Very good!
Ding Shou wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurriedly ran towards the back courtyard. On the way, he made a special detour to take a look at the garden, and sure enough, he saw that it had been completely transformed into the Yao family garden.
If he hadn't just returned from the capital and knew this was Hu City, he probably would have thought he was still in the Yao residence.
Zhou's mother came out to greet him personally, wanting to ask him some questions. As soon as they met, she said, "Why did you take so long? Did something happen?"
"No, no," Ding Shou waved his hand, then remembered something, "It's out, it's out!"
Mrs. Zhou's heart was at ease for a moment, then filled with anxiety again: "Did it come out or not?"
Ding Shou replied with a "Hey!": "Nothing happened to the master. Everything was taken care of and he didn't find out."
When he spoke of that person, he raised his hand and pointed to the sky.
Then he pointed in the direction of the main courtyard where Yao Youqing was: "Something's going to happen here with the Princess!"
What could possibly happen to the princess here? Zhou's mother frowned.
Ding Shou pulled her aside and told Zhou's mother everything that Yao Yuzhi had told him behind closed doors when she was in the capital. Zhou's mother gasped after hearing it.
"The Prince actually visited our Yao residence..."
And they're even going to kill the master!
"So this garden must be demolished and restored to its original state as soon as possible, or changed to something else, anything but the same as the Yao family's garden!"
When the King of Qin sneaked into the Yao residence, he bypassed it by going through the garden, and he also left through the garden!
"But...it's too late."
Zhou's mother murmured.
"How can it be too late?"
Ding Shou said.
"Isn't the prince still not back? We should change it now! Otherwise, it will be too late when he returns!"
"You're back already..."
"That's what Zhou's mother said."
Ding Shou frowned upon hearing this: "When I asked in the front yard just now, they said the Prince hadn't returned yet."
“He came back once and then left again. And the last time he came back, he even came to see the garden, so he already knows what the garden looks like now.”
Ding Shou's heart skipped a beat, and he shuddered.
"Then...he didn't say anything?"
“No,” Madam Zhou shook her head. “When the Prince came to pick up the things, he heard that the Princess had delivered them to the front yard, so he went back. Could it be… he just didn’t remember?”
After all, I only went there once, and it was late at night, so it's normal that I couldn't see clearly and don't remember it after so many years.
Ding Shou, however, thought it unlikely: "I heard from the master that it was Lord Cui, who was by the prince's side, who arrived in time and repeatedly dissuaded him, thus saving the master's life. And this Lord Cui is a capable man with a photographic memory. Even if the prince doesn't remember... he should remember."
So either the prince remembered but didn't make a fuss, or Lord Cui remembered but didn't tell the prince.
Ding Shou thought about it and decided it was the latter, because that Mr. Cui was indeed a very understanding person, and the young lady had received a lot of care from him from the time she left the capital to the time she arrived in Hucheng.
At first, Zhou's mother thought so too, but after thinking about it carefully, she remembered that something seemed amiss when the Prince of Qin came to the inner quarters to take something that day.
He walked quickly as he came around the corner, seemingly in a huff. Although it was only for a moment, Zhou's mother remembered that his expression was indeed not good, and he looked like... he was there to interrogate her.
But if it was truly a case of demanding an explanation, why did they ultimately say nothing?
It can't be just because I helped the young lady up, can it?
Zhou's mother was completely baffled and ultimately could not determine what had happened.
When Yao Youqing saw that she hadn't brought Ding Shou over after being out for a while, she sent someone to ask, and only then did they hurriedly go inside.
Regardless of the reason, the situation in the garden has been resolved peacefully for the time being.
Since the prince already knows what the garden looks like, there's no need to change it; otherwise, it might arouse suspicion.
Like Zhou's mother, Yao Youqing asked Ding Shouxian upon seeing him, "Why did it take you so long to come back? Did something happen?"
Ding Shou laughed and said, "No, no, it was just bad luck that we were delayed. On our way back, we encountered a major flood in Huizhou that blocked the road, so we had to take a detour."
"I see……"
Yao Youqing nodded and asked if they were injured. After hearing that everyone was alright, she then inquired about family matters.
Because of her worries about the garden, Yao Yuzhi had Ding Shou rush back that same day, and forgot to write a letter to Yao Youqing.
Ding Shou didn't think of it at the time, and by the time he remembered it halfway there, it was too late.
He traveled all the way back to the capital on behalf of Yao Youqing, but didn't bring back a reply from Yao Yuzhi. Yao Youqing must have noticed something.
Before Yao Youqing could speak, he took the initiative to say that he had been careless on the way and had accidentally lost the letter, but the other things that the master had asked her to bring were still there.
Although Yao Youqing felt it was a bit of a pity, she did not blame him. She only told him to be more careful next time. Little did she know that even the things Ding Shou brought back were bought on the way and were not from the capital at all.
Seeing that she didn't suspect anything, Ding Shou breathed a sigh of relief and told her some amusing stories he had heard to cheer her up. The main room was filled with joy.
...
As night fell, Wei Hong lay in bed, unable to sleep once again.
He had already returned to the Prince's Mansion during the day, and just like last time, he went back to his own courtyard. Everything around him was all too familiar, solemn and quiet, unlike the bustling streets, the childlike and playful Ciyou Bureau, and the grand and elegant inner quarters.
The casual words spoken to him by the people on the street still echoed in his ears, and the innocent smiles of the children were still before his eyes, sometimes near, sometimes far. The words "Princess" appeared frequently along with their voices and faces.
Wei Hong had imagined what his princess would look like, but she was completely different from Yao Youqing. Whether it was her appearance, her words and actions, or her way of dealing with people, there was not a single similarity between them.
But now it seems that being different isn't necessarily bad.
This woman got along well with the people, and although she said she had separated from him, she still had some self-awareness as a princess. When she did good deeds outside, she would remember to leave his name and help him win people's hearts.
Thinking of this, Wei Hong wasn't so angry about her disobeying him a few days ago.
If this woman realizes her mistake and takes the initiative to apologize to him, he might forgive her.
She didn't actually reject him at first, she just seemed a little scared and didn't take the initiative.
He was unwilling to accept that she was Yao Yuzhi's daughter, and in a moment of anger, he said some excessive things.
This time he didn't say anything.
If we don't say anything, then those unfinished projects won't happen again...
Wei Hong felt a surge of heat again. The girl's slender waist and faint, alluring fragrance resurfaced, this time accompanied by her face in the dim light.
She was small, with long eyelashes and big eyes. Her nose and chin were small, and her long, flowing hair was unadorned and naturally cascaded down her sides. She was quiet and well-behaved.
His breathing gradually became heavy, but because he had said last time that he would not set foot in the inner quarters again, he could not bring himself to go to see her in the middle of the night. So he could only endure it by himself. In the end, he could not help but relieve himself. He washed his hands, changed into clean clothes, and went to sleep.
...
Cui Hao thought that the prince would go to the backyard again after returning this time, but unexpectedly, he did not.
But if you say he doesn't want to go, his occasional daydreaming and the irritable look on his face make it seem like he does want to go.
Even if it was said that the inner quarters would be given to the princess, the entire palace still belongs to the prince. He can still go there if he wants, so there's no reason to make things difficult for him like this.
Cui Hao pondered for a moment, recalling how the prince had returned in a rage in the middle of the night last time, and wondered if he had said something harsh back then.
If that's the case... then there's nothing he can do. He can't force the princess to come, can he?
Even if the princess came, the prince wouldn't be happy; what he wanted was for the princess to come to him on her own initiative.
Cui Hao had never been in such a difficult situation before, having followed Wei Hong for so long.
He lingered several times on the way to the inner quarters, wondering if he should have a proper talk with the princess and ask her to apologize to the prince in a subtle way, so that the prince wouldn't realize that he had persuaded her.
However, firstly, the princess might not be good at hiding her emotions, and secondly, it would be difficult for him to go to the inner quarters without being discovered.
Just as I was worrying, I suddenly heard a series of footsteps coming from not far away.
It wasn't a human voice, but rather the voice of some animal, more delicate and subtle.
He looked up and saw a snow-white puppy standing on the road, tilting its head and looking at him. It was the one the princess had bought.
Something flashed through Cui Hao's mind, and a smile suddenly appeared on his lips, sweeping away his previous worries.
He crouched down and waved to the puppy.
The puppy was well cared for at the Prince's mansion and was no longer as afraid of people as before. Seeing his friendly smile, it ran over with small steps.
Cui Hao gently stroked his neck twice, picked him up, and walked towards Wei Hong's courtyard, saying as they walked, "What an understanding little fellow."
Little cutie: "?"
He carried the little cutie all the way to Wei Hong's room and said to him, "Your Highness, this puppy somehow ran into the front yard. It's not convenient for me to go to the back courtyard. Perhaps... you could take it back to the Princess?"
It was just a dog delivery; someone else could have done it, and there was no need for Wei Hong to make the trip himself. Saying that was just an excuse for him.
Wei Hong looked up from the mess of official documents, tapped his fingertips on the table a few times, and said with a stern face, "Let her come and get it herself."
That means that no one else in the front yard is allowed to deliver it, nor is anyone else in the inner yard allowed to pick it up; only the princess herself can do it.
Cui Hao sighed inwardly, acknowledged the order, and left.
A moment later, Yao Youqing learned that the little cutie had run to Wei Hong, so she rushed over herself and repeatedly said that she had not kept a good watch on the puppy and had disturbed the prince.
Wei Hong, expressionless, picked up the little cutie by the scruff of her neck and handed the dog back to her, saying incoherently, "A woman surnamed Liu asked me to tell you that you don't need to send medicine to her family anymore, her husband's foot is healed."
Yao Youqing looked up: "That won't do. The doctor said the external injury looks better, but it's best to rest for a while longer. If I don't send people over often, they might go back to work right away, and it could easily recur."
"...There's another peddler who told me to tell you that his cough is much better now, so you don't need to worry."
The man left right after he finished speaking, and it was only then that Wei Hong realized he didn't even know the man's name.
Upon hearing this, Yao Youqing immediately understood and smiled, "Grandma Sun's cough is cured? That's wonderful! She's getting old, and if she kept coughing like this, it wouldn't be good for her health."
She knew everything Wei Hong said, which showed that what the people said was true; she had indeed personally intervened and hadn't delegated the task to her servants.
Wei Hong said a few words, and finally asked, "Why is my name on the list for repairing the orphanage's buildings?"
He wanted to hear her say it herself because she was his queen, to acknowledge that she remembered his identity and was secretly helping him win people's hearts.
Yao Youqing showed no embarrassment at being exposed, and said in a clear voice while stroking the puppy in her arms, "Because it was your money, Your Highness."