Suddenly, a gust of wind lifted the carriage curtain. Looking at the bustling street, Yun Qing closed her eyes again, her thoughts drifting to the distance.
Seeing Qi Xiao's expression, Li Huaiyin could probably guess what she was thinking, right? Knowing that she had someone so similar to him by her side, what would he think? Would he feel offended and wish he could get rid of her as soon as possible?
Thinking of this, Yun Qing trembled with excitement; his reaction was something to look forward to.
...
"Damn it!" Upon returning to the prince's residence, Li Huaiyin slammed the teacup on the table to the ground.
His handsome face was slightly flushed with anger, looking from a distance like it was covered with rouge.
Seeing that he had suddenly gone mad, Qingfeng stopped in his tracks and immediately knelt down, bowing his head silently.
After a while, seeing that the eldest prince did not make any further moves, he dared to step forward and carefully clean up the broken porcelain pieces on the ground.
After finishing tidying up, he seemed to remember something, his eyes darted around a few times, and he suddenly asked, "Your Highness, does Lady Yun have feelings for you?"
Unexpectedly, this short sentence made Li Huaiyin feel like he had been stepped on: "You bitch, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Your Highness, please forgive me!" Qingfeng was so frightened by the fact that he was about to get angry again that he kowtowed repeatedly, but he kept talking.
“I didn’t mean to think that way, but the man I saw today looks so much like you that it’s hard not to be suspicious. I’m just thinking about Your Highness’s reputation.”
"Alright, you may leave." Li Huaiyin waved his sleeve, signaling him to leave.
After Qingfeng had gone far away, a sigh could be faintly heard coming from inside the hall: "What reputation do people like me have left?"
Looking out the window at the flocks of geese, his thoughts drifted back to many years ago.
Li Huaiyin was born a favored son of heaven, receiving much attention and love. His father was the empress, and he had a very close relationship with his mother. He also had an aunt who was the general in charge of the west (here, she should be his aunt, but since it was a matriarchal society, she was his mother).
Although his father was unable to conceive again due to the physical strain of giving birth to him, and many other half-sons were born in the harem, as the legitimate son, no one could shake his position.
However, everything changed when Li Huaiyin was five years old.
That day, he heard that his father's most disliked uncle had a little cousin. Because of the new granddaughter, his grandfather, who usually doted on him, left the palace for the first time without him and even stayed outside the palace for a whole month.
Later, at the full moon banquet in the palace, he finally met his much-anticipated cousin.
When he first saw Yun Qing, he was stunned. In Li Huaiyin's imagination, the little cousin who had stolen the favor of his grandfather and mother must be an ugly monster.
He is already five and a half years old, not a three-year-old who knows nothing. At the beginning of the year, two of his younger brothers were born. He went to see them. Their skin was wrinkled and red like a monkey's bottom. They were not cute at all.
However, Yun Qing looked nothing like them. She was all white, and her eyes were rounder and darker than the grapes that were brought as tribute from the Western Regions. Her rosy little mouth was sucking on her fingers, as if she was savoring the ultimate delicacy.
Li Huaiyin became engrossed in the story without realizing it. What his grandfather said seemed to make some sense; his younger sister was indeed a little cuter than his younger brother—no, much cuter.
Otherwise, the Empress, who had always been at odds with Li Yujiao, wouldn't have looked on so longingly and reached out to hug her.
However, Li Huaiyin is not a child who judges by appearances, and he will not easily forgive this annoying younger sister.
He made what he thought was a scary face and leaned closer to Yun Qing, maliciously wanting to see her cry out in fright.
However, the expected crying did not come. Instead, a wet sensation came from his face, which was making a funny face.
"Ayu actually kissed you? This is the first time she's ever been so close to someone." A resentful voice sounded from the side. Li Huaiyin turned his head and saw his grandfather staring straight at him, as if he wished he could take his place.
Li Huaiyin was stunned again. How could this be? A baby who had just turned one month old had stolen his first kiss?
His father had told him that boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. In two years, he would no longer be able to play with girls. He was puzzled at the time, since there were no girls in the palace.
As a result, Empress Zhao told him that even as his mother, she could not make any overly intimate gestures towards him, such as kissing him.
After listening to his teachings, Li Huaiyin kept them firmly in mind and no longer clung to Li Weiyi as before.
Unexpectedly, a small full moon celebration caused him to break the rules he had always adhered to.
Li Huaiyin was on the verge of tears, but seeing the Empress Dowager's envious gaze, he also felt a strange sense of pride.
My little cousin gave him her first kiss. Does that mean she really likes him?
Since she's been so kind, I'll reluctantly forgive her and try to be good friends with her.
In the days that followed, Yunqing was often brought to the palace by Li Yujiao. Li Huaiyin ate and lived with her in Jinghe Palace until he grew up and moved into his own palace.
When he was fifteen, the Empress began to arrange marriages for Li Huaiyin, but he had no desire to get married and was worried about it all day long.
By then, Yunqing had grown into a graceful young woman. Although she was not tall, she already looked like a little adult. Her figure, appearance, speech and manners were all very attractive.
Seeing her cousin, with whom she had grown up, troubled by his marriage, Yun Qing couldn't help but ask curiously, "Cousin, what kind of wife are you looking for? Why don't you tell me, and I'll keep an eye out for her."
"What kind of wife?" Li Huaiyin stroked his chin, lost in thought. After a long while, he replied, "My future wife must at least be handsome."
"That's easy." Yun Qing clapped her hands: "The women that your royal uncle found for you are all famous beauties."
"No, that's not all. When I say 'good-looking,' I mean someone who is better looking than me, at the very least, at least as good-looking as you, my cousin."
"Huh?" Yun Qing pointed to her nose in confusion. "Cousin, it's not that I think too highly of myself, but someone like me is really hard to find. Besides this, do you have any other requirements?"
"Of course, besides appearance, the wife I'm looking for must have an extremely noble status and be proficient in both civil and military affairs."
"This, this." Yun Qing was speechless. Her status was noble, which seemed easy to say, but compared to the most favored prince, she was probably no match for him.
"Cousin, your requirements are too difficult to meet. Such a person simply does not exist."
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