He walked a few steps, and Hua Yunjin felt a gaze following him closely, a gaze that was both familiar and strange.
He turned back, looking around, but the gaze had disappeared.
“Hua Yunjin, this is…”
“What is it?” He shook his head. He must be missing Ning’er too much to mistake her presence here.
Xue Zining breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Hua Yunjin hadn't seen her, otherwise, she couldn't guarantee whether he would recognize her.
The banquet was not just a welcoming feast for Hua Yunjin by Prince Jing, but also attended by many court officials and their families.
And now, Hua Yun Dan was somewhat depressed. The other party kept staring at him, the gaze too blatant for him to ignore.
“Tsk tsk, Prime Minister, you are so attractive to women even in a foreign land. I am impressed, truly impressed!” Li Chenxi teased.
“If you like her, take her,” Hua Yun Dan said coldly.
Li Chenxi smiled, then his expression became serious. “You… you could try. Perhaps then you could forget His Highness.”
Hua Yun Dan’s gaze faltered, and he lowered his eyes. “I can’t forget.”
Li Chenxi sighed, raised his head, and slowly said, “If you don’t even try, how can you know you can’t forget?”
“There’s no need to try. I’m not interested in anyone else.” He gazed at his reflection in the wine glass, knowing that he might never forget her in this lifetime.
“I hear that the King’s strategist, Mr. Li, is exceptionally cunning. I am very curious to see if there is anything extraordinary about him,” Hua Yunjin said.
Prince Jing replied, “I’m afraid that will disappoint Hua Yunjin. Mr. Nan has been feeling unwell these past few days, so I’m afraid I cannot grant Hua Yunjin’s wish.”
“It’s alright. Taking care of your health is most important,” Hua Yunjin replied.
“I have heard that Prime Minister Hua is not yet married. If you have no suitable candidate, I can introduce one or two for you.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Yun Dan stood and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your kind offer, Your Highness. However, I already have someone in my heart and do not wish to marry anyone else.”
Prince Jing was taken aback. “Prime Minister Hua already has someone in his heart? Then I am quite curious, who could possibly capture Prime Minister Hua’s attention?”
“Your Highness, Prime Minister Hua is marrying my imperial sister,” Hua Yunjin suddenly interjected.
Prince Jing was stunned, then exclaimed in surprise, “So Prime Minister Hua already has someone in his heart. I truly wish to meet the person who could win over Prime Minister Hua.”
“There will be opportunities in the future,” Hua Yunjin said.
Hua Yun Dan drained the wine in his cup, a bitterness rising in his heart.
“Master Hua, this humble maiden would like to pour you some wine.”
Hua Yun Dan looked up at the woman in opulent attire, his gaze turning cold. “Who are you?”
The woman was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a frosty response from Hua Yun Dan. She momentarily forgot to answer.
“I am asking you a question,” Hua Yun Dan frowned, his tone unusually icy.
“This humble maiden…”
“Withdraw!” Hua Yun Dan said coldly, his face exceptionally stern.
The woman, covering her face, ran away.
“Yun Dan, this won’t do. You’ve scared away a delicate young beauty,” Li Chenxi chided with a tsk-tsk.
Hua Yun Dan glanced at him and replied indifferently, “If you like her, you can have her.”
Li Chenxi’s mouth twitched. “Yun Dan, I was just making conversation.”
Hua Yun Dan gave him a cold glance, then averted his gaze, picking up his wine cup and draining it. The taste of the wine filled his senses. He remembered that day, the last cup of wine they shared, it was their wedding wine.
Another cup went down, and he felt a sting.
A hand covered his wine cup. “Yun Dan, that’s enough.”
He looked up and saw Li Chenxi. He lowered his eyes. “I know what I’m doing.”
Li Chenxi sighed. “Yun Dan, some things are meant to be forgotten.”
Hua Yun Dan tilted his head and drank another cup of wine. Forget? How could it be that easy?
“The Prime Minister is truly a devoted man,” Prince Jing remarked.
Hua Yunjin said, “Your Highness, please excuse the Prime Minister. He is a man of deep sentiment.”
“Your Majesty, you are too polite. I simply admire such devoted individuals,” Prince Jing exclaimed with admiration.
As the song and dance continued into the latter half, Hua Yun Dan sat silently, drinking. Prince Jing turned to Hua Yunjin and said, “Hua Yunjin, I believe the Prime Minister has had too much to drink. Someone, help the Prime Minister back to his chambers to rest!”
Hua Yunjin was about to refuse when a woman approached Hua Yun Dan.
“Sir, you cannot drink anymore.” A delicate hand stopped the wine pot from pouring into his cup.
He slowly looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “You… who are you?”
“Sir, you are drunk. Let me help you back!” The woman stepped closer to Hua Yun Dan.
Hua Yunjin expected Hua Yun Dan to refuse, but this time, Hua Yun Dan did not refuse. Instead, he allowed the woman to approach him.
“Hua Yunjin, it seems this woman suits the Prime Minister’s taste,” Prince Jing commented.
Hua Yunjin frowned, his gaze becoming somewhat deep. He knew Hua Yun Dan was not a frivolous person. Could it be that the woman possessed something extraordinary?
Li Chenxi also saw Hua Yun Dan being supported by the woman. He stood up and approached Hua Yun Dan. “Yun Dan, are you drunk?”
Hua Yun Dan looked up, his eyes indifferent. “What do you think?”
“But you…”
“Master Hua, how may this servant attend to you?” Another woman approached, blocking Li Chenxi and Hua Yun Dan’s line of sight.
“No need.” Li Chenxi dodged the woman, only to find that Hua Yun Dan had disappeared. He quickly headed outside.
“Master Hua, where are you going?” a voice called from behind.
“Do I need to tell you where I’m going?” Hua Yun Dan turned and said coldly to the woman.
The woman was startled and quickly knelt on the ground. “This… this commoner admits her mistake. Please, Sir, forgive me.”
“Scram…” Hua Yun Dan showed no mercy, shouting at her to leave.
The woman dared not linger any longer and quickly retreated.
She stopped only when she reached a secluded spot, and then bowed to a figure not far away. “Your Highness, your subordinate failed to capture Master Hua’s attention.”
“It’s alright. You may withdraw.”
“Mr. Li, what do you think of this Hua Yun Dan?” Prince Jing turned to Mr. Li.
“Your Highness, by testing Prime Minister Hua like this, do you suspect that Cloud Emperor is not Hua Yunjin?”
Prince Jing sneered. “Mr. Li, you may not know this, but I remember Hua Yunjin is one of Emperor Hua’s twin sons.”
“Your Highness, I don’t understand your meaning.”
“Mr. Li, you may not know that Changan married Hua Yunjin.”
“Your Highness, what does this have to do with Hua Yun Dan?”