The Princess's Residence in Chang'an City
"Princess! Wait for me!"
Xiao Cui clutched the hem of her skirt, chasing Li Yanzhu in the garden.
Li Yanzhu walked on without looking back, "If you have something to say, spit it out!"
Today was the day she was released from confinement.
She had already found out that that bastard from the Fang family had finally left.
"Nightingale!"
Li Yanzhu's outstretched leg retracted.
She turned her head and mouthed, "Has Zhaozhao sent a letter?"
Xiao Cui nodded vigorously, gasping for breath.
"You should have said so earlier!"
Li Yanzhu darted back as if shot from a bow.
Xiao Cui was on the verge of despair, closing her eyes and trying her best to keep up.
By the time she finally ran back to the secret room, Li Yanzhu was already throwing the letter into the water.
She patted her chest and took a deep breath, "Princess, are you still going to the gambling house?"
"Yes, I need to deliver a grand gift."
Li Yanzhu grabbed Xiao Cui, "Let's go, change clothes."
Xiao Cui's head was full of question marks, "Didn't you just change?"
Li Yanzhu gave her a dismissive look and pointed to her hair ornaments, "Change into women's clothes, and go to the Wang family first."
"Ah?"
An hour later.
Li Yanzhu sat elegantly in the main hall of the Wang family.
She lowered her head, holding her teacup lid and gently stirring the tea, making the person sitting beside her feel restrained.
"Princess, are you here again today?"
Li Yanzhu didn't respond. She sipped her tea, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the red coral partition in front of the courtyard. "This coral is a fine item."
She lowered her gaze and placed the teacup in her hand on the table with a "clink." "My Imperial Father sent me to apologize to Young Master Wang."
"Princess, you are humbling me too much."
Prime Minister Wang stroked his beard, hurriedly bowed, and lowered his head.
Li Yanzhu waved her hand impatiently, "That's enough."
She stood up, lifted her skirt, and walked into the courtyard herself. Xiao Cui followed closely with a basket of food. Neither mistress nor servant paid any attention to Prime Minister Wang.
Prime Minister Wang stood up, his shrewd eyes narrowed, and he called his personal attendant. "Go, follow them. Don't let Wu'er eat anything the Princess brought."
The attendant nodded and quickly followed in small steps.
He followed all the way from the main hall to Wang Xuanwu's Qingjing Garden, taking a shortcut through the garden to catch up with the Princess.
He managed to arrive just before Li Yanzhu.
After briefing the servants outside the door, he bowed and entered Wang Xuanwu's room.
"Young Master, the Princess has come to see you." He approached the bed, intending to help Wang Xuanwu up.
Wang Xuanwu, lying on the bed, instantly perked up. "What? You said the little Princess is here?"
"Yes, she's on her way." He supported Wang Xuanwu, his expression full of respect. "Take your time, Master instructed that you are not to eat anything brought by the Princess."
"Why?" Wang Xuanwu struggled to stand up, anxiously putting on his clothes. "Did my father say why the Princess came?"
He quickly pointed to the headwear on the table, "Hurry!"
The attendant hurried to get it, but advised, "The Princess is here to see your illness, Young Master, you don't need to be like this."
Wang Xuanwu blinked. "To see me?"
He thought for a moment, then nimbly threw the wrongly buttoned clothes back onto the rack, took off the newly arranged headwear and tossed it aside, lifted the quilt, and crawled directly into bed.
The attendant quickly helped him arrange the quilt, but he pointed to the white cloth on the washbasin, "Bring that here, quickly!"
The sounds from outside the door made them both even more flustered.
"What? Can't this Princess come in?"
Wang Xuanwu urged the attendant in a hushed tone.
"Hmph, you said you wanted to marry me, and now you won't let me in when I come to visit you."
Li Yanzhu's voice from outside grew louder, and the sound of shoving could be heard.
"What, could it be that the Wang family's young master is also playing the game of keeping a mistress hidden away?"
This sentence startled Wang Xuanwu so much that he almost fell to the ground. He quickly called out, "So it's the Princess! Why aren't you servants inviting the Princess in quickly?"
He spoke in a weak voice, yet with a hint of a young master's authority, "It's cold and frosty. If the Princess falls ill, ten heads wouldn't be enough to compensate!"
With a "bang," the door opened.
Li Yanzhu, bathed in sunlight, entered Wang Xuanwu's view.
Seen against the light, the tips of her hair danced joyfully in the breeze. Her vermilion-red robe made her look vibrant and energetic, yet her every move exuded a calm demeanor.
"Princess." Wang Xuanwu was captivated. He propped himself on the edge of the bed with one arm, nearly falling again.
Fortunately, the attendant supported him.
"Please forgive me, Princess. Your humble servant's leg is injured and cannot bow."
"It's alright."
Li Yanzhu glanced at him, then her gaze swept around.
The damp ground, the messy clothes, and finally landed on the face of the attendant by his bed.
She lowered her head to adjust her sleeves and gestured with her chin for Xiao Cui to hand over the food basket.
Li Yanzhu's voice was cool and clear. She walked inside and finally sat by the couch. "My Imperial Father wants me to apologize."
She pointed to Xiao Die, who was opening the food basket. "This is a token of my sincerity."
"It is the fortune of this humble servant to receive the Princess's visit."
Wang Xuanwu put away his usual arrogance. At this moment, he was gentle and humble, fully embodying the role of a sycophant.
He weakly sat up with the support of the attendant. "Has the Princess eaten? If not, my humble abode can..."
"No need."
Li Yanzhu placed her hand on the teacup that had just been served. "We will leave after resting for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."
She took a sip. "Young Master Wang, you don't need to have any burdens in your heart. I am here only because my Imperial Father sent me."
Wang Xuanwu's eyes, which had just lit up, instantly dimmed, but a smile still curved his lips. "I am already very happy that the Princess has come."
He lowered his head, but couldn't help but look at Li Yanzhu.
Only after Li Yanzhu left did Wang Xuanwu lift his dejected head and look at the teacup placed on the table. The sunlight shone upon it, making the treasures and rarities in his room lose their luster.
He picked up a pastry from the food basket with trembling hands and took a bite. "So sweet."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Li Yanzhu felt a sense of relief as she left the Wang family.
"What bad luck."
She tilted her head, rubbed her shoulder, and got into the carriage.
Before she had even settled in, she called out to Xiao Cui, "Change clothes."
What could Xiao Cui say?
Xiao Cui was already used to it.
When she alighted from the carriage again, she had already changed into a cyan-colored round-sleeved robe.
With fair lips and clear teeth, she looked like a young man, neat and refreshed.
Xiao Cui also changed into men's clothes and followed Li Yanzhu, holding a bag of silver.
The two looked up at the sign of Laifu Gambling House, revealing different expressions.
Li Yanzhu heartily ruffled Xiao Cui, who had a face full of resentment, and swaggered in.
The place was a mix of dragons and snakes.
Li Yanzhu showed no fear and instead played with great enjoyment, completely ignoring the Princess's carriage parked outside.
On the contrary, Xiao Cui clutched her collar. "Young Master, why are we here?"
Li Yanzhu, while arranging tiles, gritted her teeth and whispered, "Waiting for Fang Hanzhou."
"No, I mean, why..."
Li Yanzhu threw an arm around Xiao Cui's neck. "The original plan was just to use a borrowed knife to kill, now we are adding fuel to the fire. Shh, just watch me."
She released Xiao Cui and returned to the card game, indirectly inquiring about Fang Hanzhou's whereabouts.
It wasn't until she heard the manager call out, "Young Master Fang," that her spirits immediately lifted.
The fish had arrived.