The ups and downs of this night left Su Mo'er feeling exhausted, and she quickly fell asleep after lying down.
However, she slept so deeply that the next morning, she realized she had nearly overslept for her duty to assist the Crown Prince with dressing.
Hastily preparing herself to leave, she opened the door to find Li Lu approaching her.
Upon seeing her, Li Lu smiled and greeted her, asking, "Did you sleep well?"
Su Mo'er nodded politely and replied, "I slept very well, thank you for your concern."
"Good to hear. Where are you rushing off to?" Li Lu asked.
Feeling embarrassed, Su Mo'er explained, "I overslept last night and almost missed the time to accompany His Highness."
As she spoke, Li Lu burst into laughter. He then explained that the Crown Prince had left before dawn.
Learning this, Su Mo'er was deeply disappointed that another chance to get close to the Crown Prince had slipped away.
Li Lu noticed her disappointment and quickly added, "But don't worry, the Crown Prince specifically asked for you to leave if you overslept. He's showing concern for your health and wants you to recover from your injury first. After a few days, you can attend to him at ease."
Su Mo'er brightened up upon hearing this and thought to herself that it was indeed true. How could she serve the Crown Prince properly with a sprained foot? When it healed, she could come back with a valid excuse.
She finally asked Li Lu, "Do you know when the Crown Prince will return?"
Li Lu kindly replied, "The Crown Prince's affairs keep him busy, and his whereabouts are unknown. I am not the only one who knows this. But if he returns to the mansion, you will be informed."
This was a deliberate effort to keep her informed and please her. Regardless of Li Lu's intentions, Su Mo'er was grateful and even gave him a small token of appreciation without revealing her true feelings.
Lǐgōnggōng repeatedly said that the servant had done a marvelous job, but refused to accept the purse. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lǐgōnggōng offered to accompany Sū Mò'er, but she refused. Seeing her firm attitude, Lǐgōnggōng had to regretfully leave. Thus, Sū Mò'er had no reason to stay here and could only leave with a heavy heart. Although she said she was packing up, there was actually nothing to pack up. However, as she left, she discreetly took the cloak that the prince had placed on her the night before. Once out of Xiyi Building, she saw Qingyu waiting outside the courtyard. Upon seeing Sū Mò'er, Qingyu hurriedly greeted her, supporting Sū Mò'er and anxiously asked, "Miss, have you finally come out? How is it?" The glory of a servant is tied to their master. A master's status determines the servant's identity. Since Sū Mò'er accepted the General's summons to the mansion, it was destined that Qingyu could only follow this master. Therefore, Sū Mò'er's ability to win the favor of the prince and how far she could go was a matter of great concern to the servant. However, Sū Mò'er didn't want to say much and simply said, "Let's talk about it when we go back." Seeing her response, Qingyu vaguely guessed something and didn't press further.
Although the prince had arrived at the mansion and had presented his performance last night, he would be staying for more than just a day or two. These dancers naturally had to stay for a long time. During their free time, they had to practice hard and hoped to be noticed by the prince at the next banquet. However, today was different. Because yesterday was so rushed, they were all exhausted and confused. Therefore, Yuan Niang and Yangmama kindly granted them a day off. At this moment, all the dancers gathered in the courtyard of the Yanshui Pavilion, chatting non-stop. Their eyes, however, were fixed on the gate. Some were so audacious that they didn't even bother to conceal it and stared directly at the gate, not knowing what they were looking at. Then a beautiful dancer curled her lips and said, "Sū Mò'er must have had some incredible luck. She performed on stage for the first time and caught the prince's eye." Someone nearby commented bitterly, "What else could it be? Although the prince claims to keep his distance from women, he is, after all, a man and can't help but conform to conventions. Sū Mò'er has no family background or any outstanding talent, other than her captivating face, what else does she have?" This sparked disagreement, "Even if Sū Mò'er is beautiful, how beautiful can she be? Who among us here is less attractive than her? I think she must have used some kind of charm..." Before the speaker could finish, Li Ling'er laughed and scrutinized them, "Do you have the nerve? I won't dare to say anything else, but in terms of looks, who dares to claim to be as good as Sū Jiejie? Have some shame!" The remark embarrassed the others, and they were ultimately unwilling to accept it. Someone then pointed to Li Ling'er and suggested looking at Central Miss Liu Feifei, "Is it possible that Miss Liu is less than Sū Mò'er? Last night, Miss Liu was the first and only one favored by the prince! When Sū Mò'er stepped down from the stage, the prince didn't even make a compliment. If it weren't for her methods the day before and Miss Liu's inability to appear for some reason, Sū Mò'er wouldn't have had the opportunity to serve the prince!" Many people immediately agreed, even Li Ling'er was wary of Liu Feifei and did not speak further, just gave a snort and turned her head. Upon hearing everyone talking about Liu Feifei, she paused and then slammed her teacup onto the marble tabletop, exclaiming, "Compare me to her? Is she even worthy?!"
The author has something to say: Little angels can leave more comments about their favorite plot points, and I will try to arrange them in the manuscript. I really enjoy reading comments from little angels and interacting with everyone~ Good night~