The sky was getting darker and darker. Yu Tanqi was guarding the gate of Wu'an Marquis' Mansion. Jiang Shi had not returned yet, and she was very worried.
Housekeeper Ying wiped his forehead with his hand, smiled, walked up to Yu Tanqi and said, "Miss, it's getting late. The prince has some important matters that he hasn't finished yet. He sent a message back saying that you can have dinner first and don't have to wait for him to come back."
Yu Tanqi frowned slightly: "Why didn't Zi'an come back so late today? Was he taken away by the Dali Temple again?"
Butler Ying lowered his head, not daring to meet the girl's clear and lively eyes, fearing that he would not have the heart to deceive her.
When the prince came back last night with a bruised face and nose, he looked so miserable. He was shocked when he saw it and was extremely worried.
If the girl saw the prince injured, she would definitely feel more distressed and overthink things, which would only add to her worries. Keeping it a secret is for the good of her mind and body.
"The Crown Prince has been falsely accused of murdering the Tianqi envoy. He must have a lot to do recently, so it's normal for him to be busy. I hope the young lady can understand the Crown Prince."
"Of course I understand Zi'an, but I worry too much and feel anxious when I don't see him for a day."
Yu Tanqi lowered her eyes, wondering if she was a little love-sick. Jiang Shi was just coming home late, but she was waiting at the door with her eyes wide open, like a husband waiting for his return.
Jiang Shi didn't mean to avoid seeing her, he was really busy with something. He was not really an idle prince of a marquisate.
Despite thinking so, she still felt a little empty inside.
She had become accustomed to Jiang Shi returning home every evening to stay with her.
Grandma Gao advised, "Young lady, no matter how worried you are about the prince, you should also take care of your own health. If the prince knew that you have lost your appetite because of him, he would be extremely worried and would be distracted when doing things outside. This would not be good for either him or you.
So, for your own sake and for the sake of the prince, you must eat, drink and sleep well. This way, the prince can focus on his own affairs and return home to see you as soon as possible."
Linlang and Taohua echoed.
"Yes, Miss, you barely ate a bite of lunch today, not even your favorite snack. You must be hungry now. You should go have dinner first. You can't starve yourself."
"The prince will definitely come to see the girl as soon as he returns home."
Yu Tanqi thought about it and nodded slowly: "Okay, then I'll go eat first."
I don’t know if it was because the early summer night was too hot, but she still had no appetite. She put down her chopsticks after only a few bites and stopped eating.
Grandma Gao advised her to eat more: "Miss, you haven't eaten much all day. You won't be able to sleep well if you are hungry."
Linlang picked up a spicy braised chicken wing tip with chopsticks and waved it in front of Yu Tanqi's nose, trying to whet her appetite.
"Miss, this is your favorite braised chicken wings. It's so delicious. Usually, Madam Gao doesn't allow you to eat more than a few, but tonight I asked the kitchen to make some extra braised chicken wings. Don't you really want to eat more?"
The braised food of Wanjin State is very rich and tastes very good. Yu Tanqi has always liked braised food and wishes to eat it at every meal.
Grandma Gao was worried that eating too much braised food would be bad for Yu Tanqi's stomach, so she didn't allow her to eat too much. She only allowed her to eat once every three days at most. Therefore, every time Yu Tanqi ate braised food, she was very excited and happy.
However, Yu Tanqi didn't even look at her favorite braised chicken wings, and stood up and walked out the door.
"I don't want to eat, you guys eat it."
Linlang sighed, put the braised chicken wings in the chopsticks back on the plate, and told the servants to clean up the table.
"Put these dishes aside. Once the prince returns home, heat them up and serve them on the table."
Linlang prayed in her heart that the prince would come back soon. If you didn't come back, my young lady would be suffering from lovesickness.
The two of them had clearly met yesterday, but they hadn't met today. The young lady was really becoming more and more interested in the prince, and I didn't know whether it was good or bad.
Yu Tanqi walked until she reached Shaoguang Courtyard. She asked the gatekeeper, "Is the prince not back yet?"
The servant shook his head: "No."
Yu Tanqi was a little disappointed. He stopped and stared at the flower garden where the flowers were still bright and beautiful in the night. He could vaguely see roses and peonies.
The air was filled with the rich scent of gardenia.
Yu Tanqi walked to the front of the flowerbed and asked politely and calmly, "Can I pick the flowers here?"
Grandma Gao thought for a moment and said, "Young lady, it should be possible."
"Why should we?" Yu Tanqi looked at Grandma Gao.
Grandma Gao said, "The prince has been taught by the late old lady since he was a child that others are not allowed to pick flowers at will. Those who violate the rules will be punished. But the girl is not someone else. The prince knows that the girl wants to pick flowers, so he will definitely not punish her."
Yu Tanqi slowly looked at the flower garden. "Then if I pick the flowers in his yard without his permission, will he be angry?"
"Probably not." Grandma Gao was reluctant to say it with certainty.
The prince is a man of principles and rules. Although he treats everyone equally and is gentle and considerate, he will definitely punish anyone who breaks the rules.
The person who dared to pick the flowers in the Marquis' Mansion recently was an actor hired by the prince for Miss Yu. A few days later, the prince asked the steward Ying to find an excuse to let them leave the Marquis' Mansion. Later, it was heard that the two actors had left the capital.
Grandma Gao didn't know how the prince knew that the actor was picking flowers, but this made her deeply realize that the prince was a man who attached great importance to rules.
Although the prince gave the two actors a large sum of money before sending them away, they both left the capital later, probably out of necessity.
Grandma Gao sighed inwardly, but she didn't think the prince was too heartless. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't give the actors money or let them leave politely.
"Then I'll pick them." Yu Tanqi's eyes fell on a peony flower with overlapping petals. He decisively reached out and broke off the branch. "Taohua, go get some baskets."
Grandma Gao couldn't help but be surprised: "How many baskets? Miss, how many flowers are you going to pick?"
Yu Tanqi looked nonchalantly at the flowerbed full of blossoms. "If I don't pick these flowers now, they'll wither. I'll pick a few more and use them for bathing and making other useful things. Wouldn't that make better use of the flowers?"
"This..." Grandma Gao hesitated, "Miss, you have a point, but the prince..."
Yu Tanqi chuckled with an ambiguous tone: "If he gets angry when he comes back, just come to me. I won't blame you, don't worry."
Grandma Gao quickly shook her head: "That's not what I meant. The prince loves you so much that he won't be angry with you."
"Really?" Yu Tanqi curled her lips. In the night, her fair and tender face was as delicate as petals. "What if I picked all the flowers in his yard?"
"What? Girl, are you kidding me?"
"No, I'm serious."
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