ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 148
In the early morning, a beam of sunlight pierced through the palace walls and fell by the small pavilion. Morning mist lingered, and sparrows chirped lightly from the trees, creating a lively atmosphere.
A sound of footsteps approached from the end of the path, getting closer. Li Zhizhi looked in the direction of the sound, and soon, a figure emerged from the mist, revealing itself clearly: it was Prince Ning’s heir, Xiao Wen.
Li Zhizhi was a bit surprised; she hadn’t seen Xiao Wen for quite a while. Compared to before, he had changed significantly, probably due to regularly taking the Wushi San. His skin had become much fairer, and he exuded an air of lethargy, with a somewhat gloomy expression, even appearing unkempt.
“Princess,” Xiao Wen elongated his tone, squinting his eyes as he appraised her, and said with an ambiguous smile, “You truly are a n.o.ble person.”
As he spoke, he stepped into the pavilion. Once closer, the strange aura around him became even more p.r.o.nounced. Before Li Zhizhi could speak, Xiao Wen casually sat down beside her and said, “Princess, you invited me here; may I ask what’s the occasion?”
As before, his demeanor was frivolous and casual, utterly rude. However, Li Zhizhi merely smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned, and said, “I heard that you had a close relationship with Liu Man in the past?”
Xiao Wen, who was taking fruit from the plate on the table, paused his movement and suddenly laughed, saying, “Close relationship?”
He tilted his head slightly, and his posture inexplicably reminded one of a snake slithering through the gra.s.s at night, with ill intent. He continued, “I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you, Princess; I have no close relationship with her.”
At this point, he popped a jujube into his mouth, producing a crisp sound, and with a crooked smile, Xiao Wen said, “If we’re talking about relationships, I’d actually prefer to form some connection with you, Princess.”
“Is that true?” Li Zhizhi seemed to genuinely believe it, her clear bright eyes widening slightly with a hint of surprise. This reaction caught Xiao Wen a bit off guard; after a moment of astonishment, he nodded and casually said, “Of course.”
Though he said this, he thought to himself that Li Zhizhi appeared somewhat naive, not at all like Liu Man had described her as being vicious—either she was pretending, or she truly was foolish…
Li Zhizhi smiled shyly and said, “To be honest, since the last time I attended the elegant gathering, I have admired you greatly. Your speech is straightforward, your demeanor is spirited, and you possess the air of an ancient gentleman, which is truly commendable.”
Xiao Wen always prided himself on being refined, often mingling with literary figures. He was used to flattery, but now, with a beauty sitting in front of him, praising him with such sweet words, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride and self-satisfaction. He became even more frivolous, leaning slightly closer, and spoke teasingly, “Since you admire me, why haven’t you come to find me?”
Li Zhizhi’s expression showed some hesitation as she blushed and said, “I saw that you were close with Liu Man, so I was a bit worried…”
“Worried about what?”
Li Zhizhi explained in detail, “I met Liu Man in the Mingyuan, and actually, we have no deep grudges. It’s just that she has always looked down on me, and I’m worried she might say something to you that would lead you to misunderstand me.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wen remembered Liu Man’s request and casually said, “It’s not just that she looks down on you; she also wants—”
When he saw the doubt on Li Zhizhi’s face, he laughed and casually brushed it aside, saying, “You’re overthinking it. Am I really that kind of person who listens to hearsay without reasoning? What she said is for me to believe or not. Besides, she’s dead now, isn’t she?”
“That’s why I dared to meet with the young lord today, to clarify things,” Li Zhizhi said with a smile. “I am not the kind of person Liu Man described, and I hope the young lord won’t misunderstand me.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wen laughed dismissively and said, “I thought it was something serious. It’s nothing like that. You can rest a.s.sured, Miss, I won’t take her words at face value.”
“That’s good,” Li Zhizhi seemed to let out a sigh of relief and continued, “By the way, I heard the young lord enjoys wine, so I’ve prepared some light wine as a gift, just to thank you for inviting me to the gathering last time. Please don’t think it’s lacking.”
As she spoke, she took out a small white jade bottle about the size of a palm from a nearby food box. Seeing such a small amount, Xiao Wen’s expression showed some disdain. He took it, glanced at it, and casually remarked, “Miss, you are thoughtful. What kind of wine is this, so precious?”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “I heard it’s called Shidongchun.”
Xiao Wen’s movement halted, and he quickly raised his eyes to look at her, his tone turning a bit serious: “Shidongchun?”
As he spoke, he swiftly uncorked the bottle, and instantly, a strong fragrance of wine wafted out, different from the usual Shidongchun; the liquid in this bottle was actually red, refracting a light like agate in the daylight.
Having drunk this wine every day, Xiao Wen naturally knew its origins, and his expression immediately changed. He grabbed Li Zhizhi’s hand and asked, “Where did you get this?”
Li Zhizhi was startled, showing a bit of surprise, and asked, “What’s wrong with this wine?”
Xiao Wen’s tone revealed his excitement as he pressed, “Answer me!”
Li Zhizhi, feeling pain in her wrist from his grip, frowned and managed to reply, “It was Liu Man who gave it to me.”
Xiao Wen instantly calmed down, feeling suspicious: “You two aren’t on good terms; why would she give you this wine?”
But then he thought it over; with Liu Man’s malicious nature, it could be that because they weren’t on good terms, she deliberately sent this wine mixed with Wushi San, probably hoping to manipulate Li Zhizhi.
Sure enough, Li Zhizhi answered, “One time, she and the Princess of Cheng came to the princess’s residence to apologize to me, and this wine was on the list of gifts.”
Xiao Wen no longer cared about discerning whether this was true or false. Holding the wine bottle was like a dest.i.tute person suddenly finding a huge piece of gold before them. After all, just yesterday he had worried about running out of Wushi San, and now someone had delivered it to his door. It was indeed a stroke of luck. He deeply inhaled the rich aroma of the wine and felt himself becoming excited, wishing to drink it to his heart’s content right away.
However, Xiao Wen’s mind was still clear. He knew he had to go hunting in the autumn today; he couldn’t take Wushi San at this time, fearing that improper use could lead to serious issues.
Thus, he forced himself to calm down, gripping the wine bottle tightly in his hand, as if fearing it would be taken away. He then smiled at Li Zhizhi and said, “Since it’s the Miss’s kind intention, I’ll shamelessly accept it. To be honest, I do enjoy this Shidongchun. I wonder if the Miss has…”
Before he could finish, Li Zhizhi understood and answered smartly, “There are a few jars left in my residence. If the young lord likes it, I can send some over another day.”
Clearly, she had a few jars, yet she was only willing to give him one bottle; it was indeed quite stingy. A trace of displeasure arose in Xiao Wen’s heart, but considering that Li Zhizhi still had Shidongchun, he didn’t want to offend her, so he forced a smile and said, “In that case, I will thank the Miss first.”
Once Xiao Wen left, the maid beside them finally let out a sigh of relief and said to Li Zhizhi, “The young lord just now looked quite scary.”
It was as if it were a strong robbery.
Li Zhizhi was somewhat surprised; the Five Stone Powder had such great power that it could change a person’s appearance completely. She originally thought it would take more effort to persuade him, but as soon as Xiao Wen got hold of that wine, he seemed to lose his mind.
However, that was even better…
While she was lost in thought, the maid beside her suddenly lowered her voice and said, “My lady… My lady? His Highness the Crown Prince…”
Li Zhizhi immediately snapped back to reality. She raised her eyes and saw a familiar figure standing under the pavilion. Xiao Yan was there, and he seemed to have been watching for a while, his hair slightly damp with dew, his phoenix eyes darkened.
Li Zhizhi was taken aback and stood up. “Crown Prince Brother…”
Before she could finish, Xiao Yan strode over and said in a deep voice, “Didn’t I tell you to keep your distance from him?”
Li Zhizhi felt her hand grabbed by him and frowned slightly. Seeing her expression, Xiao Yan focused his gaze and noticed that on her snow-white wrist, a five-finger mark had appeared, slightly red, looking quite alarming. His brows furrowed tightly, and his tone turned ominously dark: “Did Xiao Wen do this?”
Li Zhizhi had no choice but to nod. She tugged at his sleeve and tilted her head slightly, peering at his expression, cautiously asking, “Is Crown Prince Brother angry?”
Seeing her careful demeanor, Xiao Yan’s anger dissipated somewhat, but he still pretended to be stern, grumbling, “You usually have your own ideas. What do I have to be angry about?”
“Don’t be angry, Crown Prince Brother,” Li Zhizhi coaxed softly, “It was my fault this time; I won’t dare again next time.”
Her gentle words were incredibly soothing. Xiao Yan found himself utterly helpless against her; he was both annoyed that she had knowingly disobeyed him and unable to resist feeling softhearted. He held Li Zhizhi’s hand, secretly thinking that he might never be saved in this lifetime.
He asked her, “What did you say to him?”
“Nothing much,” Li Zhizhi thought for a moment and said, “Didn’t we get a jar of Stone Frozen Spring from Liu Man’s wine shop back then? It’s of no use to keep it, so it’s better to give it to him; it’s better to put it to use.”
Xiao Yan frowned. He instinctively felt that this wasn’t the real answer. There was a strange stubbornness in Li Zhizhi’s att.i.tude, similar to how she treated Liu Man back then, but Xiao Yan didn’t know the reason behind it.
This unknown made him uneasy, as if there were a thin veil separating them, and he couldn’t glimpse the truth behind it.
At that moment, Li Zhizhi suddenly tiptoed and quickly kissed his cheek, her touch warm and soft, just a fleeting brush. Xiao Yan’s breath caught for a moment, and Li Zhizhi tilted her head, her clear, autumn-like eyes looking at him, tentatively asking, “Not angry anymore, right?”
Xiao Yan’s phoenix eyes were deep as he pressed his lips together, retorting, “Do you think a kiss can get you off the hook?”
Before Li Zhizhi could respond, he cradled the back of her head and kissed her forcefully. Li Zhizhi murmured a few times, gently struggling, and said hurriedly, “P-people… people are watching…”
Xiao Yan held her wrist and pulled her against his waist, his narrow phoenix eyes glancing at the maid who was standing there, stunned, clearly indicating that she should leave. The maid, snapped back to reality, immediately flushed red, hurriedly covered her eyes, and turned away.
“Shh, no one is watching now… Be good…”
After the faint murmurs quieted, the air finally settled down. All that could be heard was the chirping of sparrows in the trees, and the morning sun pierced through the gaps in the branches, casting light spots of various sizes. The morning mist was finally beginning to dissipate.