After telling the Princess Consort that she planned to move out, the Princess Consort had her servants go clean the neighboring residence. She even handed over the contracts of Chunhe and Xiazhi to Chu Qingmeng, and selected a group of housekeepers and matrons to be sent to the neighboring house. Chu Qingmeng was endlessly grateful for this; she never expected that in this strange world, someone would treat her with such sincere kindness.
Upon learning the backstory of Chu Qingmeng's move from the Rong Prince Mansion, Mo Liujin frowned deeply. For a long time, he gazed out the window and sighed, then called over his personal attendant, took out the deeds to several shops, and had them delivered to Chu Qingmeng as a housewarming gift. After that, he simply sat back down at his desk and continued reading.
When Chu Qingmeng received the housewarming gifts sent by the brothers, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but twitch. Members of the imperial family were truly wealthy; whenever they gave gifts, it was always shops, gold, silver, jewels, or servants.
And so, Chu Qingmeng moved into the neighboring residence quite peacefully. Although she hadn't bothered to look inside the place ever since it was bestowed upon her, standing at the entrance now, she couldn't help but gasp in quiet amazement. The grandeur and majesty of the estate's front gates were hardly any different from the adjacent Rong Prince Mansion, and the two characters "Chu Residence" inscribed above the gate were written in Mo Chenfeng's own hand—bold and vigorous, possessing a distinct strength and grace. The entire estate spanned seven courtyards, making it slightly less than half the size of the Rong Prince Mansion. Even so, it filled Chu Qingmeng with endless inward awe; the grounds boasted rockeries, flowing streams, pavilions, storied buildings, and bamboo gardens. Chu Qingmeng lived in the main courtyard of the innermost compound, and the servants sent over by the Prince Mansion numbered nearly a hundred, all uniformly managed by the estate. Chu Qingmeng understood this intuitively; she knew the Princess Consort was worried she wouldn't know how to manage a household and would be bullied by the staff.
By the time Chu Qingmeng completed the move from the Prince Mansion to the Chu Residence and thoroughly familiarized herself with every corner of the estate, a full month had passed.
On this particular day, as Chu Qingmeng was busy planning her "travel getaway," a servant announced that Mo Wushuang had arrived. Before she even came into view, her playful voice drifted ahead into the room: "Big Sister Qingmeng, you really ignored me just because you have your own courtyard now!"
Hearing this, Chu Qingmeng quickly put down the map in her hand and hurried forward a few steps to welcome her. "It's just that I've only just finished getting familiar with the courtyard! I was actually just about to send someone to invite you over. You really are spoken of—you just showed up on your own."
"Oh, it's all my mother's doing," Mo Wushuang said, sitting down beside Chu Qingmeng and pouting with a helpless expression. "The imperial examinations are coming up soon, and several of my brothers are taking the exams this year. Mother won't let me step out of my courtyard, saying she's afraid of disturbing them. It took me so much effort to beg mother to let me come over here for some fresh air."
At this, Chu Qingmeng covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Wushuang really was someone who couldn't sit still. "Well, since that's the case, I'll take you out to have some fun so you don't end up cooped up and going crazy!" With that, she pulled Mo Wushuang to her feet and said, "Come on! Let's go fishing and have a barbecue in the bamboo grove!"
After instructing the servants to prepare all the necessary items, the two of them began laughing and frolicking in the bamboo grove. The aroma of the roasting meat stirred Chu Qingmeng's appetite, so she had Chunhe bring over a pot of sweet wine. She and Wushuang drank it cup after cup. With a pot of sweet wine down her belly, Chu Qingmeng wasn't quite satisfied yet, but Mo Wushuang was already thoroughly drunk. She slumped over the edge of the table, loudly complaining that she didn't want to study needlework anymore. Seeing that the sky was growing dark, Chu Qingmeng hurriedly told Chunhe and Xiazhi to help Mo Wushuang's personal maid carry her back to the Rong Prince Mansion. As for herself, she picked up another jar of wine and kept drinking.
Ever since arriving in this place, a little under half a year had passed. During the past several months, filled with the laughter and antics of Mo Wushuang and the others, Chu Qingmeng had gradually grown accustomed to this kind of life. From childhood on, she had always been a solitary person, used to cold and quiet surroundings. Yet this past month of living away from the Prince Mansion had truly been... truly desolate to an excessive degree. Chu Qingmeng gave a self-deprecating laugh and downed another gulp of wine. What was there to get unaccustomed to? Hadn't she lived through days like this before? How could getting used to liveliness make her unable to endure the quiet? After swallowing a few more mouthfuls of sweet wine, Chu Qingmeng carried the wine jar and walked toward the main courtyard. By this time, Chunhe and Xiazhi had already hurried back and rushed over to support Chu Qingmeng as she returned to the main courtyard. They tried to snatch the wine jar from her hands, but she simply refused to let go. Before they could stop her, she took a few more fierce gulps and only then was willing to put it down. By the time she was finally fussed and managed back into her bedroom, the moon was already hanging high in the center of the sky.
Chu Qingmeng was half-conscious and half-dazed, the whole world spinning around her. The moment she hit the bed, she fell fast asleep, and the hangover soup Chunhe had prepared wasn't needed at all. Seeing that their Master was sleeping soundly, the two maids could only discuss the matter and decided that Xiazhi would stay to keep watch for the night, while Chunhe would serve Chu Qingmeng the next morning so Xiazhi could go rest. They had expected Chu Qingmeng to wake up and make a fuss, but Xiazhi waited well into the second half of the night, and Chu Qingmeng never stirred. Leaning against the edge of the bed, Xiazhi couldn't help nodding off to sleep.
Just as Xiazhi had drifted into a sound sleep, Chu Qingmeng woke up. Dazed and bleary-eyed, she looked at the figure standing beside her bed. This person... oh my... what a great figure! Broad shoulders and a narrow waist; even through his clothes, she could feel that he definitely had a six-pack—no, an eight-pack of abs! She drooled as she looked, but due to the effects of the alcohol, she couldn't move a muscle. Inwardly, she screamed at the top of her lungs: *Handsome, come over here and let me have a feel, would you?*
The person who had merely wanted to come and check on her was stunned to see Chu Qingmeng staring at him with such a direct, unblinking gaze. Especially since the raw boldness shining in those eyes was exceptionally conspicuous even in the pitch-black room, making it impossible for him to misunderstand what she was thinking!