175 Wait for him

The Queen Mother wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief and swallowed the bitterness in her throat. "I know what you mean, but can you really rest assured?"

Are you willing to just throw away the kingdom your brother entrusted to you?

Pei Yuning's eyes were filled with ripples, but when he thought of the person he loved, he felt that his brother would understand him.

"With so many loyal and learned people, I believe that Da Qi will get better and better, and Hao'er will be a good monarch."

This was the first time Pei Yuning spoke these to her so calmly.

The Queen Mother nodded slowly, as if unable to hold on. "In that case, do as you wish. I will not stop you anymore."

Pei Yuning looked at the empress dowager's increasingly haggard face, and his chest was filled with infinite emotion. He wanted to say something but in the end he held it back.

He still couldn't learn the sweet words and gentle expressions that normally exist between a mother and her son; those things would have long since died out in disappointment.

This magnificent palace, power, status, money, she had everything she wanted, but now her thin and old face seemed so out of place.

Pei Yuning stood up and walked out slowly.

The back image reminded her of Han'er. The Queen Mother's eyesight gradually blurred with tears. She gently reached out to the back with her trembling hands and murmured with longing for her son, "Han'er..."

Pei Yuning paused, his face turned cold as he turned his back to her, and then he laughed in relief.

He strode out of the palace without stopping, and at the same time stepped out of the cage that trapped his freedom!

One month later.

Ruzhou Song family.

Xiao Tingyun sat quietly in the warm courtyard basking in the sun.

Ever since the Yinzhou incident, she and Pei Yuning had split up, and Pei Yuning sent someone to send her back to her grandfather's home in Ruzhou.

Pei Yuning went to Kyoto alone.

He said he had other things to deal with.

Come to her when you're done and don't keep her waiting too long.

Now, nearly a month and a half had passed, and she had heard about the unrest in Kyoto.

I also know his decision.

"cousin!"

Xiao Tingyun was lost in thought. When he heard the noise, he turned around and smiled, "Big cousin, second cousin, why are you here together?"

Song Shiyu, the eldest son of the Song family, and Shili, the second son of the Song family, are both elegant and handsome men.

As the eldest grandson of the Song family, Song Shiyu has a more stable temperament. Hearing this, he smiled softly and said, "There is a lake cruise in Ruzhou City tonight. Let's invite my cousin to go with us."

"Yes, cousin, you haven't been back for a long time. When the news came that you were back, the young masters of Ruzhou almost pulled my and my brother's sleeves off, asking when you would go on a trip with us."

Song Shili jokingly played the victim to Xiao Tingyun.

But what he said was right, all the young masters in Ruzhou wanted to see Ayun.

After all, Ayun has a great reputation in Ruzhou and comes from a wealthy family, so those people naturally want to show their courtesy to Ayun.

actually……

He used to have some feelings for Ayun, but he learned from his mother that Ayun didn't want to leave him anymore.

He no longer had those thoughts, just brother...

Xiao Tingyun chuckled and sighed, "Second cousin, what you said really makes me feel ashamed."

"Tsk, are you still ashamed?" Song Shili looked incredulous. They grew up together, so how could she not understand the character of this cousin.

"Ah...it's really hurtful what my second cousin said."

Xiao Tingyun pretended to be upset, which really caused Song Shiyu to teach his brother a lesson, "Don't bully Ah Yun!"

"Ah!" Song Shili cried out in pain after being hit hard and glared at Xiao Tingyun.

Xiao Tingyun naturally knew when to stop and listened to the two people's playfulness.

"But I don't think I'm familiar with them, and how did they know I was back?" Xiao Tingyun asked in confusion. After all, she deliberately didn't disturb anyone when she came back.

How come someone knew her whereabouts?

Song Shiyu felt that his cousin probably looked down on him, so he reluctantly explained, "When you came back, the carriage passed by the teahouse, but your hat was blown open by the wind and was seen by someone."

Um?

So what if you saw it? Xiao Tingyun looked confused.

"The man who saw you was a famous painter in Ruzhou City, Master Shanyue. He was so amazed by you that he painted you and also wrote a poem for you, which he placed in the center of his Shanyue Bookstore. And so..." Song Shiyu felt funny and helpless when he talked about this.

It’s no wonder that she doesn’t understand, things in the world are always so unpredictable.

She had certainly heard of Master Shanyue, but now Xiao Tingyun wanted to hold her forehead with her hand and asked, "Did you get the painting?"

"Why do you want to take it?" Song Shili was puzzled. "You are not unaware of the custom of Ruzhou's Shanyue Bookstore collecting paintings of beauties. It is an honor to be included in their collection."

There were also many pictures of men. Both he and his elder brother had been painted. Unfortunately, his elder brother did not like them, so he asked Shanyue Bookstore to stop hanging portraits of the Song family.

She couldn't ask for this honor. It would be embarrassing to be forced to be famous.

Although the customs in Ruzhou are relatively open-minded, she has never been painted in the past, right? How come I was painted as soon as I came back?

So Xiao Tingyun asked Song Shiyu, and Song Shiyu kindly said to her, "Grandfather and father have threatened many people outside. Tell them not to cause trouble for you. Otherwise, how do you think you can hide from it?"

"This is your first time back, and I haven't had time to inform them yet. Besides, Master Shanyue has never seen you before. This time, you were drawn and caught off guard. But grandfather has already had people withdrawn."

"But someone still recognized you. Knowing that you were back, invitations to Erlang and me have been sent non-stop these past few days. There was a horseback riding party, a flower-viewing banquet, and this time a lake cruise. Grandma asked us to take you out to relax."

Xiao Tingyun wanted to refuse at first, as she really was not in the mood to go boating. But when she heard her grandmother's words, her heart softened and she agreed.

Coming to Ruzhou after such a long time, Xiao Tingyun felt as if he was in another world.

The carriage continued to pass through the bustling streets, with the smell of fireworks everywhere, and Xiao Tingyun's heart calmed down.

Song Shiyu and Song Shili rode on the side of the carriage. Song Shiyu asked gently, "Cousin, do you want to go to the jewelry and clothing shop? It's still early now, so it won't be too late to go shopping before going?"

"Brother, when will you ask me if I want to go shopping?" Song Shili said in a mean way.

"Heh..." A chuckle came from the carriage, "Second cousin, do you need to go to the jewelry store?"

Song Shiyu glared at him, and Song Shili, who was so cold, touched her nose angrily, "No need, you girls can just go and look at the jewelry."

"Cousin, don't pay attention to Erlang. If you want to go, just go and have a look." Song Shiyu was very patient with her. Even though she knew she might not have a chance, she still wanted to give it a try.

Xiao Tingyun said softly, "No need, just go now, the sooner you go the sooner you can come back, so that your grandmother and the others won't worry."

"That's good. We specially found a chef who is good at cooking Kyoto cuisine for today's boat trip. I'm sure my cousin will like it."

When Xiao Tingyun heard this, he thought of the roasted lamb in Kyoto, and this really piqued his interest.

By the time we arrived at the cruise ship, it was getting dark.

Lanterns are lit on the bows of the boats, the colorful lanterns shine on the water, reflecting their shadows. The shimmering water is dotted with rippling water, and the breeze is gentle. Ruzhou has a mild climate. Even though people in the north are still wearing winter clothes, people in Ruzhou can wear spring clothes.