"Flower cake, not bad."
Xu Yunci's smile was obvious. He looked at the lantern that Li Shiyue was holding in her arms, and her fox-like eyes looked just like his own.
"Okay, if you like anything, I'll get it for you."
His eyes were overflowing with tenderness, as if he wanted to fill the space around him and envelop Li Shiyue. But Xu Yunci's attention was entirely on Li Shiyue; this blatant favoritism was truly reassuring.
Li Shiyue looked at the lantern in her arms, placed it on the lake, and gently stirred the surface of the lake with one hand, using the same method to send the lantern further away.
Li Shiyue stood up and stared at the two foxes as they stopped in one place.
Suddenly a commotion arose ahead, and Xu Yunci got up almost instantly, shielding Li Shiyue behind him.
"It's getting late, why don't we head back first?"
Li Shiyue reached out and tugged at his sleeve, looking at the other side of the bridge, which was tightly surrounded, as if a lively scene had broken out.
Back in the carriage, the others hadn't returned yet, so it was still just her and Xu Yunci.
He remained silent as always, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was leaning against the carriage wall, resting with his eyes closed.
In contrast, Li Shiyue seemed restless. She kept checking to see if Xu Lingzi and the others had returned. If they hadn't, she would spend too much time alone with Xu Yunci and would always think of the day he confessed his feelings.
Every time they spent time together, she felt ashamed, even after being rejected, she still felt uneasy.
It was already very late when they returned to the Rongguo Mansion, but the lights were still on in Shousong Hall. Usually, at this time, Old Madam Xu would have already gone to bed.
"Go and see if Grandma has gone to sleep."
Chunling nodded and strode towards Shousong Hall. Just then, a maid came out from under the corridor. She asked a couple of questions before coming back and shaking her head: "Granny Chang is inside. Would you like to come in and sit down, Miss?"
Li Shiyue hesitated for a moment, but nodded nonetheless. She walked in with practiced ease, and saw Old Madam Xu wearing the same jacket she wore during the day, turning prayer beads in her hand.
Lost in thought, the sandalwood incense in the bronze censer on the table in front of her gradually curled into small mountain shapes above her head before dissipating.
"Grandmother".
Li Shiyue lifted the beaded curtain in front of her and walked in, going to Old Madam Xu's side: "It's so late, Grandmother, haven't you rested yet? But your headache has flared up and you're feeling unwell again."
From the moment she walked in, Old Madam Xu's gaze fell upon the lanterns in Chunling's hands behind her. The two lanterns, one shaped like a fox and the other like a rabbit, were depicted with exceptional beauty and exquisite detail.
"It's not a headache, I was just a little worried because you hadn't come back yet. How was your day?"
Li Shiyue smiled and took Old Madam Xu's hand, her smile genuine: "During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are an unusually large number of people on the streets. Even Guo Shaoqing came to visit my cousin, but he returned a little earlier than us."
"Guo Shaoqing and your cousin have just gotten engaged. After they get married in the spring, your cousin will be the new bride of the Guo family. It's just as good for her to visit Guo Shaoqing more often now."
Old Madam Xu held her hand, her gaze involuntarily falling on the two lanterns in Chunling's hand.
"But you are the one I worry about the most. You treat everyone the same. When I pass away, you will be all alone. How will I face your mother?"
She sighed softly, holding Li Shiyue's hand tightly, and coughed twice, covering her lips with a handkerchief as she spoke.
"Grandma knows you have your own ideas and doesn't want to force you to do anything, but remember, you can't waste your whole life on those illusory things."
Thinking of Lord Yunyang, Old Madam Xu wished she could go back to the past with two long swords. If she could really go back, she would never marry her youngest daughter to such a heartless man.
“Jiaojiao, your maternal grandmother is not forcing you to get married, but after all your relatives have passed away, you will be all alone and will need someone to protect you.”
“If you were left alone in the Duke’s mansion, Madam Yang and Erlang are not bad people, but your maternal grandmother is afraid that if you are left alone after they get married, there will be no one to stand up for you if you suffer any grievances.”
Li Shiyue lowered her head and remained silent, but she carefully remembered what Old Madam Xu had said, and some of her words were indeed for her own benefit.
Having been reborn, she knew who was good and who was bad within the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, but what about outside of it? She couldn't live her entire life solely within the Rongguo Duke's Mansion; she would eventually have to step out of the Xu family's gates.
She could rely on her memories from her previous life to understand the Xu family's situation, but outside the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, it was a different story.
After all, even though she has been reborn, she doesn't have the ability to foresee the future and can't know things she doesn't know.
Seeing that she remained silent, Madam Xu had no choice but to stop urging her to make a decision. Her gaze then fell on the lantern in Chunling's hand.
How was your day?
She suddenly had a change of heart and thought of someone else, but looking at Li Shiyue's appearance, she ultimately didn't ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue.
"The streets were bustling, and there were many things I had never seen before. Moreover, I met King Zhao, whom I had never met before. He was out sightseeing with Princess Chunhui."
Madam Xu was surprised and thought for a while before she remembered: "Prince Zhao? Prince Zhao has actually returned to the capital."
Li Shiyue nodded: "Yes, that's what my cousin said too. It seems that the Prince of Zhao only returned this morning, just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"However, I didn't expect that the one accompanying Princess Chunhui was the Prince of Zhao, not the Prince of Yan."
There have been rumors that the Prince of Yan is going to marry the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Changping, namely Fu Yunning. However, the Prince of Yan and Princess Chunhui seem to have a very good relationship, so why is the person accompanying him today not the Prince of Yan, but the Prince of Zhao who has just returned to the capital?
"I suppose the Prince of Yan is also with his beloved."
Madam Xu sighed softly, seemingly exhausted. Li Shiyue got up and helped her walk into the inner room: "It's getting late, Grandmother, you should rest early."
"You go to sleep first, then I'll go back. I want to see how these lanterns are made so I can make some for my grandmother to hang up once I've learned how."
"It looks beautiful and novel hanging in the night, and it's pleasing to the eye. What do you think?"
Madam Xu nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, unwilling to go against her wishes. She lay down with a smile and soon fell asleep.
Li Shiyue tucked the quilt in before turning around and leaving Shousong Hall. When she returned to Chengyu Pavilion, she was exhausted and her head was spinning.
She fell asleep soon after lying on the bed, but her heart was racing and she couldn't sleep peacefully, as if something was chasing her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com