Chapter 560: Shangsi Festival
Chapter 560: Chapter 560: Shangsi Festival
Soon enough, Shen Ningning heard from Lu Shaoyuan that Pei Yin had backed out of the deal.
"That Pei Yin... He’s the Deputy Commander of the imperial guard, yet he’s so untrustworthy. He’d rather pay double the compensation in silver than sell the house."
Lu Shaoyuan was fuming as he told Shen Ningning.
He was deeply displeased. "Pei Yin claims the mansion was a gift from the Emperor. He said that after giving it more thought, he felt it was inappropriate to sell it, which is why he broke the agreement."
"But why didn’t he say that before? I’ve already hired the artisans and had the blueprints drawn up. And now he just springs this on us out of nowhere."
At that moment, Shen Ningning was practicing her calligraphy, hoping to calm her mind and spirit.
She wasn’t the least bit surprised by Lu Shaoyuan’s words.
’Mo Lingwei must have forbidden Pei Yin from selling the residence.’
"Forget it. There are plenty of other fine manors in the city. Why do we have to buy his?"
Hearing her say that, Lu Shaoyuan felt his anger subside considerably.
"You’re right. My older brother also said we shouldn’t buy his mansion, or it would inevitably lead to awkward and troublesome situations later on. I’ll go look around again over the next few days. When I find a good one, I’ll take you to see it."
Unexpectedly, however, Lu Shaoyuan inquired about several other mansions for sale. The owners were agreeable at first, but a couple of days later, they all changed their minds and said they were no longer selling.
It got to the point where no one in the entire Capital City dared to sell him a house.
Even someone as dense as Lu Shaoyuan could tell something was wrong.
He had a good idea of who was obstructing him.
The Crown Prince didn’t want Shen Ningning to marry another man, so of course he wouldn’t want them building a new home.
Lu Shaoyuan was furious, of course. He didn’t want Shen Ningning to be wronged, but he was utterly helpless.
If it had been anyone else, it would be one thing, but this was the Crown Prince.
Fortunately, Shen Ningning took it in stride. She comforted Lu Shaoyuan, "It’s alright. If nothing else, we can just live in the Princess Mansion. My home is large enough for us each to have our own courtyard. There’s plenty of room."
The gloom on Lu Shaoyuan’s face vanished, and he beamed. "That works too. Or else, we can live in one of my family’s properties. Thankfully, my mother bought up quite a few land deeds in the Capital. We can just pick one, have the artisans start work, and we can switch houses every month without staying in the same one all year."
He made Shen Ningning laugh. "Does that mean I’ll get to live in a new house for all three years?"
Lu Shaoyuan’s voice hitched, and he said tentatively, "Maybe even longer."
’What if,’ he thought, ’just what if, Shen Ningning falls for me and decides not to leave?’
Shen Ningning didn’t answer. She didn’t want to give Lu Shaoyuan false hope.
Word got out that Shen Ningning and Lu Shaoyuan were not worried about the house, and their wedding preparations had already progressed to the stage of comparing birth charts for compatibility.
Mo Lingwei’s agitation and anger grew with each passing day.
He had left the palace on several occasions, pretending to pass by the gates of the Xie Mansion and Xiangyun Village nonchalantly.
But to his surprise, he missed Shen Ningning every single time.
When he went to the Xie Mansion, she would be visiting Ye Shangyi’s home. By the time he went to Wolf Mountain, she was back at the Xie Mansion.
After two or three of these "coincidences," it slowly dawned on Mo Lingwei.
She was deliberately avoiding him.
It was all too easy for Shen Ningning to keep track of his movements.
She was so good at communicating with small animals; all she had to do was scatter a handful of grain, and hundreds of little birds would naturally become her eyes and ears.
For once, Mo Lingwei was at a complete loss.
Until, that is, Meng Wanning plucked up the courage to find him and invite him to accompany her to the Shangsi Festival fair.
Mo Lingwei naturally had no intention of going, but Meng Wanning said, "If I may be so bold, I am not extending this invitation for my own sake, but so that Your Highness the Crown Prince might resolve the misunderstanding with Her Highness the Princess. I made a point of finding out that the Princess will be attending the fair with friends that day. If Your Highness can use this opportunity to reconcile with her, I would be very happy for you both."
She spoke with such conviction, but Mo Lingwei didn’t fully believe her.
He had Wu Fang make inquiries and eventually learned that Shen Ningning had indeed made plans with Ye Shangyi, Qi Xiuwei, and others to go fly paper kites at the Shangsi Festival.
And so, on the day of the Shangsi Festival, Mo Lingwei accompanied Meng Wanning to the festival fair.
The Shangsi Festival, a tradition to welcome the spring, was held in a Peach Blossom Forest by the water.
The weather was clear and the sky a vast, cloudless blue. Beneath it, the pink, newly bloomed peach blossoms and the throngs of young gentlemen and ladies strolling in groups formed a breathtaking scene.
Paper kites of all shapes and sizes drifted in the sky, each one vying to be more spectacular than the last.
Meng Wanning, walking a step behind Mo Lingwei, couldn’t resist trying to capture his attention. She pointed to a blue butterfly kite in the sky.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, look! The design of that kite is so unique."
Mo Lingwei gave a noncommittal hum, not really listening.
His deep, cold eyes constantly scanned the crowd. Meng Wanning could tell that the Crown Prince only wanted to find Shen Ningning as quickly as possible.
Her heart sank, a bitter taste filling her mouth.
Mo Lingwei’s arrival caused the young gentlemen and ladies who recognized him to stop in their tracks and stare.
As Mo Lingwei drew near, they each paid their respects, desperate for a chance to exchange a few words with the Crown Prince.
However, Mo Lingwei remained completely indifferent.
Thus, Meng Wanning, walking behind him, became the second focus of everyone’s attention.
Many began to whisper among themselves—
"It seems the rumors were true. Miss Meng has caught the Crown Prince’s eye. It looks like she’s going to become the Crown Princess Consort."
"Her? Even though the Meng Family’s status isn’t low, she’s far from qualified to be the Crown Princess Consort! A concubine, at best."
"But other than Princess Funing, she’s the only woman he’s ever been seen with in public. Have any of you ever seen the Crown Prince with another lady?"
The crowd fell silent.
Feeling the crowd’s gazes—a mixture of envy, jealousy, and indifference—Meng Wanning straightened her back, held her head high, and followed closely behind Mo Lingwei.
Suddenly, Mo Lingwei froze and stared straight ahead.
Meng Wanning followed his gaze and saw Ye Shangyi and her friends gathered under a peach blossom tree, preparing their kites.
Next to Ye Shangyi stood Xu Jingxi. Qi Xiuwei, Liang Yici, and Jiang Zhi were also there. Even Chen Shaobei had come, and they had even brought Wuer, the young assistant from Shen Ningning’s shop.
However, while nearly all of Shen Ningning’s friends were present, the one person he wanted to see was conspicuously absent: Shen Ningning.
A dark look crossed Mo Lingwei’s face. When Chen Shaobei looked up and saw him, he froze.
He then whispered something to Jiang Zhi before hurrying over to Mo Lingwei.
Shen Ningning’s friends stood some distance away, their heads huddled together in whispers. Mo Lingwei couldn’t hear them, but he could guess they were discussing the unfortunate timing of his arrival, given that Shen Ningning was absent.
"Your Highness, I’m surprised to see you at the Shangsi Festival watching the kites," Chen Shaobei said, a hint of disbelief on his usually calm face.
In previous years, Mo Lingwei had always found such events boring.
That was why Chen Shaobei hadn’t invited him this year.
Mo Lingwei’s sharp brows furrowed over his narrowed, sullen eyes. "Having a good time, are we? Did you come behind my back?"
Chen Shaobei gave a helpless smile. "How would I dare enjoy myself behind Your Highness’s back? Jiang Zhi simply invited me."
Mo Lingwei snorted coldly, then asked with feigned nonchalance, "Is it just you all?"
"Yes," Chen Shaobei said, taking the hint. He knew who Mo Lingwei was asking about. "Her Highness the Princess was planning to come, but we heard that Grandma Qin cut her hand, so she stayed home to look after her."
Mo Lingwei pressed his lips together.
’Should I go to Xiangyun Village to see her?’
’Perhaps she needs help?’
’But if I go right away, it will be too obvious.’
Seeing Mo Lingwei’s hesitation, Chen Shaobei took the initiative to invite him. "Why don’t you join us and watch the kites for a while, Your Highness? You can always head back later when you’re tired."
It was the perfect excuse. Mo Lingwei immediately nodded. "Let’s do as you say."
He followed Chen Shaobei toward Ye Shangyi’s group, and after a moment’s thought, Meng Wanning tagged along.
Ye Shangyi’s expression soured the moment she saw her.
’Not long ago she was clinging to Xu Jingxi, and now that she thinks she has a chance, she’s latched onto the Crown Prince.’
The young women who were close with Shen Ningning barely spoke to Meng Wanning.
Even Xu Jingxi merely gave her a cool nod in greeting.
Since they were all reasonably familiar with Mo Lingwei, no one dared to give him the cold shoulder. As a result, Meng Wanning was gradually squeezed out of their circle, forced to stand at a distance and watch them fly their kites.
How could she be resigned to being ignored like this after she had worked so hard to create this opportunity?
Meng Wanning glared at Ye Shangyi’s back, feeling quite indignant.
’They must all be acting this way because Ye Shangyi told them to.’
Meng Wanning couldn’t swallow this insult. Her eyes darted about as an idea suddenly struck her.
Ye Shangyi held her kite string, letting it out little by little.
Xu Jingxi was beside her, instructing, "A little slower, or you might cut your hand."
Ye Shangyi scoffed. "I’m not that clumsy. I’m the best at flying kites. Every year at the Shangsi Festival, my kite always flies the highest."
Suddenly, as Ye Shangyi stepped backward, she trod on something with a sharp CRACK.
Meng Wanning’s panicked voice rang out. "Oh no! Miss Ye, you’ve stepped on the kite I was going to give to the Princess!"
Only then did Ye Shangyi turn around. She had been so absorbed in flying her kite that she hadn’t noticed Meng Wanning had placed her own kite on the ground right behind her and was preparing its string.
Right before her eyes lay the crushed remains of a kite—one that bore the names of Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei.
Kites at the Shangsi Festival held great significance, often symbolizing a wish or prayer for a relationship between a man and a woman. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a festival for lovers.
And now, she had crushed it underfoot.
From across the way, Mo Lingwei’s cool, detached gaze had already turned toward them.