Chapter 35: Do I just like other people’s dogs? The spring weather is still warm...
It was warm and cold in spring. After a few days of warmth, there was a sudden heavy snowfall, which came and went, and the moat was frozen.
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory noticed something unusual in the sky but couldn't explain why. The old emperor felt that life was unpredictable, so he decided to take the concubines to the hot spring palace for recuperation, and the ministers could also bring their families along.
There are many private residences of nobles on Wenquan Mountain, and the Xue family's house is not far from the emperor's palace.
This was the location of a century-old spring, and both land and housing prices were extremely high. Some officials had private residences here, while those without wealth, including civil and military officials, were forced to live with the emperor in the temporary palace.
Xue Mansion.
Yun Yang opened the soft curtain, and the cold wind was blocked outside.
Seeing her approach, the Fourth Lady came forward and greeted her, "Have you packed everything? Since five years ago, His Majesty has been recuperating in the palace every spring, staying for at least half a month and sometimes until summer. You should prepare some extra clothes; you never know when he'll need to stay until the weather gets hot."
Yun Yang obediently helped the Fourth Madam to pack her things, and they got along very well. When Song Fanghe was mentioned, her eyes curved and her face turned red. The girl's shyness was clearly visible, which made people feel soft at heart.
The fourth lady breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that she had done the right thing.
After packing up, the two sat under the porch and brewed tea, accompanied by the faint fragrance of flowers. The newly-made tea cakes from Yiji were placed on a silver tray. Pale pink petals fluttered down and landed on the tea cakes that looked like lotus flowers, and the scene of early spring came to mind.
Since when, whenever Yi Ji released new snacks, they would send a portion to the Xue Mansion.
No need to queue up to buy anymore.
The tea is sweet, and paired with a pot of Pu'er tea, it melts the sweetness and makes the taste soft.
The Fourth Madam said that the Song family was not qualified to go to Wenquan Mountain this time, and they had to stay in Shangjing. Yun Yang had expected this and smiled, "Fourth Madam, I don't see him often..."
The Fourth Lady felt that Yun Yang seemed to have grown up all of a sudden. Whether this growth started with the flood in Youzhou or with his friendship with Song Fanghe, she had no idea.
Although she still lived in the Xue Mansion, she felt a sense of distance as if she was about to move out.
It's a mixed feeling.
The Fourth Lady thought that she herself was still reluctant to part with Yun Yang, not to mention Xue Yu, who was already close to Yun Yang.
Thinking about it this way, it was no wonder that Xue Yu had such an unpredictable attitude towards this matter. The Fourth Madam was relieved.
But no matter what, it takes a year from proposing to preparing for the wedding.
A year of letting go of separation is enough.
A few days ago, Song Fanghe came to the Xue Mansion. Yun Yang told him that he would go to Wenquan Mountain with his relatives in the mansion and might not return for several months. Song Fanghe immediately became dejected. Yun Yang wanted to laugh when he thought of his look.
His cherishment and desire for her brought her unprecedented satisfaction.
I feel happy, but also a little lost.
This feeling is very different. It's like losing interest before even getting it and thinking it's just so-so.
Yun Yang couldn't figure out whether she liked Song Fanghe or not.
Sometimes when she hesitated a little, he would look at her with bated breath. At other times, when she was talking to him, his eyes would wander, staring at her lips with heat. When she noticed, he would explain in a panic, his ears and cheeks flushed.
This feeling is wonderful.
It seemed as if her every move affected his joy, anger, sorrow and happiness, which was an extremely touching experience he had never had before.
After she married him, he would go back with her to Youzhou and live together with her in the place where she grew up. During festivals and other holidays, if there was an opportunity, she would also go back to Shangjing with him to serve her parents-in-law and visit her brother-in-law.
Spending time with Song Fanghe helped Yunyang regain control of her life, as if she had found a new anchor.
Even if she doesn't have the heart-pounding feeling for him as described in her novels and poems, feelings can be cultivated slowly.
On the day of going to Hot Spring Mountain, Song Fanghe came to the Xue Mansion as usual, and watched Yun Yang's carriage go away reluctantly.
They had just parted, but he began to worry about how to deal with his longing in the days to come.
The young man sat in the carriage in a daze, recalling Yun Yang's charming smile as she lifted the curtain at the window.
The driver listened to his master laughing for a while, then sighed helplessly.
Xue Yu had been enduring, watching Yun Yang and Song Fangfang's farewells, and the boy almost touched her hand with several times.
Xue Yu urged the convoy to set off. Before leaving, Yun Yang stuck his head out of the carriage and said that he would write a letter to the young man.
Xue Yu pinched his brows without saying a word, his face darkened, and he felt more and more upset.
Although he was not the head of the Ministry of Justice, the Crown Prince stayed behind to govern the country, and he also served as the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, so there was reason for him not to leave the capital with the Emperor. This trip to Wenquan Mountain was a deliberate decision on his part.
Yun Yang is too close to Song Fanghe, which is not a good thing for an unmarried girl.
What's more, the Song family's innocence has not yet been confirmed. If this marriage fails, it is better to have less contact with them now to prevent her from getting too deeply involved.
Arriving at the Xue family residence on the hot spring mountain, Yun Yang couldn't hide the smile on his face. He stretched himself, smelled the unique moisture in the air, and raised the corners of his lips, feeling a long-lost sense of relaxation.
Of course, the officials' wives did not have to accompany the king. They came to the hot spring house just to have fun and relax. But Xue Yu was different. After getting off the carriage and settling his family, he had to go to the palace to report for duty.
Before leaving, Xue Yu looked at the shimmering waves of the hot spring pool reflected on Yun Yang's flushed cheeks. She seemed to have never seen this wonder of a hot spring with every step. She bent over to test the water temperature, and then scooped up a handful of water to smell it. She smiled with curved eyebrows, her shoulders relaxed, her laughter was crisp and gentle, and her unrestrained look was very touching.
Xue Yu's heart was beating uncontrollably, making a deafening sound.
Even the scene that she had seen many times became vivid because she was there.
Xue Yu sat under the corridor for a cup of tea, watching her move back and forth between the gardens like a butterfly, and only got up and left when she had to leave.
The scenery on Wenquan Mountain is superb. In addition to soaking in the hot springs, the officials and their families who are temporarily staying here would go up the mountain to enjoy the plum blossoms in the snow, or stroll around the town at the foot of the mountain. The town has wild game that is hard to find in Beijing. For a while, Wenquan Mountain was much more lively than usual.
Yun Yang brought with her the little girl who could dance with a spear, the one given to her by the prince. The girl's original name was Liu Fangyue. Yun Yang didn't like to change the names of her servants, so she just called her Fangyue.
The little girl was about twelve or thirteen years old. She had been suppressed in the Xue Mansion, but after she came out, her cheerful nature was revealed. She and Yun Yang were more like sisters than master and servant.
Yun Yang promised to write a letter to Song Fanghe and would not go back on her word.
The nobles on the hot spring mountain also wanted to communicate with their families in the capital, and the messengers were all dispatched in the town at the foot of the mountain. Yun Yang took Fang Yue to the town to buy hand-warming fur coats, ointments made from hot spring water, and feather fans inlaid with white fur. They ate hot mutton soup and waited for the messenger to come.
Chu Qin, who had just gotten off the carriage, saw Yun Yang in the tavern. He hadn't seen her for a long time and her previous childishness had faded. The red dress made her eyes and teeth look even brighter. Her slender white fingers stroked her cloud-like black hair, trying to put the emerald hairpin back on that was about to fall off.
"Sister Yun, let me help you." Chu Qin took two quick steps with an elegant smile.
Yun Yang took the hairpin back in her hand and politely declined, "No, no, I was going to take it off anyway. Lord Chu, are you here to accompany the king?"
Chu Qin couldn't move his eyes away from Yun Yang, and his words were inadvertently filled with tenderness. "That's not the case. My grandmother likes to eat birds from the hot spring mountains. This kind of game can't be bought in Beijing, so I came here specially to see it. What about you, sister Yun Yang, why are you here...?"
"My brother-in-law is accompanying me," Yun Yang said. "I have nothing to do and can't just spend all my time soaking in the hot springs, so I came to the town to stroll around and send a letter."
"Oh? What letter? I will return to Shangjing today and will be able to serve my sister." Chu Qin said.
Yun Yang thought about it and realized that the courier would take two or three days to deliver the letter, which was definitely not as fast and efficient as Chu Qin's. So he took out the envelope from his sleeve and said, "That's fine. I'll trouble you, Lord Chu, but it's not a big deal. It's at the Song Mansion in Lingjing Hutong, to Song Fanghe, the third son of the Song Mansion."
Chu Qin's hand paused in mid-air, and he looked at the girl in front of him with an ambiguous expression.
In fact, there was no need to ask any more questions. He knew very well what it meant for an unmarried woman to exchange letters with a man.
The tenderness in Chu Qin's heart disappeared, replaced by anxiety and anger at being beaten to the punch by others. His face was gloomy. He took Yun Yang's letter and turned to mount his horse.
However, he did not return to Shangjing, but turned his horse around and headed for the hot spring palace.
When he found Xue Yu, he immediately asked, "When did your wife's sister get engaged?!"
Chu Qin rarely lost his composure like this. Xue Yu looked up at him and said calmly, "Who told you she was promised to someone else?"
Chu Qin pulled out the letter from his sleeve and waved it in front of Xue Yu. "It's already been sent via carrier pigeon. If that's not a promise, what is it?"
"We're just acquaintances, nothing's happened yet." Xue Yu took a sip of tea slowly, his fingers rubbing the edge of the cup. "She's a child at heart, a man of her word. She promised that boy Song to exchange letters, and she can't break her promise."
Chu Qin wiped his face and said slowly, "I see. I was saying, we can't do this so soon... What kind of people are the Song family? Sister Yun is so innocent. If someone cheats her and takes advantage of her, how will you, as her brother-in-law, explain this to her?"
Xue Yu sensed a hidden meaning in his words, and remembering Song Fanghe's relentless pursuit, his heart tightened. He asked, "Are you familiar with the Song family?"
As for Yun Yang, he and Fang Yue returned to the Xue Mansion after they were tired from strolling around. They curled up comfortably in the warm spring water, as if they were already very relaxed even without doing anything.
Two days later, Xue Yu returned to his mansion, changed out of his official uniform, sat for a while, and sorted out his thoughts.
The Song family looked ordinary, but he didn't expect that they had such a big bomb waiting for him.
But think about it, the reason why he wanted to marry Yun Yang out of the Xue family was to use the Xue family as a companion and find a comfortable marriage for her, right?
It was normal for the other party to ask something of the Xue family, and there was no reason for him not to help.
Just don't be calculating from the start.
Xue Yu wanted to meet her and ask her if she really had to be with Song Fanghe.
I walked quickly all the way, my thoughts in a mess, and I forgot that this was Xue's house in Wenquan Mountain.
Every courtyard here has a hot spring pool. Normally, you should inform the gate in advance before entering the courtyard to avoid disturbing the female relatives who are taking a bath.
But it was late, and there was only a young maid named Liu Fangyue serving in Yunyang Courtyard, so Xue Yu entered without any hindrance.
A cheerful humming sound was heard. Xue Yu followed the sound and saw Yun Yang lying on a large rounded stone next to the hot spring pool. Her cheeks were red from the steaming heat, and she was smiling as she looked at the letter in her hand intently. Her thin undergarment was soaked by the spring water. Her slender waist was so slender that it could be held in one hand. Further down, the curves had a startling turn, which was graceful and moving.
The moonlight was hazy and gentle. Her whole body was exposed above the water, leaving only a section of her slender white legs soaked in the water, swaying from time to time with her brisk humming.
It looks like a small fish, or like a mountain spirit or demon transformed into a human form.
Xue Yu was slightly startled and stopped, but did not look away.
"Hahaha, Fangyue, I'm telling you, Brother Xiaorun's puppy has given birth. He wrote me that the puppies are super cute and he wants to bring them up so I can see them!" Yunyang finished reading the letter and waved towards Fangyue on the shore. "They say these white puppies are super cute. When he comes over, let's go see them together."
Xue Yu raised his eyebrows.
A puppy? He still remembered that on the way back to Shangjing from Youzhou, he wanted to buy her a puppy, but she clearly said she didn't like it.
Why, I like Song Fanghe's dog
Besides, doesn’t Song Fanghe have a name? He hasn’t even started yet, but he’s so shameless as to ask her to call him by his nickname?
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The author has something to say: Xue the old thief can't help it
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