She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 15: Good Wine Goes with Good Food, Commandery Princess Falls into Water

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Good Wine Goes with Good Food, Commandery Princess Falls into Water

"Catch him!" Lin Yanran ordered her maid frantically to chase the little boy.

The boy looked robust and exceedingly cute, clothed in a short jacket, darting through the crowd like a swift fish, making a fool of Lin Yanran’s maid round and round.

Lin Yanran was fuming with anger, and at that moment, a gust of wind blew through the mountains, sending a chill through her wet clothes right down to her bones.

"Go change into another one, you didn’t bring just one, did you?" Qin Wu said with a smile to Lin Yanran. Having been raised in the Imperial Palace from a young age, she was not a princess without a brain. She saw right through the tactics of Lin Yanran.

Lin Yanran was livid, her beautiful face contorting viciously: "That child calls Yan Wanqing elder sister, it must be Yan Zizhuo from the Yan Family—that outrageous and unruly brat!"

"Watch your language." Qin Wu couldn’t be bothered to look at her and stood up to approach the child, who didn’t manage to escape this time.

"Is Yan Wanqing your elder sister?" Qin Wu asked.

Yan Zizhuo, acting like a little adult, sized up Qin Wu: "You’re that favored little princess from the Qin State?"

Qin Wu was taken aback for a moment: "You’re quite clever for a child."

"It’s not hard to guess. Just by observing Miss Lin’s attitude toward you, one can tell your status is extraordinary. Usually, it’s all familiar faces, and you’re the only stranger. Looking at your garments and jewelry, it’s easy to figure out." Yan Zizhuo explained fluently.

Qin Wu’s gaze shifted briefly once more to the feigning Yan Wanqing. Just as she was about to speak, she noticed the palace attendants suddenly bustling around, and then a shrill, high-pitched announcement rang out.

"The Empress has arrived—"

Then they saw a magnificently dressed, majestic woman proceed slowly to the main seat amid the crowd’s escorts. To her surprise, Lin Yanran who had just been gossiping by her side, was now in a new set of clothes, shooting a fierce glare at Yan Zizhuo when she saw him.

Yan Zizhuo was not frightened in the least, standing behind Qin Wu, he scoffed: "That was quick."

Qin Wu: "..." Who’s being childish?

Before she could say more, the little troublemaker who had hidden behind her zipped to the back. When she turned around again, she saw Yan Wanqing casting a bend in her eyebrows and eyes toward her, causing Qin Wu’s heart to skip a beat.

This woman, how she smiled like a soul-ensnaring fox.

In a daze, she heard the palace attendant call out again for everyone to pay respects to the Empress. After the formality, Qin Wu reluctantly returned to her own seat.

At that moment, she heard the Empress ask, "Where is the Crown Prince?"

The crowd lowered their heads. It had begun. The Empress was starting her provocations.

The servant who was asked whitened and knelt down saying, "The Crown Prince has not yet arrived."

"Not yet arrived?" The Empress narrowed her long eyes, revealing a scornful smile: "No wonder, the Crown Prince is preoccupied with the affairs of the state. It’s fine if he is late."

Everyone knew very well, after the previous empress passed and the new one took position, she had yet to produce any issue for many years. With the Crown Prince of age and the Emperor’s health failing, there still hadn’t been any plans for abdication.

Instead, he was obsessed with alchemy, foolishly longing for ascension and immortality, coveting what mortals cannot have.

Thus, the relationship between the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince had become increasingly tense recently.

Just then, the palace attendant announced the arrival.

"The Crown Prince has arrived—"

The figure in a dark purple robe appeared from amidst the bonfires on either side, stepping forward as if a deity graced the mortal realm, causing the faces of the noble ladies to blush.

The Crown Prince Xiao Pingfeng took off his robe and sat down without uttering a single word to the Empress. The surrounding attendants were as silent as cicadas in winter. The Empress, seeing his arrival, showed a trace of indignation, yet said nothing more and instructed the attendants to pour wine. Melodious music played, and the atmosphere gradually became noisy.

As the feast progressed, scholar-officials gathered in groups, chanting poems and engaging in poetic exchanges, while the ladies sat under plum trees discussing rouge and fragrances. Children frolicked with lanterns through the crowds... At night, the scent of plum blossoms wafted through the air and the crackling of firewood in the bonfires could be heard. Occasionally, a warm breeze would carry the intoxicating scents, causing everyone to become slightly tipsy, and their behaviors gradually grew unrestrained...

Yan Wanqing also took a small sip, wrapping herself in her cloak and squinting as she looked around. Through the drifting white gauze, she saw that dark purple figure surrounded by scholar-officials, several of whom were engaged in conversation.

During the chatter, many women threw their sachets towards the Crown Prince, and in the blink of an eye, the ground was littered with numerous sachets. The Crown Prince, of course, would not stoop to pick them up himself; hence, the palace attendants at his side busied themselves bending over to gather them up and place them on a tray, which gradually piled up like a small hill.

Perhaps sensing that he was being watched, the dignified figure turned to look over, and Yan Wanqing, unprepared, found herself caught in those deep eyes. Across the bonfire, through the white gauze, and amidst the night shadows, they gazed at each other.

Suddenly, she recalled the night before when this person frivolously pinched her waist and teased, "Your waist is really slim."

Her cheeks instantly grew warm, and Yan Wanqing quickly shifted her gaze away, reaching for the wine cup on the table and bringing it to her mouth. But she drank too eagerly and choked, coughing up tears.

Xiao Pingfeng noticed the glistening at the corner of her eyes, and a hint of amusement flashed in his gaze.

So clumsy.

Yan Wanqing, having accidentally drunk the wine, felt a fiery sensation in her throat, which alarmed the nearby Cong Ge, who quickly passed her some water to drink.

"It’s nothing," Yan Wanqing pushed away the warm water.

Cong Ge took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that had been coughed up at the corner of her eyes.

Yan Wanqing felt a burning warmth flow from within her chest, leaving her slightly intoxicated: "Come to think of it, I haven’t had a drink in many years... The taste of wine is still quite something."

She chuckled lightly, and despite Cong Ge’s attempts to stop her, she drained the remaining wine from her cup in one go.

"What a good wine!"

Good wine naturally calls for good dishes. freewёbnoνel.com

Yan Wanqing saw the Empress, her cheeks flushed from drinking, being helped by palace attendants, staggering towards the outside. Her clear eyes gradually filled with a solemn chill.

The dishes were served.

"I feel a bit stuffy, help me to the lakeside to catch a breeze," Yan Wanqing said to Mo Shan.

Mo Shan was taken aback at first, but quickly realized what was asked and helped her stand up.

She hadn’t expected Yan Wanqing to call her instead of Cong Ge.

Scattered along the stream’s bank were also a number of people airing themselves out to sober up. Mo Shan helped Yan Wanqing sit on a stone stool by the stream. The cold breeze cooled Yan Wanqing’s heated cheeks.

She exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

"I have seen Princess Anping," a delicate voice came from behind, and Lin Yanran, accompanied by a maidservant, approached slowly.

Lin Yanran sized up Yan Wanqing from head to toe; now without the veil, sitting leisurely on the stone, turning her head gently, she resembled a night-blooming cereus, aloof and unapproachable.

"You are the daughter of the Lin Family’s head," Yan Wanqing gave a sign to Mo Shan with her eyes, and Mo Shan retreated to the side.

Seeing that Yan Wanqing recognized her, Lin Yanran felt a surge of pride and advanced a few steps: "I feel a bond with the Princess as if we have known each other for a long time and have some personal matters to discuss. May I know if it’s convenient for you?"

Mo Shan slightly furrowed her brow, aware that Lin Yanran had feelings for Xiao Hongshen, and feared that this visit did not bode well.

Just as she was about to warn Yan Wanqing to be cautious, she saw Yan Wanqing smile gently, "Of course it’s convenient."

Mo Shan and Lin Yanran’s servant girl withdrew to a distance, as she watched uneasily Lin Yanran cover Yan Wanqing’s slender figure, her sense of unease growing.

Soon after, a shrill scream from Lin Yanran was heard, and the next moment, Yan Wanqing was pushed into the rushing stream!

Princess Anping had fallen into the water!