Chapter 40: "It's you."
"W-what...me?"
Yun Sheng's lips moved, but she barely made a sound.
The stall owner was also stunned, the look of disgust on his face still lingering, unable to react to what was happening.
There's no turning back now that the arrow has been released; Xiao Xu's true feelings have already surfaced.
Even though the scene here didn't match any of his original expectations, and there was no atmosphere whatsoever, his already uncertain plea seemed even more precarious. He didn't know what Yun Sheng would say, and it was even possible that he wouldn't even accept the lantern on the surface.
But he couldn't wait any longer; he couldn't hold back any longer.
His feelings for Yun Sheng exploded rapidly in the month after their marriage, when he was truly by her side, completely exceeding his expectations and reaching a point where he could no longer control them.
He thought that two years ago, he had no idea how ridiculous it was that when his mother told him that the girl had taken a liking to Xiao Ling, he thought he was calm and didn't show any outward reaction, but only clenched his fists under his sleeves.
He regretted it countless times afterward, wishing he had asked one more question or used even a fraction of his toughness elsewhere on this matter.
Will their paths diverge?
Xiao Xu is not good at admitting his mistakes.
It wasn't that he was truly arrogant and conceited, but rather that he had almost never made a mistake in the past.
His father's strict demands, his status as the eldest son of the Prince Zhao's mansion, and his responsibility to assist the crown prince all left him no room for error. He needed to make every decision rationally and meticulously.
But it's hard to remain rational when it comes to matters of the heart; he's not very skilled at it and struggles with uncertainty.
He has to admit he was wrong.
We were wrong from the start.
I love you.
Yun Sheng's eyes flickered, her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out, nor did she reach out to take the peach blossom lantern that Xiao Xu offered.
Xiao Xu lowered his eyes for a moment and said, "I want to marry you not for any other reason, but because I love you and that's why I want to get married to you."
In an environment extremely unsuitable for expressing his feelings, Xiao Xu's words were repeatedly drowned out by the surrounding noise, only reaching Yun Sheng's ears intermittently.
The peach blossom lantern swayed slightly under its handle in the surrounding breeze, its light flashing past my eyes like a hazy dream, not quite real.
Xiao Xu took out a silver ingot and placed it on the stall. With his other hand, he grabbed Yun Sheng's wrist and led her quickly through the crowd.
"Changyu, wait...we..."
Yun Sheng finally came to her senses amidst her hurried pace, but was overwhelmed by even more confusion and bewilderment.
Xiao Xu didn't stop, leading her all the way through the long street.
Willows sway gently along the moat.
The bright lights of the night market were gone, leaving only a peach blossom lantern in their hand, illuminating their vision and casting shadows at their feet.
The footsteps stopped, and the surroundings fell silent.
Yun Sheng suddenly took a deep breath, which was particularly noticeable.
She tensed instantly when her voice was exposed; her fingers, hanging outside Xiao Xu's palm, curled involuntarily, and her pulse slowed as if it were about to stop.
Xiao Xu glanced down at her, then slowly released her wrist, as if he thought it was his tight grip that had made it difficult for her to breathe and caused her heart to stop beating.
The noise around them subsided, and they fell silent for a moment.
Yun Sheng vaguely recalled what had just been said, feeling as if it were an illusion.
She moved her lips, finally finding her voice: "Did I hear that right?"
"No," Xiao Xu quickly replied. "I said I love you, the person I admire, the person I've always liked, is you."
"You mean, the woman you saw at the Lotus Banquet was..."
“It’s you.”
Xiao Xu raised his eyes, his voice deep and his gaze intense.
Staring at her like that, as if he were staring into her eyes, gave her a sense of pressure.
Yun Sheng awkwardly looked away: "But didn't you say she already..."
She pursed her lips, realizing that if it really was her, then she was indeed already married.
Xiao Xu took a step closer to her.
It was so quiet, yet her heart was beating so lightly she could barely hear it.
He remained where he was, not moving any closer so that he could hear her breathing and heartbeat perfectly, even though he desperately wanted to.
He hadn't originally intended to say it aloud, at least not after he realized his feelings.
Yun Sheng's heart wasn't with him. He thought, even if he told her, what difference would it make? He would only get the expected answer, putting himself in an awkward position and humiliating himself.
But the feelings in his heart did not disappear because he kept silent; on the contrary, they continued to grow and flourish.
If he doesn't say it out loud, how can he get her response, and how can he openly ask for what he wants?
He will remain stuck in the same place forever. Even the identity of her husband is only nominal, not real. Yun Sheng will never know that her husband loves her and that he did not marry her out of necessity.
Expressing these feelings wasn't as difficult as Xiao Xu had imagined; Yun Sheng's reaction seemed to be more one of surprise than resistance.
Xiao Xu continued her unfinished sentence in a deep voice: "She is already married, to me."
Yun Sheng's heart skipped a beat as he finished speaking.
He then stopped moving slowly and began haphazardly patting her chest.
She made the mouth shape to respond, but could only think of the word "oh," and then felt that it didn't seem quite right.
Hesitating for a moment, she suddenly thought, "But I didn't refuse you after the Lotus Banquet."
She saw Xiao Xu frown slightly.
“The Prince Zhao’s mansion proposed marriage to the Yun family on the second day of the Lotus Banquet. The message that came back was that you had your eye on… the third brother, not me.”
Yun Sheng was stunned, her mind reeling.
She tried to understand what Xiao Xu was saying and exclaimed in shock, "Could it be that the young man from the Prince Zhao's mansion that was mentioned in the message back then was you?"
“Otherwise what?” Xiao Xu said.
The air fell silent for a few moments. Yun Sheng's eyes widened, while Xiao Xu's brows furrowed even more.
He seemed to know where the problem lay.
She had always believed that the person she was dating at the Lotus Banquet was Xiao Ling.
Xiao Xu couldn't help but scoff, unsure how to describe his feelings at that moment.
This is somewhat absurd.
What did his first meeting with Yun Sheng have to do with anyone else?
“Sheng Sheng, that year at the Lotus Banquet, it was just me, no one else.”
Yun Sheng was also in a state of confusion.
How could it be Xiao Xu? How could there be no one else? Back then...
She recalled that no one seemed to have specified which young master of the Zhao Prince's mansion it was; her mother had only subtly inquired whether she had a favorite young man.
She herself thought that the young men of the Prince Zhao’s mansion should be the third young master who was about the same age as her, and she never expected that the young master was so different from her and had never been interested in women.
So she had been misunderstanding all along. Xiao Ling had never met her, and her idea that they were mutually satisfied and in love was simply not true.
Yun Sheng was lost in thought and didn't notice that Xiao Xu slightly raised his arm, and the hand holding the peach blossom lantern slowly fell down.
The lamp moved away from her, dimming her vision, but her mind was clearly replaying everything from the past.
The truth came suddenly, catching her completely off guard and leaving her stunned.
After an unknown amount of time, her wandering gaze suddenly landed on Xiao Xu's face.
The light was dim, and she couldn't quite make out his expression.
The silence was spreading, seemingly without end.
After a long while, Yun Sheng finally said in a low voice, "I didn't know that the person back then was you."
Xiao Xu suddenly felt relieved, and the corners of his lips curved slightly, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. He simply said, "It's getting late. Are you feeling tired? Do you want to go back?"
He originally just wanted to express his feelings to her, to break the ice completely, and to stop their marriage from being shrouded in ambiguity.
When he said it, he did have a slight expectation of getting a response from her, but who would have thought that it would also clear up such a misunderstanding.
It was clear that Yun Sheng was already in a state of confusion, so he didn't intend to ask any more questions.
He failed to deliver the peach blossom lantern, but so what? At least Yun Sheng was still by his side, so he still had a chance.
Thinking this, Xiao Xu reached out and took her hand.
Yun Sheng's fingertips trembled slightly in surprise, then she looked at Xiao Xu and said in a low voice, "Okay, let's go back then."
They didn't speak to each other on the way from the riverbank to where the carriage was parked.
Yun Sheng lowered her eyes and almost relied on Xiao Xu's guidance to walk forward.
She looked up when they were almost at the end of the long street: "Changyu, can we walk back?"
Yun Sheng's idea was clearly wishful thinking. This place was far from the Prince Zhao's residence, and it was unknown how long it would take to reach the residence.
But Xiao Xu quickly agreed, took a step to the side, and led her towards the path.
Yun Sheng lowered her gaze again, watching their steps as they walked forward together.
The gently swaying peach blossom lanterns illuminated their way home.
The moonlight gently shone down, casting their side-by-side figures into oblique shadows on the bluestone ground.
Yun Sheng originally thought that in such tranquility, her chaotic thoughts would become increasingly uncontrollable and scattered in all directions, just like in the past, the more she thought about it, the more out of control she became.
Surprisingly, Xiao Xu's palm was large and easily enveloped her hand. Feeling his warmth on the back of her hand and hearing their footsteps, she gradually calmed down.
It turns out that the initial connection between her and Xiao Xu was that year.
The feeling of embarrassment she had felt before resurfaced, this time with her own situation in mind.
If she wasn't mistaken, would she and Xiao Xu proceed with their marriage like any other ordinary couple, going through the motions until the wedding day arrived, without any unexpected events, and would she smoothly become his bride and wife?
Will she then fall in love with Xiao Xu in the same way she originally fell in love with Xiao Ling?
Yun Sheng felt confused. This answer seemed to be something she could only imagine, not something she could actually put into practice. For a moment, she wondered if she was the kind of person who would fall in love with whoever she was going to marry.
This is absolutely ridiculous.
She and Xiao Xu had only been married for a month, which wasn't a long time, but their time together had been very pure.
Even though Xiao Xu didn't express his feelings to her today, she didn't feel that this marriage involved other people.
All she saw, understood, and was close to was Xiao Xu.
Therefore, she accepted the marriage without any of the worries or anxieties that should have been present. She could be affectionate with him or throw tantrums at him.
Xiao Xu usually indulged her. For example, she wanted to walk back to the mansion as she was, but sometimes he controlled her in every way. She couldn't skip dinner, couldn't break the rules, and couldn't not return to the Zhao Prince's mansion.
Of course, there's also her erotic storybook.
And his wicked sense of humor, which is completely invisible to the public and behind his back.
Yun Sheng thought about this and that, but still couldn't sort out her thoughts.
Suddenly, a night breeze blew by, and the peach blossom lantern flashed before her eyes once more.
Yun Sheng stopped in her tracks.
Xiao Xu turned to look at him: "Tired?"
She blinked and asked, "How far have we gone?"
"There's still a long way to go," Xiao Xu said, setting off.
Yun Sheng didn't know what he was going to do at first, but soon she saw him squat down in front of her, revealing his broad back.
"..."
The feeling was completely different when she guessed that Xiao Xu liked her and when he told her in person.
Yun Sheng felt a little uncomfortable looking at his back, and shifted her feet slightly, unsure whether she should go up or not.
She didn't know what was wrong with her, and her cheeks suddenly felt hot.
Xiao Xu didn't turn around, but directly interrupted her thoughts in a deep voice: "Come up."
"Oh," Yun Sheng responded softly before climbing onto his back.
As she pressed herself against his back and was about to wrap her arms around him, she saw the peach blossom lantern fall to the ground because of his squatting posture, and he was still holding the lantern handle in one hand.
Yun Sheng whispered, "Give me the lamp."
Xiao Xu turned around and gave her a strange look.
Yun Sheng was puzzled, but he didn't give her a chance to react. He quickly shoved the lamp handle into her hand and turned his head away.
He grasped her thigh and stood up with almost no effort.
Yun Sheng instinctively wrapped her arms around him during the bumpy ride, and the peach blossom lantern ended up in front of him.
Xiao Xu took a step forward: "Sheng Sheng, by accepting my peach blossom lantern, you are accepting my heartfelt sentiment."
Yun Sheng was taken aback: "I'm just holding it for you."
"Oh, then you can throw it away," Xiao Xu said calmly.
"What?"
Yun Sheng was momentarily at a loss, holding the peach blossom lantern, and the lantern swayed wildly with her movements.
Xiao Xu turned his head: "You really intend to throw it away?"
"No...it's me..."
How could she throw it away? It was a perfectly good lamp; would she just leave it on the roadside like that?
Xiao Xu turned his head back and suddenly let out a soft laugh.
Yun Sheng then realized: "You did this on purpose?"
Xiao Xu laughed and said, "Didn't you just ask me to give it to you?"
That's because...
"Sheng Sheng." Xiao Xu's tone turned serious as he called her in a deep voice, which made her ears inexplicably warm in the quiet night.
Just consider it a gift for you. I hope you like it and don't throw it away.
Yun Sheng tilted her head, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, which was radiating heat, through her clothes, and mumbled in a low voice, "I didn't say I was going to throw it away."
The journey back to the manor was really long, so long that it took Xiao Xu a long time to recognize the street scene near the Prince Zhao's manor.
She swung her legs to get Xiao Xu to put her down.
She stopped again, and Xiao Xu took her hand again, but she did not hand the peach blossom lantern back to him.
This road is coming to an end.
But Yun Sheng found that her mind was completely blank while she was lying on his back, and she hadn't thought of anything at all.
She suddenly felt a little hesitant, unsure how to face Xiao Xu when she returned to the brightly lit room.
But before she could even muster a little more desire to leave, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the direction of Prince Zhao's residence.
It was already late at night and everyone was asleep.
Yun Sheng looked up in confusion, and Xiao Xu returned her with a reassuring look: "Let's go take a look first."
As they turned the corner, they were surprised to see several guards coming and going in front of the Prince Zhao's mansion, with maids and servants also busy among them.
Mu Shan had already returned to the manor with the rest of the servants who had accompanied him.
Upon seeing the two return, they quickly went to greet them.
"Your Highness."
Xiao Xu asked seriously, "What's going on here?"
"It's the young master." Mu Shan paused for a moment. "The young master has gone missing."
"What?" Yun Sheng exclaimed, instantly gripping Xiao Xu's hand tightly.
Xiao Xu patted the back of her hand: "You go back to the manor first, I'll take care of things here."
“But…” Yun Sheng opened her mouth, but the rest of her words were cut off by a series of hurried footsteps. Then she let go of his hand and said, “Alright, I’ll go see Ah Xian.”
Yun Sheng carried the lantern and ran all the way into the mansion.
After watching her figure disappear from sight, Xiao Xu turned his gaze away and asked, "In short, what happened?"
As Yun Sheng entered the mansion, Cui Zhu quickly followed her, telling her about what had happened that evening.
Originally, Xiao Min and his family of three had gone out early in the morning to celebrate the festival. They left the capital and went to a scenic spot with a wide view in the suburbs to enjoy the night view.
After they finished, they set off to return home, but unexpectedly, Lan Ge'er disappeared during their short rest at the post station.
They searched the area around the post station but couldn't find her. It wasn't until Xiao Min discovered hoofprints on the dirt path that he immediately ordered Liu Xian to be sent back to her residence, while he led his men on horseback to chase after her.
When Yun Sheng arrived at Jinxia Courtyard, she had just stepped into the courtyard when she heard Liu Xian crying inside the house.
Yun Sheng hurried into the house and saw that Liu Xian's eyes were red and her face was covered with tears. She must have been crying ever since she returned to the mansion.
When Lan Ge'er went missing, Liu Xian felt a mix of emotions, including worry, guilt, and regret.
Yun Sheng stayed with Liu Xian at Jinxia Courtyard until past midnight before returning to the East Courtyard.
Xiao Xu hasn't returned yet, and there's still no news about Lan Ge'er.
So much happened that day that Yun Sheng had a headache and felt exhausted.
She didn't spend much time bathing, but once she lay down on the bed, she was clearly tired and sleepy, yet she couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
She was worried about Lan Ge'er, and also about Xiao Xu.
Yun Sheng closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, but various thoughts kept swirling in her head, and she eventually didn't know how she fell asleep.
The sky was turning white as dawn broke.
Yun Sheng was not sleeping soundly and was startled awake almost the instant the door was opened.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that there was no one beside her.
The partition screen also obscures the view in front of the door.
There was no sound at that moment; the slight sound of the door being pushed open seemed like an illusion.
She called out uncertainly, "Changyu?"
Soon after, a sound came from behind the screen—Xiao Xu's footsteps.
He had been playing very softly, but now he made a sound and strode towards her.
Sunlight illuminated the bed, and he saw Yun Sheng curled up in a thin quilt, looking very frail.
Her black hair was loose, and her eyes were still blurry; she had clearly just woken up.
Xiao Xu quickly walked to the bedside.
Yun Sheng stretched her hand out from under the thin quilt: "You're back."
"Did I wake you?" Xiao Xu took her hand and tucked it back under the thin quilt. "It's still early, you can sleep a little longer."
"And you?" Yun Sheng felt her eyelids were very heavy. She hadn't slept for very long, so even when she opened her eyes, she couldn't see Xiao Xu's face clearly.
But Xiao Xu hadn't slept all night, so he must have been even more exhausted.
Xiao Xu stroked her hair and said, "I'm going to wash it. I'll be right back."
"Okay." Yun Sheng then narrowed her eyes in relief.
Sensing that Xiao Xu was about to leave, she suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed him: "Where's Lan-ge'er?"
"Don't worry, he's been found, he's fine."
Yun Sheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, then go ahead."
Perhaps because all her worries from last night had been resolved, Yun Sheng closed her eyes, thinking that she would still be awake when Xiao Xu returned from his bath and she could say a few words to him. Although she didn't know what to say to him, she fell asleep shortly after closing her eyes and didn't wake up even when Xiao Xu returned to the bedside.
The room was quiet, with only the sound of their breathing.
Lan Ge'er's disappearance is suspicious. It is definitely not because the child was playing and got lost unintentionally, nor is it because they were out and about and attracted the attention of villains. All the clues point to someone having their eyes on the Zhao Prince's Mansion.
Xiao Xu stood by the bed, his face showing exhaustion, but he let out a slow breath. Clearly, he had been on edge all night following the clues he had discovered, and he hadn't been able to relax completely even after finding Lan Ge'er.
But looking at Yun Sheng's peaceful sleeping face, I suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if my heart had finally settled down.
He gently lay down on the bed and found that Yun Sheng had only been awakened by the sound of the door opening, but was now fast asleep.
He lay down beside her, his mind wandering. She might not be thinking about his feelings that night, but she might be worried about him, perhaps more about Lan Ge'er. But he shouldn't be completely irrelevant to her.
He thought for a moment, and his expression gradually tightened again. She must have thought about Xiao Ling, about their misunderstanding back then, and about the ins and outs of how she and he fell in love.
Xiao Xu felt frustrated because, apart from this misunderstanding, he knew very little about the development between her and Xiao Ling, and he couldn't imagine what she would think of her past with Xiao Ling.
Half-asleep, Yun Sheng felt a heat beside her.
After a while, I felt a warmth on my waist.
The fabric rustled against her skin, and a ticklish sensation ran through her waist, waking her slightly from her sleep.
Before she even opened her eyes, she could tell that it was Xiao Xu lying beside her.
Yun Sheng turned over, and the arm around her waist tightened skillfully in response to her movement.
Until she turned completely to face Xiao Xu's chest.
A faint, pungent smell of blood mixed with the scent of bath beans wafted into my nostrils.
Yun Sheng closed her eyes, frowned slightly, sniffed carefully for a moment, and then opened her eyes.
"Are you injured?"
The arm around his waist stiffened, but Xiao Xu didn't answer.
Yun Sheng looked up and saw that he had his eyes closed, as if he was going to pretend to be asleep and get away with it.
Yun Sheng stopped asking questions and just quietly looked at him, her sleepiness completely gone.
A moment later, Xiao Xu's chest heaved, and he opened his eyes and looked down to meet her gaze that had been fixed on him.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
"Where is the injury? Has it been treated?"
"It was dealt with in the bathhouse just now."
He did not answer where he was injured.
Yun Sheng glanced out the window. It was already bright, but she couldn't tell what time it was. She just felt that she hadn't slept for long.
"Where is it? Let me see."
She then went to lift his clothes.
Xiao Xu suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Yun Sheng lowered her head. A sliver of light shone through the dark blankets, but it was still not enough to see clearly.
She struggled to free her wrist and said in a low voice, "Changyu, let me see."
Xiao Xu hesitated for a moment, then released his hand.
Yun Sheng picked up the hem of the garment and lifted it up, the smell of blood gradually intensifying and spreading out.
Even in the dim light, one could see that Xiao Xu had a white cloth wrapped around his waist with dark stains.
She sat up abruptly, gasped, and completely threw off the brocade quilt.
"You call this already resolved?"
————————!!————————
Time to pack up, it's time to get ready for the final big plot development. [shrug]
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