Chapter 006 Chapter 6

"I heard that these days, whenever Prince Nan'an goes out, he is surrounded and scolded. Once, the alley was even empty because people went straight to his carriage to scold people." When Xu Duanyi got up early and combed her hair that day, she heard Shi Yu talking to her about gossip outside the palace.

This was the first time Xu Duanyi had heard of this. She immediately became anxious. She didn't care that her hair hadn't been combed yet, so she turned around and asked, "Did he get hurt?"

"ah?"

Shi Yu rarely saw her so anxious, and was stunned for a moment, not being able to react. He first asked, "Who?" After reacting, he asked uncertainly, "King Nan'an?"

Seeing that Xu Duanyi did not refute her, Shi Yu thought for a moment before answering, "I think... no, right? That was said by the eunuch who went to buy things, and I did not ask carefully. If you want to know, I will go back and ask again."

Xu Duanyi calmed down at this time. She calmed down and said, "No need."

Then he turned around again.

While casually selecting a hairpin, she asked casually, "What did the eunuch say?"

Shi Yu loves talking about these gossips the most.

Life in the palace is always boring, and you have to find something to do.

Shi Yu was a person who could not sit still. Due to his good temper and generosity, he got along well with the eunuchs and palace maids under him.

Whenever there was any gossip or secret, no matter inside or outside the palace, she would definitely be the first one among Xu Duanyi to know it.

When Xu Duanyi asked her about this, she didn't think much about it.

I thought the master was also bored, so he told Xu Duanyi all the gossip he had heard.

"The eunuch said that those gentlemen were not happy that Prince Nan'an was able to marry you, and they surrounded Prince Nan'an every day. I don't know whether Prince Nan'an suffered any loss, but those people definitely did not get anything good."

"I heard that Prince Nan'an is very good at scolding people. He has scolded several people to the point of fainting in the past few days."

She likes to make Xu Duanyi happy.

Now he also imitated the little eunuch and acted a bit like Xie Qingya's frivolous look when he was outside, and acted out in front of Xu Duanyi vividly how he scolded people.

Xu Duanyi looked in the mirror and it seemed as if he saw Xie Qingya standing on the carriage, confronting someone with a high spirit. He couldn't help laughing for a moment.

She hadn't seen him properly for many years.

In these years, she seldom left the palace, and Xie Qingya almost never entered the palace. Every year, the palace held a banquet and sent invitations to Prince Nan'an's mansion. What she received was always that Prince Nan'an was not at home and the twin siblings were still young.

Occasionally, she met him when she left the palace.

He was either riding through the alleys with a group of playboys, or sitting in a tavern, surrounded by countless beautiful girls.

Only once was she close to him.

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival at that time. She took Baozhu and the others with lanterns to the Mingyue Tower to admire the moon. Xie Qingya was in the Qingfeng Tower opposite.

The upstairs is bustling.

The sound of stringed instruments and bamboo songs never ceased.

Even from such a distance, she could see the bustling scene inside.

Xie Qingya was dressed in red, but he was leaning on the railing and looking at the moon alone.

She could sense the loneliness in him.

But they still didn't say a word.

Before she could even say hello to him, he was called in again.

When Xie Qingya entered, she turned back into her wild and drunken look, as if the loneliness at that moment was just something she had imagined.

Xu Duanyi actually didn't know either.

Was it because she was seeing things wrong with Xie Qingya that night and at that moment?

She only knew that they hadn't had a proper conversation for a long, long time.

But she always remembered the time they spent together as teenagers.

She remembered Xie Qingya taking her out of the palace and showing her the sights of Kyoto.

He was eloquent and courageous when he was young.

If he encounters a black-hearted vendor, he will scold him without caring that he is still a child.

But he is also kind-hearted.

If he met a poor old man or old woman, he would quietly give them all the money he had.

The days following Xie Qingya were bright and exciting.

He would take her riding horses, climbing walls, and out of the palace to see his newborn brothers and sisters. He would also come alone to save her when she was kidnapped.

Unfortunately, after she was married to her cousin, she had little contact with Xie Qingya anymore.

Later, his cousin passed away, and Xie Qingya went to the battlefield with his father and brother, and they saw each other less and less.

It had been a long time since she had seen him confronting others.

"Master, Master."

Shigure's voice came from behind.

Xu Duanyi's long eyelashes fluttered gently a few times. She hummed softly and asked Shi Yu what was wrong.

Shi Yu asked her, "What were you thinking about just now? I called you several times."

Xu Duanyi looked at the plum blossoms outside the window and smiled: "The flowers are so beautiful that they are dazzling. The plum blossoms this year are so beautiful that they made me lose my mind for a moment."

When Shi Yu heard her say this, he just thought that she was lost in thought while looking at the flowers.

After that, the master and servant never mentioned Xie Qingya again.

Xu Duanyi went to the main hall to have breakfast with Empress Dowager Zhaoyu. She was going to leave the palace today and return to Wu'an Marquis Mansion.

The new year is approaching.

Although the Wu'an Marquis Mansion is rarely occupied by its owner, Xu Duanyi would return to stay for a few days at this time every year, tidy up the house, sort out the accumulated personal relationships at home, and then go to the Huang'en Temple to burn incense for her mother.

"Have you written to your father?"

During the dinner, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu asked her.

Xu Duanyi replied softly, "I wrote it down the day the decree came down, but the snowy roads are difficult to travel on, and Liaodong is far away, so I'm afraid father won't receive it until after the New Year."

After hearing her say this, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was too lazy to say anything more.

She usually has nothing good to say about her brother-in-law.

"I've told the emperor that you should marry out of the palace, so that I can personally see you off to the wedding." She always felt that this marriage had wronged Zhao Zhao, and wanted to make up for her as much as possible in other matters.

Xu Duanyi didn't want to show off.

But I also knew that my aunt's decision could not be changed, so I didn't say anything.

"But it's up to my aunt."

Seeing her like this, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu felt even more pity. She looked at Xu Duanyi and said, "If Qi'er were still alive, why would you have to suffer such injustice?" Before Xu Duanyi could comfort her, she changed the subject and her face became fierce again, "It's all the fault of the late emperor and that bastard. If it weren't for them, how could Qi'er die? How could Qi'er die!"

"aunt."

Xu Duanyi gently held Empress Dowager Zhaoyu's hand, patted her to comfort her, and there was a look of heartache in her eyes.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was held by her hand for a while before she gradually calmed down. She closed her eyes and opened them after a while. Her voice was no longer the same as before and her expression became tired: "You should leave the palace, take a few more people with you, and take good care of yourself."

Xu Duanyi nodded one by one, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he accompanied them inside to rest.

Whenever my aunt thinks of my cousin, she feels sad.

If I think of the late emperor and the deposed concubine Lin, I will definitely have a headache for a long time.

Xu Duanyi was a little hesitant about whether she should leave the palace today. She was afraid that her aunt would be uncomfortable and unable to sleep well in the next few days.

Dan Feng was the one who persuaded her: "Don't worry, the Queen Mother has me here. I have already asked someone to replace the calming incense. The Queen Mother will definitely sleep well."

Xu Duanyi felt relieved after hearing her say this.

"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I will come back to accompany you after I finish my work."

Dan Feng nodded.

Xu Duanyi sat for a while, looked at his aunt who had fallen asleep, tucked in the quilt for her, and then left.

…

The snow stopped yesterday, but the snow is still there.

There were two thick piles of snow on the side of the road, and the original color of the tiles could no longer be seen. Only after passing through Donghua Gate and leaving the imperial palace did the outside world gradually become lively.

Xu Duanyi had not left the palace for a long time, and she was somewhat envious of the scene outside.

So he asked Shi Yu to open the car window a little.

If Bixi were here, she would have given some advice and advice first, but Shiyu was more greedy for the lively scene outside than she was.

"Then my master, please put on your cloak. If you catch a cold, Bixi will definitely scold me when she finds out."

Xu Duanyi smiled and said yes.

She was also a person who took good care of herself. She hid herself in a thick cloak, even wearing the hood of the cloak, and held a small hand warmer in her hands to warm them.

Shi Yu pushed open the lattice window.

The curtain that was originally used to block the wind and provide cover was immediately blown up by the wind and was quickly grabbed by Shi Yu.

"It's so windy, Master, please put on your clothes properly."

Xu Duanyi agreed.

In this way, the master and servant began to appreciate the scenery.

Shi Yu was leaning against the window, while Xu Duanyi was sitting upright.

It is bustling at the foot of the imperial city, not to mention it is a prosperous place.

Xu Duanyi was still looking at the capital after the snow, and saw that there were still many street vendors. She was about to see how the situation compared to the last time she left the palace, when she heard a loud noise coming from the front.

"Master, there's a quarrel over there!"

Shi Yu loved these lively events the most. She had practiced martial arts since she was young and had a keen ear, so she could hear more clearly than Xu Duanyi.

Xu Duanyi was not interested in all the excitement. He just took a quick glance and then looked away.

Then Shi Yuxian said excitedly, "Master, it's the King of Nan'an!"

Xu Duanyi's body suddenly paused.

He was about to look away, but suddenly he looked over there again, and even his body involuntarily moved closer to the car window.

"Master, they are scolding King Nan'an!"

Shi Yu didn't notice her action and was still looking at the scene over there with excitement.

The carriage was getting closer, and Xu Duanyi could see the scenery over there without Shi Yu telling him.

Sure enough, quite a few people gathered in front of Xie Qingya.

In the icy and snowy ground, Xie Qingya was wearing a red fox fur coat and a golden crown on his hair, making him very easy to recognize.

He was surrounded by a crowd, and a charming woman stood beside him.

Shi Yu was originally enjoying the fun and wanted to see with his own eyes the scene of Prince Nan'an scolding people. Was it really as those eunuchs said? When he saw that there was another woman beside Xie Qingya, he immediately widened his eyes and said angrily: "Prince Nan'an is engaged to you, and you dare to bring a woman to the city? Let me see how I will deal with him!"

After she finished speaking, she asked the carriage to stop and even planned to get off the carriage herself to teach the man a lesson.

Xu Duanyi did not stop the carriage, but grabbed Shi Yu's arm to prevent her from getting off.

"master?"

Shi Yu was puzzled.

Xu Duanyi asked her to sit down and continued to look outside.

They haven't seen each other for more than a year since the last Mid-Autumn Festival.

Even though he was surrounded by so many people, Xie Qingya remained calm. It was a very cold day, and he was holding a folding fan in his hand to show off his elegance. He seemed to be annoyed by what he heard, and he even tilted his head to pick his ears: "Hey, can you guys have something fresh?"

"It's just these few sentences that we say every day. I've memorized them all."

“You, you!”

In addition to those young men from prominent families, there were also many elegant scholars who admired Xu Duanyi.

Xu Duanyi would go out of the palace every month to distribute porridge.

Before the spring examination this year, there was a case of "student theft" in Kyoto.

At that time, a son of an official accused a student of stealing.

To be called a thief is a great crime.

If the charges are proven true, this student will not only be barred from taking the imperial examination this spring, but will also never be able to take the imperial examination again.

Which of these students didn't study very hard to get to where they are today?

The student who was accused of stealing was originally from a poor family. He relied on his parents selling tofu to support him to this day.

He was a commoner with no background, so he had no way to defend himself when he was accused of stealing by the official's son.

Just when he was overwhelmed with grief and anger and wanted to kill himself to prove his innocence with his own blood, Xu Duanyi who passed by came to his rescue.

Xu Duanyi first sent someone to inquire about what happened, and then ordered someone to investigate. Finally, the man's wallet was found on a little beggar.

The students were able to clear their grievances.

After that day, Xu Duanyi personally set up a place for these students from poor families to live in, so that they would not have to suffer the hardship of being displaced before the spring imperial examination.

Therefore, when they knew that Xu Duanyi was going to marry Xie Qingya, not only the children of prominent families felt pity and regret, but also the students and scholars felt the same.

They didn't want to marry Xu Duanyi, they just felt that Prince Nan'an was not a good match.

That's why the situation like today happened.

"Princess Jiashun is so noble. Since you are engaged to her, you should abide by your duties! How dare you bring a fireworks girl with you to the streets? You are such a jerk!"

"That's right, you playboy, you have to work hard for several lifetimes to get the blessing of marrying Princess Jiashun. If I were you, I should stay at home, fast and bathe, and thank God!"

Xie Qingya looked at the man and sneered, "Then go ahead."

"you!"

"What a mess!"

"Princess Jiashun is a noble person with a kind heart. You are a bastard who is not satisfied with the chance to marry her. Today, we will teach you a lesson on behalf of the princess. Let's see if you dare to be so frivolous in the future!"

…

Xie Qingya had already aroused public anger, not to mention his wild behavior at this moment, which made the crowd even more angry. Some people picked up things nearby and were about to throw them at Xie Qingya.

Xie Qingya was well prepared.

He pushed the woman beside him aside with his folding fan and was about to roll up his sleeves to fight them when he heard a soft female voice from not far away: "Stop!"

The female voice is familiar.

Xie Qingya paused.

He looked back and saw a woman in a goose-yellow cloak walking towards him not far away.

The woman's face was hidden by the hood.

Before the others could recognize her identity, Xie Qingya's hand holding the folding fan suddenly tightened for no reason.