Chapter 86 The Prince Climbs Through the Window
When Xiao Jingheng returned to Moyunzhai, Changfeng came to report that Su Xiaoyu had been at Wangjiang Tower during the day, and that she had chased after Shen Yuejiao's carriage all the way and ended up getting soaked in the rain.
Xiao Jingheng listened in silence, his face seemingly expressionless, but his hand holding the teacup tightened continuously.
"How is he now?"
"Miss Shen has called a doctor, who said it was just a slight cold. Just now, Miss Xiaoyu was brought back by the carriage arranged by Miss Shen."
Xiao Jingheng hummed in agreement.
He knew that Shen Yuejiao wasn't a bad person at heart, and she had been taking extra care of Xiaoyu these past few days. The fact that she was able to bring Xiaoyu back meant that the two of them had reconciled.
But this doesn't mean that some people can get away unscathed.
After a while, he instructed Changfeng: "Send someone to the palace and tell Master Shen what happened today. He knows what to do."
Changfeng understood that the prince intended to use Shen Zhangyin's hand to take revenge, and immediately bowed and withdrew.
Turning his head, Xiao Jingheng instructed the other servants to fetch two doses of traditional Chinese medicine to dispel wind and cold, and then headed towards Su Xiaoyu's courtyard.
The night was deep and quiet, and all was still.
As Xiao Jingheng arrived at Su Xiaoyu's courtyard under the moonlight, he heard the voices of a family of three talking inside.
Inside the room, the oil lamp flickered dimly.
Zhao Yueru sat on the edge of the bed, reached out and touched Su Xiaoyu's forehead, and said with heartache, "How could you be so silly? It was raining so hard, didn't you know to find a place to take shelter first? What if you develop a chronic illness..."
Her words revealed her concern and lingering fear.
"Her mother," Su Zhong said, sitting down on a stool nearby, "Xiaoyu is feeling unwell, so please say less."
Wrapped in a blanket, Su Xiaoyu leaned obediently against her father, her voice muffled, her big eyes blinking, looking pitiful.
Seeing this, how could Zhao Yueru bear to be harsh with him?
"Mom, I'm fine now." Su Xiaoyu took Zhao Yueru's hand. "I'm much better now after taking the medicine, so don't worry too much. Worrying too much will cause wrinkles."
Zhao Yueru was speechless for a moment, then glared at Su Xiaoyu: "You child."
But then he sighed, a hint of melancholy settling between his brows.
Su Xiaoyu keenly sensed something was wrong and immediately asked anxiously, "Mother, what's wrong? Is... is something unpleasant happening today?"
She turned her gaze to Su Zhong, who quickly gave Zhao Yueru a wink, signaling her not to talk nonsense and not to worry the child.
"It's nothing, your mother is probably just tired from being busy all day."
Su Xiaoyu didn't believe it.
Her eyes darted around, a thought flashing through her mind. She said, "Mother, didn't you go to see Aunt today? Did you two... have a fight?"
Zhao Yueru's eyes flashed, then she pretended to be serious; "You child, how can you make such assumptions about your elders? You have no respect for elders."
Su Xiaoyu blinked: "But didn't Mother always say that Aunt was mercenary and too shrewd? Could it be that the betrothal gifts weren't agreed upon?"
Zhao Yueru: "..."
What's wrong with this child today? Can't he speak properly? Doesn't he know to shut up? He just keeps hurting her feelings.
"well!"
Zhao Yueru sighed again, then thought that she should inform Xiaoyu in advance so that he could be mentally prepared, lest he really get involved and be heartbroken if the marriage didn't go through in the end.
“Little Fish,” Zhao Yueru thought for a moment before choosing her words.
"Your aunt and uncle think that your cousin has just established himself in the army and his future is important. Talking about marriage now might distract him. They want to postpone the marriage for a while."
Zhao Yueru spoke tactfully, not daring to look Su Xiaoyu in the eye.
Little did Su Xiaoyu know that her eyes widened immediately upon hearing the news.
It was a pleasant surprise, a cause for great joy!
"What?!"
Does my aunt mean she wants to call off the engagement?
My goodness! Has the Bodhisattva appeared to us?!
"Aunt, did she really say that?" Su Xiaoyu couldn't contain her excitement and asked her mother again for confirmation.
Seeing her so 'excited', Zhao Yueru and Su Zhong felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.
"Little Fish, don't worry, don't be sad!" Zhao Yueru tried to comfort her: "Your aunt just said to hold off for now, maybe it'll be on the agenda soon..."
“Yes, Little Fish,” Su Zhong also spoke up, trying to comfort her.
“There are plenty of good men in the world, my daughter Su Zhong will never have trouble finding a husband! Perfect timing, let your mother take this opportunity to find someone better for you, she’ll definitely find someone better than Lu Xinghe…”
"No! Father, Mother!"
Su Xiaoyu abruptly interrupted them, her voice urgent.
Thinking of something, the next second, she suddenly lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and placed her other hand on her chest, adopting a posture of Xi Shi clutching her heart, heartbroken and devastated.
"Please stop talking. I...I understand. I'm willing to wait for Cousin Xinghe's future. Really, it's okay..."
She was enduring so much pain that her voice was broken and intermittent.
In fact, the corners of her mouth under the handkerchief were stretched wide with a smile that almost reached behind her ears.
Seeing her parents looking at her with suspicion, she quickly changed her expression: "I'm fine, Dad, Mom, I... I just suddenly felt a little unwell, I'll be fine in a bit."
Seeing their daughter so heartbroken, Su Zhong and his wife felt terrible.
“Little Fish, don’t worry. This marriage was arranged by your grandfather and the Lu family patriarch themselves. If the Lu family were to break off the engagement, they would be breaking their promise. Your uncle is a scholar; he would never do such a thing. Tomorrow I…”
“Dad,” Su Xiaoyu interrupted, “a forced marriage is never sweet. If my aunt and uncle already have a rift in their hearts, even if I force myself to marry into their family, I will still be looked down upon by others.”
"If you truly want what's best for me, I beg you, Father and Mother, let's put this matter behind us for now and not mention it again. Okay?"
Su Zhong opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
Afterwards, the couple offered a few more words of comfort and, once they were sure Su Xiaoyu was alright, they left one after the other.
Just after seeing off Mr. and Mrs. Su Zhong, Su Xiaoyu closed the door, her feigned sad expression still on her face, when she heard a soft sound from the window behind her.
Su Xiaoyu was startled and turned around to see a familiar figure nimbly vaulting through the window and silently landing inside the room.
Who else could it be but Xiao Jingheng?
"S-Son?"
[Good heavens, am I seeing things? The young master climbing through a window in the dead of night?!]
Su Xiaoyu rubbed her eyes and glanced at him again. The candlelight in the room was dim. He stood in the shadows, the moonlight outlining his cold profile. Half in the light and half in the shadows, his deep phoenix eyes were fixed on her face, clearly capturing every expression on her face.
Xiao Jingheng walked slowly closer, making no sound, yet it seemed as if every step he took was landing on Su Xiaoyu's chest.
Finally, Xiao Jingheng stopped, but the distance between them was less than half an inch. His cool and pleasant scent enveloped Su Xiaoyu completely.
His deep gaze locked onto Su Xiaoyu, he reached out and pinched her chin, his thin lips parted slightly:
"You're... this heartbroken because you can't marry him as you wished?"
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