Chapter 59 Even if you don't like him now, the second half...

Yang Qing looked in the direction she was told and sure enough, she saw Li Shangxuan staring at her. Their eyes met, and then they looked away.

Xiaoman hated the man buzzing around her, but Yangqing wouldn't let her lay a hand on him, so she could only suppress her anger and remain silent.

Seeing Li Shangxuan at this moment was no different from seeing a savior, so he hurriedly asked, "Miss, shall we go over?"

Yang Qing glared at her irritably: "If you want to go, go by yourself. I'm not going."

Xiaoman couldn't possibly run over there herself; she could only watch longingly. However, as long as the two of them kept walking forward without changing direction, they would meet in a little while.

Yang Qing hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should change her route at the last minute.

If I turn around and leave, it would seem like I have a guilty conscience.

While they were still hesitating, they bumped into each other.

Huo Lu and Li Shangxuan were like conjoined twins; it seemed that wherever Li Shangxuan was, Huo Lu was always there too.

Yang Qing couldn't help but wonder why Huo Lu was so idle every day, even though he was working in the Jinwu Guard and not in Li Shangxuan's Eastern Palace Ten Commands Office.

Huo Lu greeted Yang Qing politely. Yang Qing was now much more familiar with him and had a much better impression of him.

In her past life, Yang Jiayin's words were largely exaggerated. Huo Lu didn't seem to be as bad as she thought. Perhaps their personalities clashed. In this new life, if they weren't together, would the ending be different?

Since men and women are different, and Yang Qing is engaged to Li Shangxuan, Huo Lu didn't want to talk to her too much. After exchanging pleasantries, he turned his attention to Yun Sheng. "Brother Yun, what a coincidence! I've been wanting to drink with you for a long time. There's no time like the present, so how about today?"

Yun Sheng was in a dilemma. Most of the Jinwu Guards were from aristocratic families and looked down on his background as a bandit. The only one who treated him with courtesy was Huo Lu.

However, even though Yan Yun wasn't there, her two younger sisters were, and he really wanted to curry favor with them.

The young nobleman standing next to Huo Lu had a very unfriendly expression. He was new to the place and did not recognize the man.

Before he could say anything, Huo Lu had already naturally grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

Yun Sheng didn't struggle too much, after all, the people in front of him were Chu Ying and Yang Qing, not his sweetheart.

Besides, accompanying these two girls was really quite boring. Chu Ying looked like a little rabbit seeing a wolf, while Yang Qing looked helpless, not wanting this one and not wanting that one either.

Alas, when he was on the border, he was extremely popular with young women and wives, but after arriving in the capital, these ladies avoided him like the plague.

After Yun Sheng was half-pushed and half-pulled away, Chu Ying straightened her back immediately.

She certainly knew Li Shangxuan, but she wasn't afraid of him. They had known each other since childhood, and although they weren't very close, they weren't strangers.

Secondly, Chu Ying believed that a person with a clear conscience had nothing to fear, so he had nothing to be afraid of regarding Li Shangxuan.

However… her eyes darted around, and she looked at Yang Qing beside her. Under the glow of the lights, her face was bathed in a warm light, making her look softer than usual, but she kept her long eyelashes down and did not look at Li Shangxuan.

You can't call Chu Ying stupid; she's very quick-witted.

But you can't say she's smart. She does have some ulterior motives, but her ability to read people is far inferior to that of her mother, the Third Madam.

For example, at this moment, she took Yang Qing's indifference as her being shy again, since in her mind, Yang Qing was a very shy person.

After a moment's thought, she began to exaggerate, marveling at the sight of the Xu River in the distance: "There are people releasing river lanterns over there, I want to go buy one!"

After saying that, he not only took his maid with him, but also tried to drag Xiaoman away.

Unfortunately, her little thoughts were written all over her face, and Yang Qing immediately knew what she was thinking, so she quickly grabbed her sleeve and said, "I want to go too."

Yang Qing didn't want to be alone with Li Shangxuan; they were still in a cold war.

He is the crown prince, and is extremely noble; he would never bow down to her.

Yang Qing didn't want to take the initiative to bow down to him.

In the end, he followed. Yang Qing pouted where he couldn't see.

The tranquil water, unlike the bright daytime, is dotted with countless lotus-shaped river lanterns, carrying beautiful wishes, drifting leisurely into the distance.

Chu Ying was an impatient person. After writing down her wish with the pen given by the shopkeeper, she couldn't wait to push it into the water. Her river lantern immediately blended into the sea of ​​lights and became indistinguishable in just a moment.

In the past, she would have been eager to peek at what Yang Qing had written, but with Li Shangxuan here today, she didn't dare to go too far. She only glanced at him, and when Yang Qing noticed, she immediately turned her back. She awkwardly touched her head and gave up the idea.

Yang Qing didn't actually have any wishes. She seemed to have been very lucky since birth, born into a wealthy and official family, never lacking food or drink. Even when she entered the palace in her previous life, everything went smoothly. It was only before Li Shangxuan died that he gave her a big "surprise".

It's also possible that she's too content; in any case, she doesn't have any strong attachments.

She had no way of verifying what Li Shangxuan said, but whether he lied to her or not, she didn't hate him to the point of being heartbroken.

Even if he were truly unfaithful, she would only think of not marrying him again, and would not hate him to death.

After all, he had indeed treated her very well in those years, and even made her Empress Dowager after his death.

For an emperor to do this, it can be considered that he has done everything he could to be benevolent and righteous.

She put the river lantern in her hand into the water, and her gaze involuntarily drifted to the person next to her. Unexpectedly, the person was also looking at her. After noticing that she was looking over, he immediately pretended that nothing had happened and turned his head away.

Yang Qing felt a surge of anger, and her previous composure vanished by seven or eight parts.

That's true, there's more to their relationship than just righteousness. What's this lecherous bastard doing following her around?

Weren't we giving each other the silent treatment? Why are you still spying on her?

According to the calendar, it is already springtime, but the wind in the capital is still cold, and pedestrians have not yet taken off their winter clothes, and Yang Qing is no exception.

Although she was in good health and rarely had anyone around her, she still wore a cotton-padded coat. Everyone knows the principle of keeping warm in spring and light in autumn.

She stood up, not even glancing at Li Shangxuan, and pulled Chu Ying, who had been itching to leave, away. After they had gone quite a distance, she secretly turned back and found that Li Shangxuan was no longer behind them.

His skin is much thinner than Qi Sheng's.

Turning my head to look at the riverbank, I saw him still standing there, without moving an inch.

The wind was blowing softly, but he wasn't afraid of the cold. He put on light spring clothes, his clothes fluttering, as if he were a river god appearing in the world, or as if he was about to ascend to immortality at any moment.

Qi Sheng followed her shamelessly, leaving Yang Qing helpless. He only persisted for a short while, and Yang Qing became somewhat angry again.

This Li Shangxuan, all those sweet words he said before were just to coax her into giving in. Now that they've had a few arguments, he won't even back down.

She angrily pulled Chu Ying forward. Chu Ying was puzzled. Qi Sheng had been pulled away by Huo Lu, and Li Shangxuan hadn't followed. Why was she angry? What was there to be angry about?

I went to the restaurant to find Rongyue and a few of my cousins, but I didn't expect to run into some old acquaintances, although it was only Yangqing who knew them.

Come to think of it, this was the first time she had met the Yun brothers, Yun Xiao and Yun Lang, in this life. She couldn't help but wonder why they were here with Rong Yue.

Could it be...

Is fate such a mysterious thing? Is Rongyue destined to be with Yunxiao in this life?

Yang Qing was not very satisfied. Although Yun Xiao was not bad, in her previous life, if it weren't for the matter of the Prince of Ning's heir, Rong Yue would never have married him.

Now that the Prince of Ning's heir is dead, this threat is gone. Why does Rongyue still want to marry him?

Although it's said that families are of similar social standing, and the Yun family is similar to her own, in Yang Qing's heart, Yun Xiao is undoubtedly not good enough for Rong Yue.

Rongyue is the most talented woman in the capital, and she's so beautiful. Yunxiao was lucky to be able to marry her.

But if Rongyue happens to like him, that's anyone's guess.

Before the news of the Si family's marriage proposal had spread, the second wife happily agreed, planning to announce it after the birth dates and times were changed. Her two daughters were so accomplished that it would be uncomfortable for her not to show them off.

Yun Xiao was unaware that Rong Yue was already engaged, but he couldn't help but blush when facing his beloved.

Yang Qing found a chair and sat down. The wind blowing in from the window was much warmer than the wind by the river, but it still made Yang Qing shiver.

She couldn't help but think of Li Shangxuan again. She really didn't know what he was doing standing there like an idiot in such a strong wind. If he caught a cold and got sick, it would cause a huge commotion.

In today's open-minded society, with grand events like the Lantern Festival, which is also a tacitly accepted Valentine's Day, looking out the window, the streets below are brightly lit, with many young men and women walking hand in hand.

Yun Xiao was good friends with one of his cousins. The two of them started chatting about poetry, songs, romance, and classical literature, and began to quote classical texts.

Yun Lang wasn't particularly interested in this path. He hesitated for a moment at a short distance but still didn't walk to the window.

He naturally wanted to say a few words to Yang Qing, but when he looked down at the exquisite lotus lantern in his hand, he could only sigh and think to himself that it was too late to say anything now.

He could only stand there, even looking around cautiously, afraid of causing her any trouble.

This situation is embarrassing. If it had happened a little earlier, would things have been different?

*****

Ten thousand lights shone brightly, and even by the river, there was no desolation. The river surface was reflected in warm colors, but the spring breeze still carried a chill.

Li Shangxuan stood by the river for a while, feeling melancholy, when she suddenly sneezed loudly. Immediately, a follower who had been hiding in the shadows came up to her and advised her to take care of her health.

He waved his hand to indicate that it was alright. He admitted that he had dressed too scantily today in order to look good, but unfortunately she didn't even give him a second glance, which made Li Shangxuan very dissatisfied.

She's such a heartless person. She said she wouldn't talk to him, and she really didn't say a word to him or even give him a glance.

Suddenly, she hesitated. Was what she said that day true or false? Could it be that she wasn't just saying it out of anger, and that even if she didn't have a sweetheart, she didn't have any romantic feelings for him, and it was all just his wishful thinking? Could it be that, as she said, he forced her?

This tangled mess in my mind only lasted a moment before it immediately untangled itself.

Regardless of whether it's wishful thinking or coercion, things have come to this point. The engagement has been made, and their marriage is a done deal with no possibility of change.

Even if she doesn't like him now, she'll spend the rest of her life liking him.

They still had a long way to go. Their memories of their past life were still hazy. They only remembered that it seemed to be related to Yunzhou. This time, he started early and really uncovered a lot of secrets.

There's no need to wait another ten years; at most, it will be resolved in three years.