Chapter 277: Chapter 277: The Crown Prince Has Obviously Taken a Fancy to Cousin Zhi Wan
She couldn’t help but size up the pavilion. It was situated on higher ground, and with the flowers and trees planted around it, anyone intentionally hiding inside would indeed be difficult to spot.
However, those sitting inside had a clear, unobstructed view of everything happening in the garden.
In other words, the two people in the pavilion had seen everything that had just occurred in the garden, including her and Wei Jinxiu hiding behind the rockery and working together to knock that man unconscious.
The thought that every move she and Wei Jinxiu had made was witnessed made Zhi Wan feel a little uncomfortable.
Swallowing her embarrassment, she addressed one of the men. "Junior Minister Ouyang, what are you doing here?"
One of the men was indeed Ouyang Lei.
Before Ouyang Lei could speak, Lady Wei had already taken the lead, kneeling before the other man. "This humble subject greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"
Upon hearing this, the others’ expressions changed, and they too knelt. "Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"
Zhi Wan was stunned.
’That man is the Crown Prince?!’
"Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!" she hastily said, pulling Wei Jinxiu down to kneel with her.
Xuanyuan Hongjun’s interested gaze lingered on her for a moment before he announced in a clear voice, "You may rise!"
Only then did everyone stand up.
Seeing that everyone had paid their respects, Ouyang Lei finally answered Zhi Wan’s earlier question. "I was free today, and since it’s Grand Tutor Wei’s birthday, I accompanied the Crown Prince to offer congratulations. I certainly didn’t expect to run into you here, sister-in-law."
The term "sister-in-law" made Zhi Wan falter.
In private, Ouyang Lei could be playful, but he wasn’t someone who lacked propriety.
’She and her fiancé weren’t married yet. Logically, he shouldn’t be calling her ’sister-in-law’ in front of so many people.’
Feeling a sense of unease, she looked up and saw the Crown Prince staring at her with surprise.
She froze, puzzled, just as he turned his head toward Ouyang Lei. "This young lady is...?"
"Your Highness, this is Lu Siqing’s fiancée," Ouyang Lei replied with his head lowered.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Xuanyuan Hongjun’s eyes.
He commented coolly, "Lu Siqing is truly a fortunate man." His gaze swept over Zhi Wan’s exquisite face.
He had seen many beauties, but none had the same allure as the young woman before him.
She didn’t look very old, and even had a touch of youthfulness, but with every glance of her beautiful eyes, she exuded a natural, captivating charm.
To put it crudely, she was a temptress.
At this thought, Xuanyuan Hongjun’s eyes narrowed slightly, a restless itch stirring in his heart as if a cat were scratching it.
"Your Highness, Grand Tutor Wei should be free now. Allow me to accompany you to see him," Ouyang Lei said, though his heart felt heavy.
’The Crown Prince has clearly taken a fancy to Zhi Wan.’
’And given his temperament, he’ll use any means necessary to snatch anyone he desires for the Eastern Palace.’
’One can only hope he’ll be wary enough of the Duke Dingguo Mansion to give up on the idea.’
Xuanyuan Hongjun nodded, somewhat displeased. "Let’s go."
As the two of them left, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
A trace of worry flashed in Lady Wei’s eyes.
’The way the Crown Prince looked at Wan’er just now was clearly... ’
Just as she was thinking this, she heard the Old Madam say in a sarcastic tone, "With a face that just begs for trouble, it’s no wonder she attracts that kind of attention!"
Hearing this, rage flared in Lady Wei.
With her usual temper, she would have started arguing with her old mother right then and there.
But since the Crown Prince was involved, she could only suppress her anger and say coolly, "Mother, at your age, you should understand that loose lips sink ships. It wasn’t easy for the Wei Family to achieve what it has today. Please, be careful with your words!"
Old Madam Wei was momentarily speechless, but as she left, she shot Zhi Wan a look of pure disgust.
Zhi Wan had always been sensitive, and seeing this, she felt a bitter unease.
She was no longer a naive, sheltered maiden. The way the Crown Prince had looked at her... he must have taken an interest in her.
This realization made her skin crawl.
Because of this incident, when the banquet began, Lady Wei didn’t dare let Zhi Wan out of her sight, keeping her close by her side.
Fortunately, the men and women were seated separately, so there would be no chance of running into the Crown Prince again.
What Lady Wei didn’t know, however, was that Mr. Wei, immensely proud of Zhi Wan’s artwork, had presented the painting to all the guests at the banquet.
This only served to deepen the interest that Xuanyuan Hongjun already felt for her.
When Ouyang Lei saw him holding his wine cup but staring at the Pine Crane Longevity Painting, unable to look away, his heart sank to the depths.
Especially when the banquet was ending, Xuanyuan Hongjun plucked a flower from a branch in the courtyard, placed it on a tray held by a maid, and said, "Deliver this to Miss Zhi Wan of the Lu Family on my behalf."
Ouyang Lei’s brow furrowed, and he tried to stop him. "Your Highness, this is against etiquette..."
Before he could finish, Xuanyuan Hongjun suddenly turned his head and gave him a cold look. "Ouyang Lei, don’t think that just because you’re the Crown Princess Consort’s cousin, you can meddle in my affairs. Who gave you the audacity?"
Ouyang Lei replied calmly, "As your subject, it is my duty to offer counsel. Your Highness is overstepping the bounds of propriety, and I am obligated to advise you against it. I believe that even if the Emperor were here, he would not condone such reckless behavior!"
"Ouyang Lei, how dare you!" Xuanyuan Hongjun roared, swatting the tray from the maid’s hands.
The terrified maid dropped to her knees.
The others, even if they didn’t know the cause, also knelt upon seeing the Crown Prince’s fury.
Ouyang Lei’s expression darkened, and he too knelt. "Your Highness, please calm your anger."
Mr. Wei emerged from the main hall to see Xuanyuan Hongjun’s thunderous expression and a courtyard full of kneeling people. His heart sank with a thud.
Years ago, he had been tasked with tutoring and mentoring the Crown Prince, but the prince’s temperament was gloomy and unpredictable. Moreover, he was avaricious and lecherous—by no means the makings of an enlightened ruler.
For this reason, two years prior, he had resigned from his official post, citing old age and poor health.
He had not expected the Crown Prince to attend his birthday celebration today.
Now, seeing him lose his temper and smash things in the courtyard in front of so many guests, he felt deeply disappointed.
’The Crown Prince truly hasn’t matured at all.’
Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground before the enraged Crown Prince, Mr. Wei knew he couldn’t pretend not to notice and walked over.
"Your Highness, it is getting late. It is time you returned to the palace."
At these words, Xuanyuan Hongjun turned to him, a cold glint in his eyes.
’This old fool. He suddenly resigned two years ago—did he think I didn’t know it was because he no longer wanted to mentor me?’
’If Father Emperor hadn’t ordered me to come and offer birthday wishes to this old fool, I wouldn’t have bothered showing up.’
Thinking this, an inscrutable smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Grand Tutor, that Pine Crane Longevity Painting of yours a moment ago... I thought it was quite fine. Why don’t you regift it to me?"
Mr. Wei’s brow furrowed slightly, and he looked at the prince in confusion. "Your Highness, why do you want that painting? It was a filial gift from my future granddaughter-in-law. Regifting it would be improper. If Your Highness likes that style of painting, this old man will have someone paint a new one for you immediately."
"Very well," Xuanyuan Hongjun agreed with a surprisingly good-natured nod.
Just as Mr. Wei was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard the Crown Prince add, "I hear that Miss Zhi is skilled in the art of painting. Why not have her come out and paint one for me on the spot, Grand Tutor?"
