Chapter 147 Departure to Huaizhou
The sun sets and the banquet ends.
The servants were busy cleaning. Wang received many portraits of noble ladies and young men handed over by the wives of officials. She picked out a few that she liked and asked Lu Qian and Lu Yu to look at them.
The brother and sister sat in the flower hall, with gloomy faces and not saying a word.
Lu Yu used to look down on her brother's carefree appearance, but today she imitated him and put on an unfocused and casual attitude in front of the elders, and ignored everything he said.
As soon as it got dark, Song Lingyi went to the study on the pretext of delivering ginseng soup, and told Lu Tanwei about her idea of returning to Huaizhou City to pay homage to her parents. Lu Tanwei's reaction was exactly the same as Xiao Mingyi's.
"You have no relatives or friends in Huaizhou City. After you finish paying your respects, you should leave for Beijing as soon as possible and don't delay too long. By the way, have you told the old lady about returning to Huaizhou City to pay your respects?"
Song Lingyi shook her head: "I'm afraid that grandma will worry, so I want to discuss it with you first."
"The old lady is thinking about Yan Xian. If she knew, she would probably go to Huaizhou City with you." Lu Tanwei sighed.
Song Lingyi was also worried about this. Huaizhou City and Kyoto were thousands of miles apart, and the journey was long. The old lady was old and could not withstand such a hassle.
"Uncle, please help me persuade my grandmother."
"Don't worry, your uncle will discuss this with your aunt later. It's already February, and spring isn't far off. You need to prepare for your return to Huaizhou City in advance. We will arrange everything for you, so don't worry."
"Thank you, uncle." Song Lingyi was touched. She still remembered that when she came to Kyoto last year, she had a lot of worries, fearing that living under someone else's roof would displease her maternal family. Fortunately, the elders of the Lu family were very kind and tolerant, and treated her as their own daughter.
Lu Tanwei sat behind his desk, frowning as he pondered for a moment, then asked meaningfully, "Have you told...anyone else about your departure from Beijing?"
This was said implicitly, but Song Lingyi knew in her heart who this 'other person' referred to. She took a sip of hot tea, lowered her eyes and said, "I have already told him today."
Lu Tanwei's face lit up, and he asked hurriedly, "What was that person's reaction?"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been through many battles and is now in charge of the world. His gentleness and leniency are just on the surface. His niece has broken off the engagement, and Queen Shen is pressing for the appointment of a Crown Princess. Will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince easily let her go back to Huaizhou City?
Slender jade fingers rubbed the teacup slowly and unhurriedly. Song Lingyi said calmly, "He said the same thing to my uncle. He just wanted me to return to Beijing as soon as possible."
Is it that simple? Lu Tanwei was surprised.
Knowing what her uncle was thinking, Song Lingyi confessed, "Actually, I told him very clearly before that the class gap between us is too big. He is not suitable for me, and I don't want to marry him."
“…” Lu Tanwei was shocked.
After decades of ups and downs in officialdom, few dared to speak to the Crown Prince like this, let alone refuse to enter the palace. Even the officials of the Censorate had to choose their words carefully when making remonstrations, and yet his own niece dared to bluntly say that she did not want to marry the Crown Prince.
The current crown prince is not an incompetent or mediocre person. He has a jade-like appearance and is good at both literature and martial arts. Which daughter of a noble family in Kyoto would not want to marry him? Can his own niece really give up such great wealth?
"Lingyi, have you really thought it through?"
Song Lingyi nodded seriously: "Of course, I know exactly what I want."
The uncle and nephew talked for a long time until dusk fell and the tightly closed study door was opened.
The corridor is quiet and the courtyard is full of blooming apricot trees. Song Lingyi strolls leisurely in the garden, with the faint fragrance of flowers lingering in her nostrils, making her feel refreshed.
"cousin!"
A loud shout suddenly arose.
Song Lingyi's gaze shifted from the flowers and trees in the garden to the corridor ahead. A swift black shadow rushed into her arms, causing her to stagger several steps.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked helplessly.
"Mother just showed me the portraits of several young men of marriageable age. Apart from their decent family backgrounds, their other qualities were too average. They were either too short or too ugly. The ones who were slightly acceptable were too weak." Lu Yu pouted, feeling extremely aggrieved.
Song Lingyi smiled. Her aunt favored her youngest daughter, so the young man she chose would definitely not be ugly. Lu Yu's words were a bit exaggerated.
"Before Wenxuan got married, she also disliked Master Xiaochu for being too weak, but this did not affect the speed at which their relationship warmed after marriage."
"But Lord Xiaochu is not only weak but also handsome. He always goes along with Wenxuan in everything and even protects her when facing difficulties from his mother-in-law. He is a rare good husband." Lu Yu said.
"That's right. So if Wen Xuan had always maintained her initial prejudice and resisted marriage, she wouldn't be so deeply in love with Master Xiao Chu now." Song Lingyi stroked the top of her cousin's head and coaxed her gently, "If you're not satisfied with the man your aunt has chosen, you can talk to her more."
Lu Yu was silent for a moment and felt that it made sense.
The two sisters were talking when Lu Qian walked past the opposite corridor and headed towards the back door. The whistling draft blew across the boy's robe and the strands of hair on his forehead, making his figure look more agile and well-proportioned.
"Where are you going, brother?!"
Lu Yu put her hands on her hips and shouted.
The corridor was dark. Lu Qian turned around when he heard the voice. His expression was unclear and his voice was lazy. "Let's go to Jinzun Tower. Do you want to come with us?"
"If you go again, be careful or your father will lock up your Mingzhu Garden again and leave you homeless!"
Lu Yu's threat was clearly weak. The next moment, Lu Qian said lazily, "It's just right to lock it up. It saves me from their nagging."
It was a familiar quarrel, and Song Lingyi could not join in the conversation. She just stood quietly by the side. Her eyes suddenly swept to Lu Qian's waist and found that he was wearing a tourmaline jade pendant. No matter the quality, style, or the jade embedded in the middle, it was very similar to the tourmaline bracelet he gave her.
While he was thinking, the boy had already left the corridor.
Since the birthday banquet, Song Lingyi seldom met Lu Qian in the mansion, and they only met once every half a month. The Duke and his wife still adhered to the principle of letting him go, and as long as he did not cause any trouble, they would not ask him a single question.
Everything was calm in the capital. As March approached, the Duke and his wife began to make intensive preparations for their niece's return to Huaizhou City.
In addition to the necessary servants and guards, the Duke and his wife also wrote a special letter. In addition to staying in the post stations along the way, if the caravan encountered any problems, they could seek help from local officials with the letter, which was more useful than a pass.
The old lady gave Lu Hanzhi a large sum of money, saying that she needed to bring enough silver when traveling, and that the Song residence had been unoccupied for over a year and would likely need repairs. Knowing that her granddaughter would be visiting Lizhou, she also sent a letter in advance, asking Lu Hanzhi to take good care of her.
By mid-March, spring had arrived, birds were chirping, and the Duke's Mansion garden was a scene of blooming flowers and weeping willows.
Wang specially asked the master to pick an auspicious day for the trip, and the convoy set off before the hour of Chen.
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