When they returned to the small courtyard, Meng Ruyi saw Gu Ling standing in front of the courtyard gate with a resentful look on his face. His clothes were a bit in disarray, and he just stared at the two of them wordlessly. As they got closer, they noticed the dark circles under his eyes and asked in surprise, "Why did you get up so early?"
Hearing this, Gu Ling's mouth drooped even more. He complained to them, "You went to see someone off without even calling me!"
Then, Gu Ling let out a deep sigh and said sadly, "After all, it's been a long time since we last saw each other. We've become estranged."
Meng Ruyi: "..."
The heaviness in her heart suddenly vanished. She looked at Gu Ling with a hint of amusement and said, "Brother Xiao Song told me that you went to bed late last night, so he didn't wake you up and let you rest more."
Gu Ling turned to look at Song Huaizhi. Seeing that his expression remained unchanged and he just gave him a cold look, Gu Ling couldn't help but suppress his doubts. He said somewhat painfully, "Okay, but remember to call me next time."
"I have to go back now," Gu Ling said, explaining to the two of them, "I was too impulsive yesterday. If I keep hiding in the academy, my parents will scold me to death."
"The banquet is approaching. I'll go back to see what's going on so that I can make arrangements then."
...
The next few days were extremely leisurely, but neither Meng Ruyi nor Song Huaizhi could relax. They felt as if a storm was approaching, and countless undercurrents were surging beneath the calm surface.
Mr. Lin had been introducing the forces in the capital to the two of them for the past few days. Song Huaizhi was too lazy to listen, but he still sat in front of Mr. Lin with Meng Ruyi.
Since the Gu family returned to the capital, the academy seemed to have become more lively.
Meng Ruyi vaguely sensed the undercurrents among the young ladies from various noble families, as well as those who were even more enthusiastic than before and wanted to befriend her.
So Meng Ruyi simply pretended to be ill and refused to go out, thus cutting off these troubles and listening to the news from Mr. Lin in peace.
They were both right. The emperor indeed lifted the ban on the crown prince.
At the same time, the situation of the crown prince's faction was very good, and those who had been singing its downfall suddenly disappeared overnight.
Zheng Yuanqing acted even more cautiously. He even dared not send letters to the academy for fear of being intercepted on the way.
On the day of the banquet, the Gu family sent a carriage early to pick up the two of them.
Sitting in the carriage, Meng Ruyi listened to the noisy voices outside and couldn't help but sigh, "The capital is so lively."
"Does Yu'er like it?" Song Huaizhi asked, "Then how about staying here for a while in the future?"
"No," Meng Ruyi replied without hesitation, "I want to go home."
Hearing the word "home", Song Huaizhi was slightly stunned. His heart skipped a beat, and then he said with a smile, "Okay, then let's go home."
When they arrived at the entrance, people coming and going looked at the carriage they were in curiously.
"Hiss, isn't this the Gu family's carriage? Who is it sent to pick up?"
"There must be someone powerful inside. I just don't know who it is?"
When Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi got out of the carriage, they saw a servant smilingly stepping forward and saying, "Please follow me, noble guests."
Those who had been discussing just now were completely confused. They only thought that the two in front of them were extremely good-looking and had elegant manners, but they were unfamiliar faces and they didn't know which family they were from.
The seats for men and women were separated. The two of them glanced at each other and then walked forward.
On the way, they met many people who greeted them. Meng Ruyi found that many young ladies from the academy had come. They were following their mothers and waved to her.
She smiled until her face was stiff. Then, when she turned around, she saw Zheng Yuanqing's younger sister looking at her.
Meng Ruyi smiled politely and said, "Your Highness, how are you?"
"Fine."
Princess Wu seemed a bit hesitant. Her eyes flashed suddenly when she looked at Meng Ruyi.
Realizing something was wrong, Meng Ruyi couldn't let her go.
"Your Highness," Meng Ruyi said with a gentle expression and a faint smile on her lips. Looking into Princess Wu's eyes, she said, "What a coincidence today. We've run into each other."
"Good... good coincidence."
Princess Wu was obviously absent-minded. Her eyes were wandering among the people coming and going, as if she was looking for something.
"Is the princess looking for something?" Meng Ruyi pretended to sigh casually, "There are so many people today."
She suddenly fell silent for a moment before shifting her gaze. She didn't dare to look Meng Ruyi in the eye and said, "I'm looking for Miss Shangguan."
Shangguan Xue?
Meng Ruyi's eyes darkened slightly, but her expression remained unchanged. She helped her look around for a while and said, "Then I'll look for her with you."
After knowing what was going to happen today, Meng Ruyi's heart skipped a beat the moment she heard the name Shangguan Xue.
Moreover, Princess Wu's strangeness was too obvious to hide. She avoided looking at Meng Ruyi and subconsciously wanted to escape while looking for someone.
"Over there," Meng Ruyi pointed to the young girl in a light yellow dress in front and said, "Miss Shangguan is over there."
After saying that, she chuckled and said, "Then I'll leave first. The banquet is about to start. See you later."
Then she turned around and left without giving Princess Wu a chance to keep her.
Under the guidance of the maidservant, she sat at the seat below Lady Gu. When Lady Gu saw her, a gentle smile appeared on her face, and she nodded slightly at her.
After not seeing each other for a few years, Lady Gu seemed to have remained unchanged.
Meng Ruyi also smiled at her.
Seeing this, others began to mutter in their hearts. Looking at the two of them, they immediately had many bold speculations.
The Gu family attached so much importance to this woman. Could it be... could she be Gu Ling's future wife?
The expressions of the people present changed one after another.
However, Meng Ruyi didn't have time to notice the changes in these people. Her attention was all on Shangguan Xue and Princess Wu, who came hand in hand.
The two were chatting merrily, but the worry on Princess Wu's face became even heavier, and Shangguan Xue was also a bit absent-minded.
When the banquet started and the singing and dancing began, Meng Ruyi finally withdrew her gaze. She whispered to Jingzhe beside her, "Keep an eye on those two. If you notice anything, tell me immediately."
"Yes, Miss."
Meng Ruyi had a hunch that something must happen between these two.
Sure enough, when the banquet was halfway through, Meng Ruyi saw Princess Wu and Shangguan Xue leave their seats together.
She nodded slightly at Lady Gu at the upper seat. Lady Gu whispered a few words to the senior maid beside her, and then the senior maid escorted Meng Ruyi out.
Meng Ruyi didn't dare to follow too closely for fear of being discovered. So she only let Jingzhe follow closer, while they kept a greater distance. Lianqiao had already gone to tell Song Huaizhi what was going on here.
When they reached a somewhat secluded place, the two of them finally stopped. Princess Wu said something, and then lifted her skirt and turned away.
Meng Ruyi was suddenly startled. She looked around.
Lianqiao had gone to find Brother Xiao Song. Now they were just waiting for him to quietly lead Wen Xiuzhi here.
The crown prince would surely take action, but she didn't know why it would be Princess Wu who took the initiative?
Thinking like this, Meng Ruyi remembered Song Huaizhi's instructions to her. She took a step back slightly and planned to stay even farther away.