On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was still dark.
In Lin Yuexuan's bedroom, Yi Shangyun was suddenly awakened by a burst of crackling fireworks and firecrackers.
After listening to Cheng Liang's nagging last night, she obediently went to her bedchamber. Lying on the comfortable bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, her mind filled with worries.
Later, I felt my legs getting inexplicably hot, and after struggling for a while, I eventually fell asleep without realizing it.
At this moment, she was no longer sleepy. Suddenly remembering Ling'er and her granddaughter, she hurriedly got up to tidy up her hair and makeup.
When I pushed open the palace door, the snow had already stopped, and everything was covered in a silvery white blanket, with a thick layer of snow on the ground.
After the firecrackers stopped, the ground was covered with red fragments, as bright as brocade, filled with auspicious energy and joy.
A breath of fresh air wafted in from outside the hall. Gazing at the delightful scene before her, she was momentarily stunned, murmuring, "A timely snow promises a bountiful year, and the spring breeze welcomes the new year. The cold winter is finally over, and spring is coming..."
At this moment, two servants who were sweeping the garden came over and respectfully bowed to her, saying, "Miss Yi, Happy New Year!"
Hearing this, she quickly came to her senses and replied with a smile, "Happy New Year! By the way, do you know if Ling'er and her granddaughter are still living in the same place?"
One of the thinner servants replied, "Reporting to the young lady, the grandmother and granddaughter are still living in the same place. The poor child's parents have not returned yet."
After saying that, he shook his head and sighed as he went to clear the snow from the yard.
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun felt a little disappointed. She pursed her lips and hurried towards the backyard.
"Sister Yun"
As soon as she stepped through the archway of the courtyard, Xiao Ling'er recognized her at a glance. She happily jumped and skipped towards her, hugging her leg tightly with her small, tender arms.
That innocent and tender voice, that soft little body, instantly melted Yi Shangyun's heart.
She took Ling'er's small hands, slowly knelt down, and looked into her eyes. For some reason, tears suddenly filled her eyes, and she gently asked, "Ling'er, are you alright? Have you been listening to Grandma?"
Ling'er looked at her earnestly with her big, watery eyes and nodded vigorously. "Ling'er has always listened to Grandma. Grandma said that as long as Ling'er is obedient, Ling'er's father and mother will come back soon. Ling'er misses her mother and father so much. Ling'er can't even remember how long it has been since she last saw her father and mother."
As she spoke, Ling'er suddenly let go of Yi Shangyun's hand, spun around in front of her, and said, "Sister Yun, look, hasn't Ling'er grown up a lot? I wonder if Ling'er's father and mother will not recognize Ling'er when they come back?"
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Yi Shangyun's eyes and instantly spilled out. She pulled Ling'er into a tight embrace and said with heartache, "No, no, no matter how Ling'er changes, she will always be the apple of her parents' eye."
"Sister Yun, don't cry. Grandma said you can't cry during the New Year, it's bad luck. But last night when Ling'er woke up in the middle of the night, she secretly saw Grandma crying." Ling'er said as she reached out her little hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
After listening, Yi Shangyun sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before saying to Ling'er, "Grandma is happy because Ling'er has been very obedient. Grandma is very pleased. Ling'er, why don't you take Sister Yun to see Grandma? Sister Yun misses Ling'er's grandma too, okay?"
Ling'er smiled and nodded in agreement. She took Yi Shangyun's hand and walked into the house, but as she turned around, she secretly glanced at the archway with a puzzled look.
...
"The Girl in Clothes"
"The Girl in Clothes"
It turned out that Granny Zhang had been accompanying Ling'er's grandmother in the Qin Prince's mansion. When they saw Yi Shangyun enter, the two old women stood up in unison and exclaimed in surprise.
"Granny Zhang, Grandma Ling'er, Happy New Year!" Yi Shangyun greeted them joyfully as soon as she entered the room.
However, Granny Zhang was too surprised at this moment and said in a low voice, "Miss Yi, you're finally awake! Oh dear, last night was so worrying. When His Highness brought you back to the palace, you were so feverish that you were delirious and had no consciousness at all. The imperial physician and I spent most of the night trying to make you better. By the way, how did His Highness take care of you afterwards? You were so sick, yet you were able to get up so quickly. It seems that you are alright now?"
"Yun'er is alright now, thank you so much for your care and concern, Granny Zhang," Yi Shangyun said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang smiled mysteriously and continued, "Oh dear, the person you want to thank isn't me. The one who's most worried and anxious is our Prince! In all my years in the Prince's mansion, I've never seen my Prince so concerned and anxious about anyone. He's so anxious he almost wants to lie on that couch himself. It breaks my heart to see him so worried. He's usually such a cold and composed person, yet he shows such an expression. Sigh..."
As she spoke, Granny Zhang pretended to sigh and secretly glanced at Yi Shangyun's eyes. Yi Shangyun awkwardly lowered her head to avoid her gaze.
After a while, Granny Zhang suddenly stood up and said, "Alright, you all chat. This old servant should go and keep an eye on those servants cooking dumplings. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, so breakfast time is earlier than usual."
Yi Shangyun then came to her senses and said urgently, "It's not dawn yet, and the road is difficult to travel. Let Yun'er escort Zhang Mama out."
"Alright, it's nothing. This old servant has been in this manor all my life. I can get anywhere even with my eyes closed. No need for you to worry, Miss. Ling'er, come on, let's go eat dumplings with Granny Zhang." With that, Granny Zhao smiled and took Ling'er out with her still quite agile steps.
Yi Shangyun then asked Ling'er's grandmother, who was standing to the side, "Grandma, are you getting used to everything in the Prince's mansion?"
Grandma Ling'er grasped her hand excitedly, never expecting to see her benefactor on the first day of the new year. Tears welled in her eyes as she said, "My benefactor, it is truly thanks to you that my granddaughter and I have been able to live peacefully in the Prince Qin's mansion. For the past six months, His Highness Prince Qin has had General Cheng and Granny Zhang deliver this and that to us every few days, which has been very thoughtful. His Highness Prince Qin is truly a kind person, without a trace of official airs, and not at all like his cold and aloof face."
As she spoke, she remembered what Granny Zhang had been telling her before Yi Shangyun came in—what had happened at Lin Yuexuan last night. A thought struck her, and she asked, "Miss Yi, are you already married?"
Yi Shangyun was puzzled as to why she would have such a question, and simply replied truthfully, "Mother-in-law, to be honest, Yun'er has been jilted before, and I'm afraid that's how it will be for the rest of my life."
Grandma Ling'er was quite shocked to hear this and angrily scolded, "Such a good girl is hard to find even with a lantern. Which little devil could be so wicked as to do such a despicable thing?"
Yi Shangyun smiled slightly at her, pursing her lips, without saying a word.
At this moment, Grandma Ling'er's eyes lit up, and she asked, "I heard from the people in the manor that His Highness Prince Qin seems to care a lot about you, Miss. Why don't you consider him? This Prince Qin must be the best man in the world."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun hurriedly looked up and glanced around, then looked at Ling'er's grandmother and said to her, "Grandma, please be careful with your words. His Highness Prince Qin already has a princess consort. Princess Consort Qin is of noble status and will certainly not tolerate such gossip. Therefore, in the future, you must be careful with your words and actions in the Prince's residence, and lest you be misunderstood and cause trouble."
Grandma Ling'er was extremely puzzled and said, "Given His Highness Prince Qin's status, it's not impossible or excessive for him to have many wives and concubines. How could Princess Qin not know this? But you, Miss Yi, why do you always keep people at arm's length?"
Yi Shangyun bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and said softly, "Grandma, it's all too complicated for me to explain. In short, even if every woman in the world could become the Princess Consort of Qin, it would never be me. I'm someone who doesn't know what tomorrow will bring. Thank you for your concern, Grandma, but I only hope for a peaceful and quiet life. I dare not hope for anything else."
Yi Shangyun's words were full of melancholy, then she changed her mind and said, "Grandma, let's not talk about this. Where is Yu Niang? Why isn't she with you? I heard from General Cheng that she gave you new clothes, so where is she?"
“Alas, not long after you left, Yu Niang regained her memory. Later, General Cheng said that there might be news of peace at Wan Jiao Pavilion, so Yu Niang went back there. She insisted that she must find peace no matter what. It was really hard on her. A perfectly good woman from a respectable family, she went to such a place, I don’t know…” The old woman couldn’t continue speaking at this point.
"Wanjiao Pavilion, what kind of place is that?" Yi Shangyun asked in confusion.
The mother-in-law said somewhat embarrassedly, "Wanjiao Pavilion is the most famous brothel in Xiqin. I heard that there are many such places of entertainment in the south of the city."
Yi Shangyun seemed to be thinking about something, and said to her mother-in-law, "Wanjiao Pavilion, I will go and see Yu Niang myself. Don't worry, Mother-in-law, Yu Niang will definitely be alright."
Grandma Ling'er was shocked. "Miss, you mustn't do that! Wanjiao Pavilion is a place of debauchery. How can a young lady who hasn't even left her marriage go to such a place? You absolutely mustn't!"
Yi Shangyun smiled bitterly, "I'm a woman who's been jilted before. Who would dare marry me in this lifetime? Don't worry, Mother-in-law, it's alright."
As they were talking, Granny Zhang and Ling'er came in carrying two bowls of dumpling soup, urging, "Come quickly, come quickly, this is freshly made hot dumpling soup. Eat it, and next year will be sweet and happy, and your family will be reunited."
The two of them happily accepted it.
"There's a hidden secret in these dumplings, be careful!" Granny Zhang warned mysteriously. Little Ling'er seemed to know something and secretly covered her mouth, giggling.
Grandma Ling'er let Ling'er choose one first. Ling'er carefully picked one and found it to be a delicate little gold ruyi. Zhang Mama said happily, "Look how lucky our Ling'er is. She will surely have everything go well next year."
Then, inside Yi Shangyun's dumpling was a red string. Zhang Mama was overjoyed and said meaningfully, "It seems that the God of Marriage is preparing to find a good match for you next year." Yi Shangyun blushed instantly.
Before long, it was already bright daylight. Yi Shangyun prepared to tell Xuan Yuanhan before returning to the Yi residence.
When Granny Zhang, Ling'er's grandmother, and little Ling'er escorted her to the archway of the courtyard, Ling'er peeked out with her little head and looked outside again...
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