While the two of them were lost in their own thoughts, Su Yushan went back to her residence for a midday rest.
After her mistress woke up, Changyue, fearing that her mistress would be sad, couldn't help but comfort her, saying, "Fourth Master may have only consummated the marriage because he had no choice but to do so to fulfill his obligations to the palace. He only has you in his heart, so please don't be sad, Princess."
Su Yushan smiled and said, "You'll get used to it and won't be sad anymore." Then she instructed Chang Yue, "Go and see if Yan Yan has woken up yet. If she has, have the nanny bring the child over."
She would rather spend more time with her children than be saddened by Hongli and other women.
As evening fell, rain began to fall. The swift rain pattered against the lush green leaves, but it could not deter those with a heart for the cause.
Hongli came over with an umbrella to dine with her. During the meal, Su Yushan didn't mention anything and didn't ask him about the bridal veil.
When Hongli spoke to her, she would respond, but her expression was indifferent, and the light in her eyes had faded.
When they entered the tent that evening, he reached out and embraced her, caressing and kissing her wantonly, wanting her to feel his love. She did not resist, but she also did not respond at all, her eyes devoid of any intention.
Seeing her indifferent expression, Hongli finally stopped. He sighed softly and said gently:
“Yushan, I know you are bothered by the fact that I know her, but she is the concubine that Father Emperor has betrothed to. I have no reason to drive her out of the mansion, so I can only keep her here.”
But don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Last night was our wedding night, and I had to stay, but I didn't touch her. I won't stay in her room again. I've already told Lan Rong that I only have feelings for you and have no feelings for her, so I won't consummate our marriage.
Su Yushan hadn't intended to pursue the matter further, content to let it pass, but upon hearing the last sentence, she couldn't bear it any longer and scoffed coldly:
“Hongli, you always say you have your reasons. I often remind myself not to be willful, but to stand in your shoes and understand your difficulties. I even force myself to accept the fact that you are happy with others, but your heart belongs to me.”
Now you have an inexplicable entanglement with Lan Rong, yet you insist you don't like her and ask me to believe you. You say you didn't consummate your marriage, but the wedding veil you handed over had bloodstains on it. If you like her, just say so. I can't do anything to you. I have no choice but to accept it. Why do you have to lie and deceive me like this?"
"What wedding veil?" Hongli looked bewildered. "I didn't consummate our marriage, so what wedding veil would I have?"
Too lazy to watch his act, Su Yushan bluntly said, "The matrons at Yiyun Pavilion have already sent the wedding veil to the palace, and you're still pretending to be stupid with me?"
"How could that be?" There was no consummation of the marriage, no bloodshed, so why would the nanny hand over the bridal veil? "Who told you this? There must be some misunderstanding!"
Yu Shan was unwilling to betray Yun Fang and refused to tell the truth. "You don't need to pursue this matter. If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place!"
"I swear I didn't consummate my marriage with Lan Rong!" Hongli couldn't reason with her, and the more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he became. He simply sat up, summoned Li Yu, and loudly gave the order.
"Go to Yiyun Pavilion and summon Lan Rong!"
Standing outside the door, Li Yu glanced at the rain curtain under the eaves and asked in surprise, "Master, shall we go now?"
"Immediately! Right now! Bring the person to me!" Hongli's voice was impatient, which frightened Li Yu into quickly agreeing, "Yes, this servant will do it right away."
After saying this, he picked up the umbrella leaning against the wall and disappeared into the rain.
Su Yushan was confused by his actions. "It's the middle of the night, and it's raining outside. Why did you call her over at this hour?"
Hongli was filled with indignation and vowed to investigate the matter thoroughly. "How can I sleep if this matter is not clarified? If I wait until tomorrow to ask, you will think that I colluded with her to lie. I have to ask now and confront you face to face, so that you won't suspect me again!"
In early summer, the days were hot, but the nights were still a bit chilly, especially after the rain, when the chill spread. Li Yu braved the wind and rain and hurried to Yiyun Pavilion. At that time, Lan Rong had already gone to bed. Suddenly, a maid came to report that Li Yu had arrived.
Li Yuli stood outside and didn't go in, but only asked her to go to Huatang Pavilion.
Lan Rong asked curiously for the reason, and Li Yu chuckled dryly, "This servant doesn't know either, you'll know once you go there."
With a quick glance, Lan Rong guessed the reason. She then asked him to wait a moment, as she needed to get up and change her clothes.
To avoid keeping the Fourth Master waiting, she didn't dare to style her hair in a complicated way. She simply had Qiu Cha casually tie up her long hair, put on a hairpin, and then prepared to go out.
Qiu Cha reminded her to put on her robe, saying it was raining outside. She glanced at it, thought for a moment, and finally waved her hand, not putting on the robe.
Even with an umbrella, the night wind still managed to blow the rain down at an angle, landing on her dress. Lan Rong felt a lump in her throat, sneezed, and instinctively hugged her arms tightly before continuing on her way.
When she arrived at Huatang Pavilion, she saw Hongli dressed neatly, sitting upright in a chair in the outer room with a gloomy expression.
She didn't see Su Yushan, so she figured she was probably still in the inner room.
Lan Rong curtsied politely, and Hongli, without any formalities, went straight to the point, "Tell me, where is the bridal veil?"
As expected, it was about this matter. Lan Rong had already guessed that Hongli would question her, and calmly replied:
“At that time, someone from the palace came and asked about the bridal veil. If I couldn’t produce the veil, the palace would know that you hadn’t consummated your marriage with me. I was worried that Consort Xi would blame you for this, so I cut my finger with scissors and dripped the blood from my finger onto the bridal veil to make up the difference.”
It turned out that Yu Shan's information was true; the bridal veil had indeed been handed over, but the blood was fake! Upon learning the truth, Hongli angrily rebuked him:
“I told you that the matter of the veil is none of your business. I will handle it. Why didn’t you report it and instead made the decision on your own?”
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