That afternoon, after Jiang Ning'an woke up from her nap, as usual, six maids bustled around her.
Two served her as she washed her face and rinsed her mouth. Two held her clothes and jewelry, while another two combed and coiled her hair. Meng Chun stood to one side, chatting with Jiang Ning'an to relieve her boredom.
"Your Highness, I heard there will be a fireworks display at Linjiang Tower tonight," Meng Chun said. "Since we've managed to get away, why don't we go and watch the fireworks to relax?"
Linjiang Tower was located by the river. It would be a great pleasure to watch the fireworks against the backdrop of the river view.
Jiang Ning'an let out a soft "hmm". "Fireworks? Who's putting them on?"
Lin Ji emerged from the shadows. "It's Fu Qingya, the son of the Director of the Imperial College."
At the mention of this person, Jiang Ning'an remembered something. "I asked you to investigate him before. Do you have any results?"
"Fu Qingya is indeed on very intimate terms with Chu Yu. When Chu Yu was decorating her courtyard before, Fu Qingya sent her a lot of rare flowers, plants, and curios. He also sent her food from time to time, all of which were extremely precious items."
Jiang Ning'an raised her eyebrows slightly, her voice full of meaning. "Childhood sweethearts, deeply in love..."
Sure enough, there was no reliable man in this world.
No, except her uncle.
"They say the Fu family is a noble and upright family. But this Fu Qingya is spending so much on flowers, curios, and delicious food. It seems that their so - called nobility is just for show."
Meng Chun covered her lips and chuckled softly. "Who cares? His Majesty has a clear and just governance. If the Fu family is really corrupt, His Majesty will surely punish them. Your Highness, do you want to go and watch the fireworks tonight?"
In her opinion, it would be good for Jiang Ning'an to go out for a walk.
After all, in recent days, Jiang Ning'an seemed to be weighed down by something.
But since Jiang Ning'an didn't say anything, Meng Chun didn't dare to ask directly. She just hoped that such an opportunity would allow Jiang Ning'an to go out and relax.
Seeing the undisguised eagerness on Meng Chun's face, Jiang Ning'an laughed. "You want to go and watch, don't you?"
Meng Chun blushed. "I don't!"
Jiang Ning'an gave a soft laugh.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Lin Ji, go and investigate again. Did Fu Qingya organize this fireworks show all by himself, or is Chu Yu involved behind the scenes?"
Lin Ji took the order and left.
Half an hour later, he returned. "According to the innkeeper of Linjiang Tower, Fu Qingya went there in person to make the arrangements. He hasn't seen Chu Yu today, so there should be nothing amiss."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning'an felt relieved.
Such a grand fireworks show didn't happen often. Moreover, for Fu Qingya to hold a fireworks show at this crucial moment seemed to be a way of celebrating Xu Linchuan's downfall.
"Alright, then let's go. Lin Ji, tell them to reserve the best seat for me."
Lin Ji responded and left.
Although she was going to attend the so - called grand event that night, Jiang Ning'an didn't dress up deliberately.
After all, as a princess, she would be the center of attention wherever she went, regardless of what she wore.
At dusk, Jiang Ning'an took a carriage out of the Princess Dowager's Mansion and headed towards Linjiang Tower.
The road from the Princess Dowager's Mansion to Linjiang Tower passed through a bustling street.
People came and went on this street, and no one noticed that in a private room of a restaurant, the window was half - closed, and a pair of blood - red eyes stared intently at the luxurious carriage. They didn't move away until the carriage was out of sight.
"Brother Linchuan," Chu Yu reached out her hand to him. "It's time for us to go."
Xu Linchuan took a deep breath and tried to calm his emotions.
The moment their hands touched, a stream of light flashed onto Xu Linchuan's hand at an extremely fast speed.
For a moment, Chu Yu felt that she was also affected by this aura.
At this moment, Xu Linchuan was no longer just the simple and elegant man like a bamboo. There was an indescribable gloom and paranoia about him. These two completely different temperaments intertwined and merged on him, making him inexplicably captivating.
Meeting Chu Yu's gaze, Xu Linchuan twitched the corner of his mouth. "Let's go, Yu'er."
"… Okay."
So, after the luxurious carriage had traveled quite a distance, an unremarkable blue - canopied carriage left the teahouse and also headed towards Linjiang Tower.
When Jiang Ning'an arrived at Linjiang Tower, it was still early.
Fortunately, the view from Linjiang Tower was beautiful.
Large patches of golden sunlight danced on the river. Such a grand and magnificent sight was rare.
Against such a backdrop, the food in Linjiang Tower seemed to taste even better.
Soon, as the sky gradually darkened, the people who had been dining in the building all went up to the high platform, waiting for the fireworks show to start.
The innkeeper of Linjiang Tower had already reserved the best seat for Jiang Ning'an. The entire terrace was for her, and the others could only watch behind the railing. But fortunately, the fireworks were in the sky, so this short distance didn't matter much.
The wind was cold by the river, and Jiang Ning'an pulled her cloak closer.
"Your Highness, why don't we go back inside?" Meng Chun said with concern. "The windows in Linjiang Tower are quite large."
Jiang Ning'an gave her a helpless look. "We've come out. Are you still afraid of a little wind?"
She really treated her like a delicate flower.
Meng Chun had no choice but to keep quiet.
Not long after, a dull sound came from across the river, and everyone perked up.
Soon, gorgeous fireworks rose from across the river and bloomed. The fireworks were extremely dense. Before one had faded, another had already appeared, making people fully immersed in the dazzling fireworks, not even having time to sigh about how quickly the fireworks faded.
Fu Qingya had clearly spared no expense. The fireworks show lasted for a full cup of tea before it ended.
One by one, the people came back to their senses. While still savoring the show, their attention was suddenly caught by someone.
The man was wearing a blue cloth robe, and his figure was as straight as a bamboo. He was walking step by step towards Jiang Ning'an, who was sitting on the terrace.
Strangely enough, as soon as people saw him, they couldn't take their eyes off him.
Noticing that the atmosphere behind her was a bit strange, Jiang Ning'an turned to look.
The moment she saw Xu Linchuan, Jiang Ning'an thought to herself that something was wrong.
This unlucky guy, how could she run into him here!
Although Jiang Ning'an thought this way in her heart, for some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off Xu Linchuan.
Lin Ji, who was waiting in the shadows, noticed Jiang Ning'an's expression and stopped his movement.
Xu Linchuan walked up to Jiang Ning'an. Before she could stand up, Xu Linchuan simply knelt down and looked up at her slightly. "Ning'an."
Even at this point, Xu Linchuan was still nervous.
After all, during this period, Jiang Ning'an had changed so much.
She seemed to have completely forgotten about him, which made him feel terribly strange.
But at this moment, looking into Jiang Ning'an's eyes, Xu Linchuan felt that the old feelings had returned.
In the past, Jiang Ning'an had also looked at him with such a loving gaze.
Although he didn't know why Jiang Ning'an had changed again, at this moment, Xu Linchuan only felt calm and content.
He had never thought that being looked at by Jiang Ning'an with such a look again would make him feel so happy.
He took a deep breath and said, "Ning'an, all my past mistakes were mine. Will you marry me so that I can make it up to you in the days to come?"