Su Yushan made this decision after careful consideration. In fact, she was still thinking about how to bring it up with him without arousing his suspicion. After all, she hadn't spoken to him for several days, and if she suddenly said she wanted to leave the manor, Hongli might become suspicious.
It just so happened that Hongli threatened her by not taking the medicine, so she went along with it and started talking to him. Then, it was only natural that she would bring up the matter of leaving the manor later.
There are many temples in the capital, but she has only ever been to Lingguang Temple and is only familiar with the roads there. Not wanting Hongli to take her to another temple, Su Yushan spoke first:
"I've heard that Lingguang Temple is very effective in granting wishes for children, so I'd like to go there and pray."
So she wanted a child? Upon hearing this, Hongli was even more delighted, assuming she had come to her senses and was no longer angry with him. He felt it was kind of her to have this wish, and of course he would grant it.
"If you're asking for a child, you should come to me. I'm far more effective than any god or Buddha."
His voice was low and husky when he spoke, and Hongli took the opportunity to pull her into his arms, slowly bringing his lips closer to hers, his dark eyes revealing an undisguised desire.
Just as they were about to touch, she blocked them with her finger, saying, "Hey---you have a cold, you shouldn't get too close, lest you pass it on to me."
"..." No way! He finally had this chance to be intimate, and it was stopped because of a fake cold. Hongli was so bitter! He secretly scoffed at the Fifth Prince for coming up with such an excuse. Why did he have to use a cold? Wasn't this just setting him up for trouble?
Meanwhile, Hongzhou in the mansion kept sneezing, wondering who was cursing him. He wondered if the fourth prince had taken his words to heart, or if he would use his methods to appease his sister-in-law.
He managed to appease the man, but Yu Shan used this as an excuse to prevent him from getting close. Hong Li was in a difficult position; he couldn't very well tell her that his cold was fake, could he? Su Yu Shan only spoke up because she felt sorry for him. If she knew he was using tricks, she would probably get angry with him again.
Considering the consequences, Hongli ultimately did not dare to take the risk. He thought it was better to wait a little longer. Some things are better left unsaid. Since Yushan was already willing to talk to him, she had probably forgiven him. The two of them would have plenty of opportunities to be sweet together in the future, so there was no need to rush.
Even if they weren't close, just staying together and talking would be good, so Hongli suggested that she stay here tonight.
When Lady Song committed suicide last year, Su Yushan had to move to a new residence. She stayed in Hongli's bedroom for a few days, but now she was unwilling to stay there again. This was because the Fujin had already entered the household, and only the Fujin was qualified to live in his bedroom. She dared not overstep her bounds, lest she be criticized again.
Since it was against the rules, Hongli planned to go to Huatang Pavilion with her, but she refused, saying that it was windy outside and that he was ill and should not be exposed to the wind.
In short, the two of them cannot sleep together tonight.
They couldn't touch each other, nor could they lie down and talk together. Su Yushan's words were all reasonable, yet Hongli couldn't refute them. He was only shooting himself in the foot.
With a sigh, Hongli gently stroked her cheek with his finger and smiled helplessly, "Alright, I'll listen to you. I'll take good care of myself and come see you again tomorrow night."
She gave a soft "hmm" and sat for a while longer before getting up to leave.
From that moment on, her heartstrings tightened, because she knew very well that royal rules could not be challenged. If she failed, she might lose her life. Success or failure depended on this one move. If she wanted to change her fate, she had no choice but to take the risk.
After returning to her room, Su Yushan did not show any abnormality, nor did she pack much. In any case, the clothes and jewelry in the room were all gifts from Hongli. According to the rules, gifts from princes could be taken back at any time, so she never considered those jewels as her own and had no intention of taking them with her.
Chang Yue was unaware of her mistress's thoughts. She was tidying up the room when she noticed the belt and specifically reminded her, "Princess, the belt you embroidered for Fourth Master isn't finished yet. Would you like to continue embroidering it?"
She still remembered that day when they went out for a stroll. She planned to buy him a sachet, but he said he wanted something she embroidered herself. Unfortunately, Su Yushan didn't know how to embroider, but she kept his words in mind and learned embroidery from Chang Yue whenever she had free time.
The intricate design of the sachet was somewhat difficult for her, so she decided to embroider a belt for Hongli. As a beginner, she embroidered very slowly, and before the belt was finished, that incident occurred.
Su Yushan was completely disappointed in Hongli and was no longer willing to do anything for him. "Let it go! I'll embroider it when I have time."
"Yes," Chang Yue put away the belt. Watching her busy figure, Su Yushan was filled with mixed feelings.
She had no more attachment to Hongli, but she was truly reluctant to part with Changyue.
In fact, she had spent more time with Chang Yue than with Hong Li. Chang Yue was very caring and considerate towards her, and would also give her advice. On the surface, they were master and servant, but in reality, she had already regarded Chang Yue as a sister.
Now that she was about to leave, she kept thinking about leaving something for Chang Yue. The most useful thing was money, but there were no festivals recently. If she gave it to her directly, Chang Yue, who was so meticulous, might become suspicious.
Remembering that Song had left a note in the sachet, Su Yushan thought of sewing a lining inside the sachet, stuffing the silver notes inside, and giving it to Chang Yue.
Chang Yue had no suspicions and assumed it was a souvenir from her mistress, who had just learned embroidery. She happily accepted it, saying, "Thank you for your gift, Princess. I will keep it safe."
"Just don't mind my poor embroidery skills."
"How could that be? Princess, you've only just started learning embroidery, yet you've already embroidered so well—you're incredibly talented! You don't know, when I first started learning embroidery, even my butterfly was crooked and ugly, worse than a bee."
Su Yushan covered her mouth and chuckled, "The bees won't like to hear that. They're probably thinking, 'Where am I ugly?'"
The two, master and servant, chatted and laughed, and Chang Yue did not notice anything amiss, but Su Yushan felt a pang of sorrow at parting.
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