"I was thinking of going back to change first, do you want to come with me?"
Qin Wanyin naturally did not refuse, but she was called away by the Qin family halfway there. Before she even reached Qingji Hall, she stopped in her tracks.
Xu Yunci walked out of Qingji Hall. The moment he looked at her, there was a hint of barely perceptible joy in his eyes. However, when he saw the damp heat on her skirt, his eyes narrowed into slits, which made Li Shiyue, who was not far away, feel a chill down her spine.
She walked over, pulling at her skirt, and pressed down on Chunling's hand, stopping the latter from chattering incessantly in her ear.
"Who did it?"
It's simple and clear; it seems that in Xu Yunci's mind, she's someone who's easily bullied.
"I was bumped into because I wasn't looking where I was going. I was admiring the garden with Wanyin in the corridor when we ran into Prince Yan and Xu Yunyang. I was thinking of getting out of their way as quickly as possible."
Li Shiyue glanced helplessly at the hem of her skirt, a hint of regret in her eyes: "Then I'll go back and change my clothes first, the banquet will start soon."
Xu Yunci didn't speak, not even when Li Shiyue walked past him.
Back in the back pavilion of Qingji Hall, Chunling couldn't help but chatter on and on. Li Shiyue listened in one ear and out the other, letting them change her into a clean dress and come out. As a result, she saw Xu Yunci standing there without moving.
He was now facing her, instead of having his back to her.
Compared to her previous unease, Li Shiyue walked towards Xu Yunci step by step, her expression calm, and even very naturally maintained a distance of one person between them.
"Do you remember the polo match that my eldest sister organized?"
His voice was as deep as ever, and mist drifted from his mouth as he spoke. Although both were rubbing the thumb ring, Xu Yunci seemed to do it more appropriately.
His fingers were long and white, and not thick, but the veins on his wrists would occasionally peek out from under his skin and then disappear again.
Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze from the corner of her eye. Fortunately, the fur on the collar of her clothes covered her ears, otherwise she would have been a laughing stock.
Xu Yunci thought she was angry, and her tone was somewhat melancholy: "That time I promised to fight against my elder sister and His Highness with you, it was my fault. It was the Prince of Yan who used the Jingzhao Prefecture to lure me away. When I rushed back, you almost fell off your horse."
"It wasn't intentional that I broke our promise; I really wanted to be with you."
What could it be? It's probably more than just polo.
Li Shiyue was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to specifically explain this. But after thinking about it, she seemed to understand something. He probably didn't like her breaking her promise.
As she stepped into the corridor, Li Shiyue's heart never wavered. This corridor led to Liufang Pavilion, and along the way she might encounter Feng Lanyin, the Prince of Yan, or anyone else.
There are quite a few women who like Xu Yunci, with Princess Chunhui and Feng Lanyin being the two most obvious examples. Now that she has made up her mind, how can she back down because of this?
“I’m not angry. I know my cousin is capable. My husband doesn’t confine himself to the inner quarters. Like my grandmother, I am proud of my cousin.”
The corners of her mouth turned up, and the smile in the corners of her eyes seemed genuine. Xu Yunci was stunned for a moment, until Li Shiyue lowered her head, her red ears peeking out from her white downy hair, and he coughed twice, placing a fist in front of his lips.
That was close; I almost got captivated by her beauty.
"I'm going to give you this birthday gift. Don't worry, I didn't put it in the storeroom."
Li Shiyue smiled and shook her head: "I'm not in a hurry." Actually, she wasn't picky about anything. She was already very content as long as the important people in her heart were on her mind.
Thinking of something, Li Shiyue raised her eyes and turned to look at Xu Yunci, who was walking beside her. His profile was as handsome as ever, so handsome that it made people jealous.
"The Prince of Yan and Xu Yunyang, are they now acting so openly? This is my cousin's territory."
When Xu Yunci heard "Prince Yan and Xu Yunyang" again, his gaze became as cold as ever, no, even more piercing.
Looking at the tiles under his feet, Xu Yunci seemed lost in thought. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "This is the path they chose themselves. Neither my father nor I could persuade them otherwise."
"The Xu family is generally quite opinionated. My second uncle and Xu Yunyang just want to emulate the glory of my father and me, but this path will only lead to conflict between the two branches."
"As the heir of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, whenever I think of the 'Rong' character bestowed by the late emperor, I feel that I have not done anything wrong."
Li Shiyue's gaze remained unchanged as she reached out from her sleeve and tugged at Xu Yunci's sleeve, noticing a hint of confusion in his eyes as he looked up.
She smiled gently: "My cousin is not wrong. The one who is wrong is the stubborn person. Since he thinks he is right, let him do it. If my cousin tries to persuade him, people will think he is biting the hand that feeds him."
“My cousin supports His Highness for the sake of the Emperor, for the Empress, and for the Rongguo Duke’s Mansion. If he is willing to live a peaceful life, he will not cause those troubles. Under the protection of the Rongguo Duke’s Mansion, although he may not shine brightly in his life, he will at least be rich, honored and safe.”
"Just as my cousin said, everyone wants to emulate the glory of the Rongguo Mansion, but little do they know how much effort my cousin and uncle have to put in behind the scenes to maintain the family's wealth and prosperity."
"In my opinion, the reason why Xu Yunyang chose Prince Yan is that he wants to follow his cousin's example and support Chonghua Palace. He thinks he can do it, that he is no less capable than his cousin, and that he has the ability to assist Prince Yan, or any prince who wants to compete for the position of crown prince."
"But he is not resilient enough. He believes whatever others say. Everyone has their own ideas. He sees the glory of the Duke's mansion and his cousin's glory as the heir of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, but he fails to see how much effort and hardship his cousin has put in since childhood compared to his other brothers."
"My cousin wanted to use his own experience to tell him what is permissible and what is not. Since the other party doesn't appreciate it, why should my cousin bother to care? He might as well look at his own brother."
"My third cousin has returned this time and changed his ways, moving towards a bright future. Perhaps he will not become a great general, but at least under my cousin's good care, he has shed his previous playboy ways and has the responsibility that a gentleman should have."
"Not to mention my fourth and sixth cousins, one of whom has always looked up to his cousin since childhood, and the other is his cousin's younger brother from the same mother. How could they be any worse? Instead of worrying about him, it would be better for my cousin to focus on his younger brothers at home. At least they will appreciate your kindness."
"If you are grateful for what your cousin does, your other cousins will be more grateful than you will for what your elder brother did for you but not for what he did for you. If you only remember the bad things, it means that he is not a person worth treating well."
Li Shiyue smiled sweetly, meeting Xu Yunci's slightly surprised gaze. The conflict that had been weighing on her heart for days vanished like dark clouds, and she felt suddenly enlightened.
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