Duanhua didn’t find Su Rong out of tune. Upon hearing Yan Huisheng say this, she glared at him.
Under her gaze, Yan Huisheng hesitated for a moment, then changed his words: "Becoming a princess does make a difference. Indeed, I can learn a thing or two from what she wrote in her letter."
Duanhua immediately laughed, proudly saying, "Su Rong is the best."
Yan Huisheng chuckled and echoed her, "Yes, she is the best."
He handed the letter back to Duanhua, sighing, "Zhou Gu has had it tough."
Duanhua immediately said, "He would suffer just as much staying in Daliang. Going to Nanchu and becoming the husband of the princess, how lucky he is to have Su Rong!"
Yan Huisheng watched her.
Blinking her large eyes, Duanhua asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Yan Huisheng smiled, "After dinner tonight, I’ll take you home, then we should go to the private treasury to see what good things she has sent us. We’ve accepted her gifts, we can’t not reciprocate them, right? I should also get prepared, so to avoid giving her a less generous gift."
Duanhua looked dejected, "The good things she sent, the Princess Residence can’t afford, I can’t repay her."
"Well, I’ll repay her with you."
Duanhua nodded repeatedly, looking up at Yan Huisheng with a sincere smile, "Cousin Crown Prince, you’re so good, the best."
Yan Huisheng laughed, "Okay, enough buttering up! I’ll have the report moved here."
Duanhua asked, "I lace the strings while you work on the reports?"
"Yes."
Duanhua seemed very happy as she nodded, "Okay."
Thus, for half the day, Duanhua enjoyed lacing the strings while Yan Huisheng worked on the report at a desk near the window. For lunch, Duanhua discovered that everything served was her favorite dishes.
As twilight descended, Duanhua finally finished lacing the strings. She handed it to Yan Huisheng, "Cousin Crown Prince, it’s done, have a look."
Yan Huisheng turned his head and saw the string well-laced by Duanhua. To his surprise, it was neatly and beautifully done. He sincerely complimented, "Very good."
Duanhua laughed proudly, "Of course, I’m the best at lacing."
She handed it over to Yan Huisheng, "For you."
Yan Huisheng reached out and took it. He stood up, picked out the dragon pendant from a pair of jade pendants and attached it to the lace. Then, he directly hung it around his waist, and said warmly with a smile, "Thank you, cousin."
Duanhua was extremely pleased, "You’re welcome."
She tucked the phoenix pendant into her bosom, "I’ll take this one. Once I lace another string, I could wear it."
Yan Huisheng laughed and nodded.
After dining at the Eastern Palace, Yan Huishi personally escorted Duanhua back to the Princess Residence. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
In the carriage, Duanhua once again said to Yan Huisheng, "Cousin Crown Prince, you are really nice."
Yan Huisheng turned to look at her, "Why are you saying this again?"
"Because you are really nice," Duanhua expressed sincerely, "No wonder my mother said I am very lucky."
Yan Huisheng suppressed a smile.
Looking at him, Duanhua said, "If we could always be like today in the future, I would definitely be very happy."
The quiet moments without outsiders, without noise. Even though she was usually lively, today she suddenly found the peacefulness to be very comforting and very nice.
In the past, she used to think that when she found a husband, he had to be good-looking. But after finding a good-looking husband, she didn’t know what kind of life she would lead. The life she imagined most, was probably like her parents’. In the years since she grew up, there would be quarrels, temper tantrums were thrown every few days, someone would be sulking, and then outsiders would laugh at them.
She couldn’t quite imagine how she would be after getting married; would she be the same as her mother?
But now, after the little gifts from Yan Huisheng every few days and after today, she finally had a concrete expectation of her future life. If she could live this way, she would be very happy.
Whenever she lost her temper, he could comfort her with a few words and she would feel guilty for her outbursts, and apologize immediately. Then, they would chat happily for a while. Later, she would do her own things and he would do his own, occasionally conversing a few words within their comfortable zones.
She had never imagined it before.
She looked firmly at Yan Huisheng and said, "Cousin Crown Prince, you’re really good. As my mother said, I must have stepped in dog shit to get this lucky."
Unable to bear listening to her, Yan Huisheng laughed and said, "Alright, I know what you’re trying to express."
Duanhua scratched her ear, "Are you sure you know?"
"Yes," Yan Huisheng nodded, smiling warmly, "I will treat you well. If you have anything to say, don’t keep it inside; you can tell me. Just like today, when you were angry with the housekeeper, you can tell me. Anyone who upsets you in the future, you can tell me."
"Even if it’s a very small thing?" Duanhua asked.
"Yes, even if it’s a very small thing," Yan Huisheng smiled, "How can there be any small problem with my Crown Princess."
"Ah, Cousin Crown Prince, you’re too good." Overwhelmed with joy, Duanhua rushed over and hugged him tightly, "I like you so much."
Yan Huisheng chuckled, gently patting her on the back. "Sit properly, lest your aunt sees us and says we aren’t behaving appropriately before the Great Wedding."
"Just for a little while." Duanhua expressed her love straightforwardly, wanting to embrace.
Yan Huisheng gave a resigned smile, holding her firmly in his arms. A faint warmth spread in his heart, and he told himself, yes, this is good. Some people are difficult to catch, some people are the best he could have caught. Why not cherish the one by your side?
Duanhua’s personality was pleasing. Even if countless people thought she was unworthy of him, he actually felt that her lively personality was wasted in the imperial family, indeed it was a pity. Fortunately, at least he had this face, at least she was not at a disadvantage.
Her liking for him, well, it seemed hard to say who was actually taking advantage of whom. Just as Su Rong said, perhaps, he was indeed the lucky one. If it weren’t for Duanhua, with any other noble lady, his life would probably be lonely and dull. Unlike now, her lively personality, her emotions of being angry, being silly, laughing, liking or disliking, everything was direct, allowing him to intuitively perceive, devoid of intrigue with court officials, devoid of headache caused due to clamor, devoid of mutual suspicion and precaution. It was, indeed, very good.
After being hugged for a while, Duanhua suddenly realized that she was blushing. She detached from Yan Huisheng’s embrace, sat properly without daring to look at him.
Yan Huisheng glanced at her, his lips curling up into a smile, but he didn’t say anything.
After a while, Duanhua raised her head and said seriously, "Cousin Crown Prince, you don’t need to spoil me too much. If I do something wrong, you can punish me just like before. As long as it’s fair, I will accept the punishment."
Yan Huisheng nodded with a smile, "Okay, I’ve noted it."
As long as she didn’t make a huge mistake or stir up trouble, he certainly wouldn’t punish her. After all, the way he treated her as his wife was different from how he treated her as his cousin.
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