them to hurry up as well.
Seeing this, Su Furong decided not to be too conspicuous. There were many young ladies nearby who were paying attention to Xie Huaiyuan's movements. After thanking Xie Huaiyuan and bowing, she took Lin Wan's arm and followed Meng Shi's footsteps without saying a word.
As soon as Lin Wan stepped off the viewing platform, she suddenly felt her arms go empty. Reaching into her bosom, she realized the purse she had been holding was gone! She paused, stammering, "I..."
Before she could even open her mouth, Su Furong, being incredibly clever, knew exactly what she wanted to do. She turned to Lin Wan and said, "Don't go looking for him. He's not someone you can covet. Don't think I was fooled by your nonsense last time."
"I think I left something behind. I want to go back and look for it. I might have accidentally dropped it."
Su Furong paused for a moment, seemingly trying to find a trace of an excuse on her face, and said, "Is it very important? Is it really gone?"
"real!"
At this moment, Meng's maid, Xile, ran over quickly and said respectfully, "Second Miss, Madam is in a hurry to find you and has sent me to take you there."
Lin Wan said gently, "Your aunt is looking for you. It might be urgent. Go quickly. I promise it's just something you need to find later, really."
Su Furong had no choice but to turn around and follow Xile.
Lin Wan turned around and looked at the figure on the viewing platform. Without hesitation, she strode forward.
...
Viewing platform.
Princess Li blushed and said, "Brother Prince, it's been so long! Your polo skills have improved so much. You're really amazing!"
Xie Huaiyuan: "What's up?"
"No, it's nothing. I went to Yantai Mountain a while ago and found a top-quality inkstone. When I went to deliver something to my aunt for my mother the other day, I thought you might need it for your daily writing, so I gave it to you. However, I didn't see you at the mansion. My aunt said you went out."
"No need for that trouble, you can keep it for yourself."
Princess Li's cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke softly, "It's no trouble at all. I also found the rare copy of the poetry collection that you, the Crown Prince, had been keeping. I'll bring it to you next time."
As Lin Wan walked over, she saw this scene: a pretty woman with that familiar shy look on her face, talking to Xie Huaiyuan.
The moment she appeared, Xie Huaiyuan seemed to sense something and looked at her.
Lin Wan's heart stirred slightly. Su Furong's advice was indeed correct; Xie Huaiyuan was indeed deeply admired by the noble ladies of the capital.
That's true. He's so handsome. Not only would he be attracted to himself, but every woman who has seen him would be drawn to him. How could no one like him?
But I'm so angry!
It's so annoying that someone so good-looking is so indifferent to me!
Princess Li was annoyed that her rare opportunity to speak had been abruptly interrupted. She glanced at her coldly and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"
Lin Wan looked around but didn't see her purse. Just as she was about to say something and turn to leave, she suddenly saw a familiar purse in a slender, well-defined hand.
She raised her gaze in surprise and saw a handsome face with a hint of indifference, looking at her with deep and calm eyes.
Their eyes met, and Lin Wan looked at him with a half-smile, bowing respectfully: "So the purse I left behind was found by the young master. I am extremely grateful."
Xie Huaiyuan nodded slightly and slowly handed her the purse in his hand, which she had indeed left behind when she left.
but.
Lin Wan knew that since so many people in the capital cared about him, and he didn't have a woman by his side yet, people's hearts were all the same, and the honey trap never failed.
She had to seduce him while appearing nonchalant, tempting him to fall for her first!
Lin Wanmei raised her beautiful eyes slightly, like rippling spring water, and stared at him without blinking, moving slightly closer to him.
The sweet, cloying fragrance wafted towards me again. Caught off guard, I took the purse from his hand and lightly touched his palm, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
But for a moment, his expression froze, and then he withdrew his hand.
Lin Wan met his gaze, her lips curving slightly, her eyes filled with an ambiguous smile.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After speaking, she calmly left.
Princess Li, standing to the side, was inwardly turmoil, yet she couldn't help but ask, "Brother Prince, who is she...?"
Xie Huaiyuan stood with his hands behind his back. The spot where he had been touched was faintly itchy. His clenched fists revealed alarmingly prominent veins, but his expression remained calm: "If the princess has nothing else to say, please make yourself at home."
-
When Lin Wan found Su Furong, a banquet had already begun in the courtyard of Peach Blossom Manor. A stream meandered through the middle of the courtyard, with the water flowing gently. Plates of exquisite delicacies floated slowly along the stream, a scene reminiscent of the "Floating Wine Cups on a Winding Stream" game.
Low tables were scattered along the banks of the stream, and the guests at the banquet were almost all seated.
The Su family's seats were originally located downstream of the stream, but they were moved upstream just before the banquet began, only three seats away from the host family's seats.
Before Lin Wanren even reached her seat, she had already attracted many glances as she walked along the adjacent veranda.
As fate would have it, the moment she stepped out of the veranda was when the gentle sunlight shone directly upon her, making her clearly visible to everyone in the courtyard. It accentuated her radiant beauty, her rouge intoxicating, and the bright red floral adornment on her forehead adding to her charm. Her face was like a peach blossom, and her figure was full and graceful, breathtakingly beautiful.
Lin Wan sat down, and out of the corner of her eye, she vaguely saw the woman she had just met on the viewing platform sitting opposite her. She ignored the hateful look from the other side, and casually waved her fan, leaning against Su Furong, and obediently listened to Meng Shi speak.
The Queen Consort of Xiangyang sat in the main seat, dressed in brightly colored clothes and lightly made up, seemingly no less elegant and noble.
She had noticed it as soon as she walked in, and had heard a little about what had happened on the field. In particular, she was surprised that her usually indifferent prince had come to see her in time after the incident.
The princess smiled gently and said, "So you are Miss Lin. You are indeed a great beauty. I heard this is your first time at the Peach Blossom Banquet. There are many places to play here, especially the peach grove by the stream, where the flowers are in full bloom and very beautiful."
Lin Wan was quite surprised, and replied humbly and politely.
The host's friendly attitude drew the attention of the noble ladies present, many of whom had subtle expressions, and some even scrutinized Princess Li's reaction.
Although Princess Li was spoiled and willful, she knew how to read the situation. In this situation, she watched coldly and sat dignifiedly.
The princess picked up her teacup and said with a smile, "The place is simple, and I'm afraid our hospitality may be lacking. Please forgive me. Here are some delicacies; please enjoy them to your heart's content."
Everyone exchanged pleasantries and compliments.
The maids and servants in the manor served wine, dishes and snacks in an orderly manner, placing them one by one in the gurgling water, where they floated slowly with the current, moving around in front of each seat.
Coincidentally, the three seats between Lin Wan and the princess remained empty until Xie Huaiyuan arrived late and sat down right next to the princess, which surprised and delighted her.
They were so close that they could see the moisture on Xie Huaiyuan's sleeves. He was still wearing the same clothes he wore when he played polo, but there were wet marks on the edges of his sleeves.
She frowned.
Strange, his sleeves were clean and tidy just now, how come they are now covered in water stains in such a short time?
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