After an unknown amount of time, Song Yue finally withdrew from Qing Chen's lips. A lingering sense of reluctance and ambiguous atmosphere remained in the air.
He pulled her into his arms, his gaze fixed on the dark air, and whispered, "Do you remember the love lock I gave you?"
Qingchen rested her head on Song Yue's shoulder and replied, "I remember."
“I know that the day you use it to lock the box is still a long way off. Facing the Ming Dynasty and the people of the world, you have ambitions that are no less than those of men. Like all those who are eager to break with the old and establish the new, you also want to use your own strength to try to change something. From the moment I first met you, I knew that you had this ambition and this talent.”
He let out a soft sigh and continued, "Shen Qingchen, I love you, and I will always wait for you. When the day comes that you are tired, weary, and want to leave this treacherous court, or even... when you finally see the world at peace, as long as you are willing, I will marry you and let you live a truly comfortable life as a woman. No matter when..."
After he finished speaking, he gently lifted her chin and said, "Remember what I said."
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Qingchen woke up a little late.
After washing up, she went outside and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. Her father's room was empty, and the quilt had been neatly folded by the servants.
She stepped out and went up into the corridor. The corridor was bathed in sunlight, warming her, and the snow beside her reflected the sunlight, making it look sparkling. The wind was not strong today; it gently brushed past the pine and plum branches before touching her cheeks, so she didn't feel very cold.
Good weather, good climate, good mood.
It seems like everything is just right.
At the other end of the corridor, Song Yue and Old Shen walked towards each other. He had changed into a dark green robe, and half of his body was bathed in sunlight, making him appear tall, composed, and refined.
Upon seeing her, he smiled and asked, "You're up?"
Qingchen stepped forward to help his father up, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Well... I don't know why I slept until this time."
“It’s the New Year’s holiday, so it’s okay to sleep in a little later. I was worried your father would be hungry, so I took him to eat first.” He turned to look at her, a slight smile on his lips. “You sleepyhead, are you hungry?”
Qingchen lowered his head and responded softly, "Hmm."
"Help your father back to his room first, then I'll accompany you to have your meal."
"Didn't you already use it?" She looked up.
“Who said I’ve eaten?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been waiting for someone all morning, afraid that if I don’t eat with her, she won’t eat her fill.”
Qingchen pretended not to understand and asked, "Who is this person? How dare he address the Grand Secretary and others like this? He is truly ungrateful."
He glanced at her. "Yes. How dare she keep this old minister waiting for her. What an ungrateful person."
After the meal, the steward came to report to Song Yue that Zhao Qiran, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, had arrived, accompanied by another person named Lan Tan.
Since early this morning, many people have come to the gate of the Song residence to deliver their visiting cards and offer New Year's greetings, but Song Yue has declined them all. Firstly, he doesn't like so many unnecessary social engagements, and secondly, Qingchen lives in the residence, and since it's a rare holiday, he wants to spend more time with her.
Both of them were busy with their own things and devoted themselves to their work, so they rarely had time to get together. In addition, when you like someone, you always feel like you can't get enough of looking at her, and even if you do nothing, just quietly being together is enough.
However, Zhao Qiran and Lan Tan were different; they were people Qingchen had met before and could sit and talk together.
Qingchen and Song Yue arrived at the front hall, where Zhao Qiran and Lan Tan were already waiting.
Zhao Qiran was wearing a brand-new robe, and on the table beside him were two strings of cured meat and a cured goose. Lan Tan was playing with the wolf fang tied to his wrist, and there was still a hint of unruliness in his young eyes. When he saw Qing Chen, his eyes flickered.
Zhao Qiran was also somewhat surprised. After Qingchen greeted them, he couldn't help but ask, "Lord Shen has come to wish our teacher a Happy New Year so early?"
“She didn’t come to pay New Year’s visits,” Song Yue answered for her. “She came to spend the New Year with me.”
Zhao Qiran was slightly taken aback. The Song Yue he knew disliked being disturbed in his life. Firstly, he was already busy, and secondly, he was indifferent and disliked noise. He kept business and life separate. He never expected that Song Yue would invite someone to spend the New Year together... He had known Song Yue for more than ten years and had never stayed at this residence for a single night.
“…Uh. By the way, these cured pork and goose are special from Lan Tan’s hometown. They’re especially fragrant when stewed. I brought them for you to try.” Zhao Qiran said, patting the cured pork beside him. “It just so happens that this kid isn’t in Yongping Guard this year. Now that he’s at the Eastern Palace, I brought him to wish you a Happy New Year. Regarding the matter of selecting a commander, it’s all thanks to you for sending him to the Eastern Palace. I’ve already told this kid that he absolutely must change his reckless and impulsive nature. Otherwise, while you’re patiently planning and scheming, we’ll still be holding you back…”
Zhao Qiran was still shaken. If it weren't for Shen Qian delivering the letter and Song Yue's timely and ingenious plan to extricate him, Lan Tan would have been in grave danger. Lan Tan was a promising talent, excelling in military strategy, but he was still too young. Therefore, Zhao Qiran was determined to teach his nephew a lesson he would never forget.
Lan Tan, who had been sitting, pursed his lips upon hearing this, then abruptly stood up and bowed to Song Yue, saying, "Lan Tan thanks you for your help, Elder. This kind of thing will certainly not happen again."
Although he seemed indifferent to his uncle's scolding, his expression was quite serious when he spoke to Song Yue.
Song Yue merely curled the corners of his mouth slightly. "Sit down. No one is perfect; everyone has their weaknesses. So-called strategy is about those with ulterior motives exploiting others' weaknesses to achieve their goals. Therefore, no matter how cautious a person is, there will always be times when they are caught off guard. Moreover, our opponents are a group of people skilled in strategy. They entered the court long before us and have more experience in struggles than we do, so our difficulties will never be few. We still have a lot to learn and prepare for."
"Sigh." Zhao Qiran sighed, "That old fox Xu Yan, watching him grow stronger and more greedy every day, yet we can't bring him down no matter what we do, it's really worrying. And there are so many people who are blinded by profit and forget righteousness, these days everyone only looks at the pros and cons and can't distinguish right from wrong, and he has quite a few cronies."
As Zhao Qiran spoke, he suddenly looked at Shen Qingchen and said, "If there were a couple more talented people like Lord Shen who would be willing to join us, we could set things right sooner."
Qingchen lowered his head slightly, "This humble official is still inexperienced, Lord Zhao is too kind."
"Shen Qingchen," Lan Tan suddenly said, "I heard you've also arrived at the East Palace."
She looked at him and nodded. If they hadn't come today, she wouldn't have known that this man, who had claimed to be her senior brother and offered to show her his notes but instead drew her a turtle picture, had also come to the East Palace. From now on, they would be true colleagues.
"I heard that on your very first day there, the Crown Prince made you kneel as punishment?"
Song Yue glanced at Qing Chen, something he hadn't heard about before. Why was he kneeling in the dead of winter?
Qingchen said casually, "The Crown Prince only asked me a few questions before letting me get up."
Lan Tan glanced at her. "That's not what I heard. He said you bewitched the king and curried favor with treacherous officials. He has quite a few misunderstandings about you and wouldn't let you get up so easily. I heard you sent someone with a message and a handful of snow, and he let you get up. What was that message?"
Zhao Qiran also became interested. "Although the Crown Prince is young, he is somewhat stubborn. I am also very curious about what words could make him change his mind in an instant."
“But it enters an empty nest, chirping sadly all night long.” As she spoke, Qingchen glanced at Song Yue.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Empress Chen."
Zhao Qiran and Lan Tan exchanged a glance, not understanding what the two intelligent people were talking about. Qingchen looked at Lan Tan and briefly described the situation.
Lan Tan looked surprised. "Wow, my junior brother is really smart."
Zhao Qiran glanced at him. "Do you think everyone is like you, reckless, impulsive, and lacking in intelligence?"
Lan Tan was somewhat unconvinced and showed off the wolf fang on his hand, "I am a military general, my kung fu is in my fists and feet, I lead troops into battle, how can I compare to him, a civil official."
Qingchen looked at him, thinking only that this genius general in history, the Dragon and Tiger General, was still just a handsome young man who needed an opportunity to prove his abilities.
She suddenly realized that the Chagatai Khanate wanted to have a horse race with the Crown Prince, so why not let Lan Tan ride the horse? If the Crown Prince won, he would definitely get some credit.
After chatting for a while longer, Zhao Qiran and Lan Tan left. Song Yue and Qing Chen saw them to the door.
On the way back to the house, he suddenly asked, "Does your knee still hurt?"
Qingchen shook his head, "The Crown Prince didn't make me kneel for long, so it doesn't hurt anymore."
“That’s because you can adapt to any situation,” he said, looking at her gently. “I know you’re easily envied, I know you’re capable of handling crises, and I know that worrying about you is futile. But I’ve always felt this conflicted.”
She smiled at him. "I'll take good care of myself. I promise you."
The third day of the Lunar New Year was the day when Gu Shaoheng and others were to visit Song Yue's residence to offer New Year's greetings.
After having breakfast with Song Yue, the two went back to their respective rooms to attend to their own official duties.
After busying herself for a while, Qingchen felt as if something was missing at her feet. In the past, when she sat at the table working, her kitten Shiyue would always lie at her feet. Since arriving at the Song residence, Shiyue had been kept indoors to prevent it from running around and causing trouble for the people in the mansion.
She glanced at the door and saw that it wasn't closed properly, with a crack in it.
Qingchen put down her book and went to the courtyard to look for it, but she couldn't find it anywhere. She asked a servant, who said he thought he had seen a cat, but it had gone towards the main gate.
Qingchen began to worry. Many servants in the manor didn't know she had a cat, and if they saw it, they would probably think it was a stray. In that case, Shiyue was likely outside, and in this cold weather, if she couldn't find it, it would freeze to death.
She thought for a moment, then immediately went out the door.
Just then, a luxurious carriage arrived at the gate of the Song residence.
The man stepped out of the carriage, his luxurious blue satin robe gleaming slightly in the sunlight. He wore a silver fur collar around his neck and a familiar cloak draped over his back. The face revealed behind the curtain was somewhat cold and handsome, his lips pursed.
Upon seeing her, he paused for a moment, "Qingchen."
Qingchen smiled at him and said, "Happy New Year."
Xu Silin walked over and nodded. "Happy New Year. You... you've arrived at your teacher's residence so early."
"No." She hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth, "My teacher saw that I was lonely during the New Year, so he invited me to his house to spend the New Year. I... came on New Year's Eve."
His eyes dimmed. "It was much earlier than I thought."
He had known for a long time that Song Yue treated her well, ever since he owed Lu Shenyun a favor because of her. However, he never expected Song Yue to invite her to his residence for the New Year; he simply hadn't anticipated it.
The moment Qingchen spoke, he suddenly wondered why he hadn't thought to invite him to the Xu residence for the New Year. If he had, he wondered if Qingchen would have agreed.
Xu Silin didn't dare to think about it too much; the outcome would probably not be what he hoped for.
"I have something to do. You go in first," Qingchen said.
"Where are you going?" he couldn't help but ask, even though he knew it was none of his business.
"My cat is missing. I have to go find it." Qingchen said anxiously, "I'm sorry, I'll tell you when I find it."
“I’ll help you,” he said without hesitation. “I’ll help you look for it.”
Qingchen thought for a moment and said, "Thank you."
The two searched for the cat on the street outside the mansion. Qingchen called Shiyue's name all the way, and Xu Silin heard her and called it along with her.
After turning a street corner, they finally saw a group of children. The children were huddled together, looking at something, and two of them were holding lit incense sticks.
The two walked up, and Xu Silin asked, "What are you doing?"
The children were so frightened when they saw the adults that they immediately ran away.
On the snow-covered stone path, only one cat remained.
A rope was tied around its neck, the other end of which was attached to a string of firecrackers. The firecrackers were lit and crackling loudly. They were burning very quickly and were about to explode on its head.
The tiny October baby was so startled that it meowed wildly.
Upon seeing this, Xu Silin picked it up without hesitation and went to remove the firecracker from its neck.
Qingchen's eyes widened, "Xu Silin..."
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