Wei Luo laughed and looked at Wei Zheng in askance. Her words had another meaning as she said, “Fifth younger sister usually isn’t in your room and your whereabouts are usually unknown. Even if I want to tell you something, I wouldn’t have the chance.”

Wei Zheng’s face changed. She didn’t expect that Wei Luo would seized the opportunity to reverse the situation, “I…”

What did she mean that she usually wasn’t in her room? It was just that she frequently went to Gingko Courtyard. But the way that Wei Luo’s phrased her words made Wei Zheng seem like a promiscuous girl! Wei Zheng wanted to refute. But, when she thought of her mother’s awkward position in Duke Ying’s residence, it wouldn’t be good of her to say anything related to her mother. So, she could only smile and say, “I went to third branch’s courtyard to look for third elder sister. We were learning how to embroider peonies. Because we were too focused, I didn’t go back to my room often.”

Wei Luo smiled without saying anything. Unexpectedly, Wei Zheng didn’t understand that by explaining her actions, it would make it seem like she was concealing something.

The origin of Ah Luo and Li Song’s relationship had been a sensational major event when it had occurred. It was only because Wei Zheng had a narrow scope of the world that she still didn’t know about this.

Zhao Zhang brightly laughed and agreeably said, “… Were you the one that pushed Ah Song into the water? I heard he was sick for several days after that.”

Wei Luo looked at Li Song. Her smile was sweet as she asked, “Didn’t House Li’s heir willingly go into the water?”

Li Song snorted and turned his head so he wasn’t looking at her.

By lucky coincidence, at this moment, the waiters came into the room with the food. In addition to the side dishes they had ordered, the restaurant had also provided two complimentary desserts, xuefuren and lotus cake. Xuefuren were round pastries that looked like little dumplings, made with glutinous rice flour, and filled with various jams, so they tasted chewy and sweet. They were very popular with girls. To make the glutinous rice balls look prettier, Emerald restaurant decorated each of them with a small red bean on the top.

That dark red bean against the white ball…. it looked like… The snack had just been placed in front of Song Hui. Li Song could see it as soon as he lowered his head. His handsome face turned very red and he started coughing repeatedly.

Zhao Zhang asked in puzzlement, “Ah Song, are you not feeling well?”

He covered his mouth and waved his other hand. He succeeded in restraining himself with great difficulty from looking at Wei Luo. But, several charming and gentle pictures flashed through his mind. He continued to dully eat this meal with his thoughts preoccupied.

From time to time, he would see Wei Luo’s lovely pale face in his line of sight. Her smiling face was moving and disrupted his mood. In the end, he put down his chopsticks, stood up, and stiffly said, “I’m going outside to walk around.”

If he continued staying here, he would lose his self-control. It must be because the building was too hot, so he was feeling light-headed. He wouldn’t be feeling so abnormal otherwise!

——–

Inside the private room, Zhao Zhang was very happily chatting with Song Hui.

Zhao Zhong was close to Count Zhongyi’s family and frequently interacted with Song Hui. Previously, Song Hui had been busy studying for his exam, so the two of them hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Since this meeting was a rare opportunity, they had many words to say to each other.

Zhao Zhang had wanted to talk with Chang Hong, but he didn’t succeed. Chang Hong had an antisocial personality and he wouldn’t even acknowledge an unfamiliar person. Today, because of Zhao Zhang’s status as the fifth prince, Chang Hong had politely said a few words, but he couldn’t say any more than that. Zhao Zhang was magnanimous and didn’t ask him to continue speaking. He even invited Chang Hong to hunt wild animals with him outside the capital at the beginning of spring.

The capital had a local tradition. The capital’s nobility all enjoyed going hunting near Xun Mountain at the beginning of the spring for two days and two nights. Whoever hunted the most animals by amount and weight would be this year’s most outstanding and valiant person. The teenage male nobility were young and vigorous, so they liked to use this type of method to demonstrate their abilities. This was why this activity was so popular for a time and had been handed down to this generation.

Chang Hong instinctively refused, “I don’t…”

Zhao Zhang stopped him, “Fifth sir, don’t rush in rejecting. Wait until that day comes. I’ll send someone to your house to ask you on that day. It won’t be too late for you to decide then.”

Chang Hong thought about it and reluctantly nodded his agreement.

After they finished dinner, as they were leaving Emerald restaurant, the fireworks were set off at the south of the lake by lucky coincidence. Bundles of sparkles rocketed into the sky and were followed by loud booms. The sparkles blossomed into a gorgeous and dazzling display of fireworks that illuminated half of the night sky.

Wei Luo was standing downstairs. He carefully looked at her. The light shined on her face and alternatively fluctuated between brightening and darkening. The light was like her. It had a thousand different faces. In one moment, it was innocent and cute. In the next moment, it was deceitful and willful. In another moment, it was dark and vicious… Li Song frowned and looked away from her.

Song Hui brought Wei Luo, Wei Zheng, and Chang Hong back to the entrance of Duke Ying’s residence. After he watched them enter the residence, he turned around and left by riding on a horse.

Soon after he left, a person riding a horse came out of the shadows.

The person was dressed in black and had a muscular body. It was Yang Hao.

He looked at Duke Ying’s residence’s entrance and then he looked at the direction that Song Hui had departed. He held onto the horse tighter, shouted for the horse to move, and disappeared into the darkness.

——-

At the same time, this was happening, Zhao Jie had just returned from Binzhou. He had been there for nearly two years.

Huang River had breached its dam on both sides and flooded eleven cities. This was a serious calamity that had caused people to be in dire poverty. When he had arrived there, the plague had just started spreading. Managing the plague had taken him half a year. After that event, he had to stay there to strengthen and secure the riverside and dam. While he was there, he was plagued with trivial matters every day.

Without knowing it, he had stayed in Binzhou for a long time. Now that he had finally resolved everything, he could go back the capital to report. Originally, he had thought he could hurry and come back before the Spring Lantern Festival. Unexpectedly, he wasn’t able to get back here in time. There was a heavy rainstorm that delayed the journey on the way here, so he had just come back to his residence today.

The inside of the capital was brightly lit with lanterns and exploding fireworks. The night was bustling with noise and excitement.

He had changed into a green brocade robe and also had a crane overcoat draped over his shoulders. He had walked to the main room’s doorway. After improving himself by practice in Binzhou, his eyes had become deeper from when he was a teenager. They were as deep as the sea and the depths couldn’t be seen. However, his temperament hadn’t changed. He remained noble and cold.

There was a person standing in front of him. It was the person that had appeared at Duke Ying’s residence, Yang Hao.

Yang Hao cupped his hands in obeisance, then Yang Hong told him what he had just seen, “Fourth miss and Sir Song Hui had left the residence together. On the way to the festival, they accidentally met Prince Ruyang’s heir and the fifth prince. They were in Emerald restaurant for an hour. This subordinate followed them the entire way and personally saw fourth miss entering Duke Ying’s residence before coming back to report.”

Zhao Jie didn’t move. There was something hidden in his eyes.

He waved his hand and turned around. He thought of Wei Luo’s vividly expressive little face and his lips curved up slightly. When he had left, she was only eleven. Now, she was at the prime of her youth. What did she look like now that she was grown up?

Yang Hao paused. He started to speaking, and then stopped, “Your highness…”

Zhao Jie looked at him to indicate for him to speak.

Yang Hao summoned up the courage to say, “Prince Ruyang’s heir… he embraced fourth miss on the street…”

The smile on Zhao Jie’s lips disappeared. His eyes gradually became cold.