Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

The carriage exited from the south gate of Kyoto and traveled south along the official road for about five miles.

The fields on both sides of the road opened up. In the distance, the outline of rolling green hills could be seen, and a small river meandered nearby, its clear water shimmering in the sunlight.

The weather is really nice today.

The sun in early April is warm but not scorching, and a gentle breeze carries the scent of grass and earth.

Unidentified wildflowers bloomed along the official road, their scattered yellow, white, and purple hues standing out vividly against the green grass.

The carriage stopped at a flat meadow by the river.

The view here is expansive, and the river makes a bend here, forming a shallow beach.

The car door opened, and Wu Feng jumped out first, then turned around and reached out his hand.

Li Yunrui helped him out of the car, her pale yellow dress fluttering gently in the spring breeze. After she stopped, she looked around.

Fresh air rushed in, carrying the scents of grass, river water, and wildflowers.

In the distance, the green mountains are like dark eyebrows, and nearby, the stream flows gently, while the warm sunlight shines on you.

She took a deep breath, and her expression relaxed.

The eight sword-wielding maids had silently dispersed, forming a perimeter around them.

Of the four ordinary maids, two carried a large brocade blanket out of the carriage and spread it on the grass, while the other two began to gather dry branches and pile them up to prepare for starting a fire.

"Your Highness, what do you think of this place?"

Chunmei walked over and asked, her voice softer than usual.

Wu Feng looked at Chunmei with some surprise. Shouldn't he be the one saying that?

Chunmei pretended not to see the expression on Wu Feng's face, and naturally walked to Li Yunrui's other side, casually supporting her arm.

She felt a little depressed.

These days, Wu Feng has been too good at pleasing His Highness. If this continues, she, the personal maid who has served him since childhood, is afraid that she will really be outshone.

Li Yunrui failed to notice the subtle interaction between the two.

She gazed at the scenery before her, her voice gentle:

"Hmm... It's definitely different from spending all day in the palace. It's very comfortable."

"Your Highness, let's take a walk around here," Wu Feng interjected. "I've asked around a lot, and this is a famous spring outing spot in the capital."

Li Yunrui turned to look at him, a slight smile playing on her lips: "I know you've put your heart into this. Let's take a walk then; it's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed."

Chunmei glanced at Wu Feng.

I've asked many people about it.

The truth is, this guy went to the Imperial Guards yesterday, claiming in His Highness's name that he wanted to go on a spring outing in the outskirts of the capital, and asked them to provide a suitable location.

The Imperial Guards were stunned. Was it appropriate to involve them in this kind of matter?

But what can you do when Eunuch Xiao Wu gives you so much money?

So last night, the Imperial Guards gave Wu Feng a few reference locations and even asked him solicitously if he wanted someone to escort him.

Chunmei felt that if she didn't take the initiative, she would really only have driving as her job in the future.

The three of them slowly walked upstream along the riverbank.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, we arrived at a place full of flowers.

The terrain here is slightly higher, offering a panoramic view of the entire riverbank.

There are several fringe trees, wisteria, and azaleas around it.

Most importantly, beneath the wisteria blossoms, a vibrant patch of poppies blooms, and beside the poppies, there is a pink peony.

Wild peonies are rare to begin with, but this Zhao Fen peony is exceptionally beautiful.

Layer upon layer of pinkish-white petals, with a faint blush in the center, the flower is full and looks exceptionally precious in the wild.

Li Yunrui's eyes lit up.

She gently pushed away Wu Feng and Chunmei's hands that were supporting her and walked towards the flower bed on her own.

Wu Feng and Chunmei exchanged a glance, but neither of them followed; they simply stood there.

Li Yunrui stopped in front of that pink peony.

She slowly squatted down, her pale yellow skirt spreading out on the grass.

She leaned closer to the flower and gently sniffed it.

"This Zhao Fen..." she said softly, "though it's in the wild, it blooms even more beautifully than the ones in my little garden."

Wu Feng watched her back as she crouched among the flowers.

The spring breeze stirred her hair and dress, and the sunlight bathed her in a warm golden glow.

Her profile as she looked down at the flowers was beautiful; she had long eyelashes, a delicate nose, and a faint smile on her lips.

So beautiful...

The thought had just flashed through Wu Feng's mind...

"Click."

A slight, crisp sound.

The beautiful pink peony in full bloom was broken off by Li Yunrui at the stem.

She slowly stood up, holding the broken flower in her hand. The petals trembled slightly from the movement, and a few petals drifted down from the edges.

Li Yunrui looked down at the flower in her hand, then reached out with her other hand to gently hold the flower.

Slowly close your five fingers together.

The delicate petals were crushed between her fingers, and pinkish-white sap seeped out from between her fingers, staining her fingertips red.

Her face remained expressionless as she quietly watched the flower turn into a shattered, crimson mess in her hand.

Wu Feng's lips twitched slightly.

This woman... isn't she most fond of flowers?

Li Yunrui released her grip, and the broken petals and sap fell onto the grass.

Wu Feng immediately took out a handkerchief. She took the handkerchief, slowly wiped her fingers, and then casually tossed the handkerchief back to Wu Feng.

"Let's go."

She continued walking along the riverbank, her pale yellow figure appearing and disappearing among the flowers.

Just then, several figures appeared on the official road in the distance, walking in their direction.

Li Yunrui acted as if she hadn't seen anything and continued walking.

When the group approached within about thirty paces, two sword-wielding maids appeared silently and blocked their way.

Chunmei quickly walked to Li Yunrui's side and whispered, "Your Highness, they are from the Censorate. The one in the lead seems to be Zhu Ge, the head of a department."

Li Yunrui stopped in his tracks.

She turned her head and glanced in that direction, her expression shifting slightly: "What are the people from the Overwatch Council doing here? Let them come over."

Chunmei made a gesture to the maid holding the sword.

The two maids then stepped aside, but their eyes remained wary as they watched the newcomer.

Zhu Ge walked over with two subordinates from the Censorate.

"Your subject, Zhu Ge, the chief clerk of the First Division of the Censorate, pays his respects to Her Highness the Eldest Princess."

Zhu Ge bowed respectfully. The two men behind him also bowed.

Li Yunrui turned around to face him, a faint smile on her face that betrayed no emotion.

"What brings Lord Zhu to see me?" she asked softly. "Aren't you afraid Ye Qingmei will remove you from your position as the organizer?"

Zhu Ge straightened up, his expression calm: "The Censorate is the Censorate of the Qing Kingdom. Since I have encountered Your Highness, I naturally must come and pay my respects."

Li Yunrui's smile deepened.

"The Surveillance Bureau of the Qing Kingdom..." she repeated softly, her eyes curving slightly. "Interesting."

Throughout the entire Qing Kingdom, everyone knew that the Supervisory Council obeyed only Ye Qingmei's orders.

But this Zhu Ge not only dared to come to see her, but also said the following:

Could it be... that he is dissatisfied with Ye Qingmei?

Zhu Ge seemed unconcerned by Li Yunrui's attitude and continued respectfully, "The weather is fine today, and it is fitting that Your Highness comes out for a stroll. However, while the outskirts of the capital are beautiful, Your Highness must still be careful."

He exchanged a few more polite words, then bowed and took his leave: "I still have official business to attend to, so I will not disturb Your Highness's enjoyment any longer."

Li Yunrui gave a soft "hmm".

Zhu Ge and his men turned and left, quickly disappearing at the end of the official road.

The riverbank returned to tranquility, with only the sounds of wind, water, and the occasional birdsong.

Li Yunrui stood there, gazing in the direction Zhu Ge had left, lost in thought.

After a few moments, she asked softly, "What do you think?"

Wu Feng looked at Chunmei uncertainly.

Chunmei remained calm. Of course His Highness was asking you, not me, his personal maid who was about to fall out of favor.

Wu Feng withdrew his gaze, walked to Li Yunrui's side, and lowered his voice to say:

"Your Highness, I think Zhuge is trying to curry favor with you. Or rather... he's trying to curry favor with the royal family."

Li Yunrui turned to look at him, her eyes lighting up.

Wu Feng continued, "The First Division of the Censorate is responsible for monitoring the entire Kyoto and its surrounding areas. Recently, certain forces in Kyoto have been frequently mobilized, and this should not escape Zhu Ge's notice."

Li Yunrui smiled.

The smile was beautiful, with curved eyes and upturned lips. But upon closer inspection, one could see a hint of calculation and excitement hidden within it.

"Pay close attention to this Zhu Ge." Her voice was soft, yet carried a certain certainty. "Once Ye Qingmei is dead, the Overwatch Council might..."

She stopped there and didn't continue.

Chunmei knew that these words were directed at her.

"This servant understands," Chunmei immediately bowed in response.

Li Yunrui nodded in satisfaction and looked back at the river view in front of him.

A spring breeze blew by, ruffling the stray hairs on her cheek. She reached up and smoothed them, the smile on her face never fading.

Wu Feng stood beside her, looking at her profile.

The sunlight shone on her face, making her skin appear almost translucent white. Her eyelashes cast delicate shadows beneath her eyes, and her lips were a pale pink, slightly pursed.

Very beautiful.

But it also makes it hard to understand.

Just like that pink peony from earlier, she admired its beauty, yet casually broke and crushed it.

This contradiction may be the truest reflection of Li Yunrui.