The mountain path was narrow, not wide enough for two carriages to pass beside each other. However, the carriage from the Fourth Prince's residence, which had been ahead, suddenly stopped, clearly waiting for them.
With the path blocked like this, if they went forward, they would inevitably encounter the obstruction.
Cang Lang looked forward with great displeasure, then lowered his head on horseback to ask toward the carriage, "Lady, should we take a detour?"
"No need."
Since the Fourth Prince's party had already stopped, they clearly knew they were behind. Avoiding them now would only raise suspicion.
Moreover, though there were multiple paths leading to Lingyun Temple, to take a detour, they would have to go back first. It was the time of Zhongyuan, and many pilgrims were heading up the mountain for the Yulan Festival. The carriages were almost blocking the foot of the mountain.
If they took a detour, not only would people speculate, but those with ill intentions would also cause trouble.
Tang Ning frowned. "Continue forward."
The two carriages grew closer. As they were about to approach the Fourth Prince’s party, Tang Ning’s carriage slowed down.
The Fourth Prince's carriage was splendid, with the veil lifted. The Fourth Prince’s consort sat inside, smiling as she looked toward them. She spoke first.
"I thought I saw you two from afar at the foot of the mountain, but I didn’t expect to really run into the County Princess and the Madam of Rong Guo."
"Greetings to the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Prince’s consort."
Tang Ning and Rong Yue pretended to get up to greet them.
The Fourth Prince quickly said, "There’s no need for formalities on the road, County Princess and Madam."
Tang Ning had no intention of actually getting out of the carriage, and hearing this, she didn't stand on ceremony, helping Rong Yue back into her seat.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The two carriages had not yet aligned, as the Fourth Prince’s carriage was diagonally blocking the road. This allowed both parties to see each other inside their respective carriages. The Fourth Prince’s consort could feel the eager gaze of the man beside her, who was staring intently at the opposite carriage.
She felt displeased, but her expression remained calm.
"After the Qixi Festival, I originally planned to visit the County Princess, but I’ve been so busy lately that I couldn’t make it. That night, when you fell into the water, were you cold? Is your body alright?" the Fourth Prince’s consort asked with concern.
Tang Ning answered gently, "Thank you, Fourth Prince’s consort for your care. I’m fine."
"And Miss Qian?" she asked again.
"Sister Qian is also fine."
"That's good."
The Fourth Prince’s consort seemed to relax, a faint smile appearing on her face. "That night was truly dangerous. When I returned and mentioned it to His Highness, I was still a bit scared. It’s not the first time such a disturbance happened in the capital, and the Qiqiao Festival is held every year, so why did it cause such chaos this year, even causing someone to fall into the water?"
"Fortunately, both the County Princess and Miss Qian are fine. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. If His Majesty knew, he would surely be worried."
Tang Ning just smiled and didn’t speak.
The Fourth Prince, however, was somewhat distracted by her smile.
Perhaps it was because they were heading up the mountain to pray, but Tang Ning was dressed simply, with a pair of lotus wood hairpins in her hair, which gave off a unique and graceful vibe.
When she smiled, her almond eyes curved, and her dimples lightly sank into her cheeks. Even her plain attire couldn’t hide her beauty, which seemed capable of capturing one's soul.
The Fourth Prince’s heart raced.
In the few days since he had last seen her, why did Tang Ning seem even more beautiful?
He couldn't help but say, "After I last visited Supervisor Xiao, I haven’t seen the County Princess for several days. I thought you were doing well, but I didn’t expect you to fall into the water. If I had known you would have trouble on Qixi, I would’ve gone to the western city with you."
Beside them, Xue Ru and Rong Yue exchanged glances, both speechless, while Cang Lang, who was riding outside, almost rolled his eyes to the sky.
What was he going to do in the western city? Push a wheelchair into the lake?
The man couldn't even take care of his own crippled legs, yet he was thinking about their lady.
He was ugly, yet had such lofty ideas!
Tang Ning looked at the Fourth Prince with some distaste. She pulled the curtain and said coldly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have people protecting me."
"You have people protecting you, but I will still worry if something happens."
Tang Ning’s hand tightened, and if it weren’t for waiting on the matters at the temple, she would have slapped him across the face.
But the Fourth Prince, completely unaware of his own repulsiveness, gazed at her tenderly and said in a soft voice, "Although the mountain looks peaceful, I remember you nearly encountered an accident here on the mountain before. Since you and Madam Rong are also going up to pray, since we’ve run into each other so coincidentally, why don’t we travel together? We can look out for each other."
Rong Yue almost spat in his face.
Who said they’d travel with him?!
Earlier, she had heard from Madam Wenxin Hou that the Fourth Prince’s consort had ulterior motives, but now it seemed that it was the Fourth Prince who had the ulterior motives.
What kind of thing dared to covet their Tang Ning!
Rong Yue’s face was cold, and her voice was icy. "A place of worship does not welcome those with impure intentions. Anyone who dares to harbor such thoughts in this sacred place will surely meet their retribution."
"Your Highness and the Fourth Prince’s consort can travel together, we will not disturb you. The mountain road is narrow. Cang Lang, please move back a little and let the Fourth Prince's party go ahead."
The Fourth Prince wanted to say something more, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his thigh. It was the Fourth Prince’s consort, who had moved forward.
"Madam is right. There are no ill-intentioned people at the temple. Although His Highness wishes to take care of the County Princess, he’s being overly cautious. Traveling together on such a narrow mountain road would be more dangerous."
"It’s getting late, and there are sure to be more people heading up the mountain. We shouldn’t block the road. Madam Rong, County Princess, let’s go ahead first. Once we get to the temple, I’ll invite you to have some tea."
Rong Yue’s face was stiff. "You two may go slowly."
After the Fourth Prince and his consort bid farewell and lowered their curtains, their carriages moved ahead, separating from Tang Ning’s party.
Once they had passed, the Fourth Prince’s anger flared. "Why did you pinch me just now?"
"If I hadn’t pinched you, Your Highness, your eyes would’ve fallen on that Song Tang Ning," the Fourth Prince’s consort said coldly. "There are other people in that carriage. With so many people around, even if you fancy Song Tang Ning, you should be more mindful of your status. Acting like this is leaving me in a difficult position."
"..."
The Fourth Prince instantly felt guilty. He had been so focused on Tang Ning that he didn’t notice the irritation on the Fourth Prince’s consort’s face. Quickly, he reached out to try and comfort her, but she moved to the side.
"Your Highness, do you like Song Tang Ning so much? You can’t even hide it in front of everyone?"
Earlier, when their carriage blocked the road, some people had approached to gossip. It started as casual conversation, perhaps to build connections, but quickly turned into a probe about Tang Ning’s feelings toward Qixi Night. But the Fourth Prince—his gaze had practically been glued to that woman, and he had shown her such concern.
What about her, his consort?
The Fourth Prince looked away, but he knew he couldn’t offend his consort. After losing the Lu family’s favor, he couldn’t afford to lose the support from her family either.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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