Everyone left. The tables and cushions were moved except the one before the princess.
Although everyone was gone, Yue Jiefei was waiting not far behind her. Chu Yu turned around and said while looking at Yue Jiefei's upright posture, "Yue Jiefei, guard me against the front. Don't look at me."
Yue Jiefei's expression became a little odd at that moment. Nobody knew what he was thinking about, but he was blushing. He then walked over ten steps forward according to the princess's order.
Chu Yu seemed a little surprised to see him blushing. Was he thinking that she wanted to do something inappropriate? The reason she wanted him to walk ahead of her was that…
Chu Yu's face sank as she struggled to move her body. She supported her body with both palms on the ground and released her calves that were so numb that they had lost all feelings. Her legs were asleep from sitting too long.
She clenched her fists and began beating both her legs that were numb while the stinging sensation penetrated her muscles bit by bit. She rubbed her legs to soothe her bloodstream that had been suppressed for a long time. Chu Yu only regained the senses in her legs after standing up and taking a few wobbly steps. She made up her mind to promote the use of chairs in the Princess's Imperial Residence in the future.
She was finally able to walk normally after pacing back and forth for a while. Chu Yu let out a long breath slowly and called out to Yue Jiefei, "Follow me. I'd like to take a walk." She had never taken a good look at the Princess's Imperial Residence.
Yue Jiefei said, "Sure, I'll get someone to bring the sedan chair." Princess Shanyin would always ride on the sedan chair instead of walking whenever there was some distance to cover.
Chu Yu shook her head and said, "No need for that. Just walk with me."
"Yes," Yue Jiefei responded but his eyes were wandering off. He did not dare to look at Chu Yu as if she was some cannibalistic wild beast. He then asked after a moment of hesitation, "Princess, do you need me to get a few more people to accompany you?"
Chu Yu was stunned at first, but then she came to a realization after looking at his expression. He was afraid that she would unleash her wild side by harassing a decent guy like him and ruin him completely. That was the reason why he was so resistant.
Judging by the fact there were so many beautiful men in the Princess's Imperial Residence, Chu Yu could not help but admire Yue Jiefei's narcissism since his appearance was below average. She was irritated but thought it was kind of funny at the same time. She thought of explaining herself but figured it was unnecessary. She then took the lead and walked towards the Apricot Forest. "Alright, stop your dilly-dallying and follow me."
Chu Yu was secretly memorizing the Imperial Residence route as she walked. She illustrated part of the Princess's Imperial Residence topographic map in her head slowly. The reason she was doing it portion by portion was that the entire residence occupied a massive space. Chu Yu had been walking for over 30 minutes, occasionally stopping to look at the sceneries, and she had only covered half of the inner court.
The entire Princess's Imperial Residence was separated into the inner and outer courts. To put it simply, there were two parts to the residence. The boundary between both parts was very strict whereby only the maidservants and underlings the princess trusted as well as the princess's husband, who was most outstanding among the male companions, were allowed to enter the inner court.
Meanwhile, apart from entertainment outlets under renovation, there were some guests, officials from the Imperial Residence, and private soldiers staying in the outer court. At first, Chu Yu was surprised to hear there were private forces in her own Imperial Residence. Would they not be killed by the Emperor? She then found out that the nobles possessed significant power whereby they could even appoint officials in the Imperial Residence.
Since they would not be killed and there were people hired to manage the matter, Chu Yu did not bother about as it was none of her concern.
She was tired from the standing and walking for the past half an hour although she occasionally stopped along the way. She was a little displeased with how delicate her body was, but it was not something that could be changed in such a short period of time. All she could do was tolerate it for now.
As she leaned on a parasol tree to rest, Chu Yu wiped the small beads of sweat in the corner of her forehead lightly with her sleeve. There were sparse parasol trees and green bamboos planted around, and the environment was pleasant. The crisp sound of leaves in the whiff of the wind comforted her stirred emotions.
The Princess's Imperial Residence was rich with flowers and trees while artificial mountains brightened up the garden. The constant flowing of water under the bridge completed the forest in the garden. While it was beautiful, it became dull when one looked at it for a long time. On the other hand, these bamboos and parasol forest had an extraordinary elegance to it.
Through the gaps between the bamboo shoots, Chu Yu could see a white wall looming ahead while there were more bamboos and sparse parasol trees behind it. She called out to Yue Jiefei and asked casually, "Who's staying around here?"
Yue Jiefei did not doubt her curiosity and replied without thinking, "This is Young Master Rong's Snow Garden."
Chu Yu replied, "Oh," softly just when she was distracted by the sight of someone walking over. She looked closely and realized it was a young man who looked refined and handsome. He was dressed in a high hat and a loose ceremonial robe which would flutter as he walked. He had the look of an elegant, old-fashioned bachelor. Without noticing Chu Yu who was hiding between the bamboos and parasol trees, the man quickly walked into the Snow Garden directly after pushing the unlatched red lacquered door open.
Chu Yu had just realized there were no guards or any security measures around the Snow Garden. That was the reason why the place gave out such a serene and refined vibe.
Although she had never seen the young man before, she could tell who it was judging by his handsome face and the fact that he had appeared in the inner court. He was either her husband that she had yet to meet or one of the two male companions who had called in sick.
Chu Yu was already suspicious because it was entirely impossible for two of them to be coincidentally sick at the same time when the weather was warm. She would need to investigate further to find out exactly what was happening.
While she was coming up with a plan, another person walked in a while later. It was that arrogant young man that she saw at the feast earlier who looked gloomy. Just like the person before him, he was walking into the Snow Garden without even noticing her presence.
Chu Yu faintly remembered someone calling him Jiang Yan at the feast.
"Hmph!" Chu Yu scoffed through her nose softly and thought to herself. She had just hosted a spring feast at her Apricot Forest earlier and Rong Zhi was hosting another one at his place now?
She plucked a young bamboo leaf causally and played with it in her fingertips. The soft leaf was twisting and turning in her fingers. A smile appeared in Chu Yu's eyes out of nowhere. "Very interesting."
She walked towards the Snow Garden in long strides after tossing the torn leaf away.