Consort Li said softly, "I'm old now, and I can't really relate to you young people. It's not good for me to keep you here! Take Miss Gu along and have some fun!"
Could it be that she wanted her to cultivate a relationship with the Second Princess? Gu Yan was a bit puzzled.
However, there shouldn't be any problem with visiting a plum garden!
Gu Yan followed the Second Princess, Xiao Yundai, out of the pavilion.
"Imperial Brother, didn't you say the room lacked some vitality? How about we go pick some plum blossoms to bring back today?" The Second Princess turned around, as if she had just had the idea.
Gu Yan had already walked out of the pavilion at this point. If she refused, it would seem a bit deliberate.
So that's what this was about!
The Second Prince nodded, "That's a good idea!"
The three of them walked side-by-side, with Gu Yan in the middle.
The Second Princess should have been in the middle, but somehow, as they walked, Gu Yan ended up there.
Gu Yan didn't say anything. Since they wanted her involved, she would play the part.
Her boots crunched on the freshly fallen snow, a sound that Gu Yan found novel.
The red plum blossoms stood out against the white snow, looking exceptionally beautiful. What a stunning sight!
A crisp, cold fragrance also drifted towards them.
Gu Yan couldn't help but marvel at how much the Emperor enjoyed himself, designing his residence to be so luxurious!
"Oh dear!" the Second Princess exclaimed. "My jade pendant is gone!"
The palace maids began to search frantically.
Gu Yan pretended to look as well, wondering what Xiao Yundai was up to.
"That jade pendant was a gift from Father Emperor, it can't be lost!"
"It might have been dropped on the way here, I'll go back and look for it. You all go ahead and enjoy yourselves!"
After saying this, the Second Princess hurried off, as if the jade pendant was incredibly important.
Gu Yan sneered inwardly. This is all part of the plan. It had successfully created an opportunity for her and the Second Prince to be alone.
"Since we're here, let's go take a look at the front. The plum blossoms there are different colors!" the Second Prince said.
Gu Yan nodded. Since he had brought her here, she had to play along, didn't she?
They still didn't know much about each other, so they probably wouldn't hurt her!
Sure enough, passing through the red plum blossoms led to a large area of pink plum blossoms. The pink was delicate and tender, completely different from the red plum blossoms' vibrancy, appearing exceptionally charming.
Xiao Shiyu was just about to say something, taking advantage of the beautiful scenery, when he heard the sound of a zither.
The zither music was melodious, and paired with the coldness of the plum blossoms, it was especially fitting in this plum garden.
The Valley of the Medicine King had a killing technique, which involved using the zither to defeat enemies.
But this technique required the zither player to have extremely superior skills.
Gu Yan had diligently practiced the zither to learn medicine, and her skills had always been praised by her uncle. She was also very proud of them.
But this zither music wasn't inferior to hers!
She was very curious, wanting to see who was playing the zither with such skill!
The Second Prince saw that Gu Yan wasn't interested in listening to him, and also wanted to follow the sound of the zither to see who was ruining his plans at this time?
The sound of the zither wasn't far away.
There was a pavilion in front, and a person was playing the zither in the pavilion, extremely focused, not even stopping when Gu Yan and the others arrived.
The song ended, and Xiao Chengzhe finally opened his eyes.
Gu Yan bowed, "Your Highness the Crown Prince truly has excellent zither skills. This subject, upon hearing it, felt as though the fragrance of the plum blossoms in this plum garden had come alive!"
The Second Prince was displeased when he heard Gu Yan's praise. He had invited her out, but she was intercepted by the Crown Prince.
"I wondered who had such a refined interest, it turns out to be Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The Second Prince showed no respect towards the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince raised his eyes and glanced at Gu Yan. "Miss Gu also has such refined interests, coming to the Plum Garden on such a cold day?"
"This subject has never seen such a beautiful Plum Garden. I am fortunate to be invited by Consort Li, and thus get to appreciate this beautiful scenery!" Gu Yan answered truthfully.
Consort Li invited her, not the Second Prince, indicating that she didn't come out with the Second Prince intentionally.
"The snow is slippery. Imperial Brother, since your legs aren't convenient, it's better not to come out casually, lest you accidentally fall and injure yourself!" The Second Prince said in a strange tone.
The Crown Prince didn't get angry upon hearing this, his face still gentle.
"Such rare beauty, I naturally wouldn't miss it!"
The Crown Prince glanced at Gu Yan. Her garments today, set against the snow, made her appear exceptionally alluring.
However, the thought of her seeing his body and being with another man made him feel a bit blocked in his chest, though he didn't know why.
"It's rare for me to be out, I trust you two won't mind if I join you."
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Gu Yan inwardly grumbled, You've already said it yourself, we wouldn't dare to object even if we minded!
The guard Liu Yun pushed the Crown Prince out of the pavilion, squeezing between the Second Prince and Gu Yan.
Gu Yan couldn't help but find it amusing; this guard was really interesting, pushing the Crown Prince forward so openly.
At this moment, the Crown Prince, in his wheelchair, was in the middle, and the Second Prince was even farther away from Gu Yan.
But he couldn't get angry, after all, he couldn't argue with a man with a lame leg!
A breath was trapped in his chest, neither able to rise nor fall!
Gu Yan found it amusing. It seemed this Crown Prince was rather interesting, managing to silence the Second Prince without a trace of emotion.
The three of them walked together, so the Second Prince had to swallow his words.
This Crown Prince is really ruining my plans!
Whenever the Second Prince tried to speak, the Crown Prince would casually change the subject.
Gu Yan wanted to burst out laughing. The Crown Prince's level is so high; he's a role model for us all!
After some wandering, the group returned to the small pavilion at the entrance of the Plum Garden, where they could boil wine and brew tea.
Consort Li and the Second Princess were surprised to see the three of them emerge.
"Why? Has Your Highness the Crown Prince also come to admire the plum blossoms?" Consort Li asked.
"I've been in this garden since early this morning, and I didn't expect to run into my second brother!" The Crown Prince's eyes held no discernible emotion.
"How very coincidental!" Consort Li's voice revealed no emotion.
Gu Yan asked, "Second Princess, did you find your jade pendant?"
The Second Princess laughed, "I didn't expect it to have fallen in the snow. I found it and went to look for you all, but I must have taken a wrong turn and missed you. Then I thought you'd be returning soon, so I waited in the pavilion!"
Gu Yan's question was meant to show the Crown Prince that she hadn't intentionally gone out alone with the Second Prince; it was all a setup.
Although the Crown Prince might not necessarily have feelings for her, he was currently in a fierce rivalry with the Second Prince, and he certainly wouldn't want her getting too close to him.
After all, the Gu Clan's three hundred thousand troops were behind her.
"We walked for quite a while. Why don't we have another cup of tea to warm up?" The Second Prince looked at Gu Yan with what seemed like concern.
"Thank you, Second Prince!" Gu Yan walked towards the pavilion.
"I'm also thirsty, I'll have a cup of tea!" Upon hearing this, Liu Yun pushed the Crown Prince towards the pavilion.
He picked up the freshly brewed tea, "This is really good tea. It seems Second Brother has quite a few good things!"
The Second Prince didn't know what the Crown Prince was up to, and said unhappily, "The Emperor just gave it to me a few days ago. I thought it would be suitable for today, so I brewed a few cups!"
"It seems I'm in luck today!"