Chapter 463 - Follow-up (1/2)

Seeing that Yu Xiaocao had other guests, Li Mengru decided to leave now. She repeatedly reminded the other girl to be careful around Royal Prince Yang. Yu Xiaocao held back her laughter and easily promised the other maiden. She personally escorted Lin Mengru out of the drooping flower gate.

Suddenly, Xiaocao’s second-rank maidservant, Yingchun, walked by with the elegant and handsome as a god Royal Prince Yang. When she saw everyone, Yingchun bent over and gave a greeting, “Young Miss, this servant is taking Royal Prince Yang to go see the mistress…”

Royal Prince Yang? Li Mengru had kept her head lowered down carefully when she heard that there was an outside man coming in. Her heart was filled with equal parts of apprehension and curiosity. She couldn't help but stealthily raise her head slightly to look at the dark, shadowy figure who was behind Yingchun. Unexpectedly, her eyes met a pair of cold and piercingly fierce eyes. It frightened her so much that her heart stopped for two beats. She quickly lowered her head to her chest as if she was a scared little rabbit.

So scary! Sure enough, the rumors were not wrong. Royal Prince Yang’s gaze was as sharp as a knife and almost frightened her to death! Although she didn’t have the time to clearly see the other person’s external appearance, her mind automatically filled in the gaps to form a picture: a very tall figure that resembled an iron tower (Author’s note: the prince is wearing a black cloak, okay?) and a piercing gaze that could kill a person instantly. Incredibly dreadful! Would Younger Sister Xiaocao be bullied by this man later on?

Zhu Junyang could sense someone feeling very apprehensive and was concerned that someone was trying to scheme against his little lass. He opened up his mind to his power and unexpectedly heard Li Mengru’s train of thoughts. He didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry at this new information——this young maiden, whose courage was smaller than a bunny’s, had actually described him in such a fearsome manner and was even worried that he would harm Xiaocao? She was thinking too much, okay? He constantly thought about how to protect her better. How could he bear to harm a single hair on his lass’s head?

When that maid came to get him, who did she say was meeting Xiaocao? The concubine-born daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Ceremonies? She dared to ruin his great and mighty reputation in front of his lass. Should he give her a lesson? Forget it! Since his lass was treating that young maiden quite well, he would let her go this one time! His little lass wouldn’t be as timid as that girl. At most, he would likely be laughed at and teased by her. In any case, it wasn’t the first time this happened, so he was indifferent to it! As long as his lass was happy, that was what mattered!

Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow when he met the gleeful look in Yu Xiaocao’s eyes. His lips slightly curved up and he gave her a look that said, ‘this prince will be waiting for you’. Then, he left as if nothing had happened in that brief encounter.

Li Mengru, who had been scared speechless, clenched tightly onto her handkerchief and kept her head lowered as much as possible. Her legs were tightened in fear. Only after Royal Prince Yang’s figure completely disappeared did she finally let out a long sigh of relief. She felt as if she had just taken a stroll next to the gates of hell.

Until she entered her carriage, Li Mengru still had some lingering sense of apprehension. Jiner, who was holding the gifted box, also patted her chest in relief and slowly let out a sigh as she softly said, “Young Miss, earlier Royal Prince Yang was too scary! I could feel the air freeze when I was only three steps away from him. This servant was so scared that I didn’t dare to breathe! Oh right, Young Miss! Did you get a good look at what Royal Prince Yang looks like?”

“When I raised my head, I was so frightened by the sharp look in his eyes that I immediately lowered it again. I only saw that he was wearing all black and that he is very tall! Jiner, since Royal Prince Yang is so scary, do you think Younger Sister Xiaocao will be bullied by him?” Li Mengru was sincerely worried about the young maiden she had just gotten familiar with.

Jiner replied hesitantly, “I don’t...think so, right? With Lady Fang there, she wouldn’t let her daughter get pushed over! Furthermore...from what Miss Yu was showing, it’s unlikely that she’s very scared of Royal Prince Yang. Perhaps, those rumors...are all exaggerations! That being said, Royal Prince Yang can’t just get angry for no reason at any time. Young Miss, don’t be so worried!”

When they returned to their residence, the two of them were immediately escorted to the central courtyard where the legitimate wife lived by a maidservant who was waiting for them at the inner gate. Li Mengru’s legitimate mother, older legitimate sister, and a few of her younger legitimate brothers were all waiting in the reception hall. The sight somewhat resembled a joint hearing.

Li Mengru appeared a bit wilted when she saw this and gave the proper greeting as she softly said, “Li Mengru greets Mother.”

Lady Li had a sweet smile on her face as she waved a hand to summon this concubine-born daughter of hers who normally wasn’t very eye-catching. When Li Mengru arrived next to her, Lady Li gently said, “There’s no one that’s an outsider here, so there’s no need to be so stiff. Quickly sit down and drink a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up.”

Li Mengru couldn’t refuse an offer from the older generation, so she sat down on a small embroidered stool next to the chaise lounge in a reserved manner. She clasped a cup of tea in her hands and slowly drank it in small sips. Hm...the flavor of this tea was quite inferior to the tea at Younger Sister Xiaocao’s place.

Her older legitimate sister, Li Mengqi, didn’t wait before she finished her cup of tea before she impatiently came over and asked, “Younger Sister Ru, did Official Yu invite you over for some matter? Did she receive you with a platter of fruits?”

Li Mengru handed the teacup over to Jiner, who was standing next to her and gently replied, “Official Yu wants to cooperate with me as my ability to make cosmetics caught her eye. She wants to open a store together. Besides me, she also invited Older Sister Yuan from the prime minister’s residence to also work on this business.”

“Older Sister Yuan’s handcrafted duck egg powder is very famous throughout the capital. I would have never expected that younger sister’s dabblings in mixing cosmetics could also catch Official Yu’s attention…” Yuan Xueyan had a cold and indifferent personality. Ordinarily, she only interacted with those who were close to her, like kindred spirits. There were no more than ten people in the capital who had entered her circle of friends. When she saw that her concubine-born younger sister had the opportunity to interact with the legitimate daughter of the prime minister in a business collaboration, Li Mengqi’s voice became soured with a hint of jealousy.

Lady Li shot a faint glance of warning at her short-sighted daughter and smiled before she took over the conversation, “Mengru, were you able to get along with Miss Yu? How’s her temperament? Is she as crafty and tricky as rumored? You are one of the daughters of our residence, so there’s no need for you to cater to other people and wrong yourself!”

When she heard that her legitimate mother seemed to be defending her, the innocent and naive Li Mengru felt her heart warm. She replied in a moved manner, “Thank you, Mother, for thinking of me. Younger Sister Xiaocao is not as tricky and crafty as the rumors say. In fact, she’s the exact opposite. She has a very sweet personality and treats people with respect and courtesy. There wasn’t a hint of disdain in her demeanor when she talked with me, even though I am the daughter of a concubine. She not only took out good tea and refreshments but also presented a fruit platter of small tomatoes to me…”