Chapter 82 The Peach Blossom Fairy changed her old ways for you, vowing to grow old together beneath the blossoms. ...
The three women, along with two young children, took their seats in turn, with the grandmother in the main seat, beaming with joy.
As the delicacies were served one after another, Grandma began to recount her travels and experiences over the years. From the grasslands of northern China to the water towns of southern China, from majestic mountains to terraced fields, she vividly described even the fleeting beauty of sunset glow.
Everyone listened with smiles, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Just as Wen Shiqin was about to offer some praise, Mo Ci hurriedly ran over, leaned down, and whispered a few words in his ear. Upon hearing this, he nodded, then stood up, cupped his hands, and solemnly said, "Grandmother, there are still important matters to be handled in the Imperial Guards, so I have to temporarily leave the banquet. I hope Grandmother will forgive me."
Grandmother, being of a magnanimous nature, waved her sleeve and laughed, saying, "Go on, go on. Young people should prioritize important matters. This is a good thing; there's no need to worry about it at the banquet."
As Su Jinxiu looked up, her gaze met his.
After his grandmother gave her permission, Wen Shiqin stared at her intently, his eyes sparkling like stars, until he received her nod of approval. Only then did he turn and leave without looking back.
When she looked away, she saw her grandmother looking her over with a smile, her eyes full of knowing gentleness. Su Jinxiu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled shyly, lowering her eyes to adjust her sleeves.
Qingluan and Qingyi, being direct descendants of a prominent family, were taught strict discipline by Fengxun. During the meal, they adhered to the rule of "not speaking while eating or sleeping," carefully eating and chewing their food. They had suppressed their earlier playful behavior and their eyes were full of filial piety and obedience, making them appear even more obedient and lovable.
Grandmother took a couple of bites and put down her chopsticks. Her gaze fell on Feng Xun, and she asked calmly, "Zhi Du, has the burial plot you chose for me been decided?"
Su Jinxiu was taken aback, but Feng Xun quickly advised her after she recovered, "Grandmother, you are in such good health, why rush to talk about your passing? It's still a long way off."
"Good morning?" Grandmother gently shook her frosty temples, her eyes weary. "My body is already at its last gasp, this is just a final burst of energy before death. How could I not understand my own constitution? I have no regrets about returning to see you all this time. All that remains is to find a peaceful place to end this remaining life."
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent instantly.
After a long silence, Grandmother finally spoke again with a sense of relief: "If possible, I would like to cremate my ashes. Let them be scattered by the wind and carried away by the clouds. That would be better than burying them in the earth, where they would be eaten by insects and ants. Also, please don't let me be buried with your grandfather. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't find peace in the underworld."
Su Jinxiu was unaware of the past grievances of the Feng family, so she could only silently eat the rice in her bowl, suppressing her doubts and not wanting to speculate.
Before her grandmother could finish speaking, she added quietly, "Your mother... I still couldn't see her when I came back this time. I suppose she still harbors resentment towards me."
Feng Xun hurriedly stood up and said urgently, "No, Grandmother, Father and Mother are just away on mundane business. They will return to see you in three to five days after everything is settled."
"Enough, enough." Grandmother waved her hand, a complex look flashing in her eyes. "Back then, she had difficulty having children, so I forced Yanting to take several concubines... It was all a foolish obsession at the time, so let's not talk about it."
Su Jinxiu paused, chopsticks in her hand. She knew that General Feng and Madam Feng had a deep affection for each other, and she had vaguely heard Madam Feng mention that there were illegitimate children in the mansion, but she had never seen them. She thought that they had been properly taken care of long ago.
Although General Feng and his wife were deeply in love, the fact that he took a concubine may not have fundamentally damaged their relationship. However, the existence of those illegitimate children was ultimately an indelible mark that stood between them.
The more Su Jinxiu pondered, the more complicated these love affairs and family rules seemed. Fortunately, she and Wen Shiqin were already of one mind and had given each other their sincere hearts, so they didn't have to be caught in this dilemma.
But she couldn't help but recall Ye Lingbo's casual reminiscences of their youth. Back then, the general, dashing in his fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, promised her a lifetime of devotion to one another. Such a resounding promise—it must have been pure and genuine at that time, without a trace of falsehood.
Now she seems to have accepted the status quo of having three wives and four concubines, and her life seems perfect on the surface. But is it really the result of repeated forbearance and compromise?
As she pondered this, she unconsciously slowed down her movements while drinking the porridge.
On her way back, Su Jinxiu bid farewell to the Feng family members in the middle of Zhuque Street, and said with a smile, "There are still worldly affairs to attend to at Huayun Pavilion, so I will take my leave first."
When they entered the pavilion, Linlang was already waiting in the hall. The two sat around the table, discussing the matter of the Embroidery Alliance's monopoly on materials.
“Being controlled by others in every way is not a long-term solution.” Su Jinxiu tapped the table lightly with her fingertips. “Why not simply set up our own market and purchase raw materials from the south and transport them directly to Bianjing? That way, we can cut off the embroidery alliance’s constraints and avoid being at the mercy of others.”
This matter is easier said than done, involving many aspects such as money, transportation, and manpower. The two were quietly weighing the pros and cons when a young embroiderer came in and quietly reported: "Miss, a young master outside is requesting an audience. He says he has important matters to discuss, and he looks quite serious."
Su Jinxiu was slightly taken aback. Usually, customers would go straight into the pavilion to choose embroidery, so it was rare to see someone so formally requesting an audience.
Just as he was pondering, he looked up and saw a figure in brocade robes, unable to wait any longer, stepping in gracefully.
It was Mu Hualin, who had previously made sarcastic remarks to her.
On that day, because of the friendship between Princess Yucheng and Wen Shiqin, he deliberately spoke up to provoke and slander them. His actions made Su Jinxiu unable to show him any kindness.
Su Jinxiu then spoke bluntly and coldly: "What brings you here, Young Master Mu?"
Seeing her attitude, Mu Hualin understood. He first bowed and said sincerely, "Miss Su, I was impetuous in my words and offended you before. There are too many reasons for my rudeness. I have come here today to apologize. I hope you will forgive me."
Su Jinxiu remained silent. She no longer harbored any resentment, but she couldn't say she had forgiven him either.
Mu Hualin observed her expression and continued, "Besides that, I have another favor to thank you for. At the palace banquet, you risked your life and showed your exceptional wisdom to help my elder sister bring down Consort Zhang. I will never forget this kindness."
Su Jinxiu was taken aback by these words, but quickly understood. It seemed that Ying Bumei had secretly orchestrated the events, claiming all the credit for himself. This had both won her favor with the Empress's faction of generals and extricated her from her predicament, a win-win situation.
Not wanting to disappoint Ying Bumei's painstaking efforts, she nodded slightly and said, "This matter is merely a coincidence, a matter of going with the flow. Young Master Mu need not worry about it."
Su Jinxiu reconsidered. Mu Hualin was, after all, from a noble family. In the future, they would inevitably run into each other while dealing with each other in the capital region. It was better to turn hostility into friendship than to create a powerful enemy. It was better to be magnanimous.
So she instructed the maid to serve tea, and was about to lead him into the inner room to talk when Mu Hualin spoke first: "Why don't we go outside for a walk and talk?"
Su Jinxiu was full of doubts, but she didn't ask any more questions. She followed him out of Huayun Pavilion and strolled along Zhuque Street. She was really impatient with beating around the bush, so she went straight to the point: "Young Master Mu, as I said before, I don't understand the intricacies of your officialdom. If you have something to say, please speak frankly."
Just as Mu Hualin was about to speak, she suddenly heard the sound of ceremonial procession clearing the street, and a magnificent sedan chair passed by gracefully.
The sedan chair was topped with a bronze jewel, with yellow velvet pendants hanging from the corners, and the door hinges were all decorated with gilded metal. Su Jinxiu squinted and recognized that it was dressed as a servant from the Prince of Jing's mansion, and must be the ceremonial sedan chair of the county princess.
Mu Hualin gazed in the direction the sedan chair had gone and said in a deep voice, "The county princess is now lovesick and unable to get what she wants, so she and the Prince of Jing are arguing about becoming nuns and insisting on going to the Yuqing Temple in the suburbs to cultivate. This sedan chair is going in that direction."
Su Jinxiu glanced indifferently in the direction the sedan chair had gone: "So?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Hualin suddenly knelt down on the ground. Su Jinxiu was caught off guard and tried to stop him, but it was too late. He ended up kneeling on the bluestone slab. Fortunately, Huayun Pavilion was located in the south of the city, and this section of the street was sparsely populated, so it did not attract the attention of passersby.
"Young Master Mu, please rise!" Su Jinxiu reached out to help him up. "Let's talk this out. Why such a grand gesture?"
Mu Hualin looked up at her: "Siyuan... no, Wen Shiqin, since you two are now of one mind and bound together, he must be remembering his past. I beg Miss Su to be magnanimous and persuade him to meet with the county princess, to offer some gentle words of comfort, and not to let her truly become a nun." He paused, his tone becoming even more earnest, "If Miss Su is willing to lend a helping hand, I, Mu, am willing to serve you in the future!"
The fact that a young master from a prominent family would say "I will do whatever you want" to a commoner embroiderer shows that his feelings for the county princess are genuine.
What is honey to one is poison to another. Su Jinxiu had no close relationship with them and had no obligation to pay for this obsession. Just as she was about to refuse, she suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from afar.
Before she could react, Su Jinxiu's waist tightened suddenly, and she was lifted off the ground and landed on a magnificent black horse, where she sat comfortably sideways.
Turning my head, I saw Wen Shiqin.
He had shed his usual banquet attire, now donned a red robe, and beneath the brim of his black gauze hat, his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes appeared even more handsome, adding to his imposing and dignified air.
"You...you've finished your official business?"
Wen Shiqin responded indifferently, but his gaze fell on the figure kneeling on the stone slab. After examining him carefully for a moment, he recognized him as Mu Hualin. His brows furrowed slightly, and his questioning gaze turned to Su Jinxiu, as if silently asking for the reason.
"Don't look at me, I don't know either," Su Jinxiu quickly waved her hand.
Wen Shiqin's eyes flickered slightly. He spurred his horse and slowly walked to Mu Hualin's side, his voice steady: "Yuan Huang, the ground is cold. Get up and talk first."
Mu Hualin then dusted off the dirt on his brocade robe, stood up, turned around, and looked at the beautiful couple riding side by side on their tall horse.
He had long known that Shi Qin was no ordinary person, but he never expected that Shi Qin's rise to power would be so swift. Now he was a rising star in the court, far beyond his reach. The friendship he once shared with Shi Qin now felt somewhat embarrassing and awkward due to the difference in their status.
But for Yingying's sake, he finally gritted his teeth and repeated his request to see the county princess and persuade her not to become a nun.
Upon hearing this, Wen Shiqin raised an eyebrow slightly, his emotions unreadable, but his gaze first fell on Su Jinxiu in his arms.
The next second, he leaned down slightly, his lips almost touching her ear.
His warm breath brushed against her ear, making Su Jinxiu tremble. She instinctively tried to push him away. Wen Shiqin ignored her, holding her waist to steady her, and asked in a low voice, "Do you want me to go?"
Isn't that just stating the obvious?
Su Jinxiu muttered to herself, but refused to speak her mind. He could have simply refused directly, so why throw this difficult problem at her and put her in a dilemma?
Seeing that the decision rested with Su Jinxiu, Mu Hualin pressed her advantage, her tone almost pleading: "Miss Su, please have some compassion and pity for Yingying! She is already hopelessly infatuated. If she were to become a nun, the only daughter of the Prince of Jing, she might not survive!"
Su Jinxiu frowned, utterly disgusted by such emotional blackmail and moral coercion. She was even more furious that Wen Shiqin had deliberately passed this hot potato to her, making her play the villain. Her face immediately turned cold as she looked at Mu Hualin: "Young Master Mu, I have no intention of accepting your favor, and this matter is not up to me. Besides, you once..."
She paused, but ultimately didn't bring up the incident where he had mocked her in the past. If Wen Shiqin heard it, he would inevitably seek justice for her, which would cause another huge uproar.
"What in the past?" Wen Shiqin was incredibly perceptive and had already caught her hesitation. His fingertips gently caressed her waist, and his gaze swept between the two of them. "Is there something between you that I don't know?"
Su Jinxiu only hoped to end this street farce as soon as possible and did not want to get entangled any further, so she turned to him and said, "It's nothing important. It's your own entanglement that you should decide for yourself."
Wen Shiqin originally wanted to tease her a bit more, to see how she would react with jealousy and resolutely reject Mu Hualin. But seeing the beauty in his arms with furrowed brows and genuine anger, he abandoned his playful intentions and turned to Mu Hualin, saying in a deep voice, "Everyone has their own destiny. We will be getting married soon. To comment on someone else's infatuation before the wedding is not only unreasonable but also disrespectful to her. This is absolutely impossible."
"Although we were once close friends, you concealed the truth about my amnesia from me, which led to many subsequent entanglements. I will leave that score aside for now. But the county princess's obsession is her own karma. You need not come looking for me again, and you are not allowed to bother my wife with such matters. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless and disrespectful to you."
Without waiting for Mu Hualin's reaction, Wen Shiqin hugged Su Jinxiu tightly and rode away.
After running for several miles, Su Jinxiu was still sullen, her cherry lips tightly pressed together, not uttering a word.
She recalled the days when he lost his memory, the days she spent alone by the lamp, tossing and turning in agony. Her nose tingled slightly, and she unconsciously snuggled closer to his warm chest, absorbing the warmth of what she had lost and then regained.
Wen Shiqin noticed that the person in his arms was listless with her eyes downcast, lacking her usual liveliness and energy. He leaned down and gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head: "What's wrong? Did I say something inappropriate just now? Don't worry, I will never go to see her."
"It's alright, you're right." Su Jinxiu buried her face in his clothes, her voice muffled.
"If that's the case, why are you so sullen?" He gently scratched her cheek with his calloused fingertips, his tone full of coaxing. "Are you still angry that I threw a problem at you?"
"It's nothing." Su Jinxiu shook her head and buried her face even deeper.
I dare not tell you the truth.
If he were to learn of the old grudges, given his protective nature, he would definitely seek revenge on Mu Hualin, which would likely cause chaos and even result in broken arms and legs.
Seeing her enigmatic expression, Wen Shiqin knew there was more to the story, but he wasn't in a hurry to press her for details. She couldn't escape anyway; there would be plenty of time to investigate later. Right now, the priority was to make her happy.
He held the reins firmly with one hand, and with the other, he reached out and intertwined his fingers with Su Jinxiu's slightly cool ones, caressing her knuckles. He lowered his head and planted a light kiss on her flushed cheek, then nuzzled the top of her head and said softly, "I'll take you to see something good, guaranteed to turn your worries into joy."
Su Jinxiu responded softly, her emotions slightly soothed by his gentleness.
When they arrived at their destination, Su Jinxiu looked up and saw that it was the Biyi Tower.
Wen Shiqin dismounted first, then turned around and reached out to catch her. Su Jinxiu jumped down without hesitation, and landed steadily in his warm and broad arms, where he carefully placed her on the ground.
The two held hands tightly and walked side by side up the steps.
The exterior remains narrow, but the interior is surprisingly spacious and secluded.
The old peach tree in the center has intertwined roots and lush foliage that blocks out the sun. Its branches are covered with bright red peach blossoms that bloom in full glory. From afar, they look like crimson clouds rolling in, while up close, the fragrant buds are glistening with dew, beautiful yet not vulgar.
The branches were covered with red prayer coins and brocade pouches, swaying gently in the wind and rustling softly, as if they were singing a soft hymn.
Su Jinxiu's gaze swept around, and he suddenly noticed that the Peach Blossom Fairy statue, which he had accidentally shattered under the tree, was now standing perfectly intact in its original place, its gentle features unchanged. The cushions on the prayer platform had been replaced with more exquisite brocade, and the surroundings were clearly carefully decorated, revealing ingenuity in every detail.
Su Jinxiu turned to look at Wen Shiqin, her eyes meeting his smiling gaze. He looked down at her, his tone solemn and devout, as if making a vow to her, or perhaps to the gods.
“I was rash and impulsive that day, and I lost my reverence for the gods who protect our marriage. As soon as I returned, I had people repair the stone statue overnight, only asking the gods to have mercy on me and grant me and my beloved peace and health year after year, and to grow old together. If there is any fault, I will bear it all alone, and it has nothing to do with her.”
Su Jinxiu finally let go of all her pent-up emotions and smiled from the bottom of her heart. She raised her hand and gently pinched his cheek, her tone soft: "To know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. I think the gods will forgive you."
Wen Shiqin affectionately rubbed his face against her palm, his eyes burning with sincerity: "Yes, for you, I'm willing to change all my bad habits. I'm willing to do anything for you, as long as you want."
Su Jinxiu's ears burned from his sweet words, and even her neck turned a light red. She turned her head away uncomfortably and gently pushed him: "Go, go over there and kowtow, and properly atone for your sins to the gods."
"Okay." Wen Shiqin's eyes were full of smiles. He took her hand and led her towards the prayer platform.
The two knelt side by side before the statue of the Peach Blossom Fairy, softly expressing their remorse for their past disrespect and their prayers for a smooth marriage.
As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle breeze swept by, and peach blossoms fell from the branches, creating a pink rain that washed over her clothes and clung to her hair, as if it were a gentle forgiveness from the gods.
As she stood up, Su Jinxiu tiptoed and reached out to brush the pink petals from Wen Shiqin's shoulder. He then bent down and carefully removed the fallen flowers from her hair.
Their eyes met, emotions flowed between them, and both unconsciously curved their lips into smiles.
Wen Shiqin was about to speak, wanting to ask her if she was satisfied with the auspicious wedding dates previously selected by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, but he suddenly stopped speaking.
At the entrance of Biyi Tower, a familiar figure slowly entered, dressed in a simple blue robe with handsome features.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Yi Ruxu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com