A week passed and the day for the flower viewing arrived.
A couple of carriages could be seen going to the County Princess manor from all over the capital.
Among them there was one from the Ming family.
Inside three girls sit together enjoying the refreshments that the maids brought a long.
But, although Ming Shu enjoyed the presence of her sister and cousin, her mind was somewhere else. Revising the plan, she couldn't help but worry.
Although they agreed if not using Wang Fangyi, Ming Shu could be almost sure that she would be involved somehow and she couldn't come up with any countermeasure for now.
She couldn't force Fangyi to not attend the event or tell her where not go. Before she could at least suggest and her friend would follow her mind because of their mutual trust. But now that is not possible.
She also couldn't stop the plan. Even if she wanted to, she was sure that Si Yifeng would proceed without her. As much as their relationship was good it by no means surpassed his ambitions to the throne and this will be a perfect opportunity to pull his opponent down.
That's why she still proceeded with the plan with the Crown Prince. She thought it would be better to know the insiders and save the situation than to try in the dark.
Ming Shu sighed. She was truly helpless right now. No martial art or knowledge that she possessed made difference in this situation. Life, even if it's the second time, wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.
"What's the matter sister?"
"Are you feeling tired cousin?"
Ming Shu looked at the two girls in front of her. Just seeing their genuine worry dispelled some of the haze in her eyes.
Ming Shu touched Ming Yunning's hair.
"I'm alright. You should be more worried about the poem competition that will happen later. I heard the Miss from the Minister of Rites studies extra hard this time"
"Hmph. That girl is just trying to get some man's attention. I'm different"
"Yes, yes. Our Yunning loves the art itself"
Ming Shu turned to her younger cousin.
"What about you Meili, what did you prepare for today?"
"First sister you know how poetry it's not my best or its music. So I thought it would be better for me to dance. What will cousin do? I'm sure it will be beautiful either way!"
Yunning snorted.
"Of course it will"
Ming Shu smiled.
"Dance it's a good one. Since Yunning will recite poetry and you will dance, I guess I will play the qin"
"... you didn't prepare anything specific?"
Ming Shu shook her head.
"I always train for some unexpected occasion, so I always have a piece of each art prepared just in case I need it"
Ming Meili sighed at her cousin and shook her head. Sometimes this cousin of hers was something else. Who should normally prepare like this? No one!
"Please let us humans live"
Ming Shu laughed at her cousin soured expression.
"If I'm not human what am I?"
"A fairy!"
This earned Meili a flick on her forehead. She held her forehead with a hurt expression. She just told the truth.
Yunning completely disregarded her stupid cousin and turned to her sister worried.
"Will it be fine? Have you brought your qin? You know how terrible those Misses' jealousy could be. It will be horrible if they caught a handle on you"
"Don't worry, the soldiers will block the water"
Ming Shu smiled to the two girls in appeasement and turn to look outside.
'Yes. The soldier will block'
***
In another carriage Si Yifeng was chatting with his aide.
"Your Highness why won't you use Wang's First Miss to this? If she is the girl with Prince Song was ot only the threat the Emperor will feel will be greater, it will also cause the Wangs to converge and declare absolute loyalty to the throne"
Yifeng shook his head with a mild smiled plastered on his face but internally he was sighing.the little girl sure had a better insight than one of his best aides. He didn't know if that told him that his aides were bad or that the little girl was too good. Maybe it was both.
"What if backfire? They could become resentful and ally to my brother. Plus involving the Wang and the Gu household could set alarms to my father, yes, but it could also seem as a trap prepared by someone to pull down the prince. After all, who doesn't know that the two don't like each other. It will be easy to dispel the doubts in the court"
This was how the little girl convinced him. Although he knew she was changing the plan for other reasons, she still did her outmost to justify the change. And, fortunately, he couldn't help but agree with her analysis.
"It's the Prince who is the most wise"
But the compliment only made Yifeng smile and not answer. It would be great if that was right but none of this was thought by him. Not that he couldn't think of it, but he sometimes was to eager and would overlook this details that could cause a big event later on.
That was why he like Ming Shu around. He didn't know why she wanted to pull his brother down or cared. He would welcome anyone he could use to help him have a smoother path and the girl was one of his best aides.
She was always calm and her suggestions was better than many made by his aides.
Thinking of this Si Yifeng smiled. Wouldn't be something else to see her panicking?
Although her plan seems flawless but it's only if that Fangyi girl doesn't do anything. If she reacts to the encounter together with Miss Gu, all the plan would go downhill.
Imagining how the little girl face would change by then put Si Yifeng in a good mood. He even hoped that the plan went astray.
With a smile he looked outside.
'I have high hopes for you little girl'