Waiting outside the Dingxi Building, Su Mo'er couldn't help but say, "His Highness said I can come to the Dingxi Building often from now on."
Qingyou was dumbfounded, "Miss, is this a dream?"
Su Mo'er chuckled and pinched her face, "Does it hurt?"
Qingyou pretended, "It hurts, it hurts, Miss, please let me go."
Su Mo'er let her go and the two of them walked and talked. Qingyou was excited, "It's great! Now Miss can freely come to the Dingxi Building. If the people from the Smoke and Water Pavilion knew, they'd definitely be jealous to the point of grinding their teeth."
Su Mo'er knew who she was referring to. The joy on her face gradually dissipated, and she sighed softly, "It's too early, we've only just begun."
The Commanding General's Mansion wasn't big, and news spread quickly among the people.
In the morning, Su Mo'er went to the Dingxi Building to see the prince and the news traveled quickly after it was spread in the Smoke and Water Pavilion. All the dancers couldn't help but feel jealous and make jokes.
"We're just waiting to see how she'll come back dejected!"
"That's right! They think highly of themselves just because they have some looks, they think the prince is easy to talk to?"
Today, everyone rested, and since there was nothing to do, they gathered together to chat.
Some of them even started betting, speculating when Su Mo'er would return looking dejected.
Some said half an hour, some said an hour. Li Ling and a few others who were friendly with Su Mo'er scoffed, "They are all just eager to see others lose face. They are too afraid to look at themselves. They talk a big game but deep down, they are probably just as eager to go to Dingxi Pavilion. If they don't have the courage, they shouldn't make wild guesses and embarrass themselves."
This remark immediately stirred up some of the people, almost causing a commotion.
However, Li Ling's background and straightforward nature made most people accustomed to it.
After some persuasion, they dispersed.
However, those who took an interest in this matter were impatient as the morning passed and Su Mo'er had not returned. They were grinding their teeth, saying that she must have been punished by the prince. Even if she didn't return now, she should have returned in the afternoon.
But as they waited, afternoon passed, and it wasn't until the evening that Su Mo'er returned, leaving everyone face to face in bewilderment.
Seeing Su Mo'er, her face was rosy, radiant, and showed no signs of being punished, which left everyone feeling conflicted.
Li Ling happily greeted her and asked, "Sister Su, you have finally returned. How was it? Did the prince see you?"
She deliberately asked this in front of everyone to infuriate those who were envious and jealous.
Su Mo'er was aware of her intentions. Originally, she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, but on second thought, if she didn't speak up about this matter, how long could she keep it a secret?
Moreover...
She glanced around and didn't see Li Feifei here.
Thinking it over, she decided it was time to light a fire under Li Feifei, so she smiled and said, "Yes, I saw him. His Highness was very kind. Not only did he talk to me for quite a while, he also let me serve him a meal. I'm embarrassed to say, those dishes were all made by me, nothing out of the ordinary, but His Highness finished every bit without a word."
As she spoke, her cheeks turned slightly red, and she added, "When I left, His Highness even told me that if I had time in the future, I could freely visit Dingxi Pavilion."
These words immediately caused others to be in awe, and their jealous gazes towards Su Mo'er could have drowned her.
One person, unwilling to accept this, sneered, "What's there to be proud of? You're just a servant, acting like you're somebody!" Su Mo'er, however, wasn't annoyed and replied, "That's not true. We're all here in the Commandant's Mansion as dancers, serving His Highness is our duty. If you really don't want to lower yourself, you can leave and report to Madam Yuan, then you can leave on your own. If you wait, it might be too late for you to negotiate a proper deal for yourself, and you'd have lost your dignity."
Once you entered the Yanshui Pavilion, what was there to be proud of?
Everyone was eager to climb up, and what they feared the most was not fighting to climb up. Otherwise, everything would truly be lost.
From the first day she arrived, Su Mo'er understood this principle, so she never showed weakness to others.
Upon hearing this, the person felt embarrassed and left in a huff.
Seeing this, the others also felt uninterested and, one by one, took their leave. However, after they left, what they were really thinking was not something others could know.
Later, some people wanted to follow Su Mo'er's example and visit the prince.
Unfortunately, they didn't have Su Mo'er's luck and couldn't even enter Dingxi Pavilion. One or two who made a scene trying to see the prince were even ordered by the eunuch Li to be punished and thrown out of the mansion.
Of course, these were all later stories, not to be mentioned here.
Su Mo'er watched the departing figures, with a smile on her face, but she knew that if Li Feifei didn't show up, she would be the one who wanted to know the news here today more than anyone else.
Afterwards, she chatted with Li Ling and the others while walking back to her room.
...
Su Mo'er's guess was right. Although Li Feifei wasn't there, she had been sitting in her room with a dark expression, waiting.
The conversation in the courtyard had quickly reached her ears.
Li Feifei was so angry that she had twisted her nose and eyes and had even slammed a few teacups, not to mention the rest.
After Bao Yuan had calmed her down, she said, "Miss, you can't be reckless now. In Bao Yuan's opinion, Su Mo'er said this on purpose! She wanted it to reach your ears and upset you. If it's true, just let it be her way."
"You're right!" Li Feifei took a deep breath, her eyes gleaming with cold light. She fiddled with a string of beads and said, "I didn't expect that Su Mo'er really has a few tricks up her sleeve! His Highness's situation is as it is at the moment, and she can still get in? Bao Yuan, how much of what she said is true?"
Bao Yuan considered, "In my opinion, there is a high probability that it is true. If she wants to deceive someone, the truth doesn't really matter. But she knows you well and naturally wouldn't dare to lie. Also, if it's a lie, she wouldn't have the courage to say it and would anger the prince's side."
This reasoning made sense to Li Feifei, who nodded in agreement, "You're right."
Bao Yuan continued, "But whether it's true or false, does it really matter? The key is that Su Mo'er has become a big threat now, and you should take action first."
Li Feifei's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness, "Right! Whether it's true or false, now that Su Mo'er has gained the favor of His Highness, she will become a major problem in the future. It's time to act."
Pausing for a moment, she frowned and thought, "But this is the Commandant's mansion. Should I let Big Brother enter? This is not a good idea..."
Bao Yuan said there was no need, "There's no need for such trouble. Miss, don't you think, Su Mo'er's reputation outside in recent years has been somewhat tarnished? She hasn't been favored, so who knows if she's really clean? When the news spreads, it's easy to turn from white to black..."
Li Feifei thought for a moment and then chuckled, beckoning to Bao Yuan.
Bao Yuan immediately came forward, and Li Feifei gave her instructions.
...
After a day of careful planning, she had finally achieved a satisfactory outcome. The tension of the past few days was finally slightly relieved tonight.
As the moon rose, Su Mo'er sat leisurely on the beautiful woman's couch, half-leaning on the open window, showing a laziness that she usually did not have. She just lifted her chin slightly to admire the night view.
For so long, this was the first time she had really looked up at the moon from the room she lived in at the Yanshui Pavilion.
There was a saying, "The moon over the sea is the same moon in the sky, and the person in front of you is your lover."
On the premise, she looked at the moon in the Commandant's Mansion and saw it as no different.
The night's color tonight is extremely good, with no trace of clouds in the sky to obstruct the view, and the silver moon gradually became an oval shape, hanging high in the sky, with an array of stars scattered across the sky.
Su Mo'er looked at it and couldn't help but exclaim, "The sky is really beautiful!"
Qing You, who had just finished busy work, came over to help Su Mo'er put on her coat and said with a smile, "Indeed, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon."
Su Mo'er couldn't help but feel a bit lost, "So, the Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here..."
This inevitably made her think of past Mid-Autumn Festivals, although they were living in poverty, the whole family would always be together, lively and bustling.
But this year, she couldn't go back.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness in her heart, and her eyes started to fill with glistening tears.
Seeing this, Qing You couldn't help but blame himself, thinking it wasn't the right time to talk about the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Hastily, he added, "Miss, have you ever experienced the Mid-Autumn Festival in the capital of Changzhou? When the time comes, there will be a lantern festival at night."
Su Mo'er's attention was indeed diverted, and she responded with interest, "A lantern festival?"
However, she couldn't help but think of Liu Feifei and Liu Yanzhe, who were both threats to her. Internally, Liu Feifei had become her only formidable rival in the prefectural governor's mansion. Externally, Liu Yanzhe had long been in the capital of Changzhou, and she wondered what wicked schemes he was hatching.
These two siblings were both threats.
Nowadays, as long as the task was accomplished, it would certainly leave a deep impression, and she would not be inferior to anyone else. The only thing to be wary of was Liu Feifei, after all, her family background and appearance were not bad.
But if Liu Feifei lost her looks and the Liu family went against the prince...
But in just that brief moment, Qing You could not comprehend that Su Mo'er had already thought about so much. When he mentioned the lantern festival, she exclaimed, "On the day of the lantern festival, the streets will be bustling with people, it's really lively. If miss has the chance this year, you must go and take a good look."
Su Mo'er toyed with the tassel on her hand and looked at the moon before nodding in satisfaction. Then she smiled casually and said, "It's good to have many people, it's only when there are many people that it's lively, but when it gets too lively, it becomes chaotic..."
Thinking it over, she felt that allowing Liu Feifei and Liu Yanzhe to make their moves was not the right approach. If there was an opportunity, it would be good to round them up.
Qing You didn't understand why Miss suddenly said this, but felt a sense of uneasiness in her heart when she spoke, as if she had the same chilling feeling as when she was still a country bumpkin and was seen by a venomous snake.
However, looking again, Su Mo'er still exuded that lazy and charming aura, making people feel like they had just been dazzled, as if everything just now was just her own illusion.
Su Mo'er noticed something was amiss and looked back with a smile, asking what was wrong.
Qing You blushed and felt embarrassed to say that she had let her mind wander, so she quickly praised, "Miss looks so beautiful, it's mesmerizing to behold."
Su Mo'er covered her lips and smiled, the two of them exchanged a few teasing remarks before gradually disappearing into the night.
...
The author has something to say:
One day, Su Mo'er asked Qing You to wrap her up tightly and pointed to Liu Feifei's room: "Look, she's causing trouble again. I have to guard against her insidious tricks."
When His Highness heard about this, he was very distressed: "As long as I'm here, who dares to take advantage of you?！？？Your Highness, are you being a little naughty?"
Goodnight~