"What? His Highness has come?" Guo Yurong exclaimed in surprise. Her eyes widened as she shot up from her chair, hesitantly glancing at Yang Ning, who also seemed equally confused and unaware of his sudden arrival.
It was a ladies' tea party, and it was already close to sunset, indicating that the party was coming to an end. However, she hadn't expected the Crown Prince to suddenly arrive at her place.
Like Guo Yurong, the other ladies were surprised when they heard that His Highness had come and had been waiting at the entrance of the Guo Residence. They exchanged glances and whispered to discuss the reason behind the sudden appearance of the Crown Prince at the Guo Residence.
"Did we hear it correctly? Did His Highness come here? But why did he come?" one lady questioned quietly.
"Hush! Keep your voice down. The Crown Princess is still here. Maybe he came to take her home? Isn't that romantic?" Another woman covered her face with her palms, smiling widely, feeling envious of Yang Ning's romantic married life.
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Zhu Yating, sitting nearby, scoffed and interrupted their gossip. "Do you think the Crown Prince has the time to pick up his wife from a tea party? This isn't some romantic novel or street play. Nonsense."
"Moreover, if they were that romantic, do you think the Crown Princess would still be without a child? It's almost a year since they married, and there's no news of an heir. I doubt they even sleep in the same room."
The two ladies pursed their lips and looked up at Zhu Yating. They hesitantly agreed with her words, feeling intimidated by her cold gaze and ruthless remarks.
"That makes sense. He is the Crown Prince, after all. Why would he come all the way here just to pick her up?" one of the ladies nodded.
"Exactly! The Crown Princess arrived in a separate carriage with her maid. He probably didn't come just to pick her up," the other lady added.
"Maybe he came because he had some business with Lady Guo's husband? I heard he was planning to work with the royal palace. It must be about that,"
"Lady Guo, Madam Liu," Gu Lan said, greeting them with a slight head nod. As His Highness's Personal Guard, he wasn't required to bow to individuals other than royalty.
Lady Guo and Madam Liu acknowledged his greeting, and Lady Guo stepped forward, looking at the royal carriage. She conveyed her greetings, saying, "As the Lady of the Guo Residence, I welcome His Highness to our humble abode."
Afterward, Gu Lan stepped forward and opened the carriage gate for Zheng Liang to disembark. As Zheng Liang got down from the carriage, he acknowledged Lady Guo and Madam Liu's greetings with a nod, but his gaze remained fixed on the beautiful woman before him—his wife.
Lady Guo and Madam Liu noticed his affectionate gaze and smiled shyly, recognizing the couple's evident love.
Lady Guo cleared her throat and asked hesitantly, "Your Highness, it is my honor to have you at the Guo residence. Please come inside and have some tea. If I had known in advance, I would have made arrangements to greet His Highness at the entrance and wouldn't have let you wait." She asked politely.
As she spoke, the other ladies also came outside, standing at a distance and showing their respect to the Crown Prince with bows, earning acknowledgment nods from him.
Zheng Liang dismissed the formalities, smiling at Yang Ning before turning to Lady Guo. "Lady Guo, there is no need for such formalities. I did not come here to bother you with them. I only came to take my princess back home with me," he said, causing envy-filled glances from the ladies towards Yang Ning.
Feeling embarrassed by the attention, Yang Ning scratched her forehead and cleared her throat. "I was just coming home. There was no need for you to come here," she said, finding the grand level of pick-up service a bit overwhelming.
Zheng Liang smiled, extending his hand, which Yang Ning gladly took as she walked to stand next to him. Surprising her, he wrapped his hands around her shoulders, looking down at his wife as he explained, "I was passing by here after a work meeting. I remembered that you said you were going to the Guo residence today, so I stopped by to take you home with me.
Is that wrong, my princess?" he asked in a soft, affectionate voice.
Caught off guard by his sudden display of affection, Yang Ning, though appearing embarrassed, nodded in agreement. "No, Your Highness. How can you be wrong?" she replied.
Zheng Liang raised his brows, noting the rare use of his title by Yang Ning. Even in the presence of others, she maintained formality. However, he detected a hint of sarcasm in her words, making him chuckle.
Madam Liu and Lady Guo, who overheard the conversations, discreetly lowered their heads, attempting to fade into the background.