Snow piles fell on the ground, and the surrounding attendants recovered from their daze and ran around anxiously.

Among the crowds of people, Qian'er hid in the crowd. Seeing the intimacy between the two of them, her back molars almost broke.

Ever since the day when Fu Ling's jealousy dashed her ambitions, Xiang Lan had always paid attention to her actions. She would be found out and blamed for even the slightest mistake. If Butler Zhang hadn't protected her, the fault would have been exposed long ago. Maybe he has been kicked out of Wenyun Hall now.

But even so, she has long since lost her original status in Wenyun Hall. She is eager to cling to her, and she always dresses up and hangs out on the path that His Highness must pass, but the Prince seems to turn a blind eye and does not even look at her. .

And Fu Ling, who was quite neglected by His Highness the Crown Prince when he entered the mansion and who was supposed to be kicked out of the mansion with a letter of divorce in the near future, was now being protected by the Crown Prince.

Qian'er pretended to be busy in the dark, but she couldn't take her eyes away from Xiao Chengyou's face for a moment.

He is tall and straight, with broad shoulders and narrow waist, and a cold and angular face, as if he was born to be a god in a high position, which makes people unable to help but be fascinated.

But when her gaze moved to Fu Ling, who was standing in front of Xiao Chengyou with her eyelashes drooping in embarrassment, the jealousy in Qian'er's eyes became more intense.

Qian'er lowered her head, and the lustful and greasy look of Butler Zhang once again floated in her mind, making her feel nauseous. But she was just a lowly maid, and if she didn't cling to him, she might never be able to stand in front of a man like the Crown Prince in this life.

Xiao Chengyou quickly let go of Fu Ling. He could still feel the woman's warm body in his arms, and he noticed that his heartbeat was unusually violent.

"Let's go back to the study." He glanced at Ah Shu, his eyes seemed to deliberately avoid Fu Ling. There was an old tung oil umbrella placed by the door. He didn't think much about it, picked up the umbrella and turned to leave.

The dim candlelight on both sides reflected the falling snowflakes. His face was hidden in the shadows, and the excitement that had just flashed across his eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by a heavy indifference.

The emperor was afraid of the power of the general's palace. Even if he wanted to plot secretly, he was often restricted by the people he could contact due to his status as the heir apparent. During the spring hunt, many children from aristocratic families gathered together and the guards were strict, but it was also the best time for him to gain the emperor's trust.

The general arranged for assassins to carry out assassinations during spring hunting. As long as he did it properly, no one would suspect him in public.

Xiao Chengyou silently calculated the entire plan in his heart. For some reason, under the seemingly seamless appearance, he was still vaguely uneasy.

"Your Highness, look." Ashu's voice suddenly interrupted Xiao Chengyou's thoughts.

Xiao Chengyou came back to his senses and saw Ah Shu staring at the umbrella handle in his hand. The simple and slightly old umbrella handle had an inconspicuous and graceful word "heavy" engraved on the side.

Ashu hesitated and said, "This seems to be the third young master's umbrella."

Xiao Chengyou's eyes flashed with surprise for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Maybe this servant made a mistake accidentally." Xiao Chengyou said calmly without raising any suspicion.

He had already found out the details of Fu Ling——

She came from a humble background, and was bullied by her mistress, Mrs. Ning, together with her unpopular mother since she was a child. She was not allowed to attend many banquets held by famous nobles, and she had no interaction with the third son of the General's Mansion.

But his eyes rested for a moment on this umbrella that was so old that even the servants looked down upon it. It seemed that he could not imagine that the heavy life could be so simple and excessive, but thinking of Chen Yuxiao and Shen Hui's arrogant and lawless appearance, It became clear at once.

"When you have time, you can send some good things to Third Young Master." Xiao Chengyou ordered.

Although he had never met Shen Zhong, Zhong Zhong was Shen Zhao's younger brother after all. If he was really in a difficult situation, he would feel a little sorry.

For some reason, Xiao Chengyou couldn't take his eyes off the umbrella handle all the way back to the study.

An unloved mother, a domineering mistress, and the days of being flattered and bullied...

His mind suddenly recalled the day when Fu Ling came back home, when she protected Zheng, her petite and helpless body, her embarrassed yet stubborn posture, and he suddenly understood.

When he arrived at the study, Xiao Chengyou's eyebrows were covered with snow.

He changed his clothes and worked at his desk for a long time before he looked up.

There was a stove in the study burning with silver charcoal, but he felt a chill, as if the charcoal fire was not as warm as the one in Wenyun Hall.

As if with some secret thoughts, he placed the umbrella in the room. The melted snow left a puddle on the ground, and the old umbrella was dimly illuminated by the candlelight.

Xiao Chengyou stared at it for a long time until he fell asleep.

On the morning of the day when spring hunting began, the air was filled with a moist mist.

Fu Ling asked Xiang Lan to take out the ghost balls he had made a few days ago and sell them. With the gold and silver he earned, he used the gold and silver to buy himself a few sets of jewelry, and he still had some savings left to give to his mother to supplement her life.

Fu Ling was always busy before leaving the palace. It was rare for him to spare time to make money in the general's palace. It was the first time he used such exquisite jewelry. He couldn't avoid being familiar with it. He held the orchid-shaped hairpin made of gold and jade and carefully admired it. After a long while, he came out of Wenyun Hall when the time came.

Before anyone could reach the carriage, they heard Chen Yuxiao yelling and scolding from a distance, "I have been in charge of the General's Mansion for so many years, and I have worked so hard and accomplished so much, why can't I go?"

The sharp voice pierced the air and penetrated into his ears, and Fu Ling couldn't help but frown.

"The emperor has decreed that only the principal members of the Chun Shou aristocratic families can attend. Aunt Chen can go with her if she wants, but if she is driven back on the spot, it will inevitably be a tiring journey."

Xiao Chengyou's voice floated over next, still calm and calm.

Fu Ling quickened his pace slightly, just in time to see Chen Yuxiao suppressing her blush and leaving angrily. She was obviously very angry with Xiao Chengyou.

"Is the Crown Princess here?" Ashu saw Fu Ling and enthusiastically greeted her to get on the carriage.

Xiao Chengyou tilted his head, and Fu Ling's graceful and graceful figure burst into his sight like a light butterfly.

She was dressed in silver-white clothes, and her clothes shone like the moonlight flowing in the clear moonlight, following her steps.

The jet-black silk held up the flowing cloud hairpin, and the early morning light poured on it like broken jade, making her eyebrows and eyes picturesque, and even her delicate posture looked elegant and refined, like a fairy untainted by the world.

Xiao Chengyou looked at it and couldn't help but feel a little stunned.

"Is there anyone else?" Seeing that he didn't get on the carriage, Fu Ling asked softly as he started to drive.

Xiao Chengyou's Adam's apple rolled, and then he responded, "No."

Perhaps out of fear of trouble, he did not ask the general's servants to prepare another carriage, but rode with Fu Ling.

Xiao Chengyou kept holding it after getting in the car, but the surprise that flashed through his eyes just now was still clearly captured by Fu Ling.

She sighed in her heart that the silver lining in this dress was not in vain, and then Yiyi moved closer to him.

Fu Ling had been busy working on the ghost work ball for several nights recently. During the bumpy carriage, Fu Ling was really tired. As soon as he was distracted, he heard the sound of "Hu--" and the carriage stopped.

Fu Ling stood up in a panic. When he lowered his head, he saw a red mark on Xiao Chengyou's wrist caused by her hairpin.

The small orchid prints on the back of his veined hands actually looked a little cute.