cold clothes

Chapter 323

The next morning, Lengyi and Lingcao arrived at Zuiyuxuan.

Zuiyuxuan has changed a lot since the last time. The storefront is bigger and the decoration is more elegant. As soon as you enter, you can smell the refreshing aroma of wine, which is rich and mellow and makes you feel drunk.

Leng Yi revealed her identity and purpose to the innkeeper, who then respectfully invited her to a private room on the second floor, instructed the servants to bring hot tea and desserts, and then went to invite Xia Hua.

Lengyi took off her cloak, and Lingcao helped brush the snow off it. Steam rose from the teapot on the table. Lengyi poured herself and Lingcao a cup of tea, then casually opened the window and saw that the white plum blossoms in the courtyard outside were in full bloom.

Summer flowers arrived shortly after, and to Leng Yi's surprise, a gentle breeze followed. The two women were dressed much more simply, no longer as flamboyant and dazzling as the courtesan, but rather more mature and reserved.

Lengyi and Weifeng stared at each other for a moment, then Weifeng turned away with an unfriendly expression. Lengyi thought to herself, if she didn't want to come over, why did she have to give him such a hard time?

"It's been a long time, Ningbi. You must have something important to tell us," Xia Hua said with a smile. Her smile and tone were calm and gentle, making her seem both approachable and enigmatic—truly befitting a leader.

Leng Yi couldn't help but tease, "The owner of Zuiyuxuan is indeed a clever and shrewd person."

Then, not forgetting to sarcastically remark to Wei Feng, "Someone hasn't improved at all."

"Huh?!" Breeze immediately bristled, but although her face looked like she was filled with hatred, she still restrained herself from making any rash moves.

Hmm, it seems like you've made some progress.

“Breeze has been helping me with the miscellaneous tasks at Zuiyuxuan these past few days, so I brought her along.” Xia Hua frowned slightly with a hint of helplessness, but smiled to ease the atmosphere.

"Why is it her? Shouldn't it be Nongyue?"

"Hey, there's a limit to how much you can belittle people!"

Xia Hua's expression darkened slightly. "Nong Yue has some health problems and needs to rest."

Leng Yi fell silent for a moment before speaking, "Let's get down to business. I'll be staying at the Prince's residence for a while and need some intelligence."

Leng Yi succinctly explained the whole story, leaving Xia Hua and Wei Feng speechless.

"You mean His Highness the Third Prince wants to make you a concubine? And send you to the Prince's residence?" Breeze repeated incredulously.

"That's really unexpected," Xia Hua murmured.

"No, don't be surprised yet, the right thing to do is to give me the information as soon as possible."

Xia Hua barely processed Leng Yi's information, then instructed Wei Feng to find the map of the Prince's Mansion and information about its population, to which Wei Feng agreed. Xia Hua then invited Leng Yi to sit down for a detailed discussion.

"According to Ningbi, if you say that, you might face difficulties from the royal family when you enter the palace. Do you have any ideas on how to deal with this?" Xia Hua asked with a serious expression.

Leng Yi shrugged and said, "Let's just take it one step at a time, who cares?"

Xia Hua was not surprised by Leng Yi's answer, but couldn't help but smile. "Ning Bi can always do things that others can't easily do. Now I finally know why Mom and my cousin value you."

Maybe this is the halo of a time traveler—how could that be? If she really had a halo, she should have been born into a prominent family, had a smooth life, be surrounded by handsome men, and write a legend.

"His Highness the Third Prince seems to be quite fond of you. Will you be soft-hearted?" Xia Hua suddenly asked, and Leng Yi sensed a dangerous aura.

You should trust those you employ and not employ those you don't trust. There's no benefit in testing them like this.

Leng Yi sighed inwardly and said, "I don't think His Highness the Third Prince is completely infatuated with me. You don't think he's that kind of simple man either, do you? The fact that he's gone to the trouble of promoting me means that I have value to him, just like... Zhao Yin did for me."

Although Zhao Qun was upright and honest, it didn't mean he wasn't scheming. Leng Yi felt even more pressure from him than from Zhao Yin.

Xia Hua also felt sorry for her suspicions. "Thank you for your hard work, Ning Bi."