Chapter 128

At this moment, Hongdou behind Mu Yuanzhi whispered, "She loves to show off so much; in this kind of occasion she definitely wouldn't be missing."

Linglong let out a sigh.

Hongdou thought, "What's there to be afraid of? Anyway, the music is so loud, no one will hear."

Others really couldn't hear, but the Qilin sitting beside Mu Yuanzhi heard it crystal clear.

His eyes shifted as a plan formed in his mind.

Right now the tightest guard in the entire imperial city is at the banquet site; outside must be lax, and Pei Yunxi, rushing over, surely wouldn't bring any attendants or palace folk, lest he draw attention.

It's a perfect opportunity!

Having made up his mind, he slipped away under the pretext of changing clothes.

Mu Yuanzhi didn't suspect him, only reminding him to be careful.

The banquet continued, Mu Yuanzhi boredly watching the song and dance; after about two quarters of an hour, having drunk too much tea she also wanted to change, so she told Gu Rongjin.

Gu Rongjin: "Shall I accompany you?"

"If I go to change and you go too, what propriety is that? Let Linglong and Hongdou accompany me; this is Shanglin Park."

"All right, take this." Gu Rongjin slipped a signal flare into Mu Yuanzhi's hand, "Use it if you encounter danger."

"Mm."

Mu Yuanzhi had barely left her seat when the Princess of Lanting also rose; Gu Rongjin frowned, his gaze following the Princess of Lanting for a while.

When Mu Yuanzhi came out, Hongdou and Linglong outside said, "Master, the Princess of Lanting is sneaking after us."

They had been on guard.

No sooner had the words left their mouths than the Princess of Lanting appeared: "What sneaking about, speaking so unpleasantly — old friends reuniting, shouldn't we be happy?"

Her manner of speaking now differs greatly from before.

"I don't think we have much to say to each other," Mu Yuanzhi said.

The Princess of Lanting twisted her lips, her resentment clear; she sized Mu Yuanzhi up and down before speaking in a sarcastic tone: "How nice, Princess Yuanzhi, marrying a decadent young master and still living so well."

As she spoke and stepped closer, Hongdou and Linglong moved forward a step, fearing she might harm their master.

"And there are those loyal maidservants protecting their master — my maid, once she got over there, shamelessly seduced my husband!" the Princess of Lanting said through gritted teeth, "I really want to kill that lowly wretch! But my prince consort can't bear to part with her, and actually made her a concubine!"

Her face full of hatred, she seemed not to mind airing her own embarrassments, for seeing Mu Yuanzhi made her hate so much she couldn't watch her words.

"Isn't this your blessing?" Mu Yuanzhi smiled, curling her lip: "When you married, you deliberately had me serve as your bridal attendant, wasn't the goal just to let the lust‑confused Prince Chun take a liking to me?"

The Princess of Lanting showed no embarrassment at her scheme being exposed, her smile odd: "In what way is Prince Chun inferior to Gu Rongjin? Isn't Gu Rongjin also a decadent young master, always haunting the pleasure quarters?"

"You're not even qualified to judge Gu Rongjin," Mu Yuanzhi's face instantly darkened.

The Princess of Lanting blinked, then quickly understood: "True, even if my marriage isn't great, at least I'm in the capital, no need to marry far off to a foreign land and suffer endless grievances."

Her eyes suddenly sharpened: "Princess Yuanzhi, how do you manage to sleep soundly without a care? Don't you feel any guilt? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to marry into that damned place!"

Mu Yuanzhi looked past the Princess of Lanting and smiled: "I advise you to keep your mouth shut."

"Why should I keep quiet? Are you feeling guilty? I married that scoundrel entirely because of you!" The Princess of Lanting spat out her curses, then suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, like a prickling sensation on her back.

She seemed to sense something, and the expressions of the few people before her appeared to confirm her suspicion.

The Princess of Lanting stiffly turned her head, almost having her soul frightened out of her.

"The... the crown prince..."

A wave of terror instantly engulfed the Princess of Lanting; her head buzzed, she felt light‑headed, almost unable to stand.

Did he hear it?

The crown prince of Huangli State was smiling, yet his smile could be described as gloomy.

Mu Yuanzhi didn't want to meddle in others' marital affairs; besides, she had just kindly reminded certain people to keep quiet, so if they became overly agitated because of it, it couldn't be blamed on her, right?

I never expected that idiot to return still being a fool; he deserves to suffer.

"I still have business; I won't disturb His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess." Mu Yuanzhi politely nodded and left.

The crown prince of Huangli State also returned the nod.

The Princess of Lanting now desperately wished to stay with Mu Yuanzhi at all times; at least then there would be an outsider present, so that...

But no matter how much she longed inside, Mu Yuanzhi couldn't hear her and wouldn't pay her any heed.

Returning to the banquet site, not seeing the Qilin come back, Mu Yuanzhi wondered where that fellow had run off to.

"Where did the Qilin go?" Mu Yuanzhi asked Gu Rongjin.

Gu Rongjin, mouth full of food, said: "Didn't he go to the toilet?"

"Can he be in there that long?"

"It's just the five grains' cycle; there are times when things don't go smoothly, so don't be so overly anxious."

"What does 'baodou' mean?"

"It's a mom who panics if she doesn't see her baby for a moment."

"If I were in the toilet that long, would you worry?"

"This isn't just a matter of worry — we have to look for him!" Gu Rongjin said solemnly.

"And you still call me a baodou!" Mu Yuanzhi glared at him angrily.

"That's different; you're a woman, he's a man."

"Danger doesn't distinguish between genders."

"Don't rush; the Qilin knows his limits — if anything happens he'll set off a signal flare, and I gave him several." Gu Rongjin comforted Mu Yuanzhi, "Maybe he doesn't like this banquet and ran off somewhere to get some fresh air."

That also makes some sense.

At that moment, the returning Princess of Lanting and the Huangli crown prince drew the gazes of Mu Yuanzhi and Gu Rongjin.

The Princess of Lanting's condition was clearly much worse than when she had just left her seat, and Mu Yuanzhi also noticed her arm seemed less nimble.

Was she hit?

Gu Rongjin said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Just looking at that Crown Prince, you can tell he has violent tendencies—what is this called? Evil meets its match."

Mu Yuanzhi nodded in deep agreement.

Pei Shangyan also seemed to notice Princess Lan Ting's odd state, and he asked concernedly: "Lan Ting, are you feeling unwell? Should I call an imperial physician?"

Upon hearing that, Princess Lan Ting's eyes lit up instantly.

Calling an imperial physician would be great! Call the imperial physician; as soon as he takes her pulse, he'll know she's injured!

Maybe she could thus take the opportunity to make a big fuss and avoid having to return to that damned place!

"I..."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness the Crown Prince, my crown princess is fine—just a bit of food stagnation." The Crown Prince of the Splendid Severe State smiled and declined Pei Shangyan's kindness, then turned to Princess Lan Ting: "Isn't that right, Lan Ting?"

Princess Lan Ting pouted, she looked at Pei Shangyan with a pleading gaze.