A warm breeze gently blew, rippling the water in the lotus pond. Ling Shuang sat in the center of the pavilion, staring blankly into the distance, her brows furrowed, looking extremely pitiful.
Not far away, a pair of eyes looked in the direction she was looking, which was Lingqi's direction.
"So she was homesick!" the man said in a deep voice.
"Now that you've arrived at the Crown Prince's residence, why don't you go and see her?" Xiao Liu asked.
"There might be some unrest going to happen, and if I rush into meeting her, it won't be good for either of us!"
Xiao Liu could tell that his master really liked the willful and capricious Princess Ling Shuang.
...
The pebble path stretched all the way to the end of the bamboo forest. Ling Shuang wandered around aimlessly on the pebble path, and when she looked up, she was attracted by the bamboo forest. Just as she was about to walk into the forest, her maid called out to her, "Princess, there's a ghost in there!"
Judging from their frightened expressions, they didn't seem to be lying.
"Have you met him before?"
"No, but everyone who has seen it has gone crazy."
Hearing them talk about such strange things, Ling Shuang became interested: "Then this princess is a ghost-catching hero."
She never believed in ghosts and gods; she thought it was just people making a fuss over nothing.
As she spoke, she took a few steps forward, and the maid behind her screamed in fright.
Feeling extremely annoyed, she snapped, "If you're scared, go somewhere else! What kind of behavior is this, yelling like this!"
Upon hearing that they were to leave, the maids didn't care about anything else and immediately turned and ran.
Watching their hurried departure, Ling Shuang found it all quite amusing.
The rustling sound of footsteps on the withered bamboo leaves is like a beautiful piece of music.
As the wind blows, the slender bamboo sways from side to side in the air, and the bamboo leaves flutter down.
The bamboo forest was very large. After walking for a while, she was about to turn back when she saw a woman wearing a pudding dress hurrying into the forest.
Without thinking twice, she followed.
After walking for a while, I looked back and realized I had lost my way back.
Suddenly, a thick cloud of smoke rose from the woods, choking her and bringing tears to her eyes.
"Cough cough cough!!!"
"Who's pretending inside?"
"Cough cough cough!!"
Unfortunately, the thick smoke was too pungent for her eyes, making it impossible for her to open them to see.
Suddenly a kind and gentle voice rang out: "Little girl, this is not a place for you."
As the thick smoke slowly dissipated, Ling Shuang slowly opened her eyes. Because the smoke was so stinging, she rubbed her eyes so hard that she rubbed out tears, ruining her eye makeup and making her look like a cute little kitten.
"Auntie, have you always lived here?" she asked.
"Why didn't you run? Everyone else would have been scared away by me and this thick smoke."
"Do ghosts have shadows?" she asked, pointing to the shadow in that spot.
"Haha, you're so cute. If you don't mind, come to my place for a cup of tea."
Ling Shuang then realized that there was a hidden paradise outside the bamboo forest, with a quiet and serene environment, and it was kept very clean.
Looking at this woman, although her clothes were tattered, they were very clean, and you could smell a faint scent of soapberry when you got close to her.
His clothes were slightly faded from washing, indicating that he was a very clean person.
"Has the lady always lived here?"
"Are you asking about the past or the present?" the woman countered.
Ling Shuang figured she didn't want to talk about it, so she simply stopped asking.
As Ling Shuang surveyed her room, she didn't notice the older woman observing her closely, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.
"Wash your face!"
"Thank you, auntie!"
"But didn't anyone notice you living here and kick you out?" Ling Shuang tilted her head, looking as innocent as a little deer.
His kind gaze lingered on Ling Shuang, looking extremely gentle: "Are you from the palace?"
"Um."
"It's rare to see someone so kind."
Ling Shuang stayed in her courtyard for a while, telling him some interesting stories about Ling Qi and eating some pastries she had made herself.
I fell in love with this place in no time. Although it was poor, it was warm and free.
"Can I keep coming here?" she asked.
"Of course, if you're willing."
"I'm going back now, but I'll come see you again."
Watching her departing figure, the auntie's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"Li'er, she is a warm person. With her by your side, your mother can rest assured."
As soon as she stepped out of the bamboo forest, she saw the maid call Nangong Anren and Murong Kui over. Seeing her, the maid asked in a flustered manner, "Princess, are you alright?"
Nangong Anren asked, "Did the princess encounter anything strange inside?"
If she told them what she had encountered, the old woman would definitely be kicked out, and might even be punished. So she had a sudden idea and said, "I encountered something strange in the bamboo forest."
"The fog was so thick and foggy. I even saw a disheveled shadow float past me, which scared me so much that I ran out quickly."
After saying that, she patted her chest as if she had survived a terrible ordeal, as if she had really encountered something horrible.
"Princess, you shouldn't run around like that anymore, lest you encounter any danger!"
Murong Kui meant well by reminding her, but Ling Shuang rolled her eyes at her: "This princess knows."
After Nangong Anren left, Ling Shuang leaned closer to her and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time: "Sister-in-law Qiu Kui, how come you've become just as annoying as Murong Kui!"
"You weren't like you are now!"
Murong Kui felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart with a needle. Her hands trembled nervously, and a flash of malice crossed her eyes.
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