After coaxing the little girl, Gan Qiongying dragged her tired body back home. Manyue stayed by Gan Qiongying's side the whole time, neither getting in the way when she didn't need to, nor hindering her tired body when she needed to.
Gan Qiongying squeezed Manyue's hand, deeply moved. Since arriving in this lonely, strange world, if she thought about it carefully, the only person who had ever stood by her side unconditionally and without a second thought, and who had been by her side every moment, was Manyue.
Gan Qiongying suddenly felt like properly thanking Manyue. She glanced at Manyue for a moment, then decided to give her the most practical gift.
She said, "Your monthly salary will double this month."
Man Yue was actually very young, and her values were not yet fully formed. She was also a loyal servant who grew up in a feudal society, and the idea she was instilled with from childhood was that everything should be done with her master as the top priority.
She would naturally learn from Gan Qiongying. Gan Qiongying was arrogant and domineering, so she followed suit and became arrogant as well. As Gan Qiongying began to change, Manyue followed in her footsteps. During this time, she was instilled with all sorts of novel ideas by Gan Qiongying and basically became a complete little money-grubber, just like Gan Qiongying.
Upon hearing that Gan Qiongying was going to increase her monthly allowance, she was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to bow, saying, "Thank you, Princess!"
"Ouch!" Gan Qiongying had put all her strength on her, but when Manyue suddenly squatted down, Gan Qiongying fell directly to the ground.
Full Moon, quick-witted, helped the person up, a bright smile on her face. However, Gan Qiongying rubbed her bottom, and the emotions stirred up by the desolate night disappeared in the pain of her bottom.
He glared at her and said, "Your money is gone."
Man Yue's face immediately froze, and her little face fell.
"Princess……"
Gan Qiongying was still saying, "Just like that, it's gone..."
The full moon's mouth was so pouting that it could have tied a donkey down with it.
The journey back was slow. After the turmoil of the night, Gan Qiongying needed some space to do some meaningless things to sort out her thoughts.
However, as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she discovered that Li Hua was already waiting for her.
She took a breath of the cool night air, but a surge of heat welled up inside her, as if color had been added to a pale painting.
Li Hua stood quietly in the courtyard in the night, the dim lamplight illuminating his handsome figure. Because he was standing with his back to the house, his shadow was cast directly onto Gan Qiongying, tall and majestic, like a silent mountain range.
He carried no lantern, had no servants with him, and was utterly alone, quietly waiting in the night for her to return, not knowing when.
Even he himself had forgotten how long he had been waiting.
Remembering how Li Hua had protected her on the field and risked his life for her sake, Gan Qiongying stopped in front of the moon gate leading into the courtyard and quietly looked at Li Hua.
Remembering how Li Hua had said he couldn't sleep and held her tightly, Gan Qiongying smiled and quickly stepped forward, throwing herself into Li Hua's arms. The two embraced in the courtyard.
The moon rose above the treetops, and neither of them spoke; they simply embraced for a long time.
Manyue, who had returned with Gan Qiongying, saw the two embracing but did not disturb them. Instead, she went to find Tianjiao to complain about her fleeting youth, which seemed to vanish even faster than a woman's prime.
“It was so dangerous just now, and your leg isn’t very strong, why did you run onto the field? What if you got hurt?” Gan Qiongying lifted her head from Li Hua’s arms. “I know you’ve always been kind and helpful, but you should also consider your situation.”
Li Hua did not offer any explanation; Zhongli Zhengzhen would truly not allow him to be in danger.
Moreover, Li Huahua saw Zhongli Zhengzhen's guards blocking Gan Qiongying, and guessed that Zhongli Zhengzhen must have told her something. Zhongli Zhengzhen liked to talk to himself and act according to his arrogant self-understanding.
He acted this way because of Li Hua's deliberate guidance last night. Li Hua was very dissatisfied and would teach that troublesome guard a lesson. He would also teach Zhong Li a real lesson.
Therefore, Li Hua simply smiled at Gan Qiongying and then tightened her arms a little.
The two of them walked into the house embracing each other affectionately.
They slept in each other's arms that night. Perhaps because she was too tired from all the commotion, Gan Qiongying slept exceptionally well and didn't even feel Li Hua's hand constantly stroking her hair.
However, many people were destined to have a sleepless night. The young masters of noble families sent their servants back to the capital to ask their families for help and to try to use their connections to avoid imprisonment.
The following morning, officials from the Dali Temple arrived. Their faces were stern, and although they were polite to the young noblemen, they were heavily armed and questioned each of them about their actions, showing no favoritism whatsoever. Even the Regent was questioned.
The fact that the Dali Temple dispatched such a large force to escort clan princes back to the capital was unprecedented. After entering the city, the people of the capital were abuzz with discussion, speculating about what crimes the princes had committed.
The regent had changed his clothes. It seemed that the injury to his leg from last night was quite serious. He was pale and had a gloomy expression as he got into his carriage.
Zhongli's neck wound had been bandaged, but his waist injury was more serious. He was half-carried by Song Ci. As he passed through the crowd, he glanced around but did not find the person he was looking for.
Those scions of prominent families were not so calm. Their hair was disheveled, and after a night of worry and anxiety, their faces were all pale and haggard.
They hung their heads and remained silent, as if they had truly committed some heinous crime. The only saving grace was that the Dali Temple at least spared them some dignity, sparing them from being transported in prison carts and allowing them all to return to the city in their own carriages.
In reality, their entry into the Dali Temple was merely a formality. Once the Dali Temple officials investigated and recorded the events, they were released.
But after this incident, they lost all face. Gan Qiongying's actions were tantamount to a slap in the face to all the noble families.
Gan Qiongying was completely unaware of the enormous impact of her actions, and even less aware that since the group of young noblemen had sent the news back to Yindu the previous night, she had already "become famous overnight."
Holding a large gold ingot with a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, Gan Qiongying slept very well last night.
She woke up feeling refreshed and energetic, and Li Hua told her that she had already packed her things.
Supported by her maids, Gan Qiongying went to watch the commotion when she heard that people from the Dali Temple had arrived. This embarrassed the young masters from noble families, and two of them, who had low tolerance for emotional distress, couldn't help but wipe away their tears.
Gan Qiongying laughed wickedly after seeing it, and even pointed it out to Li Hua.
Princess Hui'an would rest here for two more days, so Gan Qiongying took Li Hua to say goodbye and boarded the carriage at the entrance of Haoyue Manor.
The carriage traveled very fast, gradually overtaking other carriages on the road, and everyone who passed by gave way to her carriage.
This group was truly afraid of Princess Duanrong this time.
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