Chapter 44 Chapter 44 May you and I grow old together as husband and wife,
The river water soaked the handkerchief. Song Siyun pushed aside the man's clothes, carefully removed the gauze, wiped the remaining medicine from the wound, washed it, sprinkled it with medicine, and carefully bandaged it with gauze.
The man was strangely silent. Only after she finished tying the knot did he chuckle, as if sighing with emotion or sudden realization: "So this is the medicine."
Song Siyun raised her eyes, her gaze sliding from the man's throat into his dark eyes. She was stunned for a long time before she reacted.
The scenes in the carriage replayed before her eyes, and the man's suppressed breathing seemed to be right beside her ears, burning her inch by inch.
Song Siyun's face turned pretty, but she realized it belatedly. She pushed him away, threw the empty medicine bottle into his arms, and cursed, "Lecher!"
Her robe was loose, and she moved like a butterfly among flowers, both delicate and irritated. Gu Yanzhou lowered his eyes and stared at the white porcelain medicine bottle in his hand. Suddenly, he laughed out loud.
The voice grew louder and louder, more and more cheerful, and gradually, the bright yellow imperial decree granting the marriage seemed to reappear before his eyes. At that time, the girl looked at him with disgust, and in a rage, threw the imperial decree at him, ordering him to cancel the engagement.
At that time, he had a plan in mind and was unwilling to break off the engagement. Now thinking about it...
fortunately.
The white porcelain medicine bottle spun in his hand, then landed firmly in his palm, hidden under his sleeve. Under the moonlight, the man looked up at the receding figure, and after a long pause, he slowly took a step forward.
I haven’t even forgotten the fish and rabbits I washed in the river.
I guess he was in a very good mood, otherwise how could he remember the fish that had died on the chopping board long ago?
Although the moonlight is bright, there are places that it cannot reach.
In the darkness of the dense forest, Gu Yanzhou was momentarily bewildered. But only for a moment. The next moment, he heard a sweet, clear laugh.
He recognized the voice; it was that of his wife, who had long been part of his blood.
Following the sound, the dark night faded away behind me, and all I could see was the girl's smiling eyes, fair face, and upturned lips beside the dim campfire.
She seemed to be intrigued by something, and in a very good mood, she leaned forward and teased Ling Feng, who was beaming beside her: "If it is true as you said, then the fact that we are still alive this time is all your credit?"
"That's right."
Ling Feng raised his chin, feeling quite proud. "In just one day, I had to protect Honglian, a huge burden, visit Princess Jining's residence, and rush back to prepare for the cliff. Not to mention the horse's legs, even my legs are thin from running. If you don't believe me, take a look."
As he spoke, he lifted his leg, pretending to show it to her.
Song Siyun immediately leaned back in disgust, and Honglian beside him pinched her nose and choked: "Put it away, who wants to see your stinky feet? Besides, when did I ever burden you? If I had to burden you, it would be Master Gu. He lost half his life. What's it got to do with you?"
Honglian glanced at her sideways, then looked at the bewildered Song Siyun. Her usual fox eyes narrowed slightly, with a hint of embarrassment. "Last night, I was ordered by the princess to meet with you. I wanted to find an opportunity to poison you, but I was captured instead. It was only after I was captured that I realized that the poisoning was fake, and that they were really using me as bait to assassinate you. You lost half your life because of this."
After saying this, he saw her brows knitted slightly, and immediately realized that his words were wrong, and hurriedly explained: "Madam, please don't misunderstand me. You saved my life, and I just want to repay you."
"That's not right... It's not about repaying a favor. No, I still have to repay a favor, but..." She hesitated and changed her words several times, her face flushed with anxiety, but she couldn't explain it clearly. In the end, she just looked at her with a pitiful look, "Madam, you should understand what I mean, right?"
Song Siyun looked at the person whose forehead was still oozing with sweat in the cool autumn night, and suddenly felt the urge to tease him. He immediately raised an eyebrow, smiled and nodded: "Yes, I understand. I should repay you for saving my life with my body."
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the girl across from her jumped up from the ground, grabbed the hem of her skirt and knelt on the ground with a "dong", pointing to the sky and swearing: "I, Honglian, swear to the sky that I have absolutely no thoughts about Master Gu. I will repay the favor of saving my life with my own life, not my own body."
Song Siyun's smile froze, realizing he'd gone too far. Just as he was about to stand up, he felt a tightness on his wrist. He tilted his head slightly, looking at the sullen man who had appeared out of nowhere, and smiled again, "Why are you in such a hurry? I don't care about you."
She patted the back of his hand, and when he let go, she hurriedly pulled Honglian, "I know you're a carefree person, and I was just teasing you. Besides..."
He lowered his eyes and paused for a moment, glancing at the tall figure not far away. His voice was slightly lower and not as proud as before: "Besides, I like you, so it's okay for you to stay."
"No way." Honglian raised her chin, fanning herself with her round fan, and thought, "What fun is there in the capital? I, Honglian, want to do great things in the future. After this matter is settled and I get the silver, I will organize a caravan and travel between the outer regions and Dayuan. That way, my eloquence will not be wasted."
"Good idea." Song Siyun praised with a smile, sincerely thinking that she was free and easy. After a while, he suddenly sighed: "I think I can only stay in Beijing for the rest of my life. Even if I travel far away like this now, I may not be able to do it in the future."
Her words were profound, but Honglian only grasped the surface meaning. Puzzled, she asked, "Why? In our Outland, there's no such rule. You can go wherever you want. If you find a good place, you can stay there forever, even if you never come back."
"That's great." Song Siyun pursed his lips and smiled, saying no more.
Sparks crackled and exploded, illuminating the loneliness on the girl's face. Gu Yanzhou looked at her quietly, and only lowered his eyes slightly when she looked at him after a while.
Even though they were in the wild, today's dinner was quite sumptuous. Gu Yanzhou's cooking skills were excellent, and he had roasted fish and rabbit, accompanied by a simmering broth. On that cold autumn night, everyone's eyes lit up after a sip of the hot soup, and then they all went back to their bowls without even looking up.
A series of praises flowed out silently, but for some reason, the person in question had a drooping brow and looked unhappy.
In fact, he usually didn't show any expression, but for some reason, Song Siyun was sure that he was unhappy.
So when they were the only two left in the carriage after dinner, she asked, "Are you unhappy?"
"Why?"
The man didn't answer, but only raised his eyelids to look at her, frowning and asking, "Why don't you want to go back to Beijing?"
Song Siyun was stunned for a moment, but then he reacted and lowered his eyes, trying to fool around with a smile: "Why are you asking this all of a sudden? I'm sleepy, let's go to sleep first."
She wanted to tell him off, but he refused, holding her arm stubbornly and asking, "Your parents and sister are both in Beijing. Last time, you said you didn't want to leave Beijing anymore. Why don't you want to come back now?"
"Ah Yun, why exactly?"
The man exerted force, and the words drew closer and closer, until now they were only a few inches away. Song Siyun could clearly see the confusion between his brows, but she also knew that she couldn't give an answer.
I can’t say it, and I dare not say it.
She bit her lower lip tightly with her upper teeth, barely suppressing the explanation that threatened to slip out. After a while, she lied. She called him: "Gu Yanzhou."
A soft call, like a plea, but also like a stop.
"I'm sleepy. Let me sleep first," she said.
Gu Yanzhou suddenly came back to his senses, and seeing the struggle that could not be hidden between her eyebrows, he let go of her hand weakly, "Okay."
The carriage fell silent. Gu Yanzhou remained seated, his gaze fixed on the girl who was curled up facing the wall not far away. For a long, long time...
Hot, careful, impossible to ignore.
Song Siyun could feel it, but didn't dare to look back.
sorry.
She turned her back to him, huddled up in guilt. A warm sensation seemed to flow through the corners of her eyes, and the tip of her nose also felt sore and swollen.
In the darkness, Song Siyun closed his eyes, buried his head in his arms, and breathed in small sips, fearing that he would reveal any flaws.
This night was really hard to bear.
She didn't know when she fell asleep, when he left, or when the others left. She only knew that when she stepped out of the carriage, she looked around and saw no one except Gu Yanzhou.
The man seemed to have been waiting for a long time. When he saw her come out, he hurriedly took the bubbling soup off the fire and put it aside. Song Siyun glanced at it and saw that only half of it was left.
While waiting for the soup to cool, she finally had time to ask, "Where are they?"
The man lowered his eyes, put out the fire, and said without looking up, "Let's go."
"Gone?" She was a little puzzled. Why did he leave when everything was fine?
"Hmm." The man raised his hand and touched the bowl. Perhaps it was no longer hot, so he picked up the porcelain spoon and stirred it again. As he fed her, he explained, "Don't you want to travel around more? It's hard to have fun traveling with them, so we might as well split up and reunite in fourteen days."
"That's different." Song Siyun pursed his lips and muttered quietly. He looked up at him for a long time, but didn't know what to say.
Should she tell him directly that her reluctance to return to Beijing wasn't due to playfulness, but rather that she didn't know how to face her elder sister? Did she not know how to treat him and their relationship?
At first, she was only concerned about her own feelings, thinking that she was wishful thinking. When she found out that he was also interested, she was delighted.
But in the past few days, as I got closer to Kyoto, I didn't know why, but I started to feel scared.
Especially when she saw the jade pendant and thought of her elder sister who had been protecting her since she was a child, she felt even more disgusting and ashamed.
The closer she was to Gu Yanzhou this time, the more ashamed she felt, which was why she felt awkward last night.
She knew this wasn't right, and she also knew it would only make both of them uncomfortable. Shame built up, and her elder sister's always gentle smile echoed in her mind. She really didn't know how to return to Beijing, how to face her elder sister...
She hates betrayal and deception the most, but what is she doing now?
Song Siyun lowered her eyes and cursed herself for being mean and mean. At this moment, she had only one thought: to return to the capital as soon as possible and apologize to her elder sister.
But when she looked up and saw the cautious look in the man's eyes, she swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth and changed them to "Okay."
I didn't know what the word "OK" meant, I just knew that I got permission. The man's frown suddenly relaxed, and there was a strange look of relief in his eyes.
Song Siyun found it funny, and with his mind full of thoughts, he suppressed his shame and whispered to himself:
Just once, just this once. When I return to Beijing in fourteen days, I will have the chance to go to the palace and apologize to my sister.
She repeated it over and over again, comforting and advising him over and over again.
She didn't know whether it was the persuasion that worked or she was just too shameless, but when the carriage started up and the autumn wind blew the curtains against her face, she actually felt relieved.
I lifted the car curtain and leaned out the window to look at the clear yellow sky. The vast world unfolded before my eyes, and the cool autumn breeze caressed my ears. Suddenly, a bold idea came to my mind.
"Gu Yanzhou," she called him from the window, holding the edge with both hands, and said with a smile: "Let's ride horses."
Perhaps he hadn't heard clearly, so he leaned over, his brows knitted in confusion. Just then, some petals fell, curling around and landing on the corners of the man's eyebrows and eyes, but he only trembled blankly, unable to find the place.
Song Siyun smiled slightly, turned around, opened the curtain and got out. She raised her hand to pick away the fallen petals from between his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment when it reached his eyelashes, then raised her hand to hold his face, straightened her body slightly, moved closer, and exhaled softly.
The girl's hands were tender, just like the soft and shapeless snow in the northern border that melted as soon as it touched the touch. When they fell on his face, Gu Yanzhou felt as if he had rolled into a pile of snow. It was so soft and loose that he didn't react for a moment and just stared blankly at the person in front of him.
I don't know what made her laugh, but the corners of her lips curled up and she called him with a smile: "Close your eyes."
He, too, seemed possessed, his eyelids drooping uncontrollably as she spoke. Soon, he felt a warm breath rest on his eyelashes, sending a shiver through his body. He suddenly opened his eyes, staring at her with wide eyes, the corners of his eyes and eyebrows still holding her unique fragrance.
The girl, who was originally smiling, frowned slightly, a little unhappy. Seeing that the little mouth like sandalwood was about to spit out some nonsense, he quickly raised his head, hooked his arm around the girl and stopped her from saying anything he didn't like.
Everything happened so suddenly. Song Siyun didn't understand. How could it turn out like this when she was just helping him blow flowers?
She collapsed in his arms, clutching the man's collar to steady herself. She glared angrily at the man, who continued to drive as if nothing had happened, and couldn't help but complain. But when her eyes fell on his swollen lips, she suddenly smiled, raised her finger, and twisted it mischievously: "I didn't know Lord Gu could be like this. If Qingfeng and the others saw this, how would you cope with it in the future?"
The man at the top lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the girl's fair face, lingering for a long time on her equally swollen lips and teeth. He spoke calmly and coldly, "They won't see it."
After a while, he lowered his head without warning, pecked the red swelling, and whispered seductively: "If Ah Yun likes it, I will leave the light on under the bed curtains in the future."
It took Song Siyun two full breaths to realize the deeper meaning of his words. She immediately bulged her eyes and cursed him through gritted teeth, "Lecher!"
He wasn't angry, just smiled with his lips curled up. Gradually, his laughter grew louder and louder. As the birds in the forest fluttered, Song Siyun huddled in the carriage, covering his ears, his palms burning. Furious, he kicked him through the curtain.
We ended up spending the day in a carriage. There were few towns or villages nearby, so we stayed out in the wild.
Before it got dark, they got out of the carriage and started preparing for today's meal. Before leaving, he glanced at Song Siyun, who was propping up her chin and looking bored. He was about to keep her here waiting, but changed the subject: "Do you want to go with us?"
"Okay!" Song Siyun's eyes lit up, and he immediately took out the bow and arrow. Worried that he couldn't wait, he hurriedly reminded him, "I'll be quick, please wait for me."
Before he finished speaking, the person had disappeared. Gu Yanzhou found it funny and could not help but lower his head and shake his head.
When she came out again, she had changed her appearance. The sleeves that were in the way were rolled up and tied tightly around her wrists. She held a bow in her hand and a quiver on her back that was as high as her knees.
The quiver was too big and kept sliding down, forcing her to use her hands to hold it in place. Her delicate hands were red from being squeezed, but she didn't notice. She only urged with bright eyes, "I'm ready, hurry up."
Seeing that he was motionless with a calm look in his eyes, he tilted his head in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Gu Yanzhou lowered his eyes and glanced at her. With a light flick of his fingertips, he took the huge quiver on her back and took it into his hand. He lowered his eyebrows again and asked, "Why are you taking my bow and arrow?"
"What for?" The girl in front of him clutched her longbow tightly, puffing her cheeks and glaring at him. "I didn't bring mine, so what's wrong with using yours? At worst, I'll just pay you for the rental, you stingy fellow."
"That's not what I meant." Gu Yanzhou laughed, his eyes falling on the longbow in her arms, "You can't pull my bow."
As he finished speaking, he saw her eyes sharpen and she was about to get angry, so he explained calmly: "Men's bows are different from women's bows. They are more resilient and harder to pull. Put it down." He raised his hand to take it.
Song Siyun glanced at the big hand in front of her, and suddenly slapped it away with force. With her other hand, she swung the bow onto her back, very arrogantly: "I don't believe it. You must be jealous of my good aim. You are worried that I will kill more prey than you and lose face."
"In that case, let's have a duel." She turned suddenly, holding the bow in one hand and facing him, challenging him: "Gu Yanzhou, do you dare?"
A gust of wind blew up from somewhere, and the girl's clothes fluttered and rustled. Her high ponytail was pulled straight by the wind, and she felt a sense of youthful spirit for no reason.
In a trance, he seemed to see the arrogant and willful person from four years ago again.
Gu Yanzhou stared at the man for a long time, until he saw that he was getting a little impatient. Then he walked up to him with a smile and asked, "Where's the prize?"
"Every competition has a prize. Ah Yun, what's your prize?"
It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and Song Siyun hadn't even considered adding any incentives. After hearing this, he was stunned for a moment before asking, "What do you want?"
The man smiled and said without hesitation, "Tell me about your concerns in the capital."
The longbow, held high, slowly dropped. While he was still hesitating, the man spoke again: "Ah Yun, do you still dare to compete?"
The longbow, which had been lowered by less than half an inch, suddenly rose again. Song Siyun raised his eyebrows, his eyes filled with aroused fighting spirit. "Why not? I will fight you. If I win, you are not allowed to ask about this matter again in the future."
"Okay." The man responded happily with a smile on his face.
Almost instantly, Song Siyun realized that he had been set up.
Her accuracy was taught by Gu Yanzhou, and when she compared her skills with him...
He...he did it on purpose!
Song Siyun gritted his teeth and glared at him hatefully.
This was a gamble without any suspense, and he already knew it.
You can tell by the ugliness of his face and eyebrows.
"Ayun, I'll wait and see." As he passed by her, he bent down in a good mood to remind her.
Song Siyun gritted her teeth in anger, glaring at him. Suddenly, she swung her bow, and the bow tip brushed against the corner of his eye. The man's haste in dodging pleased her. Song Siyun smiled and narrowed her eyes as she warned, "Master Gu, be careful."
She walked away, her bow on her back, her steps springing with joy, her good mood visible to the naked eye. Gu Yanzhou raised his finger to touch the burning corner of his eye, and suddenly laughed out loud.
Very light and fleeting.
It scattered in the wind, fell on the corner of the robe rolled up in front, and also fell into the girl's ears.
She paused, then walked even faster. Gu Yanzhou shook his head and hurried to catch up.
In the end, she didn't pull the longbow.
Watching the man hunt another little rabbit, Song Siyun gritted his teeth and angrily slapped the innocent old tree next to him.
The tree trunk trembled, and reluctantly revealed the bird's nest that had been hidden for a long time. Song Siyun took a look and saw three thumb-sized eggs and a chick that was less than half the size of his palm.
The bird looked so silly, not knowing what was happening. Its black eyes kept blinking, making people laugh.
"Do you want to keep it?"
She didn't know when that person came over, but now he was standing behind her, speaking like a ghost.
Song Siyun, who had been lost in thought, was startled by the sudden sound. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. He leaned on the bow and half scolded and half complained: "Gu Yanzhou, you want to die! Scaring people can kill them, don't you know?"
"Sorry." The man leaned over to support her, picked the dead leaves off her clothes, and asked again: "Do you want to keep it?"
Song Siyun tilted his head and turned his gaze to the unsuspecting chick. After a long pause, he sighed, "No."
She squatted down, holding the bird's nest, watching the chick's green bean-sized eyes darting around, its thumb-sized head tilting left and right curiously. Suddenly, her voice softened, and she consoled with a smile, "I'll take you home later, okay?"
The baby bird didn't respond, and Song Siyun didn't say anything either. He just held the bird's nest and stared at Gu Yanzhou eagerly.
Gu Yanzhou didn't move, and looked back at her with his eyes lowered.
It's just a small favor, not a big deal at all, I just wanted to hear her give in.
But the girl was naturally stubborn, and because she was fuming over the longbow that couldn't be drawn, she didn't say a word even when she needed his help. She just blinked at him like a baby bird in a nest.
The two men and the bird confronted each other for a long time, and finally Gu Yanzhou was defeated first.
Resignedly, he took the bird's nest from her hand, handed her the rabbit hunting dagger and the quiver on his shoulder, and with a few light taps of his toes, he had the bird's nest securely placed. Just as he reached for the dagger, the girl across from him looked away, curled her lips, and muttered, "What dagger? Where's the dagger? I didn't see it. Maybe you dropped it yourself just now."
Gu Yanzhou said nothing, just looked at her quietly.
Look at her walking away with her quiver in her hand, looking at the obvious object pinned to her calf-length boots. After a while, he suddenly chuckled, shook his head, and followed.
Later, Song Siyun still couldn't draw the bow, but she knew how to pitch a pot, so she used the prey as pots and stumbled around, and managed to catch a few, even a snake. She went to see excitedly, then hurriedly ran half a foot away, poked her head out from behind an old tree, and urged Gu Yanzhou to come and see, saying that she had caught something good.
It's strange to believe her.
Gu Yanzhou saw through her at a glance, but he still moved at her urging. He parted the grass, took a quick glance, and turned his head with a soft "hmm." However, the moment he saw the top of her head, his face changed in shock. He raised his finger tremblingly, and for a long time he didn't utter a single word.
Song Siyun, who was standing there, didn't dare to move at all. Her whole body was as stiff as a wooden stake. Her fingertips, which were holding the tree trunk, slowly dug into the cracks in the bark. Her lips trembled, and her eyes moved upwards tentatively. "What on earth is that on my head?"
The man opposite her trembled his fingertips and finally uttered the thing she least wanted to hear: "Snake."
"ah!"
Song Siyun couldn't hold it in any longer and screamed, "Help, help, Gu Yanzhou!"
The man stretched out his arms, his brows furrowed, and suggested with a stern look, "Just jump over here and you'll be fine."
As he spoke, he took out a silver light from his calf.
Song Siyun didn't doubt it, nodded almost imperceptibly, and said only one sentence, "You caught it", and the next moment he pounced forward.
It was unknown whether she had thrown herself at him too hard or the man had lost all his strength, but they both fell to the ground. Song Siyun didn't feel any pain, after all, there was a human cushion. She lay on top of him, not daring to open her eyes for a long time, only grabbing his clothes and asking repeatedly: "How is it? Are you still alive?"
The person under her was silent for a long time, and she felt a tremor. Before she looked up, she heard the man's hearty laughter.
After a few thoughts, Song Siyun finally reacted. He suddenly turned his head to look behind him, but there was nothing. Looking down again, the dagger had been sheathed by the side of his boot. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them again, he punched him in the chest with a fierce fist, suppressing his anger: "Gu Yanzhou!"
The man laughed even louder until the girl struggled to get up. Then he stopped laughing and pushed her shoulders to let her look up. "Look at the sky."
Just one glance and you can't look away.
The girl's arms went limp, and she lay on her back like him, gazing at the starry sky.
The Milky Way stretches out endlessly, while the lush branches and leaves in the forest are layered one on top of the other, which reduces the beauty by seven points.
He frowned unsatisfiedly and glanced around, but there was still something blocked. Song Siyun was silent for a moment, then turned around and said, "We——"
As soon as he opened his mouth, he paused.
He stared for a long while, forgetting all the words on his lips. He opened his mouth, looked away as if escaping, and sat up suddenly.
"What's wrong?" The man was unaware and just stood up with her, his eyes still as fixed as before, not moving an inch.
Song Siyun felt his cheeks burning, and he felt uncomfortable all over. His mind was like a paste. After a while, he remembered what he was about to say and spoke with difficulty: "Let's go to a higher place. We are blocked here."
"Okay." The man stood up, looked around, and finally settled on a tree. "Where are we going?"
Song Siyun didn't dare to raise her eyes at all, until her body felt lighter and everything in her eyes tightened, she finally reacted -
God bless you...
The panic and discomfort just now were replaced by fear. Ben Xuxu's hand suddenly tightened, and he hugged the man's waist tightly, his voice trembling: "Where are you going?"
It sounds like he's about to cry.
Gu Yanzhou tapped the tree trunk with his toes for support, hugged the person tighter, and said in a gentle and comforting voice, "We're almost there."
It was all in vain. Song Siyun closed his eyes until his feet were firmly planted, then he carefully lowered his eyes. The next moment, he suddenly raised his head, his neck stretched straight, his eyes fixed on the sky, not daring to lower them even a little.
Her stiff appearance was not much different from the tree trunk. Gu Yanzhou was amused by him and sat down himself, and even warmly invited her to sit down as well.
She glanced at the branches that were not superfluous at all, pursed her lips, looked at the person who was leaning comfortably but with a sincere look on his face, and was a little speechless. After a long while, she just refused dryly: "No, I'd better stand." As she said that, she raised her hand to support the tree trunk beside her.
A shadow passed over his head. Gu Yanzhou raised his eyes to take a look, then bent his legs lazily, leaned back against the tree trunk, and said "Oh" indifferently.
He really has no manners at all.
Song Siyun lowered his eyes to glare at him, then accidentally caught a glimpse of the ground thousands of feet below. His calves immediately trembled, and his grip on the tree trunk tightened a little, his knees unconsciously pressing down. He couldn't help but glare at the man who closed his eyes to rest.
Before he could raise his eyes, he heard a low laugh in his ears. Before he could see who it was, he felt his dough-like legs being hooked by something, bending completely, and he fell forward uncontrollably.
A strong sense of weightlessness came over her, and she should have been afraid. However, perhaps it was because she had fallen off cliffs too many times in the past few months, but the moment the feeling of weightlessness came over her, her heart became much calmer, and she was too lazy to even shout "Ah".
"Huh?" A surprised exclamation came to her ears, and the familiar masculine scent lingered at the tip of her nose. She did not turn around, but just found a comfortable position and looked up at the moon.
What a joke, it’s a rare human cushion, it would be a waste not to sit on it.
She had a good idea, but the person under her was not one to sit still and had to find out the truth.
"Why aren't you talking? What are you thinking about?" The man leaned forward, put his arm around her neck, stroked her, and asked softly, while the hand holding her changed from one hand to two.
Song Siyun ignored him and just tilted his head to look at the moon.
The man refused to give in and kept asking, "Ah Yun, tell me, what are you thinking about?"
Gradually, the itch on her neck became more intense. The man's eyes fell on the ponytail that was scattered around her neck. He raised his chin and playfully wanted to help her put it back. He did it again and again, until the woman in his arms could no longer bear it and raised her shoulders to push him. Only then did he stop his little movements and pleaded with a smile: "Ah Yun, tell me."
He lowered his voice and said with a hint of temptation: "Who are you worried about in the capital?"
It was a very ordinary sentence, even with concern, but the coldness that could not be hidden in the words made her shudder.
Song Siyun turned his head stiffly and stared at him for a long time before looking away with a blank face as if nothing had happened.
After a while, she still felt the scorching gaze behind her. She turned around and forcefully turned the man's face, twisting his eyelids with her fingers and looking up at the sky, "Appreciate the moon."
"This place is unobstructed and a great place to enjoy the moon. Besides, since we're already here, don't waste it."
Song Siyun turned and looked up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly, dazzling everyone. Suddenly, a streak of light flashed by. He no longer cared about the people around him and hurriedly clasped his hands together.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the man's dazed eyes. Looking at the colorful lights in the sky, she grabbed his hand and urged him urgently, "Hurry, make a wish. This is a shooting star, which is rare to see in a hundred years. Make a wish and it will come true."
As soon as he finished speaking, he looked again and even the tail of the meteor was gone.
Looking down at the man who just realized what was happening, Song Siyun curled his lips and threw his hands away in disappointment, "Forget it, I've missed it."
"No." The man in front of her suddenly grabbed her hand with a serious look in his eyes, which was rare to see: "There's still time."
"What?" Before she could react, the man had already led her out and said hurriedly, "As long as you want it, there will definitely be time."
"Let's go chase shooting stars."
In the hurried night, accompanied by the cold wind, only these words came.
At first, he still held her hand as he ran. Later, when she could not run anymore, he carried her in his arms as he ran. Later, both of them were exhausted. Song Siyun collapsed halfway up the mountain and did not want to move. Gu Yanzhou, however, did not know what was wrong with him. He just took a few deep breaths and slowly ran up again with all his strength. His speed was faster than when he was holding her in his arms.
Song Siyun turned his head to take a look, then collapsed on the ground like a dead fish, looking up at the sky in silence.
She felt that this person was probably sick.
I'm sick too, not only have I followed him for so long, but I even believed his nonsense about chasing shooting stars.
Meteors are fleeting and have long since disappeared, so how can you chase them?
She fell to the ground, closed her eyes, and cursed herself for losing her mind tonight and believing everything she said.
Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard someone shouting. Song Siyun looked up, and saw a dazzling stream of light. Surprised, he didn't know where he got the strength from, but he sat up with a jerk, stumbling and running up.
I don't know what I bumped into, I just felt a pain in the tip of my nose. Before I could come to my senses, someone had already grabbed my waist, and the shadow covered me. The lips were full of familiarity.
The moment they touched, they separated. Before they could even taste the sweetness, someone held their face in their hands. A touch of warmth touched their forehead. In their ears, the man made a wish:
"May you and I grow old together and never be apart."
She raised her eyes and stared blankly at the person in front of her.
I saw the man bow his head and close his eyes, reciting it three times devoutly, and then slowly opening his eyes.
Those eyes, brighter than the stars in the sky, more dazzling than the fleeting light, and brighter than the eternal silver moon, shone straight into her heart, leaving her nowhere to hide.
For a moment, she was afraid to look.
Blinking hurriedly, she lowered her head to brush away the man's hand, avoiding the scorching gaze. Song Siyun turned around silently and hid in the shadows.
"I'm tired, let's go back first."
After saying that, he turned and left.
She walked quickly and didn't notice the man's bright eyes falling behind her. They were darker and thicker than the night covered by the dense forest...
For the next few days, neither of them mentioned their vows, simply enjoying this rare and pleasant time. Like any ordinary couple, they watched operas and listened to music, made clothes and bought hairpins. Occasionally, when the mood struck, they would hunt wild game in the woods, rent a room at a farmer's house, and cook a few dishes, which was quite enjoyable.
Before I knew it, I was only a few miles from the gates of Kyoto. In the distance, I could almost see Qingfeng hiding in a tree, watching the wind.
"Do you want to go?" Gu Yanzhou was leading the horse. Although he was always decisive, he was hesitant to take a step. He just lowered his eyes and looked at the girl beside him with her hair tied up and a white hairpin and flowing ribbon.
The man was silent for a long time, and he raised his feet several times and then put them down hesitantly. In the end, he didn't move at all.
"Tomorrow," she said. "Tomorrow is the last day. Let's go tomorrow, let's go tomorrow..."
She kept repeating it, turning and hiding in the carriage.
We will set up camp here tonight.
In the middle of the night, the bonfire crackled, and Gu Yanzhou stood guard outside the car, with scarlet sparks floating in his eyes, but he could not dispel the dark ink.
"master."
A greeting disturbed the silence.
Gu Yanzhou raised his eyes, and after seeing that the carriage was normal, he slowly hummed and asked, "Is there any movement from Prince An's side?"
"As my master expected, after the news of your death reached Kyoto, he did not fully believe it. He sent assassins to conduct secret investigations in the suburbs of Beijing every day, but now they have all been cleared out." Qing Feng knelt on the ground and told what he had done in recent days.
"Yeah." Gu Yanzhou nodded, looked up at Kyoto not far away, and waved his hand to let him leave.
At the end, she called him back: "There is one more thing. When you return to Beijing..."
His voice was so low that only two people could hear it.
As Qingfeng bowed in response, his peripheral vision involuntarily glanced at the carriage not far away. Then, with three breaths of wind, the person vanished without a trace.
It seemed as if Gu Yanzhou was the only one here from the beginning to the end.
A sudden cold wind disturbed the bonfire, making it waver and falter, almost dying out. Light and dark met on the man's face, reflected in his eyes, where there was a thick, undissolved ink.
An unknown amount of time passed, until the flames dimmed to a single wisp. The man, who had stood frozen for a long moment, finally withdrew his gaze and looked towards the unusually quiet carriage behind him. After a moment, he lowered his brows again and tilted his head to gaze into the distance.
Inside the carriage, Song Siyun secretly peeked through the gap in the curtain, greedily enjoying the little remaining indulgence.
After a while, she curled up even tighter, her whole body huddled in the gap between the car seat and the table, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
Neither of them thought that the next day would be a sunny day.
When the first ray of light jumped out of the horizon, the two people's eyes were involuntarily attracted and drawn together, and finally met and touched each other through the car curtain.
I don't know who spoke first, but when they reacted, the two were standing side by side, looking at the gradually brightening red glow in the sky and the full sun rising into the sky.
The autumn sun always brings a chill. But today it was unusually cold. The golden sunlight hit Song Siyun, and he felt like he was in hell, with a biting cold.
Noticing something strange about the person next to him, Gu Yanzhou raised his eyes and followed her gaze. He saw Song Sixu, dressed in casual clothes, standing tall and proud, looking around anxiously but with a reserved air. His pupils suddenly constricted, and his brows knitted tightly.
I wanted to return to the city quietly today, but now it’s difficult.
He sighed silently. As expected, when he entered the city, the ceremonial procession was complete, and there was even a sedan chair.
He only took a glance and quickly moved away to get the horse. Unexpectedly, Song Sishu spoke first: "Master Gu has been troubled by this inspection. His Majesty has specially granted you a sedan chair and ordered you to enter the palace."
The emperor's order could not be disobeyed. In the end, Gu Yanzhou still sat in the golden sedan chair. He couldn't stretch his legs and feet, and felt very uncomfortable.
People who watch it just want to laugh.
As Song Siyun was led by her into another spacious sedan chair, she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Sister, was that sedan chair really given by His Majesty?"
"Yes." Song Sixu blinked, glanced at the suffocating Gu Yanzhou, and whispered, "But it's not given to him, but to you."
"Then you still..." Song Siyun was surprised, but saw her elder sister, who was always gentle and polite, winked at her, stroking her cheek with pity, and complained a little: "Who made him drag you into this mess without saying a word? Look at you, you have lost weight."
Song Sishu looked at her with an indescribable heartache. When she finally saw her coarse clothes and plain hairpin, her eyes became even more red. She only regretted not asking for a sedan chair without curtains, giving that wicked man who kidnapped the girl a face-saving opportunity.
Song Siyun had no idea what she was thinking, only that her ears hurt from being scolded. One moment, she said she'd make her some black chicken and ginseng soup to nourish her, the next, she said she'd go to the Imperial Hospital to get some tissue-regenerating ointment. The coarse fabric must have rubbed her until she bled...
She kept chattering on and on. Song Siyun tried to resist at first, but was stunned as soon as he entered Zhongcui Palace.
So it wasn't just something I said casually, it was already prepared.
She was dumbfounded. The small bowls in front of her piled up like a mountain. Behind the mountain were her elder sister's smiling eyes.
…
He grinned and bared his teeth, his fingertips trembling as he reached for the chopsticks on the table.
There was never a moment when I hoped Gu Yanzhou would show up soon.
About an hour later, when she could no longer stand up straight, she finally heard the announcement that Lord Gu had arrived.
His lifeless eyes suddenly lit up, and he struggled to get up by holding on to the chair handle with both hands, and stood up hurriedly as if he was escaping.
Seeing her like this, Song Sishu picked up a cup of tea and teased with interest: "After all, girls can't be kept at home when they grow up."
Finally, she frowned and cursed, "Her husband is really annoying. When has our Ah Yun ever suffered such a hardship?"
"That's right. I've noticed that the Second Young Lady has lost quite a bit of weight, and there's no flesh on her face. I'm sure she's been through a lot these days, wandering around and enduring a lot of hardships."
The maid's words of agreement hit Song Sixu's heart. She immediately stood up and told the maid to get the key to the private vault. A series of brocade supplements were carried out and sent into the Gu Mansion like water.
There were so many brocade supplements that they blocked the gate to the courtyard, and even Song Siyun couldn't get in.
After finally being led over the wall by Gu Yanzhou, he found there was nowhere to stay, so he could only curl up on the swing, dozing off while waiting for them to clean up.
I was really tired these days. I didn't even have time to eat dinner and slept until noon the next day.
When she woke up, she saw Cuiyu Quemei and her husband, with red and swollen eyes, standing by her bedside, and crying again when they saw her wake up.
After finally comforting them, when they were getting dressed, their eyes reddened again. They pinched the remaining fabric of their clothes and choked, "Why have you lost so much weight, girl? Your clothes are all tied up. It's better for you not to go out in the future. Even if you do, you have to take us with you. With us to take care of you, you won't be too bad after all."
Seeing the two nodding their heads, Song Siyun lost his temper and just hugged them to comfort them: "I will take you with me when I go out in the future."
I hadn't even finished lunch and hadn't rested yet when messages started floating in like snowflakes.
There was a visiting card from Yun Wanqiao, and an invitation from his parents. Song Siyun took a deep breath, pushed the headache aside, and after a while, rubbing his brow, he spoke: "You will all come with me to the Yun Mansion later, and then return to my parents for dinner in the evening. Oh, and leave a message for the doorman to tell them that I will not be returning for dinner today."
"Yes." Seeing the two agreed, Song Siyun drank another cup of tea and prepared to face a bigger storm.
Yun Wanqiao was an exaggerator. Not only did she dance around her twice as soon as she entered the room, but she also hugged her and cried loudly, even forgoing her favorite snacks and stuffing them into her mouth. Song Siyun was almost suffocated by her, and had to drink two cups of tea before he could catch his breath.
After finally escaping from the Yun Mansion, he returned to his parents' feeding nest.
Each person had one round, and each round lasted for a whole meal. In the end, there was no limit on the amount of alcohol she could drink. They even moved a wall out for her to drink as much as she wanted.
The aroma of wine was tempting, but Song Siyun was just laughing dryly, feeling powerless.
She has never felt that eating is a punishment, until today.
She was supported by Cuiyu Quemai and others, who held onto the wall and came out.
As soon as he came out, he was met by a smiling Gu Yanzhou. He was dressed in a long, white silk gown, looking like a handsome and elegant gentleman. As soon as he opened his mouth, his true colors were revealed: "I knew Madam would not be able to walk today."
Finally, he raised his hand and led the carriage, his eyes full of gloating: "The night is late and the dew is heavy, it's a good time for a midnight snack. My brother and sister-in-law have prepared a dinner in the mansion. Madam, please come in."
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