Princess Yunxi felt her heart skip a beat.
"Princess?"
The owner of those eyes frowned slightly as he saw her in a daze. Concern filled his eyes even more. "Did I scare you, Princess?"...
Only then did Princess Yunxi come to her senses. A blush immediately crept up her cheeks. She quickly withdrew from his embrace, lowered her head, and murmured, "Your Highness, the Third Prince..."
In the backlit distance, a sudden breeze blew. A shadow suddenly turned and disappeared, leaving only the spring petals on the ground, picked up by the wind and then falling again.
Quietly, without anyone noticing.
The sun rose higher and higher, passed the zenith, and tilted slightly to the west.
On the peak of Fuyu Mountain in Qinghe County, a young girl in a cyan dress stood with her hands behind her back. The girl's dress was stained with dirt, and her sleeves were tied up with ropes, making her look neat and tidy.
Her jet - black hair was pulled up into a high bun in a simple style. But set off by her delicate facial features and determined eyes, she exuded an otherworldly aura.
The little maid behind her carefully held a large wine flask. The infatuated expression on her face showed her fondness for the thing in her hand.
The girl gave the maid a smiling look, then turned her head and said in a clear voice, "Uncle, is this the highest mountain in Qinghe County?"
The middle - aged man being asked nodded repeatedly. "There are many mountains in Qinghe County, but none is higher than Fuyu Mountain."
"In that case, the mountain spring water from Fuyu Mountain is what you've been drinking since childhood, right?" The girl raised her eyebrows.
The middle - aged man nodded. "Our ancestors have all grown up drinking the mountain spring water from Fuyu Mountain."
"Very good." The girl looked at the gurgling spring water in front of her. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly. "Pour the wine into it."
"Ah? Miss Bai, what do you mean!" The man was immediately stunned.
The girl turned around. Her black - and - white eyes were full of smiles.
It was none other than Bai Zheng, who, after inspecting the terrain of Qinghe County, climbed to the peak of Fuyu Mountain with wine.
Bai Zheng narrowed her eyes and looked around at the villages below the mountain.
"I'm going to make the fragrance of Red Plum Wine spread all over Qinghe County."
The moment she gave the order, Lan Xun and Mo Li understood Bai Zheng's intention.
Immediately, they commanded the servants carrying the wine flasks behind them to pull out the wooden stoppers of the flasks and pour the wine into the spring water without hesitation.
Bai Zheng watched from the side. Seeing that they deliberately stood below the spring eye when pouring the wine, she felt a little relieved.
Judging from the flowing speed of the spring water, even if it was contaminated by the Red Plum Wine for a while, it would only be a temporary thing and the impact would not be deep.
But if the spring eye was contaminated, it would make Bai Zheng feel uneasy.
She just wanted to find Zhou Yuanning as soon as possible and had no intention of destroying the source of life for the people in Qinghe County.
As bag after bag of Red Plum Wine was poured down, the whole Fuyu Mountain was filled with a light plum fragrance mixed with the smell of wine.
"Gulp."
Someone swallowed their saliva involuntarily.
Then, Bai Zheng heard one "gulp" after another.
Those who swallowed their saliva involuntarily immediately lowered their heads in shame.
"Miss Bai, what kind of wine is this? It's... it's so fragrant!" The middle - aged man came to his senses. Smelling the fragrance of the wine, he involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Then, seeing that the people behind were constantly pouring such good wine into the mountain spring, he got anxious. Jumping up and down, he said, "What are you doing! How can you waste it like this!"
Bai Zheng waved her hand with a smile and said to the middle - aged man, "Uncle, don't worry. I have plenty of this wine."
Then, ignoring the man, she turned to Lan Xun and asked, "Are all the arrangements ready?"
Lan Xun quickly replied, "Everything has been prepared according to Miss Bai's instructions."
Bai Zheng nodded in satisfaction. Lan Xun, a young man under twenty, was able to become the head of Tianyi Pavilion. He must have his outstanding qualities.
She glanced into the distance and said leisurely, "It may take some time for the fragrance of the wine to spread throughout Qinghe County. Tell them to take action in two hours."
"Why do we have to wait for two hours?" Mo Li asked in confusion.
Shouldn't it be the sooner the better?
Bai Zheng raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, and a meaningful smile curled up on the corner of her lips.
It was Lan Xun who bowed respectfully and said, "Miss Bai knows human nature well. I'm impressed."
Seeing Bai Zheng turn around to help Huang Ying pull out the wooden stoppers and carefully pour the wine, Mo Li stepped forward and gently nudged Lan Xun with his elbow. He asked in a low voice,
"What does Miss Bai really mean? Judging from the flow of the mountain spring and the speed at which the fragrance of the wine spreads, the whole Qinghe County should be able to smell it in less than half an hour."
Why wait for two hours?
"To whet the appetite." Lan Xun looked at Bai Zheng's slender back. His eyes sparkled like water waves. "Miss Bai is whetting the appetite of Doctor Zhou.
When people encounter something new that they like, their first reaction is usually not surprise, but shock. They may even be a bit vigilant and defensive because they are unfamiliar with it.
If we take the next step immediately at this time, we may scare Doctor Zhou away before we can catch him.
It will be counterproductive.
So, Miss Bai deliberately left enough time for Doctor Zhou to have a buffer period, to be puzzled, to be vigilant, and to be entangled.
In the end, in this entanglement, he will be deeply attracted by the fragrance of the Red Plum Wine, so that his desire to drink will completely take the upper hand."
Mo Li was stunned. Looking at the girl's back with a complicated expression, he sighed, "Lan Xun, from now on, we should serve Miss Bai more whole - heartedly."
Lan Xun nodded solemnly. "Understood."
So, when the people in Qinghe County were living their most ordinary and busy day in spring as usual, a light fragrance of Red Plum Wine suddenly lingered around their noses.
The travelers climbing the mountain, the farmers working in the fields, the young men cutting bamboo, the hunters catching beasts... almost everyone involuntarily stopped their steps, stood up straight, and took a long, deep breath.
What was this?
Some gluttons began to ask around.
The whole Qinghe County seemed to be instantly ignited by the fragrance of the Red Plum Wine. The bustling noise everywhere drowned out the crows of chickens and the barks of dogs, becoming extremely noisy.
Whether they loved drinking or had no interest in wine at all, almost everyone was tempted, but no one knew where this fragrance came from.
It wasn't until the people's curiosity about the Red Plum Wine became stronger and stronger, and some people began to scoop up the mountain spring water to drink because they could smell the stronger taste of the wine in it, that some huge sky lanterns suddenly appeared in the sky of Qinghe County.
The blue sky was cloudless. In Qinghe County, where the only color in sight was the green of the deep mountains, it was suddenly lit up by the sky lanterns in bright red or orange.
Everyone opened their eyes in curiosity and looked up at the sky.