"The few young people were startled, and upon looking closely, it was indeed Princess Fu Le."
Instantly they scrambled to lower a soft ladder, pulling the two up.
Only after going up did Zheng Lingbo realize that the large ship was actually from the Zhang family.
The Zhang family and their relatives, this time the ship is likely that the Zhang family's cousin is, think of this Zheng Lingbo just isn't as nervous.
The two had just stabilized their footing when several young men beside them began to laugh and apologize, saying they were blind and such, but the two paid no attention to them, only frowning and wringing the water stains off their clothes.
Two tall and slender young men emerged from the ship's cabin amidst the commotion.
One was the cousin of the Zhang family, named Zhang Mingri, and the other was Rong Yi, whom Zheng Lingbo had met before leaving the Liu estate.
Both men saw Zheng Lingbo and Mu Yuanhuiyan supporting each other, with faint water stains on their clothes, and their expressions were immediately taken aback.
Mu Yuanhuiyan looked up and saw the two men, and couldn't help but gasp in alarm. This made Zheng Lingbo feel guilty and looked over to ask, "What's wrong? Your clothes are so uncomfortable?"
This was her mistake.
If it weren't for her lack of control over the boat, the two of them wouldn't have been in such a mess.
Mu Yuanhuiyan hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, nothing."
Zhang Mingri also recognized Zheng Lingbo, and while turning around to call the maid, he asked: "What's happening? Is this an accidental fall into the water?"
Zheng Lingbo called out, "Uncle," and said awkwardly, "It's not a fall into the water."
Zhang Mingri nodded, didn't ask anything else, and only let the maid lead them into the ship's cabin to change their clothes.
"Even though it's hot, you can't wear wet clothes like this. Let's go in and clean up."
The Zhang family is a noble and distinguished lineage, with a strong sense of scholarly demeanor in educating their descendants. Zhang Mingri also conducts himself with the style of a gentleman in his daily interactions. Therefore, Zheng Lingbo felt very at ease and called out to pull Mu Yuanhuiyan towards the cabin.
However, Liu Chengwang suddenly appeared, looking furious and shouting at her: "Zheng Lingbo! Why do you keep following me like a ghost?"
Zheng Lingbo: "..."
He shouted while using one hand to shield Xin'er behind him, his expression vigilant.
Although the situation was not very pleasant when she left the Liu residence before, after all, Lu Chengwang had cursed her many times before and even physically abused her, she still found her way to him with a smiling face next time.
——Zheng Lingbo is just too fond of Lu Chengwang, fond to the point of shameless persistence. This has already become the consensus among all those who know Lu Chengwang.
Thinking of this, Zheng Lingbo took a deep breath and said, "Xuanming Lake is your family's? Do you need to approve every time we go boating?"
Lu Chengwang didn't believe it at all.
He snorted coldly: "You'd better go boating!"
Behind him, Xin'er pretended to be afraid and took a look at Zheng Lingbo, then weakly called out, "Brother Chengwang."
——According to Zheng Lingbo's usual temperament, when seeing Xin'er in this situation, she would certainly explode, but now she simply turned her head away, ignoring it. On the contrary, Mu Yuanhuiyan snorted coldly: "You actually have some skills."
She opened her mouth to curse, but Rong Yi deliberately or inadvertently interrupted her: "Miss Zheng and the Princess should go inside quickly; it's blowing strong now."
Mu Yuanhuiyan looked at the two people and made a sound of disgust, then raised her foot to walk into the ship's cabin.
Zheng Lingbo was holding a handkerchief to wipe the water off, and for a moment, she became lost in thought.
People are really strange, aren't they?
Even if there is a full heart of hatred, it seems that those years of feelings cannot be put down in just a moment.
She unconsciously smiled bitterly.
Mu Yuanhuiyan immediately became vigilant: "We just said not to hang ourselves on that Liu fellow's branch, don't make the same mistake again!"
Zheng Lingbo: "Of course not."
Therefore, Mu Yuanhuiyan observed Zheng Lingbo's expression and proposed: "If you really like your cousin, the Zhang family's cousin is quite good. I remember he is your cousin too."
Zheng Lingbo is speechless: "What are you doing mixing up love affairs?"
Mu Yuanhuiyan said with a smile: "He is also very good."
Zheng Lingbo was surprised and said, "Do you know the person beside him?"
Mu Yuanhuiyan's eyes were somewhat indistinct, and she said vaguely, "I don't know him," but Zheng Lingbo was busy cleaning her clothes and didn't pay attention to her expression. She only answered casually, "He is friends with that person, and I just want to stay away from them."
Mu Yuanhuiyan's voice sounded a bit regretful: "……Okay."
Both of them quickly tidied up and went out again, only then having the time to observe the situation on the boat.
It turned out that Zhang Mingri had organized an appreciation of lotus flowers with three or five good friends, and some talented scholars and students who were curious also participated, making the scene quite lively.
But strangely, Zheng Lingbo had no recollection of this event at all, and she sat there in deep thought, trying to remember what she had been doing in her previous life.
After thinking for a while, she finally remembered. She had deliberately pretended to be sick and stayed at the Liu family, not leaving. She was also fooled by Yang Yunyan into lighting the candles and boiling oil to make clothes for Liu Chengwang. As a result, her illness became more serious, and she was lying in bed at home, unable to get up at that time.
Zheng Lingbo: "..."
Zheng Lingbo: "... Although it was something I did myself, looking back on it now, I feel like an idiot, believing everything others say."
Zheng Lingbo couldn't help but sigh in relief, but suddenly felt a gentle slap on her back from Mu Yuanhuiyan: "Don't sigh all the time, or the good fortune will be blown away if you sigh too much."
A soft laughter came from beside, it was Rong Yi.
He smiled as he looked towards the two girls and said, "The two of you look really close."
Zheng Lingbo didn't understand.
They are close or not, what does it have to do with him?
However, she was surprised to find that Mu Yuanhuiyan, who wasn't usually very approachable, seemed in good spirits and smiled at Rong Yi, "We have known each other for many years, so our relationship is naturally good."
Zheng Lingbo looked at the unconsciously intimate attitude of Mu Yuanhuiyan and wondered if this little girl was about to have her heart set on someone for the first time?
She pondered in her heart whether this person was reliable or not, while the two of them continued their conversation, eventually turning the topic to Zheng Lingbo: "Miss Zheng looks very different from usual today."
Rong Yi looked at her and smiled while making a jest.
Lu Chengwang likes the refined and elegant style of Xian Qin, and Zheng Lingbo used to have similar clothing, but today she wore narrow-sleeved clothes that were more convenient to move around, which was indeed different from her usual style.
She looked at the waving lotus flowers on the lake and said softly, "People naturally change over time."
Rong Yi hesitated for a moment and then laughed again for no apparent reason, "Exactly."
The scenery on the June lake is different from all other times. The lotus leaves extend to the sky, and the flowers bloom under the sun.
Zheng Lingbo simply gave a vague response and then pulled Mu Yuanhuiyan up against the ship railing. Only then did she take a deep breath and feel relieved.
"How beautiful."
Mu Yuanhuiyan is also a noblewoman who is skilled in all aspects of music, chess, painting, and calligraphy. Upon hearing this, her eyes were full of admiration and she opened her mouth in praise: "In the hot summer, chrysanthemums and lilies bloom, emitting a fragrance that fills the ten miles."
The lotus flowers in the lake stand tall and elegant, while the Sichuan zongzhu flowers by the lake edge are in full bloom, waiting to open. The air is indeed filled with faint fragrance, adding to the interest.
"Excellent! You've captured a sense of openness and wild charm. You truly deserve to be the Princess of FuLe."
