Yuzhang Prince Huan Minggui came to Qiongling Pavilion simply because he was bored and had nowhere to go.
There are countless places that ordinary people can visit, but for people like him who party every night, he has already had enough fun on weekdays, and the Lantern Festival is just to have more lights, and he still visits the places he usually goes.
The food and wine at Qiongling Pavilion were the most exquisite and novel of all the restaurants in Chang'an. When he was tired from shopping and wanted to sit down for a midnight snack, this was the first place he thought of.
Huan Minggui walked into the Qionglin Pavilion and first glanced at the singing girls and dancing girls on the high platform. In just a moment, he realized that there was nothing remarkable. Most of them were familiar faces, and the two newcomers were also not very good-looking.
Then he recognized the guards from the Eastern Palace and Prince Qi's Mansion and stroked his chin in surprise. These two men were almost drawing their swords against each other, and it was unbelievable that they went to a restaurant together on Lantern Festival.
Then he found Sui Sui, who was dressed as a guard, in the crowd. He could only see a vague outline from a distance, and his eyes lit up.
Sui Sui's androgynous men's clothing could fool most men in Lu, but the physiques and body shapes of adult men and women are different after all. Who is Prince Yuzhang? A quick look at her would tell that she is a woman.
In a flash, he figured out the key. He let out a "tsk" and glanced upstairs.
Huan Ziheng is really something. He brought the beauty out on the Lantern Festival, and sat upstairs enjoying himself, while letting the beauty sit on the bench downstairs.
Prince Yuzhang was the most compassionate and kind to women. When he saw a beautiful woman being neglected, he couldn't help but want to warm her up.
Without saying anything, he walked towards the guards.
Huan Xuan was watching from upstairs. He wanted to rush down and pull the hunter woman up and leave, but he did nothing, as if he wanted to prove something.
He just stared at the slender figure without blinking, and unconsciously tensed his back.
Huan Minggui seemed to notice his gaze. He paused, raised his head to look towards the second floor, and even curled his lips at him.
Huan Xuan couldn't laugh. If he had a bow and arrow in his hand, he would have shot the scoundrel to death with one arrow.
Unfortunately, the King of Qi did not bring a bow and arrow, so Huan Minggui walked safely among the guards.
The moment he saw Sui Sui's face clearly, he was startled for a moment, paused, and then returned to his usual smiling appearance and sat down opposite Sui Sui without any hesitation.
He often visited the Eastern Palace and Prince Qi's Mansion. The guards on both sides knew him and saluted him with a smile.
Huan Minggui had no airs of a prince at all and greeted them with a smile.
He often mingled in the market, and almost all the guards here had drunk and gambled with him. Guan Liulang, the guard leader of Huanxuan, was most familiar with him. He said with a smile: "Master Yu, the young men are drinking upstairs, and you are not going to join them. Why are you hanging out with us servants?"
An East Palace guard gave Sui Sui a meaningful look and said teasingly, "Brother Guan Liu, don't you know? As long as there is a beauty within a ten-mile radius, our Master Yu's eyes are more accurate than Xiao Ling's arrows."
Everyone smiled knowingly.
Sui Sui was drinking when he suddenly heard his own name and almost choked.
Prince Yuzhang was not angry at all. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Sui Sui with his fox eyes: "Hey, this little brother looks unfamiliar. Is he new here?"
Guan Liulang hurriedly introduced to Sui Sui: "This is our master's cousin, Master Yu."
He bowed to Huan Minggui again and said, "I am a newcomer with a thin skin. I hope Master Yu will show mercy."
Prince Yuzhang glanced at him and said, "What are you afraid of? Could it be that Master Ben is a cannibal?"
He looked at Sui Sui: "What's your name, little brother?"
Sui Sui knew that he had recognized her long ago, but she pretended to be ignorant. Last time in the street teahouse, she could ignore her, but in front of so many guards, she couldn't offend her cousin, the Prince of Qi.
Sui Sui said, "Reporting to Master Yu, my surname is Lu."
Huan Minggui asked again: "Which deer?"
Sui Sui said: "A deer of a deer."
Huan Minggui smiled and said, "My little brother, you are handsome, and your surname is also beautiful. Deers are calling, eating apples in the wild. I have a guest, playing the harp and the flute."
Huan Minggui asked again: "From what I hear from you, little brother, your accent sounds like that of the Guanlong area?"
Sui Sui nodded.
Huan Minggui narrowed his eyes and said, "But I think you look more like a Yanzhao person."
Sui Sui's heart shuddered. Before her father became the governor of three towns, he had served as the governor of Youzhou for several years. She had indeed lived in Yanzhao for several years when she was young.
Could it be that he knew something
Just as he was thinking about it, he heard the dude say leisurely: "There are many beauties in Yan and Zhao, and the beautiful ones are as pretty as jade. I saw that my little brother has a face as pretty as jade, and I thought he was a beauty from Yan and Zhao."
Sui Sui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had heard of Prince Yuzhang's name when he was in Heshuo. Later, when he went to the northwest to quell the rebellion, he heard many of his deeds from Huan Ye. However, he was still amazed to hear him make such far-fetched claims and speak so glibly.
She couldn't help but smile slightly.
The cold beauty smiled, and the ice and snow melted instantly, just like the sudden appearance of spring.
Huan Minggui couldn't help but be stunned.
Huan Xuan couldn't hear clearly what they were saying. Looking down from the upstairs, he could only see the profiles of the two people.
She saw Huan Minggui sitting opposite her. Her face turned red in an instant. Huan Minggui said something with a beaming look on his face. She made him smile sweetly, and Huan Minggui's eyes widened immediately.
Huan Xuan couldn't bear to watch it anymore and turned back to his room.
Not long after, the prince came back from the clean room and saw his brother with a sullen face, drinking silently. Looking at the princess again, although she tried her best to pretend nothing happened, her eyes were slightly red, and it was obvious that she had been crying.
The prince's eyes moved slightly, and he returned to his seat calmly and said to the two of them, "I saw Ziyu downstairs just now."
Ruan Yuewei asked, "Why don't you invite him upstairs?"
The prince laughed and said, "You don't know his character yet. He is playing Chupu with the guards, drinking and having a great time."
Ruan Yuewei tried to cheer her up and said, "This is a bit unkind of the Prince of Yuzhang. Who in Chang'an can beat him with Chupu?"
The prince said, "Aruan was wrong this time. I just watched a game downstairs. Prince Yuzhang lost two games in a row to a guard from Ziheng's family, a stranger."
There was only one unfamiliar face among the guards, and that was the woman from the outer house who was dressed as a man.
Ruan Yuewei forced a smile: "This is a rare thing."
The prince said, "There is always a countermeasure. That fellow won a purple jade pendant from me on New Year's Eve. Let him learn a lesson today. He will know that there are always people who are better than you and there are always higher things."
Huan Xuan's face looked more and more unsightly. He was about to get up and pull the lecher up, but before he could get up, he heard brisk footsteps on the stairs and Huan Minggui came up by himself.
The prince teased, "Why are you willing to come up here?"
Huan Minggui grinned and said, "I lost all the gold and silver I had with me. I have no money left to pay my bills, so I have no choice but to come to the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi to ask for money."
The prince laughed and said, "This idiot is not stingy."
While asking the maid to bring plates, bowls, cups and bowls, he also ordered some wine, food and pastries.
Huan Minggui's mouth is as good as ten, and the atmosphere at the table suddenly became lively.
Ruan Yuewei could not drink much. She usually only drank one or two cups at a banquet. But today she drank several cups in a row, as if the cup contained not Jiannan Shaochun but plain water.
The prince saw that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were misty. She knew how to cover them up before, but now her eyes seemed to be glued to Huan Xuan's face.
He knew she was drunk, so he said to Huan Xuan and Huan Minggui, "It's getting late. The Crown Princess has to go to the Wu'an Mansion for a banquet tomorrow. I'll excuse myself first. You must enjoy yourself."
Huan Xuan also stood up and was about to leave, but Huan Minggui grabbed the hem of his robe and accused him, "Ziheng, how could you leave me alone? Your Highness the Crown Prince has a family, why are you in such a hurry to go back..."
The prince smiled and patted his brother on the shoulder: "It's a rare Lantern Festival, you can accompany your sixth cousin, you don't have to see us off."
As he said this, he took Ruan Yuewei's hand and went downstairs.
Ruan Yuewei felt dizzy and her legs were weak. With every step she took, the stairs under her feet seemed to surge.
When they got downstairs, Shuzhu and Yinglan immediately came up to support her and helped her get into the carriage outside the door.
The prince had always looked gentle and was very caring towards the princess, but as soon as he lowered the curtains of the carriage, his expression immediately turned cold.
Ruan Yuewei leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
The prince frowned and pushed her gently.
Ruan Yue murmured something and fell on the couch covered with fox fur.
The prince gave her a cold look and then looked away.
…
After the prince and his wife left, Huan Minggui's eyes instantly became clear again. He picked up the wine pot and wanted to pour wine into Huan Xuan's cup.
Huan Xuan stretched out his hand to block the mouth of the cup and said, "No need."
Huan Minggui chuckled, put down the wine pot, glanced downstairs, sighed and said, "Ziheng, how do you plan to end this matter?"
Huan Xuan raised his eyelids and ignored him.
Huan Minggui's foxy eyes rarely showed the usual cynicism: "It's been three years, and you still can't let her go?"
They both knew who "she" was referring to.
Huan Xuan said: "There is no need to mention what has already happened."
Huan Minggui sneered: "Didn't you see the way she looked at you just now?"
Huan Xuan was a little surprised: "What kind of look?"
He didn't go to see Ruan Yuewei just now, firstly to avoid suspicion, and secondly because he was absent-minded and kept looking downstairs.
Huan Minggui looked at him thoughtfully: "If you have let go of Ruan Sanniang, you should marry a wife and have children, and become your King of Qi."
He paused and said, "If you still miss her, you shouldn't find a woman with a similar appearance as a comfort."
Huan Xuan frowned.
Huan Minggui sighed slightly: "It's not that I covet you. Now that I have seen the true face of that woman, I have to advise you. Even if it's for the sake of this girl from the Lu family, you should have ended it long ago."
There was a smile on his lips, but his words were as cold and sharp as a knife: "When you completely let go of Ruan Sanniang, will you still love her as much as she loves you? When you see that face, will you feel ashamed? Will you feel disgusted? What are you going to do with her then? Give her some money and drive her out? Or lock her up in your deserted house and ignore her until the end of her life?"
Huan Xuan raised his eyes and stared at him, his eyes sinister: "This is my own business, don't worry about it, Sixth cousin."
Huan Minggui sighed and said, "I can't just sit back and watch your affairs."
Huan Xuan picked up the wine jug and filled Huan Minggui and himself, and said coldly: "I know you are entrusted by my elder brother to look after me, but now I am no longer a child, I can make my own decisions."
He paused and said, "I have nothing to thank you for all these years."
After saying this, he picked up the wine glass and drank it all. Then he put the glass down, stood up and bowed, "Excuse me, Sixth Cousin." Then he turned and left.
Huan Minggui looked at his back, smiled bitterly and shook his head.
…
When I came out of Qiongling Pavilion, the streets were still crowded with cars and horses, and pedestrians were shoulder to shoulder.
People held lanterns of various colors in their hands, some made of paper, silk, leather, and the more exquisite ones held glass lanterns. As the crowd moved, it seemed as if there was a river of light in the city, flowing slowly through the streets and alleys.
Looking from atop an eight-foot-tall horse, the scenery is as beautiful as a dream.
But Huan Xuan had no intention of appreciating it.
He still walked side by side with Sui Sui, but they no longer felt as relaxed and happy as when they came. He hadn't spoken a word to her since they came out of Qionglin Pavilion.
Just by glancing at his expression, I knew that the river lanterns in Qujiang Lake could not be released.
It was a rare opportunity for him to get out and play, and he happened to meet his long-awaited sweetheart and her husband traveling hand in hand. One can imagine how he felt at this moment.
Fortunately, Suisui didn't have any obsession with releasing river lanterns. When she was in Heshuo, she followed her father to release river lanterns several times during the Lantern Festival. She didn't know how many lanterns she released. The same wish was written on each lantern, which was just to pray for family reunion, but it was never realized.
She quietly lagged behind him by a horse's length, not disturbing him - putting herself in his shoes, she knew he must want to be alone at this moment.
The two of them walked towards the south of the city one after another. As expected, Huan Xuan did not go towards the direction of Qujiang Lake in the east, but walked west towards Shanchiyuan.
Almost all the people were heading towards Qujiang Pond. There were few carriages and horses on the way back to Shanchiyuan. Compared with the previous bustle, it seemed even more quiet and lonely.
Huan Xuan suddenly slowed down, rode alongside her, turned around and asked coldly: "Are you playing Chupu?"
Sui Sui nodded and said, "Everyone in the village plays it. I learned it from my father-in-law."
"You have quite a lot of stuff." Huan Xuan said, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Sui Sui could tell that he had bad intentions, so he didn't respond.
"What did you win against Prince Yuzhang?" he asked again after a while.
Sui Sui said: "Two gold cakes, a jade pendant..."
Huan Xuan's face darkened.
Sui Sui continued, "I didn't take the jade pendant."
Huan Xuan's expression eased a little: "I shouldn't have taken it in the first place."
Sui Sui asked, "Do you want to return the golden cake?"
"You won it yourself, so keep it," Huan Xuan said unhappily, "The Yuzhang Wang family is big and powerful, they don't need two gold cakes."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Sui Sui said. She might leave at any time and might not have time to go to Chang's cosmetics shop to get money. The silk and satin awarded by Shan Chiyuan Huan Xuan were not easy to carry. With the two gold cakes on her, she would not be afraid of having no money.
Huan Xuan snorted coldly and stopped talking.
The two of them walked ten miles in silence, and Huan Xuan suddenly turned around and asked, "Don't you have anything to ask me?"
Sui Sui was a little confused for a moment. She thought she was quite good at calculating people's minds, but Huan Xuan always left her at a loss. This man's mind was harder to guess than the weather in April, and yet he always liked to make people guess.
She thought for a while, but couldn't think of what to ask, so she could only ask, "Your Highness, are you going to the palace tomorrow?"
Huan Xuan stared at her, not sure whether she was really slow or just pretending to be confused.
"Do you know who the couple we met in the restaurant just now are?" Huan Xuan asked.
So this is what happened. Sui Sui suddenly realized it, but she really didn't understand why the King of Qi took the initiative to bring up this matter. Shouldn't he just not mention it at all and pretend that nothing happened
She considered it for a moment, then nodded cautiously, "It's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess."
Huan Xuan asked, "Have you seen the Crown Princess?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the maid saw it."
"Do you know you look like her?"
"Know."
Huan Xuan looked into her eyes, trying to see some emotion in them, but there was only a hint of confusion in her amber eyes.
He pursed his lips: "When did you know?"
Sui Sui thought about it for a while and realized the most appropriate answer, "Your Highness, it's time to change the name of the courtyard."
"So you know why I want to bring you back to Chang'an." Huan Xuan said.
Sui Sui said: "The girl knows."
"You don't blame me?" Huan Xuan raised his eyelids and looked at her.
Sui Sui secretly tried to figure out how a real poor girl would react to something like this, but she wasn't the real Lu Sui Sui, and there was always a layer between them. She could only do her best: "I don't complain. It's because of this face that I can stay by His Highness' side."
"Would you be willing to be another person?" Huan Xuan said.
His tone was unfriendly, but Sui Sui didn't know what she had said to offend him. She thought it was because she had just seen Ruan Yuewei and was caught red-handed in the act of looking for a substitute. She was feeling unhappy and took it out on her.
He was determined to find fault, and he could find fault with anything that was said.
Sui Sui has a good temper, but she feels guilty about deceiving him, so she is willing to accommodate him more in everything, but she can't stand the repeated torment.
She was also a little tired, and said perfunctorily: "Your Highness saved my life, so it is my duty to serve Your Highness. I will be whatever Your Highness wants me to be."
"What if it wasn't me who saved you, but Prince Yuzhang?" Huan Xuan sneered, "Do you think you would do whatever he asked you to do?"
If it was Prince Yuzhang who discovered her, she would find an opportunity to escape before her wounds were healed.
But she couldn't tell the truth, so she could only say, "No."
Huan Xuan said, "What's the difference between Huan Minggui and me? You can live a life of luxury with him. He is more considerate and gentle than me, and more elegant and refined than me. Isn't it better for you to follow him than to follow me?"
Sui Sui pursed her lips. She knew what to say to comfort him. She knew what he wanted to hear from Ruan Yuewei but couldn't, and as a qualified substitute, she should tell him.
But she couldn't say it. The words were stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter them.
"He doesn't like you," Huan Xuan continued, "and he doesn't have anyone in his heart. You don't have to pretend to be someone else if you follow him. If you follow me, you'll just be a fake."
After a pause, he asked, "Do you like to make fakes?"
Sui Sui continued, "Whatever Your Highness wants me to do, I will do it."
Huan Xuan stared at her for a long while, then suddenly sneered: "Well, you have some self-awareness. People like you are only fit to be a fake."
His voice suddenly turned cold: "From now on, don't forget to be quiet and be your fake for the rest of your life. Don't dream of anything else."
After saying this, he suddenly turned his horse's head, leaving Sui Sui standing there in a daze.
Huan Xuan turned around and left without saying a word, obviously annoyed with her, and went back to the palace.
The guards were about ten steps away and could not hear their voices. They just saw His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi suddenly turn his horse's head and look at each other in confusion, not knowing what was going on.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi didn't look very good when he came out of the Qionglin Pavilion. They were hoping that Lady Lu could comfort him, but after they walked side by side for a while, this happened instead.
But they were the guards of the King of Qi and could only follow him. Even though they were worried that Lady Lu would be alone, they had to ride their horses and follow.
Huan Xuan's horse was not fast, so Guan Liu, Song Jiu and others quickly caught up with him, lagging behind by one or two horse lengths, and following cautiously.
Huan Xuan turned his head and glanced at them. Seeing more than a dozen guards behind him, he raised his eyebrows and pointed at Song Jiu and Ma Zhongshun and said, "Send her back to Shanchiyuan."
The guards breathed a sigh of relief. It was the middle of the night and there were few people here. Lady Lu was so beautiful, it was really worrying to see her riding a horse alone at night.
Huan Xuan glanced at the two of them and said coldly, "What are you standing there for? Why don't you go quickly?"
The two men rode away quickly.
Huan Xuan then turned around, kicked his horse, and headed towards the Prince of Qi's Palace in the north of the city.