If not abolished

In the blink of an eye, it was the birthday of the wife of the Marquis of Pengcheng.

At this time in the palace

"Your Highness, it's almost time to set off." Wu Cheng looked at Shi Chen and reminded him.

Zhu Zhanji wrote the characters slowly, as if he didn't hear anything. Wu Cheng didn't know what was wrong with His Highness. He knew he was going to a banquet today, but he went to the main hall to attend class early in the morning. He should have attended class, but he also practiced writing characters. What if he wasted time?

Just when Wu Cheng was at a loss, Miss Jinyun, who was beside the Crown Princess, came over.

"Aunt Jinyun, why did you come here in person?" Wu Cheng asked with a smile.

Jinyun nodded to him and said, "The Crown Princess asked for the birthday gifts to be brought over. This one is for the Crown Princess, and this one is for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Please remember this, Eunuch. Is His Royal Highness ready to leave the palace?"

Wu Cheng thought for a moment and said, "I remember what my aunt said. His Highness was about to set off, but he just came back from morning class. His Highness's handwriting was criticized by the teacher, so he locked himself in the study to practice calligraphy as soon as he came back. I will remind His Highness to set off immediately, and he will not be late." Wu Cheng said as he was about to go in to call for help.

But he didn't expect to be stopped by Jinyun: "Wait a minute, Eunuch Wu. Since His Highness is still busy, then wait until His Highness is done. There is still time, so there is no rush."

"Aunt is right." Wu Cheng immediately retracted the foot he had raised.

"Then I will go back and give a reply to the Crown Princess."

"Farewell, Aunt Jinyun."

"Is Agui almost ready to go?" asked the Crown Princess when she saw Jinyun coming back.

Jinyun replied, "Your Highness was told by the teacher that his handwriting is not good today, so he locked himself in the study to practice calligraphy."

"This child has been strict with himself since he was young. Forget it. It's not too late."

"Yes, His Highness has always been sensible, so don't worry, Your Majesty."

After more than half an hour, Zhu Zhanji came out of the study, holding the newly practiced calligraphy in his hand and asked: "What do you think? Even the teacher can't find fault with this, right?"

Wu Chengzhi said yes.

Zhu Zhanji put down his things and asked, "What time is it?"

"Your Highness, it's past half past noon."

"It's so late now, has the birthday gift been delivered?"

"Aunt Jinyun sent it over two quarters of an hour ago."

"In that case, let's get ready to go."

Half an hour later, Zhu Zhanji's carriage stopped at the gate of Pengcheng Earl's Mansion. As soon as Zhu Zhanji got off the carriage, he saw his grandmother and her family were already waiting at the gate.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." They all knelt down at once.

"Grandma, please stand up quickly. Today is your birthday, and you still give me such a great gift." Zhu Zhanji walked forward and helped the wife of the Marquis of Pengcheng to stand up. After everyone stood up, he said, "Everyone, please stand up too."

"Your Highness, please come into the palace quickly."

"It's such a big event. If I had known this, I would have come secretly."

"What are you talking about, Your Highness? It is a blessing for our family that you can come. Besides, the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects cannot be abolished."

"That's what Grandma said."

"Sister, no wonder you made us wait here so early. It turns out that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came here in person."

"That's right. I thought the palace would at most send a gift, but I didn't expect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come here in person."

"Sister, look, that person is stretching his neck." She said while winking in that direction.

Then he saw Sun Ruoji quietly looking at His Royal Highness, "Do you think something will happen today?"

"Keep your voice down, in case someone hears you."

"Everyone knows that she was specially sent by the wife of the Marquis of Pengcheng to give to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Okay, stop talking. It has nothing to do with us."

Before the banquet started, Zhu Zhanji was taken to the resting area.

"Your Highness, please take a rest first." After saying this, he left.

Zhu Zhanji opened the window and looked out. What came into view was a lotus pond. He suddenly thought of the sentence: The little lotus has just shown its pointed tip, and a dragonfly has already landed on it.

Just as I was enjoying the beautiful scenery, I suddenly heard the sound of a flute. The melody was gentle and melodious, and the tone was soft. It was in perfect harmony with the beautiful scenery in front of me, making people feel happy and immersed in it inadvertently.

When Zhu Zhanji was immersed in this beautiful music, the sound of the flute suddenly stopped. Zhu Zhanji walked out following the sound of the flute. He saw a person's back on the other side of the pond, and he was not sure how to go forward.

The maid beside the girl saw him and said something. Suddenly the girl turned her head slightly and saw him lowering his head in surprise. She was about to leave, but after taking two steps she came back and saluted him.

Zhu Zhanji kept looking at her back without moving. Wu Cheng, who was standing next to her, wondered why His Highness kept staring at that girl. The last person who was stared at like this was Miss Hu San. No way, could His Highness the Crown Prince fall in love with someone else so quickly and fall in love with this girl again?

Zhu Zhanji had been looking at Sun Ruoji, and it was naturally not what Wu Cheng thought. He had guessed that he would come here early in the morning and would definitely see her again, but he didn't expect that even though he saw her, there was no ripple in his heart. He remembered that when he first saw her in his previous life, he was indeed moved by her face, but when he saw her again now, he felt that she was ordinary, and it was just a quick glance. She was far from being kind and lively, and her every frown and smile was not artificial at all. It was obvious that this was just an encounter that had been prepared and arranged in advance.

Yes, chance encounters are all arranged, just like him before. No wonder Shanxiang is angry. This is too fake. There is no sincerity at all. Next time, the next time we meet, we must... Oh, I don’t know if he and Shanxiang can meet again? It’s so sad to think about it.

Wu Cheng saw that Zhu Zhanji hadn't come back to his senses for a long time, and he even guessed in his heart that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must be moved. It seems that this girl is blessed. It's also good that His Royal Highness has a new person and can slowly forget about Miss Hu San.

After a while, the banquet began. Zhu Zhanji sat alone at the top, the guests sat in the waterside pavilion, and the performances were all on the opposite side.

For the last program, several granddaughters of Lady Pengcheng performed a dance, and Sun Ruoji played the flute to accompany them.

So they were just practicing, Zhu Zhanji thought.

The wife of the Marquis of Pengcheng had been watching Zhu Zhanji's movements. Seeing that he was staring at Sun Ruoji, her smile never dropped. She and the wife of the King's brother-in-law exchanged glances.

"Look, I'll tell you, sister, look, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been staring at Sun Ruoji."

"Miss Sun is indeed pretty. Not only men, but even us girls think she is pretty when we see her."

"I don't deny this, but I just don't like her."

"If you don't like it, then don't like it. Who knows, maybe after some time, we won't see each other again?"

"Sister means..."

"With the support of Lady Pengcheng, it's only a matter of time."

"Didn't you say before that the palace..."

"I heard that the Crown Princess has agreed."

"It's really an advantage to her."