His Yao Yao is back.
*
"When you were born, you didn't cry or fuss, and your little hand was smaller than a lychee... In the blink of an eye, you've grown up."
Xu Lian looks much older than before.
"Even when you were old enough to remember things, you kept asking, 'Why do other people have mothers, but I don't?'... You were too young then; the concepts of life and death were still too abstract for you to grasp at that time..."
Every year on this day, no matter how busy I am, I will have someone cook your mother's favorite dishes and try to get your two older brothers to come back and have a get-together.
Your eldest brother was ordered to go to Liangzhou and happened to pass by your maternal grandfather's house to visit. Your second brother led troops to quell the rebellion in Nanyue, and I don't know how he is doing.
Today is your mother's birthday, and in this Duke of Wei's mansion, only the two of us are left idle.
Looking at her father's sorrowful expression, Xu Qingyao didn't know how to comfort him, and her voice choked with emotion:
"Father, it's Mother's birthday, so naturally you should be happy. If Mother were here, she would also want us to celebrate her birthday happily."
Moreover… Father raised my eldest and second eldest brothers very well. My eldest brother is now favored by the Emperor, and my second brother can lead troops to protect the country. Mother will be very pleased to see this.”
"Yaoyao has really grown up. If Wanxin were still here... she could have personally prepared your dowry and sent you off on your wedding." Xu Lian sighed, looking at the child he had raised from a baby with deep reluctance.
"I plan to follow your mother's wishes and let you take all of her dowry with you, and then prepare another set for you according to the prescribed standards. When you get to the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, there will always be a time when you need it."
Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.
Xu Qingyao held back her tears, "Father..."
"Alright, you're such a grown-up now, and you're still crying like a child. People will laugh at you if they find out."
Look, your father hasn't even cried yet.
If Xu Qingyao hadn't seen the two lines of tears on her adoptive father's face, she would have believed it.
"Knock knock—"
There was a timely knock on the study door.
"Master, is it time for dinner? Or the usual?" the butler asked.
"Same as always." Xu Lian wiped the tears from his face with his robe, and reminded Xu Qingyao, "Hurry up and wipe your tears, you've cried your face all over."
Then they went out first.
"Remember to come over for a meal."
Xu Qingyao watched as her adoptive father's expression changed instantly: "..."
Who was crying so hard just now?
She didn't say anything.
Xu Qingyao held back her tears, took a deep breath, went out, and closed the door behind her.
She was genuinely hungry.
Dinner! She's here!
*
That night, the leaves outside the window rustled.
For the past month or so, Xu Qingyao has made it a habit to stand by the window at this time every day.
Tonight, as usual, I'm looking forward to what it will be like this time. Will it be the roast chicken from Zuixianlou? Or the latest style of clothing from Mingyuege?
She soon found out the answer.
Neither.
There are no amusing trinkets or roast chicken by the window tonight, but there is an uninvited guest.
Xu Qingyao blinked, somewhat surprised.
Why is he here?
Looking at the person leaning against the window with their arms crossed: "General... how have you been lately?"
“This is not good,” Xiao Zhouyan lowered his eyes, feigning sadness: “For more than a month, Qingqing has not sent a single invitation letter to the Zhenyuan Marquis’s residence.”
"I……"
Xu Qingyao was speechless. Yes, why didn't she send an invitation letter to the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence?
wrong!
"Then the general didn't send an invitation letter to the Duke of Wei's mansion either..." Xu Qingyao asked back.
The man laughed, half-coquettishly, and said, "It's my fault, please don't be angry. I'm here to apologize to you."
apologize?
Who would be such a kind person to come over in the middle of the night and stand outside a woman's room apologizing?
In the middle of the night? A lone man and woman? How can you apologize?
Cough cough...
Xu Qingyao's mind immediately started working, but she said seriously, "General, I think it's getting late. You should go back to your residence as soon as possible so that your servants won't worry."
"Yes, it's getting late." Xiao Zhouyan tapped the window frame casually with his fingers and placed the things he had brought by the window: "I came in a hurry and only brought some cheap trinkets. Do you like them, Qingqing?"
"It's jewelry from Mingyue Pavilion!" Xu Qingyao exclaimed, but fearing that the noise would wake Yuejian, she tilted her head and asked, "How did the general know that I wanted to buy some jewelry these past few days?"
"because……"
Xiao Zhouyan was about to complain and try to win over his fiancée, but when he saw the person in front of him whose eyes seemed to hold the stars, he gave up his previous idea.
Oh well, as long as she's happy.
"Because I am a disciple of the Taiqing Palace, I have mastered divination and astrology. With a simple calculation, I can know what's going on in your little head," Xiao Zhouyan said mysteriously.
"The general is known as the 'God of War,' but he also says that divination and astrology are his forte," Xu Qingyao pondered seriously. "So, is the general number one in martial arts or in astrology?"
"In my heart, Qingqing will always be number one." Xiao Zhouyan gently brushed Xu Qingyao's wind-blown hair behind her ear.
The moonlight shone on Xiao Zhouyan's robes, the dark clothes adorned with dark gold patterns, making the man before him appear even more unapproachable.
Xu Qingyao was momentarily stunned.
"I came in a hurry today, but I will definitely prepare a proper apology next time."
He left behind only one sentence and then disappeared without a trace.
They came silently, and they left silently.
It resembled a ghost, but with an added touch of coldness.
***
Outside a secluded villa outside the city, a carriage slowly came to a stop at the entrance.
If you look closely, you'll see three large characters on the plaque of the villa: Qingyanju.
The coachman dismounted first and deftly placed the footstool next to the carriage. A person wearing a black cloak then stepped down from the carriage.
The man looked around and, seeing no tail following him, went into the courtyard.
Judging from the back view, it's a man.
Only one room in the courtyard had a light on. The man knocked twice on the door, and the person inside opened it, quickly looked around, and then let him in.
As soon as the man entered, he knelt down facing the main seat.
“Master, over the past month or so, we have sent many people to assassinate the Duke of Wei’s mansion, but all have returned empty-handed. I have observed that the Duke of Wei’s mansion has not made any moves, as if someone is protecting the Duke of Wei’s mansion in secret.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a cup of hot tea was dropped from above, shattering into pieces and splashing a large area of water onto his cloak.
"They say you raise an army for a thousand days to use it for one day, but all the soldiers I've raised are useless trash who make me lose face."
Upon hearing this, the cloaked man bent over even more deeply and lowered his head even further.
The "master" he spoke of didn't seem to intend to punish him for his incompetence. The man in the main seat, exuding an air of nonchalance and power, said: "If our people aren't up to par, then we'll find the Wuxiang Pavilion. Ideally… on their wedding day, I'll give them a wedding that will cause a sensation throughout the capital."①
The person in the main seat was getting tired and didn't want to see the thing kneeling there anymore, which annoyed him: "Get down. If anything else happens, you can bring your head to me."
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."
The cloaked man carefully retreated and considerately closed the door behind him.
Only Chu Chengjing remained in the room, and he casually tossed the teacup beside him away.
"The Duke of Wei's mansion, I'd like to see how long he can protect it." A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, revealing a coldness that was completely different from the gentle and refined Second Prince that outsiders described.
***
The Zhenyuan Marquis's Residence.
Xiao Zhouyan returned to his study and changed out of his clothes.
Without lighting any lamps, and with only the faint moonlight, he skillfully bandaged his wounds.
The moonlight bathed his upper body in a silvery glow, making his chest, marked by training, appear as if draped in a silken gauze sleeve, rising and falling gently with his breath.
He sprinkled the powder onto the wound on his back while looking in the mirror. The powder caused a dense, throbbing pain in the wound, and his back trembled slightly as a result.
The injury on his right arm was more severe. He had been caught off guard and used his arm to block the fierce sword energy, resulting in a festering wound. Applying wound medicine caused the veins on his arm to bulge due to its strong effect.
After bandaging the wound, Xiao Zhouyan changed into the clothes provided in the study and sat down at his desk.
Picking up the message from Wei San on his desk, Xiao Zhouyan exuded a chilling aura.
What a fine second prince!
They really went to any lengths for that position, resorting to all sorts of underhanded tactics.
To prevent the Fifth Prince from gaining too much power, they decided to take the initiative and send someone to assassinate him at the Duke of Wei's residence.
If not...
If it weren't for the fact that after the imperial decree was issued that day, he planned to go find Yao Yao when there were fewer people around, and happened to intercept them all, Yao Yao might have had another nightmare.
So he returned to the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence and ordered Wei Yi to lead a team of men to secretly protect the Wei State Duke's residence.
Speaking of which, his future father-in-law is really carefree.
Is this a test from his father-in-law?
Thinking of this, Xiao Zhouyan sighed helplessly.
Wei Yi happened to be outside the door: "General."
"Come in."
Wei Yi pushed open the door and entered, reporting: "General, after that person came out of the Second Prince's villa, he went to... Chun Chi Garden."
"Didn't they come out?" Xiao Zhouyan asked, puzzled.
"No."
Spring Late Garden...
The residence of the Fourth Prince, Chu Yunzhan.
Xiao Zhouyan frowned, wondering what role the Fourth Prince played in all of this.
If you have no interest in vying for power, then stay away from the court.
Suddenly, he remembered something else: "Just stay by her side, and don't come back unless there's something wrong."
Wei Yi was surprised, but then instinctively replied, "Yes."
After Wei Yi left, Xiao Zhouyan sat down at his desk.
As autumn arrives, the weather gradually turns cooler, and the cool evening breeze lifts a corner of the newly drawn portrait on the desk.
By the moonlight, I could see the face in the painting clearly; it was Xu Qingyao.
But unlike Xu Qingyao, the Yaoyao in his memory was always smiling, as if nothing could bother her.
When he returned a few years ago, he secretly saw Xu Qingyao from the Duke of Wei's mansion. The face was exactly the same, but the feeling was different.
But this time when he returned, it happened to be the Qixi Festival. He encountered Xu Qingyao, who had gotten separated from her maid. He wanted to avoid her, but for some reason, he chose to meet her head-on.
He looked at the person in the painting, his fingers gently stroking the hem of the person's clothes.
He didn't feel this strongly when he saw her on the Qixi Festival...
This time when they met... he had a feeling that his Yao Yao had returned.
Thinking of this, Xiao Zhouyan gave a bitter smile.
The little ingrate ran off after eating, making him search for so long.
He even sent someone to find the wandering immortal Songfeng, just to find out how she was doing without him by her side.
Has she returned to where she belongs?
Did she eat on time? Was she still saying "I'm on a diet" while thinking about the milk tea from her hometown?
Are you still having nightmares...?
Do you remember him...?
However, judging from her demeanor during this meeting, it seems she has completely forgotten about him.
Xiao Zhouyan felt somewhat disappointed.
***
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