Chapter 59: Is the wedding dress beautiful? Old Madam Xue was almost so angry that she almost died...
Old Madam Xue was almost suffocated by anger. She couldn't understand how her steady and upright eldest grandson could become like this. She was so angry that her body was about to collapse.
Xue Yu stepped forward and supported her, saying slowly, "Grandma, you're frightened. It's my fault. Grandma has always loved me the most. For over twenty years, I've always cared deeply about you and your family. Before I act, I always consider you first. I wouldn't say I'm exhausted, but I never stop working. So, for this, Grandma, please go back to the Zhang family and marry Yunyang to me!"
The old lady took out a handkerchief, wiped the rain from his face, and said in a mournful voice, "Lingjun, what are you saying? Grandmother loves you the most. Even if Grandmother didn't stop you, have you ever thought about how Yun girl would face her sister? Can she bear the gossip of others?"
"Since ancient times, sisters who shared a husband have left a strong mark in history books. Whether this mark is praise or ridicule, you are a scholar, so you naturally understand." Old Man Xue said, "Do you wish to place her in this unclear discussion?"
"Thank you for your consideration, grandma. I have my own way. Resigning is just the last step. If this is the only way, I will make arrangements for everything before taking Yunyang to leave Beijing. I will not let grandma be left without support in her old age." Xue Yu said, but his expression was a little vague.
Who was Old Madam Xue? She noticed the strange look that flashed across Xue Yu's eyes. She gathered her chaotic thoughts and soothed him softly, "Since that's the case, since you've made up your mind, I won't be the wicked one to break you up. But there's one thing I don't understand. If Miss Yun and you both want each other, why did she agree to the Zhang family's marriage?"
Xue Yu frowned, "..."
Old Madam Xue breathed a sigh of relief, sat down leisurely, and leaned limply against the back of the chair. It turned out that her grandson was the one who was too enthusiastic.
He gestured to the maidservants standing by to bring a change of clothes and a warm towel, then said solemnly, "You must not reveal a single word about what happened today! Keep your mouths shut. If I get a whiff of this, I'll have the traffickers come and take you away!"
The maids nodded in agreement.
Xue Yu, like a lost soul, felt his heart was in turmoil, sour and bitter. After confessing and fighting for his feelings, he had gone ninety-nine miles and finally felt that he had no idea whether Yun Yang would come to his side.
After all this trouble, Old Madam Xue was also tired and said patiently, "Tell me the reason. Grandmother knows, but I still need to ask Yun girl's opinion. And where did Yun Jia go?"
"Grandson...I don't know." Xue Yu said.
Old Madam Xue felt relieved. Considering the friendship between the two Yun sisters and Yun Yang's righteousness, she would never share a husband with her sister.
"Let's leave the Zhang family's affairs this way for now. I'll make plans after I ask Miss Yun." said Old Lady Xue.
Xue Yu took a deep breath and said, "Don't bother asking her, Grandma. Just pretend you don't know about this matter today. I'll leave everything to you, my grandson."
"You are the head of the Xue family, and I will listen to you," said Old Madam Xue. "Look at you. When you first came in, I thought you were a beggar. Go quickly, take a hot bath, clean yourself up, and then go back to the Ministry of Justice."
Seeing that his grandmother looked sleepy and unwell, Xue Yu stood up, bowed, and then turned and left.
After returning to Fushan Pavilion to change clothes and bathe, he listened to Siqing talk about the recent events in the mansion. He pinched his brows absentmindedly and said, "How is Fangyue? Has she been settled?"
"As the young master instructed, I sent her back to her hometown to reunite with her widowed mother. I also used the money to pay off her family's debts and left some money, enough for the mother and daughter to live on. I also found a job for Fangyue and taught her boxing and martial arts to the young ladies of the gentry's house." Si Qing said.
A jade-like hand gently tapped the edge of the wooden barrel. Xue Yu gazed at the faintly swaying purple bamboo outside the window for a long time before saying, "That would be the best."
If Fangyue is allowed to return home, she can be out of the control of the prince. It will be difficult for the prince to get news about Yunyang again.
Si Qing looked over and saw the young man standing by the window with deep eyes. He picked up the carving knife again and started carving on the unformed jade.
This has been carved for more than a month. It has changed from being unrecognizable at the beginning to a long and thin piece that looks like a woman's jade hairpin. Needless to say, the difficulty involved.
Si Qing didn't understand why the young master suddenly liked jade carvings. Later, as he watched the jade body take shape day by day, he realized that it was carved for Miss Yun Er.
The young master was a man of great talent, but in order to carve this little thing, his flawless hands were covered with several scars.
Carving is something that requires patience and cannot be done in a hurry. The Ministry of Justice has a mountain of cases, so now is not the time to do such leisurely things. Moreover, he does not want to be perfunctory and wants to carve every stroke carefully. Xue Yu put down the unformed hairpin, stood up and looked at the lake view.
He remembered Yunyang saying she didn't like the bunny on the hairpin. Fortunately, there was still a piece of jade left, so he wanted to carve a hairpin for her himself.
Xue Yu put down the carving knife and carefully placed the unformed hairpin in the secret compartment.
The Zhang family wanted to set a date and sent several invitations, but Xue Yu rejected all the dates for various reasons. Old Madam Zhang was a sensible person, so she immediately asked Xue Yu to set the date. Xue Yu agreed with a smile, but the Zhang family still did not get the exact date, so they sent someone to ask, but the person only said that the Xue family was still calculating.
Xue Yu didn't know whether it was because of the busy official duties recently that Yun Yang became distant from him. He wanted to ask her why, but she kept her indifferent look no matter his questions or coaxing. She would respond to his daily communication and seemed to be no different from before, but Xue Yu felt that something was different.
She became estranged from him.
When she went to pay her respects to her grandmother, she lowered her head and spoke little. When asked about the Zhang family and Zhang Qian, she just said obediently that everything would be arranged by the old lady and her brother-in-law. However, she no longer indulged him, nor did she take the initiative to look for him, and she avoided his gaze, as if they had drawn a clear line invisibly.
Xue Yu felt an inexplicable uneasiness in his heart. Often she was right in front of him, but he felt that he could not catch her.
These days, the fatigue brought by government affairs is far less than the unspeakable anxiety that Yun Yang brought him. He even had several blisters at the corners of his mouth.
Although he was obviously very tired, he found it difficult to fall asleep. Xue Yu stood up, took out a sachet from his official uniform on the hanger, placed it next to his pillow, and lay back down.
The herbal fragrance of the sachet was almost gone, but the useless sachet still burned his heart.
That night, candlelight flickered in the Xue residence, and a continuous drizzle washed away the summer dust, leaving the air filled with the fishy aroma of damp earth.
Yun Yang hadn't come to see Xue Yu for a long time. At this moment, he was holding an umbrella and a letter in his hand. All the way to Fushan Pavilion, his mind was full of scenes of his past with Xue Yu.
When did it change?
Arriving at Fushan Pavilion, I looked up and saw the lights dim in the wind and rain, illuminating the window with a dim light, and the green bamboo beside the window was washed brightly.
Her brother-in-law was busy, so Yun Yang finally arrived at the mansion. She pinched the letter in her hand and knocked on the door.
Si Qing opened the door and gasped when he saw her attire. His face was filled with astonishment. He calmed down and said, "Second Miss, please come in."
In Xue Yu's living room, Yun Yang stood outside, separated by a gauze screen. He could vaguely see the man's silhouette, snow-white sleeves, and elegant sitting posture.
He waited for her quietly in the inner room. Their eyes met, and his gaze was so obscure and indescribable.
When did the way he looked at her change?
Yun Yang remembered that he was cold and wary when they first met. The two of them arrived in Beijing together and gradually became familiar with each other. She remembered his tolerance and understanding like an elder, his meticulous and appropriate care, and the loneliness and dependence they had experienced together in Youzhou.
But she also remembered her suddenly quickened heartbeat, the secret sweetness when she leaned on his chest, and the beautiful dreams that grew in the dark night.
Did she really not realize that she had developed feelings for him that she shouldn't have?
Although she had noticed it, she let it develop. The girl tasted love for the first time and thought that the differences she had for him were due to her dependence on her family, but it was not the case.
She was wrong.
If you are wrong, you must correct it.
The two of them were separated by a screen and did not speak.
Yun Yang lowered her eyes and folded her hands on her knees. Her scarlet wedding dress had delicate and beautiful twin lotus flowers embroidered in gold thread on the cuffs, which made her hands look white and radiant.
"Brother-in-law," she said, "I heard that the Zhang family sent several invitations, but you're not satisfied with the dates on any of them? Do you have a better option? It's all up to you, brother-in-law."
"Sister and I have been close since childhood. It's been almost two years since I last saw her. Now that Yunyang is getting married, I'm very worried. I wrote a letter and asked my brother-in-law to find a way to give it to her."
"The Zhang family sent several wedding gowns, and I don't know which one to choose. Could you please help me, brother-in-law, and take a look at the one that Young Master Zhang personally selected?"
Xue Yu smiled faintly, lifted his thin eyelids, and glanced at the woman's silhouette reflected in the bronze mirror.
A bright red wedding dress.
The heat in July is intense and the cicadas' chirping is irritating.
"Come here, let me take a look." Xue Yu said.
The girl couldn't help but clench her crossed hands, her heart became more and more uneasy, and her face turned red.
He was waiting for her on the other side of the screen.
"My brother-in-law has been busy lately and hasn't been home much. Tonight, I saw he was there, so I hurried over, but I didn't expect him to retire so early. This is his bedroom, and I shouldn't be entering. If I go any further, I'll be overstepping my bounds. It's inappropriate," Yun Yang said, standing up. "Since my brother-in-law has retired, I'll come back another day. I've left the letter on the table."
Xue Yu raised an eyebrow. "I'm your dearest brother-in-law, what's wrong with that? Yangyang came here wearing her wedding dress, didn't she just want to show it to me?"
After saying that, he stood up and walked over.
Yun Yang paused as she was about to open the door and glanced sideways. Behind the screen was a figure wearing gold-speckled black boots and a thin silver-gray silk shirt. The half-open collar revealed her thin collarbone. Her originally elegant temperament had for some reason become a bit gloomy. Her narrow eyes were cold as she stared at her motionlessly.
"What has Yangyang been doing these days?" Xue Yu asked, his gaze shifting from her beautiful face to the letter on the table. "How's your calligraphy going? Have you been slacking off?"
Yun Yang said, "I haven't practiced calligraphy for a while. Since I'm getting married, I have to learn some needlework. Every day I'll embroider wedding handkerchiefs, make tea, and learn how to manage the household from the Fourth Lady."
Xue Yu tilted his head to look at her. She was wearing a bright red wedding gown with intricate embroidery and pearls dotted around the collar. She exuded the charm and kindness that was unique to a woman. Her plump lips were dotted with rouge, and just a little bit of it made her look delicate and charming.
"Finally, my love for you paid off. You knew to let your brother-in-law see your wedding dress first." Xue Yu's eyes darkened as his fingertips traced the gold thread on her collar. His tone was gentle, yet there was a hint of playful danger in it. "It's really beautiful."
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