At this moment, the maid's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Miss, someone is looking for you!"
Xu Lan finally came to her senses and looked towards the door: "Who?"
"Lin Wangfu, Miss Zhiyuan."
Kite?
Xu Lan was stunned. She came to see him?
Is there anything wrong?
Soon, Xu Lan realized something... and a look of panic briefly appeared on his face.
But then he quickly calmed down.
She took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I got it!"
She slowly lifted the quilt, stood up from the bed, straightened her clothes, looked at her slightly flushed face in the bronze mirror with watery eyes, bit her lower lip lightly, and quickly shook her head.
After the shock had completely subsided and he had calmed down, and there was no sign of anything abnormal, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Turn around and open the door.
Outside the door, the maid had been waiting for a long time.
"Let's go."
Xu Lan spoke lightly, walked out of the room and came to the lobby of Xu Mansion.
In the pavilion, a kite in purple stood there, having been waiting for a long time.
"Sister Kite?"
Xu Lan smiled and walked forward slowly: "How come you have time to come to see me today?"
The Lin and Xu families are old friends and live in the same city of Linjiang, so Xu Lan and Zhi Yuan are naturally acquaintances of each other.
Although Zhiyuan was nominally a maid in Prince Lin's mansion, anyone who knew her would never simply regard her as a maid.
As the eldest daughter of the Xu family, Xu Lan frequently visited Prince Lin's mansion, so she was naturally familiar with Zhi Yuan, and the two had a pretty good relationship...
At least that's what it looks like on the surface.
Zhiyuan looked at Xu Lan in front of him, took a quick look at her, and nodded slightly: "Miss Xu, sorry to bother you."
"No, it's still early. I don't have anything to do anyway, so I can just talk to Sister Zhiyuan..."
Xu Lan waved his hand, dismissed the servants in the hall, and pulled Zhiyuan to sit aside.
Then he brought up the matter: "By the way, Sister Zhiyuan came to see me...what's going on?"
Zhiyuan nodded slightly, his eyes fell on Xu Lan's face, and after a pause, he spoke: "I came here today because of something that happened this afternoon..."
When she spoke slowly, she could clearly see the strange look on Xu Lan's face.
After a moment of silence, Zhiyuan finally spoke: "Did Your Highness bully Miss Xu today?"
"without……"
Xu Lan subconsciously wanted to deny it, but when she looked into Zhiyuan's calm and uneasy eyes, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She knew how terrifying this maidservant beside Prince Lin was. She was meticulous and intelligent, and was someone Uncle Lin valued very much.
How could I have hidden what happened this afternoon from her? If I lied and denied it, it would probably arouse her suspicion even more.
Thinking of this, Xu Lan concealed the strange color in his eyes and said through gritted teeth: "Yes, he bullied me!"
A flash of surprise flashed across Zhiyuan's eyes, and then he regained his composure.
Then, she looked at Xu Lan in front of her and said calmly: "Miss Xu, Your Highness's actions today were due to my negligence, which caused Miss Xu to suffer innocence. I apologize to you on behalf of Your Highness..."
"But rest assured, Miss Xu. I, the Lin Wang Mansion, will take full responsibility for this matter and give Miss Xu an explanation. I will definitely not let Miss Xu lose her manners..."
Xu Lan looked bewildered...
What innocence is being tarnished?
What's impolite?
etc……
Why does it sound wrong?
At this time, Zhiyuan continued, "When the prince returns home, I will inform him of this matter, and then he will come forward to ask for marriage and offer the betrothal gifts..."
Xu Lan was confused.
After a while, he finally realized something!
...Did Zhiyuan misunderstand something?
Thinking of this, her face flushed red and she quickly waved her hands: "No, no... You misunderstood..."
"He, he doesn't bully me like that..."
Zhiyuan looked at Xu Lan, whose face was flushed and nervous, with a little confusion.
What kind of... bullying?
"That's it..."
Xu Lan took a deep breath to calm herself down, and a look of gritted teeth appeared on her flushed face: "He, he..."
Xu Lan was about to explain that she had a fight with Lin Jiangnian in the room that afternoon, but when the words came to her lips, she felt something was wrong.
In a room? Two people? A man and a woman? A fight?
Putting aside whether Zhiyuan would believe it or not, the more important thing is... Xu Lan is a ninth-grade master, and it is well known that the Prince of Lin is a useless loser who is powerless.
In terms of martial arts, Prince Lin could never be her opponent?
Have a fight?
This excuse is a bit... absurd?
Although this was indeed what happened in the afternoon, Xu Lan was worried that Zhiyuan would find out something.
After all…why would there be a fight for no reason?
"I, we had a little disagreement and a little conflict..."
A minor disagreement? A minor conflict?
Zhiyuan looked at Xu Lan's slightly flushed face and felt suspicious.
Just a minor conflict?
Why did she flee the palace in dishevel, with a flushed face and staggering steps in the afternoon?
Clearly hiding something.
Or...
Zhiyuan seemed to have thought of something, her eyes slightly cold, and after a moment she said in a deep voice: "Miss Xu, don't worry. The prince will take care of this matter for you."
"The Xu and Lin families have been friends for generations. You don't have to worry about being threatened by His Highness. The prince has always kept public and private affairs separate and would never shield His Highness..."
Xu Lan was at a loss.
cover?
etc……
The way Xu Lan looked at Zhiyuan, could it be that she... thought she was threatened by that guy?
"Really, really not..."
Xu Lan blushed and argued in a low voice.
When Xu Lan met Zhiyuan's worried and somewhat solemn eyes, it was clear that he had made up his mind, and his heart skipped a beat.
It’s over!
It's hard to explain.
All the clues and signs seemed to indicate something...
Thinking of this, Xu Lan's face was a little hot. If this misunderstanding got bigger, I'm afraid the matter would get out of hand.
Xu Lan took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, making a decision in his heart. Then he said softly, "He, he didn't succeed..."
“…”
Failed?
Doesn't that mean...
Zhiyuan suddenly realized: "So, His Highness really cares about you..."
"Um……"
Xu Lan lowered her head, her face flushed with shame, and she bit her lower lip tightly.
For now, she could only resort to this last resort...
Zhiyuan naturally could not imagine that Xu Lan would use his innocent reputation to hide something.
Therefore, she did not doubt Xu Lan's words.
All signs indicate that something must have happened to Xu Lan in His Highness's room this afternoon. If His Highness had ill intentions but failed to succeed... everything seems to make sense.
Thinking of this, Zhiyuan's eyes narrowed: "Don't worry, Miss Xu, I will also inform the prince about this matter and give you an explanation!"
Although His Highness did not succeed, this matter is still serious. If it is not handled properly, it may affect the relationship between the two families.
"No, that's not necessary..."
Xu Lan hurriedly tried to stop him. Seeing Zhiyuan looking at her doubtfully, Xu Lan took a deep breath, and a hint of hatred appeared in her eyes.
"I will avenge this vengeance myself."
Under Zhiyuan's calm gaze, Xu Lan gnashed her teeth and said angrily, "This is a matter between me and him. It has nothing to do with your palace. I will never let him go after this..."
“…”
When Xu Lan noticed that the suspicious look in Zhiyuan's eyes gradually disappeared, he felt relieved.
Finally... I got through it.
Zhiyuan was silent for a moment. Miss Xu's personality had always been like this. And it wasn't the first time she'd said she was done with His Highness...
But in the end, he just uttered some harsh words and secretly took some small actions to retaliate against His Highness, without any substantial action.
But this time...
Zhiyuan glanced at Xu Lan and seemed to realize something.
"No matter what, I must apologize to Miss Xu on behalf of His Highness for this incident."
Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If this causes any harm to Miss Xu, my palace will definitely take full responsibility."
"fine……"
Xu Lan waved her hands absentmindedly: "This is a grudge between him and me. It has nothing to do with the palace. Sister Zhiyuan doesn't need to take it to heart."
"In that case, I won't bother you anymore."
Zhiyuan nodded, slowly stood up, and was about to leave when she seemed to think of something: "Miss Xu?"
"Um?"
Xu Lan's heart tightened: "What else?"
Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, "There's one more thing I want to ask Miss Xu."
"What's the matter? Sister Zhiyuan, just tell me."
Zhiyuan's calm and beautiful eyes fell on Xu Lan, and then she slowly spoke: "Miss Xu..."
"Have you noticed anything unusual about His Highness recently?"
“…”