Volume 1: Gathering Winds Chapter 39: Delay of Three Days

  "It's not that I'm looking for you, but just to see if the Princess of Chang'an has returned to the mansion. If she hasn't, I'll have to inform Princess Jinxiu, so she won't think you've gone missing when she finds no one in the room." Yuhua said with a gentle smile, gazing at Anxin's calm face.

  "Black-hearted ghost, if you hadn't gone to Yu Ruan Garden, I would have stolen a glance at the beautiful woman today." After returning to Beijing safely, he did see several handsome men, but as for the beautiful women, except for the one standing outside the elegant room door, no one else caught his eye. He really wanted to take a look at the plump and slender beauties with heavenly fragrance, if conditions allowed, maybe even steal a glance or two to gain an advantage.

  "Qinglian girl is not considered a top beauty, she's not even as good-looking as you, it's not a pity if you haven't seen her." Yu Hua's eyes, like clear springs, seemed to flash with a hint of smile, but it was fleeting, and in an instant, it disappeared into the depths of her eyes, leaving no trace.

  "Is that so?" An Xin heard Yu Hua compare herself to Yao Jie, not getting angry at all, instead she lifted her hand and touched her own face, feeling the smooth skin, and nodded as if it was a matter of course, "If that's the case, next time you see someone who looks better than me, remember to let me know."

  Yu Hua raised an eyebrow and agreed readily, "Alright, but don't have too high of hopes either. Someone who looks better than you probably wouldn't end up performing at the Red Mansion."

  "Is that so? Then tell me, is there a stunningly beautiful official's daughter in the capital who can rival my beauty?" An Xin didn't mind Mo Yu coming to her room, but she was feeling extremely down at the moment, and finding someone to chat with to distract herself wasn't bad either.

  "The legitimate younger sister of Le Shizi and the daughter of the Cold Imperial Concubine in the palace, Princess Xianran, are together known as the Twin Jewels of the Capital." Yu Hua glanced at An Xin with a sideways glance, saying lightly.

  "Have you seen it?" An Xin's eyes sparkled with little stars, and she asked with a hopeful face.

  "Unfortunately, I have met the princess before, but I've already forgotten." Yu Hua thought for a moment and then shook her head.

  "How can you forget such a beautiful woman? How did you get the reputation of being a prodigy?" An Xin gave him a fierce stare.

  "I don't think she's good-looking." Yuhua smiled lightly and said seriously.

  "You're just good-looking." She said with a calm and disdainful glance at him, her elegant and delicate face.

  "People who say I'm good-looking are indeed many." Yuhua nodded, without a hint of embarrassment.

  "Arrogant, self-loving, self-righteous, deceiving oneself and others, underestimating one's own strength, boasting and bragging." An Xin ranted on and on, not even panting for breath, but saw that Yu Hua didn't show any signs of anger. Her jade-like face was calm and smiling, unruffled and serene. An Xin suddenly felt deflated, as if she was the only one putting on a show, without even an audience to egg her on. How unexciting! Moreover, the person she was mocking not only remained expressionless but also listened intently, truly infuriating.

  Her heart was already choked with anger, and her face turned red as if she had applied a layer of rouge, adding a few more touches to her already beautiful and moving face.

  Yu Hua gazed at An Xin's face, which was flushed with a rosy glow, and her eyes sparkled for a moment before she said nonchalantly, "The Princess of Chang'an is indeed well-read and talented, it seems she can recognize more than just large characters."

  "It's something I was born with, I don't need to learn it, what's wrong with that? Are you jealous? If you're jealous, then try to be reborn in the next life." She coldly snorted, her voice like a bomb exploding, its decibel level so high it made one's ears ache.

  "Since the Princess of Chang'an is so talented, then what you said in the palace a few hours ago was false? I won't hold it against you for deceiving me, but a woman who carries the fate of the phoenix must be extraordinary. Now that you have a wealth of knowledge and overflowing talent, I estimate that the rumors about you being the Phoenix Star are eight or nine out of ten true. I will now enter the palace to report this to His Majesty." Yuhua rarely spoke such a long passage, but her tone was still leisurely and calm, with a smooth voice.

  At ease for a moment, thinking that this person shouldn't have the ability to see through people's hearts, and even guessing what he is afraid of with clarity, it's simply a direct hit. Such a person should be the number one public son, why not change careers to become a fortune teller, wouldn't being the number one divine stick be better?

  "I was wrong, those few words were all I learned, actually I'm illiterate, can't even write my own name." An Xin stiffened his face and changed his tone to a hard one.

  "It's like that." Yuhua looked at her with a profound gaze, saying lightly, "Pack your clothes well tonight, and follow me to Ling Shan tomorrow."

  An Xin saw Yu Hua so easily untie her small braid, somewhat stunned, so easy to talk?

  "Can I go a few days later?" An Xin continued to smile and try her best, since she had something to ask for, she wouldn't be stingy with a pleasant smile.

  "Anything wrong?" Yu Hua raised an eyebrow.

  "En, I plan to tidy up the few young ladies in the mansion, make them kneel at my mother's feet and sing 'Conquest' after that, then go to Ling Shan." An Xin said directly, this person's mind is close to a demon, trying to deceive him won't work, it's better to tell the truth, he'll be more likely to agree.

  "What is Xiao San?" Yu Hua asked.

  "The third person refers to a woman who specializes in destroying the feelings between husband and wife, recklessly interfering with other people's marriages without any shame." After searching anxiously for more professional terms, she circled around herself and didn't understand either, so she simply said, "It's just a synonym for fox spirit."

  "Are you referring to General An's concubine?" Yu Hua raised an eyebrow and asked, seeing An nodding, "Princess Jinxiu is the eldest princess of Dongling, not just anyone dares to climb over her head."

  "That's not necessarily the case, Mingyue Princess is clever and cunning, who knows what kind of evil intentions she has hidden in her heart. Mother's temperament is gentle and weak, what if she takes advantage of my absence to cause trouble for mother? An Xin always felt uneasy, An Liancheng's heart was torn into pieces, no one knew how much his mother occupied in his heart, so relying on him was hopeless. As for her brother, the contact time was too short, and his thoughts were hidden too deeply, she didn't understand him before, so she couldn't feel at ease either."

  "Alright, it just so happens that I have something to attend to outside for the next two days. I'll give you three days to handle things, and then I'll come back for you." Yu Hua's eyes gleamed faintly as she gazed at An Xin for a moment before standing up and slowly leaving the inner chamber.

  He gazed intently at Yuhua's back, astonishingly discovering that every step he took was neither large nor small, and the distance between them was extremely close, as if measured with a ruler, very accurate.

  Three days, An Xin relaxed her body on the soft couch, her slender eyebrows slightly furrowed as she muttered to herself. What method could make Yun Mingyue encounter her mother like a mouse seeing a cat, not daring to move? Mouse? An Xin's eyes sparkled with light, wasn't there also Squeak?