Chapter 734 A New Beginning [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
Yinbingzhai.
The two women, one inside and one outside, remained quiet for a while.
Changing the hairpin made Zhao Qingxiu much quieter.
It seems that the sound of the wind blowing the white jade hairpin pendant was too noisy in the early morning, so she put it away. In its place now is this pair of mandarin duck jade hairpins, which Ye Weilai also has, given to her by her lover.
Soon, under Ye Weilai's watchful gaze, Zhao Qingxiu resumed her movements.
She turned around, groped her way to the door, and welcomed Ye Weilai in.
[Wei Lai, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I'll make some.]
Ye Weilai said directly:
"Whether you eat or not is fine, I'll go with you."
Zhao Qingxiu nodded and wrote again:
Okay, let's go to the kitchen together. I'll make you something. Wei Lai, where's Tan Lang?
Ye Weilai pursed her lips:
"Tanlang has gone out and hasn't returned yet. He might be leaving the city this morning and won't be home."
Zhao Qingxiu nodded and went to the kitchen.
Ye Weilai followed.
Fifteen minutes later, in the kitchen where the servants had left, Zhao Qingxiu, blindfolded with a ribbon, skillfully made noodles.
Ye Weilai stood at the door, watching her as if waiting, without offering any assistance.
Zhao Qingxiu didn't complain and quickly cooked a bowl of noodles, then brought it over.
Ye Wei lowered her eyes, looking at the noodles, and didn't immediately take them. She said softly:
"Thank you, Sister Embroiderer. But I won't leave after I finish eating. I have nothing else to do today, so I'll stay with you."
Zhao Qingxiu silently tilted her head. Ye Weilai felt the blind and mute girl glance at her, and after a moment, she took her hand and wrote:
[Sister, you don't need to come with me. Go about your business. I might have to go back to Xingzifang this morning to that courtyard to retrieve all my luggage and belongings. Madam Pei will accompany me, so don't worry.]
Ye Weilai looked at her and repeated:
“You can go, I’ll go with you. Also, I’ll send a maid to inform Tanlang, we can’t run around without permission.”
Zhao Qingxiu looked at her.
They continued to hand out steaming bowls of noodles.
After Ye Weilai took the noodles, Zhao Qingxiu didn't answer and turned to walk towards the master bedroom. Ye Weilai followed Zhao Qingxiu with the noodles in her hand, as if she would go wherever Zhao Qingxiu went.
Back in the master bedroom, Zhao Qingxiu tidied herself up, got dressed, took out a long cloth bag, and held it in her arms, as if preparing to go out.
At the other end of the table, Ye Weilai had only eaten half of her noodles when she immediately got up and followed.
Zhao Qingxiu slowly stopped, turned around, and grabbed Ye Weilai's tightly clenched fist.
Having anticipated this, Ye Weilai loosened her fist and let her write.
At the same time, she took a deep breath, and a stubborn and persistent look appeared on the silver-haired girl's small face, as if waiting for her excuse or refusal.
But after a moment, upon noticing the line of words Zhao Qingxiu had written on her palm, Ye Weilai paused slightly in surprise:
【Alright, let's go together. You can also send someone to inform Tanlang... But after we get there, Weilai, please listen to your sister and wait for me in the carriage outside. I want to go in alone; I'm used to tidying up quietly by myself.】
After Zhao Qingxiu finished writing this line, she took her hand, lowered her head and turned her face to the side, pressing her hand tightly against her cheek, as if she were trying to please her.
Ye Weilai hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
...
It wasn't even dawn yet.
Outside the quiet courtyard, a luxurious car returned and parked at the gate.
There appeared to be three female figures inside the carriage. Judging from the silhouettes vaguely visible through the curtains, it was a graceful woman and two slender girls.
The cart remained parked by the roadside.
Zhao Qingxiu got off the carriage alone, without looking back at Che Yuan and the two women who were waiting. She walked calmly to the quiet courtyard and pushed open the door as usual.
"My lord, you're back."
The Fang sisters were guarding the courtyard. Fang Shengnan was resting her chin on her hands, lost in thought. When she saw Zhao Qingxiu, she instinctively called out to her.
Fang raised his sleeves and turned his head, glancing immediately in the direction of the door.
Zhao Qingxiu turned around and closed the door, blocking the latter's view.
She waved gently to the Fang sisters, as if to greet them or to give them an order. Fang Juxiu immediately fell silent and stopped asking any questions about what was happening outside.
Zhao Qingxiu held a long cloth bag in her arms and carried a lacquered food box in her hand. She raised the food box slightly and smiled faintly at the two sisters, gesturing to them.
Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan exchanged a glance, and Fang Shengnan's expression showed a hint of emotion:
"Thank you, my lord."
Leaving behind a pastry, Zhao Qingxiu picked up the food box again, leaving the two sisters behind, and headed towards the main hall.
Perhaps it was because a lady in white was present, or perhaps it was because she had been confined for a long time after the incident with Ouyang Lianghan, but the usually carefree and outgoing female knight-errant, like her sister, remained quiet, enjoying pastries in the outer courtyard. She was honest and well-behaved, paying little attention to or listening to the main hall behind her.
Zhao Qingxiu walked into the lobby.
Beside the octagonal table, a woman in white sat sideways, gazing up at the blue sky outside the courtyard, watching the clouds rise and fall.
Zhao Qingxiu walked over, placed the food box on the table in front of her second senior sister, opened it, and took out the delicious handmade pastries.
Yu Nianyuan didn't turn around, and asked softly:
"Is Seventh Junior Sister satisfied now? Does she have no regrets?"
Zhao Qingxiu nodded gently.
Yu Nianyuan sighed softly:
"The lingering thoughts will remain. Once you go back, you'll find yourself thinking more and more about yesterday's memories. Why bother?"
Zhao Qingxiu remained silent.
Hearing what sounded like Seventh Junior Sister writing, Yu Nianyuan turned his head to look.
The former, with his water-dipped finger, wrote on the table:
"Is there enough noodles, Second Sister? Should I cook some more?"
"..."
Yu Nianyuan was starting to lose his composure.
After a moment, she put on a stern face.
“Let’s not talk about noodles today, let’s be serious.” He paused, then added, “At least not here. We can’t stay here any longer. Let’s get down to business.”
Zhao Qingxiu seemed not to hear and walked towards the kitchen.
Yu Nianyuan frowned slightly:
“I’m not hungry, Seventh Junior Sister, you don’t need to bother. Unless you’re hungry and want to eat, come here first. I’ll tell you about the arrangements for returning to Jianze. The people who are picking you up have already arrived. You don’t need to stay. We’ll take care of Xunyang City. As we said yesterday, don’t get involved…”
Zhao Qingxiu shook her head, the crisp sound of the icy white jade hairpin gone, and she remained quiet.
Yu Nianyuan paused, then asked slowly, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Qingxiu went over and wrote:
"I'm not going back. Second Senior Sister, have a bowl of noodles before you leave."
Yu Nianyuan's originally languid and gentle temperament suddenly changed, like a sharp sword that had been removed from its gentle and thick scabbard.
"What did you say?"
Zhao Qingxiu continued writing:
[If there's anything else you need from me, Second Senior Sister, just let me know.]
Yu Nianyuan took a deep breath.
She glanced around the empty lobby, mentally reviewing the situation, and suddenly realized that her seventh junior sister's negotiation skills were also top-notch.
From yesterday until now, Seventh Sister has been pushing her limits step by step, just like when she was haggling... She's a master negotiator, isn't she?
This time, Yu Nianyuan made his stance clear.
She waved her hand decisively, interrupting Zhao Qingxiu from writing:
"No, absolutely not."
Yu Nianyuan placed his hand on Zhao Qingxiu's shoulder and said earnestly:
"Seventh Junior Sister, let me remind you again, you now only have two choices, one of which is the best outcome I can get for you. Choose carefully."
"The first option is for you to listen to me and go back to Jianze right now."
"In Xunyang City, your senior sister will not let you have any worries and will not hurt Ouyang Lianghan. Also, there is a new condition that I did not finish telling you yesterday, so listen carefully."
Yu Nianyuan said gently:
"If you go back now, I will try my best to persuade Senior Sister that the Buddha is the credit that Ouyang Lianghan wants. I can help Ouyang Lianghan by making him hide first. When it comes to the aftermath, we will cooperate with him before we leave so that he can get a credit for recapturing Xunyang City. Having this credit is better than being blamed and punished by the court. He might even get a promotion."
"You should know that although he is still nominally the governor of Jiangzhou in Xunyang City today, he is no longer in charge. He is just a scholar and cannot control the current situation."
"Ah..." Zhao Qingxiu was somewhat lost in thought, her mouth slightly open. Yu Nianyuan didn't give her a chance to write, and continued speaking, though her voice was a little louder:
"The second option is that you don't have to go back. I don't blame you, Senior Sister, and I even understand you a little. But I won't be able to explain myself if I go back. I don't care about myself, but I can't control what Senior Sister will do next."
"Perhaps today, Senior Sister doesn't have time to deal with you, but once the matter of the Great Buddha is settled, Senior Sister will have plenty of time. At that time, as long as you are not running away from home or wandering the world, as long as you are still in Jiangzhou, Senior Sister will be able to come to your door. Besides, even if I turn a blind eye and let you run away, do you really think you can escape? Senior Sister has never failed to catch anyone she wants to catch."
Yu Nianyuan spoke with deep meaning, as if she were thinking of someone who had made Xue Zhongzhu suffer a setback. She slightly changed her words at one point, but the oppressive feeling in her voice was still undeniable.
Zhao Qingxiu stood slenderly in front of the door, her second senior sister's heavy hand pressing down on her thin shoulders like an iron hammer.
She was blind; everything in front of her was black.
Unable to speak, a thousand words remained stuck in his throat.
Her slender frame swayed slightly.
She seemed to be shaking her head.
Yu Nianyuan felt a pang of pity and tenderness at the sight, and loosened his grip on her hand slightly, but then hardened his heart again.
He stated frankly:
"Looking ahead, there are only these two paths. Think it over carefully, lest you make a mistake that you'll regret forever. You know Senior Sister's temperament; if the higher-ups intervene..."
She earnestly advised:
"Seventh Junior Sister, many irreparable things in this world are caused by the inability of both sides to compromise. I am very worried to see your relationship with Senior Sister cracked because of a man from the foot of the mountain. I really don't want to see that."
"That's why I'm doing everything I can to help you, to look after Ouyang Lianghan for you, and I can even add a little more by secretly giving him a Yunmeng Token. In the future, he'll be considered someone under Jianze's protection. As long as he hides it well, it won't affect his career in the pseudo-Zhou..."
"Seventh Junior Sister, don't be willful, make a more rational choice."
Yu Nianyuan cast a sincere glance at Zhao Qingxiu.
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly raised her hand and grabbed Yu Nianyuan's hand that was on her shoulder. She lowered her head to write. Yu Nianyuan had never seen this gentle and kind junior sister so strong and resolute.
No reply
Yu Nianyuan stared at Zhao Qingxiu for a while, then suddenly asked:
"You intend to violate the rules of the Ancestral Hall and betray Jianze?"
Zhao Qingxiu shook her head just as firmly:
[Regarding responsibility, I will not let down my senior sister, nor will I let down our sect. The burden left by our master before he passed away cannot be borne by my senior sister alone. And that abyss cannot be left for my senior sister to face alone; that would be unfair.]
"Then why are you still so insistent?"
Zhao Qingxiu bravely wrote:
[The two are not in conflict. I will handle these matters and face them. Second Senior Sister, please have Eldest Senior Sister come over. I will try my best to get her to accept Tanlang.]
[I will not betray the sect. I will shoulder the responsibilities that Yue Chuzi should bear, and I will do my best to share the burden for you and Senior Sister. As for the matter of that abyss, it was Yue Chuzi who should have been the first to bear the brunt. Over the years, we have been young, and Senior Sister has always been at the forefront, working the hardest. I have always known in my heart that I will not let Senior Sister down, but...]
Second Senior Sister, I'm greedy, I want it all. I won't let Jianze down, nor will I let him down.
But I will not marry, nor will I violate the rules of the Ancestral Hall. I was a child bride who was divorced, and I still am. However, my lover and I are husband and wife, and I long to stay together for a long time, even though I know it will be difficult.
Second Senior Sister, when I still had my eyes, I read an ancient saying in a book: "Cherish the spring blossoms, never forget the joyful times. If I live, I will return; if I die, I will forever yearn for you."
I feel the same way. I cherish the happy times I spent with him in this courtyard and will never forget those days. If I am fortunate enough to live, I will definitely return to his side. If I am unfortunate enough to die, I will always miss him.
Yu Nianyuan frowned more and more as he listened.
"Don't mention life and death. We and the sect will never let you die. But junior sister, do you think it's realistic to have it all? Sometimes, when it comes to feelings, it's not enough for one person to just say 'I'm willing.' It requires both parties to work together and strive together."
"So, are you sure your fiancé is willing to face and take responsibility with you? Are you sure he won't back down at some point?"
"Furthermore, what if he is interested in something you refused outright? Have you thought about it for him? What gives you the right to make decisions for him? Are you so sure that his choice will always be the same as yours? I doubt it. These are all unknowns. But Seventh Sister, you've made a decision based on a single impulse and are heading down a path of no return. Isn't that a bit too risky? Your courage is commendable, but it's reckless."
"Senior sister never intended to break up couples, but rather to make things good for you, him, and everyone else. These choices are based on the many things that senior sister and I have seen and the advice we have given. The reason why being willful is willful is because it will eventually lead to regret. When you look back, it can be summed up in two words: willful."
Zhao Qingxiu paused for a moment, then firmly shook her head:
No, my love is braver than me.
Yu Nianyuan stared at her for a while, then suddenly waved his hand to interrupt Zhao Qingxiu from writing:
"Don't jump to conclusions yet. When you go back, you can tell Ouyang Lianghan our true identities directly, or you can simply say that I've come. Tell him both of these options, or you can tell his elders in his family and let them choose. In the current situation, let's see which path they choose."
"This way you can avoid wishful thinking. What if they have their own ideas? Of all the choices, you've always been determined to choose him, but can you be sure that he and his family will be determined to choose you? It's not that he will betray you. Well, maybe he likes you very much and is reluctant to part with you. But if he is more mature and rational, if he thinks that the other path is better for both of you, maximizing the interests of both parties, and apart from not being able to be together all the time, you both have a bright future, why not part amicably?"
Yu Nianyuan asked in a meaningful tone:
"When you look back at this absolute certainty later, won't you feel a sense of desolation and absurdity?"
The lobby was completely silent.
(End of this chapter)
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