By the light of the candlelight inside the room, a woman in green slowly appeared.
After the woman entered, she went straight to the Empress Dowager Chun and respectfully bowed and knelt down, saying, "This servant Yan'er greets Your Highness the Empress Dowager, may you live a thousand years ...
"Yan'er..."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan silently repeated a sentence, then hurriedly searched his mind for the name that sounded so familiar.
Only after receiving a signal from Consort Chun did Yan'er slowly raise her head.
At this moment, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly remembered her and exclaimed in surprise, "You are a maid from the Yi family in the west of the city, Yun'er's personal maid..."
"Your Highness, it is indeed this servant," Yan'er replied, rising to her feet.
Xuan Yuanhan was truly surprised that the guest invited by Consort Chun tonight would be Yi Shangyun's maid, so he asked Consort Chun, "How does Mother know Yun'er's maid?"
At this moment, Zhang Mama, who was standing next to Consort Chun, explained, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but these days Her Majesty has noticed that there are very few maids in the palace, and she was worried that it would be inconvenient for the young lady to serve them. She originally wanted me to buy a few new maids, but she was afraid that the young lady would not be used to them. So I thought of this little maid from the Yi family. After Her Majesty's consent, I ordered someone to go to the Yi family in the west of the city to bring Yan'er to the palace to serve the young lady's daily life."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan looked at Consort Chun's face with great gratitude. Consort Chun still had a faint smile on her face.
After regaining his senses, he asked Yan'er, "What about the Yi Mansion in the west of the city..."
Thinking back on those chaotic days in the Yi family, Yan'er still feels as if she is in a dream, and everything seems so unreal.
She recalled, "Your Highness is unaware of the truth. Ever since Your Highness led men to the manor at night to search for Miss but failed to find her, the entire household has been in chaos. Madam has repeatedly threatened suicide, and Master is filled with remorse, unable to sit or lie still all day, filled with self-blame. He and Concubine Lan are constantly arguing. The manor has sent people everywhere to search for Miss's whereabouts, but there has been no news at all, as if Miss has vanished into thin air."
As Yan'er spoke, she turned her gaze to the face of the Consort Chun and said with deep gratitude, "It wasn't until this evening that the Consort Chun sent someone to the mansion to deliver news of Miss Chun. Only then did the mansion quiet down, and the master and mistress immediately called Yan'er over to serve Miss Chun."
Before she could finish speaking, Yan'er knelt down heavily once again, bowing her head repeatedly to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Your Highness the Dowager Consort, thank you, His Highness Prince Qin, for taking in my young lady. I will repay the great kindness of the Prince Qin's Mansion even if I have to work like a cow or a horse."
"Get up. It was your young lady's time to survive. It was all Heaven's arrangement. Fortunately, your young lady still has a loyal servant like you by her side," Consort Chun praised.
Meanwhile, Xuan Yuanhan, recalling everything that happened that stormy night, still felt a burning hatred in his eyes: "Hmph... Yi Shangkun was lucky. If Yun'er had really suffered any mishap that night, I would not have let him off easily."
These words clearly startled Yan'er, who hurriedly and timidly said, "Before I came here, Master and Madam repeatedly told me to take good care of Miss these few days, and to take Miss back to the manor once Miss has recovered from her injuries."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan immediately raised his voice in fury: "What? Take her back? She can't go anywhere? I forbid it, let's see who dares to touch her?"
This sound startled Yan'er so much that she almost collapsed to the ground.
At this moment, Granny Zhang smiled and said, "Your Highness may not know, but with the young lady's wedding imminent, she naturally needs to return to the Yi residence to make proper preparations."
"A grand wedding?"
"To whom will you marry?"
"How could I not know?"
"I will not allow it. She cannot marry anyone but me."
Xuan Yuanhan almost roared excitedly.
Seeing this, Granny Zhang took out her handkerchief to cover her mouth, secretly delighted.
Immediately afterwards, he congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness! The Empress Dowager has personally approved your marriage to the young lady today. In the next two days, the imperial decree will be sent to the Yi family in the west of the city."
"What? You mean it was me and..."
Xuanyuan Handun looked at Zhang Mama behind him with a face full of doubt, and then moved his gaze to Consort Chun's face in disbelief.
Consort Chun nodded slightly and said, "What Zhang Mama said is indeed true. With the wedding imminent, that girl will eventually have to return to the Yi family. Besides, when my Prince Qin's mansion marries a principal wife, no matter how complicated the formalities are, we cannot compromise on any of them, can we?"
"Yes, yes, Mother is absolutely right."
At this moment, Xuanyuan Han was overjoyed, as if he had been waiting for far too long.
Everything that happened tonight felt like a dream to him.
"My son, wait patiently for the flowers to bloom!"
Consort Chun looked intently at Xuan Yuanhan's face and said in a deep voice.
Xuanyuan Han nodded to him.
At this moment, Granny Zhang smiled and led Yan'er away.
Xuanyuan Han then felt extremely guilty, so he went over and poured himself a cup of tea, which he presented to Consort Chun with both hands, saying apologetically, "Mother, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."
“What about the country and its people? What could be more important than your son’s lifelong happiness?”
Consort Chun knew that her actions were ultimately selfish. As she took the teacup, she said to Xuan Yuanhan, "As long as my son is happy, I will do anything."
Finally, the estrangement between mother and son was resolved.
The two sat together and chatted for a long time. Whenever Xuan Yuanhan asked about the details of how Consort Chun had persuaded the Empress Dowager to agree to the marriage, Consort Chun always evaded the important points and dodged the question.
Seeing that it was late outside the window, Xuan Yuanhan took his leave and was about to turn away when he suddenly noticed that the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting that had always hung in the hall had been replaced by a "Pine and Crane" painting.
He stopped and asked in confusion, "When and why did Mother replace the 'A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains' painting?"
Consort Chun suddenly came to her senses and said, "My mother is getting old and can no longer bear the pain of seeing things that remind her of her, so I had someone replace it with a painting of pine and crane."
Although Xuanyuan Han was still puzzled by her answer, seeing that Consort Chun's face seemed calm, he did not press her for more information and simply said, "Mother, you have worked hard. Please rest early."
Consort Chun nodded, and Xuan Yuanhan finally took another step and walked out.
Consort Chun silently looked at the painting, and finally gazed in the direction where Xuan Yuanhan had left, without saying another word.
Inside the Yunshui Pavilion.
Yi Shangyun sat alone in front of a small window, resting her chin on her hand in a daze under the dim candlelight.
Thinking about how she had fallen helplessly into Xuan Yuanhan's tenderness time and time again.
Suddenly, a soft knocking sound came from outside the door: "Knock, knock, knock."
Hearing the voice, I wondered, "Who could it be so late?"
Recalling their passionate kiss in Lin Yuexuan, Xuan Yuanhan, mindful of the injury on her hand, finally had his eyes filled with a clear longing and deep affection for her.
Her eyes widened suddenly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that His Highness... has returned again?"
She immediately blushed and raised her voice in refusal, saying, "I'm already resting."
Just then, a very familiar voice came to her ears: "Miss, it's me..."
"That sound, could it be..."
Suddenly realizing what was happening, Yi Shangyun hurriedly got up, went to open the door, and exclaimed, "Yan'er, it's you!"
"Miss!"
In an instant, the master and servant embraced each other tightly.
Xuan Yuanhan, who arrived later, stood far away in the shadows outside the door. Seeing the deep affection between the two, he felt gratified and finally walked away with peace of mind.
The next day, it was dawn.
Xuan Yuanhan had just finished practicing his sword when he saw Yan'er carrying a small basket and about to leave the mansion. He went up to her and asked, "Did your young lady sleep well last night?"
"Miss is well, thank you for your concern, Your Highness!" Yan'er bowed to him and replied gratefully.
"What is this...?" Xuan Yuanhan then focused his gaze on the bamboo basket in her hand and asked.
Yan'er said, "Oh, Miss said she wants to eat roasted chestnuts, so I'll go to the market to pick some for her."
Xuan Yuanhan's expression darkened slightly, as if he was somewhat displeased. He said, "These matters can be handled by the guards of the Prince's Mansion. You only need to take good care of your young lady by staying by her side at all times."
Yan'er smiled and, seeing how much Xuan Yuanhan cared about the cloud on the clothes, explained, "Your Highness is unaware of this, but from childhood until now, only Yan'er knows Miss's preferences best."
Whenever Yi Shangyun's preferences were mentioned, she would proudly recount them as if they were her most prized possessions: "Miss likes to eat chestnuts roasted by Lizhizhai. Other places add sugar to their roasted chestnuts, but they add pure wild honey. The roasted chestnuts are a deep brown color, shiny and glossy, with a crisp and easy-to-peel skin, and they are sweet and delicious. When buying them, you should choose those that have just come out of the pan, and they should not be too big or too small, just the right size. If they are too big, they won't absorb the flavor very well, and if they are too small, you won't be able to taste the flesh."
Yan'er sounded as if she herself was drooling as she spoke, so she waved her hand and said, "Anyway, these guards don't know anything about this. So, it's better for Yan'er to choose for herself."
Xuan Yuanhan thought about it carefully and agreed, since Yan'er had grown up with Yi Shangyun since she was a child. He said, "In that case, go ahead and come back soon."
"Yes," Yan'er bowed to him again and then quickly left.
But before he could take two steps, he was stopped again: "Wait..."
Helpless, Yan'er could only turn her head back again and ask, "Does His Highness Prince Qin have any further instructions?"
Xuanyuan Han thought for a moment and then instructed her, "Although roasted chestnuts are delicious, eating too many cooked ones can clog your stomach. When you get back, don't let your young lady indulge in them. She is only allowed to eat... 6 to 7 chestnuts a day."
"What is this? We haven't even tasted it yet!" Yan'er muttered to herself, but she couldn't say aloud, "Yes, Yan'er understands."
Finally, Xuanyuan Han left with one hand behind his back, and Yan'er skipped and jumped out the door.
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