"Hey! Given your connection with the Duke's Mansion, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to invite Murong Xiu out, right?"
Li Xinyue sat up from the armchair, her eyes lighting up.
Chu Junyi opened his mouth but then closed it. Just before leaving, he only said, "Come talk to me after you've memorized 'A Wandering Tour'." Then he turned around and left, disappearing into the long night.
Li Xinyue pouted and immediately told Jing Bai to strengthen the security.
When Chu Junyi came again the next day, he clearly felt it was more difficult to enter the princess's mansion.
By the third day, it became even harder.
Recently, Li Xinyue had a new hobby, which was to watch Chu Junyi try every means to get in and then get out. Every time she saw him exhausted and glaring at her with gritted teeth, she felt refreshed and extremely delighted.
Of course, this kind of delight would soon turn into a setback in her studies.
"...Those who travel to the suburbs take a meal with them and return when they are full... Therefore, it is said that the Perfect Man has no self; the Holy Man has no merit; the Sage has no name."
Li Xinyue let out a breath and glared at Chu Junyi.
Chu Junyi was sitting in the armchair opposite her, holding a writing brush and scribbling something. After a moment, he put down the brush, looked up and asked, "What does 'It passes on just like this, never ceasing day or night' mean?"
Li Xinyue was stunned. Was this sentence in 'A Wandering Tour'?
She looked at him.
He looked back at her.
Thinking that she still needed his help to meet Murong Xiu, Li Xinyue swallowed her anger and answered, "It means that the flowing water rushes away in such a hurry, flowing day and night. It also means that time is like flowing water, never to return. It's also a sigh about how fast things change in life, and we should cherish time."
So -
She really thought he was wasting her time. Would he help or not!
Chu Junyi averted his gaze, turned his head to the side and coughed lightly, "Not bad. You've made great progress."
Li Xinyue asked anxiously, "So you can help me now, right?"
Chu Junyi remained silent.
Li Xinyue gritted her teeth in anxiety, "If you don't help soon, the exam will be here. Do you know what the exam means?"
"What?"
"It means..."
It meant that she would soon receive the grace of the emperor. But before that, if she couldn't win Murong Xiu's heart, she couldn't force him to marry her.
After all, he was the one she fancied and wanted to spend her whole life with. So she didn't want him to marry her reluctantly.
If it were the young marquis instead, she wouldn't have so many concerns.
Because Xia Chengjie's character wasn't worth her efforts!
"Forget it. I won't talk to you anymore."
The corner of Chu Junyi's mouth twitched.
Li Xinyue came up with another idea, "Well. I'll give you this set of writing supplies. You can help me now, right?"
Chu Junyi was a scholar, and scholars cherished ink as much as their lives.
Moreover, this set of Huizhou ink was a special tribute. Apart from the emperor, only she had it. The crown prince had wanted to exchange it with her for the South Sea night pearl many times, but she had refused.
Now, it was Chu Junyi's good fortune.
If he still refused to help after this, he didn't need to come to the princess's mansion anymore.
"Deal."
The next day, the weather was fine and the sky was clear.
The carriages of the Duke's Mansion and the princess's mansion stopped at the foot of a green mountain outside the city.
Several people got off each carriage. From the Duke's Mansion, there were Murong Xiu, Chu Junyi and a long-time attendant of Murong Xiu. From the princess's mansion, there were Li Xinyue, Lian'er and Yuan Xirou, the eldest daughter of Minister Yuan, who was known as the most talented woman in the Great Yan.
The moment Li Xinyue saw Murong Xiu, the knot in her heart that had been there for a whole day loosened a bit. She looked back at Chu Junyi and gave him a reassuring look.
This guy had finally done a good job. It was worth all the silver and writing supplies she had given him.
Oh -
Plus a visit from the most talented woman in the Great Yan.
The talented woman and the talented scholar could recite 'A Wandering Tour' for a lifetime.
Li Xinyue wanted to laugh but tried hard to hold it back.
After the four of them got off the carriages, they first went into the mountain to look for the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains.
Lian'er and Murong Xiu's attendant carried the food boxes, folding stools and other things with great effort.
Li Xinyue suddenly suggested, "How about the prince and I go to collect firewood? Mr. Chu and Miss Yuan can stay here to guard the food boxes in case the wild beasts eat them." After saying that, she gave Chu Junyi another look.
Chu Junyi turned his head to the side, and his hand in his sleeve tightened.
Li Xinyue, "..." She had praised him for nothing.
"I'd better go with the princess to collect firewood. How about the prince and the top scholar stay here to fish? I think the stream here is clean, so the fish must be big and fat. I haven't eaten wild game for a long time. I'm so hungry for it."
Yuan Xirou smiled shyly and looked at Li Xinyue pleadingly, hoping that she wouldn't leave her behind.
After all, she wasn't familiar with this top scholar.
Li Xinyue, "..."
Chu Junyi, who had been in a bad mood, felt better.
"What Miss Yuan said is right. Collecting firewood is such an easy job that it should be done by the girls. I and the prince will go fishing."
"Don't you know that where the water is too clear, there are no fish?" Li Xinyue said with a forced smile and gritted teeth, "Besides, do you know how to scale the fish? Do you have cumin to sprinkle on the grilled fish? There are already fish in the food boxes I brought, and they are deep-fried until they are crispy and sweet. You can even eat the bones.
Lian'er, bring out the fish."
"Yes."
Chu Junyi was speechless.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward.
They had just started their spring outing, and it had already turned out like this. How were they going to get along later?
Li Xinyue compromised, "Let's go together. We'll go pick wild fruits.
You men are in charge of climbing the trees and knocking down the wild fruits. Miss Yuan and I will pick them up.
I haven't tried the wild fruits on this mountain yet. It should be interesting to have a taste."
After she finished speaking, she looked at the other three.
Murong Xiu didn't mind.
As long as Miss Yuan wasn't left alone with a strange man, she was fine with anything.
Chu Junyi reluctantly agreed.
So it was decided.
When they went to pick wild fruits, Li Xinyue deliberately said that the fruits in the distance looked sweeter and wanted Murong Xiu to go with her to pick them. Before Chu Junyi and Yuan Xirou could say anything, she forced them to stay.
"We'll leave this area to you."
If they followed her, she would beat them up!
Yuan Xirou was frightened by Li Xinyue's fierce look and stood still on the spot. She then turned around and looked at Chu Junyi pitifully.
Chu Junyi thought that his perseverance day and night hadn't won her heart. He felt so frustrated that he didn't want to go and get angry. He might as well stay here and eat the sour fruits.
Li Xinyue let out a sigh of relief and then turned to talk to Murong Xiu properly.
Unexpectedly, Murong Xiu spoke first, "I didn't know about the rumors in advance, so I didn't come out to clarify them.
Please forgive me, princess." Murong Xiu turned around and bowed to Li Xinyue to apologize.
Li Xinyue was stunned. There were so many rumors. Which one was he referring to?
It was a long time before she guessed, under his solemn gaze, that it wasn't about the rumor that Princess Yuanyang was promiscuous. It should be about the time when her confession was rejected.
"Forget it. It's been a long time. I don't care about it anymore. I came here today because I have something to say to you.
I..."
"Could you please turn around? Otherwise, I can't say it." After all, what she was going to say next was different from the last confession. She only allowed herself to succeed, so she didn't have the arrogance she had before.
In addition, she had sent someone to dig several pits here yesterday for this very moment. She planned to pretend to fall into a trap and then be locked up with him to develop their relationship quickly.
If he didn't turn around, it would be difficult for her to find the pits.