The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 277 The Crown Prince has clearly taken a liking to his cousin, Zhiwan.
She couldn't help but glance at the pavilion and noticed that it was situated on high ground, surrounded by flowers and trees, making it difficult for anyone to spot someone hiding inside.

But those sitting inside can see everything that happens in the garden.

In other words, the two people sitting in the pavilion saw everything that happened in the garden, including how she and Wei Jinxiu hid behind the rockery and worked together to knock the man unconscious.

Thinking that her and Wei Jinxiu's every move had been seen by others, Zhiwan couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

Suppressing her embarrassment, she asked one of the men, "What brings Ouyang Shaoqing here?"

One of the men was Ouyang Lei.

Before Ouyang Lei could speak, Madam Wei had already knelt down and bowed to another man, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Upon hearing this, the others' expressions changed, and they also knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhiwan was taken aback.

That person was actually the Crown Prince?!
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" She quickly pulled Wei Jinxiu down to kneel down as well.

Xuan Yuan Hongjun's gaze lingered on her for a moment with interest before he said loudly, "No need for formalities!"

Everyone then stood up.

After everyone finished their greetings, Ouyang Lei answered Zhiwan's earlier question, "I had some free time today, and it just so happens to be Grand Tutor Wei's birthday, so I came with His Highness the Crown Prince to offer my congratulations. I never expected to run into my sister-in-law here."

The words "sister-in-law" startled Zhiwan.

In private, Ouyang Lei does joke around, but he is not a person who lacks tact.

She and her cousin were not yet married, so he shouldn't have called her "sister-in-law" in front of so many people.

She felt something was off, and when she looked up, she saw the Crown Prince staring at her with surprise.

She paused, somewhat puzzled, when she saw him turn to look at Ouyang Lei, "This young lady is..."

“Your Highness, this is Minister Lu’s fiancée,” Ouyang Lei replied, bowing his head.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Xuan Yuan Hongjun's eyes.

He said casually, "Minister Lu, you are truly blessed." His gaze swept over the beautiful face.

He had seen many beautiful women, but none of them had the same charm as the girl in front of him.

The girl looked young, even somewhat immature, but her beautiful eyes exuded a captivating charm.

To put it bluntly, it's seductive!

Thinking of this, Xuan Yuan Hongjun's eyes narrowed slightly, feeling a ticklish sensation in his heart, as if a cat's claws were scratching at his heart.

“Your Highness, Grand Tutor Wei should be free now. Let me accompany you to see him,” Ouyang Lei said, though his heart sank.

The Crown Prince clearly has his eye on his cousin, Zhiwan.

Given his temperament, he would try every means to bring anyone he set his sights on into the Eastern Palace.

I only hope that he will be wary of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and give up that idea.

Xuan Yuan Hongjun nodded somewhat uninterestedly. "Let's go."

As soon as the two left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

A hint of worry flashed in Wei's eyes.

The way the Crown Prince looked at Wan'er just now was clearly...

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly heard the old lady say in a sarcastic tone, "She's got a restless appearance, no wonder she attracts unwanted attention!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei was furious. Normally, she would have argued with her mother immediately upon hearing this.

But since it involved the Crown Prince, she could only suppress her anger and said calmly, "Mother is getting on in years. You should know that words can bring disaster. The Wei family has come a long way today. Mother, please be careful with your words!"

Old Madam Wei choked, but as she left, she gave Zhiwan a disdainful look.

Zhiwan was always sensitive, and seeing this, she felt a little uncomfortable.

She was no longer an ignorant young lady; the way the Crown Prince looked at her just now must have indicated that he had feelings for her.

This realization made her feel very uncomfortable.

Because of this incident, when the banquet started, Madam Wei dared not let Zhiwan act alone, and kept her by her side the whole time.

Fortunately, the men's and women's seats were separate, so there was no chance of encountering the Crown Prince again.

What Mrs. Wei didn't know was that Old Master Wei was so proud of Zhiwan's painting that he introduced it to the guests at the banquet.

This made Xuan Yuan Hongjun, who was already interested in Zhi Wan, even more interested in her.

When Ouyang Lei saw him holding a wine glass, but his eyes were fixed on the painting of pine trees and cranes symbolizing longevity, and he couldn't bear to look away, his heart sank to the bottom.

Especially when the banquet ended, Xuan Yuan Hongjun picked a flower from a branch in the courtyard and placed it on a tray carried by a maid, "to deliver to Miss Zhiwan of the Lu family on my behalf."

Ouyang Lei frowned and stopped him, saying, "Your Highness, this is against etiquette..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xuan Yuan Hongjun suddenly turned his head and glanced at him indifferently, "Ouyang Lei, don't think that just because you're the Crown Princess's cousin you can interfere in my affairs. Who gave you that right?"

Ouyang Lei said calmly, "As a subject, I have the duty to offer advice. Your Highness has overstepped the bounds of propriety and rules, and it is my duty to advise you. I believe that even if His Majesty were here, he would not tolerate Your Highness's recklessness!"

"Ouyang Lei, how dare you!" Xuan Yuan Hongjun was furious and knocked the tray out of the maid's hands.

The maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground.

The others, even those who didn't know the reason, all knelt down when they saw the Crown Prince was angry.

Ouyang Lei's eyes darkened, and he also knelt down, "Your Highness, please calm down."

When Old Master Wei came out of the hall, he saw Xuan Yuan Hongjun with a gloomy face and a whole courtyard of people kneeling. His heart sank.

He was appointed to tutor and assist the crown prince, but the crown prince was gloomy and unpredictable, greedy for merit and lustful, and was by no means a wise ruler.

Therefore, two years ago, he resigned from his official post on the grounds that he was getting old and his health was not good.

He hadn't expected the Crown Prince to come on his birthday.

Seeing him in the courtyard, getting angry and smashing things in front of so many guests, I feel very disappointed.

The crown prince indeed showed no improvement.

Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground and the Crown Prince's face full of anger, Old Master Wei couldn't pretend to be deaf and dumb, so he went over.

"Your Highness, it's getting late, we should return to the palace."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Hongjun turned his gaze to him, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

This old scoundrel suddenly resigned from his post a couple of years ago. Did he not know that he actually didn't want to assist me anymore?
He wouldn't have come today if his father hadn't summoned him to celebrate this old scoundrel's birthday.

Thinking of this, a mysterious smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Grand Tutor, I thought your painting of pine and crane symbolizing longevity was quite good. Why don't you give it to me?"

Old Master Wei frowned slightly, looking at him with puzzlement. "Why does Your Highness want that painting? It was a gift from my granddaughter-in-law. It would be improper to give it away. If Your Highness likes that painting, I will have someone paint a new one for you immediately."

“Okay.” Xuan Yuan Hongjun surprisingly nodded in agreement.

Just as Old Master Wei was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly heard the Crown Prince say again, "I heard that Miss Zhi is skilled in painting. Why don't you have her come out and paint a picture for me on the spot?"