Chapter 146: Glimpse.
clatter--
The sound of the pieces falling is crisp.
The black piece occupied the center of the chessboard alone.
Xiao Mingyi raised his eyes and looked calmly at the girl sitting opposite him. "I remember that Lord Song is only in Huaizhou City. Since he has no relatives or friends, it would be better for him to return to Kyoto as soon as possible so as not to worry Old Madam Lu."
"What is there to worry about? The pirates in Danyang County have not been driven away by Your Highness." Song Lingyi said.
"The pirates are brutal and ruthless, bent on taking over the two coastal cities of Dayuan. We severely damaged them two years ago, and there's no telling when they'll return. Therefore, Danyang County's coastal defenses have never been relaxed."
Since it involved political affairs, he shouldn't have talked to Song Lingyi about it, but Xiao Mingyi brought it up naturally.
Hearing what he said, Song Lingyi felt that it made sense. Dayuan was a vast territory, peaceful and prosperous, with only a few coastal cities plagued by frequent wars. She had heard that all the wealthy families in Danyang County had relocated to places like Jiangnan.
Glancing at the girl's thoughtful expression, Xiao Mingyi curled his lips slightly and said, "If you are worried about your safety, I can send someone to accompany you."
There is no need to rush into engagement. Since we have to adopt a gentle approach, we must be more patient.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but please don't bother me." Song Lingyi pursed her lips, and muttered in her heart: Accompanying her? I'm afraid he's not here to supervise her.
It was also strange. Lu Qian was almost furious when he heard that she was going back to Huaizhou City, but Xiao Mingyi didn't react at all.
"It's your turn."
The sudden words made Song Lingyi stunned for a moment, then she realized that he was talking about playing chess, and immediately took out a white piece from the chess box and placed it at random.
Hongju was guarding the moon cave door as instructed. She was leaning against the wall and folding leaves out of boredom. Suddenly, she felt something touching her foot. She was stunned for a moment and looked down. It turned out to be a Cuju ball rolling down to her feet.
This ball is so exquisitely made, and the buckwheat husk it is wrapped in has gorgeous patterns and bright colors.
"Miss Hongqi!"
Chu Yizhou poked his head out from behind the bushes not far away and said, "Could you please pass the ball over here?"
Hongqi didn't doubt it, picked up the ball and walked towards the bushes, not noticing the dark shadow that jumped into the garden behind her.
A breeze suddenly blew, rippling the clear water. On the corridor opposite the garden, Lu Qian stood quietly behind the corridor column, staring intently at the pavilion hidden by the rockery not far away.
A young man and a young woman were playing chess in the pavilion. One of them looked calm, while the other frowned as she dealt with a difficult problem. Even at such a distance, Lu Qian could imagine the harmonious atmosphere between the two of them, with them talking and laughing happily.
The pair of light-colored phoenix eyes moved slightly, and the facial lines became more tense.
"A-chu——" Song Lingyi didn't feel cold, but she sneezed for no apparent reason.
Xiao Mingyi took off his outer silk cloak and put it on her. Seeing that she was hesitant, he pointed at the chessboard and told her where to make the next move.
After figuring out the pattern of moves, Song Lingyi gradually immersed herself in it and even considered borrowing a few chess manuals from her uncle to study later.
Lu Qian stared at the pavilion expressionlessly. Seeing the young man putting clothes on the girl, he lowered his eyes, picked up an apricot blossom bud and crushed it gently between his fingertips, then left along the corridor.
Xiao Mingyi glanced in the direction of the corridor inconspicuously, his eyes dimmed, and he made a move.
"We've known each other for so long, but I've never heard you mention Lord and Madam Song. You've finally settled down in Kyoto, and yet you're making the long journey back to pay your respects? You miss them so much. They must have been very good to you when they were alive, right?"
Song Lingyi pondered her move and casually replied, "Your Highness is well-informed. You should have heard of my father and mother's deeds."
Xiao Mingyi stared at the girl's slightly frowned brows, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "I have heard of it, but I don't know much about it."
"...My father was only a lieutenant, with a limited monthly salary, while my mother had been living a life of luxury since she was young, a daughter of a wealthy family who had never touched a day of domestic necessities. After marrying my father, my mother never did a single day of housework. As their only daughter, they naturally gave their all to give me the best living conditions."
When talking about Song's father and mother, she always has a bystander mentality.
"No matter what Kyoto people say about them, in my heart, they are a very competent pair of parents and a rare pair of lovers in this world. I envy them for being able to break away from worldly views and live according to their hearts."
Song Lingyi held her cheek in her hand and noticed Xiao Mingyi looking at her from the corner of her eye. His deep eyes, which should have been focused on the chessboard, now lingered on her face for a long time.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"If you envy them, why did you rush to get engaged?" he asked.
The surroundings were quiet. Song Lingyi took a shallow breath and began to act mysteriously.
"You don't understand this, don't you? Love is a high-level spiritual product, not everyone can have it. Liking someone now doesn't mean you'll like them in the future, let alone love them. I'm very unlucky, so I don't dare to ask for too much. I just hope we can respect each other and support each other."
After he finished speaking, the heavy gaze that seemed to have substance subsided a little. Xiao Mingyi said calmly, "If Madam Song had been as timid as you when Lord Song and Madam Song first met, she probably wouldn't have gone to Huaizhou City."
"..." The faint smile on Song Lingyi's lips slowly faded. She stared at him with a little resentment, but did not dare to argue, for fear that he would bring up the topic of marrying her again.
It took a quarter of an hour to finish the game.
Song Lingyi said goodbye to Xiao Mingyi and walked to the moon-shaped gate, but did not see Hongju. She turned around and looked at the pavilion, and saw Xiao Mingyi looking up at the apricot tree in the garden with his side profile, as if in a trance.
A light breeze blew by, and apricot petals fell on him like broken snow. His thoughts suddenly went back to the New Year's Eve palace banquet. He had given him the hairpin with twisted branches. He must have bought it secretly in Yuanzhou City.
From Yuanzhou City to Yunhe Ferry, when she wanted it, he didn't care; when she didn't want it anymore, he insisted on giving it to her, just like the fate between them, which was just a little bit off after all.
After taking a look, she turned around to look for Hongju and never looked back.
When they reached the east courtyard, Hongju came out.
She had just picked up the Cuju ball and given it to Chu Yizhou, but the other party insisted on pestering her to play pitching pots. Not only did she lose to her twice, but she also refused to let her go.
Song Lingyi felt strange after hearing this. Hongju was guarding the garden, and Chu Yizhou deliberately led her away. Could it be Lu Qian's idea?
"The young master was away at first, but he came back soon. Before I left, he was playing pot-to-pot with some other young masters. Everything seemed to be going on as usual."
Song Lingyi lowered her eyes and didn't ask any more questions.
The master and servant quietly returned to the side hall in the front yard, where they were chatting and laughing happily. Song Lingyi did not leave the side hall until the end of the banquet.
Meanwhile, in the inner hall, Wang was interested in finding a suitable woman for Lu Qian. When the wives of officials attending the banquet learned of this, they kept recommending their nieces and cousins, and the conversation became increasingly heated. The old lady knew Lu Qian's temper and remained silent.
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