C75

Next, it was Zhu Lan's turn. She had yet to think of what she should use as a poem. Although she was talented in poetry, she had never tried to compose a poem in three steps like Gu Jinzhu.

All the girls looked at her anxiously. Before Zhu Lan could say anything, a male voice with a smile came from the forest behind her. "Little sister, I didn't expect to finally meet a young lady even more talented than you. How rare!"

The girls turned around in surprise and saw that there were a few young men on the small path behind them. The one on the left was dressed in a tight, silver lake golden robe, with a bright face and smiling lips. It was Zhu Lan's elder brother, the eldest son of the Great Celestial Sect of Wonders, Zhu Jin.

Zhu Jing had a reputation amongst the capital city's Ladyrong. He had outstanding martial arts skills at such a young age that he was promoted to a first-rate imperial bodyguard. He was the emperor's favorite, but at this moment, all the girls couldn't help but look at the people around him.

Gu Jinzhu raised her eyes and bumped into a slender and straight black figure. That person was wearing a tight black gold brocade robe and overcast shoes. The sunlight was clearly warm on him, but that person was like a block of black ice.

However, the most eye-catching part was the silvery-white mask on his face, tightly covering the upper half of his face, revealing only his light, thin, pursed lips.

It was unknown whether it was intentional or not, but that person suddenly looked over in their direction. Gu Jinzhu's heart skipped a beat when she bumped into a pair of cold eyes that seemed to be able to pierce through the darkness of the night.

The figure that she had caught a glimpse of on the way here flashed through her mind. Sure enough, she heard Zhu Jin say to Zhu Lan with a smile, "I'm accompanying His Highness Prince Rui to the front courtyard. I just happened to pass by. You guys are playing with each other, don't mind it."

After saying that, his gaze inadvertently swept past Gu Jinzhu's body. He turned around and said to Prince Rui, "Your Highness, please —" His attitude was extremely respectful.

The man walked in front. He was tall and slender with a jade belt tied around his waist, making his broad back and narrow waist look even more solemn. He was like an unsheathed sharp sword, giving off a cold aura.

As he walked past the pavilion, all the girls unconsciously held their breath. Even the bravest girl did not dare to peek at his face.

That silver mask had an ice-cold luster under the sunlight. It was as if there was a silent pressure coming from his body, making people not dare to act presumptuously.

Gu Jinzhu lowered her head and waited for the sound of her footsteps to fade away before she exhaled softly.

The aura of the legendary Prince Rui was just too strong. Just that one cold, bone-piercing glare from him was enough to scare these girls to death.

Sure enough, after Zhu Jin and Prince Rui left, the atmosphere in the pavilion became lively once more. All the young masters and mistresses patted their chests as if they were frightened by something.

"Heavens, that is Prince Rui? "He really scared me to death. When he looked over here, I didn't even dare to breathe!"

"He isn't as scary as the legends say, right? Even though I'm wearing a mask, why do I feel like … "He has pretty good eyes." A certain Miss said with a slightly flushed face.

"Are you possessed? He looks good? "Wait until he takes off his mask, you'll be scared to death!" The girl beside her said exaggeratedly, "You still don't know Prince Rui's reputation in the capital, do you know what everyone calls him behind his back?"

"What?" The young lady was curious.

"Kill the King! Legend has it that when he was guarding the border, he was brutal to the extreme. Not only did he kill captives, he even drank wine with his head. It was simply frightening!

"Really?" The young lady was so frightened that her face turned pale.

"Not only that, listen to my mom. This Prince Rui is a cruel and brutal man. All the officials in the capital who speak ill of him have their families wiped out. Shh, let's be quiet."

The girl came over and told the young lady about Prince Rui, "Don't you dare provoke him. There isn't a single girl in the capital who would dare to marry him. I heard that he looks as ugly as a ghost. Otherwise, how could he dare to take off his mask?"

The lady who was a little moved earlier had already turned pale from fright and did not dare to mention anything else about Prince Rui.

Gu Jinzhu, who was sitting at the side, suddenly understood as she listened to everyone's discussion. No wonder that coachman wouldn't talk about it later. She didn't expect Prince Rui's reputation to be so bad.

It must be another person who was unscrupulous and unscrupulous, because when she thought of those ice-cold, bone-piercing eyes just now, her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

All the girls' interests were lured away by Prince Rui. In the capital, Prince Rui's reputation was the most famous but also the most mysterious. As the emperor's favorite nephew and the one who held the title of Great General Hu Wei, very few people had actually seen him.

He had never known officials, had never been in or out of a private mansion, had never attended a party, and had never expected to see him here.

All the girls were extremely curious and started to talk about it. They surrounded Zhu Lan and asked her why Prince Rui was here, but they forgot about the fight over the poems.

Zhu Lan secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She felt the pressure in her heart loosen, but at the same time, had a bad taste.

When Gu Jinzhu raised her head and saw Zhu Lan looking at her with a complicated expression, she couldn't help but be startled.

As they were talking, they quickly forgot about this little episode. The weather was hot and the chrysanthemum wine was cool and refreshing. Unknowingly, they had started to crave cups of wine.

After a few jugs of wine, the girls' faces turned red and their eyes blurred. Although the alcohol was not strong, it still made them feel slightly tipsy after drinking too much.

Gu Bitong smiled and said, "Sister Lan, let's go to the Clear Spring Pavilion to play. It's too hot here."

The moment she said this, the other girls' eyes lit up.

Zhu Family had a pavilion, and was extremely famous in the Shengjing. In order to display his affection for Imperial Concubine Zhu, the old emperor had specially summoned the craftsmen to open a canal and draw in water. He had built a beautiful place in the Zhu Residence, especially for the cool of summer.

Zhu Lan hesitated. "The pavilion is too close to Big Brother's Mo Yunxuan. Big Brother often meets with his colleagues there. Besides, Prince Rui is present today. If we meet again …"

"How could there be such a coincidence?" Gu Bitong laughed. "The pavilion is still far from Mo Yunxuan. We are only feeding the fishes on the lake and not in the garden. How could we bump into an outsider?" Furthermore, it's so hot here, and it's too stuffy to go back to the house. Good elder sister, just take us to have a look around.

The other girls were also very moved, and they all began to plead.

Zhu Lan said helplessly, "Alright, I'll find someone to ask. If Big Brother isn't over there, we'll go over."

She sent a little girl to ask about it. After a while, the little girl went back and forth, saying that the garden was empty. Only then did Zhu Lan bring the girls there.

The pavilion was not far from the chrysanthemum garden. After walking for a short while, they saw a stone wall filled with jade-green vines and a faint sound of water could be heard from inside.

When they passed the stone wall, everyone's eyes were instantly enlightened. There were many fake mountains in front of them, the pavilions were exquisite and exquisite, the surroundings were covered in green trees, the pavilion's water corridor was extremely quiet.