Chapter 83 "It was the time when love first blossomed."...
Chapter 83: Taking the Initiative ==
This doesn't seem to have much to do with him...
Su Wanyue's eyebrows were like willow leaves, and her almond-shaped eyes, as clear as water, blinked gently as she asked a question in return.
The dignified Prince Cheng of Beili was taken aback by this question. His expression faltered, and their eyes met. Xiao Yu's thin lips twitched slightly. If it were an ordinary man, he might have backed down after being rebuffed by a young girl like this. But the person she was dealing with was Xiao Yu, a man who was used to having everything under control. Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, forcing her to take a step forward. Su Wanyue couldn't help but take a step back until there was nowhere to avoid it. To outsiders, it looked like a handsome young man was holding a young girl in his arms.
A gentle breeze swept by, and Su Wanyue subconsciously lowered her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and for some reason, she felt a little nervous.
This emotion came quickly and felt foreign, leaving her mind blank. Xiao Yu looked at her, and inexplicably thought of the scene where she flirted with that Second Young Master Lu. She wasn't like that in front of other men; she was all smiles and captivating charm. Was he really inferior to a weak scholar? What kind of logic was that? Xiao Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice carrying a hint of heat and a touch of amusement as he said, "What if I said that I like Princess Zilu?"
What……
Su Wanyue looked up in surprise, and their eyes met. Just then, Lu Qingchen's gentle voice came over, "Wanwan."
He wanted to ask her what she was doing there, but then he saw Xiao Yu, dressed in fine clothes and with an unparalleled elegance, standing beside her. Lu Qingchen's expression showed a moment of surprise. He smiled and stepped forward to greet the young man, "Your Highness Prince Cheng."
"Young Master Lu." Xiao Yu glanced at the other party indifferently. Apart from his gentle temperament, he didn't seem to have anything particularly outstanding about him. Could it be that young girls who are just beginning to experience love like this kind of young master?
Xiao Yu chuckled, his handsome face unparalleled. His dark pupils fell on the girl in the middle. "The Southern Prince's residence and my post station are in the same direction. Since the princess's carriage is broken, why don't you ride in my carriage together?"
Lu Qingchen was taken aback. It turned out that Wanwan's carriage had broken down. He wondered how Wanwan could be with Prince Cheng of Beili. He then smiled gently and said, "Wanwan's carriage has broken down. Why don't I take Wanwan back?"
As he spoke, Lu Qingchen kept his eyes fixed on Su Wanyue. Come to think of it, they hadn't spoken to each other alone for the past two weeks.
Su Wanyue pursed her lips, about to agree to Lu Qingchen's request, when Xiao Yu suddenly spoke up unhurriedly: "Would Princess Zilu wish to ride in Second Young Master Lu's carriage?"
Su Wanyue: "..."
"Then I'll have to trouble Your Highness." Because she wasn't familiar with Xiao Yu, Su Wanyue couldn't quite figure out what he meant, so she just went along with it. Then, she said to Lu Qingchen in a somewhat hurried tone, "Second brother, today is Aunt Lu's birthday. You should spend more time with her."
“I understand what Wanwan means.” Lu Qingchen never refused anything Su Wanyue asked for. He was gentle and refined, and even exchanged pleasantries with Xiao Yu. “Then I’ll have to trouble Your Highness, Prince Cheng.”
"Young Master Lu, what are you saying? This is what I should do," Xiao Yu said slowly, smoothing his cloud-patterned Shu embroidery sleeve.
Lu Qingchen felt a strange sensation arise in his heart again. He felt something was not right. Prince Beili was not from Nanqiong, and he was not even close to Wanwan. How could it be his duty to send Wanwan back to her residence?
Moreover, his words seemed to imply that he already considered her Wanwan's man. Lu Qingchen had many questions in her mind, but because of the noble status of Prince Cheng of Beili, she could not say them outright. She could only offer a gentle smile, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "Then thank you very much, Prince Cheng."
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, his gaze returning to Su Wanyue. "Princess Zilu, please."
Both men had their eyes on her, and Su Wanyue's body stiffened slightly. She knew martial arts, but the man beside her carefully reminded her to "slow down."
It wasn't until the princess boarded Prince Beili's carriage that Qin'er realized that if she still couldn't understand Prince Beili's feelings for her princess, then she would be a fool. But the problem was that everyone assumed the princess would marry into Prime Minister Lu's household in the future, so Qin'er was a little discouraged.
Inside the spacious and comfortable carriage, Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu sat facing each other. Su Wanyue sat upright with her back straight, carefully choosing her words, "Your Highness Prince Cheng."
"What does Princess Zilu want to ask?" Xiao Yu asked with a smile, his fingertips caressing the sky-blue jade cup. He was already used to her 'boldness'.
Su Wanyue was the kind of girl who would ask anything that was on her mind. She blinked her almond-shaped eyes and asked the question that had been bothering her, "Why does His Highness Prince Cheng have feelings for me?"
They've only met a few times.
"It was probably love at first sight." Xiao Yu looked at her deeply and gave his answer slowly, "Because the moment I saw Princess Zilu, I felt that the two of us were a match made in heaven."
Even if Su Wanyue had a good temperament and was very talented, she was still a fourteen-year-old girl. It wasn't that no young men from noble families in Nanqiong had tried to win her favor, but no one had ever spoken so bluntly. Her eyes widened, her mind was in a mess, and her heart was pounding.
“I know that Princess Zilu is having a hard time accepting this, so starting tomorrow, I will visit the Prince of Nan’s residence every day to cultivate our relationship.” Knowing that she was still young, Xiao Yu did not want to frighten her. “Of course, if Princess Zilu is willing to marry me, I can go to the Prince of Nan’s residence now to propose marriage and ask His Majesty Nan Qiong to grant us a marriage.”
Xiao Yu didn't ask the question, "Do you like Lu Qingchen?" because regardless of whether she liked Lu Qingchen or not, she would be his fiancée, his wife for life.
"No!" Upon hearing that he was going to the Prince of Nan's mansion to propose marriage, Su Wanyue immediately reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, and blurted out in a hurry.
Xiao Yu closed his eyes slightly. She was unwilling to marry him, but it didn't matter. Everything had to be done gradually, and he was willing to wait.
A moment later, the man opened his eyes. Just as the girl thought he was going to say something, he pushed the jade cup towards her and said, "Princess, you can try this tea. It should suit your taste."
Su Wanyue silently took the teacup and thanked him.
The rest of the journey was silent, but Su Wanyue could still feel the unsettling gaze directed at her, so she straightened her back even more.
When the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Prince of Nan's mansion, Su Wanyue lifted the hem of her skirt and jumped down, landing steadily on the ground. The steward, seeing that it was his princess, rushed to her side, saying, "Princess, you're back."
This didn't seem to be a carriage from their Prince Nan's residence. Before the steward could think further, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a young man's jade-like face. The steward was startled and quickly bowed, "This servant greets Your Highness Prince Cheng."
Xiao Yu raised his hand and said, "Now that Princess Zilu has arrived home safely, I will return to the post station first."
There must be some hidden reason behind this. In addition, since his princess was sent back by His Highness Prince Cheng, it was only right and proper to invite His Highness Prince Cheng into the house for a cup of tea.
Seeing that the girl's expression was somewhat unnatural, Xiao Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and his voice remained steady, "I have other matters to attend to. I will visit Prince Nan again tomorrow."
"Then Your Highness, please take care." Upon hearing this, the steward did not insist and hurriedly said.
***
That night, Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu had the same dream. In the dream, they got married and had a very harmonious relationship after marriage. When they woke up, it was already broad daylight.
In the peony garden of the Southern Prince's Mansion, Qin'er wiped the sweat from Su Wanyue's forehead and couldn't help but ask, "Is the Princess having another nightmare?"
Because she noticed that the princess's cheeks were very red and hot, Su Wanyue gently shook her head. She didn't know why she would have such a dream. It was really too much... shameful. Besides, she didn't know him well, and she didn't want to marry him.
Seeing this, Qin'er didn't ask any further questions.
Meanwhile, at the inn, Xiao Yu practiced his sword for an hour in the back mountain. After returning, he drank two cups of cold tea. His expression carried a hint of regret, because in his dream, he had almost kissed her.
It seems we can't be too slow with her; it would be best to help her forget her childhood sweetheart brothers.
That day, Xiao Yu, dressed in black and with an elegant and beautiful appearance, arrived at the Nanwang Mansion. He also brought the girl some candied hawthorns and a dough figurine. The dough figurine was so lifelike that it looked exactly like Su Wanyue. Su Wanyue asked the man where he bought it, and Mo Yu behind the man quickly replied, taking credit for his master, "Your Highness does not know, but His Highness learned how to make this dough figurine from the owner of the dough figurine shop, so it was made by His Highness himself."
In the following days, regardless of the weather outside, the man would come to the Prince of Nan's mansion on time. Each time he came, he would bring the girl some exquisite little trinkets, but those trinkets were extremely valuable, made of pearls and jade, or gold and coral, clearly meant to please the girl.
That day, Su Wanyue came to pay her respects to her mother, Su Qingqing. Su Qingqing called her to her side, gently patted her head, and asked, "Wanwan, tell your mother, what are your feelings for His Highness Prince Beili?"
Su Wanyue smiled and immediately replied, "There's nothing between us."
Seeing how readily and quickly she answered, Su Qingqing couldn't help but scrutinize her daughter. Su Qingqing and her husband only had this one daughter, and she knew her daughter's thoughts best. If there really was nothing, she wouldn't have answered so quickly. Su Qingqing deliberately smiled and said, "Then if there's nothing, why is Wanwan so agitated?"
Her daughter was at the age where she was just beginning to experience romantic feelings. Su Qingqing had only guessed at first, but her daughter's strong reaction made Su Qingqing think more deeply. However, Prince Cheng of Beili was an outstanding person. According to her husband, Prince Cheng of Beili came to Nanqiong because of the marriage alliance between the two countries. He came to the palace every day, which clearly meant that his real intention was not what it seemed. If they were truly in love, then it wouldn't be so bad.
However, Bei Li is still a bit far away. But now that the world is at peace, if that day ever comes, they can visit Wanwan in Bei Li from time to time.
Su Wanyue's almond-shaped eyes widened. She coughed lightly and said in a serious tone, "I'm just afraid that Mother will misunderstand."
Su Qingqing smiled gently and touched the flower decoration between her eyebrows, "Alright, Mother Consort is overthinking it."
Because Prince Cheng of Beili was a distinguished guest, Eunuch Sheng would truthfully report everything he did each day to Emperor Nanqiong. Coincidentally, it was raining heavily outside that day, and Emperor Nanqiong asked, "Did Prince Cheng go to the Nanwang Mansion again today?"
Eunuch Sheng nodded vigorously, "Yes, it was pouring rain outside this morning. This old servant thought His Highness Prince Cheng wouldn't go over, but who knew His Highness still went."
Even Eunuch Sheng could understand this, so how could the Emperor of Nanqiong not understand? Prince Cheng of Beili was indeed in love with Wanwan. However, there was one thing the Emperor of Nanqiong still didn't quite understand: Nanqiong and Beili were supposed to form a marriage alliance. If Prince Cheng of Beili really wanted to choose Wanwan as his princess consort, the Emperor of Nanqiong would certainly not refuse. But he did not ask the Emperor of Nanqiong for a marriage decree.
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Sheng laughed and said, "Your Majesty has forgotten that there are countless young men in the capital who want to marry Princess Zilu. His Highness Prince Cheng probably wants Princess Zilu's willingness."
It has to be said that Princess Zilu was sought after by many, even Prince Cheng of Beili was captivated by her. However, Princess Zilu and Prince Cheng were a perfect match.
The Emperor of Nanqiong seemed to be deep in thought.
On the same day and at the same time, the Eastern Palace of Nanqiong, the post station, the Prince of Nan's Mansion, and the Prime Minister Lu's Mansion all received news that the Emperor of Nanqiong was going hunting at Mount Li. The Prince of Nan's Mansion and the Prime Minister Lu's Mansion served as his entourage.
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