After a while, Lu Ziqing's guard returned and took away a bowl of hangover soup. Zhong Muyu then took the bowl of the perfectly cooled hangover soup back with her.
"Here you go, drink it."
Zhong Muyu placed the hangover soup in front of Lu Ziyuan and then turned to change her clothes.
Lu Ziyuan asked, "Why did it take so long?"
"It's not like you're taking too long to drink. Hurry up and finish your drink, blow out the candles, and go to sleep. I'm sleepy."
Zhong Muyu yawned; she really felt sleepy.
Lu Ziyuan stopped talking and slowly drank the hangover soup. The temperature of the hangover soup was just right. He thought that Zhong Muyu had taken the time to let it cool down because she was afraid that it would be too hot for him. For a moment, he felt that Zhong Muyu was quite considerate.
...
The next morning, Zhong Muyu thought everything was over and wanted to spend the day leisurely or perhaps sneak out for a stroll. However, news came from the Eastern Palace that the Crown Princess was inviting everyone to a gathering at the Hundred Garden.
With so many people invited, the matter is definitely not as simple as just admiring flowers and eating melon seeds.
After finishing Zhong Muyu's hair in early spring, she picked out a gorgeous light purple dress for her and said confidently, "Your Highness, don't worry. This kind of gathering is different from a palace banquet. The atmosphere is very relaxed. You just need to dress up beautifully and go."
"There's no easy place when there are a lot of people. Who knows what might happen today? I'd better dress simply and try to keep a low profile."
Zhong Muyu removed several excess gold hairpins from her hair, leaving only a few jade hair ornaments. She also chose a light blue dress embroidered with daffodils, making her look very fresh and natural.
Early Spring was somewhat dissatisfied: "Your Highness, there are quite a few ladies and young misses going today. They will surely be dressed in their finest attire. Won't you look too plain?"
"No, I'm just the perfect complement to their vibrant colors. Let them compete with each other."
Zhong Muyu looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction, and then went out.
The Hundred Flowers Garden is a unique place in Yuanjing, where flowers bloom in abundance, including many rare varieties. It is usually visited by literati and young men and women, but today it has been reserved by the Crown Princess, and the entire Hundred Flowers Garden is surrounded by soldiers.
As expected, early spring was right. As soon as Zhong Muyu entered the garden, she saw that the young ladies and misses were dressed in extravagantly, while Zhong Muyu herself was rather plain in comparison.
Even Su Zhirou chose a light red to pink dress, dazzling like a butterfly.
At this moment, Lu Ziqing suddenly appeared out of nowhere: "Seventh Brother! Seventh Sister-in-law! You've finally arrived!"
Lu Ziyuan asked, "Ziqing? What are you doing alone at the door?"
"Of course, I'm here to thank Seventh Sister-in-law!"
Lu Ziqing rushed up to Zhong Muyu and said very seriously, "Thank you so much for the hangover soup last night, Seventh Sister-in-law. It was really effective and tasted great. It's the best hangover soup I've ever had in my life! This is a gift I specially prepared for you to express my gratitude!"
After saying that, Lu Ziqing took out a long brocade bag from his body and gave it to her.
When Zhong Muyu opened it, she found a small short sword with a thin and sharp blade. The hilt and scabbard were carved with exquisite patterns, decorated with gold plating, and inlaid with gemstones.
Upon seeing this, Lu Ziyuan suddenly felt a pang of unease.
After all that fuss, it turns out he was just being presumptuous last night, and Zhong Muyu actually had the leisure to make hangover soup for someone else.
Zhong Muyu said, "It looks very valuable. It was just a small favor for me. You don't need to give me something so expensive."
"No, no, no, I think this short sword suits Seventh Sister's temperament very well."
In the midst of the evasion, Lu Ziyuan suddenly snatched the short sword and shoved it into Lu Ziqing's hand: "Your seventh sister-in-law can't play with such a dangerous thing, you keep it yourself."
His tone was muffled, as if he was dissatisfied. Zhong Muyu was puzzled. This had nothing to do with him, right?
Lu Ziqing continued to explain, "It's not dangerous. Seventh Sister-in-law can use it for self-defense, or at the very least, to cut fruit!"
"With me around, she doesn't need to defend herself or cut fruit!"
Lu Ziyuan was clearly annoyed, and Zhong Muyu said with some dissatisfaction, "Wait a minute, you don't need to be so disgusted. This is between me and Lu Ziqing, and I don't think everything will be fine with you here."
After speaking, Zhong Muyu turned to Lu Ziqing and accepted the gift with a smile.
Even after Lu Ziqing left, Lu Ziyuan still looked dissatisfied.
"You'd better not meddle like this next time."
Just as Zhong Muyu was about to ask a question, Lu Ziyuan simply flicked his sleeves and ran away.
"Seriously, they took the wrong medicine again."
Zhong Muyu muttered something, then looked at the backdrop of Su Zhirou behind her: "Now it's just the two of us. Do you want to make yourselves at home?"
Su Zhirou couldn't wait to leave; Lu Ziyuan's reaction just now had almost driven her crazy.
With a woman's intuition, she sensed that Lu Ziyuan's heart was no longer completely devoted to her.
Just then, another person walked over and tentatively asked, "Are you... Sister Rou'er?"
Su Zhirou was both surprised and delighted when she saw it: "Oh, it's Yanru! Long time no see!"
Qiao Yanru was also overjoyed: "Sister Rou'er, no, now you should call her Consort Rou'er!"
"Don't be so formal with me, we're like sisters. Just call me that like we always do."
When Zhong Muyu looked, she was surprised to see that it was Qiao Yanru. What was even more outrageous was that the two of them knew each other and seemed to have a very good relationship.
It's hard to say how Su Zhirou has such poor taste in friends, considering she can be friends with a woman of such high quality as Qiao Yanru.
At this moment, Qiao Yanru also noticed Zhong Muyu and, out of politeness, bowed and greeted her, saying, "This humble woman, Qiao Yanru, pays her respects to the Princess Consort of Ling."
"Uh... no need for formalities."
Qiao Yanru looked up, her expression instantly changing drastically: "How come it's you?"
Su Zhirou asked, "Yanru, did you know the Princess Consort before?"
Qiao Yanru looked on incredulously: "You're the Princess Consort of Ling? How is that possible?"
Zhong Muyu shrugged: "Why is it impossible? Miss Qiao was so imposing that day, why is she so reserved today?"
"You, you..."
Qiao Yanru also remembered the three people who had snatched the pastries from her that day, but she never expected that the other party was actually Princess Emerald, now the Princess Consort of Ling. No wonder she was so fearless.
"Oh, Miss Qiao, let me give you a piece of advice: one shouldn't be too arrogant. I don't want to dwell on what happened that day. You should take care of yourself."
After saying that, Zhong Muyu didn't want to pay any more attention to these two fair-weather friends and turned to admire the flowers.
Su Zhirou still looked completely bewildered: "Yanru, what exactly happened?"
"I……"
Qiao Yanru had no choice but to tell her the details of what happened that day in fits and starts.
Su Zhirou sighed: "I didn't expect you to run into her. You should be more careful in the future. Zhong Muyu has been acting unpredictably lately. You're so impulsive, you're bound to suffer if you run into her."
"But I'm not convinced! How could such a rude woman be the Princess Consort of Ling! Sister Rou'er, you must have suffered a lot at her hands in the Prince's mansion, right?"
Mentioning this, Su Zhirou suddenly looked sad and said, "Let's not talk about these things."
Even though Su Zhirou didn't say anything, Qiao Yanru thought it was a serious matter. She said indignantly, "That's too much! This kind of person doesn't deserve to be a princess!"
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