The colorful lanterns were twinkling, and the beautiful scenery was constantly changing.
When Caiyu returned to the mansion, almost all the lanterns in the streets and alleys had been extinguished, and the whole city seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber.
However, the Prince of Yan's mansion was bustling with activity.
Both the young maids and the head steward, Ji Ming, were busy preparing horses and luggage.
Seeing Caiyu coming back, Ji Ming quickly stepped forward to greet her. "Miss Caiyu, the prince is back, but he's about to set off. He was ordered to go out of the city on a mission and won't be back for ten days or half a month. Hurry up and go see him."
Caiyu's heart skipped a beat.
Finally, she managed to run into Song Yinghuai, but now he was in a hurry to leave!
She lifted her skirt and rushed towards the study like the wind.
Song Yinghuai was still in the study, urgently discussing the terrain of Qixia Mountain, the distribution of villages, and the epidemic situation with Han Fen, Xiao Rencheng, and other Beijing officials.
Suddenly, the study door was slammed open.
A figure fluttered in like a little bird, burying her head in the arms of the man standing right in the middle without even looking at the people around.
Song Yinghuai reacted quickly and had a stable stance. When the little girl crashed into him forcefully, he immediately caught her. His body swayed a bit, but luckily he didn't get knocked to the ground.
"Your Highness! You just came back, and now you're leaving again?" Caiyu complained as she buried her head in his arms. "You've been ignoring me these days and even avoiding me!"
After she finished speaking, she heard a chorus of coughing sounds around her.
Caiyu froze and slowly lifted her head from Song Yinghuai's chest.
There were Xiao Rencheng, Han Fen, and several other people she didn't recognize, but their official robes were so eye - catching that her head started to buzz.
Caiyu: "..."
Oh no, she was going to ruin Song Yinghuai's reputation for life.
Xiao Rencheng looked at his future sister - in - law with a half - smile. "Miss, the prince didn't ignore you or avoid you. Everyone has been extremely busy these days. It's not just that the prince can't go to bed; we all don't have time to go home and hug our wives."
Wasn't he also unable to return to Wutong Courtyard for many days?
He was even a bit worried that Lan Jinqin would kick him out the next time he went to Wutong Courtyard.
But there was nothing he could do. In order to bring down the crown prince, everyone had been working day and night. According to the list and clues provided by Lü Baiwei, they had been carefully nibbling away at the crown prince's power bit by bit.
Just when they finally achieved some results, the plague in Qixia Mountain suddenly broke out.
This plague must be quelled, and it must be the Prince of Yan who would gain the merit. Otherwise, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
Caiyu's face flushed instantly.
She turned her head towards Song Yinghuai shyly, with a pair of innocent eyes.
Why did she always act so carelessly and make mistakes?
Looking at her shy appearance, Song Yinghuai felt that there was still warmth left on his body after being bumped by her soft body. His pupils darkened for a moment involuntarily.
The scene he saw by the canal before was mostly dispelled by the little girl's act of throwing herself into his arms just now, and his mood improved a lot.
It seemed that he was still the most important one to her.
He cleared his throat. Although his voice was cold, one could clearly detect a hint of pleasure in it:
"Stop being so naughty. Don't you know to knock on the door before entering the study? You're making the lords laugh at us."
Before Caiyu could say anything, Xiao Rencheng immediately found an excuse for his future sister - in - law. "Oh, it's not a laughing matter. We subordinates are just envious that the prince has someone who misses him. Who would dare to laugh?"
Xiang Fengzhu also laughed. "Miss Caiyu is naturally lively and lovely. She has a rare and straightforward personality. If she misses the prince, she just shows it. Being coy would be boring. Look at my wife. She never says she misses me. Every time I come back from a mission, she just looks at me and cries silently. She won't say a word... It makes me feel uneasy."
"The wife of Lord Xiang still cries. My wife just greets me with a straight face. She doesn't make a fuss even if I don't go home for months. I feel like I'm completely unnecessary in the mansion."
"The prince is really lucky. When this little girl throws herself into his arms, it makes one's bones go soft. Fortunately, the prince managed to stand still."
Han Fen, who was standing aside, was hit hard and silently licked his wounds.
Everyone had a wife, right?
It seemed that only he didn't.
His Xiangye hadn't become his wife yet when he came to the capital.
Four months had passed in a flash.
During this period, he had written many letters and sent them back to Yanjing by pigeon, but there were very few replies. The only responses were either "um" or "ah".
He didn't know if that girl was angry that he had left Yanjing and had fallen out of love with him.
Han Fen was almost on the verge of tears.
His budding love!
At this moment, in Yanjing, a certain glutton who couldn't read many characters and was roasting pigeon meat with the bodyguards suddenly felt her eyelids twitch violently:
"Who? Who is speaking ill of me?"
Caiyu hung her head dejectedly and admitted her mistake. "This servant knows her mistake."
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Song Yinghuai couldn't bear to say another harsh word. He just wished he could quickly solve all the problems and then hold only her in his arms for eternity.
Moreover, they were about to be separated for ten days or half a month. All he felt was nostalgia. Even the unhappiness he felt when he saw her laughing and playing with Sheng Jiangli last night was suppressed. But because there were a group of subordinates around, Song Yinghuai had to lower his voice and say:
"As long as you know your mistake, that's fine. Go out!"
But how could Caiyu bear to leave like this?
Ji Ming said that he was about to be ordered to go out on a mission. Although it wouldn't be a long time, they hadn't really spent time together for more than a month.
Only when people are separated do they realize how insignificant all the previous arguments and cold wars are in the face of distance.
"Your Highness, Steward Ji said that you're about to leave the capital on a mission, right?" Caiyu's eyes were red. "If this servant hadn't come today, would you have left without saying goodbye?"
Seeing her eyes and nose starting to turn red, Song Yinghuai suddenly felt as if it had been a lifetime since the last time she looked so pitiful. His heart softened completely, and he almost didn't want to leave.
He secretly bit the inside of his cheek, forcing back his reluctance. In full view of everyone, His Highness the Prince of Yan reached out and pinched the little girl's cheek, smiling gently:
"How could I? I would definitely come and tell you before I leave. But now that you're here, you've delayed us for a long time. I'm afraid I won't have time to say goodbye to you later..."
He knew that Caiyu had been neglected these days.
But he was just an ordinary person and often couldn't manage everything. He just wanted to focus on his work and finish it earlier, and then spend the rest of his life with Miss Lan.
Speaking of which, this separation would be the second time since they were separated for ten years when they were young. He really felt reluctant.
He paused for a moment. Thinking of this girl's impulsive nature, he couldn't help but give her some worried instructions:
"I'll only be away for about half a month. You stay in the mansion and don't cause any trouble. Especially with Twelve. You two are not allowed to gang up and play tricks on Ji Ming. As for..."
As for Sheng Jiangli, Song Yinghuai remembered that he would also leave the capital tomorrow and wouldn't be able to see Caiyu. He felt relieved.
Fortunately, the crown prince had released Sheng Jiangli and then ordered him to go and suppress the epidemic to gain credit. Otherwise, he really wouldn't be able to focus on his mission on Qixia Mountain.
Caiyu blinked her eyes, waiting for him to continue giving instructions.
Seeing her unprecedented obedience, Song Yinghuai surprisingly couldn't continue.
The little girl had been ignored for so long, and it was really cruel to restrict her before he left.
Song Yinghuai sighed silently and finally relented. "It doesn't matter. As long as you don't follow Twelve and the others into the palace and annoy the emperor and the empress, you can cause trouble if you want... I'll clean up your mess when I come back."
Caiyu: "Ah! Is that really okay..."
Xiao Rencheng and the others had already started snickering on the side.
As a result, the preparations for the departure couldn't continue. In the end, Song Yinghuai couldn't bear to part. He left all the people in the study and coaxed the clingy girl to go to sleep.
As for how exactly he coaxed her...
One could tell just by looking at the envious expressions on Xiao Rencheng and the others' faces.
When Caiyu woke up the next day, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Qingqing had come back!
Qingqing seemed to be in a hurry. Before Caiyu could even say hello and catch up, she said:
"Sister Caiyu, do you know that His Highness the Prince of Yan was blamed by the emperor because of the case of the Marquis of Yongchang, the Lan family, and was punished to kneel outside the Chengde Hall for three days and three nights a few days ago?"