Ten thousand families.
Chen Xiaoxiao walked in from outside. Yanran was applying makeup in front of the bronze mirror. Hearing the noise outside, she asked, "Who's here? Why is it so noisy outside?"
Chen Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at her, "Your young master Xie hasn't arrived yet. Aren't you tired of asking? Finish drawing your eyebrows and go wait outside by yourself."
Yanran took her time applying her makeup today, being extra careful with every stroke. She hadn't seen him since that day on the boat. He had been to Huanhua Tower and Miaoyin Tower, but had never been to her Wuxiu Workshop.
She was overjoyed to hear that he had returned from suppressing bandits today. He was on very good terms with Wan Ming of the Wan family, and he would certainly not miss his birthday banquet today.
But along with the news of his return from suppressing the bandits, there was another rumor that she found hard to accept.
In any case, it doesn't count unless she saw it with her own eyes.
After carefully finishing the last stroke, Yanran looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction, smiled at the bronze mirror, her bright eyes sparkling.
She nodded to Chen Xiaoxiao, then, holding her red dress, ran impatiently towards the Wan family's door, afraid of missing Xie Fu's arrival.
A beautiful woman in a red dress stood outside the high walls and vermilion gates, craning her neck in anticipation.
The Xie family's carriages were easy to identify, with four tall horses leading the way, gold tassels hanging above the carriages, and the Xie family crest on the sides.
When Yanran saw the carriage at the end of the long street, she quietly clenched her red dress with her hands hanging by her sides, pursed her red lips with rouge, and thought only of her beloved who was about to appear.
The carriage stopped outside the Wan family's gate, and a slender, fair hand lifted the brocade curtain, revealing the person Yanran had been eagerly awaiting.
The half-month-long bandit suppression trip, with its hardships of eating and sleeping outdoors, did not affect him at all. Dressed in a black robe with gold patterns, he stood tall and straight, lazily nodding to the noble families around him who greeted him. His beautiful, cold eyes reflected his usual nonchalance.
When the person stood before her, clearly with meticulously applied makeup, she suddenly felt timid.
Her beloved was none other than the ruler of Xiliang, the heir of the Xie family, who had once killed a woman who tried to climb into his bed. If she rashly approached him, would she be disliked by him before she could even exchange a word with him?
The tall and slender Xie Fu stepped off the carriage in a few steps, but instead of walking, he stood below, slightly raised his head, and looked at the carriage, waiting for something.
The brocade curtain on the Xie family's carriage was lifted again. This time, the hand that lifted the curtain was slender and fair, with fingers like scallion roots and a wrist like the bright moon. It was clear at a glance that it was a woman's hand.
Yanran's determination to step forward was abruptly thwarted by this hand, leaving her frozen in place, staring blankly at the hand that had emerged from the Xie family's carriage.
The others were also drawn to that delicate, slender hand. These aristocratic families were well-informed not only about important matters, but also about the gossip and rumors circulating in the Western Liang capital.
Shu Yun spent a long time in the carriage trying to figure out the structure of her dress, but she still couldn't understand it. So she simply picked up one side, lifted the curtain with one hand, and went out with the dress.
A face as bright as the autumn moon, with unparalleled beauty, came into everyone's view.
Her eyebrows were subtly drawn out at the ends, naturally dark without any makeup, and her clear, bright eyes were as pure as autumn water and ice.
Rumors circulated that the woman in the white dress was stunningly beautiful, and it was indeed true.
Yanran's gaze swept over the woman's face in the carriage, and her heart ached.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for the stunningly beautiful woman looked up and stared in her direction.
There is an inexplicable aura between people. When Shu Yun and the woman in the red dress looked at each other, they seemed to understand each other's feelings for Xie Fu.
Shu Yun watched her quietly, while Yan Ran bit her lip, unwilling to be outdone.
Seeing that she was holding up her skirt and not moving for a long time, Xie Fu assumed that her spoiled behavior had relapsed, so he offered her a hand to help her down.
Hearing his voice, Shu Yun snapped out of her thoughts, glanced at the hand he offered, released her hand that was lifting her skirt, and instead took his hand, leaning down to get off the carriage.
This harmonious scene was witnessed by the other prominent families at the Wan family's gate. The men were mostly amazed; the young master of the Xie family, who had always kept his distance from women, was actually helping a woman out of her carriage. The women secretly envied him, wondering when their husbands would be so considerate, and sighed silently as they looked at Xie Fu's handsome profile.
Some ladies and young women who usually stay at home secretly asked acquaintances, "When did the young master of the Xie family get married? How come we didn't know about such a big event?"
Her best friend, who was on the front lines of the news, explained to her in a low voice, "She's not married. I heard she's a female doctor at a clinic, so she's probably only a concubine at most."
"This is a formal banquet!" The woman, who rarely left her home, was somewhat surprised. "How can a concubine be brought to a formal banquet?"
"The young master of the Xie family is willing. With his status, even if he is a concubine, he will be a concubine of a future prince. Don't talk nonsense later. If it falls into her ears and makes her unhappy, we won't get along well in the future."
"..."
The whispered conversations around them reached Shu Yun's ears without missing a word. Her face remained expressionless as she glanced down at Xie Fu, who was still holding her hand, and walked silently beside him.
Xie Fu glanced at her and noticed that she seemed uninterested in the banquet and appeared listless.
Upon receiving the report from his subordinates, Wan Ming rushed out of the inner hall to greet Xie Fu.
Wan Ming, who had just arrived, was immediately drawn to Shu Yun, who was standing next to Xie Fu.
“You went out for half a month and didn’t come back. I thought you wouldn’t be able to come,” he put his arm around Xie Fu’s shoulder and patted him twice excitedly, but his eyes were still fixed on Shu Yun. “You came to celebrate my birthday as soon as you got back. You’re a true brother to me.”
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