Chapter 52: Peeping Yun Yang frowned and looked at him, not quite understanding...
Yun Yang frowned and looked at him, not quite understanding how he could say such words with such a stunning face that was hard to ignore?
Lu Tanhua is dignified and stern, while Xue Yu is calm and experienced. They are like green bamboo and fine wine, completely incomparable.
Yun Yang felt that if her brother-in-law wasn't so talented, with his looks, the emperor would definitely have chosen him as the third place in the imperial examination.
"Brother-in-law, you might have been too busy lately. You look a little haggard, but your looks are definitely as good as they were back then. Don't worry, don't worry," Yun Yang soothed, pondering deeply. "Besides, you're older than Little Lu Tanhua, aren't you? When he's your age, he definitely won't be as good-looking as you."
Xue Yu: “…”
Yun Yang, realizing that he was making things worse, perked up. He carefully chose his words and whispered, "That's really not what I meant..."
Xue Yu leaned closer, sandwiching her between him and the pillar, and smiled faintly, "You really don't mind your brother-in-law's age, do you think he's old?"
"How can my brother-in-law be old? He is not old at all! He holds a high position at a young age. He is as handsome as Pan An, and as graceful as the bright moon in the sky. If he had not married young, I don't know how many young girls would have dreamed of him... My brother-in-law is so lovable!" Yun Yang said.
Xue Yu curled his lips into a smile, his eyes gleaming with clarity as he spoke softly, "I don't want to enter other people's dreams. I just want to ask you, do you like it?"
"Ah?" Yun Yang was stunned, his face turned red, and he lowered his head without saying a word.
"Hehe, it seems that what I said just now was just a bluff." Xue Yu said quietly.
What's wrong with my brother-in-law? What's wrong with him? Is it because the newly promoted first-class scholars are all outstanding people, so he has a sense of crisis like the previous wave died on the beach, and then began to doubt himself?
Yun Yang had experienced such a period. When he just came back from Youzhou, he lost the direction of his life and was eager to find an anchor and affirmation from others.
Is it the same with my brother-in-law?
"..." Yun Yang was so overwhelmed that he managed to utter a few words, "I like him. No one would dislike their brother-in-law."
Xue Yu smiled with satisfaction, lowered his eyes to admire the girl's red earlobes, and said gently: "Then I will believe what Yangyang said."
"The ladies are all seated downstairs, and the banquet is ready. Grandmother and my sisters have picked out the names of the plays and are waiting to see them," Xue Yu said. He pulled her over to lean against the ebony pillars and pointed at the young man standing below the stage. "That's Young Master Zhang. Grandmother couldn't find you anywhere, so she wanted to introduce you two to each other. Take a look at him now. What do you think of him?"
Looking in the direction Xue Yu pointed, I saw a young man in gorgeous clothes sitting there with an indifferent expression. He seemed out of place among the female relatives. I couldn't see his face clearly, but from his steady demeanor, I could guess that he was not bad looking.
"I haven't even seen him clearly yet, and you're asking me what I think of him. I can't say..." Yun Yang said, twisting his fingers.
Xue Yu smiled faintly, "Yeah, I haven't seen it clearly yet. But Yangyang, do you think it matters whether you see it clearly or not? If you say you don't like this scene, can you say it out loud?"
"My brother-in-law is right," Yun Yang said, his voice sinking. "The old lady and my brother-in-law are so concerned about my marriage, I can't be picky anymore. Oh, and the fourth lady is also worried about me. Regardless of what kind of person Mr. Zhang is, he's the one."
As dusk fell, a golden halo shone obliquely on the rippling lake. The setting sun stretched the shadows of two people very long, one tall and one short, and reflected them on the lake.
Xue Yu thought, it would be nice if it were just him and her.
He wanted to hide her away, somewhere only he knew. No one, Lu Jie, Zhang Qian, the Crown Prince, the Eighth Prince, or Song Fanghe, should disturb him and her.
Yun Yang had a melancholy look on her face as she looked at the young man sitting under the stage. An indescribable melancholy welled up in her heart. She had no idea what Xue Yu was thinking at the moment. She only felt that she had caused too much trouble to the Xue family. No matter what, as long as Young Master Zhang liked her, she would not hesitate to marry him as soon as possible.
"Marriage is a serious matter, not a joke." Xue Yu said slowly, "If you don't like him, just tell me. I'll go back to the Zhang family for you."
"Brother-in-law, thank you. You're so kind." Yun Yang stared at him blankly, quite touched. She loosened her twisted hands and pulled on his sleeves. "But the old lady has taken so much trouble for me, and the Zhang family is a good match, without any flaws. Just because I don't like them, I turned them down. Isn't that a bit too indulgent?"
In fact, no matter whether she liked Zhang Qian or not, he would never let her marry him. Xue Yu touched her head with a guilty conscience, "Your sister gave you to me, so I must be careful and kind to you. Spoiling you? There's no such thing. As long as Yangyang doesn't want to get married, she can stay in the Xue Mansion and accompany her brother-in-law. Isn't that good too?"
"Really?" Yun Yang said.
"Really. Stay in Xue Mansion with me, any number of years is fine." Xue Yu smiled, his tone bewitching.
Yun Yang felt vaguely that something was wrong. Her brother-in-law's words seemed to have exceeded the boundaries that a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law should abide by. It seemed that it was more than just the care from an elder. But she also felt that these words touched her heart, and her uneasy heart became soothed.
"Yangyang, I'm the same as your father. We both want our daughters to marry happily." Xue Yu added, looking like an elder who was giving earnest and persuasive advice.
Yun Yang felt relieved, thinking that he must have been overthinking it.
"I feel relieved with what my brother-in-law said. Then I will rely on him for the rest of my life! Let's not stand here anymore. Let's take a seat. I just want to take a good look at Mr. Zhang. Maybe I'll fall in love with him at first sight!" Yun Yang came back to his senses, smiled with curved eyebrows, and walked towards the water corridor.
"The hairpin is crooked." Xue Yu walked forward quickly and gently straightened the jade hairpin on her bun, as if it were a fragile treasure. "It's done."
"Thank you, brother-in-law," she said.
"Is the hairpin beautiful? Do you like it?" Xue Yu suddenly asked.
Yun Yang was stunned for a moment. "Such a wonderful thing, anyone would like it. I'm shortsighted and didn't recognize it. I almost thought it was an ordinary thing. I was thinking of thanking the Fourth Madam."
"Let's not talk about anything else. No matter whether this thing is good or bad, and no matter who likes it or not. I want to hear you say you like it." Xue Yu said.
The night wind was cool, lifting the thin gauze under the corridor. The enchanting spring flowers were hidden in the night, with a faint outline of thick smoke revealed.
The girl's face is rosy, and the translucent mutton-fat jade looks like a wisp of glowing mist, making her look like a plump peach, and her every frown and smile is lively and innocent.
"I like it." Yun Yang nodded, then hesitated and whispered, "It would be better if there wasn't this rabbit on the hairpin. I'm grown up now and I like something simple, elegant and generous."
He looked at her and smiled gently, that smile was like a little drunkenness, "You have grown up."
But this smile at this moment was more like something that frightened Yun Yang. She vaguely realized that she felt a little differently towards the person in front of her, and that difference was frightening and shameful, like an overwhelming vine that climbed up her heart imperceptibly. By the time she realized it, she couldn't get rid of it.
This strange thought was fleeting, but it illuminated the night sky like lightning, making Yun Yang feel a chill down her spine and her heartbeat quicken. She dodged him in fear, turned her back, and hurried towards the stage with a panicked look on her face.
It was completely dark, the lanterns on the corridor were swaying, Xue Yu leaned against the pillar, quietly watching the girl's panicked back.
There was a row of lanterns in various colors hanging in the corridor, reflecting on the mossy white wall, bright and eerie.
The closer you get to the stage, the denser the crowds become. After passing the stacked rockery, you will find the stage on the water. There are plays being performed on the stage and guests are gathered below. Lanterns are hanging in the air over the water. At first glance, the people on the stage are reflected in the water, giving you a sense of past and present life.
"Miss, why are you here so late?" Rong'er brought a robe and whispered, "There are many female relatives, and the play will last for a while. The stage is next to the water, and it will be cold at night. Don't catch a cold."
Yun Yang followed Rong Er and went to sit in the empty seat. Rong Er whispered in her ear, "Look, young lady, that's the young master of the Zhang family."
Yun Yang glanced sideways and saw the young man sitting in the direction Rong'er pointed. He was wearing a tea-white shirt and had a faint smile on his face.
When I got closer, I could see clearly that his forehead was smooth and full, his eyebrows were drooping, his nose was like a hanging gall bladder, and his expression was nonchalant and compassionate. This strange combination gave him a sense of solemnity.
Yun Yang thought of the Bodhisattvas on the altar, the Tianzun in the Taoist temple, and even the brilliant lights and the joys and anger of all living beings on the side became clichéd foils.
She had a strange thought: such a person should be in the main hall...
"Is that Master Zhang Qian?" Yun Yang asked.
"Yes, Mr. Zhang." Rong'er nodded.
Yun Yang was slightly dazed, knowing that the other person was the one who would accompany her for the rest of her life, but she looked at him as if he were a passerby. Even if she tried to understand him carefully, she did not feel any special emotions.
Yun Yang sat down, tilted his head, and looked at the anger, laughter, and scolding on the stage, as well as the hatred and love.
There were many female relatives at the banquet, so there was a lot of gossip. Yun Yang didn't need to listen carefully to know that after the Crown Prince got married, he and the Crown Princess were deeply in love and treated each other as equals. He also dismissed all the concubines in the Eastern Palace and favored the Crown Princess alone.
The princess did something to anger the queen, and was punished and put in solitary confinement and has never been released.
The moon was getting whiter and the beat of the night watchman's drum was getting weaker. The play was endless, so the two old ladies went to bed early and let the maids help them go back to rest.
Mrs. Zhang looked at Yunyang and was quite satisfied with her appearance, rosy cheeks, graceful figure, and the look of a child who would be easy to bear.
The Zhang family was a family of politeness. Zhang Qian stood up and followed his grandmother out. When he passed Yun Yang, he stopped and bowed, saying, "Let's meet Miss Yun some other day."
After saying that, he raised his chin to the servant beside him and said, "This is a meeting gift for Miss Yun."
Yun Yang nodded and took the brocade box, "Thank you, Master Zhang."
The brocade box was square and didn't look like a makeup box for a girl. Yun Yang carried the brocade box and walked towards Jinxiang Pavilion with a casual step, looking indifferently at the silhouette of the actor by the Qing Lake. The night wind was cool and the bright lanterns dimmed one by one.
Rong'er followed behind Yun Yang, not knowing what the young master was thinking about. She seemed to be in no hurry to return to Jinxiang Pavilion, so she followed her directly.
A gust of wind blew her skirt up to her body, outlining her beautiful figure.
Yun Yang smoothed the hem of her skirt in a somewhat distracted manner, her mind filled with her brother-in-law's inexplicable words and his irresistible gentleness.
In contrast, Master Zhang was like a saintly Buddha. The way he spoke and the way he looked at people made people feel cold.
And there was Lu Jie. When Yun Yang thought of Lu Jie, she felt guilty. He saved her, which was a commendable thing. After all, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. But if he was separated from his blood relatives and fell into another life because of this, then it would be her fault.
Yun Yang took out the handkerchief from her sleeve. It was the one Lu Jie used to wipe her tears. She left in a hurry and didn't give it back to him.
It was a light bone white, perhaps it was another color before, but it was washed white, and the dark green bamboo pattern embroidered on it was almost worn away.
After returning to the room, Yun Yang opened the brocade box and found a Buddhist scripture inside.
It was a Buddhist scripture copied by Mr. Zhang himself, with notes written on it to help with sleep.
Yun Yang sighed, thinking that he was sometimes quite good at judging people.
He has some faith, and his faith is so genuine that even his facial features have changed?
After taking a shower and drying his hair, Yun Yang climbed onto the bed and picked up the Buddhist scripture.
The meticulous copying of the Buddhist scriptures clearly showed the sincerity of the writer. Yun Yang stared at the tiny characters, feeling increasingly sleepy. The words seemed to flutter like fireflies, and his vision grew increasingly blurry...
During the transition from spring to summer, there is no need to close doors and windows tightly. The windows are half open, and the night breeze blows the curtains hanging on the footstools slightly.
Yun Yang was not sleeping soundly when he was suddenly awakened by a creepy feeling of being watched.
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The author has something to say: One more chapter added
Please give me some nutrient solution~ Please give it to my kuku!
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