cold clothes

"Wow—I've never seen a woman who looks like you before," Zhao Qun exclaimed, leaning forward to examine Leng Yi's face closely, as if trying to explore every unusual feature.

This left Leng Yi speechless. Was this a compliment or an insult?

At this moment, some people wanted to show off their literary skills in front of the Third Prince and wrote a poem praising Leng Yi's appearance. Others, unwilling to be outshone, also wrote poems to compete with her, and the painted boat suddenly became lively.

Appreciating beauty, composing poetry, drinking wine, and making merry have always been elegant pursuits for literati, naturally attracting a swarm of buzzing insects to chime in with their refined tastes.

Zhao Qun didn't understand poetry, nor could he comprehend why poets always compared beautiful women to flowers or the moon. A person is a person, not a rigid, inanimate flower, much less an unattainable moon. Those pedantic pronouncements started again, truly irritating him.

"Alright, alright, let them leave. Don't get in the way of my watching the song and dance," Zhao Qun said impatiently, gesturing for the servants to shoo them away.

Leng Yi was speechless again. It was clearly his idea to see him, but now he seemed to be blaming others for interfering with him. This little prince was quite willful. However, Leng Yi thought again and realized that the little prince was not a bad person at all, and he felt a little more favorably towards him.

Leng Yi followed Mama Hu in bowing respectfully and taking her leave, thinking to herself, "Goodbye, little prince."

When she was happy, she couldn't hide her coldness. She didn't notice the fleeting smile that appeared on her lips as she turned to leave. Zhao Qun's eyes caught it, but he thought he was seeing things.

-

Stepping off that enormous, magnificent pleasure boat, a sudden gust of cold wind swept across her face, bringing her back to her senses. Leng Yi clutched the jade pendant in her hand, feeling an overwhelming sense of unreality.

She actually met the prince and refused his appointment, suddenly living like the protagonist of a classic Chinese text.

In that moment of hesitation, she suddenly remembered her promise to Yin Jiu—he would take her on a night tour of the capital tonight.

For some inexplicable reason, my mind was filled with Yin Jiu.

If she breaks her promise, Yin Jiu will be very disappointed. If she really leaves Fengxiang Pavilion, it means she will never see Yin Jiu again. For some reason, the thought of being separated from Yin Jiu forever fills her with an inexplicable sorrow.

"Ningbi." Suddenly, Madam Hu's voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and met Madam Hu's condescending gaze.

"You did a great job." Mrs. Hu actually smiled at her, and the satisfaction in that smile didn't seem fake. Leng Yi immediately understood that everything was going according to Mrs. Hu's plan.

Leng Yi felt a chill run down her spine. She was unaware of anything, yet she couldn't escape Hu Mama's scheme. This profound sense of powerlessness gripped her heart, suffocating her.

"It's Ningbi's honor to be able to help Mom," Leng Yi said dryly, overwhelmed by exhaustion. All she wanted to do was escape this terrifying woman.

Mrs. Hu patted her head as a reward, then picked up the veil from her cheek and helped her put it back on. Her smile remained gentle, but her eyes were devoid of warmth. She said to Leng Yi, "We need to stay until the curtain falls. You should go and get some rest."

"Thank you, Mom," Leng Yi said, bowing her head as she walked backstage. The surrounding area was packed with people preparing for the performance, and Leng Yi quickly disappeared into the crowd.

After walking a few steps, thinking that Aunt Hu probably couldn't see her anymore, Leng Yi immediately lifted her skirt and ran in the opposite direction, trying to escape the chaotic crowd.

Leng Yi kept running and running, only to find that the riverbank and Rainbow Bridge were packed with people, making it impossible for her to squeeze through. She had no choice but to turn around and run towards the dock behind the Xiuyun Lake stage. There was no performance to be seen behind the Xiuyun Lake stage, so it was completely dark, with only the scattered lanterns floating on the river illuminating the area.

Leng Yi was a little worried about whether Yin Jiu could find her, but after thinking about it carefully, she had already finished her performance, and Yin Jiu should be observing her whereabouts from the shadows. Why hadn't Yin Jiu come yet?