It was the outstanding and handsome Prince Pei.
Today, the sun was shining brightly. Qu Fulan was drenched in sweat after walking for a short while, but Prince Pei was not affected by the scorching sun at all. He was noble, elegant, and relaxed, feeling refreshed.
When she accidentally bumped into him just now, she could even feel the slight chill on his body.
Was it because of his martial arts?
Just as she was thinking about how to explain, Prince Pei's cool voice came from above.
"You brat, who are you working for?"
Qu Fulan said, "I mistakenly thought that I've offended an important guest of the residence, so I said that. I pay my respects to you, Prince."
Pei Jin'an saw that the other party's face was pale and sickly, and couldn't help but say, "What's wrong with you?"
Only then did Qu Fulan take two steps back and cover her nose with a handkerchief. "I'm not feeling well. I'm afraid that I will pass the illness to the Prince. I'll take my leave first."
Prince Pei stood tall with one hand behind his back. He frowned. "Since you're sick, why don't you take leave?"
"This servant has already asked for leave. This time, I came out to answer a question. I'll return to Fushou Hall now."
Prince Pei waved his hand to dismiss her.
After they left, he said to the attendant behind him, "Go and get a doctor to take a look at her."
Even the doctors in the residence would not take the initiative to treat the servants unless the master gave the order.
The attendant responded and was about to leave when Pei Jin'an raised his hand to stop him. "Forget it."
He had almost forgotten that the girl had some medical skills.
The follower was a little confused. Should he go or not?
Pei Jin'an's gaze fell into the distance, where the guests were gathered in groups of two or three and talking about everything.
On the other side, one of the followers realized that his master was missing and could not help but say anxiously, "He was still here just now. Why did he disappear after I went to arrange the carriage?"
"Let's wait a little longer," the other said. "Maybe he ran into an acquaintance and was taken to another place to socialize."
"Weren't you here just now to serve the Prince? How come you don't know where the Prince went?"
"I just went to pee. People have three things to do."
"You..."
"Did you see clearly just now that the person was coming this way?" Pei Jin'an narrowed his eyes.
"I saw it clearly. Prince Xiao, who was about to leave, suddenly came to the back garden," the attendant replied.
Although the Pei family and the Xiao family were sworn enemies, they would always have interactions on normal occasions. Therefore, the Xiao family was also present for the Pei family's wedding today.
The opposite was true.
However, even though he knew that his identity was sensitive, he did not leave when it was time to leave. Instead, he went to the back garden. Originally, this was not a big deal. If he had gone with others, it would not have been a big deal. However, he had gone to the back garden all by himself very suddenly.
As such, he naturally had to pay more attention to it.
Although the Pei family didn't have any hidden secrets, there were still some places that were not suitable for outsiders to enter.
"Send someone to search for him secretly. Don't alert the other guests."
"Yes."
If there was a third person's view of the back garden of the Pei Residence from above, they would definitely find an interesting phenomenon.
Just as Qu Fulan left the waterside pavilion, someone arrived.
Who else could it be but Prince Xiao?
The girls in the attic had not left yet. This place had the best vision and could see many guests clearly. It was a feast for the eyes. Such a wonderful place, they naturally would not leave easily.
They didn't expect to see Prince Xiao at the lively banquet, but he was here.
People always said that Prince Pei was like jade and was unparalleled in the world. In fact, this was not the case. Otherwise, there would not be such a saying as Nan Shiqing and Bei Zhian.
The young ladies of the capital were convinced by Prince Pei's gentlemanly demeanor, so they would naturally be convinced by Prince Xiao's cold indifference.
Both of them were good and had a good reputation.
However, Prince Pei was more popular, because he looked more refined and friendly, while Prince Xiao was serious and reserved, cold as iron.
This girl naturally preferred someone who was more elegant and gentlemanly.
However, this didn't stop them from being shy and excited when they faced Prince Xiao.
With Miss Zheng in the lead, they all bowed to Prince Xiao.
"This servant greets Prince Xiao."
Xiao Shiqing frowned as he looked at the girls in front of him. He didn't find the familiar figure he was looking for.
Could it be that he was mistaken just now?
Xiao Shiqing's face was serious, and he didn't take these women seriously. He only nodded slightly and turned to leave.
The girls who were left behind were confused.
Miss Zheng bit her lip and mustered her courage to chase after him. "Is Prince Xiao looking for someone? Tell us, maybe we'll know."
This was a pure lie, she just wanted to take the opportunity to spend more time with Prince Xiao.
There weren't many handsome men in the capital, but there were many girls waiting in their boudoir. In this situation where there were too many monks and too little gruel, the girls were all willing to do everything they could to find their own ideal husband.
What if she was lucky enough to step on it?
Xiao Shiqing looked at the woman who stopped him and a flash of impatience appeared in his heart. He originally wanted to ignore her, but the other party's words made him stop in his tracks. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know where to start.
He deliberated for a while before saying, "Did anyone of you leave in advance?"
Miss Zheng didn't expect that he was really here to look for someone. Since he was looking for someone among the girls, he must be looking for a woman.
She felt a little uncomfortable in her heart, but on the surface, she said, "Before we came here, there was no one else. After we arrived, we have been staying here. No one has left in advance. If you don't believe me, you can ask them."
The other girls all stepped forward when they heard this. The closer they got to Prince Xiao, the redder their faces became. "Miss Zheng is right. We have been admiring the scenery here, and no one has left early. May I know who you are looking for?"
These girls weren't lying. It was just that they didn't treat the servants as humans, so they didn't count them in.
Xiao Shiqing's eyes flashed with a touch of sadness, and he no longer said anything. He raised his hand and bowed to the other party, then turned around and left.
The girls behind him all looked disappointed.
Qu Fulan didn't know that she had been lucky enough to avoid a disaster.
After she returned to Fushou Hall, she took her medicine and fell into a deep sleep. She slept so deeply that she didn't even notice that the people in the same room had come back to sleep.
Also, she had a dream again. Maybe it was because she was scared by the name of the male lead, Xiao Shiqing, during the day. This dream was a little long.
From the time the female lead was still a young lady of an official family, she dreamed that she and Xiao Shiqing were childhood sweethearts. The two families were well-matched, and when the female lead reached marriageable age, the two of them would get engaged.
Because of an accident, the female protagonist's entire possessions were confiscated, the men were exiled, and the women were enslaved.
The female lead had been bought back by the Pei family to be a maidservant, but she had always hoped that her sweetheart would come to save her one day. After all, they were a couple.
Waiting for the person she loved to save her had become the only belief of the female protagonist.
Then, they met at the Pei family's wedding, and Xiao Shiqing agreed to Prince Pei's conditions. He used two years to accumulate merit points in exchange for the female lead.
With such a great favor, the female lead naturally had to repay it with her body and returned home with Xiao Shiqing.
The female protagonist thought that all her suffering had ended and a beautiful life had begun. Little did she know that she had fallen into the abyss.
In the eyes of Xiao Shiqing's family, the female lead was no longer worthy of the male lead. Moreover, she had been a maidservant before, so who knew if she was clean or not?
Xiao Shiqing was busy with work and couldn't stay at home all day to accompany the female lead. The female lead also lived in Xiao Shiqing's house, so all kinds of rumors and gossip attacked the female lead. She had no one to rely on and didn't even have a place to complain to.
Later on, a cousin came to Xiao Shiqing's house. She was someone that Xiao Shiqing's entire family was satisfied with. They began to scheme against the female lead and made her back off.
When the female protagonist was isolated and helpless, she also foolishly did many wrong things. Once, in a trap set by others, the female protagonist injured the younger cousin. Xiao Shiqing was very disappointed in the female protagonist and married the younger cousin.