Another Rotten Peach Blossom

After careful consideration, she, like Qi Xuan, also sent people to inquire about Xiao Lingyan's whereabouts.

"Sir, someone else is trying to find out your whereabouts."

As soon as Zhao Ruyu made a move, Xiao Lingyan's secret guards reported it to him.

Before the major political upheaval this winter, Xiao Lingyan had been living on the edge of life and death. He didn't even dare to easily meet Zhao Ruxi, which showed how wary he was of others. The secret guards learned of the inquiries from the Duke of Wei's Residence and Zhao Ruyu immediately.

It's understandable that the Duke of Wei's Residence Duke of Wei's Residence would inquire about his whereabouts and character since they were the ones discussing marriage with him. However, Xiao Lingyan found it strange that Zhao Ruyu was asking about his whereabouts.

He immediately wrote a letter to Zhao Ruxi.

No matter what Zhao Ruyu wants to do, if it involves women, he has to inform his girlfriend; that's the awareness of a boyfriend.

Xiao Lingyan's instinct to save lives is truly remarkable.

Upon receiving the letter, Zhao Ruxi immediately knew what Zhao Ruyu was planning.

She couldn't help but chuckle softly.

After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Let her come and show herself to you. If you think she's beautiful, then take her; if she doesn't move you, just ignore her."

Along with this letter came yet another unwanted romantic advance.

Xiao Lingyan was furious upon seeing her words, wishing he could rush to Zhao Ruxi and have a fight with her. But in the end, he had to restrain himself and wrote a letter to express his loyalty, "My heart only beats for you."

"Tsk, how cheesy." Zhao Ruxi tossed the letter aside, ignoring him completely, thus ending the conversation.

Zhao Ruyu remained calm. After the marriage between the Duke of Wei's Residence and the Prince of Qi was completely ruined and the news spread, her beauty reached its peak after the Beauty Pill were used to enhance her appearance. She finally seized an opportunity. One day, when Xiao Lingyan got off the carriage and was about to enter the auction house, she pretended to twist her ankle and attracted Xiao Lingyan's attention.

Xiao Lingyan had almost completely forgotten about her. He didn't even know who Zhao Ruyu.

Upon hearing the shouts, he glanced over in that direction instinctively, then immediately entered the auction house without even stopping.

Zhao Ruyu watched as he glanced at her, then walked in, and then... She stood there, looking bewildered.

Isn't she beautiful enough? Ever since she took the Beauty Pill, she often marvels at herself when she looks in the mirror. She has seen almost all the noble ladies in the capital, and she believes that no one is more beautiful than her.

But why was he completely unmoved when he saw her?

Is he blind?

After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth, got into the carriage, and instructed the driver, "Wait here."

Her actions just now had already stunned the coachman and Fushu, and their expressions were indescribable.

Even a fool could see that his young lady had done it on purpose, trying to attract the Prince of Qi of Qi's attention. Alas, she hadn't succeeded.

Fushu glanced at Zhao Ruyu, her lips moved as if she wanted to speak, but she swallowed the words back down.

She turned to look at the auction house over there, silently thinking: Anyway, Young Master Fu wronged you, so if you could marry Prince of Qi, it would be revenge. If Young Master Fu can marry someone else, why can't you let Prince of Qi marry you? You must be doing this because you were angered by Young Master Fu. You must be!

Thinking this way, she finally felt a little better.

The three of them, one outside the car and two inside, remained silent, waiting for Xiao Lingyan to emerge from the auction house.

"Master, Miss Zhao is still waiting outside," the guard reported to Xiao Lingyan.

"Miss Zhao? Which Miss Zhao?" Xiao Lingyan initially thought they were talking about Zhao Ruxi, and instinctively tried to stand up.

"It's the one who twisted his ankle outside the door just now."

Xiao Lingyan thought for a moment and remembered that a woman had indeed called out just now, and a maidservant had helped her up.

Seeing his master's expression, the guard felt deep sympathy for the beauty from earlier.

Even though he had accompanied his master to and from the palace and seen many beauties in the harem, he could not deny that the girl he had just seen was beautiful.

People say true beauty lies in the bone structure, not just the skin. That woman's beauty was probably in her very bones. Her features weren't particularly striking on the surface, but she exuded a captivating charm.

Judging from the master's expression, he didn't seem to notice the beauty at all. Could this be considered giving a flirtatious look to a blind man?

Xiao Lingyan recalled that a woman Zhao Ruyu had once inquired about his whereabouts, which resulted in him being ridiculed by Zhao Ruxi.

He asked, "Is that woman's Zhao Ruyu?"

The guards finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that their master was finally acting like a normal man again.

He replied, "Exactly."

"Is she waiting for me outside?" Xiao Lingyan asked again.

"That's probably true."

Xiao Lingyan nodded, said nothing more, and continued reading the book in his hands.

He decorated a rest room for himself at the auction house, located in a corner on the second floor, with large glass windows facing a landscape full of flowers and greenery, which is his usual quiet place.

No matter how complex the auction house's accounts are, they're not enough for someone as mathematically gifted as him. He's here today just to read some leisurely books.

Seeing this, the guard silently retracted his previous thoughts, found a corner to minimize his presence, and stayed quietly.

An hour and a half slowly passed, until dinner time. Xiao Liuzi came to convey Xiao Lingpu's invitation to Xiao Lingyan to have dinner at the Prince of An's Residence. Only then did Xiao Lingyan stand up, stretch, straighten his clothes, and go downstairs.

Outside the auction house, Zhao Ruyu and her two servants were so impatient they were practically turning to stone.

Fortunately, it was already March, the snow had melted, and the weather was warm; otherwise, the three of them would probably have frozen solid.

"He's here, he's out!" Fushu exclaimed excitedly, patting Zhao Ruyu as if she had seen a savior when she saw Xiao Lingyan.

Zhao Ruyu had looked in the mirror for the thirty-first time. Seeing the beauty that captivated her in the mirror, she confidently got out of the car and walked towards Xiao Lingyan.

Fushu couldn't understand what she was doing, and followed her blankly.

Xiao Lingyan had no idea what this woman wanted to do. But he remembered what Zhao Ruxi had written in her letter—to "turn a blind eye"—so he didn't stop and continued on his way.

"Your Highness Prince of Qi, Your Highness Prince of Qi..." Zhao Ruyu suddenly called out.

The auction house was no longer the rented one; it was a new one that Xiao Lingyan had built himself. It was located in the west of the city, in a somewhat remote area. To avoid congestion at the entrance during auctions, the area in front of the auction house was kept quite empty.

Zhao Ruyu had just noticed that there were hardly any people around at this hour; everyone had gone home for dinner.

Therefore, she decided to go all out and make sure that the Prince of Qi looked at her face to face, in a way that would leave him no choice but to look at her.

Seeing Zhao Ruyu walking straight towards Xiao Lingyan while calling out "Prince of Qi," Xiao Lingyan's guards immediately assumed defensive postures. One of them stepped forward to block her, his tone icy. "Who are you? What do you want?"