Under the moonless night sky, the grilled skewers smelled delicious, and the wine was fragrant. If you didn't look closely, you would think that everyone was enjoying their food and drinks to the fullest.
However, most people could tell that Prince Mu was unhappy.
Although he appeared to be smiling, he was drinking and chatting with Quan Jinghuai and Gong Wei.
They discussed which two civil officials the imperial court would send, the outcome of the peace talks sent by Yunwu Kingdom, when the new map of Fengliang Kingdom would be released, and when the new boundary markers would be erected.
Tianquan would bring his father freshly grilled skewers and then refill his mother's milk tea.
Hong Xiaoduo was quite full from the stewed fish and wasn't very hungry anymore. She took a small bite of everything, then got up, grabbed a pot of osmanthus wine, and lay down on the recliner. She crossed one leg over the other, completely disregarding her appearance, and occasionally took a sip of the sweet osmanthus wine.
Feiyan, Yuheng, and Yaoguang ate for a while, then got up to wash their hands and sat down in front of their respective zithers to play "Three Variations on Plum Blossom".
As the music began, the people who were talking naturally became immersed in the beautiful sounds.
The plum blossoms are in three variations, a gentle breeze rises, and the buds are about to bloom.
Snowflakes drifted down, and flower branches trembled gently.
The wind howls and the snow swirls, yet the flowers bloom proudly amidst the snow.
The wind and snow have stopped, and I stand proudly on the branch!
When the music ended, the sound of the piano stopped, but the listener was still immersed in the music.
"Great! Feiyan, Yuheng, Yaoguang, you guys are amazing! You played so beautifully!" Hong Xiaoduo sat up and was the first to applaud and cheer.
The others, realizing what was happening, also joined in the applause.
The three girls, one big and one small, pursed their lips, smiled shyly, and then played a cheerful tune called "Riding a Donkey Backwards."
In the past, Murong Jing would have asked where he got these two musical scores, as he loved listening to the guzheng but had never heard these two pieces before.
However, no matter how beautiful and moving the music was at this moment, it could not soothe his depressed heart, and he had no mood to inquire about the score.
No wonder she had the kids call her over to eat; it turns out they were leaving!
Murong Jing drank his wine and glanced over there again. He chuckled and saw the woman lying there, listening to the zither, sipping her wine, and even swaying her legs to the rhythm. Clearly, she was in a very good mood.
But he himself was like a resentful woman abandoned by her husband!
Even though Gong Wei and his wife, who were sitting opposite Murong Jing, could tell that he was in a bad mood, they couldn't care less about his feelings at the moment.
Their son was leaving with Hong Xiaoduo, and the couple didn't want to go to sleep that night; they wanted to keep their eyes open and watch over their son.
Hai Dong, who had been by Murong Jing's side for many years, naturally knew that his young master was in a bad mood, but that did not stop him from eating kebabs and drinking milk tea with gusto.
He naturally knew why the Crown Prince was like this, but how could he help with something that the Crown Prince, who was so outstanding, so intelligent, and deeply trusted by the Emperor and could help the Emperor handle state affairs, couldn't even handle himself?
Let's seize the opportunity to enjoy more of these delicious grilled skewers and sweet milk tea!
On the food table, there was a small mountain of meat and vegetable skewers. After all the skewers were grilled, there were some left over. Tianxuan told Chef Ke, the two odd-job soldiers, and Gong Wei's two attendants to take care of them.
Tianxuan also said that the skewers don't taste good when they get cold, and it would be a waste to throw them away.
It wasn't that they were only given the leftovers; from the moment the baking started, Hong Xiaoduo invited everyone in the yard to eat together.
However, these individuals ultimately didn't dare, nor were they comfortable, eating to their hearts' content.
Hearing Tianxuan say that, Uncle Ke and the others weren't stupid. They realized that Tianxuan meant well. Since everyone else had eaten their fill, they smiled and agreed, telling Tianxuan to go and rest first, and that they would clean up after they finished eating.
Tianxuan said that lying down right after eating would be uncomfortable, so she told the others to eat while it was still hot, while she and Tianshu and the others packed up the things that could be put away and put them back in the carriage.
"Quan'er, do you often eat like this when you're traveling?" Dou Suyi asked her son in a low voice.
Tianquan nodded in agreement and told his mother not to worry about him, as Xiaoduo, Sister Feiyan, and their master were taking good care of them.
Dou Suyi quickly said she knew, and took the opportunity to give some instructions on what to do when she went back to Hong Xiaoduo's hometown and met her grandparents and other elders.
After a good meal and drinks, and as the night deepened, Murong Jing, slightly tipsy, got up and greeted Gong Wei and his wife, as well as Quan Jinghuai. He intended to go over and say hello to Hong Xiaoduo as well, to thank her for the hospitality that night.
But when I turned around and looked over there, she was nowhere to be seen.
Watching Murong Jing and his servant walk away, Quan Jinghuai glanced at the room where Hong Xiaoduo was. Feiyan, who was packing things up, whispered, "They're probably asleep by now."
"She really is something else," Quan Jinghuai said, speechless with admiration.
I don't know what's going on, but tonight I saw that Murong Jing was clearly unhappy, but he was pretending that nothing was wrong.
Quan Jinghuai inexplicably felt guilty. How to describe the feeling? It was as if his own daughter had offended someone outside, and that person had fallen deeply in love with her, but she didn't want to take responsibility.
Even though he knew that wasn't the case at all.
Xiao Duo is a girl that any discerning man would find hard to resist once he gets to know her.
She didn't provoke Mu Rongjing first; he got himself into a mess and couldn't get out!
Things have come to this point, so you can't blame her. You can only blame the fact that the two of them weren't deeply in love, that Murong Jing was useless, and that the Old Man Under the Moon didn't tie the red thread properly.
Hong Xiaoduo was unaware of all this. She was exhausted from being jostled around by Xiao Hei on the way back, and the effects of the osmanthus honey made her fall asleep as soon as she got back to her room, took off her boots and robe, and lay down on the bed.
When she woke up naturally the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
After getting up and washing up, I felt refreshed and remembered something I had forgotten last night: I had forgotten to call Murong Jing aside and return the jade pendant to him.
If you don't intend to accept the other person's jade pendant, then continuing to keep it is wrong; it's like giving the other person hope.
I returned the jade pendant today, packed up and will set off early tomorrow morning. First, I'll take Tianquan back to Gongwei's hometown so the elders can look after the child.
She had planned it all out. She pushed open the door, went out into the sun, stretched her back, kicked her legs, and did some light exercise.
Quan Jinghuai returned from his morning exercise with his six disciples. When Tianxuan saw her, she immediately told her to wait a moment while she made breakfast for her.
"Hey bro, what's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?" Hong Xiaoduo asked with a grin.
When Quan Jinghuai saw her grinning face, he didn't want to talk to her anymore and turned to go to the well to draw water.
"Young Master Mu has left. He left after the barbecue last night and went back to the capital," Fei Yan told him when she saw that Quan Jinghuai was ignoring Hong Xiaoduo.
Huh? They left overnight?
Hong Xiaoduo found that after hearing the news, she didn't feel relieved; instead, she felt a tightness in her chest.
"They have important things to do, so of course they won't stay here forever. We're leaving tomorrow too," Hong Xiaoduo said with a laugh.
Hong Xiaoduo was unaware that Murong Jing had truly left, while she herself, who had also said she would leave, had not actually done so.
On the morning of her departure, Master Huang delivered a letter saying that someone had come to claim a child...
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