Chapter 32
Malice
Gu Yanfei and Gu Yunzhen were led to a table by the window by the maidservants. There were a few plates of fruits and snacks on the table, as well as a plum vase with a few green chrysanthemums.
When the wind blew, a faint, elegant scent of chrysanthemum lingered in the water pavilion.
After the sisters sat down, Gu Yanfei sent the maid away and personally poured two cups of tea, one for herself and the other for Gu Yunzhen.
Gu Yunzhen took a sip of tea and looked up in the direction of Princess Changqing. The two men and the woman who had just arrived at the water pavilion were greeting her. The girl in blue was holding Gu Yunrong’s arm affectionately, talking and laughing.
“That’s the eldest daughter and fourth son of General Li’s residence. The other young master looks a little unfamiliar. He shouldn’t be the young master of the Li family,” Gu Yunzhen whispered to Gu Yanfei. “Eldest Miss Li and our Third Sister are close friends.”
Gu Yunzhen had always been considerate. She introduced some of the noble ladies and young masters present to Gu Yanfei. The girl who took a pink chrysanthemum from the vase and played with it was the Third Lady of the Chang’an Manor. The girl in pink was the Ninth Lady of Prince Yu’s Manor. The young man in embroidered clothes who had just arrived was the Third Young Master of Prince Jing’s Manor, Chu Junhao…
The water pavilion was filled with laughter. Some people were chatting, some were raising their glasses to drink, and some were playing drinking games… The scene was very lively.
After chatting with Princess Changqing for a while, Gu Yunrong followed another maidservant towards Gu Yanfei and the others. There was a finger-wide red badge in her hand.
The maidservants of Prince Jing’s Manor were distributing the badges. Today’s polo match was led by the siblings, Chu Junhao and Princess Changqing. They were divided into two teams and used the red and blue badges as the logo of the team.
The people who were going on stage later were all in high spirits. They rubbed their palms together and wanted to show off their skills.
“Second Sister, the show is about to begin. Do you want to go up and try?” Gu Yunrong stopped in front of the table and looked at Gu Yanfei with a bright smile and clear eyes.
Yesterday, when Madam Gu asked her to bring Gu Yanfei along, Gu Yunrong had agreed without hesitation.
Since Gu Yanfei had returned to the Gu family, it meant that she would have to enter the circle of noble ladies sooner or later. More importantly, Fang Mingfeng would also come today.
Thinking of Fang Mingfeng, Gu Yunrong’s eyelashes fluttered.
The Gu and Fang families were old friends.
The eldest daughter of the Gu family was betrothed to Fang Mingfeng.
However, Gu Yanfei seemed to have misunderstood Fang Mingfeng and was very resistant to this marriage. She had to create an opportunity for them to meet.
When the two of them successfully got married, she would no longer owe Gu Yanfei anything. They would be even.
Gu Yanfei lowered her eyes and drank her tea elegantly, smiling without saying anything.
Seeing this, Gu Yunzhen thought that she did not know how to play polo, so she smiled and tried to smooth things over. “Second Sister, sit with me. Let’s watch them play.”
Gu Yunrong thought so too and did not force her. She thought to herself that when Fang Mingfeng came later, she would bring him over.
Her smile widened and she said, “The princess set up a bet today. Those who don’t play can place their bets.”
“I’ll definitely win.” Gu Yunrong’s eyes sparkled with confidence.
Gu Yunzhen giggled. Just as she was about to speak, Princess Changqing’s voice came from not far away. “Yunrong, you’re the only one left.”
Gu Yunrong, who had just sat down, said, “Excuse me,” and hurried away again, following Princess Changqing and the others out of the water pavilion.
Gu Yanfei and Gu Yunzhen remained at the table by the window, drinking tea, eating snacks, and admiring the lake.
On the east side of the water pavilion was the lake. On the west side was a vast, flat polo field, 300 paces long and wide. At the edge of the field were colorful flags as boundaries. A few bamboo sheds had been built as stands.
A man and a horse stood under the bamboo shed in the middle.
Fang Mingfeng, who was dressed in a sky-blue turtleneck, stood leisurely with a snow-white horse. His skin was fair and his facial features were handsome. When his eyes met Gu Yunrong’s, they became as gentle as spring water.
“Yunrong.” He politely bowed with his hands clasped in front of his chest. His every movement was filled with the nobility of a prince. He greeted her with concern, “I heard from my sister that you weren’t feeling well the other day. Are you feeling better?”
Fang Mingfeng looked Gu Yunrong up and down. The silk wrapped around her waist made her slender waist look soft and fragile. After not seeing her for half a month, she had lost a lot of weight…
“I catch a cold occasionally. I’ll be fine after drinking ginger soup for two days. It’s no big deal.” Gu Yunrong smiled generously.
“…” Fang Mingfeng pursed his thin lips and hesitated. It was obvious why she was thin and ill.
After chatting for a while, Gu Yunrong raised her hand and pointed at the water pavilion a few feet away. She changed the topic and said, “My Second Sister is also here. She’s sitting there.”
The autumn wind blew from the lake, stirring the layers of gauze outside the water pavilion. Through the fluttering gauze, he could vaguely see two young girls sitting by the window. One had her back to him, and the other revealed her exquisite and beautiful side profile.
Gu Yunrong winked playfully at Fang Mingfeng and lowered her voice to whisper, “My Second Sister is a rare beauty.”
She smiled brightly, and her tone was teasing in a way only an acquaintance would be.
“…” Fang Mingfeng’s expression froze. He looked at Gu Yanfei’s side profile from afar and recalled the scene when he met her at the city gate of Danyang City.
All this time, the events of that day had haunted him like hemorrhages.
Fang Mingfeng couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. His eyes darkened as a thought appeared in his mind.
If only she had died in Danyang City!
If Gu Yanfei died in Danyang City, no one in the capital would know of her existence. Gu Yunrong would still be the second daughter of the Gu family who was engaged to him…
This was all Gu Yanfei’s fault! Why was she still alive?!
A trace of hidden sorrow and resentment slowly appeared in Fang Mingfeng’s deep eyes.
Princess Changqing, who was sitting across the table, vaguely heard Gu Yunrong’s words and asked casually, “Yunrong, is she your distant cousin?”
She knew that daughters of the Gu family were named “Yun”. Gu Yanfei was probably from a side branch.
Gu Yunrong’s eyelashes fluttered and the smile on her face was a little forced.
Her relationship with Gu Yanfei was too complicated to be explained in a few words. Besides…
“She’s my cousin,” Gu Yunrong said vaguely. “My Second Sister is engaged…”
Gu Yunrong wanted to say that Gu Yanfei and Fang Mingfeng were engaged and could not wait to publicize this matter.
However, she had only said a few words when Fang Mingfeng interrupted her impatiently.
“We’re almost off the field. Let’s discuss our strategies.”
“Princess, your Third Brother is good at defense, so he should be in charge of this position. Third Young Master Wang and Fourth Young Master Wang have a good tacit understanding, so they must be a double vanguard. Princess Anle can both defend and attack. She’s good at polo. Unfortunately, this horse of hers is new and unruly…”
Gu Yunrong knew that he was deliberately changing the topic and sighed.
...
Then she felt a burning gaze on her from behind and turned. A familiar figure came into view nearby and she stiffened.