diskusbooks Chapter 223 Reunion (Part )
Chapter 223 Reunion (Part )
"Isn't this...isn't this Miss Taoyao?!"
One of the maids screamed and came forward in two or three quick steps. Tao Yao looked closely and saw that it was An An.
"Hey, it really is you!"
An An's eyes lit up, and she quickly held Tao Yao's hands and looked her over carefully from head to toe.
"Beautiful—beautiful! Where have you been these days? You seem like a different person, much more beautiful than before!"
Tao Yao smiled shyly and turned around to see Pingping emerging from behind An An holding a washbasin. She looked at Tao Yao with a look of delight.
"Miss Taoyao, where have you been these days? We all miss you so much."
Tao Yao blinked and said nothing, only saying lightly: "I was kidnapped by a human trafficker and taken to a place I don't know where it is. After a narrow escape, I finally escaped and came back."
An An and Ping Ping looked at each other with worried expressions, and then they both looked Tao Yao from head to toe again.
An An's expression was filled with indignation. She angrily said, "Who on earth is this scoundrel who dares to do such an outrageous thing under the feet of the Emperor? If the prince knew the reason behind this, he would definitely investigate it thoroughly and give you an explanation."
Pingping gently took Taoyao's wrist and asked softly, "How are you? You didn't suffer much?"
Tao Yao, however, put away the smile on her face, revealing a bitter expression. With a pursed mouth, she said aggrievedly, "Yes, I suffered a lot."
As she spoke, tears were about to well up in her eyes. An An and Ping Ping frantically searched their pockets for a handkerchief to wipe her tears, but they found nothing.
Tao Yao's heart moved and a smile broke out on her face. She hugged the two sisters in her arms and put her face against theirs affectionately.
"It's okay, it's okay, I'm back after all."
An An and Ping Ping were stunned for a moment, then they laughed and echoed, "Yeah, yeah, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."
An An and Ping Ping took Tao Yao to the stone table under the wisteria trellis in the courtyard and sat down. Ping Ping brought a cup of hot tea and brewed it for Tao Yao.
An An held Tao Yao's hands all the time, looking at Tao Yao's nails left and right, with stars in her eyes.
"Oh, these nails are so beautiful, so beautiful. That's right, we women should be like this, beautiful and pretty. Look, how beautiful they are."
Although she was praising herself, Tao Yao was somewhat absent-minded. She looked up at the deep night, feeling as if a hundred thousand ants were crawling in her heart.
Pingping saw through Taoyao's thoughts immediately and brought hot tea to her, saying, "Young lady, are you here to see the prince? Unfortunately, there's a dinner party in the palace today, and the prince left early. I don't know when he'll be back. Every time there's a dinner party in the palace, the prince always comes back drunk, and I'm afraid today will be no different."
Tao Yao stroked the edge of the teacup with carved patterns in her hand, and vaguely remembered the lonely and sad look on Chu Huanjun's face after she said those harsh words to him when they parted last time. She couldn't help feeling sad.
Tao Yao pretended to be indifferent and laughed dryly twice, shook his head and said, "Men just love to drink."
An An and Ping Ping exchanged a smile, both seeming to be able to discern Tao Yao's concerns. An An said, "Sister, to be honest, the prince is definitely interested in you. During your absence, the prince's spirits have clearly declined, and he's always out drinking—the prince has a good alcohol tolerance, but lately he's been drinking himself unconscious before returning. The doctors at the mansion have said that although the prince is in good health, he can't stand the constant drinking, and he's started to have headaches lately."
Tao Yao avoided his gaze and teased, "...Maybe it's not because of me. Didn't he always love drinking?"
An An Nu pursed his lips and shook his head: "That's different, everyone in our house can see it."
After An An finished speaking, Ping Ping added, "Miss Tao Yao, after you disappeared, everyone in the Shi Mansion said you were dead. The prince didn't believe it and made several special trips to distant places. We all guessed he was going to look for you."
Tao Yao laughed dryly and waved her hand, saying, "You two are truly loyal. How long are you going to speak up for him? Okay, I'll wait. No matter how late he comes back today, I'll wait."
An An's eyes lit up, and she immediately held Tao Yao's hand again, whispering, "Miss, you're not leaving this time?"
Tao Yao blinked, unsure how to respond. Just then, a delicate cry suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see two slender figures gradually emerging from behind the small archway, one taller and one shorter.
The shorter one was clearly a woman, her figure becoming clear in an instant. She was wearing a gorgeous palace dress, and her makeup and hairstyle were extremely exquisite.
The woman turned her face away, and Tao Yao's heart almost jumped out of her throat - it was Shi Lanxin.
Tao Yao was startled and quickly pulled out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and covered her face with it to hide her appearance.
At that time, Shi Lanxin had already looked into the courtyard, and saw three people sitting under the wisteria trellis. They were all unfamiliar. She put her hands on her hips and shouted arrogantly, "All of you, come over here and help your prince!"
Tao Yao was stunned for a moment - it turned out that she was dressed up now, and even Shi Lanxin didn't recognize who she was and mistook her for a servant of Prince Yi's Mansion.
An An and Ping Ping quickly got up and went over. In order not to expose herself, Tao Yao had no choice but to follow them.
Before he had taken a few steps, he saw Chu Huanjun hunched over and coming out from behind the archway. He was drunk, his face was flushed, and even his steps were a little unsteady.
At this moment, Shi Lanxin suddenly grabbed Chu Huanjun's arm, leaning almost half of her body into his arms, and said delicately, "Brother Chu, you are drunk, what should I do?"
Chu Huanjun was already unsteady on his feet, and with her tug, he nearly slammed his lips into her face. Fortunately, despite his drunken stupor, Chu Huanjun still managed to maintain a modicum of sobriety. He used all his strength to push Shi Lanxin off him, cursing breathlessly, "Where did this crazy woman come from, running wild in my house..."
Shi Lanxin's eyes widened with anger. Unwilling to accept it, she moved closer to him, hugged his arm again, and said, "Brother Xiaochu, you must be drunk. Open your eyes and look carefully. I am Lanxin."