Chapter 177: Targeting

Inside the carriage, Qi Qiong made excuses for her elder brother: "Big Brother's health has been quite good lately, he just happened to catch a slight chill..."

Lin Hao smiled.

She truly hadn't expected that Qi Shuo would even deceive his own younger sister; no wonder she had been fooled for so many years.

Seeing that Lin Hao didn't seem to mind, Qi Qiong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Though her brother was a good man, his health was somewhat weak, and there was no guarantee that some people wouldn't look down on him for it. Since Ah Hao was so considerate of her brother, she would have to treat Ah Hao even better in the future.

Lin Hao suddenly noticed that the Little County Princess's gaze toward her was becoming fervent.

Lin Hao: "..."

"Ah Hao, I heard some news."

"What news?"

Qi Qiong unconsciously lowered her voice: "That Princess of Yuliu coming to Great Zhou has simple motives; she's very likely to enter the palace."

Lin Hao's expression turned slightly strange: "That's just a rumor, isn't it?"

The seniority had suddenly jumped up a notch.

"Who knows if it's true or false, but there are such rumors. I heard that the status of Yuliu women is not high; for her to travel such a long distance and for two countries to be interacting, a princess couldn't possibly be here just for sightseeing." When talking about gossip with her close friend, Qi Qiong lost the composed demeanor she maintained in front of outsiders.

"She won't necessarily enter the palace; it's more likely she'll find someone of a similar age and appearance..." Lin Hao couldn't say what she had heard from Qi Shuo, which made her feel a bit stifled.

"Similar age and appearance?" Qi Qiong raised an eyebrow. "Then wouldn't that be the Crown Prince or Prince Wei?"

She quickly lost interest and moved on to another topic: "Princess Yi'an and County Princess Ronghua are inseparable again..."

Anyone following a man like the Crown Prince would be wasting their life; Prince Wei was actually alright, but she couldn't shake the image of him looking like a ball in her mind.

As they spoke, they arrived at Fragrant Garden.

Fragrant Garden covered a large area and featured beautiful scenery for all four seasons, making it an excellent place for outings. Unfortunately, it was a royal garden; one could not enter without a royal invitation.

Being able to come to Fragrant Garden to wander was, in itself, something worth celebrating.

Lin Hao and Qi Qiong arrived neither too early nor too late. When the carriage from the General's Manor stopped, it attracted many gazes.

Whether it was Lin Chan calling off her engagement to Prince Wei, or Lin Hao's marriage to the Prince Jing's Heir, the General's Manor had been a constant topic of discussion lately. People couldn't help but feel curious about Lin Hao, who had not appeared in formal settings for some time.

The silk curtain was lightly rolled back, and a tall young lady in a yellow dress stepped out of the carriage.

County Princess Ninghua?

Those watching thought they were seeing things.

Wasn't that the carriage from the General's Manor?

Soon, another young lady in a green dress with an oval face stepped out of the carriage.

It was indeed the Second Miss Lin.

The people paying attention finally realized that County Princess Ninghua and the Second Miss Lin had arrived in the same carriage.

"Did you see that? The Little County Princess of Prince Jing's Manor and the Second Miss Lin are on exceptionally good terms," a noble lady whispered to her friend.

Her friend nodded in agreement.

This was Qi Qiong's subtle consideration.

She wanted to ride in the same carriage as Lin Hao, but if she had called Lin Hao to board the Prince Jing's carriage, others would inevitably think Lin Hao was clinging to the Prince Jing's household. Conversely, the opposite view was entirely different.

Lin Hao didn't actually think this much; she naturally took Qi Qiong's outstretched hand and walked forward together.

"Ninghua." A voice of moderate pitch rang out.

Princess Yi'an, surrounded by attendants, walked gracefully toward them. She didn't spare even a glance for Lin Hao, her eyes landing only shallowly on Qi Qiong's face: "Is the carriage from Prince Jing's Manor broken? I was looking for it for a while just now but couldn't see it."

She spoke with a smile, but the shrewd noble ladies understood Princess Yi'an's attitude toward the Second Miss Lin from her blatant disregard for Lin Hao.

This discovery caused many noble ladies who had intended to get closer to Lin Hao to lose interest.

Saying a few words to the future Princess of Prince Jing might not make one her friend, but it would offend Princess Yi'an—a loss that was not worth the gain.

Having grown up among these people, Qi Qiong's wit was more than sufficient, yet she acted as if she knew nothing, saying with a smile: "Prince Jing's Manor has several carriages, and they are all very sturdy. It's mainly because I wanted to chat with Ah Hao on the way, so I squeezed into her carriage."

Princess Yi'an's cold gaze fell upon Lin Hao's face, but she continued speaking to Qi Qiong: "So that's how it is. I was wondering."

A young lady in elegant attire standing beside Princess Yi'an covered her mouth and laughed: "Ninghua, since when did you become so close with the Second Miss Lin?"

The words sounded ordinary, but they were actually needles hidden in cotton.

The sudden marriage between Prince Jing's Manor and the General's Manor had surprised many, and such words inevitably invited speculation: was the Little County Princess creating opportunities for her friend to be with her brother, which led to this marriage?

Qi Qiong looked at the girl who spoke. While she felt disgusted inwardly, her face remained smiling: "Of course. Ah Hao will soon be my sister-in-law. If I'm not close to her, who else should I be close to? Ronghua, are you not close to the Third Miss Chen?"

County Princess Ronghua had been engaged last winter to the Chen family of the Ministry of Rites. Her relationship with the Third Miss Chen was much like the relationship between Lin Hao and Qi Qiong.

Qi Qiong didn't want to offend Princess Yi'an, but she wasn't afraid of offending County Princess Ronghua.

They were both County Princesses; she wouldn't take this kind of insult!

Hearing Qi Qiong mention her sister-in-law, County Princess Ronghua couldn't help but feel a tightness in her chest.

Who could stand someone as rigid, boring, and meddlesome as Chen San? And yet, she happened to be her sister-in-law...

The fleeting moment of gloom in County Princess Ronghua's eyes instantly refreshed Qi Qiong.

Qi Qiong's soft and gentle words made it impossible for anyone to lash out, so County Princess Ronghua could only shoot a fierce glare at Lin Hao.

In truth, she had no connection to Lin Hao; she was merely picking on the other girl to please Princess Yi'an.

County Princess Ronghua quickly realized her eye-roll was wasted on a blind person.

The girl being targeted remained expressionless, looking as if she hadn't understood a thing.

This reaction, for some reason, made people even more frustrated.

In reality, Lin Hao's heart was not calm.

So, the person who had told her to stay behind at the Lantern Festival was Princess Yi'an; so, Princess Yi'an had been infatuated with the Top Scholar since then.

If Princess Yi'an hadn't come to make a scene in front of her and the Little County Princess today, she wouldn't have recognized that voice.

That glass lantern really had caused her nothing but trouble.

"Second Miss Lin, how is your elder sister's illness? Has there been any improvement?" County Princess Ronghua asked with a face full of concern. "It's such a pity; your sister was almost to become my sister-in-law."

Lin Hao tilted her chin slightly toward a certain direction: "Is that Princess Yuliu? She is truly beautiful."

As soon as she said this, everyone, including Princess Yi'an, looked over, only to see a peerless beauty walking gracefully, accompanied by attendants.

"Forgive me, I am late," Princess Lingque said with a smile to Princess Yi'an.

The two had already met once before this.

Princess Yi'an raised her chin slightly: "It's nothing, I just arrived as well."

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention had shifted, Lin Hao was finally able to observe Kou Wan, the second daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu, who was standing in an inconspicuous spot.

She was a beautiful young lady with features similar to Princess Yi'an.

What a headache. Since Princess Yi'an was so unfriendly to her, whether or not to save Princess Yi'an's sister was becoming a problem.

Sensing something, Kou Wan's eyes met Lin Hao's, and she gave a massive eye-roll.

(End of Chapter)