Once again fleeing in a panic, Jun Yulin stood in a concealed spot not far from Yan Luo’s sleeping quarters, his lips tightly pressed together.
He raised his hand slightly, pressing it against his lips, carefully savoring the fleeting touch from just moments ago.
It was as if the faint fragrance of the girl still lingered at the tip of his nose.
He lightly licked his lips, and after confirming that no one around had noticed him, the corners of his lips curled up slightly—then he forcibly restrained the expression.
Hmm… though he was a bit confused about what exactly he was doing, he felt… happy.
Jun Yulin’s face remained calm and composed, but inwardly, he was in an excellent mood when he returned to the Regent’s Residence and cheerfully reviewed government documents. This pleasant mood lasted until that afternoon, right up until he received the notification about the Flower Festival banquet.
Listening to the people from the palace explain that, at the Empress Dowager’s request, many promising young men had been invited, supposedly to prepare for the consort selection ceremony a month later…
Jun Yulin’s face darkened completely. In his heart, he silently added another tally to the list of grievances against Lu Yan.
Meanwhile, Yan Luo, who was having her meal, suddenly shivered. She had a feeling like someone was thinking about her in a not-so-good way.
Right then, the familiar system notification chimed in her ears.
[*Ding*—Jun Yulin’s blackening value +2 (93/100)]
Yan Luo: …Meow meow meow?? w(?Д?)w
She almost threw her chopsticks. Why not just max out his blackening value already?
Who provoked him now?
And in the following few days, during both morning court and the usual report discussions in the study, Jun Yulin still maintained his cold and indifferent demeanor. Aside from speaking more on official matters or occasionally lecturing her, he barely spoke otherwise.
He looked every bit like a rigid old bureaucrat.
However, after spending some time with him—and with him being her mission target—Yan Luo could somewhat sense that his mood had been rather off lately.
But since he didn’t say anything, Yan Luo had no idea what she’d done to offend him this time. And his blackening value was spiking unpredictably. She asked him twice, but when she saw the irritation in his eyes, she didn’t dare ask again.
The Flower Festival was five days away. Though preparations were a bit rushed, since Yan Luo was personally overseeing it, no one in the palace dared to slack off.
Lu Xunche and An Bai wouldn’t make it to the Flower Festival. After three more days, once their deployments were set, the army would head out first. Aside from Yan Luo, Jun Yulin, and a few officials, no one else knew. They left quietly, taking advantage of the banquet as a cover to launch a surprise attack on the bandit stronghold, hoping to catch them off guard.
In those few days, perhaps it was just Yan Luo’s imagination, but she felt like Jun Yulin’s mood was getting worse and worse.
Until the day of the Flower Festival banquet finally arrived.
A banquet personally hosted by the emperor was naturally held in the grand hall where officials were entertained.
By the time Yan Luo arrived, the other officials were already present. Lu Yan was seated not far to her right, while the person seated closest to her was Jun Yulin.
A servant boy stood quietly behind him. In front of him was a small table filled with dishes. He wore a red robe, embroidered with delicate golden patterns—creating a stark contrast against his cold and indifferent expression.
After a few simple opening remarks, the music began. Although Lu Yan was seated some distance away, she had deliberately arranged the seating so that several young men with close ties to the Lu family were seated nearer. She even mentioned that these young men had prepared a few performances.
The intention was obvious, and she acted as if it were all ‘for your own good, dear daughter’—saying this would help strengthen her position.