Yang Mama, together with a group of female dancers from the Smoke and Water Pavilion, wandered outside for quite some time, but most of them had lost interest due to the earlier events.
After all, each of them had come to be with the prince, only to watch Su Mo'er being called away by the prince, leaving them feeling envious.
Not long after, they began to complain of fatigue, and seeing this, Yang Mama said, "If that's the case, let's go to the restaurant and wait for His Royal Highness."
Upon hearing this, the others perked up a little, thinking: although Su Mo'er, that seductress, had taken the lead, there was still a chance for any of them to catch the prince's eye on this night of endless possibilities.
They eagerly agreed and headed to the restaurant.
The restaurant had been arranged well. In the uppermost elegant room, the interior was exquisitely decorated, and the environment was delightful.
Standing by the window, they could take in the beautiful scenery of the capital of Changzhou. As the night deepened on this Mid-Autumn Festival, the entire city was engulfed in merriment, with lights flickering everywhere.
Looking down from the balcony, they could see the lights scattered throughout the city, brightening up the dark night as if to compete with the stars in the sky.
Such a spectacle was truly extraordinary.
Li Ling'er couldn't help but sigh softly, "Such a beautiful scenery. It's a pity that Su Sister isn't here right now. If she had seen this, she would have loved it."
Upon hearing this, Liu Feifei couldn't help but sneer.
Immediately, a sycophant chimed in, "She's probably having a good time with His Highness right now. What's the use of pretending to be worried here?"
Li Ling'er could tell that this person was close to Liu Feifei and couldn't be bothered to respond, rolling her eyes and saying, "I like it, what's it to you?"
"You..."
Just then, someone suddenly exclaimed, and everyone turned to look. They saw one of the dancers covering her lips, staring wide-eyed and pointing at something, "Look over there!"
Everyone looked curiously over. At first, all they could see was darkness, with a few lights gathering towards the center from all around. But then, suddenly, the lights converged and rose into the air, forming a magnificent and colorful display.
The images on the display were not very clear at a distance, but the vivid figure of the beautiful woman in the center stood out clearly, her every move seeming lifelike.
The scenery was not only magnificent from the ground, but equally breathtaking from above. At first, everyone marveled at the beauty of the scene, but after a while, some began to feel uneasy.
Li Ling'er questioned, "Why does that beauty look so familiar?"
Someone immediately agreed, "Yes, it's like we know her..."
"It's Su Mo'er!" Before the statement was finished, some people, with a look of anger, pointed at a certain place and said, "It's His Highness arranging this for Su Mo'er, that foxy woman!"
People were shocked and dismayed, but upon closer inspection, they indeed saw two figures standing within the lighted scenery.
While it was a bit far from the lighted scene, it was only separated by a river and, with a clear view, the two figures of Su Mo'er and the Crown Prince were unmistakable.
Everyone was in a daze for a while, until Li Ling'er excitedly commented, "I had regretted not seeing this scene with Su Sister, but it seems I was worrying for nothing. It turns out we got to witness it after all."
She glanced pointedly at some people and said with a smile, "It seems His Highness really cares for Su Sister. Otherwise, with his personality, why would he put on such a display for her? But some people, no matter how envious or jealous, can't compare to Su Sister."
This statement left some people resentful and speechless.
Li Ling'er was puzzled by the situation and 'tsked', "So much talk, all because she doesn't have the favor of His Highness! If His Highness were to treat her the same, I wonder what she would become!"
Qingyu also nodded excitedly, "Exactly!"
To have the favor of the master would guarantee a better future for her as a maid!
In another elegant room, Li Gonggong looked at the scene and sighed, "Beauty is truly captivating, how could the previous Crown Prince have arranged such a thing for someone?"
After lamenting, he couldn't help but feel a bit pleased, "But looking at it like this, it's still quite good, don't you think so, Duke Du?"
Duke Du looked at him disdainfully, "It's not something you arranged."
Li Gonggong blushed and argued, "While it was inspired by Su Miss's previous dance, we were the ones busy preparing it to make it successful. How can't it be considered as something we did?"
Duke Du rolled his eyes and didn't bother with him.
Li Gonggong laughed, then waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, I can’t be bothered arguing with you. They will probably be back soon, so let's go meet them!"
Duke Du didn't reply, but followed him out.
As they stepped out of the door, they met someone at the entrance, which astonished Li Gonggong.
The Prince's final words had an unexpected effect on Su Mo'er's heart, which slightly lifted her spirits. She was not devoid of feelings, and after spending time with the Prince, she could sense that, regardless of his feelings for her, there was definitely a heartfelt intention behind it. With this realization, her chances were even greater!
In this situation, she couldn't give up. She had to redouble her efforts. That was the right path.
Her mind was filled with thoughts as her face already showed a gentle smile, and she reassured, "Your Highness, rest assured, in the future, I will work hard and will not slack off in the slightest."
Seeing her like this, Zhao Jinghuan couldn't help but laugh. He raised his hand and gently stroked the back of her head, while Su Mo'er blushed and smiled shyly.
Zhao Jinghuan then produced a beautifully crafted octagonal glass lantern with miniature carvings of Su Mo'er on each side, showing different postures and expressions.
Su Mo'er widened her eyes in surprise, "Your Highness, this is..."
He asked, "Do you like it?"
Her eyes sparkled, "I like it!"
She gladly took the lantern from Zhao Jinghuan's hand, oblivious to the relaxed and happy expression that passed momentarily on the Prince's face when she accepted it.
She simply thought it was another lighted decoration specially made by the Prince. Unaware that everything was personally designed and arranged by him, with the sole purpose of fulfilling her previous wish to see the lantern festival.
The two of them toured the grand lantern festival and then headed towards the tavern.
Su Mo'er knew that once they took this step, whatever was supposed to happen tonight, even if she didn't want it, was inevitable.
Therefore, she had never wished as strongly as she did at that moment, for the return journey to the tavern to be distant and never-ending.
However, the distance to the tavern was short, just separated by a river.
Even though she deliberately slowed her pace to delay arriving at the tavern, she soon reached it.
Just arriving at the restaurant, the noisy and bustling sound filled her ears, instantly pulling her back from the previous silence.
She couldn't help feeling a little confused, the time difference of just a few moments gave her a kind of reversal feeling.
It seemed as if the scenes just now were just a dream she had just awakened from.
But fortunately, the lantern she was holding reminded her that everything just now was not a dream.
Li Gonggong and Du Zhong came over, the two hurriedly greeted Su Mo'er, and then Li Gonggong leaned over to say something to Zhao Jinghuan's ear.
Zhao Jinghuan's brows furrowed, sounding a bit wary, "What does he want?"
Li Gonggong shook his head and said he didn't know, then Zhao Jinghuan asked, "Where is he?"
Li Gonggong respectfully said, "He is waiting for you."
Zhao Jinghuan fell silent for a moment, then looked at Su Mo'er, "You go upstairs first, I have something to do now."
Seeing the appearance of the others, Su Mo'er really wanted to know what had happened, but she also knew that it was not something she should inquire about. She could only suppress her curiosity and nod quietly, saying, "Then I'll go up first and wait for Your Highness."
Zhao Jinghuan nodded. After watching Su Mo'er leave, he turned and followed Li Gonggong and the others to the other side.
After walking a few steps, Su Mo'er realized that the gaze was not focused on her, so she turned back to see, but only saw Zhao Jinghuan and the others' figures disappear quickly.
She sighed lightly in her heart, not knowing whether it was a matter of rejoicing or regret...