Chapter 271 A Small Gift
The people next to them also shut their mouths and lowered their eyes.
The meeting continued.
But everyone's eyes would drift to Su Wuli between conversations.
She sat there, her eyes unsure where to look, and gradually her gaze drifted to the plate of pastries on the table.
He didn't notice the occasional smiling glances that drifted over from the side.
When the meeting ended, the ministers stood up, bowed, and filed out.
The room fell silent.
Yu Chen leaned back in his chair and turned his head to look at her.
Su Wuli turned to look at him and asked, "Should I not have come?"
Yu Chen rested his elbows on the table and his fists on his head. "This is my residence. You can go wherever you want."
"But I've heard a lot about what's going on in your court, is that alright?"
Su Wuli's tone betrayed a hint of worry that this might cause him trouble.
Yu Chen countered with a question, "What do you plan to do after hearing that?"
His voice carried a hint of deliberate intent.
She looked up at him and saw the ambiguous smile in his eyes. Suddenly, she understood something.
She spoke with a hint of embarrassment, "I...didn't quite understand."
As soon as he finished speaking, a smile appeared in the man's eyes.
"It's all just boring stuff; if you don't understand it, you don't understand it."
"Oh." Su Wuli nodded.
Yu Chen raised his hand and pushed the pastries toward her.
When the plate was moved over, the bottom of the plate made a very soft sound as it scraped against the table.
Her gaze followed the plate of pastries and she glanced at him.
"Didn't you watch for a long time?" Yu Chen said, unable to help but laugh.
Upon hearing this, Su Wuli blushed and asked, "How did you know?"
"I just knew it." Yu Chen didn't explain, but instead pushed the snacks over a bit more.
Su Wuli met those soft-colored eyes and couldn't help but smile.
He then picked up a pastry and took a bite.
He leaned back in his chair, put down the teacup he was holding, and rested his fingers on the rim of the cup.
While eating, Su Wuli subconsciously picked up a piece and handed it to him.
Yu Chen didn't immediately reach out to take it, but looked down at the pastry.
"Try it." Her voice softened slightly. "It's quite delicious."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man reached out not to take the snack, but to grasp her wrist.
His large hand gripped her slender wrist, his thumb pressing against the inside.
Su Wuli was slightly taken aback when she saw him lower his head and take a bite of the pastry from her hand.
"Mmm, delicious."
His gaze remained fixed on her face.
Su Wuli's breath caught in her throat under his gaze, and she subconsciously opened her mouth.
"I didn't ask you if it tasted good."
She pulled her hand back and took a bite of her pastry.
The next moment, a warm hand reached out and gently touched the corner of her lips.
A tingling sensation ran through her as his rough fingertips brushed against the corner of her mouth.
She flinched, and he had already pulled his hand back.
"I'm going out later, so I'll have Chuhe take you back."
"Oh." Su Wuli nodded.
After Yu Chen took the Shadow Falcon out, Su Wuli stood at the entrance of the council hall.
A cool breeze blew in from under the eaves.
I looked down at my thin pajamas, which clung to my body in the wind.
She instinctively shrank her neck.
Chu He appeared out of nowhere, smiling broadly, "Are you cold, young lady?"
"Hmm." Su Wuli nodded. "A little."
"The new clothes that His Highness ordered to be made a couple of days ago just arrived yesterday. Would you like to go back and change into them, young lady?"
"Okay." Su Wuli said, shrinking back a little.
Chuhe and I returned to the courtyard together.
Chuhe unfolded the newly made clothes.
A red dress, but not the kind of garish red.
Like maple leaves in late autumn, they gleamed dimly in the sunlight.
The skirt is very large, spreading out like a red cloud, and the fabric is quite thick.
The upper garment is light apricot-colored, with exquisite embroidery on the neckline.
Su Wuli couldn't help but reach out and touch the fabric; it felt very comfortable.
He mentioned he would do it last time, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon.
The dress fits me perfectly in every way.
The light apricot-colored top made her neck look very white, and the red skirt hem reached her feet, revealing a bit of her shoe tips.
Chuhe helped her fasten her belt, took two steps back, and tilted her head to look at her for a while.
"You're so pretty, girl." Chuhe blushed as soon as she finished speaking.
Su Wuli came out and stood under the corridor.
Sunlight shone on her, and her red dress gleamed with a thin layer of gold in the light.
A breeze blew in from the courtyard, causing the hem of her skirt to sway gently.
"Would you like to go for a walk, young lady?" Chu He asked. "The sun is shining brightly today."
She noticed that the girl didn't seem to like embroidery or anything like that, and that she would be bored staying indoors all day.
"Mm." Su Wuli nodded.
Chuhe smiled and led the way, and the two walked slowly along the path.
Chuhe was the one who introduced most of it.
Not long after walking in the garden, I suddenly saw Qiaosheng running towards me in the distance.
She ran so fast that the wisps of hair on her forehead were blown by the wind.
After standing still and bowing, he had a hesitant expression on his face.
He opened his lips several times, but swallowed the words back down.
"What's wrong?" Su Wuli looked at her in confusion.
Qiaosheng's eyes darted away, not daring to look at her, and her voice was very low.
"Miss, a woman has come to the front courtyard. She was sent by Minister Gu of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. She said... she said it was a small gift for the Prince."
Upon hearing this, Su Wuli was taken aback.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Chuhe asked, disbelieving.
Qiaosheng shook her head, "This servant saw it clearly, that girl looked..."
Her voice trailed off as she stole glances at Su Wuli, too afraid to continue.
Su Wuli met her gaze, her brows furrowing slightly.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do. Yu Chen had gone out, and she had never experienced anything like this before.
"Miss, would you like to go take a look?" Chuhe tentatively suggested from the side.
In her mind, Su Wuli was already the mistress of the mansion.
If an outsider wants to send someone to the prince, the mistress of the house must naturally approve it.
"Should I go see it?" Su Wuli asked, confused.
Chuhe nodded.
Seeing this, Su Wuli hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, let's go take a look first."
The two followed Qiaosheng to the front yard.
forecourt.
The woman stood under the eaves, wearing a light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
It was quiet and still, like a newly transplanted flower that hadn't yet adapted to the new soil.
Su Wuli stood behind the moon gate, watching from afar through a flower wall.
The woman's profile was soft in the sunlight; her lips were pursed, and the corners of her mouth naturally curved slightly, as if she were smiling but not quite.
The more Su Wuli looked at the woman, the more familiar her features seemed, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
After staring at it for a few seconds, it suddenly dawned on me.
Like herself.
Qiaosheng stood to the side with her head down, and Chuhe's expression was also not good.
Neither of them spoke.
Su Wuli stood there for a while before leaving.
Qiaosheng and Chuhe followed closely behind.
The woman turned around first upon hearing the noise.
When he saw Su Wuli, his gaze lingered on her face for a moment before quickly looking down.
He quickly squatted down and bowed, his movements were so standard that no one could find fault with them.
Gu Mingyuan stood at the entrance of the front hall, watching this scene with a smile.
He smiled even more broadly when he saw Su Wuli come out, put down his teacup, walked out of the hall, and bowed.
"You must be Miss Su?"
His words were spoken with a smile.
"Hmm." Su Wuli nodded, looking at the man in front of her with some wariness.
Gu Mingyuan's smile paused for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
He pointed to the woman and said, "This is a distant niece from my clan. She has no one left at home and came to stay with me a few days ago."