Chapter 134 - 133: Withered Peach
The silver thread charcoal in the firepot placed in the corner burned intensely.
The windows of the Flower Hall were wide open. Princess An Ran stood by the window, feeling cold in front and hot behind, making her somewhat uncomfortable, yet she didn’t move.
A figure in a dark purple snow jacket approached the Flower Hall, a hat trimmed with snow fox fur covering most of the small face. From a distance, Princess An Ran couldn’t see the person’s features clearly.
But she recognized the snow jacket. Among the girls who came today, only Du Yunluo was wearing dark purple.
Princess An Ran frowned. Why was Du Yunluo coming to see her?
If it was to dig up old grievances without regard for dignity, Princess An Ran was confident she feared no one. She let out a light snort, staring intently at the approaching person.
It was not until the figure came closer that Princess An Ran saw clearly—it wasn’t Du Yunluo, but Yunuo.
"You..." Princess An Ran paused, eyeing Yunuo carefully, "What happened to your gorilla wool cloak? Are you afraid to wear it?"
Yunuo wasn’t here to squabble with Princess An Ran. Hearing this, she merely smiled and said, "Princess, I have something to tell you. Please, come with me to the woods."
"There’s no one here either. If you have something to say, say it here." Princess An Ran said indifferently.
Yunuo sighed softly, "Are you afraid I’ll trick you or harm you? If I harm you, and you tell my mother, how would I live? There’s truly something I need to discuss with you. Come with me, Princess."
Princess An Ran remained silent, considering Yunuo’s identity and position. Realizing she was right, she put on a stern face, took her snow jacket, and went with her to the woods.
Yunuo walked in a rather secluded way, not mingling with the girls but keeping a moderate distance, close enough to see each other’s figures but not their features.
"Princess, do you really think Lady invited you here just to apologize?" Yunuo asked softly.
"Of course." Princess An Ran lifted her chin and spoke instinctively, but after speaking, turned her head and said coldly, "What do you mean by that?"
Yunuo could tell her true thoughts by her attitude, "Actually, you know very well, if it were really to apologize, you wouldn’t be here facing my fifth sister, nor would Lu Wan and Huo Ruyi be invited. Especially Huo Ruyi, her mouth is here just to annoy you."
Princess An Ran bit her lower lip, saying nothing.
"Lady wouldn’t host a banquet simply for entertainment. Look over there, isn’t someone missing?"
After Yunuo spoke, Princess An Ran quickly glanced back.
At the end of the plum garden, the girls chatted cheerfully, standing or sitting, playing and laughing.
She couldn’t see their faces, but judging by the color of their snow jackets, Princess An Ran counted, "Where did Du Yunluo go?"
"There’s one more." Yunuo pointed out.
Princess An Ran was stunned, and as she recalled today’s guests, she frowned tightly, "Shi Lian’er? Where is Shi Lian’er?"
Yunuo raised her hand, holding Princess An Ran’s, "Princess, if you hosted a banquet, and I brought an unfamiliar guest without telling you, especially one not connected to nobles or officials, wouldn’t you be angry?"
"Would you dare?" Princess An Ran asked and then paused in surprise, "Are you saying Lady knew Shi Lian’er would come?"
"I wouldn’t dare, nor would Duan Huayan," Yunuo said with a faint smile, "My sister went to find Shi Lian’er, but she can’t let Lady know, so I asked you to stand here with me, just for show."
Princess An Ran chuckled, "Come on, Yunuo, would your fifth sister get involved in this mess? Regardless of Shi Lian’er’s reason, don’t you and your sister understand the importance of self-preservation? Or do you think I don’t understand?"
Yunuo was driven speechless by her aggressive attitude and subconsciously swallowed.
"But you’re right about one thing. She invited me today not to apologize. She had Huo Ruyi annoy me, so I’ll just stand here and act." Princess An Ran’s eyes flashed with fierceness, her words indignant, "If your fifth sister blocks Shi Lian’er and ruins her plan, that’s good; if not, I lose nothing. After all, I’m just here to see the plum blossoms."
Hearing this, Yunuo was completely relieved, exhaling as she stood quietly with Princess An Ran, both facing away from the crowd, silent, each looking at the plum blossoms.
In the pavilion, to keep the girls warm, there was a brazier and hot tea. All attention was on the plum viewing, and amidst the laughter, no one felt cold.
Mu Lianhui chatted cheerfully with Duan Huayan.
Duan Huayan was somewhat worried about the long-absent Shi Lian’er but didn’t dare interrupt as Mu Lianhui amiably spoke of interesting matters, just listening with a smile.
From time to time, Mu Lianhui glanced ahead.
She knew when Du Yunluo and Yunuo went to freshen up. Initially intending to send someone to look for them, she stopped when she saw the dark purple and bright red figures talking beneath distant plum trees.
Dark red snow jackets: whether gorilla wool or feathers, it was hard to see from afar, and Mu Lianhui did not realize it was Princess An Ran’s figure.
Meanwhile, Du Yunluo, wrapped in Yunuo’s cloak, swiftly made her way through the garden.
This was her first visit to Wangmei Garden, yet she knew that although the layout of each elite garden varied, they shared common features.
She wanted to quickly find Shi Lian’er, and if she couldn’t, at least pass a message to Du Yundi to be extremely cautious.
Du Yunluo’s steps were quick as she passed through several covered corridors, hearing the distant laughter of men. She looked towards the sound, seeing numerous figures across the calm waters.
The lake had no stone bridge, so she looked around for a path to get to the other side.
After walking for a while and passing through a stone archway, as she searched for her way, someone called her.
"Yunluo." The voice was clear, with a hint of amusement, like petals drifting onto the water, creating ripples.
Du Yunluo froze in place, slowly turning her head to meet a familiar smile.
"How did you really come here?" Mu Lianxiao’s bright eyes were full of amusement.
Du Yunluo lifted her gaze, meeting Mu Lianxiao’s eyes directly, only thinking that this was the first time since her rebirth that Mu Lianxiao had addressed her this way.
"How did you know it was me?" Du Yunluo asked.
"I saw you when you walked by the water." Mu Lianxiao leaned casually against the veranda pillar.
Du Yunluo was surprised, "You could see me clearly across the water?"
Mu Lianxiao smiled and shook his head, "How could I see clearly? It’s your cloak; out of today’s female guests, only you are in red, right?"
Du Yunluo was taken aback.
Among today’s female guests, those in red were Yunuo and Princess An Ran, while she was clearly dressed in dark purple.
Mu Lianxiao couldn’t possibly know about the female guests; these erroneous details must have been told to her by Mu Lianhui’s people.
But what difference did it make?
Yunuo wouldn’t run ahead without reason, and Princess An Ran wouldn’t either. Even if they did, one look would reveal the truth.
Then why did Mu Lianhui deceive Mu Lianxiao?
Or was there another plan yet to unfold?
Regardless, none of this mattered now. The most important thing was Du Yundi.
Du Yunluo walked up to Mu Lianxiao, looking up at him eagerly, "Princely Heir, I came to find my fourth brother. I have urgent matters to discuss with him."