Looking at the present, there seems to be no precedent for this. "How can princes and maids frequently run out? This is against the rules."
"I won't leave the mansion every day, but I'll go out occasionally, is that alright?"
Meeting her pleading gaze, Hongli felt a moment of tenderness, but mindful of the rules, he ultimately did not agree. "Just tell me when you want to go out."
Knowing that the rules were hard to break, Su Yushan didn't insist any further. She secretly reminded herself not to be greedy. Since she had the chance to come out today, she should really enjoy the fun of traveling.
She smiled as she admired the scenery along the way. In another carriage, Hongzhou lifted the curtain and looked ahead. He saw an arm sticking out from the carriage in front of him. With the carriage blocking his view, he couldn't see the person inside. He could only see the slender white fingers pointing into the distance from under the narrow sleeves.
Seeing this, Hongzhou guessed that Su Gege was probably talking to his fourth brother.
They chatted and laughed, but his carriage was cold and quiet. The beautiful woman sitting beside him remained silent, her delicate eyebrows furrowed. Hongzhou leaned back on the cushions, elbows resting on the armrests, leisurely observing her, and casually asked:
"What's wrong, Meng'er? Is something on your mind?"
After a moment's hesitation, Yunmeng parted her red lips slightly and sighed softly, "My sixteenth birthday is in a few days. Aunt Cai said that I will have to start entertaining customers then. She also said that she will hold a singing and selling event on my birthday, and the highest bidder will win."
The thought of that scene filled her with anxiety. She planned to continue performing at Liuxianglou, but Aunt Cai refused and insisted on pushing her into the cesspool of corruption.
Hongzhou had already heard about this matter, but he asked knowingly, "So what do you mean?"
There were some things she didn't know whether she should say, but if she didn't, she might lose this rare opportunity. After much hesitation, Yunmeng finally mustered her courage and said to him:
"Fifth Master, will you come?"
Meeting her worried gaze, Hongzhou rested his hand on his forehead and asked instead of answering, "Do you want me to come?"
Hope? She didn't know. She only knew that she had no other choice, and Hongzhou was the only tree she could climb. "If I am destined to give myself to someone, then I hope that person will be you."
Hongzhou was always a free spirit and womanizer, but from the first time he saw Yunmeng, he knew that this girl had only fallen into prostitution by mistake. He only wanted to enjoy the pleasure of being with such a noble and virtuous girl and had no intention of getting involved with her.
"Do you know that I cannot give you a formal status?"
He was a prince of the current dynasty. Even if she were to be his maid, she would have to be from a respectable family. A woman like Yunmeng, even if she was a courtesan and had never served other men, was not qualified to be a prince's maid. She was well aware of this.
"I do not seek any title or status."
"You don't want money or status, so what exactly do you want? Surely you haven't fallen in love with me?"
He could sense whether other women admired or coveted him, but Yunmeng's eyes held neither greed nor longing. Therefore, he couldn't understand what her purpose was.
She did have ulterior motives, but now was not the time to reveal them. Unless he was truly willing to buy her, she dared not take the risk lightly.
Some things are inconvenient to say outright, so Yunmeng made an excuse: "I haven't known Fifth Master for very long. I can't say I love him, but I do have some feelings for him. Since I can't avoid this path, of course I want to choose someone I don't dislike."
That seemed reasonable, so Hongzhou didn't ask any more questions, but he didn't make any promises to her either. "We'll talk about it later! I'll come and support you if I have time."
She had said everything she needed to say. If she went on and on, Hongzhou might become suspicious. Yunmeng stopped there and turned to look at the scenery outside the window.
The carriage traveled for about 15 minutes before reaching the western suburbs. After parking the carriage, the driver placed the horse benches and respectfully invited the masters to disembark.
Hongli got out of the car first, and then reached out to help Su Yushan.
Seeing this, Hongzhou was surprised. This was something that servants should do, but he did it himself, which showed how much he cared about Su Yushan.
Su Yushan didn't pay attention to these details, because her eyes were drawn to the maple leaves in the distance. A patch of red leaves blended into the yellow and green autumn forest. Even the most skilled painter would find it difficult to depict such amazing color changes.
Everywhere she looked was a sight to behold, and she was like a bird released from its cage, overjoyed. Her genuine smile was so relaxed and carefree that Hongli had never seen her like this before. It was as if only here could her heart grow wings and soar into the sky!
At this moment, Hongli finally understood why she was so angry when he stood her up that day. She longed for the outdoors, and he had disrupted her long-awaited plans. How could she not be angry?
Seeing her smiling face, he suddenly realized that bringing her out today was the right decision; this was the gift she truly wanted!
After discussing it, the group decided to go boating on the lake first. Before boarding the boat, Hongli specifically instructed Changyue to put the cloak on her.
"It's windy by the lake, be careful not to catch a cold."
Chang Yue then unfolded the lake-blue cloak in her hands and fastened it for her mistress. The light-colored cloak with peony and silver patterns made her face look even more oval, fair and radiant, with an excellent complexion.
Seeing this, Hongzhou couldn't help but sigh, "Fourth Brother, you're only worried about your sister-in-law catching a cold, but why aren't you worried about me catching a cold?"
He glanced at him, then frowned slightly. "You're a grown man, you practice martial arts regularly, you're strong and healthy, how could you catch a cold so easily?"
Hongzhou sighed in disappointment, "Alas! People really do change. Now that you have a beautiful woman by your side, you no longer care about me as you did when we were children."
Su Yushan was speechless, her cheeks flushed, and she pretended not to hear, looking away to the side.
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