Chapter 12

Chapter Summary: Growing Old Together.

As soon as she stepped out of the side gate, a cold wind rushed towards her face. Yu Jing's face was hot at the moment, but now the wind felt very comfortable.

"Your Majesty, please be careful." Ayu helped Yu Jing walk slowly, supporting her hand.

"Mmm," Yu Jing replied lazily. For some reason, the cold wind made her feel surprisingly comfortable. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, as if there was a furnace inside her body, slowly burning, warm and cozy, but not dry.

After walking for a while, Yu Jing saw the small garden ahead. Although it was winter, there were still some hardy and exotic flowers and plants in the garden. It wasn't completely bare. Her gaze shifted slightly and she noticed the pavilion next to it. The pavilion was by the lake, and several red lanterns hung under the eaves. The dim candlelight reflected on the water, swaying and shimmering, like a fairyland.

Yu Jing was about to walk towards the pavilion when A Yu called out, "Your Majesty, may I go and fetch an umbrella?"

"Okay," Yu Jing replied.

During the palace banquet, Yu Jing only allowed A Yu to come out. The small garden was somewhat remote from Zhengyang Hall, and since all the palace servants were busy at Zhengyang Hall, it was quite deserted here. Upon hearing Yu Jing's response, A Yu hesitated for a moment, glanced at Sheng Hua, and then said tentatively, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Yu Jing looked at A Yu and smiled when she saw her worried expression. "It's alright. I'm much more awake now. Go and get it."

"Yes, I will be back soon," Ayu replied, then released her hand from Yu Jing's support.

"Mm." Yu Jing nodded.

After Ayu left, the surroundings became quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the babbling of water. Yu Jing waited for a while, then estimated the distance from the corridor to the small garden; it didn't seem very far. After hesitating for a moment, she glanced left and right somewhat guiltily, then walked towards the small garden.

Her clothes were heavy, and so were the hairpins in her hair. Only a few lanterns hung along the path from the corridor to the small garden. Yu Jing walked slowly, step by step, toward the small garden.

"The Empress Dowager?"

Upon hearing the sound, Yu Jing was startled and tried to turn around to see who it was. However, she turned around too quickly, and before the back of her outer robe could turn around, her foot stepped on the back of the robe, slipped, and she lost her balance, tilting straight to the side.

Before Yu Jing could react, something firmly grasped her hand, and the crisp air carried a faint scent of grass and trees. Yu Jing instinctively tightened her grip on whatever she was holding, and when she looked up again, she saw Xie Xuan.

Xie Xuan stood right in front of her. Perhaps because he had rushed over, the two were very close; Yu Jing's face was only an inch away from Xie Xuan's neck. Looking at Xie Xuan's crimson official robes, Yu Jing's heart pounded, and her mind went blank. The clinking of the hairpins in her hair was exceptionally clear.

Realizing what had happened, Yu Jing stood still somewhat flustered. She wondered to herself, "Was what I did considered disrespectful to the Heavenly Emperor?"

Xie Xuan quickly withdrew his hand, knelt down, and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Your Majesty, I have overstepped my bounds."

"Your Excellency is doing this to help me. Please rise," Yu Jing replied.

"Thank you, Empress Dowager." Xie Xuan stood up in response, his ears slightly red. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever been so close to a woman other than Xie Ying.

The snow was falling quite heavily, and they had been standing in the snow for a while. A thin layer of snow had settled on their hair and shoulders, making them look like they had turned white-haired.

"The snow is heavy, Your Majesty, please go to the pavilion to take shelter." Xie Xuan turned around, picked up the umbrella that had fallen to the ground, walked to Sheng Hua's side, and held it up for her, saying this.

Sheng Hua's bright red attire contrasted beautifully with the white snow. Her phoenix hairpin was precious, her pearls lustrous, and she stood tall and graceful with a stunningly beautiful face. A phoenix embroidered in gold thread coiled around her waist, gleaming softly in the dim candlelight. Perhaps due to the wine, her fair face was slightly flushed, and her eyes were not clear, showing a hint of intoxication.

"Okay." Yu Jing replied and walked towards the pavilion. Xie Xuan, holding a paper umbrella, walked a little behind her.

"My lord." Qinghong came out with Su Siyang and saw this scene.

Both Sheng Hua and Xie Xuan were dressed in red, though Sheng Hua's was bright red and Xie Xuan's was crimson. Standing beneath the swirling white snow, in the dim light, their silhouettes created an indistinct, almost ethereal atmosphere, giving the impression of newlyweds. Moreover, their earlier actions had been quite intimate, suggesting a relationship beyond what seemed like a romantic one.

Qinghong couldn't help but turn his head to look at Su Siyang's expression, but the candlelight in the corridor was dim, and he couldn't see clearly. However, he could clearly sense that Su Siyang was in a bad mood at the moment.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

Just as Yu Jing and Xie Xuan reached the pavilion, they heard A Yu's urgent and somewhat surprised voice behind them. Yu Jing suddenly remembered what had just happened and turned around to look at A Yu with a guilty conscience.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" Ayu ran to the pavilion with a paper umbrella in her hand.

Xie Xuan looked at A Yu approaching and, for some reason, was somewhat at a loss, holding an umbrella.

After Ayu arrived at the pavilion, she quickly put down her umbrella, then walked up to Yu Jing, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, and carefully wiped the snow off Yu Jing's hair and shoulders.

"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is still recovering from her injuries and is in a weak state. Now that she has been exposed to snow, what if the cold gets into her body?" Ayu was extremely anxious. She didn't seem to be talking to anyone else, but rather to herself.

Hearing this, Yu Jing was inexplicably moved. In this unfamiliar mortal realm, only A Yu was close to her. Now, hearing her say such things, she knew that A Yu truly cared for her. Although A Yu's kindness was directed at Sheng Hua, Yu Jing was the one who genuinely felt it. This affection, aside from that in Heaven, was the first such feeling she had received in the mortal realm—from A Yu.

"I understand." As Yu Jing responded, both A Yu and Xie Xuan were visibly taken aback.

"That's not what I meant," Ayu quickly whispered.

Yu Jing smiled and then reached out to touch A Yu's shoulder. A Yu felt Sheng Hua's touch, and the slightly tense expression on her face relaxed.

Xie Xuan stood aside, watching this scene, and suddenly realized that it was not appropriate for him to be there, so he said, "If Your Majesty the Empress Dowager has no further instructions, then this humble subject will take his leave."

“Okay.” Yu Jing nodded in response, watching Xie Xuan walk down the corridor.

He held a white ink-wash paper umbrella, but his clothes were a vibrant red. The contrast between elegance and intensity, yet they blended together, perfectly capturing the boy's restraint and exuberance.

Ayu wiped Yu Jing's face for a long time, and only when she felt she had wiped enough did she put the handkerchief away. Yu Jing walked to the pavilion's railing, gazing at the lakeside scenery, momentarily lost in thought. A little further away, the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the Zhengyang Palace, making the pavilion's desolation all the more apparent. The lake, bathed in sunlight, resembled the Jade Pool, and in this moment, Yu Jing's nose tingled with emotion. If she were in Heaven right now, she would probably be at the Marriage Hall getting her knot tied by the Old Man Under the Moon.

Ayu noticed someone behind her, turned around and glanced back. When she saw who it was, she was startled, swallowed hard, and then bowed to him, saying, "This servant greets Lord Su."

Hearing the noise, Yu Jing turned her head and saw Su Siyang standing at the entrance of the pavilion, dressed in a purple robe with a white jade hairpin, his hands behind his back, his face showing displeasure. Yu Jing's heart skipped a beat, and after glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Siyang didn't seem to intend to bow to her. Yu Jing stared intently at Su Siyang, thinking of a saying from military strategy: "If the enemy doesn't move, I don't move." Su Siyang looked at Sheng Hua, and the two stood there for a while before Su Siyang spoke first: "This humble subject has something to report to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager."

After Su Siyang finished speaking, he glanced at Ayu. The meaning was already quite clear.

Yu Jing stiffened his neck and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "Sir, please speak frankly."

Upon hearing Sheng Hua's words, Su Siyang tilted his head slightly and glanced at A Yu, then looked directly at Yu Jing and chuckled as he asked, "Is Your Majesty certain?"

Yu Jing choked up.

Although she knew of the relationship between Sheng Hua and Su Siyang, she knew nothing about what had happened between them. Su Siyang's words clearly indicated that he and Sheng Hua shared a secret that couldn't be known by outsiders. Yu Jing frowned slightly, took a deep breath, and said to A Yu, "A Yu, you can go now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Siyang interrupted him.

"Your Majesty, it's windy here. Why don't you come with me to the corridor for a chat?"

Yu Jing looked at him, her face calm, but her heart was filled with panic. She didn't know what Su Siyang was up to. A Yu also glanced at Yu Jing with some worry, and Yu Jing nodded to her, indicating that she shouldn't worry.

The group walked together toward the corridor, each lost in their own thoughts. Su Siyang walked ahead, with Yu Jing following behind. Although it was only a few steps from the small garden to the corridor, it felt like an eternity.

The corridor was secluded and deserted, so Ayu waited at the entrance. When Yu Jing saw that Su Siyang was about to go further in, she gritted her teeth, stopped, and said, "What is it, Lord Su? Speak."

Su Siyang stopped in his tracks upon hearing Sheng Hua's voice. Yu Jing watched Su Siyang's back; when Su Siyang turned around, Yu Jing was startled, but she couldn't react in time.

She was pinned against the corridor by Su Siyang, one hand beside her ear and the other tightly around her waist, the two of them extremely close.

"How dare you!" Yu Jing had never been so intimate with a strange man before, and immediately blushed, exclaiming in anger.

Su Siyang leaned close to Sheng Hua's ear and whispered, "What's wrong? Are you still angry with me?"

Yu Jing was stunned, her mind going completely blank. The matchmaker had only told her that Su Siyang and Sheng Hua had a past relationship, but he hadn't mentioned that they were still in contact.

Seeing Yu Jing's stunned expression, Su Siyang softened his tone and said, "I've already told you, I will find another way to arrange for Wang Pin to enter the Censorate. Now Qi Jin seems to know about our relationship and has begun to be wary of me. Give me some more time, and I will take care of this matter."

Yu Jing was completely bewildered. What was all this about? Who was Wang Pin? What was he doing in the Censorate? And what was his relationship with Qi Jin? What exactly was the matter that Sheng Hua wanted Su Siyang to handle?

In that moment of stunned silence, Yu Jing made a decision. Regardless of Sheng Hua's past relationship with Su Siyang, she absolutely could not have any further contact with him now.

“It’s not because of that,” Yu Jing said, her eyes lowered. Her voice was unusually calm and indifferent. Hearing her voice like that, Su Siyang’s heart tightened, and he looked down at her.

She leaned against the wall, her brows furrowed, her long eyelashes fluttering gently like butterfly wings, her entire being shrouded in darkness. For some reason, looking at Sheng Hua like this, Su Siyang felt a slight fear rise in his heart.

After a moment of silence, Yu Jing spoke up, "Su Siyang."

"Let's not see each other again in the future."

As soon as Yu Jing finished speaking, there was another silence.

Why?

Su Siyang's voice was much lower than before, filled with surprise and disbelief.

Yu Jing remained silent, her hands trembling slightly.

"Why exactly?" Su Siyang asked again, his voice much louder than before.

Suddenly, a chill ran down her chin as she was forcefully lifted, causing the hairpin in her hair to jingle. Yu Jing was forced to look up, and although she was flustered, she suppressed her fear and met his dark, slightly red eyes.

"For no reason," Yu Jing said stubbornly.

Su Siyang's hand remained pinching her face, but not with much force. Although Yu Jing was forced to look him in the eye, it didn't hurt. She could clearly see Su Siyang's gaze shift from surprise to anger, and finally to dejection. Even though he was still dressed as the noble young master he had been moments before, he looked completely different.

"Shenghua".

When Yu Jing heard Su Siyang call her, his voice slightly hoarse and low, sounding quite helpless, her heart inexplicably jumped.