Chapter 14: Accident in the Garden
As for Liu Qingwan, she knew the person's identity without being introduced.
However, she had more gossip. It was said that the one from the Shen family had caught the Queen's eye that day, which was why the marriage between the Xiao and Shen families had been delayed again and again.
This is what her aunt said to her privately.
Liu Qingwan was wearing a light blue jacket today, a white skirt with a curly grass pattern, and her hair was combed into a bun.
After not seeing her for a long time, the girl seemed to have become more slender and graceful. Her originally tender figure had grown up, adding a layer of delicate charm.
After Liu's father was indirectly warned by the emperor, a deputy general and two lieutenant generals went to Ningxia.
They were all the emperor's men, so Liu Qingwan's father could only deal with them cautiously, fearing that he would be beheaded by accident.
Now two years have passed, and only one of the three people who originally went to Ningxia has stayed. The emperor has not punished him for the previous incident, and even affirmed Liu's father's political achievements.
Everyone in the Liu family breathed a sigh of relief.
The Li family's wedding procession arrived neither early nor late. Although the groom was the top scholar of the Dayan Dynasty, the men of the Xiao family were all very dignified. When they stood in a row outside Xiao Jinyi's boudoir, no one dared to act rashly.
Mr. Li was of medium build, and his face gave the impression of a gentleman, dignified and gentle as jade.
Today he was wearing a scarlet robe, a gold and jade leather belt around his waist, and a golden crown on his head. Standing at the head of a group of men welcoming the bride, although his demeanor and elegance were not as good as the eldest son of the Xiao family, he was not inferior to the other young men.
Even Liu Qingwan, who was secretly looking out through the window lattice, muttered, "What a handsome man!"
But when she looked at the bride who was like the moon surrounded by stars, she felt that she had only lost because of her family background.
The Liu family is now in decline. My father finally got the position of General of Ningxia, but because he secretly befriended the prince, he was noticed by the king and is now unable to move.
Liu Qingwan was worried because she was already sixteen years old.
Two years ago, Old Madam Xiao asked her aunt to take her out to see the world. Her meaning was very clear, but how could she be willing to do so?
Her gaze unconsciously turned to Xiao Mo, who was standing leisurely outside, and the yearning in her eyes became even more intense.
This time, Xu Shuyao saw someone getting married at such a close distance.
Xiao Jinyi herself has a relatively plain appearance, but now she has drawn her eyebrows, applied facial rouge, and painted her lips bright red. Her face has a touch of shyness of a newlywed, which adds an indescribable charm.
Before Xu Shuyao could take a closer look, a veil blocked the bride's view from everyone else.
Then, the second daughter of the Xiao family was surrounded by people and went to the main hall to bid farewell to her parents. Chen looked at the newlyweds in front of her, and all that came out of her mouth were the earnest teachings of an elder.
After being seen off, she turned away and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
Xu Shuyao walked over to comfort him and said some auspicious words.
Chen had just seen off her beloved daughter and was in no mood to greet her. Moreover, there were guests in the mansion, and she also had to go out to greet them, so she urged Xu Shuyao to go and interact with the young ladies.
After the excitement just now, the people in the room dispersed.
Some of them left after eating, while others continued to wander around the garden.
Xu Shuyao came out of the courtyard where her second cousin lived and ran into the servant of her fourth cousin. When he saw her, he said, "Madam Xu is here! Our young master was looking for you!"
Xu Shuyao naturally thought of her younger brother, who hadn't gone to the clan school today, and hurriedly asked, "Where is my fourth cousin?"
The boy pointed to a pavilion not far away and showed it to her.
It looked not far, but it took some time to walk there.
Xiao Jinwen was located at the foot of Xiaosongling in the northeast corner of the mansion. There was an artificial lake next to it, and an arch bridge in the middle led directly to the pavilion in the center of the lake. The pavilion was surrounded by green bamboo, flowers and plants, with clear water and gentle breeze, and the scenery was very pleasing to the eye.
However, my fourth cousin was not in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, but in a pavilion on the shore. The road meandered upwards and led directly to the top of the mountain.
Walking along this road, she could clearly see the people in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, groups of noble ladies, some enjoying the scenery and some chatting.
There were even some voices coming from the mountain, but I couldn't tell whether they were male or female.
Xu Shuyao didn't care. Although she didn't come here often, she knew the way.
I think the fourth cousin wants to tell her something about his younger brother. Xiao Jinwen has helped them a lot in this regard in the past two years.
When I arrived at the place the servant pointed to, I saw Xiao Jinwen there as expected.
Xu Shuyao was walking with sweat on her forehead. When she saw him, she hurried forward and said, "Fourth cousin! But my younger brother..."
Xiao Jinwen waved his hand, his smile gentle, and pointed at the sweat on her forehead and asked, "Why are you so anxious?"
Xu Shuyao felt a little embarrassed, but she still urged him kindly, "Fourth cousin, please tell me why you're looking for me."
"Don't worry!" He said as he took out a silk cloth package from his arms and handed it to me. "These are the study notes I've compiled over the years. My cousin forgot to give them to me when he left just now, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask you to take them back."
Xu Shuyao took it with both hands. It still had the warmth of the young man's body. She felt a little touched. "Shuyao thanks Fourth Cousin on behalf of my younger brother."
After saying that, Yingying bowed again.
On the distant mountain path, Xiao Mo stood with his hands behind his back. Shen Jingshu saw him looking down for a long time without saying anything, so she wanted to come over and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Just as she moved her feet, Prince Xiao turned his head and walked up.
Shen Jingshu was a little angry, and couldn't help stamping her feet, and followed him, "What's wrong with you? I finally came to find you today, and you look like this?"
"Go back! Don't look for me." The man in the dark green brocade robe turned his head with a very calm expression.
"Why?" The noble lady, who was praised by everyone in the capital, suppressed her unwillingness and looked at the man stubbornly with her head raised.
Xiao Mo wanted to say something else, but his eyes fixed on one thing, so he just waved behind him.
It wasn't until Shen Jingshu walked away that he said coldly: "Come out!"
Liu Qingwan trembled as she walked out from under the tree beside the mountain road. "Cousin! I didn't mean to listen. I..."
She had just followed the noble ladies all the way here. While others went to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to feed the koi, she came here on the pretext of having a stomachache.
After all, she had lived in the mansion for two or three years, so naturally she had more ways than others to find out where the prince was.
But when I found the person, unfortunately, I saw a good show of a girl chasing a boy.
Even though she was hiding in the dark, Liu Qingwan felt faintly excited and excited in her heart.
There was only one voice in my heart: my cousin rejected Shen Jingshu himself.
I was so excited that I forgot my own situation.
Liu Qingwan tentatively raised her head to look at the man in front of her, but saw that he had a cold expression. When she met his cold eyes, her heart couldn't help but shrink.
"Get down!"
The man's voice was extremely indifferent, without a trace of tenderness.
Liu Qingwan seldom spoke to this cousin in the past. When they met occasionally, they would just greet each other politely and did not show any likes or dislike towards each other.
But at this moment, she felt a strong displeasure from this voice, and was both ashamed and embarrassed.
She tried her best to hold it back, but as soon as she turned her head, tears welled up in her eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
