Chapter 33
Accident
Under the sunlight, a tall and straight young man strode over. His skin was wheat-colored, and his facial features were handsome. A purple embroidered immortal crane cloud pattern wrapped around his slender and strong body. The silver threads of the immortal crane embroidery shone brightly in the morning light.
As he walked leisurely, his entire body emitted a noble aura that made people afraid to underestimate him.
Gu Yunrong lowered her eyes and looked away. Her sparkling face was a little gloomy, as if it was covered by a shadow.
These days, the news that the Empress Dowager was going to choose a consort for Kang Wang had spread throughout the capital. It was inevitable that Gu Yunrong would hear about it.
She trusted Kang Wang’s feelings for her, but she could not be certain that his will would not be swayed by the Empress Dowager.
Gu Yunrong bit her lower lip and sank her teeth into her delicate lips. It took all her strength not to lose her composure.
Everyone bowed, but Kang Wang ignored them and walked straight in the direction of Gu Yunrong, as if she was the only one in his eyes.
His eyes sharpened and a few flames danced in them, burning brighter.
As soon as Kang Wang entered the polo field, he saw Gu Yunrong chatting happily with Fang Mingfeng, who was beside her. They even exchanged knowing glances and smiles from time to time.
Even if he could not hear what they were talking about, he was sure that the two of them were chatting happily. At the very least, he was sure that Fang Mingfeng was still infatuated with Gu Yunrong.
Fang Mingfeng raised his chin and met the other man’s gaze without flinching.
Their gazes met fiercely in mid-air, sparks flying, neither giving way.
“Seventh Imperial Uncle, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have gotten my Third Brother to welcome you.” Princess Changqing walked over with a smile and broke the stalemate.
Kang Wang withdrew his gaze and looked at Princess Changqing. “I came at the last minute,” he said calmly.
Princess Changqing personally led Kang Wang to the bamboo shed in the center and sat down.
Gu Yunrong said without turning around, “Let’s enter first, it’s about to begin.”
Fang Mingfeng seemed to have received great encouragement, for he also got on his horse and guarded Gu Yunrong’s side. The others followed and entered the polo field one after another.
Clang!
There was a loud clang of gongs and drums, and the pageboy on the polo field struggled to throw up a white polo ball.
On the coffee table beside the gong was a small three-legged porcelain tripod. A finger-thick incense was lit at the same time as the gong sounded, and a wisp of smoke slowly curled upward.
The sound of galloping hooves echoed in the field, as fast as rain and lightning. The slender mozzies tied to their foreheads danced in the wind. One by one, they held their staves and chased after the only bow on the field like stars surrounding the moon.
It didn’t take long for Fang Mingfeng to hit the ball into the goal with the momentum of breaking bamboo. The red team took the lead, drawing a round of enthusiastic cheers and thunderous applause.
The blue team was not to be outdone and quickly scored their first goal.
The others on the sidelines cheered and clapped. The atmosphere on and off the field became more and more lively.
When the incense burned out, the first half of the game was over with another clang of the gong. Then, there was an intermission of about two cups of tea.
The red and blue teams’ scores were suspended at five to three, with the red leading by two goals.
The bamboo shed and the water pavilion were filled with cheers.
Seeing Gu Yunrong leave the polo field, Gu Yunzhen stood up anxiously. Her heart was heavy as she repeatedly thought about Gu Yunrong and Fang Mingfeng’s smiling faces.
She was not focused on the game and was determined to talk to her Third Sister after the first half.
Gu Yunzhen lowered her eyes slightly. In the next moment, she felt a tug on her sleeve tighten, so she subconsciously lowered her eyes only to meet a pair of clear black eyes.
“Big Sister, it’s boring sitting here. Let’s go play in the garden.” Gu Yanfei looked at Gu Yunzhen expectantly with her irresistible deer-like gaze.
Gu Yunzhen was a little hesitant, but Gu Yanfei had already pulled her hand and walked out of the water pavilion. As they walked, he said, “I heard that the garden of Prince Jing’s mansion was specially designed by the former assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, Lord Huang Changhe. It has uniquely-designed pavilions, gazebos, trees, ponds, and so on.”
“Indeed.” Gu Yunzhen nodded. She was not good at rejecting people, so she smiled and agreed. “It’s rare for us to come to Prince Jing’s mansion. Let’s take a walk around.”
Gu Yanfei smiled and held Gu Yunzhen’s arm as they left the Zhuoxin Water Pavilion.
Gu Yunzhen glanced in the direction of the polo field again, but Gu Yunrong was no longer there. Only her mount was leisurely swinging its long ponytail by the bamboo shed.
Sighing inwardly, she looked away as they strolled unhurriedly toward the gardens across the lake.
There were people coming and going from the water pavilion and the polo field. The horses were like swimming dragons, and it was very lively. In contrast, the garden was quiet and elegant. It had a hint of winding roads like a path leading from a bustling market into a forest.
In the golden autumn season, the garden was filled with the refreshing fragrance of flowers. Four seasons’ osmanthus, hibiscus, chrysanthemums, and other flowers bloomed all over the branche, beautiful and eye-catching.
The sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves and branches, scattering mottled light and shadow in disorder.
“This garden is indeed unique!” Gu Yunzhen took a deep breath of the fragrance of the air and sighed. “No wonder there’s a saying about the marvelous sights in the capital: the house of Prince Li, the garden of Prince Jing, and the wall of Prince Yu.”
Gu Yunzhen took the opportunity to talk about how many rooms there were in Prince Li’s residence and how tall the walls were.
Along the way, they saw others enjoying themselves in the garden from time to time. Some were feeding the fish, some were fighting in the pavilion, and some were strolling and admiring the flowers… It was so pleasing to the eye!
As they spoke, they passed a three-story building with an elaborate layout. The spire was tilted, and the glazed tiles shone in the sun. The plaque on the building wrote “Moonlight Tower.”
Gu Yanfei casually looked around. Her gaze landed on an octagonal pavilion not far away and paused for a moment.
“Big Sister, let’s go up and rest for a while. We can enjoy the scenery there.”
Under Gu Yanfei’s suggestion, the two of them entered the Moonlight Tower and went up the narrow stairs to the second floor.
The small building was empty and the windows on all four sides were wide open. A faint autumn breeze blew with warmth and coolness, the air fragrant and clean.
Gu Yunzhen felt refreshed and casually chose a seat by the window.
Looking down from the window, they could see the garden below. Everything from the polo field to the lake to the garden were in their line of sight.
“The view here is really good. It’s very suitable for painting…” Gu Yunzhen smiled as she wiped the sweat from her temples with a handkerchief.
Suddenly, her gaze paused and her pupils dilated. She saw two familiar figures standing in the octagonal pavilion on the northwest side of the small building. One was slender and graceful, and the other was tall and thin.
It was Gu Yunrong and Fang Mingfeng.
Gu Yanfei let out a low “Hmm?” and raised her eyebrows with interest.
In her previous life, she had been a caged bird. Trapped in the Marquis Mansion, she knew little about the outside world.
After Gu Yunrong’s marriage decree reached the Marquis Mansion, she learned about what had happened in Prince Jing’s Manor from the people around her. They said that the Moon Pavilion of Prince Jing’s Manor had been in disrepair for a long time, and termites had caused trouble and hollowed out the pavilion pillars. That day, the pavilion suddenly collapsed, and Gu Yunrong risked her life to save Kang Wang…
The main characters of this story should be Gu Yunrong and Kang Wang. Why was Fang Mingfeng here instead of Kang Wang?
Strange, very strange indeed.