Side Story 1: The First Meeting of the Young Boys
The spring sunshine was bright, the willows drooped low, and the breeze lifted the girl's robes, making them flutter in the air. The tender yellow and green, the moon white and silver and vermilion, looked like a group of colorful butterflies fluttering in the distance.
They joked and laughed all the way, having a great time.
The maids following behind their masters each held a kite, looking at the surrounding scenery with joy on their faces.
For some reason, the laughter of the girls gathered in front suddenly subsided, and then a cheerful voice rang out.
"What's the point of just flying kites? Why not have a competition to see who can fly theirs the highest?"
Looking up, they saw a pretty young woman. Seeing everyone looking at her, she smiled even more brightly, "What do you all think?"
"This way of playing is interesting."
"Okay, okay!"
It's unclear who started it, but a kite-flying competition began. Young people are always proud and have a competitive spirit; no one wanted to lose.
Therefore, the girls immediately took out their jewelry as a prize.
Seeing her young mistress about to remove the double fish pendant from her waist, Qing Shuang exclaimed "Oh dear!" and advised, "Miss, this jade pendant is..."
"Oh dear." Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a sweet voice.
Xiao Yan smoothed her silver and vermilion robes and smiled at Qing Shuang, who looked worried beside her, saying, "I know this jade pendant is worth a fortune."
Upon hearing this, Qing Shuang subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second, she saw her young mistress deftly remove the Pisces pendant and gracefully place it on the grass, which was already covered with jewels.
Clapping her hands, Xiao Yan took the kite from her hand, her smile unrestrained, and curled her lips at her: "But Qing Shuang, your young lady is the daughter of a military family. How could the daughter of a military family lose? Just you wait and see!"
Looking at Xiao Yan's beaming face, Qing Shuang smiled helplessly.
That's right, how could she forget? How could her young lady possibly lose?
...
The warm spring sun slanted down on the girls, making their smiles even more radiant than the most beautiful flowers of spring, and making people unconsciously feel gentle.
The wind blew fiercely, and the kite strings in the girls' hands were stretched longer and longer. The spring breeze lifted the girls' various kites and sent them flying into the sky.
Xiao Yan's kite was shaped like a hawk. From a distance, it looked very majestic, and for a moment it was hard to tell whether it was real or not; it seemed as if it had come to life.
Whether she really had a knack for flying kites or not, no one else's kite flew as high as hers, especially the kite of the Fifth Princess Zhou Yuyi, which flew next to her like a sparrow.
Seeing the angry look on Zhou Yuyi's face not far away, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. To provoke her, she simply turned around and let out all the kite string she was about to release, letting the strong wind whip her kite higher.
Sure enough, the very next second as her kite began to soar upwards, Zhou Yuyi's angry voice rang in her ears.
"Xiao Yan!"
"I am here." Xiao Yan turned her head with a smile, controlling the kite in her hands while asking with a sly smile, "What brings the princess to me?"
"you!"
Seeing the smile on Xiao Yan's face, Zhou Yuyi became even angrier—this Xiao Yan was asking a question she already knew the answer to!
Just as he was thinking of a way to pull her kite down, in the next second, whether it was a stroke of luck or something else, an arrow flew out from nowhere and shot through Xiao Yan's kite.
In an instant, Xiao Yan's eagle kite fluttered down and fell into a grove of chinaberry trees not far away, along with the sword.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan became the loser, and the undisputed loser at that.
Seeing Xiao Yan's stunned expression, Zhou Yuyi felt very pleased. She raised an eyebrow at her and laughed, "Oh dear, things really do change unexpectedly. Someone has been eliminated first today."
Hearing Zhou Yuyi's mockery beside her, Xiao Yan sneered twice, not wanting to argue with her any further, and walked towards the chinaberry grove.
She'd like to see who dares to shoot down Xiao Yan's kite!
...
Perhaps it was good luck, but as soon as Xiao Yan entered the chinaberry forest, she found her kite, the eagle whose wing had been shot and broken.
The pasted zither surface was torn and tattered by the branches, looking extremely disheveled, a far cry from its previous imposing appearance.
An arrow lay on the ground not far away. Xiao Yan frowned, walked over and picked it up. She found a small inscription on the arrow's tail—the character "之".
After a moment of silence, Xiao Yan's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a faint slyness appeared in her eyes.
I heard that some young men from the capital gathered at a horse farm near the outskirts of the capital today. This arrow probably belongs to one of those young men. Since there are words engraved on the arrow, someone will surely come to retrieve it. She just needs to wait.
Raising an eyebrow, Xiao Yan took the arrow and climbed up the chinaberry tree with the kite hanging on it, hiding behind the flowers and quietly waiting for the arrow's owner.
Whether it was because the person had difficulty walking or something else, Xiao Yan waited for a full incense stick's time. Just as she was getting a little impatient, the chinaberry tree grove suddenly rustled.
Xiao Yan immediately looked in the direction of the sound. Just then, a gentle breeze stirred, causing the flower clusters to tremble and fall like rain of petals. A young man carrying a quiver of arrows walked towards her through the fallen flowers.
The boy was dressed in dark blue riding attire, holding a longbow in his hand, his high-tied ponytail swaying with his movements.
His eyebrows were long and reached his temples, his eyes were deep and dark, like thick ink that could not be dissolved, his nose was high and straight, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his jawline was sharp and distinct, giving him a cold and aloof aura. However, since he was only a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, this coldness was weakened, so that people could not feel any fear.
Upon seeing the boy's face, Xiao Yan's anger vanished completely, replaced by a playful mood. She aimed carefully and hurled the arrow at him.
"call out--!"
The arrow landed an inch in front of the boy, penetrating deep into the clusters of flowers on the ground, leaving only the fletching trembling slightly.
The boy stopped at the right moment, turned and looked up at the tree, his eyes revealing no anger, and simply said, "Why?"
Seeing that the person wasn't angry, Xiao Yan felt bored. A glint flashed in her eyes, and she grabbed a tattered kite from the side, raised her eyebrows and smiled at the boy on the ground: "This handsome young master, your arrow shot down my kite, you have to pay for it."
Upon hearing this, the young man seemed to pause for a moment, then nodded to Xiao Yan.
"good."
Hearing this extremely brief reply, Xiao Yan couldn't help but secretly scoff—how could she, the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, be short of money to buy a kite? Didn't he know that she was trying to flirt with him? Why didn't he tell her his name? Oh well, since he's such a blockhead, she might as well take the initiative.
Thinking this through, Xiao Yan decisively put down the kite, then clapped her hands, leaped down from the tree, and landed in front of the young man. She said with a sweet smile, "Young master, I am the daughter of the Marquis of Jin'an, and my name is Xiao Yan. What is your name?"
Looking at the bright and beautiful girl in front of him, the young man blinked and said, "Zhou Yanzhi, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes widened slightly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "You're the Prince An's heir who just returned from Jizhou not long ago?"
"yes."
Zhou Yanzhi nodded, his gaze lingering for a moment on the eagle kite lying on the ground not far away, before turning to the person in front of him and saying earnestly, "I apologize. Today, I was competing in archery with a friend and accidentally mistook your kite for a bird, that's why..."
"Oh! I see."
Xiao Yan waved her hand, interrupting Zhou Yanzhi, stepped forward, looked at him intently, and said slyly, "Does Your Highness know that I was also having a kite-flying contest with a friend today to see whose kite could fly the highest? I even bet my favorite double fish pendant on it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi blinked helplessly. The excitement he had felt earlier was replaced by embarrassment, and a sense of self-reproach arose in his heart.
So...did my arrow just now cause this girl to lose the match?
"I'm sorry." He instinctively cupped his hands in apology.
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Xiao Yan smiled brightly, but then she added, "Since the young master feels guilty, perhaps..."
"How about?" Zhou Yanzhi asked, puzzled, when she remained silent.
The next second, Xiao Yan suddenly chuckled, her voice full of slyness: "How about Your Highness buy me the best pastry from Jin Yu Lou in the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi smiled.
"good."
...
Years later, when his wife brought up their first meeting again, Zhou Yanzhi, while twisting her hair, asked in confusion, "By the way, all these years, there's been a question I've always wanted to ask you."
"Hmm? What?" Xie Xiangsi, leaning against her husband, lazily lifted her eyelids.
"Why have you been ignoring me ever since that day?" Zhou Yanzhi asked, sounding quite aggrieved. "Didn't I buy you a lot of pastries as promised?"
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi was taken aback. She felt guilty and subconsciously apologized to Zhou Yanzhi. Then, she calmed down and thought carefully about why she had acted that way. Suddenly, she laughed out loud.
"I remember now."
Turning around, Jie Xiangsi grabbed Zhou Yanzhi's sleeve and pulled him to sit on the stool beneath her. She then sat on his lap with practiced ease, placing her hands on his shoulders and looking at him with a smile.
"Wh...what's wrong?" Zhou Yanzhi's Adam's apple bobbed.
"Has Your Highness forgotten what else you brought me besides pastries that day?"
Jie Xiangsi smiled gently, and the scent of soapberry after her bath kept teasing Zhou Yanzhi's senses, but inexplicably, he couldn't feel any romantic feelings at this moment.
Looking at his smiling wife, Zhou Yanzhi tried hard to recall what else he had given her that day. Suddenly, he froze, and a hint of embarrassment and annoyance appeared in his eyes. But this strangeness was noticed by Xie Xiangsi, who was always watching him.
"Your Highness, have you remembered?" Xie Xiangsi's voice was gentle, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Zhou Yanzhi: "..." He did remember.
After a long silence, he tightened his grip on Jie Xiangsi's waist slightly, buried his head in her neck, and said in a muffled voice, "I remember now, I gave you a book called 'The Complete Guide to Better Digestion,' and that's why you're ignoring me? I'm really wronged."
Feeling the warm breath on her neck, Jie Xiangsi subconsciously shrank back. Listening to Zhou Yanzhi's aggrieved complaint, she laughed in exasperation, then reached out and pinched his waist, saying, "You bought me so many pastries and gave me a book like that. Aren't you just implying that I eat too much and need to digest properly? And you're acting all wronged?"
You've finally mustered the courage to invite your sweetheart to meet you, only to find that the romantic scene you imagined didn't happen, and you were instead ridiculed. Who wouldn't be angry?
"Huh?" Zhou Yanzhi looked up, surprised. "Is that how you understand it?"
Jie Xiangsi twitched the corner of her mouth: "Otherwise?"
Suddenly, realizing something, her brow twitched slightly. Her gaze lingered on Zhou Yanzhi's face for a moment, and she couldn't help but think to herself, "This guy used to be a tough guy. Could it be that I misunderstood him back then?"
After a long silence, she tentatively asked, "So, back then, you meant...?"
“I saw you were going to eat so many pastries, and I was worried you wouldn’t be able to digest them, so I bought you this book. It’s not because I think you eat too much,” Zhou Yanzhi said earnestly. “I’m not mocking you, really not.”
Jie Xiangsi: "..." Very well, that makes sense, but doesn't he think it's reasonable to send out the huge amount of pastries and the book "How to Better Digest" separately, but it's a bit strange to send them out together?
Just as she was thinking this, suddenly, her waist tightened, and she was forced to press herself tightly against Zhou Yanzhi.
Feeling Zhou Yanzhi's body temperature gradually rising and the strange sensation beneath her, Jie Xiangsi swallowed hard. "What do you want to do?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi chuckled softly, no longer concealing his desire. He hugged her tighter and whispered in her ear, "You've been cold and distant to me for so many years because of that. Shouldn't you make it up to me?"
He paused, his voice becoming even hoarse.
"Miss Xiao?"
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