Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 156 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (60)

The next morning, when Lu Liruan opened her eyes, she saw Yu'er and Zhu'er standing by her bedside, urging her on.

"Young Miss, get up quickly! Today is Master's birthday banquet!"

Lu Liruan sat up groggily and was pushed to wash up. She was then placed in front of the dressing mirror so that they could get ready together.

When Lu Liruan finally came to her senses, she looked at herself in the mirror and felt like a completely different person.

Normally, Lu Liruan could sleep as long as she wanted in Songjingyuan, and hadn't been woken up in a long time.

Lu Liruan thought to herself, she had never been able to sleep in until she naturally woke up in the Marquis of He'an's mansion, but she was living that kind of life every day in the palace.

Recalling Zhuang Yuxun's question from last night, Lu Liruan thought, "I've found another decent spot in the palace."

"What are you thinking about, Miss? Madam is waiting for you!" Seeing Lu Liruan lost in thought while eating breakfast, Zhu'er urged her softly.

When Lu Liruan arrived at Madam Gao's courtyard, Lu Wanqing and Lu Wanyun were already there.

"My sister went out to play behind our backs yesterday, and she's still sleeping in until this hour today?" Lu Wanyun complained, feigning concern.

“Who carried you on their backs? I was going to ask you if you wanted to go on the boat trip together, but you were all sleeping like little pigs, grunting and whimpering and I couldn’t wake you up. How am I supposed to take you out to play?” Lu Liruan retorted.

“The summer cruise isn’t just for one day, you…” Madam Gao, sitting in the main seat, began with a smile, but suddenly realized something halfway through her sentence.

The summer cruise wasn't a one-day trip, but Lu Liruan could only enjoy it for one day, so she stopped talking about it.

The bickering of her three daughters was so commonplace, so commonplace, that it felt like the old days, and Mrs. Gao was momentarily lost in thought.

Lu Liruan curled her lips and sighed, "Alright, it was still a bit chilly when I went out last night. It'll probably be even more lively when you guys go to play in a few days."

The timing was perfect; after a short while, guests who came to wish Marquis He'an a happy birthday began to arrive one after another.

Zhuang Yuxun arrived early as promised. After meeting Madam Gao, she stayed with the Lu Liruan sisters.

"Don't you have any other friends besides me?" Now that she was familiar with Zhuang Yuxun, Lu Liruan started teasing her.

Since entering the Marquis of He'an's mansion, Zhuang Yuxun has slipped away from her mother's side and moved to Lu Liruan's side.

Lu Liruan watched as Madam Zhuang turned her head several times, clearly searching for her missing daughter.

However, Zhuang Yuxun huddled close behind Lu Liruan, usually appearing carefree and fearless.

Under Mrs. Zhuang's search, it turned into a little turtle that had shrunk its head...

"Hey! Don't move!" Zhuang Yuxun nimbly moved behind Lu Wanqing and sighed to Lu Liruan:

“Every time I come to this kind of occasion, my mother has to introduce me to all the ladies.”

"What, you're still afraid of this?" Lu Liruan thought back to the first time she met Zhuang Yuxun, she was also avoiding her mother.

"I have nothing to be afraid of, I'm just impatient." Zhuang Yuxun saw that her mother finally turned her head away, then slowly straightened up and sat down with Lu Liruan and the others on the stone bench in the garden, pouring herself a cup of osmanthus wine.

"Those ladies flattered my mother, but their eyes couldn't hide their scrutiny and dislike for me. What's the difference between this and making a monkey show? I don't want to be that monkey at all."

Lu Liruan curled the corners of her lips. Zhuang Yuxun was very perceptive, and what she said was absolutely right. However, the way she told the story, with a touch of amusement and nonchalance, made it all the more interesting.

Are you angry with them?

"Why would I get angry with them? It's just pointless," Zhuang Yuxun said honestly.

"People with different values ​​cannot work together, but you can't just curse someone on the street because you have different values, can you?"

"Hahahaha!" Lu Wanqing, who was standing to the side, laughed so hard she bent over, clearly understanding her joke perfectly.

She herself is usually witty and sarcastic in her speech. Although she doesn't mean it, sometimes Lu Liruan feels that she is really just a natural talent.

“My mother is a very proper person, so she has always wanted to teach me, but Li Ruan knows that I’m not cut out for it.” Zhuang Yuxun is very clear about his own character.

"Don't underestimate yourself~ I actually really want to see you too..." Lu Liruan's hand, which she had just raised, was quickly stopped by Zhuang Yuxun.

She shook her head heavily: "No, you don't want to."

"Actually, it's not my fault. When I was little, my mother found someone to teach me needlework. My father stood on the roof beam and looked out the window. He saw that I had pricked my hand with a needle, so he took me out to ride a horse..."

"Huh?" Lu Liruan was taken aback.

"When I grew up, my mother wanted me to wear a skirt like other girls when I went out. He Pingyan secretly prepared a few pairs of pants for me. After I went out, he found a place for me to change into them before I went horseback riding and archery."

“…Who?” Lu Liruan thought she had misheard.

"He Pingyan, didn't Li Ruan meet you last time?" Zhuang Yuxun picked up an apricot, broke it in half, and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling.

It's because I've seen it before.

Lu Liruan recalled the tanned, handsome, and stern-faced young general, and she couldn't reconcile that image with the one who helped Zhuang Yu find her hidden pants and secretly took her horseback riding and archery.

Perhaps... everyone is different in front of their loved one?

"Sigh, I don't know when I'll be able to go back." Zhuang Yuxun sighed.

Lu Liruan didn't ask any further questions. She could guess that Zhuang Yuxun and He Pingyan's return to the capital at this time must be related to Ji Shumin.

Lu Liruan was very curious about what had made the Zhuang and He families, who had no involvement in the succession struggle, stand on Ji Shumin's side.

The second and third branches of the family also came today. Lu Liruan was not surprised. After all, those who came to congratulate Marquis He'an were all prominent families in the capital. How could they not come to socialize?

Lu Yushi's younger sister, Lu Yuhua, was playing in the yard with several younger children.

The second madam frowned and told them to go play in the back. Lu Yuhua then took her younger brother's hand and headed towards the small garden in the back.

The noble ladies of the capital had all come to greet Lu Liruan, but seeing that Lu Liruan had no interest in talking to them, they left in twos and threes.

Lu Liruan felt the same way as Zhuang Yuxun: these unmarried girls all had a scrutinizing look in their eyes that was inappropriate for their age.

It's as if you're talking and befriending the person in front of you, but you can't see the person at all; all you can see is their background and status.

There's nothing fun outside the palace. It's much more interesting to watch Ji Shumin eat and force him to eat a few more bites... Lu Liruan thought listlessly.

Lu Liruan's eyes casually followed the children playing hide-and-seek, then she suddenly noticed that Lu Yuhua's eyes looked tense.

As if sensing Lu Liruan's gaze, Lu Yuhua turned to the side and quickly moved out of Lu Liruan's sight.

With a slight frown, Lu Liruan sat up straight, and for some reason, a strange sense of vigilance suddenly arose in her mind.

Lu Liruan always trusted her intuition: "Has she come to our residence recently?"

"Ah? Her... She's come a few times with my second aunt. Every time she comes, she's always acting all haughty and taciturn!" Lu Wanqing glanced at her.

Have you ever been to my yard?

"What was she doing in your yard?" Lu Wanyun leaned closer.

Zhuang Yuxun, noticing that Lu Liruan's expression was off, put down his cup and asked, "What's wrong?"

Her sudden serious expression made Lu Liruan's heart tremble.

"Think about it carefully!"

“Once!” Lu Wanyun remembered.

"Once, her younger brother pushed her and she fell in the lotus pond in front of your yard. Her clothes were covered in mud, so she went to your yard to change her clothes!"

“Sister, she…” Lu Wanyun and Lu Wanqing also noticed that Lu Liruan’s expression was serious.

“It’s nothing. You all stay here and keep an eye on the rest of their families. Don’t let them out of your sight. I’m going back for a bit,” Lu Liruan simply instructed.

"Yu Xun, the Second Prince's concubine has been coming to see me a lot lately. I don't know... I don't know if I've said anything to her that she wants to hear!" Lu Liruan and Zhuang Yu Xun took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and left via the pebbled path.

While quickening her pace, Lu Liruan and Zhuang Yu searched for the path.

Lu Liruan wanted to know why Lu Yushi was clinging to her, which is why she allowed her to hang around her again and again, pretending to reconcile with her.

But just now, Lu Liruan's mind suddenly felt like it had been slapped by something!

Perhaps she doesn't have any grand purpose; she just wants to get some information from me! But what is it that she wants? Did I, in our casual conversation, give her what she's looking for...?

What if the news she wants isn't about the palace, but about the outside world?

What did you say to her?

“I don’t know… I don’t know what you and the Crown Prince are planning, but there’s no point in hiding it from me,” Lu Liruan calmly negotiated with her.

“I’m going to find out what he’s been hiding from me eventually.” Lu Liruan and Zhuang Yuxun went into their room without disturbing anyone else.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the window frame. Lu Liruan stood in front of the desk, the light and shadow casting half of her in the light and half in the shadow.

She looked at Zhuang Yuxun solemnly. Zhuang Yuxun looked at her and found that she resembled Ji Shumin in some ways. She was calm, intelligent and quick-witted, and could see through the mystery with just a few clues.

"Li Ruan, how did you find out?"

"Naturally, it was His Highness the Crown Prince who taught me that everything leaves a trace. Even seemingly unrelated things can be uncovered by focusing on a single point, revealing unexpected truths." Lu Liruan twitched the corners of her mouth.

"Wait a minute!" Suddenly, Zhuang Yuxun paused, listening intently. "I'll be right back!"

She moved swiftly, and Xiao Fu seemed to have heard something as well, taking small steps in one direction.

Zhuang Yu found it quickly. In her outstretched palm was a small section of hollow bamboo tube with a note inside.

After Zhuang Yuxun finished reading, his face immediately turned ugly. Lu Liruan, who was beside him, pulled the book in front of him without giving him a chance to refuse, but he couldn't understand anything about it. It was probably some kind of code.

"Something happened?" Lu Liruan's heart clenched, sensing that something unexpected had probably occurred.

“Li Ruan, let me tell you.” Zhuang Yuxun reacted quickly and made a decisive decision.

He leaned close to Lu Liruan's ear and whispered a few words. Lu Liruan frowned deeply and sneered, "He kept this from me too? It seems he's been lying to me from the very beginning..."

Seeing that she was angry, Zhuang Yuxun pursed her lips and thought to herself: This is a matter between the couple. Although she does not agree with the Crown Prince's decision, it is not something she can interfere with.

We're just waiting to see how the Crown Prince will handle things after this ordeal... But now is not the time to think about that.

After listening to Zhuang Yuxun's words, Lu Liruan pondered for a moment: "Do you think she's trying to hide something here with me? That way, it'll be safer?"

Zhuang Yuxun and Lu Liruan exchanged a glance: "It's possible. She sent something out of the palace and entrusted it to her sister, who took this opportunity to bring it to the Marquis of He'an's residence."

"Can you think of where it's hidden?" Even though there aren't many places to hide things around Lu Liruan's house, Gang Yu'er is still guarding inside, so it's probably impossible for her to get into the house.

"Let me think...let me think." Lu Liruan tried her best to clear her mind and recall what she and Lu Yushi had talked about in the past few days.

Zhuang Yuxun had already begun to skillfully search the courtyard for places where things could be hidden.

Yu'er, as instructed by Lu Liruan, had already gone to keep an eye on Lu Yuhua. Zhu'er just ran back and said that Lu Yuhua had returned to Madam Lu's side.

If she really hid something, then she must have hidden it all.

Hearing the distant sounds of drums and music, Lu Liruan knew that time was running out.

The servants in Lu Liruan's courtyard were ordered to watch the gate and prevent anyone from entering.

Suddenly, Lu Liruan heard the sounds of children playing and laughing outside the courtyard:

"You failed to catch me before! You're the one to catch me this time!"

"I don't want to! I'm going to hide! You'll never catch me!"

Amidst the children's arguing, Lu Liruan stood up: "Let's play hide-and-seek!"

"what?"

When Zhuang Yuxun saw her like this, he knew that she had remembered something.

“I told her about the time we played hide-and-seek in the mansion when we were little! I hid in the side garden outside the back gate of the courtyard!”

Lu Liruan lifted her skirt and ran towards one side of the courtyard, where there was a door that was not usually used. It turned out to be the door through which maids and servants entered the side room.

However, after the Marquis of He'an expanded the courtyard for Lu Liruan, this gate became useless!

Now that the vines are climbing the wall in summer, they are even harder to see.

"There was a rockery carved from stacked stones, with two caves inside. I hid and fell asleep inside one of them. My two younger sisters searched for me for an hour, and finally went crying to find our mother..."

Pushing open the creaking door, Zhuang Yuxun spotted the blurry footprints on the ground.

“Look.” She gestured to Lu Liruan.

The two walked into the garden near the back of the mansion. The garden was lush with trees and grass, and there was even a built-in hillside, which was very elegant.

But at this moment, the two headed straight for the rocks in the middle. Lu Liruan bent down and searched for the cave where she had once hidden.

Dust fell in a flurry onto Lu Liruan's head and body, making her cough. Just as she was about to pull away, her eyes caught sight of an exquisite sandalwood box at the deepest part of the cave!

"Found it!" Lu Liruan tried to reach it but got stuck, not knowing how Lu Yuhua had managed to stuff the thing so deep inside.

"I come……"

Before Zhuang Yu could finish speaking, he saw the girl in front of him roll up her sleeves, put her hands on her hips, and kick him.

"Pull-"

The stone blocking her way was kicked several feet away...