Chapter 932: Chapter 931: Fuel to the Flames
On March 13th, a part of the imperial city was bustling with activity past noon, and the reason was simple: these carriages were all invited to attend the Picking Spring Festival banquet.
This super mansion, not far from the palace, had an endlessly long courtyard wall, and the street was already heavily congested. However, thanks to the Yamen Guards maintaining order, there wasn’t any major chaos.
Wufu was dressed as Xiao Li. Since she and Xiao Li were of similar age and build, after some careful disguise, she really looked no different from Xiao Li, wearing identical clothes. When she stepped out, everyone said they looked like twins.
“This Picking Spring Festival is so lively, such a hustle and bustle, pretty impressive,” Wufu said as she lifted the carriage curtain and looked out.
Yuan Ye sat beside her, listening to her speak in Xiao Li’s voice, his mouth twitching slightly as he couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, what’s with your voice?”
Wufu glared at him and said, “Call me Xiao Li.” Then she added, “Don’t ask, it takes a lot of training.”
Yuan Ye raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, aren’t you just fifteen? What kind of training have you gone through?
But catching a glance from his master, he wisely refrained from asking further and kept his mouth shut.
Ah Jiu then said to Wufu, “Since it’s hosted by the Eldest Princess, and the venue is the Tenth Prince’s Mansion, naturally there are many attendees. This Tenth Prince’s Mansion originally belonged to Prince Qing of the Former Dynasty, close to the palace, with ample grounds and beautiful scenery. It remained one of the most famous mansions over two dynasties. Now, at the beginning of spring, there are many notable sights in the mansion. Whether for the banquet or for the scenery, it’s all worth it.”
“Then Lao Shi is quite favored, huh? Without even being made a prince, he’s been given such a large mansion. It shows how much his father favors him, and his mother too,” Wufu said with a raised eyebrow.
However, a hint of disdain appeared in Ah Jiu’s eyes.
“What, am I wrong?”
“Getting such a large mansion before being made a prince is bound to provoke envy and hatred from others. The higher you climb, the harder you fall,” Ah Jiu scoffed.
“As the saying goes, a bright flame attracts the oil?” Wufu realized.
Ah Jiu nodded approvingly, “He’s only seventeen this year. There are plenty of people watching and coveting this prince’s mansion. Even the Nanyue Emperor’s own brother hasn’t gotten it yet.”
Wufu said, “Well, there’s nothing to be done. It’s all because of the status from his mother!”
Ah Jiu smiled but said nothing.
The carriage moved forward slowly like a snail. Wufu looked out again and saw that the wind had lifted a curtain of a carriage next to theirs, revealing a face with prominent cheekbones that looked rather mean before falling back down.
Wufu retracted her gaze and closed her eyes to rest.
Ah Jiu glanced at her, lowered his head, and quietly looked at the book in his hand.
The carriage stopped, and someone approached. Wufu opened her eyes, looked at Ah Jiu, then sat at the carriage door.
“Which family is inside? The carriages have to stop here; you’ll have to walk over.”
Wufu opened the carriage door. A guard wearing a yamen uniform stood outside, and she smiled, “Guard brother, can’t we go any further?”
“No further, there are several carriages for the guests, it’s impossible to move. You are male guests, get down and walk over. If you just stay stuck here, you’ll never get to the banquet,” the guard said impatiently before moving on to notify the next one.
Ah Jiu had already put down his book, tidied himself up, and prepared to get up. Wufu then jumped down, waiting by the carriage door in the guise of a servant, respectfully waiting for her master to step down.
When he stepped out of the carriage and looked around, sure enough, many people were also getting down from their carriages and walking forward. There were maidservants, grannies, and a line of servants following behind their masters, making for an impressive sight.