Chapter 232: Xiwu Street, the Place of First Encounter
At midnight, the person in Xiao Qingxu's arms suddenly moved.
Xiao Qingxu woke up in shock. "What's wrong? Are you hungry? Is it hurting somewhere?"
Shang Yuwan raised her head and looked at him, "I can't sleep."
The warm body and heartbeat were real, but she still felt a little uneasy in her heart.
Shang Yuwan saw that he was too shy and suddenly kissed him with bad intentions. At this time, Xiao Qingxu raised his eyebrows.
"Since you can't sleep, why don't you tell me, when did you start liking me?"
Shang Yuwan was stunned.
The smile on Xiao Qingxu's lips grew wider and wider. "I remember someone said that if we were to talk about who liked who first, it would definitely be 'me'~"
Shang Yuwan narrowed her eyes and said, "Okay."
"You've all learned bad habits, haven't you?"
"Tell me about it."
"When I first arrived in Kyoto, you were the first person besides Twelve to help me." Shang Yuwan blinked, "Do you still remember?"
Xiao Qingxu was stunned. "Didn't we first meet in the palace? There was a banquet in the palace that year, but I didn't go. I don't know how you found me, used the branches of the locust tree as a cover, and secretly lay on the top of the wall to watch me."
Xiao Qingxu, who lost his mother at a young age and was a bit of a loner, had already found an excuse not to attend the banquet before it began. Shang Yuwan was brought into the palace by Lu Xu for the banquet. Perhaps they had taken the wrong road or something, but Xiao Qingxu was sitting by the window practicing calligraphy when he looked up and saw a little head hiding behind the branches of a locust tree, peeking at him.
Shang Yuwan thought about it and said, "It seems... that's what happened? He was arrested at that time, and then you went there too."
At that time, Xiao Qingxu was highly regarded by Emperor Chengming. When she peeked like that, she was immediately dragged before Emperor Chengming to be questioned. No matter how reluctant Xiao Qingxu was, she had to go to the banquet.
However, Emperor Chengming did not punish her for this matter, and Xiao Qingxu also wanted to exonerate her, so he just casually let it go with a few words.
Shang Yuwan suddenly sighed, "Did you like me then?"
"...Maybe?" Xiao Qingxu nodded. "I was too young then to understand the meaning of young Mu Ai. I just felt that you were different from others."
"What's the difference?"
"Your eyes are clean."
Unlike the people in Kyoto, whose eyes are covered with something, either cloudy or hypocritical.
The first thing Xiao Qingxu saw when he looked at the top of the wall was the moment when Shang Yuwan hid behind the branches of the locust tree and looked into his eyes.
Amber eyes were hidden among the branches and leaves, looking at him with a smile - Xiao Qingxu's heart skipped a beat unconsciously.
However, Xiao Qingxu didn't know what love was at that time. He just thought that those eyes were the purest things in the world, so he subconsciously protected Shang Yuwan in front of Emperor Chengming.
Shang Yuwan smiled mysteriously: "But our first meeting was not in the palace."
Xiao Qingxu asked: "Where is that?"
He thought about it carefully and realized that he had never seen Shang Yuwan before in the palace.
Shang Yuwan smiled and said, "You once protected someone on Seibu Street in Kyoto. Do you remember?"
Xiao Qingxu was stunned, "Xiwu Street?"
Shang Yuwan hummed softly, "I first came to Kyoto when I was five years old. I'm not as elegant, reserved, gentle and quiet as those noble ladies, and not many people know me."
At that time, she was full of curiosity about Kyoto, and after getting Lu Xu's consent, she took Twelve out for a stroll.
At that time, a nobleman happened to be bullying a woman who couldn't afford medicine. Shang Yuwan had been taught by Shang Junhu since childhood not to use sharp blades against ordinary people, and certainly not to bully the weak. Seeing someone trying to bully a weak woman, how could she tolerate it? She immediately stood up and blocked the woman's way.
"Whose son are you? How dare you bully others like this? You're really bringing shame to your family!"
Shang Yuwan had heard that some young masters in Kyoto did not treat the common people as human beings, but after actually seeing it now, he still found it a little unbelievable.
Both my mother and father had said that some people's wealth and glory were built on the little efforts of the common people. Having received the kindness of the common people, they naturally shouldered the responsibility of protecting them and must not bully them.
There were no such people in Yanmen City—or perhaps there were, but they must have been suppressed by her father. Yanmen City was a military fortress, and Shang Junhu hated those who bullied the weak. With him leading the way, no one else dared to act rashly.
Twelve took advantage of the situation and kicked away the two servants who were holding the woman, pulled them behind him, and then stared at the young man and his servants with a fierce look. The young man brought seven or eight people with him, and was very ostentatious.
The young man was ten years older than Shang Yuwan. He was fat and had big ears. His eyes were so small that others couldn't tell whether he had his eyes open or closed. When he stood in front of Shang Yuwan, his shadow was enough to cover her entire body.
"Where did you come from, little idiot? You know nothing and yet you accuse me of bullying? This is my family's pharmacy! It's the same if she can't pay for the medicine and uses her body in exchange. She's been in arrears with the medicine for so many times, and she's just using her body to exchange. I'm clearly helping her!"
Shang Yuwan was furious and pointed at the sobbing and huddled woman: "But she clearly doesn't want to!"
The two sides argued for a while, and then the young man became impatient and slapped Twelve when Shang Yuwan secretly signaled him to take his men away.
"You are a little girl who hasn't even grown all her hair yet, why are you meddling in my business?"
The young man's little finger nail was a bit long. Shang Yuwan had never thought that he could be so shameless as to hit a child in public. She was caught off guard and the tip of the nail hit her eye.
"Ouch!" Shang Yuwan covered his face and eyes and turned around subconsciously. His right eye and cheek were burning with pain.
"Miss! Are you okay?" The woman was startled and immediately went forward to check on Shang Yuwan. She didn't expect a child to stand up to help her, and she didn't expect to drag this child down.
Twelve didn't realize at the time that this young man dared to hit Shang Yuwan. His face changed and he immediately clenched his fists and wanted to hit back.
But before she could stretch out her arms, she heard a clear voice: "Hit."
The young master didn't notice anything was wrong and was smugly saying, "Right! Hit me! Don't you see who I am...Ah!!"
A black shadow flashed in front of the young man, followed by a crisp applause, and then he let out a scream, covering his face and rolling on the ground.
"My eyes! My face!"
Before the seven or eight servants could come to their senses, slaps fell on their faces like rain. They all fell to the ground and screamed in pain.
After the slap in the face, the black shadow stood still, and Twelve could see clearly that the black shadow was a man.
Twelve: "..." Did this person just fly here? So fast.
Shang Yuwan shed two tears in pain, and her hair, which was tied up when she went out today, was blown halfway and just covered her face.
Realizing that someone was venting her anger, Shang Yuwan secretly opened her fingers a little, and what appeared in her blurred vision was a pair of black boots and a snow-white hem of the dress.
"girl."
When Shang Yuwan heard the clear voice, he looked up quietly.
With thin eyebrows and long eyes, he looked like a kind bodhisattva. Although he looked not much older than her, his aura and demeanor were much calmer than hers.
He handed her a Supa and said, "It's okay." If those people wanted to fight back, he would just ask Lou Ke to beat them to death.
Shang Yuwan discovered that the young man was as tall as her. Perhaps because her hair covered her face, the young man could not see her face clearly.
He took out the ointment from his pocket and asked again, "This jade ice ointment can reduce swelling and relieve pain. Would you like to use some?"
Shang Yuwan looked at the young master through the gaps between her fingers and hair.
There were children as tall as her, but for some reason, only the person in front of her gave her a completely different feeling from the others.
The young man who was slapped in the face struggled to stand up.
"Who! Who hit me?"
"Stupid thing, why don't you help me up!"
After standing firm, the young master pointed at the young master's nose and cursed: "Whose little brat are you? How dare you interfere in my affairs - Huang Gongzi!"
The young master saw the young master's face clearly, and when his eyes met the young master's gaze, he immediately changed his words.
He suddenly changed his tune mid-sentence, and Twelve couldn't help but look over curiously. What kind of aristocratic family could this child be so frightened by this shameless young man who would slap even a child?
Seeing that the young master had his eyes on her again, Shang Yuwan shook her head, indicating that she didn't need the Yubing Cream.
Seeing this, the young master nodded and put the Jade Ice Cream back. Shang Yuwan looked at him, glanced at the young master, and asked her, "This young master of the Li family is very narrow-minded. Do you need me to send someone to take you home?"
This person spoke without reservation, causing Shang Yuwan to almost laugh out loud.
Perhaps because he saw that she didn't say anything and thought she was scared, the young man turned his head to look at the young man who was much taller than him.
"This young master has taken note of today's incident on behalf of Master Li. If Master Li has nothing else to do and wants to have some fun, he should also consider where your father's reputation in Kyoto will be."
The young man's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he nodded repeatedly.
"roll."
"Okay, okay, I'll get out of here, I'll get out of here..."
"It's you." Xiao Qingxu looked at Shang Yuwan, a gleam in his eyes, and reached out to gently touch the tip of her nose.
"You always love to stand up for others."
When he was disfigured by someone, Shang Yuwan also argued for him so vigorously, unwilling to give in at all, and even indirectly cursed Xiao Qingji several times - as long as Xiao Qingxu had no chance of becoming emperor, the person who would benefit the most would be Xiao Qingji, this was an obvious fact.
But no matter how angry Shang Yuwan was, he had to consider Xiao Qingji's reputation as the second prince and the reputation of the royal family. Besides, there was no evidence at the time, so he couldn't directly say that it was Xiao Qingji who plotted against Xiao Qingxu.
"Because it's you." Shang Yuwan's eyes curved, "You are the only one who looks at me level."
Whether it was Twelve, Shang Mingqi, Shang Junhu, Lu Xu, or other parents and elders, when they interacted with Shang Yuwan, they either looked up to her or looked down on her. As for the others, they more or less looked at Shang Yuwan with sizing eyes, rather than treating her as an equal.
Only Xiao Qingxu, from the first time he met her, treated Shang Yuwan with an "equal gaze" that she had never felt before. At that time, Shang Yuwan was just a passerby in Xiao Qingxu's eyes, but as the eldest prince, he did not act in a condescending manner. Although he offered a helping hand, he did not show excessive pity.
Shang Yuwan had guessed Xiao Qingxu's identity based on the young man's change of heart. Later, when she entered the palace and didn't see him, she sneaked in to look for him. They looked at each other, but Shang Yuwan still didn't see any contempt or arrogance in his eyes.
Those plain eyes shone brightly for her, causing Shang Yuwan, who was lying on the wall, to frown.
"Only you, who can look me in the eye..."
Shang Yuwan leaned forward and gently pressed her forehead against Xiao Qingxu's. Their hair was entangled together, as if inseparable.
"At the same moment I'm walking towards you, you're walking towards me."
Unfortunately, they both had their own hatreds and family affairs to deal with back then, and until the day of their first wedding, they had no time to express their love to each other. They could only leave behind a divorce letter and a back view.
Seeing that Shang Yuwan was still not sleepy, Xiao Qingxu held her and talked to her incoherently.
"Have you ever received the letter and bracelet I secretly sent you?"
"The letter and the bracelet? When?"
"Three years ago, on your birthday. In addition to the birthday gift, I also gave you a letter and a bracelet."
"...Hiss, is it a hollow jade bracelet inlaid with gold?"
Xiao Qingxu nodded softly.
Shang Yuwan suddenly fell silent.
She had seen the bracelet before. It looked beautiful and finely crafted at the time, but later she felt it was too valuable. She thought it was a gift from someone who wanted to curry favor with the Shang family, so she sent someone to investigate the sender.
However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find out who sent it, so I temporarily put it in the warehouse. Now when I look for it, I'm afraid it's already covered with a thick layer of dust.
"I haven't seen your letter." Shang Yuwan calmly changed the subject, "Did it fall somewhere?"
Xiao Qingxu denied it: "Absolutely not."
The letter was placed there by Lu Heying, and it would never fall somewhere where it cannot be found.
"That's strange... How could the letter that was placed in the warehouse with the bracelet just disappear out of thin air..."
Unless someone took it away on purpose—Shang Yuwan suddenly remembered.
On her birthday, Shang Mingqi made a scene for some unknown reason. She was engaged to Xiao Qingxu, but the boy disliked him and felt that he was not a good match for her.
Three years ago, Shang Mingqi was at his most mischievous. That day, he was running around with the warehouse key. Could it be... ?
Seeing that she kept silent, Xiao Qingxu realized that she had guessed who had stolen the letter. He wanted to ask, but swallowed the words back as he opened his mouth.
"Wanwan, it's just a letter. Even if we find it, it will only be the icing on the cake for us. It doesn't matter whether we have this flower or not."
Xiao Qingxu pulled Shang Yuwan into his arms, holding her closer and tighter.
"It's enough for us to be together now."
Shang Yuwan lowered her eyes and hugged Xiao Qingxu back.
"Um."
The next morning, Xiao Qingxu and Shang Yuwan talked about the nuptial leave.
After Shang Yuwan suggested a trip to Qu Qiguo, she had Twelve summon Shang Mingqi to Prince Qi's residence. Xiao Qinggu had granted them both marriage leave starting the day after their wedding, even exempting them from the formalities of appearing before the emperor in the palace. However, this didn't stop Shang Yuwan from summoning Shang Mingqi to her residence.
"Hand...Princess..." After Shang Mingqi arrived, he hesitated for a long time and didn't know how to address Shang Yuwan.
Calling her cousin seemed rude, and calling her Princess was too unfamiliar.
Xiao Qingxu chuckled and said, "There aren't so many rules in private. Just follow the old ways—you should call me cousin-in-law."
Shang Mingqi's eyes lit up, and after calling her "cousin", he obediently called Xiao Qingxu "cousin-in-law".
Xiao Qingxu was satisfied.
Shang Yuwan smiled and asked everyone except Xiao Qingxu and Shang Mingqi to leave.
Shang Mingqi was confused, "Cousin, why are you so secretive?"
Shang Yuwan didn't want to beat around the bush at all, but to prevent Shang Mingqi from being wrongly accused, she asked gently, "Have you ever seen the letter your cousin-in-law sent me three years ago?"
Shang Mingqi: “…”
It's over.
Xiao Qingxu: "......"
He's finished.
Shang Yuwan knew at a glance that Shang Mingqi had seen the letter, and still smiled and asked, "Where did you put it?"
Shang Mingqi: "...It's in that, uh, that Book of Shang. It's not broken! It's definitely not broken!"
Shang Yuwan's expression suddenly changed. "Bring it back to me. Don't break a hair."
Shang Mingqi quickly nodded in agreement.
Xiao Qingxu wanted to say a few good words for Shang Mingqi, but Shang Yuwan took the initiative.
"After delivering it, run around Kyoto at midnight tonight."
Xiao Qingxu opened his mouth and said, "Kyoto is too big. Just running half a lap would take an hour. It's not necessary—cough cough cough cough!!! Well, it's necessary. Stealing other people's things should be punished."
When Xiao Qingxu saw the look in Shang Yuwan's eyes, he decisively chose to ignore Shang Mingqi's pleading look and lowered his head to drink tea to moisten his throat.
Shang Mingqi: “…” It was really in vain that he called me brother-in-law.
Shang Yuwan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why don't you go quickly?"
Shang Mingqi ran away in a flash.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
