General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

The clouds in the sky obscured the moon, and the lanterns on the buildings in the distance appeared to have a faint yellowish tinge.

Gong Yuan immediately regretted his impulsive action and slowly withdrew his hand under the watchful eyes of the two men.

Tang Yiqing watched his actions in silence, pondered for a moment, and then took out another pastry from her bundle, which had a different packaging than the previous one.

“I bought it, but you’re still taking your medicine today and can’t eat pastries, so I thought I’d give it to you tomorrow.”

He said apologetically, "Brother Gong, don't be sad, you have it too."

"I'm not sad. Pshaw, it's just a pastry."

Despite saying this, Gong Yuan still snatched the pastry, opened the packaging, and carefully examined it even though he couldn't eat it.

Are there any differences between these two pastries?

Tang Yiqing took out the letter he had received that afternoon: "It was sent by the General's wife through someone."

In the letter, Jiang Qiqi did not mention anything else, only that Lü Jicai had been harassing the princess repeatedly recently, and his words were often provocative. For the princess's safety, it was best not to go to crowded places like the garden party.

Gong Yuan frowned.

How could he forget that this is not the southwest, and not the territory of their Prince Zhong's Mansion?

Before he came, his father warned him that there were countless wolves and tigers in this place, and that he must be careful in everything he did. Therefore, during this period, he refused most of the invitations and visits from officials, except for necessary occasions.

Even so, they still couldn't escape being caught in the vortex, and what was even more unbearable was that they actually set their sights on Gong Ting.

"Lu Jicai? What kind of scoundrel is he? He's got some nerve, daring to dream such a pipe dream!"

Gong Yuan's expression had never been so cold. If he had to make a choice, he would rather Lu Jicai had chosen him.

Is there enough medicine in the pastry?

Tang Yiqing nodded: "That's enough."

"Alright, let Gong Ting sleep all day tomorrow. Let's go to the garden party. I want to see just how far the son of the so-called all-powerful Prime Minister Lü can go!"

As night deepened, the clouds gradually dispersed, and the not-so-bright moon peeked out. The dim yellow light gradually faded, as if the city had closed its eyes.

A figure dressed entirely in black leaped out of the hotel and disappeared into the night in a few swift movements.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, Gong Yuan and Tang Yiqing went to the banquet. They had been through a lot recently, and the accumulated events inevitably left them feeling overwhelmed.

In addition, they went to bed late last night, so the two of them went out with dark circles under their eyes today.

"Keep an eye on the princess," Gong Yuan reminded her before leaving.

"..."

"Why are you looking at me so closely, bro?"

Gong Yuan and Tang Yiqing: "!!!"

"You, Princess, what happened to you?!"

Tang Yiqing looked at Gong Ting lifting the carriage curtain and suddenly began to doubt his own medical skills.

"What?! Brother Yiqing, get in the car quickly, we're about to leave!"

Gong Ting was completely unaware that the two of them were already dumbfounded, as excited as children celebrating the New Year, constantly urging them on, almost as if she wanted to get out of the car herself and serve them to them.

After assessing the difference in strength between the two and confirming that he couldn't knock her unconscious, Gong Yuan dejectedly abandoned his plan to leave her at the hotel.

"Let's go, get in the car first."

......

On the carriage.

"Little sister, did you like the pastries Brother Tang gave you yesterday?" Gong Yuan asked casually.

Gong Ting immediately narrowed her eyes warily: "That was given to me by Brother Yiqing, you can't take it!"

"Pshaw, who cares? I was just asking casually."

I have some too, and even more and tastier ones!

Besides, if it weren't for the need to add medicine, Yiqing wouldn't have sent it to you. We two are the best of friends in the world.

Gong Ting remained vigilant: "But it's no use if you want to eat them, I've already locked them up."

"It's locked up?" Gong Yuan and Tang Yiqing asked at the same time.

"Hey, don't be so loud."

Even Gong Ting, with her usually carefree personality, became a little shy, fidgeting and explaining in a low voice.

"This is the first gift Brother Yiqing has ever given me, how can I just eat it so carelessly? Of course I will keep it safe."

"..."