Chapter 5 shows that while Li Yang is somewhat spoiled and pampered, she is not inherently bad...
The shadows of the trees swayed, and fallen petals covered the ground. The two lingered for a long time before finally stopping.
Seeing the usually well-behaved and upright young man become so unconventional and unrestrained by her, Li Yunru felt a strange sense of accomplishment. She stared at him intently, laughing wildly.
Yan Ning did not dodge, but instead stared at the person.
Li Yunru wasn't unfamiliar with being looked at like this, but perhaps because she was out in public, or perhaps because she had just experienced a romantic affair, she was the one who blushed first.
She covered his eyes, and said with a hint of coquettishness, "You're not allowed to look."
The man chuckled softly, "Fine, I won't look."
He held her waist with one hand, picked up a locust flower from the ground with the other, placed it near her eyes, lowered his head, and kissed her eyes again, through the flower.
For a moment, Li Yunru froze.
“Yan…Yan Changjun.”
She had been married to Yan Ning for a year, and they had seen each other's most private parts. They had also whispered sweet nothings in each other's arms in bed. But never before had she felt as if something had struck her heart, leaving her mind blank and unable to remember anything.
"sorry."
He apologized to her gently, "What happened the other day was my fault. I made the decision for you without considering your feelings."
"Um?"
Have you finally figured it out?
Li Yunru stared at him with wide eyes, then heard someone say, "Regarding the child, it was my oversight and I spoke too harshly."
He paused and explained, "I'm not saying I'm unwilling, it's just that it's not the right time yet."
“Why isn’t it the right time?” Li Yunru asked.
She was puzzled; how long would this take?
Yan Ning remained silent and did not answer.
"Never mind."
Li Yunru didn't want to dwell on this, so she took the initiative to change the subject, saying, "I didn't really want it either. Let's leave it at that and not bring it up again."
She wanted the child simply to reassure her parents, who were far away in the capital. They had written to her several times before, and she had also stated in her letters that having a child was the fastest way to integrate into the Yan family and quickly establish herself there. But now, things were like this between the two of them…
Nobody knows how long it can last, so why bother? If the child really comes, it might just be a burden.
"Liyang".
He took her hand, kissed her palm, and solemnly said, as if making a promise, "Can you trust me?"
Li Yunru turned her head away without answering, and directly changed the subject, "It's getting late, we should go back."
It wasn't that she didn't want to believe him, but she didn't know how to begin to believe him. He clearly had a mouth and could explain many things, but he always only said things that were irrelevant. When faced with real problems, he would start to use such vague language.
If a couple can't even be honest with each other, how can they talk about trust?
Li Yunru pushed him away, got up, dressed, and quickly left. Her figure disappearing into the sunset dimmed Yan Ning's gaze.
The man sighed helplessly, straightened his clothes, and chased after them.
The two had just returned home when they received a message from the Yan family, asking Yan Ning to bring Li Yunru back with him.
Cui didn't like her. This marriage was for the sake of interests. She couldn't make it too ugly on the surface, but she couldn't force herself to live under the same roof as her. So the existence of the princess's mansion actually made things convenient for the two of them. Therefore, in the past year, apart from many important occasions and banquets that they had to attend, they had some social interactions. On ordinary days, they were completely unrelated. Li Yunru would not return to the Yan family, and the people from the Yan family would not come over.
Yan Ning is her only connection to the Yan family. Now that Yan Ning is here, Cui Shi has broken with convention and sent someone to call her back. Cui Wan has just been wronged here, which makes people wonder.
“If you don’t want to go back, then don’t go back. I’ll talk to Mother.”
"Need not."
She wasn't one to avoid trouble, and since the Cui family had invited her, she had no reason to avoid them.
Moreover... Li Yunru also wanted to see what the Yan family and the Cui family's attitude was towards Cui Wan and Yan Ning.
"Go back and tell the lady that I will come."
"yes."
After the person left, Li Yunru went inside, washed up, changed into new clothes, and then asked someone to prepare a carriage to go to the Yan family. In the carriage, Yan Ning held her hand and comforted her, saying, "If you go there, don't take it to heart if Mother says anything that upsets you. If you really can't get over it, just push the blame onto me."
"Pushing you for what? How can you push me? Are you going to say that you taught me to do everything? Yan Changjun, you know in your heart that your mother and your Yan family have never been targeting the matter, but me as a person. Pushing me won't do any good!"
"My mother... also has her difficulties..."
"Stop talking."
Li Yunru interrupted him directly, "I don't want to argue with you about this. Your mother's difficulties have nothing to do with me. I only know that she has made things difficult for me and made me uncomfortable. But she is her, and you are you. I have not implicated you in what she did. Similarly, I hope that you can keep your distance. If she makes me uncomfortable in any way later, I will not tolerate it. You should be prepared and not use this to argue with me. You be your dutiful son, and I will be my wicked daughter-in-law. We will have nothing to do with each other!"
...
Li Yunru guessed with a high degree of certainty that Cui Shi's invitation was not without reason, and her purpose was quite obvious: to stand up for Cui Wan and send someone over to torment her.
At the banquet, someone made veiled accusations against her, saying that she was wicked, extremely jealous, and had hurt her husband and others in this way.
"It has nothing to do with the princess; it is I who have overstepped my bounds, which has caused this misunderstanding."
Before Li Yunru could speak, Yan Ning interrupted. His voice was neither loud nor soft, as if he were merely discussing the weather, but everyone interpreted it in different ways. Cui Shi, in particular, had a dark and unpleasant expression. Chen Shi, taking the opportunity to play the good guy, gently patted Cui Shi's back and said to Yan Ning, "It's a good thing that Third Brother and the Princess are so loving, but we can't just indulge them. What happened to Second Brother last time..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yan Ning interrupted, "Sister-in-law, just take care of your own affairs. I will handle things in my room myself, so you don't need to worry about it."
His face remained expressionless, still as indifferent as water, but it was precisely because of this that he seemed frightening enough, and his words were not to be questioned.
Chen stopped talking and said in a low voice, feeling wronged, "I was only thinking of my mother-in-law and my cousin, especially my cousin, whose nightingale-like voice is so badly injured."
"I thought only courtesans in brothels needed a good voice to keep their lovers, but I never imagined that noble ladies also needed one?"
Li Yunru refused to be wronged and retorted sharply.
When a dignified young lady from a prestigious family was compared to those entertainers who amused others, Cui Wan's eyes immediately reddened, and crystal tears fell down her cheeks, each drop landing in the bowl.
Knowing she had misspoke again, Madam Chen shifted the blame, continuing to pin the conflict on Li Yunru: "Princess, why speak so harshly and unpleasantly? Even if Wan'er and Third Brother were to have nothing between them, so what? What man doesn't have three wives and four concubines..."
“My husband cannot have one!” Li Yunru answered firmly, her gaze fixed on Yan Ning.
What others think is not important to her; she needs Yan Ning to understand this.
"alright!"
"Have a meal!"
Yan's father, who had been silent all along, spoke up, briefly ending the dispute. After dinner, they were supposed to return to the manor, but Yan's father called Yan Ning away alone, and Cui Shi also stopped her.
"If Madam is still going to lecture me about Miss Biao, there's no need. I've already said, I can't tolerate even the slightest imperfection!"
Cui said, "Not even a little bit is acceptable. But what if I really ask Changjun to marry Wan'er?"
"That's your business. If your husband agrees, he will leave the princess's residence, and from then on, their marriages and funerals will be none of their concern!"
Cui's gaze lingered on Li Yunru, and she asked, "Very well, I hope the princess remembers what you said today."
"nature."
The Cui family's attitude is now very clear: they are seizing every opportunity to create opportunities for the two to spend time together, standing up for Cui Wan, and even saying, "If Changjun really marries her..."
All of this speaks to the point.
But Yan Ning's attitude...
Although she pretended to be indifferent in front of Cui and never thought that she could be with Yan Ning for a long time, she was still husband and wife after all, and there were still some feelings between them. Moreover, she, a princess, was actually losing to a young girl...
Putting aside matters of the heart, her pride and self-respect also prevented her from indulging in such behavior.
She could choose not to lose it, but she absolutely could not lose it. It was a gamble, so even if she destroyed it, she would never let someone else have it so easily, not even her beloved!
...
After leaving Cui's Buddhist hall, Li Yunru was filled with anger and had nowhere to vent it. She walked around the inner courtyard quickly, but she didn't come here often and was not familiar with the layout of the Yan residence. As she walked, she got lost and didn't know where she was.
But as I turned to go back, I heard a low, hoarse female voice.
"What happened today was unintentional. It was just that when my aunt asked about it after I got back, I blurted something out and caused trouble for you and the princess."
It's Cui Wan.
Upon closer inspection, Yan Ning was standing beside him. The night outlined his tall and slender figure, and the bright moonlight shone on him, giving him a cool and serene beauty, untouched by the world.
"It's alright." He said in a calm tone, and then the two fell into a long silence. After a while, Cui Wan spoke up: "That's just how the princess is. My cousin has been wronged."
What a fine pot of green tea.
Yan Ning frowned slightly. "I know Liyang well. She's a bit spoiled, but not bad at heart. Don't say things like that again!"
"She hit you, is that just being spoiled?" Cui Wan raised her voice. "I saw it all. She attacked without even asking what happened. If she's like this outside, what will she be like inside the mansion..."
Cui Wan paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, cousin, you don't need to be afraid of her. Go to the capital..."
"Enough!" Yan Ning suddenly spoke up, his tone rising several decibels and his voice losing its previous gentleness. He said, "This is a private matter between the princess and me, and it has nothing to do with anyone else, nor does anyone have the right to interfere. As for the matter of going to the capital, I do not wish to hear any more talk about it in the future, especially in front of the princess!"
What happened in the capital?
Why is Yan Ning so secretive about this?
What is he afraid of?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
