Chapter 31: I can only act nice to me After returning home, Yun Yang couldn't help but...
After Yun Yang returned home, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Why did the prince always smile at her?
She still remembered the first time she met the prince. He had an air of royal nobility and dignity. The future ruler of this vast country exuded an aura of dominance that frightened her so much that she didn't even dare to raise her head.
How come he looks like a gentle and refined rich young man now?
How could she deserve the prince to look at her in such a different light?
Yun Yang walked quickly across Qinghu Lake before stopping. She still felt her palms were numb, as if the prince had just carved the word "嶷" into her flesh, making it burn.
Crown Prince Li Yi. This name sounds like the crown prince, the emperor.
I came to the capital and found myself in a relationship with the future emperor. Oh my God! Yun Yang covered his chest and gasped.
When they arrived at the Jinxiang Pavilion, the moonlight was obscured by clouds, and a figure could be vaguely seen under the Luan tree. Yun Yang thought it was Rong'er coming to greet her, so he took a few quick steps and was about to say hello when he saw a very tall man walking out from the dark shadows.
"Rong...ah, brother-in-law?" Yun Yang looked at the familiar figure in surprise. "Brother-in-law, why are you standing here? Are you looking for me?"
The moment she saw him, she felt a little flustered.
She stopped and looked carefully. The branches of the Luan tree above her head cut the fragmented moonlight into mottled strands, which were scattered everywhere. A tall figure stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a jade-colored gown, and his long black hair was casually scattered on his shoulders. In the moonlight, his face was as white as porcelain, cold and sharp, with an indescribable purity.
Like a mountain, pure and noble.
She had caught a quick glimpse of him at the family dinner during the day. He was not dressed like this. He must have gone back to Fushan Pavilion to change his clothes. But he had already changed into casual clothes. Why did he come to see her again?
"Brother-in-law?" Yun Yang walked closer, raised his head, and asked again, "What do you want to see me for?"
Xue Yu quietly looked at her red cheeks and smiling eyes, thinking that she must be having a lot of fun.
The prince is becoming more and more timid. He secretly left the palace during the Lantern Festival just to meet with an official’s wife?
This little girl has really grown up and is more capable than he imagined.
"Um, brother-in-law, happy Lantern Festival." Yun Yang said hesitantly, not quite understanding why he had such a cold face.
He looked at her quietly without saying a word, and the sinister look in her eyes was so chilling that it made people's hair stand on end.
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law?" Yun Yang walked forward and stretched out his hand to gesture in front of him, "What's wrong with you?"
"Where did you go?" Xue Yu pushed her hand away, his tone indifferent.
"Ah... I, well, Princess An Ning and the Crown Prince came to see me, so I went out with them," Yun Yang said. "We went to the Fengqiao Market we went to before. It's even busier tonight than before!"
"Did you have fun?" Xue Yu asked calmly.
Yun Yang nodded and said truthfully, "The princess and I hit it off right away. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also very kind, and the two Your Highnesses are not arrogant at all."
As if lost in the memories just now, the girl's eyes were bright and it was obvious that she was genuinely happy.
However, Xue Yu's face still didn't smile at all. He only said, "I'm not arrogant at all... Have you forgotten what I said to you that day?"
"I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten. The Crown Prince is not the same as us. He can kill people and exterminate their entire clan at any time. I know that, I remember it! So I didn't dare to offend him. I just went along with whatever he said, making him so happy that he kept smiling at me." Yun Yang quickly defended herself. "I even performed iron flower dance and spear dance for the Crown Prince, which really stunned him."
But it seems that the more I explain, the colder my brother-in-law's expression becomes?
"We went to Fengqiao Market, admired the lanterns, and even played iron flower dance and spearmanship. It sounds like a lot of fun." Xue Yu curled his lips into a smile. "But did you go there on a whim and return on a whim? Why didn't you drink and have fun this time?"
"This time? How could it be last time?" Yun Yang wasn't a meticulous person, but she could still hear the hidden meaning in his words. Suddenly realizing that her brother-in-law knew about her last performance with the Crown Prince, her face flushed. "Last time, last time, I didn't know it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... I thought it was just an actor from the troupe in that building."
"The Crown Prince is the heir apparent. Do you understand that his safety is crucial to the nation? You and he wandered around the crowded market on Lantern Festival night, but have you ever considered how you would protect yourself if he were to encounter danger or be assassinated?"
"Besides, the Crown Prince hasn't officially married the Crown Princess yet. His every word and action is under the scrutiny of the civil and military officials, as well as the East Factory guards. There are also the Highness's followers lurking in the shadows, watching closely. What is Lantern Festival? It's also known as the night when men and women pledge their love. If you go out with him at this juncture, there's no guarantee someone will make a big fuss about it. Tell me, how will you cope with that?"
Yun Yang was shocked by Xue Yu's words, as if an invisible stone had hit her heart, and the ripples made her dizzy.
The squeaking sound of the embroidered shoes stepping on the snow was even more annoying. After standing for a long time, the snow soaked half of the shoes, making the damp and cold feeling even more unbearable.
Thinking about it carefully, what her brother-in-law said made sense. She thought too little and only wanted to have fun with the prince and princess, but did not consider the overall situation.
Just talking about the assassination attempt, before this, many people had wanted to assassinate the prince, and my brother-in-law had even been injured...
If there really was an assassin trying to kill her tonight, how could she escape unscathed? Death would be fine, but she was now living in the Xue Mansion and had an inseparable relationship with the Xue family. If she brought disaster to the Xue family, she would be held responsible.
As for the fact that the Crown Prince was already married, yet he went out incognito with her during the Lantern Festival, it was really... Yun Yang was already sixteen years old, and it would be hypocritical to say that she had no feelings about matters between men and women. However, she was really stupid. She thought that the princess was also there and they were all having fun together. But after hearing what her brother-in-law said, she suddenly understood why the Crown Prince always smiled at her, and immediately felt guilty towards the future Crown Princess.
If this matter were really made public, it would definitely cause inexplicable disasters. The censors who advised the prince against indulging in beauty would inevitably poke holes in her spine, fearing that it would tarnish Xue's good reputation.
Thinking of this, Yun Yang felt an unprecedented panic and guilt, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Xue Yu smiled faintly and said, "I didn't expect that a brief encounter between you and the Crown Prince at the hunting ground would make him so unforgettable about you. Knowing that I was usually harsh on him, he bypassed me and asked Princess An Ning to invite you. Well, he's interested in you, and you're also attracted to him. You two are in love, so why would I do something so evil as to separate you? But you should have told me in advance, so I wouldn't have to worry about your marriage. The Crown Prince is such a high-ranking official, and you've climbed into the Eastern Palace. With him, reclaiming the Yun family's meager fortune is a piece of cake. Or rather, you won't need him anymore in the future..."
Yun Yang had never seen Xue Yu look so serious. Every word he wrote seemed to indicate that he was distancing himself from her. The empty fear of being abandoned washed over her. She approached him blankly, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Brother-in-law, don't be angry... I, I don't have any such intentions towards the Crown Prince."
Listening to her tired and timid voice, and seeing her lowering her head and carefully pulling herself, Xue Yu's uncontrollable anger suddenly dissipated, and he even felt a little distressed.
"I, I know I was wrong, brother-in-law." She lowered her head, her slender white fingers tightly grasping his sleeve, as if she was afraid that he would run away. "I think too little. I won't be like this in the future. From now on, I will ask you everything in advance and listen to you, okay?"
Her frown, nervousness, uneasiness, and regret were all seen by him. Xue Yu's heart suddenly softened. She could no longer treat him coldly and rationally. She even wondered if she had been too harsh in making a fuss just now.
Seeing that he still didn't speak, but his expression was no longer as cold and terrifying as before, Yun Yangguan was good at observing people's expressions, especially when pretending to be well-behaved in front of elders, she raised her moist eyes and nudged his chest with her round head, "Don't be angry..."
Xue Yu was completely unable to resist the coquettish look she deliberately revealed. His thin lips parted slightly, and his heart was beating deafeningly for a moment. He wanted to grab her chin and force her to look up and ask her if she would dare to do it again next time, if she would dare to go out secretly behind his back, and if she would dare not keep a distance from strange men?
He wanted her eyes to be focused on him, to smile only at him, and to act nice and sweet only to him.
This complex and unfamiliar mood made it impossible for him to think calmly.
After a moment of silence, he finally pushed her away a little like a cat, frowned and said coldly: "Don't let it happen again."
His tone was so cold and deep that Yun Yang was startled. She didn't expect that her little trick didn't work. She raised her eyes in panic, looked at him timidly, bit her lip and said nothing, falling into endless silence.
Looking at her pitiful appearance standing alone in the snow with her head down, deep regret filled his heart. In fact, he almost did it just now. He couldn't help but hug her in his arms and tell her that he was not angry anymore.
He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, a strange impulse surging in his chest. If she showed her kindness again, he would do what he had just thought. He knew that his idea was ridiculous and felt that he was losing control little by little, but he didn't want to control himself more and more.
But Yun Yang was silent for a moment, then raised his head. His red nose twitched, but a firm look flashed in his eyes. "Brother-in-law, I have never thought of clinging to the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince is interested in me, can I refuse him? If not, please find me a reliable man and betroth me to him first..."
"I know that being favored by the Crown Prince with my background is something that many people would beg for, but I... I don't want to be a concubine, nor do I intend to enter the deep palace and compete for favors with so many other women."
Xue Yu heard himself say, "Okay, as long as you understand. You know your limits and when to advance and retreat. You're a smart person."
After saying this, he was stunned. Why would he say such a thing?
Yun Yang nodded. Seeing that Xue Yu seemed to have calmed down, she lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, brother-in-law. Please find me a good man as soon as possible. He only needs to be kind-hearted, healthy, and willing to go back to Youzhou with me to live a stable life..."
The inexplicable anger in Xue Yu's heart had mostly dissipated. Looking at her aggrieved expression, yet unable to vent her anger, he slowed down and took a step forward, "Yun Yang..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he approached her, she took two steps back.
Xue Yu sighed inwardly. He had been so timid just now, and it had truly frightened her. The Crown Prince's incognito departure from the palace must have been noticed by the East Factory, who had dispatched guards to follow him secretly. Generally speaking, there wouldn't be any trouble. She had only recently let go of her grief over the loss of her loved one, and she had become increasingly reliant on him. It was he who had become increasingly uncontrollable lately, berating her without explanation. Now that she was acting like this again, Xue Yu would be lying if she said she had no regrets.
"Yun Yang." He sighed, reaching out to brush away the falling snow from her shoulders, and found an explanation to comfort her and himself, "I promised your sister that I would take good care of you."
"I know." Yun Yang nodded, looked up at him, and then quickly lowered her head. "The main thing is that the prince is the crown prince, the future emperor. I don't know if I can refuse him. If I refuse him and don't go out with him, what will he do if he takes his anger out on you, brother-in-law..."
Her explanation was right beside his ears, yet it seemed to reach his heart. Xue Yu couldn't describe the feeling in his heart. Before he could even think about it, he heard himself say, "It's my brother-in-law's fault. Did I scare you just now?"
Yun Yang said nothing. She could smell the pleasant aroma of agarwood in her nostrils. She thought to herself that her brother-in-law was really particular. He fumigated his clothes every day. The cool and refreshing scent was refreshing. It seemed as if she couldn't smell it enough. She wanted to smell it for a while longer, but her shoes and socks were soaked as she stood in the snow, making her feel even colder.
"It's so cold." She raised her eyes pitifully, "Brother-in-law, let's talk somewhere else."
Xue Yu's lips curled up slightly, amused by her appearance. Her embroidered shoes were thin, and it seemed that she was not expecting her to leave the house.
"I'll carry you back." He leaned down.
Anyway, it wasn’t the first time he was carried on his back, so Yun Yang nodded, naturally climbed up Xue Yu’s drooping neck, and jumped onto his back.
"Brother-in-law, you're the prince's teacher, how come you don't like him?" Yun Yang hugged his neck and whispered in his ear, "Did the prince bully you?"
Xueluo was silent. Xue Yu was stunned and said lightly, "You think too much."
"Oh, I'm glad I didn't bully you, otherwise I would have regretted making him so happy today." Yun Yang said, "Then brother-in-law, can you introduce me to someone? The one you introduce will definitely be reliable, but I want someone who is good-looking."
After this incident, Yun Yang made up her mind to leave the Xue Mansion as soon as possible and not cause any more trouble for her brother-in-law.
"Good-looking?" Xue Yu smiled. "One day, his appearance will change. When he gets old and no longer looks good, what will you have as your successor?"
Yun Yang was stunned and blurted out, "That's not a loss, at least he was a beauty when he was young, he enjoyed it..."
Xue Yu: “…”
"I look at my brother-in-law every day, so it's hard for me to look at anyone else. What should I do?" Yun Yang muttered to himself, "But I believe the person my brother-in-law chooses for me will definitely not be bad."
Xue Yu felt mixed emotions. This was not the first time she had praised him so sincerely, but appearance happened to be the thing he cared least about.
When he was young, his appearance might have won him some favors, but later on, it brought him nothing but trouble. But now, hearing her say this, he didn't know whether he should be glad that he had such an important and desirable quality in her heart, or should he feel a little lost.
The girl's eyes reflected the moonlight as she leaned obediently on his shoulder.
It was late at night and everyone was asleep. I didn't know when it started snowing, and the only sound was the sound of feet stepping on the snow.
Xue Yu thought, it would be great if this road never ended.
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