Chapter 42 What should I do if you like him...?

After asking Huo Lu, Yang Qing was about to take her leave, but she didn't expect them to talk about these things, so she sat down again, just wanting to find out the situation so she could go back and tell Xu Pianran.

I never expected that Huo Lu would be so coveted. Not only the Yang family, but even the emperor himself is interested in him as his son-in-law. This is going to be a difficult situation.

After hearing their words, Huo Lu was unsure whether they were joking or serious, but politely declining was always the right thing to do. Neither Yang Jiayin nor Princess Shengping were easy to deal with. He had never been particularly concerned about marriage, focusing only on making achievements and establishing his career. But now that this topic was brought up, he suddenly realized that he preferred gentle women.

He said with a worried look, "Why is Your Highness making fun of me now? You shouldn't say such things anymore, it's not good if word gets out."

Seeing that she couldn't hear anything, Yang Qing got up to say goodbye. It wasn't too late yet, and she could still make it to Duke Xu's place.

Before the matter of the lake trip could be explained, Li Shangxuan hurriedly said, "Let me take you back."

Yang Qing said listlessly, "No need, I'm not going home."

Li Shangxuan knew that she and Xu Pianran were good friends, and that she was probably going to the Duke of Xu's mansion to deliver a message, but he still insisted, "I'll see you off."

After saying that, he followed. Yang Qing refused, but it was no use. She became a little annoyed. She couldn't hit or scold this shameless person. She really didn't know what to do.

Even after she squeezed into the carriage, she still maintained her composure and didn't want to say a word to him.

Li Shangxuan felt uneasy, but at the same time, he also felt a secret, unknown joy.

Because of those fabricated events in her past life, Yang Qing had always been cold towards him. Even though they had physical intimacy, and it was she who took the initiative, he had ultimately lied to her.

Her jealousy made Li Shangxuan happy, which meant that she still cared about him.

So, disregarding her displeasure, he squeezed into the carriage and, with a hint of ingratiation, grabbed her hand, saying, "Are you really angry? I wasn't the only one who was malicious during the lake excursion; there were many others involved. Since Her Majesty the Empress has spoken, I couldn't refuse."

Yang Qing tried to shake off his hand, but failed. She said angrily, "You can go boating on the lake with whoever you want. What does it have to do with me? You don't need to explain to me."

Li Shangxuan laughed and pinched her nose, "If I hadn't come to explain, I'm afraid some people would have been drowning in jealousy."

This action was so affectionate that Yang Qing got goosebumps all over. "Just talk, don't keep touching me, okay?"

Li Shangxuan said, "I won't use my hands or feet, but I can at least use my words, right?"

As he spoke, he lowered his head and touched the corner of her lips. Although he quickly moved away, Yang Qing was still surprised by his shamelessness. This man really could always lower her standards.

She blushed and scolded, "Are you crazy? We're in a carriage."

The coachman and Xiaoman were sitting outside. How dare he be so bold!

Li Shangxuan said, "It was just a kiss, how would anyone else know?"

Yang Qing didn't want to talk to him and turned around to lift the curtain to look outside, but Li Shangxuan said again, "Ah Xun, you really don't have those feelings for Huo Lu, right?"

Yang Qing found it strange: "What could I possibly have feelings for him?"

Li Shangxuan chuckled, resting his head on her shoulder, his words sounding like a complaint, yet also like a coquettish tone, "You don't know, I was terrified when I heard Xiaoman's message, afraid that you really like him."

His breath, hot as he spoke, brushed against Yang Qing's neck, causing a tingling, ticklish sensation. She blushed and tried to pull away, but he held her waist, preventing her from moving.

"Don't touch me anymore, you're disgusting!"

Li Shangxuan wasn't angry at being called vulgar. He maintained the same posture, holding her tightly, and whispered, "If you don't want to talk to me now, I'll come find you tonight."

Are you even human?

Is it a person?

Yang Qing really wanted to ask him this question: whether in his past life or this life, this person is the same. Before going to southern Sichuan, he was still somewhat decent, but since that time he came back, he has lost all sense of shame.

That's how the world is; shameless people can indulge themselves.

Yang Qing reached out and pinched the flesh on his waist, but perhaps because his skin was thick and tough, he didn't even flinch.

She was still defiant and tried to pinch him again, but was warned, "It's just a hug now. If you keep doing that... I'm not sure."

What else does he want!

Yang Qing cursed him in her heart, but still withdrew her hand and said coldly, "What do you want to tell me? Now say it."

The carriage was traveling a very bumpy road, and Yang Qing was being held tightly in his arms. She could almost feel the trembling in his chest. He was holding her a little too tightly.

Yang Qing struggled for a moment, "Loosen up a bit, I can't breathe."

Li Shangxuan then loosened his grip on her arm. "I should have known better than to say those things to the Imperial Observatory. I really want to marry you as soon as possible."

"These are the same old nonsense again," Yang Qing urged. "Didn't you say something to me? Hurry up and say it. We'll be at the Duke of Xu's mansion in a little while."

Li Shangxuan then said, "It's nothing urgent, I just wanted to talk to you about Huo Lu. If you like him, I really don't know what to do."

Yang Qing would never like Huo Lu, but she would never say it now, wouldn't that just embolden Li Shangxuan?

Li Shangxuan: "He is indeed a very good person, but..."

He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stopped.

What should he say?

You can't like him because you're mine?

Although that was indeed what he thought, saying it aloud would seem domineering and unreasonable, so he could only embellish it, saying, "If you like him, what should I do? He and I are not only ruler and subject, but also friends. The methods I mentioned before are probably not suitable for the two of you."

He himself didn't realize how much he seemed to be feigning helplessness. "Ah Xun, what do you think I should do?"

Yang Qing said irritably, "You don't need to talk directly into my ear. I'm not deaf."

His body temperature was so high that Yang Qing's ears turned red from the heat.

Li Shangxuan said, "If I don't get this close to you to talk to you, I'm afraid you won't take it to heart."

You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. Yang Qing glanced at him disdainfully and said, "Forget it, I can't be bothered to argue with you."

Li Shangxuan persisted: "You mustn't forget the oath you swore to me yesterday. Say it to me again now."

Yang Qing turned her head and said, "What? I forgot all about it?"

Li Shangxuan reached out to pinch her cheek, his movements a little too forceful, and Yang Qing immediately cried out in pain, "You're shameless! You're so fickle, going on a pleasure boat with this person today and admiring flowers with that person tomorrow, yet you have the nerve to come here and beg me."

Li Shangxuan said, "It wasn't me on a boat with other people, but a group of people. I couldn't refuse. Sheng Ping, Si Jiamu, and the others were there. With so many people together, I'm definitely innocent, don't you think?"

Yang Qing was taken aback, but instead of focusing on the "group of people" he mentioned, she blurted out, "Is Si Jiamu here too?"

Li Shangxuan was also taken aback, and his tone became somewhat unpleasant, "Why are you asking him?"

Yang Qing realized she had spoken out of turn: "It was just a casual question, you can leave it at that."

Li Shangxuan was about to ask more questions when the carriage stopped, and Xiaoman's voice rang out from outside, "Miss, we have arrived at the Duke of Xu's residence."

Yang Qing was overjoyed. It was truly a stroke of luck. Ignoring Li Shangxuan, she went to lift the curtain on her own.

Li Shangxuan grasped her hand, only to be met with a glare from her, who seemed oblivious to his good intentions. "What are you doing?"

He sighed and smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes. "Wait a minute, I can't eat you again."

*****

The atmosphere at the Duke of Xu's mansion was different from usual; it was subtly heavy.

If Yang Qing didn't know about Xu Yanran's affair, she probably wouldn't have noticed it. But once she did, she felt something was off, and even the maids serving guests always seemed gloomy.

Of course, it could also be her imagination.

However, she easily met Xu Pianran. As soon as she saw her, she rushed over, dismissing the maid beside her, and said anxiously, "Yangqing, you've finally arrived! So, have you asked him yet?"

Yang Qing said, "I did ask, but... sigh, Huo Lu has completely forgotten about your cousin, let alone come to propose marriage."

Xu Pianran was extremely disappointed and complained, "Why is he like this?"

Yang Qing hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell her, "You must not tell anyone that not only does the Marquis of Yong'an want to marry his daughter to him, but the Emperor also intends to make him his son-in-law."

The last spark of hope in Xu Pianran's heart was completely extinguished. "Ah? How come he's so popular? But what should Sister Yanran do?"

Yang Qing was somewhat suspicious, "Does your cousin truly love Huo Lu, or is she just looking for an excuse not to marry Zhou Minghao?"

Xu Pianran was about to say, "She must really be in love," but then she stopped herself and whispered, "Who knows?"

Yang Qing asked, "Can I meet your cousin?"

Xu Pianran said, "No, let alone you who came to my house as a guest, it's difficult for me to even see her again."

Yang Qing was surprised, "Didn't you say your cousin is still not eating or drinking? Aren't you afraid something might happen to her?"

Xu Pianran said, "My second uncle isn't worried at all. He just said something like, 'If we let her have her way this time, she'll probably tear the roof off in the future.'"

Yang Qing said, "This is really..."

She didn't know what to say. Her parents usually acted like they were hands-off managers. In her memory, apart from her second sister who was frail and sickly, they didn't really care about the others. But when it came to Li Hebi, the two of them would never back down.

Yangqing had some resentment towards her parents before, but compared to them, they didn't seem so irresponsible anymore; at least they hadn't thought of selling their daughter for personal gain.

Yang Qing could only comfort her, "Don't overthink it. Try to persuade your second uncle and your sister as well. I think nothing is more important than being alive."

Xu Pianran stared at her blankly for a while, then suddenly burst into tears, choking out, "Of course we think it's better to be alive, but in Sister Yanran's heart, I'm afraid she's just looking for death. What you just said really woke me up. Even if she likes him, she's only met him twice. How could she be so desperate for him? She probably sees Lord Huo as her lifeline, otherwise she wouldn't be so heartbroken."

Yang Qing said, "You sisters are being too pessimistic. Even if you marry Zhou Minghao, so what? It's not like you can't live without marital affection. My parents were fine when they were young, and now they treat each other with great respect. Although he is a bad person, his family is still a Duke's mansion, and he can inherit the title for one or two generations. At least he will be well-off. As for the rest, let him do whatever he wants."

Xu Pianran said, "If you can come to terms with this, so can I, but Sister Yanran probably can't. You also think she has a strange personality, don't you?"

Yang Qing said, "Indeed, she's a bit too shy."

The shyest girl she knew best was her half-sister, Lian Tang. But Lian Tang was only quiet and reserved outside. At home or in front of familiar people, she was very lively and looked healthy, without a trace of worry on her face, unlike Xu Yanran, who was born with a sickly appearance.

Xu Pianran said, "I used to think so too. She wasn't like this when she was little. She followed my second uncle to be stationed in the countryside for more than ten years, and then she became like this after she came back. My second uncle is a pretty good official, but his harem is not simple. He adds new concubines every few days. My second aunt had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to Sister Yanran, and she is afraid that she will have difficulty having children in the future. My second uncle has been taking concubines, and she can't say anything. She just devotes all her attention to her daughter."

Yang Qing said, "Does your second uncle have many concubines? According to the laws of our dynasty, your second uncle is a fifth-rank official, and he can only have a maximum of two concubines."

Xu Pianran rolled her eyes at her with tears in her eyes: "How could you be so stupid? Just say she's a maid, buy her and put her in the room. Without proper documentation, wouldn't that not count as taking a concubine?"

Yang Qing hadn't expected this, and was speechless for a moment.

Xu Pianran then continued, "My second aunt was determined to raise her daughter to be a model of virtue, and she was extremely strict with her from a young age. There were standards for how she ate and how she walked, and if she made a mistake, she would be severely punished by copying books. It would be strange if Sister Yanran wasn't sickly after all this. In order to stay slim, she started dieting when she was just over ten years old, and she did the same when she returned to the capital. Every time I saw her eating only a little bit, I felt hungry for her. Just last time you treated us to a meal, after we came back, my second aunt questioned the maid for a long time and found out that Sister Yanran had eaten two extra pieces of pastry, so she punished her by making her copy the 'Precepts for Women' ten times, and she wasn't allowed to sleep until she finished copying them."

Yang Qing still remembers what happened that day. Xu Pianran kept cursing Zhou Minghao, and Xu Yanran only ate a little bit. Most of the food on the table ended up in her stomach.

Fortunately, she wasn't born into the Xu family; otherwise, given her behavior, she probably would have been beaten to death.

I suddenly remembered a saying my mother often said: "Being able to eat is a blessing." Not to mention my grandmother, every time I see her I feel she has gotten thinner, and the food I put on her plate is piled up as high as a small mountain...

Yang Qing felt great sympathy, but she couldn't think of a solution either. At this time, the person with the highest status in her social circle was Xu Pianran. If Xu Pianran couldn't think of a solution, Yang Qing was even less likely to.