Yun Shuyue squatted down, tugged at Meng Jiuning's sleeve with her chubby little hand, and asked in a low voice.
"Are there crickets under this wall? Or have you been hiding something delicious here behind Su Yao's back?"
Meng Jiuning almost choked on her breath, her eyes wide open, and she made a shushing gesture.
When did this silly girl catch up?
"Shut up!" Meng Jiuning reached out and pinched Yun Shuyue, using very light force and her voice was barely audible.
"Who hid food?! Go back to your room and go to sleep, don't cause trouble here!"
I won't reply.
Yun Shuyue tucked the snowman hat into her arms and pouted.
"It's freezing in here, the fireplace isn't even lit. You've been acting suspiciously, there's definitely something fishy going on. If you don't share your food with me, I'll yell for Uncle Fu to come and arrest you!"
Meng Jiuning was so angry that she ground her back teeth together.
I really want to slap this little brat until he's unconscious.
But if she made even the slightest noise and those sharp-eyed women in the room noticed, she would completely lose face as the princess of Dali.
"There's no food! I'm here listening... listening to the Prince discuss serious matters!"
Meng Jiuning gritted her teeth, pulled Yun Shuyue closer to her, and pressed her firmly behind the porcelain jar.
"You stay squatting there quietly. If you make even the slightest sound, I'll throw all the candy you hid under your bed into the well tomorrow!"
Yun Shuyue shrank back in fright, quickly covered her mouth with both hands, and nodded frantically.
Meng Jiuning breathed a sigh of relief, and was just about to push this burden away when a crisp "snap" suddenly came from the warm room.
It sounded like a porcelain tea tray being accidentally overturned and shattered on the ground.
Immediately afterwards, Shen Ling'er's voice, filled with embarrassment and annoyance, came through the window paper, her voice rising very high.
" Gu Moran! Is this acupressure?"
" Ling'er, don't panic."
Gu Moran's leisurely, teasing voice then rang out.
"I noticed your meridians are a bit blocked, don't I?"
Murong Xue's voice boomed out, both anxious and angry.
"Hey, you surnamed Gu, give me back my whip!"
" Xue'er is right, there will definitely be a winner."
The sound then became lower, intermittent, and indistinct.
Meng Jiuning pressed herself against the window paper, her ears almost disappearing into the cracks in the roof tiles.
I didn't hear anything important.
Every word and phrase was filled with vile and offensive language.
Meng Jiuning's entire face instantly turned bright red, so hot that even the roots of her ears were trembling.
Her hands gripped the edge of the large porcelain jar tightly, her nails scraping painfully against the rough clay.
absurd!
Absolutely absurd!
She had heard many rumors about the princes' debauchery while she was in the deep palace of Dali.
But she never expected that Prince Yi Gu Moran, who was famous in the southwest and had manipulated Tubo at will, was actually a complete lecher in private!
What nonsense about feigning madness and having a well-thought-out plan? It's all bullshit!
She was acting like a fool, squatting here eavesdropping in the biting winter wind, hoping to uncover some earth-shattering military secrets.
Meng Jiuning's chest heaved violently; she felt utterly humiliated and wanted nothing more than to stand up and spit on him.
Just as she was doubting her judgment and preparing to leave this filthy place, Yun Shuyue suddenly tilted her head.
Yun Shuyue, her little hands still clasped to her chest, stared intently at the swaying stained-glass window with her round eyes. She sniffed, her face full of seriousness and confusion as she whispered a question:
" Sister Meng...✧⁺⸜(●˙▾˙●)⸝⁺✧"
Are they fighting and fighting over candy inside the house?
The sound, neither too loud nor too soft, was particularly jarring in the quiet corner of the backyard.
Meng Jiuning was so frightened that her soul almost left her body, and a layer of white sweat instantly broke out on her back.
Without even thinking, she slapped Yun Shuyue across the face, covering her mouth tightly as she was about to ask another question!
ᐠ( ᑒ )ᐟ
Yun Shuyue's eyes rolled back as she was covered, her feet kicking wildly on the hard, dry ground, and she made muffled struggling sounds in her throat.
Meng Jiuning's fingers were gripping Yun Shuyue's chin, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
My palms were covered in cold sweat.
Yun Shuyue rolled her eyes back as she was covered up, her hands flailing wildly, her heels scraping two dents in the frozen ground.
In the backyard, only two lanterns swayed in the night wind under the eaves, and intermittent breathing and laughter could be heard from inside the carved wooden window.
"Squeak--"
Without warning, the carved wooden window was pushed open halfway.
The warmth inside the heated room, mixed with the rich aroma of calming herbs, rushed straight into the cold wind outside.
Gu Moran casually draped a loose, dark-colored outer robe over his shoulders, the front of which was mostly open, revealing his muscular chest.
He rested one hand on the window frame, looking down at the two people huddled behind the large fireproof celadon jar.
His usual nonchalant frivolity had vanished completely, leaving only a deep, still calm.
Meng Jiuning froze.
The hand covering Yun Shuyue slowly slid down.
Yun Shuyue gasped for breath, her nose red from the cold. She was about to complain when she looked up and saw Gu Moran's eyes, and swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
The little chubby hands quickly went behind his back, and he shrank his neck, not daring to look up.
Have you heard enough?
Gu Moran leaned against the window frame.
The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the empty backyard.