Chapter 66: Childhood Sweethearts IF Route (Part 1)
On a fine spring day, pear blossoms bloom like snow.
The warm morning light shone down, and the flowers and plants in the yard were covered with dew.
The Yun family had just welcomed a new bride into the mansion, and the red silk ribbons inside were still in place, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.
Inside Qingfeng Hall, the family had finished their breakfast and sat together in the hall chatting.
While listening absentmindedly to her brother, Yun Sheng couldn't help but steal glances at her newly arrived sister-in-law from time to time.
Her brother was really lucky; his sister-in-law is incredibly beautiful.
"Little girl, little girl."
"...Ah? Brother."
"Did you hear everything my brother said?"
"I heard you."
Yun Sheng didn't hear it; her attention wasn't on Yun Cheng at all.
Seeing this, Xu Peilan laughed and said, "Alright, Yi'an, we've already talked to Nannan about this many times. If we keep talking about it, she'll get annoyed."
At this point, even though Yun Sheng hadn't heard it at first, she now understood what her brother had been muttering.
Xu Peilan continued, "Nannan is still young. How could I bear to let her get married? Besides, there are so many men in the capital that I can't find a single family I like. Nannan is like me, so how could she be easily fooled by those hotheads?"
"Don't you think so, Nannan?"
"..."
Yun Sheng's expression froze for a moment, then she forced a smile before regaining her composure and saying, "Yes, Mother is right."
"I'm asking you, what do you think I should do?"
Before Xu Peilan could say anything more, a servant's voice came from outside the hall: "Master is back."
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.
The people in the hall looked up and saw Yun Hong stride in aggressively, his brows furrowed and his breathing rapid, clearly filled with anger.
"Oh dear, sir, what's wrong?"
Yun Hong sat down in the main seat and slammed his fist on the table in anger: "These people are simply outrageous!"
"Father, what happened?" Yun Cheng asked.
"The court session has ended today. Those old fogies in the Ministry of Revenue must have gotten nothing good from the court, so they deliberately came here to make things difficult for me."
"Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about? The second son of Prince Zhao didn't invite the Yun family to his wedding. Now that Yi An is getting married, I'm a generous person, so I sent an invitation to Prince Zhao's residence. Who knew that no one came and no gifts were sent? It's simply rude!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and her expression, which had finally calmed down, froze again.
However, no one noticed the change in her expression.
Yun Cheng quickly replied, "Father, I had someone intercept the invitation that was about to be sent to Prince Zhao's residence."
"you?"
Yun Cheng snorted coldly, his face revealing his undisguised hostility towards the Prince Zhao's mansion: "Why should I invite the Xiao family on my wedding day? Wouldn't that just bring bad luck?"
"..."
Yun Sheng swallowed quietly, then lowered her gaze and remained silent.
Yun Hong was stunned for a moment: "So that's how it is. You didn't even tell me about this whole mess, which caused me to have a huge argument with those old men."
Xu Peilan had just learned of this: "Yi'an, didn't you send an invitation to the Prince Zhao's residence? How come I remember seeing the Prince Zhao's heir come to offer his congratulations on your wedding day?"
Yun Sheng's breath hitched, and her heart skipped a beat.
Yun Hong frowned: "Is that so? I didn't see it?"
"I only glanced at him briefly, and when I looked again, he was gone. But I thought that since the master had sent an invitation to the Prince Zhao's residence, it was only right that someone from there would attend the banquet, so I didn't pay any attention to it."
Xu Peilan murmured, "Could I have seen wrong?"
Yun Sheng sat down next to Xu Peilan, her head down, thinking to herself, "Mother, you're not mistaken. Xiao Xu did come, but he came secretly."
Yun Hong chuckled and said, "Madam, you must have misread it. Since this invitation was not sent to Prince Zhao's residence, how could the Prince Zhao's heir possibly attend the banquet? Without an invitation, not even a fly from Prince Zhao's residence can get into our Yun residence."
Yun Sheng lowered her head even further, silently arguing in her heart that Xiao Xu was not a fly.
Yun Cheng said, "Father, it's not worth getting angry over the Prince Zhao's mansion. This is just a misunderstanding. I'll clarify things with those officials later."
Yun Hong still frowned: "It's not just this."
"That old man Xiao may say he's magnanimous, but behind the scenes he's still secretly competing with others. Don't think I don't know that he was the one who leaked these words to those people in the Ministry of Revenue."
"He said his second son had just had a grand wedding not long ago, and the Yun family is rushing to follow suit with their own wedding. Our family's wedding is clearly a matter of fate, a perfect match where the man should marry and the woman should be married. He's just talking nonsense!"
At this point, Yun Cheng's expression hardened.
“Father, there is something else you may not know. I heard today that the Prince Zhao’s mansion has begun preparations for his youngest son’s wedding. They’re trying to put us ahead again by getting their youngest son married.”
"Which youngest son? His third son, Xiao Ling?"
Yun Cheng nodded.
Yun Cheng paused for a moment, then quickly realized, "Does that old man Xiao think I've gone crazy from fighting with him for so many years? He wants to use his son's marriage to save face, but mine is a daughter!"
After saying that, he quickly turned to look at his precious daughter.
Seeing that Yun Sheng had her head down, he realized that she hadn't said anything for a long time, so he quickly reached out and held her hand, patted the back of her hand, and his tone immediately softened.
"Don't worry, my dear. Your father will never compare your marriage to that of the Prince Zhao's family. His son can marry whomever he wants, and the kind of wedding he has is none of our business. You don't need to marry anyone."
“…Ah?” Upon hearing this, Yun Sheng finally raised her head.
"Am I destined to never get married?"
Yun Cheng was taken aback, then burst out laughing: "You child, how old are you? What kind of marriage are you talking about? We can talk about the future later. I'm telling you, I won't compare your marriage to the marriage of the Prince Zhao's family. Besides, if you haven't found someone you like, what's wrong with never getting married?"
"..."
Seeing that Yun Sheng's expression was off, Yun Cheng's heart tightened, and he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Does Nannan have a man she likes?"
Yun Sheng moved her lips, but before she could speak, Xu Peilan smiled and said, "No, we just asked her. Nannan's mind is pure, she doesn't have any man she likes."
Yun Cheng nodded in satisfaction and said, "Yes, Nannan already told me."
Yun Sheng blushed, a crimson color quickly spreading across her face because of the man she supposedly admired.
However, to the rest of the Yun family, this appearance made her look like a shy young girl who didn't understand the feelings between men and women.
Even his sister-in-law, Ye Fu, tugged at Yun Cheng's sleeve and whispered, "Sheng Sheng is still young, don't keep talking about this to people."
After leaving Qingfeng Hall, Yun Sheng walked dejectedly towards her boudoir.
Cuizhu followed behind her and naturally noticed her mistress's low spirits.
She had followed him the whole way, and once they entered the house and were alone, she finally couldn't help but speak up to comfort him: "Miss, the master, mistress, and eldest son are just too fond of you, which is a good thing. Don't be too sad."
"What's so good about it?"
Yun Sheng sighed softly, then raised a finger and said in a louder voice, "I'm already sixteen, long past the age of coming of age, yet they still treat me like a child. Fourth Sister got engaged right after her coming-of-age ceremony, and now she already has a child."
Cuizhu said, "At that time, the Fourth Miss had a man she liked. They were well-matched in terms of social status and appearance, so they naturally got married when they reached the right age."
"I have one too!"
Upon hearing this, Cuizhu glanced at her with a troubled expression, and Yun Sheng herself also deflated after a brief moment of stunned silence.
She sat down on the chaise lounge and said to Cuizhu, "You heard what my father said at the end, didn't you?"
Yun Sheng straightened her face and mimicked Yun Hong's tone, saying, "There are plenty of good men in the world, as long as they're not from that old man Xiao's family..."
She even mimicked Yun Hong's punctuation: "Oh, right, my little girl certainly wouldn't be so blind, how could she possibly fall for an old man from the Xiao family, hahahahahaha!"
After finishing her lesson, Cuizhu couldn't help but chuckle, while Yunsheng drooped her eyes and collapsed dejectedly onto the chaise lounge.
After a while, Cuizhu comforted her, "Miss, things will work themselves out. I'm sure His Highness has already made plans for this, and I'm confident he'll be able to solve this problem."
Yun Sheng gently lifted her eyelids, but they quickly drooped again.
Xiao Xu?
His impression of her father and elder brother didn't seem to be much better either.
The young girl encountered the first trouble she had ever experienced.
She got together with the eldest son of her family's arch-rival.
At first, Yun Sheng did not expect things to be so troublesome.
Xiao Xu, the eldest son of Prince Zhao's family, is eight years older than her and now holds a high position and great power in the court, with a noble status.
She sounds like a completely different person from Yun Sheng, a carefree and leisurely noblewoman.
If it weren't for that trip to the Xiyuan Palace eight years ago, Yun Sheng would never have had any interaction with Xiao Xu.
That year, the Yun and Xiao families had a disagreement over political views at the Xiyuan Palace. They heard that Prince Zhao and Minister Yun were passionately arguing in front of the emperor, and the two lost control of their emotions and got into a fight, thus beginning their feud.
At that moment, Yun Sheng was sneaking around behind the bushes in the garden, peeking out a dark head.
Her bright, round eyes unexpectedly met the cold, dark eyes that were looking at her from not far away.
"Come out," the boy said calmly.
He had a blank expression and a flat tone, but he sounded very fierce and oppressive, which made Yun Sheng's eyes redden instantly.
She was a little scared, but also a little expectant.
She had been secretly watching the boy for quite some time.
She had never seen such a handsome man before. He was tall with long legs, had a striking face, and possessed an extraordinary air about him, which immediately caught her eye.
Yun Sheng slowly emerged from behind the bushes under the scrutinizing gaze of the young man.
She said in a soft, obedient voice, "Brother, I was just passing by and didn't do anything bad."
Xiao Xu gave her a cold look and finally said, "I am not your brother, you don't need to call me that."
"But you are older than me, shouldn't you call me brother?"
After Yun Sheng finished speaking, seeing that he seemed displeased, she asked again, "Then what's your name? I'll call you by your name, not 'brother,' is that alright?"
Xiao Xu's lips gradually tightened as he stared at the little girl, whose origins were unknown, without uttering a word.
Yun Sheng actually had her own little schemes.
She still felt that this person was older than her, and of course she should call him brother, but she also wanted to be friends with this brother, so she asked him his name instead.
Xiao Xu remained silent, and Yun Sheng waited a long time for his name to be called.
He didn't chat with her, leaving her standing there alone, which gradually made her feel a little awkward.
After a long while, Yun Sheng was defeated in this silent tug-of-war.
"Brother, my name is Yun Sheng."
The girl's voice was clear and melodious, like the wind rustling through jade chimes.
Xiao Xu's ears twitched slightly, but he still just stared at her without saying a word.
What are you doing here all by yourself?
"You seem to be in a bad mood. Has something bothered you?"
At that time, Yun Sheng had no worries. The original boredom of not having any children her age to play with on this trip disappeared because she was with the boy.
Thinking he still wouldn't pay attention to her, Yun Sheng had already thought about what she was going to say next.
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Xu suddenly hummed in agreement.
Yun Sheng was slightly taken aback and tilted her head to look at him.
Xiao Xu regretted his answer, feeling that the noisy little girl would continue to press him about what was bothering him.
But to everyone's surprise, Yun Sheng did not ask any further questions.
Her eyes lit up, and a smile bloomed on her delicate and beautiful face: "Brother, wait for me a moment, I'll be back soon."
Xiao Xu frowned slightly as he watched the little girl turn around, lift her skirt, and run away quickly.
Only after her figure disappeared from sight did he slowly lower his eyes, letting out a low sneer.
When she didn't answer, she would still chatter away in front of me, but when I did answer, she ran away.
Xiao Xu didn't believe that Yun Sheng's claim of returning soon meant she was really coming back.
Moreover, she has been gone for quite some time, making it seem as if she has run far away and will never come back.
That's fine, it saves us from all the noise.
He had a final fifteen minutes of free time to continue sitting there quietly.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
"Brother, I'm back!"
Xiao Xu looked up and saw the little girl in the distance holding a few blades of grass in her hand, running back towards him with even faster and more hurried steps than when she left.
His breathing paused slightly, and his pupils contracted briefly.
In the blink of an eye, the little girl was already in front of him, offering him a blade of grass covered in mud.
"Brother, I searched for quite a while before I found some leaves that were similar. Can I give you a gift?"
Xiao Xu raised his hand, pinched the little girl's wrist with two fingers, and pushed her hand away from his eyes before asking slowly, "What gift?"
Yun Sheng's expression was lively, her eyes darting around. Holding the blade of grass, she lowered her head and said, "You'll find out soon enough. I'll definitely give you the most beautiful gift."
Xiao Xu looked down at her as she squatted down to the side, her petite body hunched over in a somewhat comical way, trying to hide the movements of her hands.
But she didn't hold that position for long. She seemed to realize that the movement was inconvenient, so she stood up and turned her back to him.
Xiao Xu said, "I'll give you a quarter of an hour."
His tone was indifferent, showing no expectation of the so-called gift.
Upon hearing this, Yun Sheng felt a little disappointed.
However, she didn't stop working for a moment, and even sped up her pace, shouting loudly with her back to him, "Okay, I understand, it'll be done soon!"
A quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour.
Yun Sheng's fingers deftly wove in front of her, while she kept muttering the time.
Xiao Xu was nearby and had exceptional hearing; no matter how softly she spoke, he could still hear her.
Yun Sheng was completely absorbed in weaving with her hands, unaware of how much time had passed.
She was also a little anxious, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, but she still carefully wove each step perfectly.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Sheng finished weaving and, when she came to her senses, suddenly realized that there had been no sound behind her for quite some time.
She panicked and turned around hastily: "Brother, you..."
Turning around, Xiao Xu was still sitting there calmly, just like before.
She was about the same height as him at that moment, and when she turned around, she met his calm, expressionless eyes.
Yun Sheng breathed a heavy sigh of relief and smiled, "Brother, I'm done. Hold out your hand."
Xiao Xu thought the action was a bit childish and didn't move for a moment.
Yun Sheng urged, "Hurry up!"
Xiao Xu's brow twitched slightly, but he still reached out his hand to the little girl.
Yun Sheng saw the boy's large hands outstretched in front of her. His fingers were long and slender, and his palms seemed to have thin calluses, which were completely different from her fair and delicate hands.
She couldn't help but take a second look out of curiosity.
The boy's urging came from in front of him: "Hurry up."
"Oh." Yun Sheng replied, looking up at Xiao Xu with a smile and extending her hand to him.
He laughed again.
Xiao Xu didn't count them, but he felt that in just a short time, this unfamiliar little girl had smiled at him many times.
How can you smile so much?
He was puzzled.
At that moment, I felt a warm sensation in my palm.
His gaze shifted from the little girl's smiling face, and he looked down to see her hands loosely clenched into fists and placed above his palms, her knuckles already touching him.
"Look, this is a little rabbit I made, I'm giving it to you."
Yun Sheng released her hand, and a small straw rabbit landed in Xiao Xu's palm.
Xiao Xu stared at the straw rabbit with an inscrutable expression, seemingly puzzled.
She was turning her back just now, was she fiddling with this?
Is it pretty?
Xiao Xu looked up and saw the little girl's bright eyes, with tiny sparkles in her dark pupils, which made him feel inexplicably dazzled.
Before he could answer, she excitedly began to say, "This is something an old man taught me to weave when I passed through a post station on my way here. I used reeds from the post station back then, but there are no reeds here, but there are green leaves. The green rabbit seems even cuter."
Xiao Xu knew that post station; he had stopped there for a quarter of an hour on his way here, but naturally he had no time to take another look at the reeds.
Yun Sheng stood obediently in front of Xiao Xu with her hands folded in front of her: "This is the first little animal I made after I learned how to make it. I'm giving it to you in the hope that it will cheer you up."
If he likes it, if he accepts it, wouldn't they be considered friends?
Yun Sheng looked at him expectantly.
Xiao Xu moved his lips, about to speak, when suddenly his expression changed slightly.
He then frowned and said quickly, "Sorry, I have to go."
Yun Sheng was taken aback, not expecting to receive such a response after waiting for so long.
"That little rabbit..."
"Thank you, I'll take it." After saying that, Xiao Xu took the little rabbit, turned around, and quickly left.
Yun Sheng was left standing there, stunned, and asked the second half of the question: "And your name..."
But no one answered her.
Yun Sheng stood alone for a while until she heard the sound of people walking towards her, and the whispered conversations as they walked.
"This is the first time I've ever seen the prince so angry. It's really frightening."
"How could I not be angry when I got into an argument with someone and then found that His Highness the Crown Prince was nowhere to be found?"
Where did His Highness go?
"Who knows? I heard that this is His Highness's rest time, and His Highness only has this short rest time each day, which is about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
"It's so strict. We've only been delayed for a few breaths and haven't seen anyone yet."
As the two were talking, they looked up and saw Yun Sheng standing not far away.
Yun Sheng was then led back to her family's courtyard in the West Garden Palace by two maids.
She was a little unhappy that day because she met a handsome young man she wanted to be friends with, but she didn't get to say more than a few words to him. She gave him a gift that she had made with all her heart, but they parted in a hurry, and she didn't even know his name in the end.
That night, her room window was smashed by rubble.
The sound was faint, but it was especially noticeable in the quiet night.
She was just startled when she heard the familiar boy's voice.
"Yun Sheng," he called her name in a low voice.
Yun Sheng was pleasantly surprised and climbed up from the bed, even forgetting that she was only wearing a private nightgown.
With a snap, the window opened.
The boy standing outside the courtyard wall frowned slightly.
Xiao Xu looked down at his shadow, which was stretched long by the moonlight, and for a moment regretted that he had come here quietly.
Not only was his behavior extremely impolite, but the little girl inside the room was also completely unprepared.
They just opened the window for someone in the middle of the night.
What if the person who comes is not someone we know?
acquaintance……
They didn't even seem to know each other.
"Brother, brother, where are you? Is that you?" The little girl's clear voice interrupted Xiao Xu's thoughts.
Xiao Xu turned around and glanced at the dark courtyard wall in front of him.
He did not climb over the wall to enter the courtyard; although the other party was young, she was still a young lady from a respectable family.
But even with a wall separating them, he felt he was overstepping his bounds and acting presumptuously.
"Brother, brother?" The little girl's anxious voice could still be heard from behind the courtyard wall.
Xiao Xu took a deep breath and threw the envelope with the stone tied to it over the courtyard wall.
A loud thud was heard, accompanied by a little girl's soft gasp.
That night, the boy seemed to throw the letter over and then turn and leave, but Yun Sheng didn't know that after picking up the letter, she called out to him many times towards the cold courtyard wall.
It wasn't until the maidservant guarding the door heard the commotion and asked what was wrong that Yun Sheng guiltily stopped talking, hugged the envelope, closed the door, and curled up on the bed alone to open the envelope.
[To Yun Sheng:]
I had urgent business to attend to today and left without explaining, which was impolite of me.
I have carefully kept the straw rabbit you gave me, thank you.
I also have a return gift with this letter, which I received when I traveled through the western border the year before last, and it is called the Peace Coin.
Its shape is like a ring, not of gold or jade, but signifying completeness and perfection, meant to protect you. I hope you will accept it.
Also, you once asked my name.
My name is Xiao Xu.
Time has come to this point.
At night, Yun Sheng leaned against the chaise lounge, raised her hand to stroke the gilded copper coin hanging around her neck, and sighed softly.
That's how she met Xiao Xu, and later they fell in love due to various reasons.
How could she have imagined that over the years, the conflict between the Yun and Xiao families had not diminished but rather intensified, and now they were completely at odds?
If her father and brothers really found out that she and Xiao Xu were engaged...
Just then, two loud thuds as pebbles hit the window shattered the tranquility of the night.
Yun Sheng was startled and suddenly sat up.
A low, magnetic voice called from outside the window: "Sheng Sheng, open the window."
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I'm late today, so I'm sending out red envelopes to everyone.
Before tomorrow's update, I'll be giving out red envelopes to everyone who leaves a comment under this chapter!
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