Wei Dongling was a bit lost. Since she embarked on this path of revenge, before she knew it, her hands had been stained with blood.
She never intended to kill or shed blood, but the world is full of uncertainties. Despite her fierce resistance, she often got bruised and battered. One careless move, and it could be her lying under the blade.
After dealing with Lord Xu, she had never seen that female assassin of the Crown Prince before. It seemed that the Crown Prince's secret guards had new recruits.
However, during these recent confrontations, she hadn't seen Jingzhe!
The last time she saw Jingzhe was on the day they welcomed her grandfather out of prison. They were being chased by Nanny Gao all the way, and Jingzhe had descended from the sky to rescue them.
He also sent a note through that little boy, warning her to beware of the Crown Prince.
Did Jingzhe deliberately avoid her because he didn't want to fight her?
Or did he lose in their last encounter and couldn't come to find her anymore?
Thinking of this, Wei Dongling's mood plummeted to the bottom. She suddenly sat up and poured herself a glass of water. She wondered silently in her heart, what should she do? Where was Jingzhe? If he was okay, he would surely come to see her from time to time!
Was he no longer alive? Or was he controlled by the people of Queen Zhao? Or had the Crown Prince lost trust in him and discarded him?
Wei Dongling was filled with panic and uneasiness. She tossed and turned for most of the night and couldn't fall asleep.
The next day, Uncle Li hosted a banquet in the Su Mansion. He went in person to invite the young master Shangguan Yun and Lord Shen to come and drink, to celebrate the house - warming.
When Shangguan Yun learned that the new residence of Wei Dongling and the others was quite close to the Prince's Mansion, he was very happy. He quickly asked Pinhao to prepare generous gifts and attend the banquet on time.
Lord Shen also prepared gifts and arrived in time.
In the kitchen, Luo Xunlong and Brother Qin were cooking, while Ruan Niang and Cui Huan were helping. They neatly prepared a table full of delicious dishes.
Everyone gathered together, drank and chatted merrily, and had a great time.
Luo Xunlong forcibly pulled Pinhao to sit at the table and frequently urged him to drink.
Pinhao said embarrassedly, "I appreciate your kindness, Brother Luo, but I'm really not good at drinking."
When they were in Xingshan, Luo Xunlong once misunderstood that Pinhao had feelings for Cui Huan, so he never gave him a good look. Later, when he found out that Pinhao had no such intentions, he felt a bit guilty and somehow felt sorry.
Now he couldn't help but frequently raise his glass to Pinhao and said, "Your young master can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. How can you not know how to drink? Do you look down on us brothers and refuse to give us some face?"
Pinhao quickly waved his hand and said, "Absolutely not!" He cast a pleading look at his master.
Shangguan Yun glanced at Wei Dongling, smiled gently, and said to Pinhao, "Today we're happy. You can drink a few cups to enjoy yourself."
Pinhao had no choice but to lower his head and obey. He clinked glasses with Luo Xunlong and the others. In a short while, they were all hugging each other and reluctant to part.
Only then did Wei Dongling surprisingly find that not only was Pinhao a lightweight drinker, but he was also a chatterbox! After drinking, his face was red and his ears were burning. He chattered on and on, calling all the uncles and brothers and talking grandly. He was even more talkative than when he was sober.
Shangguan Yun's gaze had always been on Wei Dongling. Seeing her glaring at Pinhao with an unhappy look on her face, he got up and went over to toast her.
Wei Dongling had no choice but to pick up her glass awkwardly and said with her head down, "Thank you, young master, for sending so many tonics last time. I haven't had the chance to thank you properly."
A bitter smile appeared on Shangguan Yun's handsome and elegant face. He raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, then sighed, "Why do you need to thank me, Miss Wei?"
Wei Dongling nodded and said with a smile, "Then let's drink this glass of wine. All our feelings are in this silent moment!" With that, she tilted her head and drank the wine in the glass. A blush quickly spread across her face.
Shangguan Yun looked down at her, with a pleasant smile on his lips.
Since getting drunk at Lord Shen's mansion, Cui Huan never dared to drink casually again. She picked up a cup of tea instead of wine and toasted Lord Shen. Then she boldly asked about the residence of Lord Rong.
Lord Shen was sitting beside Old Master Su. His face was slightly flushed. Stroking his goatee, he asked in return, "Which Lord Rong is there among the Ministry of War's vice - ministers?"
Cui Huan and Ruan Niang were both stunned and looked at Wei Dongling together.
Wei Dongling said in surprise, "When Tingfeng Tower opened, Lord Rong sent Lord Fang's guard to give a gift of money. Ruan Niang, I remember it was you who inquired about it at that time, right?"
Ruan Niang nodded and said, "It was those young men who brought the gifts who said so themselves!"
Everyone then looked at Shangguan Yun together.
Shangguan Yun said seriously, "A newly - promoted official? I don't know about it."
Ruan Niang frowned and said, "Could it be that I heard wrong on the day of the opening?"
Wei Dongling nodded and said, "It's possible. Next time I meet him, I'll ask him carefully."
After a few glasses of wine, Wei Dongling felt a bit hot, so she got up and left the table.
A gentle breeze was blowing by the small pond in the yard, making her light clothes flutter. Wei Dongling watched the colorful carp swimming freely in the pond. They were not afraid of strangers at all. She couldn't help but take off her shoes and socks, sit on the stone, and play with the water gently, throwing all her worries to the clouds.
Soft footsteps came from the arch bridge. Wei Dongling looked up and saw Shangguan Yun, with his tall and slender figure, walking towards her. His eyes were full of deep affection, not caring about avoiding suspicion at all.
Wei Dongling quickly retracted her delicate feet into her wide skirt. She looked up at Shangguan Yun and said with a smile, "I felt a bit stuffy, so I thought I'd come out for a walk. I'm being rude. Please don't laugh at me, young master."
"It's okay. It's me who's being abrupt." Shangguan Yun lifted his robe and sat down on the stone beside her. He said seriously, "There's something I've been hesitating about for a long time. I don't know if I should tell you."
Wei Dongling raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked, "What's it about?"
Shangguan Yun hesitated for a long time and then lowered his eyes and said, "A few days ago, I accidentally learned that Princess Jiaxin went into the palace and asked the Empress Dowager to arrange a marriage for her daughter, the County Princess of Rong'an."
The County Princess of Rong'an, He Yao?
Wei Dongling's heart skipped a beat and she asked, "Who is she being betrothed to?"
Shangguan Yun lowered his eyes and didn't say a word. His thick, fan - like eyelashes trembled slightly, and his fingers gradually clenched into a fist, making his knuckles turn white.
Seeing the young master Yun like this, Wei Dongling's face gradually darkened. She asked in a muffled voice, "Is it Yu Zixi?"
Hearing this, Shangguan Yun looked up at her. His eyes were full of pity.
Sure enough, she was going to be betrothed to Yu Zixi!
A few months ago, she and Zixi had discussed marriage matters with Lord Yu. But there had been so many changes, and the two families hadn't had the chance to discuss the betrothal ceremony. If the Empress Dowager stepped in to arrange the marriage, Lord Yu would surely find it hard to decline.
Wei Dongling's face turned pale. She felt a faint pain in her heart. She sighed softly, "If that's really the case, there's nothing we can do. Zixi has gone far to the northwest and is not in the capital. We can only wait for him to come back and then make a decision."
Wei Dongling always believed that a man's money follows his heart. Yu Zixi was willing to spend a fortune just to make her happy. There must be a place for her in his heart, right?
Seeing Wei Dongling looking so dejected, Shangguan Yun's eyes were filled with more pity. Taking advantage of the alcohol, he grabbed her fair wrist and asked softly, "Dongling, if that's really the case and he can't disobey, would you... would you be willing to come with me?"
"Please respect yourself, young master." Wei Dongling gently struggled out of his grasp and said in a muffled voice with her head down, "Miss Qi..."