Chapter 56 Chapter 56 "Qiaoqiao, come here."...

The carriage turned back and headed towards Xue's residence. When passing by a pharmacy, Zhang Jingxuan went to weigh out some medicine.

When they reached Xue's residence, the carriage stopped again under the mulberry tree at the corner of the lane. Not long after, Huaizhou returned and announced that the matter had been settled.

Zhang Jingxuan nodded and calmly instructed, "Go tell the doorman at the Xue residence that she found the jade pendant a while ago and has been keeping it ever since. I didn't mind it. Now that Xue Xueyou's wedding is approaching, the jade pendant should be returned to me."

Huaizhou agreed and turned to talk to the doorman of Xue's mansion. As expected, he was rejected and returned with nothing.

It seemed that the Xue family's doorman had made up his mind to turn a blind eye, not to be persuaded, and not to deal with anything.

Zhang Jingxuan didn't seem to care either. He just leaned against the left wall of the carriage with a slightly cold attitude, obviously determined to get his things back.

Huaizhou stepped forward and wanted to take the driver's place, but the driver refused to let him go.

Huaizhou withdrew his hand in disappointment.

Zhang Jingxuan seemed not to notice the quarrel between the two people outside the carriage. He slightly lifted the curtain and glanced out.

The doorman of the Xue Mansion seemed to have received the news that something had happened to the engagement convoy. He paced back and forth at the door with an anxious look on his face, and then went in to report.

About half an hour later, the boxes of engagement gifts were carried back, and passersby on the street were gossiping:

"Have you heard? The lead carriage carrying the engagement gifts from the Xue Mansion overturned, and the entire carriage of gift boxes fell into the moat... It was so cold, the sedan chair bearers couldn't even get them out of the river. Do you think it's because they chose an unlucky day, so everything went wrong?"

The other person covered his lips and replied, "Isn't it? The only remaining engagement gifts have been moved back, so the engagement is definitely not going to happen."

"Hush... didn't you see that the elders and clan elders who were supposed to preside over the engagement ceremony weren't here? Such bad luck, could it be the work of some villain?"

"Hurry up and stop talking! It would be terrible if the Marquis' Mansion heard us... Tonight is the eve of the winter solstice. Have you prepared your Kongming lanterns? Every household will be out setting them off..."

“…”

Huaizhou heard these little bits of gossip and sighed, "The engagement was cancelled? Yeah, the gift boxes all fell into the river..."

Zhang Jingxuan pulled out a copy of "Collected Commentaries on the Book of Changes" from the wooden drawer under his seat, turned a page, lowered his eyes and studied it attentively.

His expression was calm, as if he was not affected by anything.

Soon an hour passed.

Dusk gradually fell on the horizon, and the yellowish setting sun made the sky even darker.

Huaizhou walked to the carriage, knocked on the wall, and said, "Sir, it's already the evening hour."

It was not yet the beginning of the Shen hour when they arrived, but now the sundial was almost reaching the You hour, which meant that if they waited any longer, they would waste almost the entire afternoon here.

Huaizhou raised his voice slightly and asked:

"Sir, do we still have to wait here? I think the Zhang family has had no dealings with the Xue family in recent years, so this gift is not necessary."

Zhang Jingxuan was flipping through the "I Ching Annotations" and his voice was a little cold:

"If I want to return my things, I naturally have to ask her to come see me in person."

He raised his eyes and saw the servants in the Xue Mansion, all in a state of panic, clearly dealing with the mess that had gone wrong with the engagement ceremony. His fingertips slowly clenched the title page, his voice still calm and composed, yet with a hint of indifference that brooked no argument:

"It's not right for the Xue family to occupy my things forever."

His voice was calm, but Huaizhou suddenly shuddered and responded in a low voice.

-

As the sun set in the west, Xue Yuanyin lay in his house to recuperate from his injuries for a day.

The wound on the back had just scabbed over and the bruises had not yet faded, but his face started to swell slightly again, adding new wounds.

She looked up at the already dim sky, then lowered her gaze downwards through the window. She seemed to hear the bustling noises of every household on the street outside the mansion, cleaning up, slaughtering cattle and sheep, and preparing for the winter solstice sacrifice.

Xue Yuanyin twitched the corners of his lips slightly.

With only one day left until the Winter Sacrifice, she had almost no hope.

Even the wooden sculpture of a tabby cat hidden in the closet seemed to have lost its vibrant spirit and become one of decadence and death, accepting its fate of being trapped in the box.

Fuzhu couldn't bear to see her daughter in this state, so she went to the kitchen and brought back a pot of pigeon soup and placed it on the table in the room.

When I opened the lid, the pigeon soup was still steaming, obviously it had been kept warm on the stove.

He skimmed off the excess oil, poured a bowl of pigeon soup and placed it in front of Xue Yuanyin, coaxing her:

"Miss, you haven't eaten all day. Eat something! Every household in the capital will release Kongming lanterns at night, so the gatekeeper won't lock you up at that time. If you don't eat, how will you have the energy to stay up all night to release lanterns?"

Xue Yuanyin had no appetite at all, especially when she saw this kind of tonic, she didn't want to drink it even more.

Fuzhu's eyes were red as she advised:

"Although you don't say it, I can see that you are in very poor condition. You haven't noticed it yourself. How much weight have you lost? You can't even hold up your clothes!"

"Really? Are you okay?"

Xue Yuanyin didn't realize that she had lost weight, and didn't even feel that she was in bad condition. She was just in a bad mood. Why was it so serious?

She looked at Fuzhu's red eyes, and finally swallowed her refusal and drank a bowl of pigeon soup obediently.

Fuzhu then smiled and took the soup pot back to the kitchen.

The forced smile that Xue Yuanyin had put on in front of Fuzhu gradually faded. She concealed the emotions in her eyes, put on a crane cloak, put on a veil to cover her face, pushed open the door and walked out.

Seeing Liu Minyan's thin and handsome figure still sitting in the pavilion outside the yard, with his eyes lowered, reading a book, she simply walked over, stepped onto the steps of the pavilion, sat opposite him, poured him a cup of hot tea, and said calmly:

"Mr. Liu, there is no need to waste time here."

Liu Minyan closed the book, raised his handsome face with a slightly sick look, looked at her through a layer of white gauze, and said softly:

"I have to go to the Winter Sacrifice Ceremony tomorrow, so today is the only day I can accompany you for a while."

Xue Yuanyin has said "I don't need your company" countless times throughout the day, and now she feels helpless.

Seeing that he was still smiling, she suddenly wanted to say something to make him angry and leave.

Xue Yuanyin looked him up and down and said critically:

"With your frail body, will you be able to have sex when you get married? You won't be able to have sex before the baby is born."

These words were undeniably harsh, but Liu Minyan's expression remained unchanged. He simply looked at her and said,

"I know you can't go to the Winter Sacrifice, and I'm not happy about being punished by the Marquis. If saying this can make you feel better, I will bear it."

After a brief pause, he replied in a gentle voice, "Although I am weak, there is no problem for us to have sex. Miss Xue, there is no need to worry about it."

Xue Yuanyin felt bored when he heard his answer and stood up.

"Well, if you insist on staying with me until dark, then you can stay. When you want to leave, you can leave directly without telling me."

She gathered her crane cloak, turned back to the house and closed the door.

That thin back figure seemed so empty that even through a layer of crane cloak one could still see the emptiness inside.

Liu Minyan watched her enter the room, retracted his gaze, and turned a page as if he didn't care, but his eyes were not focused on the book. His eyes were slightly lowered, as if he was thinking about something.

When it was dark, the stars were dotted across the sky like a brocade, and the noise in the streets finally faded away.

Liu Minyan glanced at the clepsydra, put away his book, left the pavilion, walked into the courtyard, knocked on the closed door, lowered his eyes and said:

"I, Liu, am a commoner, and I dare not covet the bright moon's glory. However, considering that I have been with you all day, Miss Xue will walk me out to the gate of the Xue Mansion, okay?"

The man's eyes were calm, and his handsome sick face seemed to show no concern at all, but he acted in a humble manner, as if begging for mercy.

Inside the room, Xue Yuanyin, who was about to refuse, was silent for a few breaths and responded with "OK".

…

The night sky was dotted with stars, and the streets were a little quieter than during the day, but still bustling.

The emperor has lifted the curfew in the past two days, and the capital is brightly lit all night long.

Zhang Jingxuan put down the scroll, poured a pot of strong tea, and shook the teacup. The amber liquid rippled and swayed gently in the teacup.

He lifted the curtain, handed Huaizhou a cup of tea, and then handed the cup in his hand to the driver, his face as clear and gentle as before:

"Wait one more stick of incense. If the doorman of Xue's residence doesn't bring my jade pendant, we'll return to Zhang's residence. Thank you for waiting for half a day."

Huaizhou knew that his son was always meticulous and considerate, but the driver was a little flattered. He took the teacup and said:

"Thank you, Young Master."

After the two of them finished their tea, Zhang Jingxuan took back the two empty teacups.

The driver was deeply moved. The eldest son was indeed as gentle, considerate, and a modest gentleman as the servants in the mansion said. He said:

"By the way, I wonder what you bought from the pharmacy when you passed by it today? Are you feeling unwell?"

Huaizhou didn't know what was going on and also looked up.

Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "I'm fine. I've just been busy for a few days and my throat is dry. I bought some golden vine flowers to moisten my throat."

"The eldest son is very busy with official duties and is busy with important matters at the court. The Xue family is really ungrateful!"

Zhang Jingxuan didn't answer, but tapped the carriage window with his knuckles from time to time, as if he was waiting for something.

After a while, the driver gradually became silent. Suddenly, he covered his stomach with his hands, uttered a cry, and looked embarrassed:

"My Lord, I have a stomachache and need to go to the nearby toilet..."

He probably couldn't bear it anymore, so he hurried away, holding his stomach without finishing his words.

When there was no one around, Zhang Jingxuan calmly took out the medicine bag from the wooden drawer and handed it to Huaizhou, saying:

"Go and deal with it."

Huaizhou lowered his head, took the medicine bag, didn't dare to look at it carefully, hid it in his pocket and left quietly.

…

At the gate of the Xue Mansion, moonlight paved the blue brick road. Xue Yuanyin, wearing a crane cloak and a veiled hat, saw Liu Minyan out of the mansion.

She couldn't leave the Xue Mansion, but thanks to Liu Minyan being here all day, the doorman started to slack off at night and didn't keep an eye on the place.

Liu Minyan walked out side by side with her. In order to avoid an awkward atmosphere, he told her some things that had happened in the capital in recent days one by one, so as not to let the topic fall through.

Finally, he remembered something and said, "There seems to be some unrest on the Western Qiang border. The Marquis has rarely returned home recently. He must be busy discussing this matter at court."

Xue Yuanyin heard it but didn't take it to heart. She was now crying out to heaven and earth but no one was helping her. What was most urgent was that His Royal Highness Prince Yu succeed in seizing the throne to save her life, not worrying about the war in the Western Qiang far away on the border.

The two walked out of Xue's house and stopped on the path not far in front of the mulberry tree at the corner.

Liu Minyan lowered his eyes, raised his hand and gently lifted the white veil of her hat, his eyes fell on it, and said gently:

"Go home at night and apply a handkerchief to it."

Xue Yuanyin didn't want outsiders to see her embarrassed and flushed face, so she avoided his hand, lowered the gauze curtain, and turned her head to stare at the few people walking on the street outside the bushes.

This action was too subconscious. Xue Yuanyin realized who she was thinking of. She felt a little self-deprecating and a little cold and hopeless. She retracted her gaze and said to Liu Min:

"You go back."

Liu Minyan did not move, but raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder, looking at her intently and said with a smile:

"Miss Xue, have you accepted me?"

Xue Yuanyin didn't understand what he meant and was about to deny it, but then she felt that it didn't matter if she let him misunderstand her. Anyway, she couldn't wait for others to come and visit her, so she didn't refute it.

Liu Minyan raised the corner of his lips and suddenly lowered his head slightly, as if asking for something. Xue Yuanyin's heart skipped a beat and goosebumps appeared all over his body.

Is he...wanting to kiss her?

If it were in the past, Xue Yuanyin would have pushed him away without a second thought, but perhaps it was because the Winter Sacrifice Ceremony was approaching and she felt dead inside. Or perhaps she was disappointed that the man did not appear in front of her like a hero, making her feel ridiculous.

Xue Yuanyin's body stiffened, his arms hanging at his sides, and he slowly closed his eyes.

The girl tilted her head slightly, and her thick eyelashes trembled gently under the white gauze, like a fluttering butterfly.

I don't know if she looks nervous.

Liu Minyan lifted her curtain again, his eyes falling on her other intact cheek. He slowly lowered his head, and when his lips were about to touch the girl's cheek, he suddenly heard a muffled and crisp sound of a teacup being placed on the table in the night not far away.

The moon's silver light shone down, illuminating a corner of the tung-colored carriage and also shining into the girl's eyes, which were already open.

Suddenly, it was as if a stone was thrown into a calm and silent lake, or as if a gentle breeze suddenly stirred up an incredible storm.

Xue Yuanyin suddenly woke up as if from a dream, passed by Liu Minyan who was close to him, turned his head and looked in the direction where the sound came from through the layers of dead trees and thorns.

The moment Xue Yuanyin saw the beautiful profile in the carriage window, her heart skipped a beat and she pushed the person in front of her away without even thinking.

Liu Minyan stood up straight and sighed regretfully. He was not at all embarrassed by being spied on. He even had the leisure to greet the people in the carriage and said politely:

"What a coincidence to run into Master Zhang here. If I remember correctly, this place and the Zhang residence are in two different directions. I wonder what urgent matter Master Zhang has that requires him to come here in the middle of the night?"

Zhang Jingxuan ignored Liu Minyan, looked over and said:

"Qiaoqiao, come here."

Xue Yuanyin could hardly believe it. Her heart was beating rapidly and she did not move for a moment.

Zhang Jingxuan suppressed the rage simmering within him. The veins on his forearms, resting on his legs, bulged. The suppressed emotions threatened to burst, yet they also added a subtle sense of desolation and loneliness. It was like he was at the end of a road. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape. In the end, he had no choice but to bow his head and accept his fate.

All kinds of complicated emotions swept through his eyes and brows, but were finally suppressed and fell under that warm and clear skin.

He looked straight at her, his face no longer showing the warmth of the past, his voice calm and cold as he repeated:

"Qiaoqiao, come here."