Worried that her mistress might be overthinking things, Chang Yue didn't dare to make wild guesses and instead tried to persuade her in a positive light, "Perhaps there's some misunderstanding involved. Don't be angry, Princess. We'll find out when Fourth Master returns and asks."
Su Yushan didn't say anything. She was embroidering a handkerchief. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Her embroidery skills have improved a lot compared to before, and even her heart is bigger than before.
After hearing Yunfang's words, she remained calm, gave a light reply, and then continued to embroider the handkerchief with her head down, revealing no emotion, as if what Yunfang said was just a trivial matter.
Yunfang couldn't guess what Yushan was thinking, so she held back and didn't say anything more. She hoped that Yushan was overthinking things and that the Fourth Master hadn't done anything to wrong her.
The matter caused a slight ripple within the Huatang Pavilion. In his study, Hongli finally finished his work and waited for the ink to dry before closing the memorial.
Glancing at the sugar-coated tomatoes in the sunflower dish beside him, Hongli couldn't help but recall the amazing taste he had experienced when he first ate tomatoes. The reason he loved tomatoes so much was because they tasted similar to Yushan's, a sweet and sour flavor that he couldn't resist.
Seeing this, Lan Rong propped herself up on her elbows and sat up, calling out sweetly, "Fourth Master, are you done with your work?"
Hongli responded lightly, picked up a piece of sweet and juicy tomato and put it in his mouth. The cool sensation went down his throat, making him feel comfortable and at ease.
Lan Rong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is this the tomato Sister Su was talking about? I'd like to try it too!"
Logically, Hongli should have offered her a taste, but his smile faded, and he said seriously, "This was made for me by Yushan."
Lan Rong replied matter-of-factly, "Isn't good food meant to be shared? I don't think Sister Su would mind, would she?"
"I mind. I won't share what she gives me with anyone." Even if it's just a tomato, as long as it's Yu Shan's thoughtfulness, he won't let her down, and he'd never let anyone else taste it.
Feeling embarrassed by the rejection, Lan Rong smiled nonchalantly to ease the awkward situation, "Alright! Since Fourth Master cherishes it so much, then I won't try it."
After he finished using it, Hongli stood up and said, "Are you feeling better? I should go now; no one can stay in the study."
Understanding the implication, Lan Rong left the tent and followed Hongli outside.
On the way, she revealed the purpose of her trip: "The day after tomorrow is my birthday. I wonder if Fourth Master would be free to have a meal with me?"
"Not sure, we'll see when the time comes."
Hongli's reply was ambiguous, leaving Lan Rong uncertain and unsure of what to do. His strides were extremely long, and he showed no intention of waiting for her. She had to walk quickly to keep up, and before she knew it, she had twisted her ankle.
Seeing that the concubine was about to collapse, Li Yu, who was following behind, quickly stepped forward to support her, saying, "Concubine, be careful."
Li Yu thought to herself that she couldn't fall to the ground again, otherwise she would complain that her legs or feet hurt, and she would pester Fourth Master to carry her back to her room.
Lan Rong thanked Li Yu outwardly, but inwardly she was resentful and angry. This Li Yu was really meddlesome and ruined her plans!
When they reached the fork in the road, Hongli turned towards the Huatang Pavilion without even saying goodbye. Lan Rong could only stop there, silently praying that Hongli would keep his promise.
When he returned to Huatang Pavilion, Su Yushan did not question him and remained calm.
Chang Yue poured the tea and then left. Hongli was talking to Yu Shan and did not notice anything unusual until he was thirsty and was about to drink some tea when he realized something was wrong.
He hadn't noticed when they poured the tea, but now that he lifted the lid, he realized that the teacup contained goji berries instead of Biluochun tea.
Hongli frowned. "Why are you making me goji berries out of the blue?"
With a gentle blink, Su Yushan spoke leisurely, "I'll give you some tonics to strengthen your body and replenish your vital energy!"
"I have too much energy, do I need tonics? Will they help me relieve it?" As he spoke, Hongli took her hand and gently scratched her palm. Su Yushan pulled her hand away and glared at him reproachfully.
"Don't make yourself sound so pitiful. Don't think I don't know you're keeping a mistress outside and living a carefree life."
Hongli raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Who did I hide?"
"Little red and little green things, and so on."
Hongli, understanding the implication, found it amusing. "You mean Xiao Lan, right?" After a moment's thought, he realized, "What did that girl Yunfang say to you this time?"
With a soft snort, Su Yushan turned away, trying to keep her distance from him, "I'm telling you you're hiding a beauty in your tent."
Tsk tsk! That's quite ambiguous! It's hard not to let people think all sorts of things. Hongli chuckled helplessly, "If I wanted to hide someone, would she see it and come to you to complain?"
Su Yushan corrected her, displeased, "This is called stating the facts, not making a complaint. She did not frame or wrong you."
"Seeing is not necessarily believing," so to avoid arousing her suspicion, Hongli called Li Yu in to testify for him.
As soon as Li Yu entered, she noticed the cup of goji berry tea on the table and almost burst out laughing, but could only suppress it with a dry cough.
Receiving a warning look from his master, Li Yu dared not be presumptuous again. He stood at attention and briefly summarized what had happened in the study, then emphasized:
“I was present from beginning to end and saw everything clearly. Please rest assured, Your Highness, Fourth Prince was busy with official business and did not even glance at his concubine.”
"Did you hear that? I'll only be captivated by you. No matter how much other women fawn over me, it's all in vain."
"Really?" Su Yushan looked at Li Yu with a questioning gaze. "But Yunfang said she didn't see you when she went to the study. At that time, only the Fourth Prince and his concubine were in the study."
"..." Li Yu, whose identity had been exposed, immediately clarified: "When the servant came back with the medicine, I gave the medicine to the maid and left for a short while, less than a quarter of an hour. When I came back, Fourth Master said that Yunfang had just left."
"You say it's less than a quarter of an hour? What could I possibly do?" Hongli retorted, unconvinced. "I'm not that fast. You're underestimating me."
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