Chapter 49 Yunzhu, Let's Go Home
Xiao Mingzhang had not yet become the crown prince.
But it's almost done.
The situation in the Jinling court is now complicated. Ever since Yunzhu's body was buried, the entire Huanwang Mansion has essentially stepped back into the struggle for the throne.
His father was right. The Huan Prince's Mansion had the support of the people. After Yunzhu's death, a large number of strategists flocked to help the Huan Prince's Mansion. Xiao Mingzhang had done a lot for his father over the years. Now, the Huan Prince's Mansion was no longer the original Huan Prince's Mansion. Instead, it was an entity that could stand on equal footing with the Prince Yi and even be superior to him in the turbulent times of Jinling.
But this is not what Xiao Mingzhang wants.
All he wants now is one person.
"Yunzhu, let's go home." Xiao Mingzhang had never lost his composure like this before. In front of many people, he teared up at just one sentence.
The surrounding neighbors, unaware of any talk of the Crown Prince or the heir of the Prince Huan's mansion, upon hearing Xiao Mingzhang say "Come home with me," immediately thought, "So it really is my brother coming to take Yunzhu home."
They immediately grabbed their weapons, determined to protect Yunzhu and her daughter.
It was only thanks to the horse trader Zhang Xingyuan that the two sides didn't start fighting again.
But Zhang Xingyuan looked at this person and that person, wondering if Xiao Mingzhang would allow him to tell this group of people his identity.
He looked at Xiao Mingzhang with a pleading expression, but Xiao Mingzhang couldn't even see him now.
His heart and eyes were only for Yunzhu.
The dignified heir of the Huan Prince's mansion finally had a day when he raised his head high and looked up at his pearl.
Yunzhu stared at Xiao Mingzhang in utter shock. Upon hearing the words "go home," she realized she finally understood Xiao Mingzhang's repeated motives.
He wanted her to come home. He came not only to bring their daughter home, but also to bring her home.
Why? Why bring her home too? Wasn't it when the Huan Prince's Mansion thought she was in the way? Wasn't it when the Huan Prince's Mansion tried every means to kill her? Now they're welcoming her home because those matters have been settled? Because he's definitely going to be the Crown Prince?
After the initial shock, Yunzhu's eyes couldn't help but grow even more mocking.
She desperately hid the tears welling up in her eyes and asked, word by word, "Xiao Mingzhang, when did you find out I was here?"
Was it three years ago, or did we only find out now?
Xiao Mingzhang pursed his lips. Now that things had come to this, he didn't want to lie to Yunzhu anymore.
One lie often requires more lies to cover it up, and there is no longer any room for more lies between him and Yunzhu.
Xiao Mingzhang then told the truth, saying, "It was three years ago."
Three years ago, it was three years ago.
Yunzhu thought she would never shed another tear for Xiao Mingzhang in her life, but when she heard those words, tears still welled up in her eyes.
Three years ago, he had known she was in this place for three years, but he only remembered to bring her home now.
Then the only reason must be that his position is already secure, right?
Yunzhu felt increasingly pathetic as she thought about it. Go home with him? What home? What home could she and Xiao Mingzhang go back to now? Because of Xiao Mingzhang, she couldn't even go back to her maternal clan. She only had one home now, which was the home she shared with Ayan and their child in Hanze.
She only wants this home, and this is all she has.
As for the Huan Prince's mansion, if Xiao Mingzhang hadn't finally secured his position, he probably still wouldn't have thought of coming to find her and go home even after seven or eight years. What meaning would such a home have for her? What meaning would such a husband have for her?
Yunzhu wiped away the tears on her cheeks, finally dismounted, and stood at the same height as the others.
Xiao Mingzhang didn't respond much to the people, but Yunzhu came today to give a response to these villagers who cared about her.
She no longer looked at Xiao Mingzhang, but said gratefully to everyone, "Everyone, thank you very much for coming to support me today. However, the matter between me and this person cannot be explained in a few words. You have all worked hard today. Please put away your tools and go home for now. Another day, I will definitely bring Azhi to visit you all to express my gratitude and invite you to have tea."
"You've really worked hard."
Yunzhu spoke sincerely, and at the end, she bowed to her fellow villagers.
She was bent over deeply, and a few strands of hair fell behind her ears and fluttered on both sides. Although people could not see her face clearly, they could tell whether she was being sincere or not.
In an instant, no matter how many questions people had, they stopped making things difficult for her.
They all picked up their tools and left together, with only a few who still wanted to watch the excitement standing at a distance at the street corner.
After they had all left, Yunzhu led her horse and prepared to return to the pasture.
She had come in such a hurry that she hadn't had a chance to give her students an explanation yet. The sun hadn't set yet, and she needed to go back and check if her students were still there. If they were, she could still teach some more classes.
Seeing this, Xiao Mingzhang quickly followed her.
Yunzhu rode her horse toward the grassland, and he somehow quickly got a horse and rode beside her.
“Yunzhu, let’s talk.” Xiao Mingzhang roughly knew what Yunzhu was concerned about today—he had known for three years that she was still alive and that she was right here, but he had not come to find her for so long.
But he felt he could explain it all to Yunzhu.
Yunzhu no longer wanted to hear this explanation.
She couldn't tell Xiao Mingzhang about her emotions from three years ago. Three years ago, although she had already escaped the Prince's mansion, she still had some hope and some fantasies on her way there. She fantasized that he would come looking for her and that he would come chasing her back.
But while he did chase after her, he sent men to kill her.
Was he worried that she would stay too close to him and be discovered? Or did he actually intend to kill her at the time, and then spare her life knowing she had faked her death? Did he want to wait until he had succeeded before taking back the child?
Yunzhu no longer wanted to speculate about Xiao Mingzhang's thoughts; it was simply too complicated for her.
All she wants now is to live her own life well, and to live a good life with Ayan and Mu Zhaozhi. Xiao Mingzhang is not in her plans for the rest of her life.
So she completely ignored Xiao Mingzhang and, because of his words, quickly spurred her horse to gallop again.
Xiao Mingzhang then stopped talking and simply rode his horse closely behind Yunzhu.
It wasn't until Yunzhu arrived at the grassland and saw her group of students that Xiao Mingzhang could no longer follow her.
But he didn't leave.
He sat by the edge of the meadow, watching Yunzhu and waiting for her.
"Teacher, who is that person over there?"
Although the students had all heard of the man in front of Yunzhu's house, they had never seen what he looked like. When they saw Xiao Mingzhang, they didn't subconsciously think he was a bad person.
Because he was so deceptively handsome, with such an elegant and graceful figure and such a dashing appearance, when he followed Yunzhu to the grassland, all the students on the grassland had only one word flashing through their minds—a perfect match.
Yunzhu was strikingly beautiful, with thick eyebrows and large eyes that easily captivated people. However, this man was tall and slender. Although he did not have the same deep-set features as Yunzhu, he still had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and was flawless from head to toe.
The students had never seen such a perfect couple.
Yunzhu turned around and, finally, under the students' questioning, glanced back at Xiao Mingzhang.
With just one glance, she turned around and said, "He is my elder brother."
"Ah..." The students were immediately shocked. Just moments before they had been praising Xiao Mingzhang's appearance, but now they all wanted to spit on him.
You really can't judge a book by its cover.
In the small town of Hanze, there is no such thing as favoring sons over daughters. In fact, girls sometimes have more say in their own affairs than boys. After hearing about Yunzhu's situation, everyone naturally despised her brother.
They all stood on Yunzhu's side.
Yunzhu didn't banter with them any longer. She had been delayed in coming home earlier and now she had to make up for it. The girls probably wouldn't be able to go home until sunset.
She then urged everyone to start training.
Xiao Mingzhang sat at a distance, watching. Before coming here, although Yu Zhouling had reported to him countless times that Yunzhu was now a teacher in the town, teaching horseback riding and archery, Xiao Mingzhang could never really imagine what Yunzhu looked like as a teacher.
Because in his memory, Yunzhu was far too spoiled and always had her own temper. If she were to be a teacher, wouldn't she drive all the students away?
But that's not actually the case.
Yu Zhouling told him that Yunzhu had been a teacher for two years. Not only did the local girls respect her, but even their parents liked her very much and called her Master Mu.
Now, looking at her from afar, Xiao Mingzhang seemed to finally understand why Yunzhu was so popular and could make such a thriving business.
She was very attentive to every student. Even if a student was riding at the back of the pack, she would kindly ask them why and observe their mounting habits and the way they held the reins.
She had her students name each of her foals. She told them that horses were like family members and should not be abandoned easily. They had to learn to communicate with their horses in order to truly learn to ride...
The same goes for archery. Yunzhu once told Xiao Mingzhang that she was taught archery by the best teacher in the Western Regions at the time, and now she is passing on all the knowledge that her teacher once taught her to her students without reservation or concealment.
Horse riding and archery are things Yunzhu loves. For this love, she can be very patient, very strong, and not at all spoiled.
As Xiao Mingzhang watched, his eyes gradually filled with disappointment.
Yunzhu truly showed her love for everything she loved. She loved horseback riding, archery, the grasslands of Hanze, and her students. She was someone who couldn't hide anything.
Xiao Mingzhang had seen this same passion in Yunzhu's eyes back in Yunzhou.
That is when you are face to face with him.
Back then, day or night, Yunzhu's eyes always held expectations for him, shining brightly like the stars in the sky.
But he lost her himself.
The sunset over the grassland was dazzling. As Xiao Mingzhang sat on the grass, looking up at the boundless glow of the sunset, a tear fell silently and landed on the back of his hand.
It was something even hotter than the sunset.
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Author's Note: Sorry, I promised to update extra chapters during the day, but I've still managed to drag it out until now. Since daytime isn't working, I'll try tonight! I'll see if I can update another chapter at 3 AM tonight. Go for it! (If not, just pretend I didn't say anything [crying emoji])
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