King Zhao remained expressionless. He glanced at Princess Chunhui beside him, ignoring the resentment in her eyes.
"I just got back this morning. I was away from the capital for a long time and saw a lot of local customs and people. I've just broadened my horizons. I've met several of the Fifth Sisters, but I haven't met this one before. So I guess she is the Princess of Yichang, personally appointed by the Emperor. Is Li Yanyan right?"
Li Shiyue looked at Xu Yunci, and seeing that he did not stop her, she stepped forward and knelt down: "Yichang greets Prince Zhao."
"Yan Yan, the name bestowed by Father is truly a perfect match for the county princess. If you have time to come to the palace to play, I am the most familiar with all the fun things in the palace."
The King of Zhao and this man were practically indistinguishable; born into royalty, he spoke with a simple-minded, honest tone.
Xu Yunci smiled, turned to shield Li Shiyue behind her, and handed the lantern in his hand to Li Shiyue: "Yan Yan is in poor health. Grandmother is worried about her being away from home for too long. It's time for her to go back."
Holding the lantern, Li Shiyue saw Princess Chunhui looking at her with resentment. Helpless, she secretly tugged at Xu Yunci's clothes from behind.
Xu Yunci paused, turned around, and pulled her wrist away from the sight of King Zhao and Princess Chunhui, regardless of what was happening behind them.
“A perfect match, my dear sister, you really won’t give up.”
King Zhao crossed his arms and looked meaningfully in the direction the two had left. In the blink of an eye, the two figures had disappeared from the crowd.
Princess Chunhui's eyes flashed with a fierce light, but then she thought twice and tugged at Prince Zhao's sleeve: "Brother, you have to help me."
“You are a princess, there are plenty of fine young men in the world, why are you so fixated on Xu Yunci?”
King Zhao spoke casually, picking up a rabbit lantern from a vendor's cart beside him and tossing some silver coins over: "Keep the change."
Princess Chunhui took it. The rabbit lantern had bright red eyes and wasn't very big; it could be held in one hand.
"So what? I want him. Xu Yunci is Xu Yunci. No one else can compare to him. Your Majesty, you have already said that I am a princess. So why can't I have Xu Yunci as my consort?"
“His elder sister is the Crown Princess. If he were to become my consort, his future prospects would be far more than just a position as the Prefect of the Capital. Anyone else would have already obeyed my every word.”
"He, on the contrary, cherishes and protects an orphan girl in his heart, as if afraid that others will not know that I am not as good as that county princess from the poor and remote countryside. It was only because my father took pity on me that I was given the title of county princess. Even so, it does not change the fact that she is a cousin who lives under someone else's roof."
"She even captivated my brother, the Prince of Yan, who asked to marry her as his Princess Consort. She's not worthy of him at all. Luckily, Father didn't agree."
King Zhao smiled and pinched the rabbit ears on the lantern: "You said it yourself, anyone else would listen to you without question, but that's Xu Yunci. He wouldn't do that. Isn't that what you like about him?"
Princess Chunhui remained silent. King Zhao looked up and chuckled to himself: How interesting. He just returned to the capital.
Walking along the long street to its end, you'll find yourself facing the moat, with a constant stream of people crossing the bridge.
Xu Yunci released his hand, lifted his robe, and sat on the stone steps beside the moat, placing the lantern in his hand on the water.
He gently stirred the ripples with his hand, propelling the lantern further into the distance.
"That is the King of Zhao, the son of Consort An. You must not get too close to him."
Li Shiyue chuckled, wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, and squatted down beside him, placing the lantern on her lap: "Cousin, what makes you think I get too close to other people?"
Xu Yunci turned to look at her, not joking: "The Emperor has many concubines, but among the adult princes, only the Crown Prince, the Prince of Yan, and the Prince of Zhao are alive. I didn't know the Prince of Yan's character before, but I do now. I haven't had much contact with the Prince of Zhao, so who knows if he's two-faced?"
“The young man’s struggles will naturally be resolved in his own way. You are a woman, and I’m worried that you’ll get involved and find it difficult to extricate yourself.”
"Don't underestimate Prince Zhao just because he is the youngest. Consort An is just a palace maid with no family to rely on. Prince Zhao is the only prince in the Emperor's family with a third of his family's wealth. Who would believe that he has no abilities?"
Li Shiyue simply sat down as well, placing the lantern on her lap. Without looking up, she kept her eyes fixed on the eyes of the fox lantern. When she saw this lantern, she thought of Xu Yunci.
"I will have no further dealings with them. Even when I go to the palace, I only go with my aunt to see my cousin. I don't wander around."
"But wasn't the King of Zhao in the capital before?"
Xu Yunci nodded, looking at a cluster of lanterns in the lake, a hazy glow of candlelight stretching into the distance.
"Before you entered the capital, the King of Zhao was sent by the Emperor to the border to observe the people's conditions. He only returned today, just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion."
“In previous years, the palace would hold a banquet for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but this year is different. His Majesty is furious about the corruption case in Huayuan County, and because the border areas have been hit by continuous snow and wind for the past few years, the people have been unable to get food and have been starving. His Majesty is now concerned about the people and is not willing to hold a grand banquet.”
"The Emperor truly loves the people. My journey from Yunzhong County to the capital has been peaceful, without any disturbances, even though I dared not delay. This must be due to the Emperor's diligence and skillful governance, and his appointment of virtuous officials."
As Li Shiyue finished speaking, she looked up and met Xu Yunci's gaze. The stars twinkled in the night sky, and the surrounding area was filled with the hazy light of lanterns and candles. The tenderness in his eyes seemed to be enveloped by the candlelight, shining brightly.
Xu Yunci remained silent, watching Li Shiyue's profile turn into a full view. His breathing deepened, and the tenderness in his eyes became even more irrepressible.
Just as Li Shiyue was at a loss, Xu Yunci turned his head and looked away. Li Shiyue relaxed and couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
"Your birthday is coming soon, is there anything you want?"
Li Shiyue was surprised, but then she thought about it and realized that Yang had said she would hold a big celebration for her birthday next month, so it wasn't too surprising that Xu Yunci knew about it.
Seeing that she did not answer, Xu Yunci turned his head and saw his little cousin staring at the lantern in her arms, looking like she was deep in thought. He did not urge her, but simply propped his chin up and looked at her profile.
“I want a lantern, the kind my cousin made himself. My older cousin told me that he had made them for everyone before, so I want one too.”
Xu Yunci chuckled: "What's so difficult about that? Is this all you want?"
Li Shiyue hesitated for a moment, then turned around and smiled sweetly: "I haven't thought of anything else yet. If I do, it won't be too late for you to give it to me, cousin."
"I'm thinking about what I want. At worst, I'll make some flower cakes for my cousin in exchange."
Actually, Xu Yunci didn't really like eating sweets like flower cakes. He preferred to drink tea with milk cakes, something he had been used to eating since childhood.
However, Li Shiyue was in high spirits, and he didn't want to spoil her mood by speaking up.
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