Chapter 312
Wei Yuewu was always so feisty and lively, but at this moment, Yan Huaijing was cheesed off with her fragile look.
Putting Wei Yuewu down, he fumed, “What are you doing there?” His face turned cold, and his expression was rather fierce.
“I…” Wei Yuewu blinked her eyes, unable to come back to her senses. For a moment, she did not understand what he meant by the question.
“How can you go to that place?” Yan Huaijing snorted coldly as he lightly flicked Wei Yuewu’s forehead with his slender fingers.
“I… I didn’t go there on my own. By the way, where is Jin Ling?” The pain on her forehead woke her up. She grabbed Yan Huaijing’s hand and probed anxiously.
There were countless bodyguards just now. Even if Jin Ling was adept at martial arts, she might not be able to escape.
Since there was an assassin incident, the imperial palace would definitely be on alert. It was easy for Jin Ling, who was alone, to make mistakes.
“It’s fine. I’ve already sent someone to lead her over.” Yan Huaijing narrowed his eyes.
“Thank you, Your Heir-apparent!” Wei Yuewu heaved a sigh of relief and said sincerely.
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just saving my people. Anyway, you always owe me favors!” Yan Huaijing suddenly teased with a smile. He turned around and sat down on a chair. Then, he picked up the pot on the table, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it to Wei Yuewu. “Have some tea!”
“W-Where is this place?” Wei Yuewu looked at her surroundings. There was only Yan Huaijing in this pavilion, and she had no idea where she was.
“Imperial palace!” Yan Huaijing’s leisurely words almost choked Wei Yuewu.
Of course, this was the imperial palace. Where else could they be? However, she didn’t know exactly where this place was, so she couldn’t think of a way to deal with him.
“May I know where is this place in the imperial palace?” Wei Yuewu asked anxiously.
Even though her handkerchief and Wei Qiufu’s handkerchief fell together and disrupted the prince’s mind, she was still one of the suspects and was in a very dangerous situation. She had to think of a way to save herself.
“The harem!” Yan Huaijing answered leisurely as he leaned back lazily. He was not anxious at all because of Wei Yuewu’s jittery.
Wei Yuewu had the urge to grind her teeth. “W-What is the purpose of this place usually?”
“Admiring the scenery.” Fortunately, this time, Yan Huaijing did not tease her. He actually answered seriously and pointed to a few plum blossoms outside. “I heard that the white plum blossoms here are not bad, so I came here to take a look!”
The red plum blossoms were like fire, and they created breathtaking scenery especially in the winter. Therefore, people admired the red plum blossoms more, and many aristocratic families planted red plum blossoms. Gradually, the white plum blossoms became lesser and lesser, and in the end, they were all extinct.
To her surprise, there were white plum blossoms here!
Blinking in astonishment, Wei Yuewu gazed at the plum blossom trees outside the window. The white petals were like snow, and they were translucent like butterflies. It was indeed white plum blossoms, and it grew wondrously. This was a rare sight, even in the imperial palace.
As Wei Yuewu’s eyes flickered, she thought of a plan. “Your Heir-apparent, can we say that we ran into each other here?” She took a breath and smiled at him.
“Can’t we say that we’re supposed to meet here?” Yan Huaijing raised his eyebrows, a smile on his handsome face.
“I…” Wei Yuewu felt that she would never think of being together with this incomparably handsome prince. Why did he feel that the two of them meeting here was a believable excuse?
He was the Heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State, who had the power to shake the world, and his power was almost comparable to that of the Crown Prince. Moreover, he was so handsome that any young girl would fall head over heels in love with him. How could she dare to say that they were supposed to meet here?
Her reputation would be tarnished if she was caught meeting a man in private. In addition, the jealousy of the young ladies of aristocratic families was enough to tear her into pieces.
“No, I can’t ruin your reputation. It’s better to say that we bumped into each other here.” Wei Yuewu decisively shook her head and distanced herself from Yan Huaijing.
“So, are we going to say that I am the one resting here, and Sixth Young Lady is also here to admire the plum blossoms?” Yan Huaijing raised his eyebrows and casually leaned back.
The implication behind these words was enough to make Wei Yuewu grind her teeth in hatred, but she also knew that she was incomparable to this treacherous heir-apparent. Therefore, she frowned in dismay and hissed, “Yes! You were here admiring the plum blossoms, while I occasionally passed by this place and specially came in to admire it. I didn’t expect to bump into you!”
Actually, it was very particular regarding the order of the arrival. The person who came later was most likely to secretly admire the one who arrived here earlier.
“Well, you can also say that you were here first.” Looking at Wei Yuewu’s aggrieved little face, Yan Huaijing waved his sleeves in satisfaction and denoted leisurely.
Glancing at Yan Huaijing’s handsome yet calm face, Wei Yuewu felt depressed. Was this scheming heir-apparent really as elegant as the rumors said?
“It’s better for you to come first!” Wei Yuewu blurted sullenly.
If Yan Huaijing had followed her here, even the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess would have been alarmed. This situation was even worse than she was the one who came later.
“Okay. I’ll have to trouble you then,” Yan Huaijing beamed as he curled his lips into a faint smile. His handsome eyes were filled with anticipation, and he seemed to be in a good mood.
“No! It’s not troublesome at all.” Wei Yuewu gritted her teeth and felt that she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“If so, Yuewu, why don’t you just be with me?” Yan Huaijing raised his head leisurely and asked with an ambiguous smile.
Wei Yuewu raised her head abruptly. “I don’t dare to!”
“Why not? There’s nothing to be afraid of. You are now my childhood sweetheart. Didn’t you follow me all the way to the capital this time just to stop me from marrying the princess?”
Yan Huaijing shook his sleeves elegantly, and his smile became even brighter.
Wei Yuewu’s heart skipped a beat. Childhood sweethearts? Was he implying the day when he brought her to Master Fenghe while she was in a daze? “Don’t you want to marry the princess?”
The words rushed out of her mouth naturally. Only after she blurted out did she feel that she had misspoken. A faint blush inexplicably appeared on her face.
“Of course, I want to!” Yan Huaijing’s charming eyes flashed, and he said with a smile, “I want to marry a noble lady in the capital, but it doesn’t have to be the princess.”
“Not the princess? Could it be Eldest Miss Jing?” Wei Yuewu suddenly remembered that Yan Huaijing had asked her to pay more attention to Jing Wenyan and asked tentatively.
She couldn’t keep pretending to be Yan Huaijing’s childhood sweetheart, which was very easy to reveal, and she was even more reluctant to be dragged into such dangerous situations from time to time.
Looking at the young lady in front of him who was as vigilant as a frightened deer, Yan Huaijing blinked slowly and put on a gentle smile. “Why? Don’t you want to pretend to be my childhood sweetheart now? Do you think this is too dangerous?”
“Of course, not! You saved my life!” Wei Yuewu laughed dryly.
“Always keep that in your mind. I saved you, so you’re mine. Remember what you promised me before?” Yan Huaijing chuckled and reminded.
“Yes, I will remember!” Wei Yuewu bit her lips and confided helplessly.
“So, you can say that I was the one who followed you here. I admire you, so I saw you here and came to meet you,” Yan Huaijing concluded.
There were faint voices coming from downstairs. There seemed to be a lot of people moving. They came rather quickly. Thinking about it, it made sense. As the biggest suspect, they should come at Yan Huaijing quickly.
“Come and sit down. Have a cup of tea with me!” Yan Huaijing pushed a cup of tea to Wei Yuewu. Nodding knowingly, Wei Yuewu sat down opposite Yan Huaijing, picked up the cup, and took a sip.
“Miss, I’m back!” Jin Ling came out of nowhere and bowed to Wei Yuewu while panting.
“Are you alright?” Wei Yuewu looked up and asked with concern.
“I am fine!” Jin Ling nodded.
“Stand behind me!” Wei Yuewu nodded, knowing that it was not the time to talk with Jin Ling in detail.
“Yes!” Jin Ling complied and bowed to Yan Huaijing before turning around and standing behind Wei Yuewu. Then, she lowered her head and looked like an ordinary maid.
A eunuch appeared behind Yan Huaijing and placed a Go board between the two of them. There was actually an endgame, and the setup looked like they had played the game for a long time.
Yan Huaijing was so meticulous in his arrangements that he even thought about the endgame. Wei Yuewu could not help but admire Yan Huaijing for thinking of such a flawless plan despite the abruptness of the incident. It was without a doubt why Yan State was the number one dukedom in the country.
“Do you know who came to investigate?” Yan Huaijing casually picked up a stone and gently placed it down, coincidentally blocking Wei Yuewu’s stones and capturing all her stones. The originally evenly matched game immediately had a deviation.
Wei Yuewu pondered for a moment. It was needless to say that Yan Huaijing’s Go skills were brilliant. However, she would not allow herself to be captured. She had also placed a stone in her hand. Even though she could not take back the territory she had lost, she had at least eaten a few key pieces of Yan Huaijing’s stones at the corner.
“Who?” Wei Yuewu tilted her head and raised her delicate little face, asking in confusion.
Of course, she wouldn’t think that Yan Huaijing was just asking casually. This scheming fox had never asked anything casually.
“Someone you know!” Yan Huaijing grinned. His long and narrow eyes curved as he placed another stone on the board, capturing a large piece of land on the right side of Wei Yuewu.
Wei Yuewu sighed. She knew that it was impossible for Yan Huaijing to show mercy. Despite his gentle smile, his move was ruthless and unyielding. This time, he did not place his stone. As they looked at the game, the game that was considered evenly matched just now was basically one-sided now.
It was already good that Wei Yuewu was able to hold on to the stones on her left and not be captured by him.
Below the building, the voices were accompanied by the sound of footsteps thumping on the stairs as they went up. Someone actually brought a group of people here.
Wei Yuewu slowly raised her misty eyes. Her beautiful eyes clearly reflected Yan Huaijing’s handsome face that was as gentle as jade. Her cherry lips parted slightly. There was a slight sigh, but also a bit of helplessness. “I know!”