Chapter 291 Disheartened
Yao Qingling looked at Lin Shiyuan, her deep gaze filled with both worry and hesitation.
Aside from her own reasons, she also thought that they were now the Emperor's and Empress's people, respectively. The Lady of Xincheng Marquis had said that the Emperor and Empress's relationship was complicated.
In other words, even if they wanted to get married, it depended on what the emperor and empress thought.
Yao Qingling's situation isn't too problematic. She's divorced and already has Zhao'er. Zhao'er is the Marquis of Zhongyong, and he's not even a year old yet. She can easily say that she'll raise Zhao'er and support the Marquis's mansion until he grows up.
Even the emperor and empress could not easily marry her off.
The pressure is on Lin Shiyuan.
What if the emperor himself were to bestow a marriage upon them?
Lin Shiyuan understood what she was worried about and said, "If the Emperor bestows a marriage upon me, then I will..."
He dragged out the last syllable, and then fell silent.
Yao Qingling urged him to state his opinion: "Then what?"
Lin Shiyuan: "Then I had no choice but to accept it."
Yao Qingling glared at him fiercely and shooed him away: "Then don't waste your time, just wait for the Emperor to send your wife."
She grabbed the man and pushed him toward the door.
Unfortunately, the man was tall and heavy, and also skilled in martial arts; his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he couldn't be pushed away.
Not only did he not leave, but he also said, "What's the use of pushing me? Disobeying the emperor's orders is punishable by death. Do you want me to be beheaded?"
"..." Even if Yao Qingling had sharp teeth, she couldn't win against his words.
She sighed, sat down, saw the teapot, and poured water into her mouth using the spout.
Seeing her looking so wronged and upset, Lin Shiyuan stopped teasing her.
He held Qingling in his arms and said, "Nothing has happened yet, what are you worried about?"
Yao Qingling glanced at him: "But this kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later."
"If that day ever comes, I will take you and Zhao'er and elope." The man said in a casual, indifferent tone, then suddenly became serious, staring into her eyes, "Are you willing?"
She worked tirelessly, doing everything for the sake of the Marquis's mansion, for a better future, and to avoid being bullied.
But could she bear to give all of this up in the blink of an eye?
Yao Qingling looked at the man, pursing her lips; she couldn't answer.
She asked herself, "Am I willing?"
If the future is smooth sailing, if it's just simple meals, and the family is happily together like ordinary people, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, she thinks she would be willing.
Just like the peaceful days I had in the southwest.
But this peaceful life was soon shattered.
The war burned her home and all its warmth to ashes, leaving behind a broken and restless soul, all alone.
Living under someone else's roof, being bullied, and having no one left to protect her.
She finally met Zhan Xingzhuo, who was kind to her and wanted to protect her, but his attitude changed in an instant.
Yao Qingling pressed down on her lips and asked him in return, "You've worked so hard to get to where you are today, standing in the Golden Palace. You've strived for so long, are you really willing to give it all up because of me and Zhao'er?"
"Aren't you afraid you won't be able to face Lin Qiao, or your ancestors?"
Lin Shiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Their eyes met, but he didn't answer her.
After a long silence, Yao Qingling smiled and broke the silence first.
"You're right. Why worry about something that hasn't happened yet? The New Year isn't over yet, why invite bad luck?"
She picked and chose from the food box on the table, finally taking a pine nut candy and stuffing it into the man's mouth, then eating one herself: "It's the New Year, so it should be sweet and happy."
"Let me tell you, this was my first time eating at a royal banquet. I thought it would be full of delicacies, things I'd never tasted before. But it was just so-so. I even threw up afterwards..." Qingling frowned and fanned her mouth with her small hand. "Being an emperor isn't so great after all. You can't even get a hot meal. Don't you think so?"
Lin Shiyuan, with candy in his mouth, stared at her.
She deliberately changed the subject, and he played along, nodding and saying, "This is my first time eating at a banquet. It's not as good as the feasts the old men in the Southern Territory hosted. Let me tell you, I've eaten whale meat before."
"Whale meat?" Qing Ling's eyes widened, and she suddenly perked up.
She had never eaten one before, and had never even seen what a whale looked like.
Lin Shiyuan brought out paper and pen and drew a huge whale. Yao Qingling stared at it for a long time, but she couldn't imagine that the fish was bigger than a boat.
"It's so big, how are we supposed to catch it? Won't the boat capsize?"
"What does such a big fish eat to grow so big?"
Does it eat people?
"..."
Qingling kept asking questions.
On the other end.
Zhan Xingzhuo returned to his new mansion.
However, Zhou Zhining was nowhere to be seen in the mansion.
Even Xiao'er wasn't there.
I wonder if it stayed at Jinmantang.
Zhan Xingzhu felt a surge of annoyance: "All he does is run around all day."
The servants said that Zhou Zhining took Xiao'er to see the lanterns, but it suddenly started raining and they must be stuck in traffic.
Minglu said, "Second Master, it's so late, shall we go and fetch Miss Zhou back?"
Zhan Xingzhuo hadn't even had a sip of hot tea when he returned home, but he was still worried about Zhou Zhining, so he went out again.
The carriage was pulled out again before it even entered the stable.
The night rain was heavy, and the lanterns were all extinguished. Tourists who went out to admire the lanterns either went home early, sought shelter from the rain in shops, or ran home quickly with umbrellas.
Zhan Xingzhuo's carriage had to dodge pedestrians, making it difficult to move, and the sound of cursing could be heard from time to time.
Zhan Xingzhuo's expression grew increasingly grim.
He suddenly remembered that he had given Yao Qingling a lantern.
If it weren't for the rain tonight, and if he hadn't insisted on pulling her along, Yao Qingling would never have ridden in his carriage.
This is Zhao'er's first New Year, he should give her a lantern.
He then remembered that Yao Qingling always went alone during holidays and festivals.
She hid in her yard, making lanterns for herself to play with, and wouldn't allow anyone else to touch them.
He once criticized her, saying she had a strange temper.
But it seemed, vaguely, that the lantern he gave her was broken by Zhou Zhining. And that's how she became.
But in those years, he spent too much time with Zhou Zhining and forgot about her. It wasn't that she was alone; it was just that this was the only way she could be.
She didn't say anything and never wanted to cause him any trouble.
During those holidays, when she was out and about, was she ever delayed by a sudden rainstorm?
It seems so.
She came back late. After taking care of Zhou Zhining and her son, he saw her return looking disheveled and said that she only knew how to run outside and didn't know how to take care of the guests at home, which was impolite.
Zhan Xingzhuo suddenly felt a tightness and discomfort in his chest.
"Stop the car," Zhan Xingzhuo instructed the driver.
When Minglu saw him clutching his chest, she immediately became anxious and helped him up, asking, "Second Master, are you feeling unwell?"
"Then, this servant will go find Miss Zhou. You should go back to your residence and rest first. This servant will then go find Doctor Li and ask him to take a look at you."
Zhan Xingzhu shook his head: "It's nothing."
He glanced outside; it was a narrow alley with few tourists and sparse lanterns.
The small roadside liquor store was still open, and there were a few customers inside.
Zhan Xingzhuo said, "I'll sit here for a while. Go find her. Come back when you find her."
With that, he lifted the curtain and went downstairs, without even taking an umbrella.
Minglu found him to look even stranger than usual, as if he had lost his soul.
He snapped out of his daze and hurriedly grabbed the umbrella to chase after him: "Second Master, umbrella."
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