Chapter 70 My eyes shone brightly as I saw you by the Flower Stream, your eyes clear and your brows delicate. ...

Since returning from the tomb sweeping that day, Su Jinxiu seemed like a plum blossom that had endured frost and cold and was now bathed in warm sunshine, regaining her former radiance. Everyone thought she had resolved her inner conflict, and seeing her increasingly healthy complexion, they were all genuinely happy for her.

Winter had arrived, and the north wind was beginning to howl. Yet, Su Jinxiu was embroidering a painting of a spring stream babbling in the Huayun Pavilion.

Although the air was chilly that day, the weather was kind, with the warm sun breaking through the clouds. She sat by the window, wearing a light pink jacket, her delicate hands fiddling with a needle. As the silver thread spun, the scenery on the screen began to shimmer.

The camellia, skillfully painted by her, had its petals fully open. Sunlight shone on them, making them shimmer and glisten. Dewdrops clung to the tips of the petals, as if they were about to fall, creating a scene that was both intoxicating and mesmerizing.

When a young embroidery apprentice came forward to ask about the embroidery techniques on the handkerchief, Su Jinxiu smiled gently and explained in detail.

Linlang and Manshu passed by and caught a glimpse of this scene. They exchanged a nod and a smile, then quietly went about their business.

"A distinguished guest has arrived!"

As soon as Linlang finished speaking, Su Jinxiu raised her head and looked through the kingfisher and bird screen. She saw a figure in black slowly walking towards her, which should be Ying Bumei.

He was dressed formally and elegantly today, wearing a black brocade robe embroidered with gilded cloud patterns, a gold and jade belt around his waist, and a black headband. His peach blossom eyes were full of affection even when he was still, and he looked at everyone with deep affection.

Su Jinxiu was acquainted with him, so she nodded slightly in greeting, instructed the young embroiderer to serve tea, and then resumed her embroidery.

This elegant fifth prince, once described as having "divine skill," was actually a man of few words and reserved in his thoughts. Su Jinxiu knew he was willing to reveal his true self in front of her, so she was not surprised by his silence and focused only on the needlework in her hands.

"Su Jinxiu, is this all the tea you're serving me?"

Su Jinxiu turned around in bewilderment upon hearing this, only to see him frowning, as if he had drunk some stale tea or inferior wine that was hard to swallow.

She took the teacup from Ying Bumei, looked at the color of the tea, and smelled it. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong? I brewed you some freshly arrived snow needle jasmine tea. Such a fresh and rare thing, and you still don't like it?"

"Are you sure?" Ying Bumei took the teacup back.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied without changing her expression.

"Tch." Ying Bumei scoffed. "It's like trying to talk about ice with a summer insect; there's no point in arguing with someone as clueless as you."

"Why don't you just say it's because you've gotten used to good stuff and have become picky about food?"

Although Su Jinxiu sounded aggrieved, she secretly chuckled to herself. She had actually known all along that this was Chen Cha, but she just wanted to take advantage of his arrival to get rid of him.

Ying Bumei downed the tea in his cup in one gulp, put the jade cup on the table, and said, "Fine, fine, I'm picky."

"But I'm leaving today."

Su Jinxiu's hands continued threading the silk, and she casually asked, "Where are you going?"

"Lingnan".

"Lingnan?" Su Jinxiu paused abruptly in her needlework, looked up at him, and frowned slightly. "Why do you want to go there?"

She had read in a book that Lingnan was a wild and desolate place in ancient times, with high mountains, long roads, and a hot and humid climate. The miasma that permeated the area all year round could corrode people's bones, and there were many poisonous insects and wild beasts in the forests. There was even a saying that "Lingnan is full of miasma, and those who go there never return."

Several possibilities of his departure flashed through Su Jinxiu's mind, and finally she chose a seemingly lighthearted joke: "You've been exiled?"

Seeing that Ying Bumei only smiled and did not deny it, Su Jinxiu knew that she had brought up the very thing she didn't want to talk about.

She put down her embroidery, poured him a cup of tea herself, and asked softly, "Is it still because of your identity? Are you still being feared?"

Ever since Ying Bumei risked his life to save her when she fell into the icy pool, Su Jinxiu had completely forgotten their past grievances. Now she only regarded him as a true friend, and seeing him in such a predicament, she was naturally very concerned.

"Can't you just not go?" Su Jinxiu pressed.

Ying Bumei took the teacup and said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. What can I do? My surname is Cen."

The two fell silent for a moment.

Su Jinxiu felt deeply guilty. As he was leaving, she hadn't prepared any fine wine or delicacies for his farewell, and had instead offered him a cup of stale tea. She immediately picked up the teacup and went to get a freshly brewed pot.

Ying Bumei reached out and stopped her: "No need, I should be leaving now. I just wanted to see you one last time before I left. Seeing how well you look today puts my mind at ease."

Just as Su Jinxiu was about to speak, he continued, "I've already made my move in the palace. Everyone there thinks that Consort Zhang was jealous of you, a commoner girl, for embroidering some ordinary patterns, and that's why she had her cousin imprison and torture you. The Empress Dowager was furious when she found out and has demoted Consort Zhang to the rank of Noble Lady, and Zhang Mingxu has also been dismissed to the seventh rank. I've also spoken to Prince Jing, and no one in the capital dares to make things difficult for you anymore."

"Take care of yourself from now on."

These words sounded strangely familiar. Upon closer examination, Su Jinxiu realized that the tone and expression were exactly the same as when Feng Chen bid farewell that day.

Now, she has to say goodbye to a dear friend in this way again.

The world is vast, and people are like water; we meet by chance, and then go our separate ways.

Even though she knew the hope was slim, before seeing Ying Bumei off as he boarded the carriage, Su Jinxiu still whispered, "When you come back, let's go to the grain brewing stall and drink together."

Ying Bumei had already made up his mind to leave gracefully without looking back. After all, although going to Lingnan was far away, it was still to become an official, not necessarily to die. If he took it easy, he might even be able to live a life where he could "eat three hundred lychees a day and not mind being a Lingnan native forever."

Upon hearing the words "Let's drink together," his back suddenly paused. The thought of the rest of his life, the vast distance between them, and the possibility of never seeing each other again, caused a long-forgotten lump to rise in his throat.

Then, he slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on Su Jinxiu, as if he wanted to carefully depict her appearance at this moment in his heart, for fear that the decades to come would fade it.

Finally, he only said one word: "Okay."

Time flies like an arrow; winter passes and spring arrives in the blink of an eye.

Su Jinxiu counted the days, spending several months in a secret and faint anticipation.

Feng Xun served as the Prefect of Kaifeng in Bianjing, holding the rank of a third-grade official. He wielded great administrative and judicial power over the important capital region and was so busy that he rarely returned home. Therefore, Su Jinxiu often took Qingluan and Qingyi to play.

On a chilly early spring afternoon, Su Jinxiu played with her two children by the Huanhua Stream in the courtyard, making small boats out of reeds. Ye Lingbo sat on a stone bench nearby, watching with a smile, still holding an unfinished embroidery piece in her hands.

Qingluan, caught up in the fun, grabbed a small pebble and threw it into the basin of water in front of her brother. With a splash, water sprayed everywhere, tiny droplets hitting Su Jinxiu and Qingyi.

The two were not to be outdone and immediately retaliated by throwing stones back, filling the courtyard with laughter.

Seeing that they were having a great time, Ye Lingbo remembered that she was missing a type of gold thread for her embroidery, so she got up and went back to the house to get it. Before leaving, she smiled and reminded them, "Be careful not to spill it, don't get your clothes wet and catch a cold."

But the one adult and two children were having so much fun that they had completely forgotten about the advice.

Seeing that he couldn't defeat the two by throwing stones, Qingluan simply scooped up water from the edge of the pool with both hands and threw it into the air. The cool water droplets splashed all over them, and even Su Jinxiu, in a childlike mood, joined in the water fight.

At that moment, Feng Xun happened to be returning to his residence to retrieve some documents and was passing by this courtyard.

Before they even got close, they could hear a burst of laughter and chatter, mixed with the voices of two children and his adopted sister.

As he approached the courtyard, he should have kept his eyes straight ahead and gone straight back to his own yard, but the noise drew him in, and he inexplicably glanced inside.

The sunlight was even more dazzling than before, making the water droplets splashing as they splashed water sparkle like glass, and their smiles shone even brighter.

I saw you by the Huanhua Stream, your eyes bright and your eyebrows delicate.

"master?"

The servant Mu Xiu beside him called out softly, and Feng Xun steadied himself, withdrew his gaze, and left.

Seeing this, Mu Xiu whispered, "The children like to play with Miss."

Feng Xun said calmly, "Then let them play."

After returning from sweeping the tomb that day, Feng Xun discovered that his adopted sister was not as self-destructive and suicidal as she seemed. In fact, she was very cheerful, gentle, and bright.

That day, he rushed to the mountaintop with his servant, but he was too late. He saw her staring blankly at Fengchen's coffin.

When he approached, bracing himself for the worst, he found the coffin empty except for a letter lying quietly inside.

Only after reading it did the two realize that this was a scheme set up by their younger brother and the official. The letter stated that he would take good care of himself and return in triumph, and asked them to trust him again and wait for him one more time.

The letter at the time instructed that this matter should be known only to the Feng family and not leaked to outsiders. Now, apart from the trusted servant from that day, only he and Su Jinxiu know the truth.

They didn't even tell their parents. They thought that if things didn't work out, their parents would suffer another blow, and they couldn't bear to let them go through such emotional ups and downs again.

Knowing that her second brother was still alive, this adopted sister seemed like a different person. Feng Xun was secretly amazed by her dramatic change and also secretly rejoiced.

This is better than her previous gloomy and taciturn state. As the eldest son and elder brother, he can't stand seeing his own family members give up on themselves.

Thinking this, he returned to his Qingmo Residence and searched for a long time in his study, but still could not find the document.

Seeing this, Mu Xiu thought for a moment and said, "Young master, when you went to discuss matters with Madam a few days ago, did you perhaps forget the documents in Madam's courtyard?"

Feng Xun pondered for a moment and found his words to be reasonable, so he instructed, "Go and tell Mother to search in the courtyard. I will search here again."

Mu Xiu responded with a "Yes," and then quickly walked towards the lady's courtyard.

On the other side, Su Jinxiu had just finished the water fight and hurriedly urged the maids and servants to take the children to take a hot bath and change their clothes. Although they had just played in warm water, the spring weather was unpredictable, and she was afraid that the children would catch a cold.

Just then, Mu Xiu came to inform her about the document. Su Jinxiu then went with him to Ye Lingbo's room to search for it, and sure enough, they found the document.

Mu Xiu said, "Miss, please deliver it to him. The young master is waiting for it."

Without thinking too much, Su Jinxiu picked up the document and hurriedly walked towards Qingmo Residence.

Feng Xun's residence was the largest in the Feng family mansion, and his study was even three stories high. After searching the first floor without success, he set off for the second floor. Just as he stepped onto the fifth or sixth step, he suddenly heard a clear voice calling from below.

"Brother!"

He was steadily climbing upwards, pondering whether the documents were hidden among the antique shelves on the second floor, when he heard the sound and couldn't help but lower his head.

Su Jinxiu stood outside the stairs amidst a lush patch of blue and purple flowers, looking up at him with a smile, reaching out her hand to hand him the document he had been searching for.

The flower that surrounds her is called Ziyang, a very common sight in Bianjing in spring. When it blooms, the blue and purple colors overlap to form a sea, with clusters of flowers, like full hydrangeas adorning the branches.

It was past noon, and the slanting sunlight was half blocked by the eaves, casting a shadow on her almond-shaped face and peach-blossom cheeks, half in sunlight and half in darkness.

In the sunlight, her smile is pure and innocent. In the shadows, however, she exudes a touch of alluring gentleness.

The wind suddenly picked up, swirling up the new leaves and purple hydrangea petals from the trees, gently brushing against Fengxun's hand.

"Brother?"

Author's Note: (Note:)

"I saw you by the Huanhua Stream, your eyes bright, your brows delicate." (Quoted from Zhang Bi's poem "Jiang Cheng Zi: I Saw You by the Huanhua Stream")