"What are you doing?"
She asked a question.
The servant who led the way replied, "It is the princess who is repairing the residence."
"The princess originally only wanted to renovate the garden, but later she saw that many of the houses in the palace were old and dilapidated, and the courtyards where the servants lived also had some problems. So she simply decided to renovate everything to save herself the trouble of fixing things piece by piece later."
The servant couldn't help but praise her, saying, "Our princess is such a kind person. She never puts on airs with the servants and is very approachable. Everyone in the manor likes her!"
Ji Yunwan gripped her hands tightly in front of her and said in a deep voice, "But wouldn't this be very expensive? I've heard that the Prince is a very frugal person. Does he agree to this?"
“I agree,” the man replied. “It’s exactly what the prince said, that the princess can do whatever she wants, and the money can be directly drawn from Steward Zhou.”
"The princess initially felt that this was inappropriate and wanted to use her own dowry, but Steward Zhou refused, saying that if the prince found out when he returned, he would definitely be punished, so the princess gave up."
The young maidservant held the princess in high esteem, praising her incessantly all the way until they reached the main courtyard, where she stopped, shut her mouth, and respectfully escorted the princess inside.
One of them was busy talking and the other two were busy listening, and neither of them noticed the surprised looks that were being cast at them from time to time, including Chi Zhu.
Chi Zhu was stunned when she saw Ji Yunwan for the first time, then she understood what was going on, smiled and turned to go to Chu Yan's courtyard.
...
After hearing those words on the way, Ji Yunwan became somewhat absent-minded and prepared to leave the Prince's residence after a short while.
She came confident and full of expectations, believing she had victory in the bag, and naturally didn't take Yao Youqing, the so-called princess, seriously at all.
But things seem to be different from what she imagined...
Her mind was in turmoil. She took her leave after saying only a few words when she arrived at the main courtyard, but was suddenly bumped into by a careless servant on her way.
The other party quickly apologized: "I'm so sorry, Miss, I didn't mean it."
Ji Yunwan was in a bad mood and was about to explode when the other person exclaimed, pointed at her, and then at someone behind her: "You...you all..."
Ji Yunwan followed her finger and saw a person standing blankly on the road, staring at her without blinking.
She was stunned when she saw the person, and it took her a long time to find her voice: "Who are you?"
Chapter 17
What is she doing in Hucheng?
Although Wei Hong was not in the Prince's Mansion, if anything major happened there, the servants would still report it to him immediately.
Cui Hao replied, "I heard she was visiting an aunt in Lintong and happened to be passing through Hucheng, so she went to the Prince's residence to pay her respects. Since you weren't there, she went to see the Princess, but left quickly."
Wei Hong frowned: "I thought Lord Ji was clear-headed, but I didn't expect him to be confused as well."
If the Ji family really had any close relatives in Shangchuan, given Wei Hong's past relationship with the Ji family, he would definitely know about it; at the very least, he would have sent them a gift during holidays.
But he had never heard of this before, which means that this relative either doesn't exist at all, or they are completely unrelated and never have any contact.
The fact that Ji Yunwan, the legitimate daughter of the Ji family, personally traveled a long distance to visit such a relative clearly indicates her purpose.
Moreover, Lintong is very close to Hucheng, and she can come over at any time, so it's obvious what she wants to do.
Cui Hao lowered his eyes: "How does Your Highness intend to deal with this?"
“No need to do anything,” Wei Hong said. “Since we’re just guests, can we stay for a day or two, a month or two, or even a year or two?”
As time went on and she didn't get the result she wanted, she naturally left.
Otherwise, even if she, an unmarried girl, were to be all alone in a foreign land, could Ji Huai'an, with his old face, really stand it up?
Cui Hao knew that Wei Hong still remembered their past relationship and wouldn't be able to directly kick him out of Shangchuan, so he nodded and didn't say anything more. But then Wei Hong asked again, "Is there nothing else?"
Other things?
Cui Hao thought for a moment and said, "No."
Wei Hong's expression darkened for some reason, but he didn't say anything and nodded to let him go.
Cui Hao realized something halfway there and turned around to say, "The princess has been renovating the residence recently, and the garden has undergone major changes, but other than that, there's nothing else."
Wei Hong's face stiffened, and he said with a tense expression, "Who asked her?"
Cui Hao: "..."
...
A month later, Wei Hong returned to the Prince's Mansion.
The inner courtyard had already been given to Yao Youqing, so he went straight back to the front courtyard.
Upon entering, he found nothing had changed. He frowned slightly and asked, "Didn't they say the princess had renovated the residence?"
"Yes," the servant replied with a grin, "the inner quarters have changed a lot, especially the garden, which is particularly beautiful. Your Highness, you can go and take a look if you have time."
Wei Hong: "...And here?"
The servant was taken aback: "Here? This is the front yard, Your Highness's place."
Wei Hong: "..."
So what? We just don't need to worry about it?
The servant finally understood and awkwardly forced a smile: "Your Highness, no one dares to touch this without your permission."
Even if the princess had mentioned it, they wouldn't dare to agree!
Wei Hong remained silent with a sullen face and went back to his room in silence.
Until the afternoon, no one came to see him except his own people, and no one heard that he had returned, so they sent someone to pay their respects, let alone offer any concern or prepare lunch for him.
He lived in the same house as before, ate the same food as before, and had the same servants around him as before; nothing had changed.
Why did he get married? Just to have her as a decoration?
Upon thinking of this, Wei Chi's expression suddenly stiffened again.
When he married her, he really intended for her to be just a decoration.
So now it seems my wish has come true...
Don't women who are generally disliked by their husbands usually try harder to please them?
Wei Hong became inexplicably irritable. He couldn't sit still any longer until late afternoon. Suddenly, he stood up from his chair and walked out of the room.
Cui Hao thought he was going out, so he immediately ordered his horse to be prepared, but he refused.
"Go and see how the garden has been changed. If it's not good, change it back!"
After saying that, he strode towards the inner courtyard.
Cui Hao was taken aback, then quickly followed. After taking a few steps, he couldn't help but laugh, but dared not make a sound, his shoulders shaking as he tried to suppress it.
...
Wei Hong headed straight for the garden and found that the changes were indeed significant; it was completely unrecognizable from its original state.
Pavilions, terraces, towers, covered bridges, and waterside pavilions—truly a scene of beauty every ten steps. Their elegance makes one subconsciously slow down, wanting to walk around and take in more sights.
He initially thought it looked beautiful, but after taking a few steps, he gradually felt that something was wrong.
"This garden looks kind of familiar?"
He frowned, but for a moment he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
Cui Hao, who was following behind him, changed his expression. His smile vanished completely, and he didn't dare to say a word.
The prince may not remember it clearly from that fleeting glimpse, but he has a photographic memory and the impression it left is very deep.
This is the Yao family's garden!
Although not exactly the same, they are about 80-90% similar, only larger and more exquisite than the Yao family's.
While inwardly marveling at how seemingly frail the young princess was, Cui Hao also hoped that the prince wouldn't remember, otherwise he would surely become furious.
But his wish was in vain; Wei Hong eventually remembered.
He wouldn't pay special attention to these garden landscapes, but due to his instincts from years of military campaigns, he would retain some impressions of the routes he had traveled.
After walking around the garden for a while, he gradually remembered that he had walked a similar path before, and the surrounding scenery was almost the same.
That place is...
Yao Mansion!
Wei Hong's face instantly turned ashen, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, and he sneered as he squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "You've got some nerve!"
Knowing he had a grudge against Yao Yuzhi, how dare he turn this garden into the Yao residence? Did he really think this was his own backyard?
Wei Hong lost all interest in appreciating the scenery in the garden and headed straight for the main courtyard with a sullen face, ready to confront him.
Before they even reached the main courtyard, they heard a burst of laughter coming from ahead.
He rounded the corner and saw Yao Youqing chasing a puppy.
The puppy had a purse in its mouth. Yao Youqing chased after it, saying, "Little cutie, you can't eat anymore! Give me back my purse!"
It turned out that the purse contained the jerky she had prepared for the puppy. She had just fed the puppy some, but the puppy, being greedy, took the purse away when she wasn't looking, seeing that she wasn't feeding it anymore.
Yao Youqing chased the puppy around, and Qiongyu and the others wanted to help, but Zhou's mother stopped them, saying, "Let the princess play."
She said with a smile.
This little dog is smart and never hurts anyone, so nothing will happen. They can wait until she's really tired before helping her.
Everyone nodded and let her chase the puppy around the garden until someone saw Wei Hong striding in from around the corner.
Wei Hong came from the direction the dog was running in. Yao Youqing was only looking down at the dog and didn't see the person coming.
The servants cried out in alarm, some shouting "Your Highness!" and others shouting "Your Highness, be careful!"
Upon hearing the shouts, Yao Youqing hurriedly tried to stop, but she stopped too abruptly and lost her balance, falling forward and about to fall.
Wei Hong was only a few steps away from her. He instinctively stepped forward to support her, and the girl, who was leaning forward, fell into his arms, colliding with him.
Speaking of which, Yao Youqing is now fourteen or fifteen years old. When she bumped into his arms, it was as if she was nothing at all, as if she had no weight at all.
He placed one hand on her back and the other around her waist, feeling that her waist was as slender as a willow branch, as if it could break at any moment.
Yao Youqing had just closed her eyes in fright, thinking she was going to fall hard to the ground, but someone caught her.