Han Yu'an stared at her with his scarlet eyes, an expression that frightened Cui Yulu.
Han Yu'an used to have clear, bright eyes, and he would always speak his mind. But now he is too deep, so deep that it's a little scary.
"I have something to tell you. Let's sit in the pavilion over there for a while."
Han Yu'an tried hard to control himself and pretended that he was calm.
Okay, fine.
So the two of them walked through the flower hall one after the other and got off at the pavilion located behind the courtyard.
"Yulu, I'm sorry, I regret it. I don't want to give you up. Will you still be my wife?"
Han Yu'an's abrupt remark caught Cui Yulu off guard.
But thinking about how easily he had abandoned her before, and now that he had turned around and come back to her, she couldn't quite accept it.
"You said back then that we didn't have the proper betrothal ceremony, so our relationship didn't count. How come you want me to go back with just a few words? Does that mean we're secretly engaged? Won't you just find the same excuse to throw me aside in the future?"
“I know that Grandma’s death was largely related to me. I understand that you were upset and couldn’t accept me back then. But since you’ve already suffered once, why suffer again? Don’t you agree?”
Han Yu'an looked at Cui Yulu with pain. He thought he could get used to life without her, but every time he saw her laughing and talking with Fu Xiaoyu, he was extremely jealous.
Her smiles and disappointments should belong to herself; she should share her joys and sorrows with herself first, not with Fu Xiaoyu.
“I’m sorry, Yu Lu. It wasn’t that I looked down on your status back then. It was just that I felt I couldn’t protect you. Fu Xiaoyu is a prince. He has status and position. He can protect you. So I had the wrong idea that I wanted you to be with him so that no one could bully you in the future.”
"Then why should I take all of this from you? You call yourself a scholar? Don't you even consider how vastly different our social statuses are?"
"I am just an orphan who lost my mother at birth and then my father, and was called a jinx by people. How could I be worthy of Your Highness? Are you really thinking of me, or are you afraid that I will become a burden to you?"
Tears streamed down Cui Yulu's face. She felt both moved and disappointed when she heard his heartfelt words.
"Now that your status has changed, a gap will appear between us, so you should take back what you said before. It's fine as it is."
After Cui Yulu finished speaking, she turned around to go back, but he grabbed her arm.
"No, I am Han Yu'an, your husband."
"Let me go! Don't you know that men and women shouldn't touch each other?"
Cui Yulu struggled to break free from his hand, rubbing her arm, which he had hurt, with her other hand.
Han Yu'an was enraged when he heard her words. He had clearly seen Fu Xiaoyu holding her hand while talking. Wasn't that a matter of men and women not touching each other?
Do you like Fu Xiaoyu?
"How can you say such drunken things if you haven't been drinking? I know my own limitations and I don't have those outlandish dreams."
At this moment, Cui Yulu was already a little angry. She hadn't expected Han Yu'an to be so stubborn.
"I'm sorry, please don't go. I really regret it this time. Please forgive me."
"I am not a casual person. I was forced to sell myself to your family to bring good luck. Now that I am free, I will not easily jump into a fire pit again. Unless you can become the top scholar in the imperial examination and marry me as the top scholar's wife with all the proper betrothal gifts, then everything is out of the question."
After Cui Yulu finished speaking, she wiped her face with a handkerchief and hurriedly returned to the courtyard, leaving Han Yu'an standing there in a daze.
Suddenly, as if enlightened, he shouted behind her, "I will do my best to do all of this. When the time comes, I will bring you into my home with a grand wedding procession, phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, and eight-bearer sedan chair, to be my top scholar's wife."
Hearing his sudden roar, Cui Yulu felt a sweet warmth in her heart, hoping that everything was as he said, and that would be happiness and fulfillment.
The food had already been served, and Ji Xiaotang, having missed his master's treatment, was complaining that Fu Yunying's drinking had delayed things.
He kept saying he would quit drinking tomorrow, but when the day came, he drank more than anyone else. Fu Yunying knew this.
Fu Xiaoyu didn't ask any questions, but silently set out the bowls and chopsticks for Cui Yulu, gesturing for her to quickly taste her cooking.
Looking at the table full of delicious food, Cui Yulu quickly composed herself and said to Fu Xiaoyu with a smile, "I didn't expect Your Highness to have such good cooking skills. It seems I underestimated you before."
"Hmph, there's a lot you don't know. This is just the beginning. My brother may be a little cold to others, but he's top-notch in every way."
Fu Yunying looked at everyone with a smug expression; her brother was the best brother ever.
"The one and only good man in this world must be my brother."
Fu Yunying made no attempt to hide her admiration for Fu Xiaoyu, while Han Chunying just pursed her lips. Han Yu'an was really useless, and she herself didn't have anything to brag about. She could only hope that Cui Yulu could stay true to herself.
However, she felt it was normal if he changed his mind.
"Alright, girl, stop bragging. We're all hungry."
Ji Xiaotang gestured for his apprentice to sit down quickly. Cui Yulu glanced at Fu Xiaoyu and then lowered her head to eat. The taste was indeed quite good.
"Is it tasty?"
Fu Xiaoyu whispered in her ear.
Cui Yulu blushed slightly at his question and whispered, "Of course it's delicious."
Han Yu'an returned at that moment, and Cui Tianqi gestured for him to sit next to him.
“Let’s head back early tonight. I want to surprise Mom. Hurry up and eat, then we’ll get going.”
"One should be careful when traveling at night."
Fu Xiaoyu gently reminded him, and Cui Tianqi nodded in agreement, while only Han Yu'an's eyes were on Cui Yulu.
"Um, be careful on the road. We'll be in Kyoto tomorrow."
After finishing her sentence, she continued eating with her head down. Looking at the little girl's expression and recalling how she had treated Granny Zhou earlier, Cui Tianqi asked her a question.
"Miss Cui, now that you're in the capital, would you do me the honor of visiting the Cui residence to treat my mother?"
"You're not being fair, you little rascal. Didn't you tell me to go and treat the old lady? Why did you change your mind at the last minute?"
Ji Xiaotang pretended to be dissatisfied as he looked at him, knowing in his heart that his master's skills were definitely superior to his own. However, this time he would definitely not drink alcohol and wanted to see how his master cured the illness.
"Isn't it all because you were drinking that you caused this mess? And you still have the nerve to question others here?"
"You brat, you're everywhere. Go back and copy the Materia Medica."
Everyone laughed as they watched the master and apprentice bickering.
“Of course I am willing. Now that Your Highness has brought me to the capital, I am naturally willing to treat you.”
Han Yu'an's expression finally relaxed; he was really afraid that Cui Yulu would refuse.
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