Qiao Nian returned to the days of hiding in Fanghe Courtyard and avoiding seeing anyone.
Apart from visiting the Old Lady, she hardly ever stepped out of her room.
Firstly, her back injury required her to rest quietly. Secondly, she was truly sick of seeing the other people in this mansion.
Especially Lin Yuan.
She was always on guard, fearing that if she wasn't careful and Lin Yuan caught sight of her, the girl would come over and cause some sort of trouble.
In fact, Lin Yuan had come by these past few days.
She had said that the largest red plum tree in Luomei Courtyard was in bloom, looking extremely gorgeous, and its fragrance was captivating. Knowing that Qiao Nian liked plum blossoms, she had come personally to invite Qiao Nian over.
But this time, not only did Ningshuang not inform Qiao Nian, she didn't even let Lin Yuan enter Fanghe Courtyard. She merely said that her young lady was still bedridden due to her injuries and wasn't convenient to go out.
Even if Lin Yuan was a bit naive, she wouldn't force an injured person to go and admire plum blossoms. So, this matter was dropped.
Later, when Qiao Nian learned about this from other maids, she specially rewarded Ningshuang with a hairpin.
Those who brought her bad luck indeed should be kept at a distance.
Before she knew it, the Lantern Festival arrived. Early in the morning, Ningshuang excitedly brought a letter. "Miss, it's a letter from the Prince of Ming!"
Qiao Nian was doing her makeup. Upon hearing Ningshuang's words, she slightly furrowed her brows.
To be honest, apart from the people in the Marquis' Mansion, she wasn't too eager to see the Prince of Ming either.
There were too many people around her who were using her. She just wanted to be left alone.
However, her marriage to the Prince of Ming was already a certainty. Eventually, they would be seeing each other every day. No matter how reluctant she was, she still had to read this letter.
She reached out and took the letter. But as she looked at the envelope, she couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
Ningshuang beside her was extremely curious. "Miss, what did the Prince of Ming say?"
Seeing her gossipy look, Qiao Nian had no choice but to open the envelope. "Why are you so excited just because the Prince of Ming wrote me a letter?"
Ningshuang smiled sheepishly. "Hehe, this servant just thought that if the Prince of Ming wrote to Miss, he must be inviting Miss to meet!"
Meeting between an unmarried man and woman was bound to arouse people's imagination, wasn't it?
Moreover, since the Prince of Ming had protected her young lady so much at Fahua Temple before, Ningshuang had a very good impression of him.
Qiao Nian let out a soft sigh. "Well, he's inviting me to enjoy the lanterns tonight."
"That's right! Today is the Lantern Festival. Every year on this day, a lantern fair is held on Chunshan Street. Many unmarried men and women will meet and enjoy the lanterns today, and then a happy marriage will naturally come about..." Ningshuang's tone became more and more ambiguous.
At this moment, Qiao Nian was in no mood to pay attention. She just picked up the envelope again and asked, "Has this letter been opened by someone else?"
Ningshuang nodded. "All letters sent to the mansion, no matter who they're for, must be inspected by the Marquis himself before being delivered."
Qiao Nian didn't know this.
After all, hardly anyone had ever written her a letter before.
Perhaps it was because the Marquis' Mansion was now in a precarious situation, so Marquis Lin was being so cautious?
She was suspicious, but didn't dwell on it any further.
After all, her relationship with the Prince of Ming was arranged by the Marquis' Mansion. Even if Marquis Lin knew that the Prince of Ming had invited her, he wouldn't say anything.
That day, as the twilight fell, Qiao Nian left the mansion with Ningshuang.
The Prince of Ming had invited her to meet at Fulei Teahouse on Chunshan Street in the letter.
Qiao Nian knew about that teahouse. It was indeed a great place to enjoy the lanterns.
However, before the carriage could reach Chunshan Street, it was blocked by the crowds going to see the lanterns.
The coachman helplessly said to the inside of the carriage, "Miss, the carriage can't move forward. I'm afraid you'll have to walk a few steps from here."
It was just one intersection away from Chunshan Street.
Qiao Nian looked at the sea of people in front of her. It was so crowded that it was impossible to move. She replied, "All right."
She and Ningshuang got out of the carriage together. She told the coachman to come back later to pick them up, and then they followed the crowd towards Chunshan Street.
Although they hadn't reached Chunshan Street yet, there were already many small stalls along the street, selling all kinds of novel and interesting trinkets.
Ningshuang was still young after all. When she saw those things, she could hardly walk. "Miss, look! This mask is so beautiful!"
She quickly walked up to a stall and picked up a mask with an opera facial makeup. "Miss, you'll look really good wearing this!"
Qiao Nian didn't really like it. She furrowed her brows. But before she could say anything, Ningshuang had already bought the mask.
She rushed over to Qiao Nian, beaming. "Miss, try it on!"
Seeing her so happy, Qiao Nian couldn't refuse. She took the mask and put it on.
Unexpectedly, once she put on the mask, Ningshuang was nowhere to be seen.
She was startled. She could only hear Ningshuang's voice coming from the crowd not far away. "Miss, look at this little figurine! It's so much fun!"
However, there were too many people. Qiao Nian couldn't see where Ningshuang was. She could only follow the voice and search forward, but she couldn't find Ningshuang's figure.
For some reason, Qiao Nian started to feel panicked.
She didn't know why, but an inexplicable chill rose from the soles of her feet, making her feel completely flustered.
She called out loudly, "Ningshuang, where are you?"
"Miss! Over here!" Ningshuang's voice came. Qiao Nian looked in the direction of the voice and could see a small figure waving in the crowd.
She felt a bit more at ease and quickly walked towards Ningshuang.
But she was tripped by a passer - by and fell forward.
She let out a cry, and the mask on her face dropped.
Qiao Nian thought that she was going to make a big fool of herself today.
However, the expected pain didn't come. Instead, a familiar and heart - pounding scent enveloped her.
When she steadied herself, she realized that she had been embraced by Xiao Heng.
"Be careful."
His deep voice came from beside her ear, slightly hoarse, carrying an inexplicable allure.
Qiao Nian's heart skipped a beat uncontrollably.
Images of him pressing her into the cave, his eyes scarlet, suddenly flashed through her mind.
Her heart became even more flustered.
But soon, a strong force pushed Qiao Nian, who hadn't reacted yet, away.
It was Xiao Qingnuan.
"I wonder which young lady is so shameless, throwing herself into a man's arms!" Xiao Qingnuan glared at Qiao Nian hatefully. "Oh, it's the famous future Princess of Ming, Miss Qiao!"
The word "famous" was used to mock Qiao Nian's experience at Fahua Temple some time ago.
The term "future Princess of Ming" was to remind her of her status.
Qiao Nian furrowed her brows. She didn't want to deal with Xiao Qingnuan. She curtsied to Xiao Heng. "Thank you, General Xiao, for your help."
"Cut it out!" Xiao Qingnuan stepped forward and pushed Qiao Nian again. "I saw with my own eyes that you deliberately threw yourself into my elder brother's arms! Qiao Nian, have you no shame? My elder brother's legitimate fiancée is right here! Are you blind?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Nian was stunned. Only then did she notice that not far behind Xiao Heng stood a person.
She was petite, with a face like a peach blossom.
But her eyes were filled with tears, looking extremely pitiful...帮我写作AI 编程图像生成AI 搜索AI 阅读学术搜索解题答疑更多