A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

An Qing noticed Gu Xixi's gaze, quickly turned his head away, and lowered his chin slightly.

Gu Xixi calmly turned away, looking straight ahead, and said, "Did I bump into you when I fell?"

An Qing was struggling to come up with a reason when he heard this, and he nodded hurriedly, "Yes!"

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xixi said, "I'm so sorry, it's my fault. I have terrible drinking manners and lost control after drinking. I even forgot my place and drank a few extra glasses without thinking. I really am! Sigh..."

Gu Xixi's tone was somber, and she sighed softly.

An Qing froze, his mind still reeling, before he blurted out:

"No, this wasn't caused by you, it was... Gladiolus, yes, Gladiolus."

Gu Xixi feigned ignorance, "Didn't you just say..."

“I must have misremembered!” An Qinghe said decisively. “I just remembered, I bumped into Jianlan first, and I fell to the ground with him. That’s right! It must have been around that time that I hit his chin here.”

Gu Xixi glanced at He Jinglan, who was "focused on admiring the scenery," and already understood.

One was fidgety and spoke inconsistently.

Another effort was made to remain uninvolved.

There must be more to the story.

Gu Xixi sighed silently and said, "I see. Does your jaw still hurt?"

An Qinghe shook his head vigorously, "It's nothing, it doesn't hurt at all!"

"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have even noticed it myself."

Gu Xixi turned her head and smiled brightly at him, "That's good."

Anqing and Ru were granted a general amnesty.

He Jinglan's stiff neck obviously relaxed.

Gu Xixi believed that neither of them would deliberately hide anything from her. Since they were so adamant about not saying anything, it could only be something that was neither important nor would make everyone feel awkward if revealed.

If you don’t know, just don’t know.

Today's outing to enjoy the spring scenery and visit the lake was arranged by He Jinglan in advance.

The three of them first dismounted and went boating on the lake, where they drank pre-Qingming spring tea and ate seasonal snacks.

An hour later, they reached the shore, abandoned the boat, and went ashore, walking along the riverbank path.

The surrounding area is planted with willows, and the newly sprouted willow leaves are turning from pale yellow to tender green, creating a lush green mist as far as the eye can see.

Apart from Gu Xixi and the other two, there were no other tourists in the vicinity, so it was very quiet.

As you walk forward, you can hear the melodious chirping of birds everywhere.

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "This place is nice, especially since you see so many people in the capital every day. It's rare to find a secluded place. It's not only suitable for spring outings, but also for everyday walks."

He Jinglan said, "This is just an ordinary path. The place I'm going to take you to is yet to come."

An Qinghe pressed for details with great interest, but He Jinglan kept him in suspense, insisting that they see for themselves when they arrived at the destination.

After turning one corner, continue forward, and then turn another corner.

The area ahead suddenly opened up.

Gu Xixi and An Qinghe's eyes lit up.

Ahead lay a vast expanse of flowers.

The forsythia flowers stretched as far as the eye could see, with a large peach orchard behind them.

Just as the two flowers were in full bloom, their rich golden yellow and delicate peach blossom color created a feast for the eyes.

Just then, a spring breeze blew by, causing the sea of ​​flowers to ripple and carrying the fragrance of peach blossoms to our noses.

There was no one coming or going, and no noise from people.

There was only the fragrance of flowers, a sea of ​​flowers, the wind, and birdsong.

What I saw and felt was like a dream.

Gu Xixi murmured, "It's so beautiful, it's like stepping into a fairyland."

Looking again at An Qinghe, he let out a howl and rushed into the forsythia bushes.

"So many flowers! I recognize this one! Forsythia is a medicinal herb! The old doctor would be overjoyed to see this!"

"The three of us are incredibly lucky. How come no one else discovered all these hidden flowers?"

"We've booked the whole place!!"

An Qinghe, grinning foolishly, shouted as he ran wildly through the flowers.

Gu Xixi couldn't help but chuckle, "Don't you think this scene looks just like a puppy running around happily?"

He Jinglan couldn't help but laugh a few times, nodding and saying, "How is it similar? This is clearly it!"

At this moment, An Qinghe ran forward again.

He ran backwards happily, waving his arms at the two people behind him, "What are you two still standing there for? Don't forget that peach trees are fruit trees too! Let's hurry up and go take a look!"

He Jinglan and Gu Xixi were not in a hurry, and upon hearing this, they simply followed slowly.

He Jinglan said with disdain, "If you're going out to have fun, then just let go of your burdens and enjoy yourself. But he's the opposite; seeing such beautiful peach blossoms, he can't help but think about fruit trees."

Gu Xixi smiled, "Peach trees are fruit trees, after all."

She was actually quite interested, gazing into the distance as she spoke.

"But we don't know who owns this peach grove, or whether they allow us to approach it?"

He Jinglan said, "It's alright, the owner here has already agreed in advance."

Gu Xixi paused, instantly having an answer in her heart, but still unsure.

So he quietly looked at He Jinglan, waiting for her to continue.

He Jinglan was quite frank this time, saying, "From the time we disembarked until now, this has been the Regent's Palace area."

She looked ahead and said, "Before last winter, this was just an unclaimed wasteland."

"The peach grove you see is just a patch of wild peach trees; no one knows when or how they grew."

"It was probably discovered when my brother and Mu Nanzhao were riding horses in the spring and accidentally wandered into this place after they finished taking the imperial examinations."

"Later it became a secret base known only to the three of us."

He Jinglan paused, then turned to Gu Xixi, "Last year, when Mu Nanzhao returned to the capital, His Majesty naturally rewarded him for his merits. In addition to returning his original residence, he was also supposed to bestow upon him a lot of gold, silver, and beautiful women."

"But he didn't want the money and the beauties; he only asked His Majesty for a piece of land."

"His Majesty did not agree immediately, but ordered the Ministry of Revenue to verify the matter, and learned that the land was an unclaimed wasteland."

"It has no mineral resources and is not suitable for cultivation and grain planting."

"Because of the high humidity, even the local farmers don't dig graves here."

"Aside from being near the water, having a nicer view, and some wild willows and wild peach trees that never bear fruit, there are no other advantages."

"His Majesty dispelled his doubts and summoned Mu Nanzhao to ask him the reason. Guess what he said?"

Gu Xixi pondered for a moment, then said, "He said it's nothing, he just likes it."

He Jinglan chuckled, "You really do know him quite well. Although not exactly the same, you're pretty much the same."

She looked at Gu Xixi slyly and said, "He said he got it first because he thought someone would like it, and she can do whatever she wants with it later."

Gu Xixi's ears felt a little hot, but her face remained calm.

"It seems he knows me quite well; at least it wasn't a waste of time to take him in for so long."

He Jinglan smiled and winked at Gu Xixi, "So, seeing this gift in person, aren't you a little happy?"

Gu Xixi remained noncommittal, then asked, "Why didn't he come? Or is it...?"

She suppressed her smile. "Could he be in the peach grove up ahead?"

“No,” He Jinglan said. “You don’t think it’s like him either.”

“In the past, he would definitely have shown up here and asked you in a cool and aloof manner what you thought.”

"But when he left the flower shop, he told me that he wouldn't be coming today."