Chapter 145 Let the Lu Family Have Double Happiness Today
The noblewoman who had just played the zither rose to greet Princess Changyang, offering a few polite words. Among the noble ladies of Kyoto, Pei Ling's zither skills were considered the best, and it was an honor to be compared to her.
Lu Yu leaned forward slightly and whispered in Song Lingyi's ear, "Cousin, why hasn't Pei Ling come to see you recently? Even Aunt Pei came to our grandmother's birthday party today, but she didn't."
Song Lingyi also felt strange, but she couldn't tell why. She still remembered that the last time she went to visit the Pei family, Pei Ling's attitude towards her was very cold.
"Maybe...Brother Pei's death had a huge impact on her."
Lu Yu pursed her lips and stopped worrying about it.
Due to Princess Changyang's majesty, the ladies weren't as relaxed and free-flowing as they had been a while ago, but the atmosphere was still harmonious. Lu Yu engaged in a lively conversation with a few familiar women, while Song Lingyi sat nearby, occasionally joining in the conversation.
Suddenly, there was a noise outside the side hall. It seemed that a distinguished person had arrived, and the footsteps on the corridor were a little hurried.
Song Lingyi drank yogurt and ate pastries, and did not take this commotion to heart. However, she could not resist the curiosity of others, so they went out to investigate in groups of three or five. After a while, they came back excitedly.
One of the noble ladies glanced at Princess Changyang and tried to suppress her joy: "It's the Crown Prince who has arrived."
The ladies in the room were all delighted and could hardly sit still, especially the lady sitting by the long window. She had forgotten about the chilly wind and pushed open half of the window to look out.
The Eastern Palace has not yet appointed concubines, and noble ladies from all over Kyoto are trying their best to squeeze in. Princess Changyang is well aware of her royal brother's charm and is no longer surprised by their reactions, so she calmly drinks her tea.
Song Lingyi didn't react much at first, until the emotions of the noble ladies began to rise. She stood up curiously, and through the gaps between the crowd of heads, she saw several middle-aged ministers chatting with a young man in a black robe on the opposite corridor.
Across the wide front yard, the expression of the young and handsome Crown Prince could not be seen clearly, but his tall and straight figure and angular profile seemed to be coated with a layer of light and sparkled in the warm winter sun.
After just a few more glances, the man across the corridor seemed to notice and tilted his head to look over here. Song Lingyi sat back in her seat with a guilty conscience, drank a sip of sour cream, and deliberately ignored the discussions of the noble ladies.
"Cousin~"
Catching a meaningful glance from the side, Lu Yu smirked and whispered, "Qingyue said it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who sent you back home on the Lantern Festival, right?"
Song Lingyi nearly choked on a mouthful of sour cheese and coughed twice: "It was an accident that day. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was passing by and just gave me a ride back home."
Lu Yu had an expression that said, "I know everything, don't try to hide it from me." "What do you mean by 'on the way'? That's just an excuse. Why didn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince give someone else a ride instead of you?"
I used to hear my father worrying about my cousin not being able to find a good partner or having difficulty finding one in the future. Now it seems that all his worries were groundless. As soon as Pei Erlang left the capital, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent my cousin home on the way. It is obvious that she will no longer have to worry about finding a partner.
For some reason, even though it was her cousin who was destined to be with the prince, Lu Yu was very excited, even having the mentality of a mother watching her daughter get married.
Facing her cousin's oppressive gaze, Song Lingyi lied, "How would I know? Maybe I'm too idle."
Just as Lu Yu was about to ask further questions, several familiar ladies returned to their seats and interrupted her thoughts with their conversation:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince walks really fast."
"I don't know if I can still see it later..."
While the ladies were chatting, Hongqiu suddenly came in from outside, tiptoed up to Song Lingyi, put her hand in her ear and whispered a few words. When she stepped back, her face showed a mixture of panic and joy.
Song Lingyi was stunned for a moment. When she came to her senses, she glanced at the sisters beside her with a flickering look in her eyes. She frowned and said in a low voice, "Did he really say that?"
Hong Qi nodded rapidly and asked softly, "Are you going or not?"
Song Lingyi was silent for a while.
Last year, because of her marriage to Pei Zhao, she was targeted every time she attended a banquet. Today, the atmosphere was harmonious, and it was her grandmother's birthday banquet. If others saw the prince and her together, it would cause a "bloodbath".
But I have to go.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that if you don't go, he will go directly to the inner hall to ask the old lady for marriage, so that the Lu family can have double happiness today."
Song Lingyi lowered her head and sighed.
"Where is he?"
"In the pavilion in the garden."
…
The guests were all in the front yard or the east yard. The garden pavilion had been instructed in advance that there was no one around and it was quiet.
The master and servant walked cautiously along the way, telling everyone they met that they needed to change clothes, walking and stopping, and covering themselves up. The journey that should have taken only half a minute took them almost an incense stick of time.
The winter light was bright and clear, and the sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves of an apricot tree in the yard, casting spots on the black brocade robe with gold patterns.
Song Lingyi stood on the gravel path, quietly looking at the tall figure. After a while, she walked into the pavilion.
"What does your Highness want to see me for?"
Xiao Mingyi slowly turned around, looked her over, and then tapped the stone table beside him with his fingers. He said calmly, "I taught you how to play chess last time. Have you reviewed it recently?"
Song Lingyi glanced at the chessboard on the stone table and frowned slightly: "If Your Highness wants to find someone to play chess with, I can ask my uncle to come. My uncle is an excellent chess player."
"It seems that there is no more." Xiao Mingyi interrupted.
Song Lingyi bit the soft flesh in her mouth. Since no one was around, she simply spoke frankly, "I know nothing about Go. It's useless to teach me. Why are you so persistent and testing me? Besides, I made it very clear before. Why did you say those words to Hongju today?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she met the man's cold gaze with a hint of mockery. She said nothing, but that look seemed to say a lot.
"If I hadn't said this, would you have come out to see me?" Xiao Mingyi sat down at the stone table, slowly fiddling with the chess box. "It only takes half an hour to walk from the side hall to here, but it took you a whole incense stick of time. If I hadn't threatened you, I'm afraid I wouldn't have seen you until the banquet was over."
Song Lingyi's face flushed with guilt. "Sending me home on Lantern Festival night was enough to make my uncle and the others have wild thoughts. Now with so many guests here today, if others see us together, it will be me who will be annihilated by the rumors, not you. How will I explain myself then?"
"Just say it."
"Um?"
"Just say that I like you and even force you to come out to meet me." Xiao Mingyi raised his eyebrows slightly.
"That's going to require someone to believe it," Song Lingyi muttered softly. She walked to the other end of the stone table and sat down, her eyes lowered. She said in a negotiating tone, "There's something I haven't told you yet, but I've made up my mind. After spring arrives in Kyoto, I'll return to Huaizhou City to pay homage to my father and mother. I haven't decided when I'll be back yet."
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