Sometimes the world is really small!
Standing downstairs, Ji Ming looked up baldly at the three people on the steps.
Who would have thought that after the prince left the imperial city safely, he didn't go back to his mansion but made an appointment with Lü Baiwei for dinner, and was so unlucky to be bumped into by Maid Caiyu!
Caiyu stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the "beautiful couple" on the upper steps. Suddenly, her nose felt sour.
She thought Song Yinghuai had an accident. She had been worried for three days, unable to eat or sleep well. She was afraid of causing trouble for him and making him unhappy if she went out, so she suppressed her anxiety and waited in the mansion.
Who would have thought that this guy was not only okay, but also made an appointment with his first love for a romantic dinner in the restaurant...
She knew that she had disappointed him during this period. She had acted willfully and done stupid things...
She had privately given the seal to others and secretly left the hunting ground, almost dragging him into danger.
Although he joked about being poisoned to make peace with her, she still insisted on going back to the maid's tent because she was angry that he pretended to be dead to scare her when they got back that day.
Maybe when he looked back, he found that she was not as wonderful as he had imagined in his heart and was not a suitable woman for him. Instead, the gentle Lü Baiwei or the generous Xu Buyue might be more to his liking.
So that's why he hadn't been back to the mansion for days and had been avoiding her?
Song Yinghuai looked at Caiyu, and there was also a flash of surprise in his eyes. It was incredibly coincidental that this little jealous girl had caught him with Lü Baiwei.
He immediately said, "Yuer, are you bored at home so you came out for a stroll?"
Caiyu suppressed her heartache and nodded slightly, answering, "Yes, this maid has seen the prince. How... have you been these days, my prince?"
Song Yinghuai was silent for a moment. Well, it was impossible for him to be well.
But he couldn't tell her and make her worried either!
The Prince of Yan, who was always eloquent, suddenly fell silent.
Lü Baiwei, who had been ignored beside them, flashed a look in her eyes. It seemed that Caiyu didn't know what had happened these days.
Jealousy welled up in her heart again. Xuan Yao had protected this girl too well. He didn't even want her to know about such a big thing and worry about it.
It was really nice to be doted on by a man!
But how could she just watch these two be happy together?
A smile appeared on Lü Baiwei's face, and she said, "So it's Maid Caiyu. Do you also like the delicious food in He Feng Tower? What a coincidence. Xuan Yao and I both like the special dish, salted pork and bamboo shoot stew, in this restaurant!"
"It's not easy to find bamboo shoots from the south in summer. I begged Xuan Yao to come to this restaurant... Since Maid Caiyu is here, you might as well try it. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
Caiyu looked up at Lü Baiwei.
The woman was standing on the steps, trying hard to hide her proud expression but failing. She looked extremely annoying.
Although she was heartbroken, her proud nature didn't allow her to take such an insult silently.
Caiyu coldly refused, "No, this maid doesn't practice Buddhism and never likes vegetarian food. The prince knows this maid best. Since the ban on the prince's mansion was lifted, the prince has told Chief Steward Ji to buy fresh pork, mutton, fish, chicken, duck, and goose for the kitchen every day without fail... That vegetarian dish without a single drop of oil is more suitable for Lady Lü."
Lü Baiwei's proud face froze. She looked at Caiyu, and her expression was a bit distorted.
This damned maid!
Was she showing off how much Xuan Yao doted on her to her?
"Xuan Yao!" Lü Baiwei looked up at Song Yinghuai for help.
Song Yinghuai glanced at Caiyu imperceptibly.
He naturally understood what the little girl meant by her barbed words.
She was jealous...
He frowned slightly and nodded without hesitation, saying, "That's true. Caiyu doesn't like vegetarian food. The dish you introduced is not suitable for her..."
"... " Lü Baiwei thought that since she and Song Yinghuai were now in the same boat, he would give her face and mediate. Who would have thought that he still didn't give her face and only helped that damned maid. She was so angry that she was speechless.
Song Yinghuai said, "Junior sister, since we've finished talking, I'll ask Ji Ming to send you back to your mansion!"
Lü Baiwei opened her mouth, but seeing that he had already walked down the steps and taken Caiyu's hand, she could only leave with Ji Ming reluctantly.
It didn't matter.
There would be plenty of time in the future!
When she became the Empress Dowager, she would slowly deal with this damned maid!
Song Xuanyao would be hers sooner or later!
Song Yinghuai took Caiyu's hand and felt the little girl trying to shake it off angrily. He couldn't help but curl his lips.
The humiliation he had suffered in the imperial city in the past three days seemed to fade a little in her jealousy.
His big palm tightened slightly, holding her firmly, and he said gently, "I'll take you up for dinner."
"My prince has just eaten salted pork and bamboo shoot stew. Instead of accompanying Lady Lü for a stroll after dinner and sending the beauty back to her mansion, why are you going up for dinner again? Can you still eat?"
Song Yinghuai smiled and said, "I can. I just made an appointment with her in He Feng Tower to discuss something. If the person having dinner with me isn't you, I won't be able to eat a single bite. It's just right that you're here. Come and have dinner with me."
Song Yinghuai's words finally made Caiyu feel a little more at ease.
So it was just to discuss something!
But then she felt depressed again.
Why could everyone discuss things with Song Yinghuai except her?
They were all women. Why did Song Yinghuai not avoid Lü Baiwei when he had something to do but always avoid her?
In his heart, was she really so useless?
Was she only good at causing trouble?
Just thinking of this, Caiyu felt depressed again, and the food in her mouth tasted like wax.
Like Caiyu, Song Yinghuai had knelt in the heavy rain for three days. He was already exhausted, and there were too many things to plan in his mind. He didn't have the energy to deal with other things.
So the two of them had dinner silently for the first time, and the atmosphere was inexplicably strange.
Ji Ming, who was standing beside them, was sweating.
Why did it seem that the atmosphere between these two masters was unusual?
They didn't seem to be arguing, but it was like they were in a cold war.
After a silent and tasteless dinner, it was already getting dark.
Song Yinghuai and Caiyu finally returned to the mansion.
Caiyu's mood improved a little. She was busy preparing warm water for him to take a bath.
Thinking about it, it seemed that they hadn't been intimate for a long time. Now that the situation had finally eased, how about tonight...
Caiyu bit her lip, feeling a little shy.
When a man and a woman were together, they would always inevitably rely on this kind of thing to enhance their relationship.
Maybe it was because she had ignored Song Yinghuai for too long, so he had gone to discuss things with that white lotus?
If so, why not break the ice? Maybe Song Yinghuai would be more honest in the future and discuss things with her?
Caiyu busily served him and then washed herself clean. She got into the brocade quilt in one go. When she looked up, she saw Song Yinghuai wearing his outer robe as if he was going out. She was so scared that she quickly shouted:
"My prince!"
Song Yinghuai tied his belt and walked to the bedside. He reached out and pinched her cheek, "Are you sleepy?"
Caiyu looked at him eagerly, hinting, "Ah, I'm sleepy. Aren't you sleepy, my prince?"
She saw that his eyelids were blue, which clearly showed that he was very sleepy!
Song Yinghuai thought to himself: Sleepy? Of course, he was sleepy! But he still had a lot of things to explain. If he fell asleep, he didn't know how long he would sleep!
Moreover, there was a little goblin lying on the bed, pestering him. If he fell asleep, would he still be able to get out of bed to do something important?
He reluctantly stroked the tender flesh on the woman's face and said gently:
"I'm not sleepy. I still have to go to the study to discuss things. You go to sleep first. I'll come back when I'm done."
After saying that, he turned around and left. Caiyu opened her mouth and looked at the closed door disappointedly. Her heart couldn't help but feel sour.
What was going on?
How had they become like this?
After closing the door of the bedroom and watching the lights inside go out with his own eyes, Song Yinghuai's eyes suddenly turned cold.
He raised his head and looked in the direction of the majestic imperial city in the distance. A fierce light flashed in his eyes.
His fingers tightened slightly, and the hibiscus branch in the courtyard was broken.
Song Yinghuai raised his head and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he remembered the day on the city wall of the imperial city many years ago.
That year was the year when he met Caiyu.
Three days after he received the lotus flower from Caiyu, he set off for his fiefdom, Yanjing, preparing to lead 50,000 troops to fight a life-and-death battle with the Tartar army on the border.
The summer wind was howling, carrying the heat wave, and the flags on the city wall of the imperial city in Shangjing were fluttering loudly.
The golden light of the sunset was shining on the blue-black city wall. He took a deep breath and looked back at Shangjing reluctantly. Then he saw the six-year-old little girl standing on the city wall, still holding a lotus flower in her hand.
Seeing him looking back, little Caiyu waved the flower bud in her hand and showed a bright smile.
Song Yinghuai couldn't help it anymore. He suddenly turned his horse around, rushed to the bottom of the city wall, and looked up and said loudly:
"Third younger sister, if I'm lucky enough to survive this trip, I'll come back to marry you in ten years!"