After returning to Chengyu Pavilion and changing her clothes, Li Shiyue came out from the inner room and looked around, but did not see Chunling.
"Where's Chunling? Hasn't she come back yet?"
Qiu Fan was guarding Chengyu Pavilion. She looked at Li Shiyue upon hearing the voice and shook her head: "Sister Chunling has not returned. She went out with you this morning."
“Then it should still be in Shousong Hall. Lian Dong, come with me to Shousong Hall.” Standing up, Li Shiyue did not wear a cloak. She had just changed into a brocade cloak with a dark pattern of sea and sky, over which was a cross-collared, flowing cloud-patterned, silver-white, light-colored, high-waisted ruqun.
The fluffy hair at the collar occasionally brushed against her cheeks, and her hair was simply styled, adorned only with a jade hairpin made of green stone and crabapple blossoms.
As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard of Chengyu Pavilion, Li Shiyue looked at the person walking towards her and was somewhat surprised: "Why are you here? Didn't you just return to the manor?"
Xu Yunci also changed into a plain green brocade robe, with a moon-shadow white cloak with dark patterns on top.
He walked up to Li Shiyue and saw that she was only wearing a cloak: "Why don't you wear a cape? It's freezing cold in the twelfth lunar month."
"A cloak is already heavy enough; if you wear a cape on top, you'll look round like a winter melon, which isn't good-looking."
She placed her hands in front of her, using the wide sleeves of her cloak to cover her hands, which were holding a warm hand warmer. It was very warm, and she could feel the heat inside her sleeves.
“I know you’re coming back to pay your respects to your grandmother, and I was thinking of picking you up so we could go together.”
Xu Yunci smiled and followed beside her. The two walked together at a leisurely pace toward Shousong Hall.
Seeing the obvious smile on his lips, Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze and said meaningfully, "I must thank you for thinking of me, cousin. I'm afraid people outside don't know what they think of me. The heir of the dignified Rongguo Duke's Mansion, I was the one who forced him into this marriage."
She spoke with a hint of barely perceptible grievance, and after finishing, she stubbornly avoided looking at Xu Yunci's expression, even avoiding his gaze.
Xu Yunci was very perceptive and immediately recalled the words he had heard from Li Shiyue in the carriage.
"That's their fault, what does it have to do with you? It was my decision to marry you, it's none of anyone else's business. I like you, so naturally I'll marry you and make you my bride."
Before she could finish speaking, Li Shiyue quickly looked around. Lian Dong and Chang An, who were following behind, kept their heads down and pretended not to hear.
She glared angrily at Xu Yunci, but he remained calm, and his smile only grew brighter as she looked at him.
"When did you start saying these things so fluently? If others heard this, they might say that I am the reincarnation of Daji, and that I used some kind of magic to bewitch the young master."
Li Shiyue couldn't help but smile, a faint smile playing on her lips, before turning her head away.
Xu Yunci seemed to be in a good mood, and cupped his hands as if to apologize: "It is Li Ze who is wrong. The County Princess is of noble character and I am completely devoted to her."
Upon hearing this, Li Shiyue immediately turned around, glaring angrily at Xu Yunci, and quickly interrupted him: "Stop talking nonsense. Cousin, you've been away from home for several days. Who taught you this method? Are you here just to fool me?"
Xu Yunci touched his nose: "Is it that obvious?"
Li Shiyue nodded, unable to suppress a smile: "It's obvious. He looks just as good as the young master Yang from the Duke of Chengen's mansion."
Xu Yunci raised his eyes and looked at her with a deep gaze: "You still remember him? He's just a jerk."
"I think my aunt and Eighth Sister remember it clearly too. After all, it's quite interesting that the young master Yang could make the Lady of Chengen almost forget her manners."
Li Shiyue looked up at him, then suddenly seemed to remember something: "Why did I hear him call you Second Brother? Are you and Prince Yang very close? The Duke of Chengen and his wife seem to be quite familiar with you."
"We are quite familiar with each other. Now that the Duke of Cheng'en is in charge of the Ministry of Justice, there are some connections between him and the Jingzhao Prefecture. Moreover, the Duke of Cheng'en is the Crown Prince's maternal uncle, so the two families have a fairly good relationship."
Xu Yunci didn't go into too much detail, as most of it involved the previous dynasty and couldn't be explained too clearly. Li Shiyue understood perfectly well in just a few words.
Since the passing of the late Empress, few members of the Yang family of the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion have displayed outstanding abilities. Previously, the Cheng'en Duke was not involved in the previous dynasty, and his official position was not Minister of Justice. He was a second-rank civil official with little real power.
It was only after the Prince of Yan was deposed that the Emperor handed over the Ministry of Justice to the Duke of Cheng'en for management, and even sent Yang Ke, the heir of the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion, to the Jingzhao Prefecture. According to Xu Yunci, it was the Duke of Cheng'en who proposed this to the Emperor.
"So, Prince Yang is actually completely ignorant of the affairs of the Jingzhao Prefecture. The Duke of Cheng'en's idea is to let him follow his cousin to gain more experience and temper his character."
Li Shiyue pondered this. No wonder that at the Chengen Duke's mansion, the Chengen Duke's wife's attitude towards Yang Ke changed as soon as she heard about Xu Yunci, and even the Chengen Duke showed great respect to Xu Yunci, a junior.
"That's one way to put it, but Yang Ke is a lively and active person who can't sit still. He must have been used to being undisciplined since he was a child. It will take a lot of effort to correct him so that he can sit there and handle things in peace."
Xu Yunci was telling the truth, after all, he had witnessed Yang Ke's carefree nature during this period.
As if remembering something, he raised his hand to rub his temples, smiled slightly, and shook his head helplessly: "Those words were taught to me by him, saying that I am too cold and that I am not liked by my mother."
"He said that women like to hear nice things, although I think it's useless, actions speak louder than words. But just in case you like it too, so I picked up a few of his phrases."
Seeing Li Shiyue looking over, Xu Yunci simply told her the truth. Sure enough, after he finished speaking, the smile on Li Shiyue's lips widened even more.
"You've learned well, but don't learn it anymore. Your cousin is right. No matter how nicely you talk, nothing beats doing. Your cousin is your cousin, so don't imitate other people's habits."
When Li Shiyue looked up and met Xu Yunci's gaze, she felt a familiar warmth on her earlobe and turned her head away.
"We were talking about those rumors, why did you change the subject, cousin?"
In the deep, white winter of December, the smooth stone steps underfoot seemed to be draped in a misty veil, making the thick snow crust on both sides appear exceptionally pure white under the sunlight overhead.
Deep winter is silent. A cold wind blows, carrying the top layer of snow from the snow crust, which then falls to the feet and even onto the hem of clothes.
"Alright, it's my fault. My Lady of the County has been wronged without any explanation. Don't worry, I'll handle it. Don't worry about anything."
“I heard from Mother that you should finish embroidering my wedding dress soon. When the time comes, I will have Changshun pick it up. If it doesn’t fit, may the County Princess help me alter it?”
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