The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 20 Who is the Beast?
At this moment, cheers echoed through the peach blossom grove.

"Miss Wang has such a beautiful writing style!"

"This poem is absolutely wonderful!"

As soon as Zhiwan and Ouyang Zhenzhu arrived, they heard a chorus of praise.

Ouyang Zhenzhu glanced at the commotion ahead and curled her lip slightly. "It's Wang Yanran."

Zhiwan had heard of the Wang family's daughter; she was said to be of superior character, talent, and appearance, and was highly sought after by the sons of prominent families in the capital.

“Writing poetry is so boring, let’s go wander around somewhere else,” Ouyang Zhenzhu suggested.

Zhiwan didn't like joining in the fun, so she nodded in agreement.

Just as the two were about to leave, a young lady recognized Zhiwan and exclaimed, "Isn't that Miss Zhiwan?"

Surrounded by admirers and receiving praise, Wang Yanran, upon hearing the name, asked the person beside her with some confusion, "Who is Zhiwan?"

The girl in the emerald green dress beside her whispered something in her ear, and Wang Yanran immediately looked at Zhiwan.

When he saw Zhiwan's unforgettable beautiful face, his expression softened, but he walked towards Zhiwan.

"I have long admired the name of Miss Zhiwan, and today I am finally fortunate enough to meet her."

Zhiwan glanced at her and saw that although her face looked amiable, there was no smile in her eyes, and her words were also intriguing.

She paused, somewhat puzzled.

She has always lived a secluded life, and very few people know her.

When people hear her name, what they remember most is probably her status as an orphan living under someone else's roof.

Having long heard of her reputation, was Wang Yanran using this opportunity to remind her of her identity?
Zhiwan immediately found it somewhat amusing.

Why are they all reminding her of her identity today?

What are they afraid of?
Ouyang Zhenzhu also understood and immediately became unhappy. She was about to retort when Zhiwan stopped her.

Zhiwan looked at Wang Yanran and smiled slightly, "Miss Wang is too kind."

Wang Yanran choked for a moment, then looked at her scrutinizingly.

The other person didn't understand the meaning behind her words and actually thought she was praising her?
Seeing that Zhiwan had a smile on her face and looked weak and frail, Wang Yanran couldn't help but chuckle to herself that she had been overthinking things.

The other party was just an orphan girl, and seemed weak and incompetent. Fu Hongyi would never look at her.

Thinking of this, she felt relieved and stopped worrying about Zhiwan, and went to talk to the others.

The girl in the emerald green dress frowned slightly when she saw that Wang Yanran had given up, but she didn't say anything. However, as she walked away, she glanced at Zhiwan again.

Zhiwan immediately caught her gaze.

She remembered this girl; she was the young lady who had looked at her with hostility when she went to the main courtyard.

As soon as Wang Yanran left, Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn't help but say, "Wanwan, why did you stop me? She was clearly mocking you."

"It was just a harmless remark, don't be angry," Zhiwan patted her hand, comforting her.

Wang Yanran was being quite tactful; she had heard far harsher things.

However, Wang Yanran's actions were somewhat inexplicable.

Seeing that she was comforting herself instead, Ouyang Zhenzhu laughed in exasperation, "Forget it, you're not angry, so why should I be?"

Zhiwan plucked a peach blossom and handed it to her, saying ingratiatingly, "A beautiful flower suits a beautiful woman."

Ouyang Zhenzhu was amused by her, "How can I be considered a beauty in front of a beauty like you?" But she still accepted the peach blossom.

"By the way, which household does that girl in the green dress who was following Wang Yanran belong to?" Zhi Wan asked.

"She is Wang Yanran's cousin, the illegitimate daughter of a Ministry of Works official, named Zhang Linglong," Ouyang Zhenzhu explained to her.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan nodded thoughtfully.

The two disliked crowds, so they avoided the throngs and instead sought a quiet spot to admire the peach blossoms. Deep within the peach grove, the blossoms became even more vibrant and exceptionally beautiful.

"Wanwan, the peach blossoms here are so beautiful," Ouyang Zhenzhu exclaimed.

Zhiwan was also captivated. Standing under the peach tree, she looked up at the peach blossoms and suddenly felt a strong urge to paint the beautiful scene before her.

Just as I was thinking of going back to paint a picture of peach blossoms, suddenly, the beautiful peach blossoms fell from the tree like a rain of peach blossoms, a sight that amazed everyone.

Zhiwan was stunned, completely forgetting to dodge, letting the peach petals fall on her.

Before long, her head and dress were covered with peach blossoms as beautiful as rosy clouds.

The scene was as beautiful as a painting.

Ouyang Zhenzhu, who originally intended to tease Zhiwan, was so stunned by the sight that she forgot to continue shaking the tree branch.

Seeing that the peach blossom rain had stopped, Zhiwan came to her senses and then saw Ouyang Zhenzhu, the instigator, still clinging to the tree trunk.

She immediately understood what was going on.

She angrily grabbed a handful of peach petals and threw them at her.

"So it was you who did this!"

Ouyang Zhenzhu snapped out of her daze and immediately took off running.

"Haha, come and chase me then."

Zhiwan laughed in exasperation, "You just wait!" She grabbed a handful of flower petals in each hand and chased after him.

Two girls were chasing each other under the peach tree, completely unaware that two men had been watching them from behind another peach tree not far away for quite some time.

"Which household does that girl with Ouyang Zhenzhu belong to?" Duan Ling stroked his chin, watching the two girls chasing each other not far away with great interest.

Lu Zhan withdrew his gaze and glanced at him indifferently, "I don't know."

Duan Ling stared at Zhi Wan's figure and exclaimed, "The little girl is so delicate and soft, she looks so adorable."

Lu Zhan followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at Zhi Wan. He frowned and warned, "You know she's a young girl. Don't have any beastly thoughts about her."

"Cough cough cough..." Duan Ling choked on her own saliva, looking at him incredulously, "What do you mean by 'don't have beastly thoughts'? You're going too far. Besides, they look young, but everyone here today is already of marriageable age. Even if I had some thoughts, I wouldn't be considered a beast, would I?"

"How old are you? How old is he?" Lu Zhan's voice was cold.

Duan Ling choked for a moment, looking at her friend's serene and indifferent face, and said with mixed feelings, "We're twenty-five this year, which isn't...too old, is it?"

Lu Zhan didn't answer him, and walked towards the exit of the peach grove. "Don't invite me to this kind of boring banquet next time."

Duan Ling: "..."

Your kindness is really taken for granted!
Seeing that he was buried in government affairs all day long, and finally had a free day, I asked him to come and enjoy the flowers to relax, but he complained.

After walking for a while, Duan Ling suddenly saw something and quickly called out to Lu Zhan.

"You call me a beast? I think the beast is the one who's the real beast."

Lu Zhan stopped in his tracks, turned his head to look, and then his expression turned cold as he walked over there.

Seeing this, Duan Ling followed excitedly.

This is going to be a good show!

The peach grove was large with many trees. Ouyang Zhenzhu ran fast, and Zhiwan lost her in no time. Shuang'er and the old woman thought that she would go back after playing with Ouyang Zhenzhu for a while, so they waited in the same spot and did not follow her.

Unable to catch up with Ouyang Zhenzhu, she was about to turn back when she unexpectedly ran into Wang Zeren.

"My beauty, we meet again!"

Upon seeing Zhiwan, Wang Zeren was overjoyed. Seeing her alone again, he made no attempt to conceal his lewd intent as he stared at her.

(End of this chapter)