Chapter 220

"I'll go and take a look," she said.

Finishing her words, she carefully folded the letter in her hand and handed it to Yin Lan. "Deliver it."

"Yes, madam."

Yin Lan and Huai An had been in contact more and more often, all because of this task of delivering the letters.

Lately, Huai An's gaze towards Yin Lan had become increasingly intense.

Yin Lan was experienced and naturally understood what it meant when a man looked at a woman with such infatuation. However, she had been hurt in love and would never be moved by a man again in this lifetime.

Thus, she could only disappoint Lord Huai.

With a faint expression, she ignored the burning desire in his eyes. "Lord Huai, here is the letter."

Huai An took the letter, smiling as he looked at the person in front of him. He felt an intense longing for her after just one day of not seeing her. "Good. By the way, Yin Lan, the Lantern Festival is approaching. Do you have any preferences—"

"No."

"Yin Lan, you—"

Yin Lan gracefully curtsied, her expression somewhat aloof. "Lord Huai, I must take my leave. Madam still needs me."

"Hmm, what's going on?"

Every time Yin Lan finished delivering a letter, she would leave without saying much. Huai An scratched his head in confusion. Could it be that she disliked him?

...

After lunch, Gu Ying took Yin Lan with her to the firewood room. Looking through the window, they indeed saw Nanny Sun snoring loudly, lying in a pile of grass. She was covered with a silk quilt, cushioned by a velvet mattress, and there was a well-burning charcoal fire on the ground, along with the unfinished hot wine from noon.

Gu Ying furrowed her brows. "Are these things all sent by the Cheng family?"

The two hidden guards guarding outside replied, "Yes, madam. Nanny Sun makes many demands, and the Cheng family always meets them. We are here on orders to guard, and the Crown Prince never said to let Nanny Sun die here, so we turn a blind eye."

Gu Ying narrowed her eyes, sensing that something was amiss. "Go and investigate Nanny Sun's background."

"Yes, madam."

Gu Ying had just returned to the main hall of Changfeng Pavilion from the firewood room. She had taken a fur coat and was sitting by the incense burner to warm herself when Yanzhi rushed in, her face flushed. "Madam! Miss Ning is here! She's waiting outside!"

Gu Ying was delighted. One of her few good friends had come to visit her at the mansion. She put on the fur coat and hurriedly went out to greet her.

After a while, she saw Ning Si entering Changfeng Pavilion wearing a crimson hood.

From a distance, Ning Si smiled and said, "Sister Ying, how have you been?"

Gu Ying held up an umbrella and quickly walked over to shield her from the snow. However, she was walking too fast and felt a sudden cramp in her abdomen. She endured it and didn't pay much attention, smiling as she asked, "Si, I heard you jumped into the water that night. It startled me."

"Didn't you teach me that?" Ning Si replied.

"I didn't ask you to jump into the water on a freezing winter day."

Ning Si remembered the time she spent in the palace, with Prince Duan by her bedside day and night, despite his ailing body. She blushed and said, "If I hadn't jumped into the water and pushed Prince Duan to his limits, how would he have shown his true feelings for me? Gu Ying, despite being younger than you, you are much wiser."

Gu Ying smiled and replied, "I was just an impartial observer, Ning Si. How are you feeling now?"

Ning Si, two years older than Gu Ying, took her hand and smiled. "Much better. My dizziness and blurred vision are gone, and my mood has improved."

The two of them chatted and laughed as they entered the main room.

Gu Ying instructed Yanzhi to take Ning Si's maid, Qing Yun, downstairs to warm herself by the fire. She also asked Yin Lan to prepare some hot tea and pastries.

Since the Crown Prince left, Ning Si had been living alone in the spacious Changfeng Pavilion, and it was not just lonely, but also filled with reminders of the Crown Prince at every turn.

She managed to keep herself busy, but in her moments of leisure, she couldn't help but reminisce. Now that Ning Si was here, it brought some relief to Gu Ying's melancholy, and the Changfeng Pavilion became lively for a change.

The two of them took off their cloaks and sat happily around the charcoal stove. Yin Lan and Qing Yun brought the pastries, and then discreetly closed the door.

The maidservants were enjoying themselves in the adjacent room, and even Yin Zhu, who had been halfway through reading a book, joined them in playing cards.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

In addition to their connection from their past lives, Gu Ying's feelings for Ning Si in this life were different from other girls.

She admired Ning Si's appearance—a face shaped like an oval, delicate eyebrows the color of shallow green, a straight and slightly upturned nose, rosy cheeks like snow, beautiful eyes that were clear and gentle, exuding an air of grace and virtue.

Ning Si also had an excellent temperament, and when she loved someone, she did so with sincerity, remaining faithful until the end, never causing harm to anyone.

When Gu Ying was suffering in Jiangyin Prefecture, Ning Si was the only person who came to visit her. At that time, Ning Si's life in Prince Duan's residence was not good either, but she still gathered the strength to comfort Gu Ying, always saying that things would get better and urging her to live well.

It was a pity that the girl who had encouraged her to live well took her own life in front of her lover's coffin.

And Gu Ying, trapped in a dilapidated temple, endured ten years of torment, unable to live, yet unable to die.

Their tragic lives could be considered evenly matched.

Gu Ying hadn't reminisced about her past life for a long time, but now, seeing Ning Si, she felt a surge of emotions. She held Ning Si's small hand tightly and didn't want to let go.

No matter what, Ning Si must be happy with Prince Duan.

Ning Si smiled and took a few glances at Gu Ying, sighed, and said, "Ever since I saw you at the palace banquet, I was amazed by your beauty. And now, seeing you up close, it's like you're made of water—pure and ethereal, like a celestial fairy. The more I look at you, the more I like you."

As a young girl, she blushed and her heart raced just by staring at Gu Ying's beauty. If a man saw her, who knows how weak he would become?

There were rumors that the Crown Prince had fallen under her spell, and it was not merely baseless gossip.

This exquisite beauty, who used to be hidden and kept by the Gu family, is now exposed to the public eye. It's unknown whether that's a blessing or a curse.

She looked around and saw that the room was gorgeously decorated and cozy, clearly showing that it had been carefully arranged. "Huh? I've heard people say that the Crown Prince loves Huo Qiyun. After you married into this family, you even poisoned Huo Qiyun to vie for favor. Gu Ying, is this true or false?"

She had been worried about this while in the palace, and now that she had finally come out, she naturally wanted to clarify things.

Gu Ying smiled helplessly and replied, "Rumors are not trustworthy. I didn't administer that poison; she did it to herself."