C38

A few days later, Fang Zinan had just woken up.

In his dreams he seemed to hear distant, clear singing, and when he awoke it was still sweet and ethereal. He knew who was singing, and he knew whose song it was. The song was desolate and sad, and the melody was novel, but very pleasant to listen to.

The singing stopped.

He saw a familiar, slim figure pruning a pot of Thousand Heart Yellow in the garden. When a person bent over, it was difficult for them to maintain their graceful posture. However, this woman was still as beautiful as ever.

She had been humming when she heard the window open and thought of the man who had opened it. Of course she was Shang Yiqing, the imperial concubine of the Prince Rong's estate.

On such a beautiful morning, when Shang Yiqing was cutting flowers in the flower bed, she unconsciously hummed a song that she liked from her era and it happened to be heard by Fang Zinan. He pushed open the window, just in time to see her in the dim light of the sun. She looked up at the eyes that were full of pity.

Fang Zinan was startled. When he thought about how he had seen her in the bath a few days ago, his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but feel astonished.

Then, when Fang Zinan tried to avoid looking at him, Shang Yiqing shifted her gaze away.

"Princess, are you cutting flowers?" he asked her.

"There were a few stalks of ink purple and blue jade that had flourished before, but they obstructed the flower's bloom. I fixed them," Shang Yiqing said carelessly. "I didn't expect it to rain so heavily these past few days. Even this Thousand Heart Yellow was flourishing."

Fang Zinan smiled: "Princess is so elegant!" "I only know that the wangfei likes to fiddle with herbs, but I don't think she has any knowledge of these flowers."

"Plants can be used for medicine, so it's normal for me to study these plants." Shang Yiqing lowered her neck as she spoke, her long, white fingers trimming the flower leaves as her long eyelashes trembled.

Fang Zinan didn't continue to ask and just closed the half window. He washed and dressed and was about to go out.

At this moment, he suddenly heard Shang Yiqing's surprised voice. As soon as he cried out in surprise, Fang Zinan had already rushed to Shang Yiqing's side before he could stop.

Shang Yiqing was still in the garden. She looked at her hand in shock. A caterpillar was crawling on the back of her hand. Shang Yiqing was extremely frightened. She was afraid of dirt, insects and especially the caterpillar. Its body was soft and covered in mucus. The feeling of it crawling on its skin was absolutely terrifying!

Fang Zinan also saw the caterpillar and Shang Yiqing's frightened face. He only wondered why she didn't shake off the insect but let it crawl in his hands. He didn't know that when a woman saw something she was extremely afraid of, especially when it was still on him, she wouldn't dare to move at all!

"Why aren't you coming over and helping me take this bug away!" Shang Yiqing's voice changed from fright, as if it was completely unlike her usual voice. It was neither straightforward nor strong, and instead had a hint of coquettishness to it.

Fang Zinan looked at her seriously. From her flirty voice, he seemed to see that she was completely different from before. He wasn't as tough as he usually was, but he also had the charm of a little girl.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and take it away." Her voice sounded like she was about to cry. This terrifying feeling made her hair stand on end and her scalp tingle.

Fang Zinan originally wanted to tease her again, but when he saw that she was about to cry, he couldn't bear to do so. He casually flicked his finger to save her. The caterpillar fell straight into the flowers.

"That's not right!" "You should kill this caterpillar," she said, "and bounce it into the flowers."

"Don't you know that caterpillars turn into butterflies?" Fang Zinan frowned and asked.

"All I know is that before the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, its larvae will eat the leaves of the flowers, which will not benefit the flowers in the slightest!" Then, she put her hand in front of her nose and sniffed the air. "Ow!" She screamed and jumped up like her butt was on fire. She could smell the stench coming from her hands, but what was even more hateful was that the back of her hand was still stained with the mucus of the caterpillar, which made her run into the house. As they ran, they did not forget to look back at him and remind him, "Quickly catch that caterpillar for me."

Fang Zinan looked at her in surprise, then forced a smile and bent down to look for the caterpillar.

At this moment, Hou's servant came over to pass on the message, "Your Highness, the Great General is here to pay a visit."

Fang Zinan stood up from the flowers and revealed a strange smile. "Please come in quickly." He had found the caterpillar among the flowers, put it in an empty pot, and prepared to wash his hands in the room.

Shang Yiqing had washed her hands with the cinnamon pancreas many times, but the disgust was still lingering in her heart. When she finished washing her hands, Fang Zinan also ran into the house. She heard footsteps coming from the corridor.

Looking up, she saw two people walking over from the long corridor. A woman was walking in front. She was wearing a light green muslin dress with a sunburst hairpin and a Yulan butterfly stride. Her eyebrows were like deep spring water and her complexion like peach blossoms. She was elegant and tranquil. Who else could she be? Why would she come here? Just as Shang Yiqing was puzzled, she heard Ying Ying laugh first. "Yingying greets Princess Rongfei."

Just as Shang Yiqing was about to lift up the head of the imperial concubine, she straightened her face and prepared to exchange pleasantries with her. She looked behind Ying Ying and saw a familiar face. This person had a heroic air between his brows. He was handsome, but his expression was cold and grave! If this person wasn't, then it was … This name spun in Shang Yiqing's mind, and she almost blurted it out. However, her lips only twitched a little, and she did not say his name. Instead, she took a deep breath and said, "You guys don't have to be courteous. Are you looking for the prince today?"

Just as she finished speaking, she heard Fang Zinan's voice. "Of course it's for this king. Does the imperial concubine think that Great General Xiao and Lady Ying Ying are here for you?"

Shang Yiqing felt that there was a hidden meaning behind those words and turned to glare at Fang Zinan before smiling at the two of them. She did not know what the relationship between Xiao Tian Yuan and Ying Ying was, but seeing the two of them come together, she couldn't help being suspicious. She hesitated before asking, "Why did Lady Ying Ying and General Xiao get up together?"

Xiao Tianyuan slightly swept a glance at Shang Yiqing before smiling faintly, "I'm afraid wangfei doesn't know that Ying Ying is my younger sister. We heard that Prince Rong fell ill a few days ago, so we came to visit."