In the quiet Pei Residence, the maidservants had returned to their rooms or posts after a busy day. There were a few people walking on the road, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
In the dark of the night, the figure was walking over with large strides.
As the figure got closer, she gradually saw it clearly.
The person was tall and dressed in brocade clothes. It was a face that she had never seen in the Pei Residence, and his temperament was cold and indifferent.
This was a man who could be called a demon. He was so handsome, and wherever he went, the stars shone. If he smiled, countless women would fly like moths to a flame.
Qu Fulan was a little stunned. The place she was standing on was the only way through the courtyard to enter the old lady's room. She only realized who this person was when he was about to approach her.
She lowered her eyes and placed her hands by her side, about to bow.
"Prince! The Prince is back! This servant greets the Prince!"
A sweet voice rang out from the side. It was Hai Yue's excited voice.
Qu Fulan lowered her eyes and thought to herself, 'I guessed right.'
Prince Pei did not respond and only nodded slightly. His gaze did not even stop on the two of them as he strode past them.
Under the light, his eyes were as clear as the spring at night, clean and bright, but also as calm as the abyss, deep and cold.
Hai Yue's face was burning with embarrassment.
Even though she was not the old lady's personal maidservant, she had come into contact with the Prince a few times in the past.
Every time they met, she would talk about the process with Hong Tao as if she was talking about her family's treasures.
But the Prince did not remember her.
Just like the thousands of unfamiliar faces in the crowd, he could not remember who she was.
Hai Yue opened her mouth and subconsciously wanted to call out to the Prince to explain who she was. Unfortunately, the other party did not give her the chance. The man stood tall and straight, with one hand behind his back, and disappeared from the courtyard in two or three steps.
In an instant, Hai Yue's entire heart became empty.
It was even emptier than the courtyard in the night.
Qu Fulan watched everything from the side and felt extremely emotional.
Sure enough, he hadn't even smiled, and the person who was like a moth flying into the fire had appeared. How could he smile?
Qu Fulan didn't want to continue observing the awkwardness of others. Just as she was about to say that she would leave, Hai Yue seemed to have just noticed her presence. She turned around and smiled at her, but her smile was a little lonely.
"The Prince is finally back. Is this your first time seeing him?"
"...Yes."
"The Prince is a dragon among men. When I first saw the Prince when I first entered the residence, I thought that it would be good if I could work by his side in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I thought that there were countless servant girls working by the Prince's side and I had no advantage when I first entered the residence."
"Later, the Prince went to the border and his only personal maid also left the mansion to get married. Now that he has returned, he will definitely need a personal maid to serve him. I want to be that person."
Hai Yue seemed to be on a fever. She had said so much in one go, but only after she finished did she realize she had said something wrong. She looked at Hai Tang and said embarrassedly, "We've known each other for so long, but I haven't had the chance to ask you what plans you have for the future."
This question seemed to be asked to save the awkward situation.
Actually, that was not the case.
From the moment Hai Yue had appeared, every step she took had been carefully calculated.
First, she interrupted Hai Tang's greetings and had the Prince shift his gaze to her.
Then, although her loneliness came from the bottom of her heart, with her many years of cultivation in the residence, she did not want others to see her emotions. Others would not be able to see it. Those that could be seen by others were all intentional.
Then she specifically mentioned to Hai Tang that she had worshipped the Prince since she entered the residence. She wanted to work by the Prince's side, and this obsession continued to this day.
She had told Hai Tang all of this for one purpose.
No matter what Hai Tang was thinking, if she had the same thoughts as her, then now that she had said it out loud, as sisters, Hai Tang should not 'take away someone's love.'
This was not the first time Hai Yue had used this move.
That year, in order to be promoted to a second-rank servant girl, she had used the same method to deal with another servant girl. Later, she became a second-rank servant girl, but that servant girl was transferred out of Fushou Hall to the manor.
Hai Yue's life was difficult when she was young. There were six or seven people in her family, so life was very difficult. Everyone had to fight for food, otherwise, they would go hungry.
If she accidentally picked up something good, she would hide it so that it would not be snatched away.
This was the truth that she had concluded from being able to live to this day. Only by bravely snatching the opportunity would it be hers.
After Hai Yue finished speaking, she looked at Hai Tang with bright eyes, waiting for her to wave her hand and say that she had no intention of becoming the Prince's maidservant.
At first, Qu Fulan didn't hear anything, but she slowly understood Hai Yue's purpose. So her purpose was to work for the Prince?
However, why did she suddenly become so aggressive when she had been holding back and not showing it before?
Qu Fulan quickly understood what was going on. Just like how she had not understood Hai Yue's plans at first and thought that she wanted to be the old lady's maidservant, Hai Yue had also been on guard against her. Now that Prince Pei had returned, she could no longer sit still and remain calm.
It was true that Qu Fulan had no intention of working for Prince Pei, but she would not pamper such a person. If you wanted something, you had to work hard to achieve it. What was the point of putting pressure on others to goad them or act pitiful?
However, Qu Fulan would not say it out loud. She always remembered that she had to be careful with her words and actions.
"I just want to do my job well. As for the other things, the master will make the decision. I will obey whatever the master says."
It was impossible to get her promise, not in this lifetime.
The expression in Hai Yue's eyes paused, and the smile on her face froze. She had not expected Hai Tang to not only not answer her question directly, but also give such an ambiguous answer.
She immediately understood that Hai Tang wasn't the kind of person to be easily manipulated. She immediately changed her tone and said, "I was confused. I was too excited to see the Prince return and said some nonsense. Sister, you won't tell anyone, right?"
Qu Fulan: "I won't. You've also said that the Prince is a dragon among men. It's normal to be excited when you see the Prince."
"Little Sister, you're still the one who can see things clearly," Hai Yue said, feeling relieved.
On the other side, Prince Pei entered the old lady's room and stood in front of the curtain. He said, "Grandmother, your unfilial grandson has returned."
Ah Si was the nickname that Old Lady Pei had given him.
Hua Hao and Yue Yuan had already gone in to report and were currently waiting on the old lady to get up. When she heard the voice outside, the old lady's movement to get up stopped. Her eyes immediately became hot and she hurriedly said, "Hurry, hurry and come in!"
Hua Hao walked to the door and wanted to close the curtain for her, but Pei Jin'an had already lifted the curtain and walked in.
"Ah Si greets Grandmother. Grandmother has been worried about me for so many years, causing her to be ill. Your grandson is unfilial. Grandmother, please accept your grandson's bow!"
The man lifted his clothes and knelt on the ground, kowtowing three times in the direction of his grandmother.
Old Lady Pei's heart ached badly and she quickly said, "Get up quickly. We're all a family, there's no need to be so polite. Quickly get up and come to Grandmother's side, let Grandmother take a good look."
Of all her grandchildren, the old lady loved him the most. How could she bear to let him kneel on the ground?
Pei Jin'an then stood up and walked to the old lady.