Chapter 65: Kindred Spirits in Misfortune

At some point, a red cord intricately woven with a lifelike rabbit had been tied to the peach blossom lantern. A pang shot through Guli’s heart; her fingers unconsciously clenched, and she bit her lip hard to keep her emotions from spilling over, yet as she lowered her head, her eyes still grew red with tears she tried to hide.

In just that brief moment, Yu Yang had already received the rabbit red cord.

She had seen with her own eyes as he wove that red cord.

Guli couldn’t describe what she felt—was it indignation on behalf of Jian An, or was it just bitter sorrow for herself?

If Jian An knew about this, perhaps she would have grounds to be jealous. But Guli—she had nothing, not even the right.

It felt both mocking and ridiculous. How could such a fickle man ever be a good match for her? How could he deserve her affection, let alone her heartbreak and longing?

With these thoughts swirling, Guli stood up straight away, intending to leave the pavilion.

She had not expected that, just ahead, she would run straight into the Crown Prince and Lie Chang’an, who had been searching anxiously for her.

“Guli, how could you wander off like that? We only lost sight of you for a moment, but General Chang’an and I were frantic, searching everywhere for you,” the Crown Prince scolded, breathless and worried.

The Crown Prince hurried over, and seeing Guli standing there safe and sound, finally let out the breath he’d been holding. If his little sister had gone missing, or worse, run into an assassin and come to harm, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life, and no punishment could absolve his guilt.

Guli glanced at her brother, panting from his dash, and then at Lie Chang’an standing beside him. At some point, he had removed his mask, and his dark eyes were fixed intently on her. His thin lips were pressed into a line, his expression seemed angry, a sheen of sweat coated his brow, and his chest rose and fell with agitation.

Was he worried for her?

Was it because, as a subject, he would be held responsible if anything happened to the princess?

Guli gave a cold laugh, looked away indifferently, and obediently apologized to her brother, assuring him she was unharmed.

The Crown Prince, seeing she was all right, couldn’t bear to scold her further. He merely put on the airs of an older brother and gave her a few words of caution, then turned his attention to Yu Yang.

He clenched his fists, his gaze falling on the rabbit red cord hanging from the peach blossom lantern. Excitement flickered in his eyes, though he strove to suppress the surge of emotion.

Since it was still early, the group continued to stroll through the lantern festival gardens. Guli, feeling troubled and restless, longed to be alone but found it hard to excuse herself directly. She claimed a stomachache and said she needed to use the restroom, asking Jasmine to accompany her.

After the earlier incident, the Crown Prince was too uneasy to let her go on her own and insisted that Lie Chang’an escort them.

In truth, the Crown Prince also wanted an excuse to spend time alone with Yu Yang and was fretting over how to do so—who would have thought his little sister would be so helpful?

Yet this only made things harder for Guli. All she wanted was a moment of solitude. If it had been possible, she would not even have brought Jasmine along; and now her brother had sent the very person who was the source of her distress to accompany her.

Guli could only suffer in silence. Considering her brother’s feelings for Yu Yang, he was probably feeling stifled too after seeing the red cord on the peach blossom lantern, so she couldn’t refuse and nodded her agreement.

Truly, a pair of siblings in misery.

As she walked on, Guli couldn’t help but sigh.

The restroom was merely a pretext, and now with a man escorting her, Guli felt even more uncomfortable. She quickly said her stomach no longer hurt and that she just wanted to take a walk.

Lie Chang’an could see that Guli’s spirits had suddenly dropped and guessed that her earlier excuse was just that—an excuse. He nodded silently and followed her without a word.

Hearing his steady footsteps behind her, Guli grew even more irritable. She stopped, turned, and ordered coldly, “You can just wait here. There’s no need to follow me. I’ll walk a bit with Jasmine and then return.”