Early in the morning, carriages and horses were gathered outside Huazhen Garden. The Emperor was returning to the capital.
Several people from Taishi Library had packed their clothes early in the morning and were waiting in the front yard. There were six of them but one was missing when they left.
"It's almost time. Why hasn't Yu Suanzi come out yet?" Sun Jun was sitting on a chair with two bags in his arms. He looked out of the door for a while and looked back at Zhan Xueyuan and Cui Yun.
He said hesitantly, "Can one of you go to the backyard and call her?"
Zhan Xueyuan said to Cui Yun coldly, "Go and call her. Don't delay our journey because of her."
Cui Yun didn't dare to get close to Yu Shu and she couldn't refute Zhan Xueyuan. She said hesitantly, "Let's find a servant."
"Just go. What are you talking about?" Zhan Xueyuan didn't want to be nice to Cui Yun. She could forgive Cui Yun for losing her Tianyu but she couldn't let it go.
Wen Shaoan held half of the sweet bun left from last night in his hand. He broke it into pieces and sent it into his mouth. Watching them pushing and shoving each other, he said lazily,
"Don't call her. She won't go with us."
Wen Shaoan was the only one who told Yu Shu that she was going to stay.
Hearing this, everyone looked confused. Sun Jun asked confusedly, "She won't go? What do you mean? She wants to stay? "
Zhan Xueyuan sneered, "Is Huazhen Garden a place where she can stay if she wants to?" This was the royal garden, not an inn or a restaurant.
Cui Yun said sourly, "She can't stay by herself. It's different if someone asks."
Zhan Xueyuan was suspicious, "What did you say?"
Being born in one of the twelve prefectures of the capital, Cui Yun naturally knew more than Zhan Xueyuan, who was a disciple from outside the capital. Thus, she told her about the tradition of the princes and princesses staying in Huazhen Garden for the summer after the annual worship ceremony. There were not many opportunities for such a group of noble descendants to gather together.
"Yu Suanzi can stay here, I guess it's most likely because of the Ninth Prince. Didn't you see that Imperial Consort Niangniang has been sending people to deliver food to her? Oh right, wasn't Yu Suanzi invited by the Ninth Prince to attend this year's Double Sun Gathering? I nearly forgot about this layer of relationship. No wonder when that happened Young Master Xue personally came over … "
Cui Yun muttered and accidentally mentioned the night before yesterday. She immediately shut her mouth and carefully looked at Zhan Xueyuan. Sure enough, she saw that Zhan Xueyuan didn't look well.
Zhan Xueyuan had always felt that Yu Shu only had the title of a female fortune teller. In terms of family background, she was not on the stage. She was polite to Yu Shu in Taishi Library because of the rules. Outside of Taishi Library, she was more or less dismissive of Yu Shu.
However, the events of the past few days clearly told her that Yu Shu was much more prestigious than she had imagined. This kind of disparity made it difficult for her to calm down. At this moment, it was as if there was a breath stuck in her throat, extremely sullen.
The fact that Yu Shu had stayed in Huazhen Garden made the people present ponder over it.
Huazhen Garden became empty and the Yulin Royal Guards retreated. The remaining nobles were less restrained and went their own ways.
Liu Tan and Xue Rui watched as the Emperor set off. They returned to the garden and talked on the way.
"Last night, Eighth Brother invited me to the West Mountain to hunt. Twelfth Brother and Thirteenth Brother wanted to go. Cousin, are you really not going with us?" Liu Tan asked the person beside him.
Xue Rui shook his head and said, "You know that my hunting skills are not good. Shu doesn't even know how to ride a horse. It would be a disappointment if I went."
Liu Tan's eyes flashed but he didn't say anything. He could more or less see the relationship between Xue Rui and Yu Shu. However, it was Xue Rui's matter. As his cousin, it was not his place to interfere. Therefore, it was best not to ask.
The two separated on the corridor and returned to their respective residences to change their travel clothes.
As a prince, Liu Tan lived in a quiet courtyard in the North Yard. As soon as he got off the bridge, he was greeted by servants in twos and threes. Some of them handed handkerchiefs, some of them fanned, and some of them brought news.
"Your Highness, we have a rare guest."
After entering the courtyard, Liu Tan was surprised to see Jing Chen standing in the living room.
"Martial Uncle? Why are you here? I thought you didn't come to worship the ancestors. "
Liu Tan only knew that Jing Chen disappeared a few days before the worship. The message he sent to the Princess's Mansion was not answered. He didn't see his name in the list of people who came with him. He didn't expect that Jing Chen would suddenly appear.
Jing Chen was wearing a simple but elegant long gown. His hair was neatly combed behind his head with a slender wooden hairpin. Although the expression on his face was a little cold, when he saw Liu Tan, he still revealed a little smile and said, "Liu Tan,
"I'm here. You don't know."
Liu Tan invited him to sit down and asked a few more questions. Seeing that Jing Chen had no intention to explain, he changed the topic.
"We are going to the enclosure later. If Martial Uncle has nothing to do, you can come with us. The scenery of the West Mountain is very good. There is a lot of game in the summer. You haven't been here before, right?"
Jing Chen nodded and didn't refuse. "Then help me prepare a horse."
"No problem. Martial Uncle, wait here. I'll go back to my room to change."
"Okay."
It was not yet nine o 'clock. Yu Shu stood empty-handed at the entrance of the courtyard waiting for someone.
Not long after, she saw Xue Rui's figure. He was followed by two attendants who carried a water bag and a bow and arrows.
Yu Shu walked forward and looked behind him, asking, "Where's the horse?"
Last night, he used the horse to seduce her to stay.
Xue Rui said, "It has been brought to the South Gate. Let's go."
"Well, why do you still have a bow and arrows?"
"There are a lot of wild animals in the forest outside. If we encounter a leopard or tiger, we can use it to protect ourselves."
Yu Shu stopped walking.
Xue Rui turned his head and looked at her. He smiled and said, "Why? Are you afraid?"
Yu Shu curled her lips. "I read my fortune before I left this morning. Today is not going well. Don't jinx me. If you scare me again, I'll go back to sleep."
She turned around and walked back. Xue Rui saw this and quickly reached out to pull her.
"Hey, hey, why can't I make a joke? Well, I brought the bow because I want to hunt some wild birds. Let's barbecue outside at noon. "
Yu Shu was pulled back by his strength. She turned her head and smiled. She pulled his sleeve and walked forward. "Barbecue? That's a good idea. Let's go."
Xue Rui didn't care about her words. It was rare to have a chance to come out to play. He wanted her to be happy.
They walked fast. After a while, they were out of the West Gate.
A groom was already waiting on the road. He was leading two horses, one yellow and one white. Both were plump and strong, and appeared to be in good spirits. When they arrived in front of her, Yu Shu looked at one and then at the other. She couldn't help but stretch out her hand to stroke the pure white horse with an eager expression. She turned her head and asked Xue Rui,
"Which one should I ride?"
When Xue Rui saw her eyes lit up, he knew that she had set her sights on his carriage. He smiled as he took the white horse from the coachman's hand and waved at her.
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