He promised to marry her.
The bright moon hangs high, veiled by thin clouds, and swaying gently in the breeze, like a graceful beauty.
The Zhenyuan Marquis's Residence.
Moonlight streamed through the window, across the desk, and quietly fell on half of the face of the man who was dozing in the chair.
The candle had burned out, and the only light came from the moonlight.
The other half of the man's face was hidden in the shadows, like a lone wolf waiting for its prey to approach.
Half of him is a banished immortal, and the other half is Yama, the King of Hell.
On the desk lay palm-sized pieces of brocade, embroidery frames, and needles and thread, which had not yet been put away.
This was the scene that greeted Wei Yi as soon as he entered.
"General, the item has been delivered." Wei Yi reported on the matter entrusted to him by his general. "Miss Xu said that the sachet is exquisite and small, and the fragrance is elegant and not cloying. She likes it very much."
Actually, that young lady only said four words: "It looks good and smells good."
Although it's unclear whether the young lady was talking to herself or already knew who sent it and made such a compliment.
But in the end, it was a compliment.
Then he can return and report back.
Xiao Zhouyan lifted his eyelids, his eyes revealing no emotion, and nodded: "Understood. You should rest tonight. Leave the rest to Wei San."
"yes."
Wei Yi came and went without a trace.
Xiao Zhouyan tidied up the fabric and needlework on the desk and snorted, "At least she has some conscience."
It has been more than a month since the marriage was arranged, and the marriage certificate and betrothal gifts have been sent to the Duke of Wei's residence.
According to the regulations of the Great Zhou Dynasty, men and women were not allowed to meet for three months before their marriage.
So he sent someone to the Duke of Wei's mansion to find out what Miss Xu wanted to eat, see, and play today, and what she mentioned to her maid...
He wanted to know everything, big or small.
If it's available in the capital, I'll have someone deliver it to her in the evening. If it's hard to find, I'll send it to her after a couple of days.
With her keen observation skills, she must have guessed it long ago.
As long as I don't find him annoying.
Over the past month, Zuixianlou has delivered a lot of dishes, and the latest novels from the bookstall next to the teahouse have also been sent to the Duke of Wei's mansion.
She's still the same as before.
My biggest wish is to eat all the delicious food in the world and read all the stories in the world!
—Life is about gaining every extra day you live, so of course I can't let myself suffer.
Xiao Zhouyan chuckled, unchanged.
But... it seems his beloved doesn't remember him.
Xiao Zhouyan sighed. It's better not to remember. Forgetting those bad experiences will make it less likely to have nightmares.
"Xiao Zhouyan, if I can't go back, will you use all your wealth to betroth me and marry me...?"
—I know this request is a bit excessive, but I'm just using this as an excuse to ask for something in return…
—If you don't agree today, I'll ask you another day…
He nodded and said, "Okay, I agree."
And then...
Xiao Zhouyan came to his senses, and the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.
He said he would marry her, and he would not break his promise.
***
It was broad daylight.
Xu Qingyao had just fallen asleep.
There was no way around it; every night she could always find a story that got her hooked, and it was always a completed story, so she had to read it all in one go until the very end.
So she successfully stayed up all night.
To prevent Tsukimi from complaining, she got up to wash and eat some breakfast at the time when Tsukimi usually came in.
Then, she pretended to stretch and told Yuejian that she was going to take a nap and not to disturb her.
After closing the door, I lay down on the bed and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
When I woke up again, I saw Tsukimi's angry little face.
"Miss, did you read a storybook again last night?"
"Good morning, Yuejian." Xu Qingyao pretended not to hear, sat up, picked up the cup from Yuejian's hand, and took a sip of water. "What time is it now? Father is off today. Did he send someone to look for me?"
“Master did send someone to look for Miss, but she was sleeping at the time, so I told her she was taking a nap and that I would tell her when she woke up.” Yuejian angrily poured Xu Qingyao another cup.
"It's 1-3 PM now. Miss woke up just in time. The steward left less than half an hour ago."
"Good Yuejian, I know you're the best," Xu Qingyao put down her cup and pinched Yuejian's little face. "I know I was wrong, and it will never happen again."
Yuejian's anger subsided somewhat. She had knocked on the door several times without response, and had worried that something had happened to her mistress. So, without thinking twice, she pushed the door open and entered. Looking around, she noticed the storybook by the bed, and then she understood everything.
"Miss, this is not good for your health. The doctor said that you should sleep when you should."
Yuejian took the warm pastries out of the lunchbox. "Miss, have some osmanthus cake first. The kitchen just made it today. I think it's about time for you to wake up hungry, so I brought it over for you to have something to eat first."
"Yuejian, I knew you were the one who cared about me the most." Xu Qingyao took a piece of osmanthus cake and stuffed it into Yuejian's hand before picking one up for herself.
"Thank you, Miss. This osmanthus cake is delicious." Yuejian tried a bite, her eyes shining. It was even better than she had imagined.
"If it's delicious, I'll have another piece."
Yuejian nodded, inwardly marveling that this was absolutely the best osmanthus cake she had ever eaten; even the osmanthus cake from Zuixianlou would have to take a backseat.
*
Outside the study, Xu Qingyao ate two pieces of osmanthus cake to fill her stomach before coming over from Suxin Garden.
There was no one standing outside the door, so Xu Qingyao decided to approach and observe what was going on inside.
The people inside seemed to have known she was coming: "Since you're here, come in."
Xu Qingyao pushed open the door and bowed: "Father, what happened that you wanted to see me today?"
She saw that Xu Lian was holding a portrait of a woman, whose eyes were full of longing.
She asked curiously, "Father, who is this person?"
“It’s your mother.” Xu Lian put the portrait away.
She was the original owner's mother...
Xu Qingyao has no memory of her mother.
Xu Qingyao has been here for over a month and has investigated the Duke of Wei's mansion from all aspects.
They discovered that whenever the original owner's mother was mentioned, everyone in the mansion would fall silent.
"My father called me here to talk to me about my mother."
"Your maternal grandfather's family was once a wealthy merchant family in Yangzhou. Later, due to the war, bandits rose up and occupied counties and prefectures. To avoid the disaster, your maternal grandfather moved his entire family to Liangzhou."
I met Wanxin, your mother, in Liangzhou.
She encountered some thugs on the street, and I happened to be passing by. I intended to stay out of it... but I glanced at them again, and those eyes were etched into my mind. At that moment, I had only one thought: I didn't want to never see those eyes again, so I rushed towards them...
As you can imagine, how could my small frame possibly beat that group of thugs? I held her tightly, and they were furious that I had suddenly appeared... I was beaten terribly by them, kicked and hit all over my body with sticks.
Just when I thought I was going to die, her people finally arrived with others. Those people were terrified and dropped what they were holding and ran away, which saved my life.
Her people took her away, and I finally felt relieved and collapsed to the ground…
When he woke up again, he was lying in a clinic, surrounded by the smell of medicine. He tried to get up and move around, but found that he was in pain all over and had difficulty moving.
He thought some kind person had dragged him to the hospital entrance, but later he learned that it was Miss Jiang Wanxin from the Jiang family who had saved him.
They thought that after this, the two would never cross paths again.
until……
Lantern Festival.
He heard that the new dynasty was about to be established and that the imperial examinations would be reopened, so he decided to go to the street to buy some paper and pens.
He spent a long time selecting items at the stall when he suddenly heard someone ask the vendor, "Please wrap all of these up and give them to this gentleman."
It's a very pleasant sound, like a continuous stream flowing through a mountain valley, bringing new life to the vegetation on both banks.
"Young lady, you absolutely mustn't!" he exclaimed anxiously. How could he let a young lady pay for his purchases, especially a complete stranger?
"Please accept this, young master, as a way to repay your life-saving grace," Jiang Wanxin said with a smile.
It's her!
He recognized those eyes at a glance; they were clear and captivating.
"It's just a small favor, nothing to mention."
He said this.
Jiang Wanxin said earnestly, "How can a life-saving grace be a small matter?"
Looking into those sincere eyes, he felt something stirring within him.
"I thank you very much, young lady," he said, but couldn't help but add, "These days the world is not peaceful, so next time you go out, please bring more people with you."
"Is Young Master Xu concerned about me?" Jiang Wanxin wanted to tease him a little.
When she smiles, her eyes curve into crescent moons.
"Xu dared not overstep the bounds."
Xu Lian felt somewhat dazed, and even a little giddy.
By the time I came to my senses, the girl had already left.
The stall owner in front of him had already packed up his goods and was preparing to go home.
The stall owner was all smiles. As soon as he set up his stall, everything was bought up. Such a good thing had finally come his way.
"Where does this young master live? It's still early, and you have too much stuff to carry by yourself. Let me help you deliver it," the stall owner kindly inquired.
Xu Lian led the people towards his home: "This way, please follow me."
...
Soon, before the imperial examinations even began, another rebellion broke out in the new dynasty.
Xu Lian's father was a military officer in Liangzhou, in charge of some soldiers in Liangzhou. His father planned to seek refuge with the King of Shannan.
In just a few years, the King of Shannan successfully recovered all the regions, and the new emperor abdicated, passing the throne to the King of Shannan, Chu Huaiyuan.
When Chu Huaiyuan succeeded to the throne, he changed the name of the state to Zhou and set the era name as Zhengshi.
Emperor Zhou rewarded those who had rendered meritorious service, bestowing upon Xu Lian's father, Xu Qing, the title of Duke of Wei, and upon Xiao Nan the title of Marquis of Zhenyuan.
Xiao Nan was Xiao Zhouyan's father.
After Emperor Da Zhou ascended the throne, he quelled rebellions, subdued bandits, stabilized the borders, reduced taxes and levies, and allowed the people to recuperate.
The imperial examination system was reinstated in the third year of the Zhengshi era.
Xu Lian achieved the highest rank of third in the imperial examination in the sixth year of the Zhengshi era, and was personally selected by the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty as the Tan Hua Lang (a high-ranking scholar).
By this time, the Jiang family had already established a firm foothold in Liangzhou, made contact with a branch of the Jiang family in Yangzhou, and expanded their businesses to the capital.
He saw Jiang Wanxin again on the Lantern Festival.
Although he hadn't seen them for many years, he dreamed of those eyes every night.
After she left on the Lantern Festival, he inquired about her. He learned that she was a young lady from the Jiang family, who had come to Liangzhou seeking refuge and had only recently moved there.
After leaving Liangzhou with his father, he arranged for someone to secretly protect the Jiang family.
Including this year's Lantern Festival, this is their third meeting. However, the last time was during the day.
He introduced himself: "My name is Xu Lian, and I meet you again, young lady."
"What a coincidence, young master! Congratulations on passing the imperial examination!" Jiang Wanxin said with some surprise, as if she hadn't expected to run into him here.
She was holding a lantern in her hand, and was about to go to the riverbank with her maid to release it.
"It is fate that we have met today, as we have not seen each other for many years. How about I treat you and your servants to a meal at Zuixianlou?"
"Young master's kindness is too much for Wanxin to refuse," Jiang Wanxin replied.
...
Every meeting that followed was full of coincidences: the Zhonghe Festival, the Shangsi Festival, flower viewing, the Tiankuang Festival... He would always run into her unexpectedly, and the two of them would start chatting and laughing together.
Even outside of these holidays, he could still run into her, sometimes at Zuixianlou, sometimes at a teahouse.
Without realizing it, he had already placed her in his heart.
Or perhaps, from the first moment he saw her, he knew he wanted to grow old with her.
So on the Qixi Festival, he sent an invitation to the Jiang family, inviting Miss Jiang to a small gathering at Zuixianlou.
He confessed his feelings to her and waited anxiously for her reply.
Fortunately, she was also interested in him.
He explained to her that he planned to ask a matchmaker to visit her and propose marriage in a few days, and she agreed.
The process went smoothly: betrothal, asking the name, auspicious date selection, presenting betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony...
After their wedding ceremony, he and Wanxin lived in perfect harmony, their relationship as loving and devoted to each other.
Unfortunately, those days were too wonderful, so much so that he still can't leave them.
When Wanxin gave birth to her daughter, she suffered a difficult labor and severe bleeding. After giving birth, she was extremely weak and only saw her child once before...
He named his child Qingyao because Wanxin had mentioned it before.
*
"If it's a girl, we'll name her Qingyao," Jiang Wanxin said, gently stroking her lower abdomen.
The pine breeze ripples through the clear water, the crane's shadow drifts away on the distant road.
"how?"
Xu Lian smiled, his eyes never leaving his wife: "The name that my wife chose is naturally the best."
A gentle breeze ruffled her tousled hair, stirring his heart as well.
He longed to spend time with her like this again.
...
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