In the dead of night, under a sky dotted with a bright moon and scattered stars, the night was hazy.
After finishing dinner, the Cold King and his consort assigned tasks to everyone before they stealthily made their way to the island where they had seen signs of habitation earlier that day.
This island was the largest in the vicinity, and on it stood a milky-white, exceptionally luxurious building resembling a grand palace.
During the day, she and Jun Mohan had already noticed how magnificently the palace was built. It shimmered with dazzling, blinding light under the sun. Compared to the Shui family’s residence, their dwelling was vastly inferior to the architecture here.
"Heavens!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"What kind of divine lives do the people of the Hua clan lead?"
"The environment and the architecture here are so beautiful."
Under the illumination of the bright moonlight, Leng Ruoli could roughly see the surrounding buildings and environment.
"It's no wonder they don't want to interact with outsiders. Such a peaceful and beautiful place; if it were Leng Ruoli, she too wouldn't want the clamor of the outside world to disturb her tranquil life."
Leng Ruoli sighed as she walked.
Following that, the couple passed through a patch of lush, verdant small woods and then entered a garden of a hundred flowers.
In the garden, a hundred flowers vied for beauty. Not only were there colorful flowers growing on the ground, such as peonies, magnolias, and lilacs, but every tree planted here was also in full bloom. For instance, camellias, peach blossoms, pear blossoms, apricot blossoms, cherry blossoms, and crabapple trees were all covered in flowers.
From the moment Leng Ruoli stepped into the hundred-flower garden, she was immersed in a sea of blossoms. Even though she stood in the darkness of night, it couldn't conceal the beauty of the flowers.
Just then, footsteps were suddenly heard from a distance. The Cold King and his consort quickly hid themselves amongst the flowers.
Immediately, a man, tall and graceful, dressed in fine white silk, appeared within the Cold King and his consort's sight.
This man appeared to be in his thirties or forties. Half of his hair was tied up on his head with a single white rope, and a jade hairpin was inserted into his hair, while the remaining hair was casually draped over his shoulders. Although his features were not as handsome as Leng Jinyu's, he was still quite good-looking. Seeing the man's attire, Leng Ruoli knew that he was either very wealthy or of noble birth.
When the man reached the spot where the Cold King and his consort had been standing, he suddenly stopped. His gaze swept over every corner of the garden but found no trace of anyone.
"Young Master, when I passed by the small woods earlier, I truly saw two figures standing here in the hundred-flower garden. I am not lying."
The servant standing beside the middle-aged man in white looked nervously around the garden and said with a trembling voice.
"Hmm, let's go. Perhaps it's just some servants from the mansion who couldn't sleep and came here to play. Don't mind them, let's head back." The middle-aged man in white said in a gentle tone.
With that, the middle-aged man turned to leave. The servant, raising his hand, scratched his head in confusion before turning around and following the middle-aged man.
Just as Leng Ruoli was about to emerge from the flowers, Jun Mohan suddenly pulled her back, dragging her further into the foliage. Then, he placed his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.
"Shhh!"
"Don't move, that middle-aged man has returned."
As soon as Jun Mohan finished speaking, the same middle-aged man returned to where he had just been standing. He peered carefully into the hundred-flower garden once more, and after confirming that there was indeed no one in the garden, he left with peace of mind.
After a long while, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan, certain that the middle-aged man would not return, finally emerged from the flowers.
It was now the early hours of the morning, a time when most people were fast asleep, yet the bright moon still hung high in the sky.
Subsequently, the couple did not linger in the garden. They then stealthily avoided several patrolling teams as they moved, successfully slipping into the large mansion through a side entrance.
The mansion was extremely luxurious, paved with blue bricks and stones, with walls made of white jade. Along the corridors, brightly lit lanterns were placed at regular intervals. The lawns on both sides were filled with exotic flowers and plants, the air thick with the fragrant scent of blossoms. Lush trees provided shade, and various strangely shaped stone carvings were exquisitely crafted.
In the courtyard, there was also a very large lotus pond. In the pond, several swans, as white as snow, danced in pairs on the water. Not far from where they danced, a pair of mandarin ducks played together in the water. In the center of the lotus pond stood a large, crescent-shaped stone arch bridge.
The Cold King and his consort quickly ran across the stone arch bridge and entered a grand hall. At this moment, a woman suddenly emerged from behind them, startling the Cold King and his consort.
"You two, what are you doing here so late at night?"
Hearing this, the Cold King and his consort were stunned.
"Uh uh..."
"We accidentally arrived at this beautiful island and saw how lovely the houses were built. Out of curiosity, we sneaked in to take a look..."
Leng Ruoli pondered for more than ten seconds before coming up with such a flimsy excuse.
"Young lady, don't try to deceive this old woman. You two, come with me. Our master wishes to see you." The old woman said indifferently.
With that, she turned and led the way for the two.
However, hearing the old woman's words, the Cold King and his consort were once again frozen. Then, they exchanged glances, both feeling very confused as to how their master knew they had sneaked in.
The old woman took a few steps forward. Seeing that the two behind her were not following, she urged, "Why are you two still standing there in a daze? Hurry and follow this old woman in!"
After hearing this, the Cold King and his consort still followed.
Next, the Cold King and his consort followed the old woman through two corridors and passed a small garden before arriving at a quiet and spacious courtyard.
The old woman settled Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan in a small hall to sit, thoughtfully instructing a maid to arrange tea and refreshments for them.
"Please wait a moment. This old woman has already sent word to our master."
After speaking, the old woman retreated to the side and stood perfectly straight.
After a while, the Cold King and his consort heard footsteps from the side hall. An old woman, dressed in a light gauze robe the color of dove feathers, slowly emerged from behind the white gauze curtain of the side hall and sat down on the chair at the head of the table.
Although her face was covered in wrinkles and her hair had turned white, her countenance was very kind. She wore a pair of phoenix feather tassels as hairpins and a exquisite blood jade hung at her waist. Despite her advanced age, the old woman still appeared energetic and dignified.
She smiled and looked at Leng Ruoli, remaining silent for a long time.
Finally, Leng Ruoli, feeling uncomfortable being stared at, spoke first.
"May I ask why this old madam has invited us here?"
"Oh, didn't you want to sneak into our home?" the old madam said with a somewhat exaggerated expression.
Upon hearing this, the Cold King and his consort: "..."
This old madam was rather eccentric!