Chapter 239 Unexpected Reunion

Nian Jiaojiao took a bite of a dried fish, continuing to admire the lineup of handsome men in Prince Duan's household.

Suddenly, the chopsticks she had extended to grab a dried fish paused.

No way, she wasn't mistaken, was she?

Nian Jiaojiao couldn't believe her eyes.

She actually saw Bai Qingqing among Prince Duan's consorts?

At this moment, Bai Qingqing had already walked over, and Prince Duan, along with these consorts, took their seats above.

"Wife, wife."

A soft reminder from Tong Ziyao reached her ears.

Nian Jiaojiao immediately withdrew her gaze. Staring at Prince Duan's consorts like this was indeed inappropriate. Fortunately, it wasn't noticed by anyone with ulterior motives.

Tong Ziyao asked curiously,

"Wife, do you know anyone among them?"

Nian Jiaojiao nodded vaguely.

She supposed she knew him.

However, he was the kind of person who would definitely cause trouble if he recognized her.

Little did she know, the moment she stared blankly at Bai Qingqing was clearly seen by Qin Binbin, a "person with ulterior motives."

Qin Binbin looked at the "plain-looking" Bai Qingqing with hostility, feeling confused.

Did this Nian Jiaojiao have no problem with her eyes? The other day, when he went to find her in his male guise, she didn't even spare him a second glance. Now she was staring blankly at such a mediocre man?

Because Prince Qin's seat was at the front, Bai Qingqing quickly noticed a "beautiful" woman constantly staring at him.

He frowned and looked over, giving her a look that said, "You can't possibly reach me."

Qin Binbin choked.

He tightened his grip on the wine glass.

What on earth was that?!

At this moment, Prince Duan began to speak from above, and the scene quieted down.

"Thank you all for coming specifically to celebrate my birthday today. Here, I toast everyone."

The guests quickly stood up, raising their wine glasses, and said in unison:

"Congratulations to Prince Duan on his birthday!"

Afterward, everyone raised their heads and drank the wine in their glasses.

Seeing this, Prince Duan laughed heartily before slowly finishing the wine in his own cup.

"Hahaha, Third Brother, happy birthday!"

Just then, a smug laugh was heard. Everyone frowned and looked towards the newcomer. Upon seeing who it was, not a single person dared to speak.

"Second Sister, why are you here?" Prince Duan frowned.

That's right, the newcomer was the Second Prince, Prince Ying.

However, Prince Ying's arrival made the atmosphere rather awkward.

After all, who in the Great Yue Dynasty didn't know that the Second Prince and the Third Prince were like fire and water, the two princes who clashed the most fiercely.

Prince Ying seemed not to have heard the unwelcoming tone in Prince Duan's voice. Instead, she casually took the main seat, sat beside Prince Duan, and hugged her arm.

"Third Brother, listen to what you're saying. It's your birthday, how could your Second Sister not come?"

After speaking, she looked at the guests seated above and said with a smile,

"Oh dear, quite a few people have come."

The princes seated above were alright, but the heads of the three major families were quite awkward, all lowering their heads.

There was no help for it, as Prince Ying had tried to win them over a while ago, only to be politely refused.

As the three major families that hadn't taken sides, their position was very awkward.

Prince Duan naturally couldn't let Prince Ying continue to pressure these families in front of her. So she stood up and said to everyone,

"Everyone, please eat, drink, chat, and amuse yourselves as you please. Don't be constrained. My Second Sister and I have things to discuss, so we won't be able to personally host you for the time being."

As soon as Prince Duan finished speaking, everyone present felt a sigh of relief.

After Prince Duan took Prince Ying to the inner hall, the scene became lively again.

...

At this moment, Cui Qingluo, sitting beside the Cui family head, quietly said to Cui Tong,

"Tong brother, it's a bit boring here. Shall we go wander over there?"

Cui Qingluo was referring to the garden southwest of the prince's mansion, which had a pavilion, an arched bridge, and a lake. The scenery was nice, and more importantly, it was a distance from where everyone was, making it relatively quiet and secluded.

Cui Tong looked and also felt a bit tempted.

After greeting the Cui family head, Mother Cui, the two walked hand in hand towards the pavilion.

Meanwhile, seeing that Tong Ziyao was a bit bored, Nian Jiaojiao also proposed to go for a walk.

When Nian Jiaojiao and Tong Ziyao arrived at the pavilion, they saw the Cui Tong and Cui Qingluo brothers already sitting there.

Nian Jiaojiao recognized the two at a glance. However, to the two of them, Nian Jiaojiao was a stranger and beautiful woman, accompanied by a well-mannered consort.

Nian Jiaojiao prepared to lead Tong Ziyao away towards the bridge, but Cui Tong's voice came from behind.

"Miss, this pavilion is large. If you don't mind, perhaps you could enjoy the scenery with us."

Cui Qingluo did not object to Cui Tong's words.

After all, this was the prince's mansion, and he wasn't so overbearing as to think that just because he arrived at the pavilion first, others couldn't stay.

Nian Jiaojiao glanced at Tong Ziyao to seek his opinion. Seeing Tong Ziyao nod in agreement, she simply took him and sat opposite the Cui brothers.

From the pavilion where Nian Jiaojiao and the others were sitting, they could see the red walls and high courtyards, with green willows swaying by the walls, rockeries standing tall, and plantain leaves unfurling. A bluestone path led to the pavilion here.

From the other side of the pavilion, one could also see the lake and the arched bridge not far away, truly a quiet and beautiful spot.

However, Nian Jiaojiao had been sitting here for a long time. While she found it normal for others not to speak, Cui Qingluo's silence from beginning to end was somewhat surprising to her.

Was he always such a quiet person?

Nian Jiaojiao suddenly recalled that when she was still "Qiu Yu," he had a mouth as capable of babbling as Xingyun's, and she couldn't help but shake her head.

"Wife, have you thought of something interesting?"

Tong Ziyao asked.

Nian Jiaojiao chuckled and said,

"It's nothing, just a bit of confusion..."

She looked up at the sparrows flying on the branches, and with a thought, she changed her wording.

"I'm just wondering, look at those sparrows, aren't they very cute with their chirping?"

Tong Ziyao hesitated and nodded.

However, he couldn't quite understand why she suddenly started talking about sparrows.

Nian Jiaojiao continued,

"What if, one day, these sparrows stop chirping? Wouldn't that make one worry if something was wrong?"

Nian Jiaojiao's words left the three men present baffled.

However, Cui Tong suddenly asked,

"Are you two from Qingzhou?"

Tong Ziyao nodded and replied,

"Yes, how did you know?"

Cui Tong smiled and said,

"It's nothing. I just feel that your accent is somewhat similar to an 'old acquaintance' I know."

After Cui Tong finished speaking, Cui Qingluo's eyes also stirred.

Yes, the Qingzhou dialect was indeed both familiar and strange.

Thinking back to before, he had listened to stories in the Qingzhou accent all the way.

He had even found it annoying at the time...

But it had been more than two years now...

Thinking of this, Cui Qingluo lost himself in thought.

More than two years... She should have gone from a young nun to a seasoned old nun by now, right?