"I..." Li Yu was speechless when pressed for an answer. After thinking for a long time, he said, "Aunt Liu has been very good to me and treats me like her godson. So Yunfang is my sister. Of course, I have to take care of her marriage. If anyone lies to her, I will be the first to object!"
What a perfectly plausible reason! Unfortunately, Yunfang didn't appreciate it at all. "Who recognized you as a godparent? My mother didn't, and neither did I. I'm not worthy of being related to you! I'll make my own decisions about my marriage. It's none of your business!"
Li Yu, whose face turned red from the teasing, was speechless for a long time, feeling that his good intentions had been completely wasted.
Hongli tapped his knuckles idly on the table, enjoying the show.
"I thought you were jealous of Demin because you had feelings for Yunfang. Turns out you're my sworn brother! It seems I misunderstood. Since you don't like Yunfang, I'll arrange a marriage between Demin and Yunfang. That way, Demin won't have to go on blind dates anymore and can devote himself to Yunfang from now on. What do you think?"
Upon suddenly hearing the words "arranged marriage," Yunfang found it hard to accept. Just as she was about to express her opinion, Su Yushan quietly grabbed her wrist.
Su Yushan gave her a wink, signaling her to calm down. Yun Fang felt uneasy, but she could only endure it for the time being and remain silent.
Upon hearing this, Chang Yue frowned, wondering what the Fourth Prince meant. Was he truly going to bestow a marriage upon her, or was he testing her?
Li Yu's heart tightened, and she subconsciously said, "I disagree! They're not a good match. Demin doesn't like Yunfang, and he's still thinking about going on blind dates!"
Seeing that Demin remained silent, Li Yu anxiously reminded her, "Demin, say something!"
Demin remained calm. “This humble servant does not like Miss Yunfang, but it is an honor for this humble servant to accept the marriage decree from the Fourth Prince. This humble servant will obey.”
He actually agreed? Li Yu was surprised and at a loss, repeatedly asking, "If you marry her, will you treat her well? Will you bully her in the future?"
Demin grew impatient with his questions and couldn't help but tease him, "We're not even married yet, and you're asking about such distant matters. How am I supposed to answer? If you're worried about her being bullied, then you should marry her yourself!"
Su Yushan covered her mouth and chuckled. Hongli almost couldn't hold back his laughter and could only cover it up with a dry cough. Xin Dedemin's retort was brilliant. Li Yu is just asking for it!
Li Yu, speechless after being ridiculed, looked up at Yun Fang, wanting to know her attitude, "And you? Are you willing to marry Demin?"
If she said she was unwilling, he would definitely find a way to plead with Fourth Master on her behalf. However, Yunfang was still angry with Li Yu, so he didn't dare to express his opinion, and she was unwilling to tell the truth. She said defiantly:
"If we can't be in love with each other, then it doesn't matter who I marry, it doesn't matter!"
The play didn't happen, but Hongli wasn't anxious. He said casually, "Since you all have no objections, then it's settled."
Hongli then waved his hand, dismissing them all. Demin was the first to leave, seemingly without objection, indicating that he intended to follow the Fourth Prince's arrangements.
Chang Yue watched his calm departure and felt inexplicably lost.
Li Yu walked very slowly, his gaze fixed on Yun Fang. However, Yun Fang didn't even look at him and turned away sadly to go to the small kitchen.
After each disappointment, a glimmer of hope would unconsciously rekindle within her. However, this time, even though the Fourth Prince had declared that he would betroth her to someone else, Li Yu remained unmoved and refused to say anything.
If you love someone, how could you bear to let them marry someone else? This shows that Li Yu truly had no romantic feelings for her whatsoever.
Yunfang suddenly felt ridiculous; she didn't even know what the point of staying here was...
Inside the room, Su Yushan sighed in disappointment, "I thought Li Yu would say something if he was pushed too far, but I didn't expect him to remain the same. What should we do now? You're not really going to arrange a marriage between them, are you? Yunfang definitely won't marry Demin."
Since Hongli dared to speak, he had made thorough preparations. "If people are not pushed to the brink, how can they face themselves? If I am not mistaken, there should still be room for maneuver in this matter. Even if I am wrong, there is still a way out. Don't worry, I will not let your good sister suffer any injustice."
Since he had his own ideas, Su Yushan didn't interfere anymore. There were too many people around earlier, so she couldn't ask too many questions. Now, she finally voiced her doubts.
"Did you deliberately spill the tea today?"
"You saw it?"
Shaking her head, Su Yushan said, "I didn't see any details, but your act was a bit too obvious; it was easy to guess."
Hongli smiled calmly, "It's intentional, but even if they see through it, they won't expose it."
As she expected, Su Yushan snorted and couldn't help but remind her, "I know you did it to save Li Yu, but you shouldn't risk yourself! If you get seriously burned, you'll be the one who suffers."
He touched her slightly pouting red lips and smiled indifferently, "How hot can tea be in summer? If the maidservant brings it, it's warm tea. Don't worry! I know what I'm doing."
Recalling today's events, Su Yushan still had questions. "I still don't quite understand. If you wanted to pardon Li Yu, it would only be a matter of a word. The Fujin (wife of the emperor) would not refuse to give you face. Why did you go through all this trouble?"
Hongli had his reasons for doing this: "She is, after all, my wife. Li Yu was in the wrong first, and she is the one who should be made to kneel. If I take her away directly, how will she save face? People will definitely gossip, and how will she be able to convince others in the future?"
That seemed to make some sense, but compared to his previous actions, Su Yushan found it strange. "Why didn't you consider her feelings when you were in the palace? Why did you openly make her leave?"
Gazing intently at her, Hongli explained solemnly:
“That’s different. Whenever it concerns you, I will make a decision promptly without considering the consequences. Even if it offends the Fujin and my mother, I will not hesitate. But Li Yu is different. Although I am biased towards him, he is just a servant after all. I cannot lose my mind and contradict the Fujin because of him.”
Only by taking a roundabout approach and having the Fujin (principal wife) personally grant the pardon could she appear magnanimous, thus preventing Li Yu from suffering further and ensuring the Fujin wouldn't lose face among the other maids.
After learning his true thoughts, Su Yushan couldn't help but sigh, "Being a householder is really tiring. You have to think things through and consider so many things. It's too hard!"
Hongli went along with it and discussed with her, "You know how hard I work? Then tonight I'll teach you how to ride a horse, and you can let me enjoy myself for once."
"You're getting the wrong idea again!" Su Yushan's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she huffed, "If you're tired, just rest! I didn't ask you to hand in your homework every night."
Upon hearing this, Hongli's eyes narrowed. "We had an agreement beforehand. I helped you, and you did as I wished. Are you trying to go back on your word?"
With a quick glance, Su Yushan retorted, "You did help, but you didn't succeed! Li Yu hasn't expressed his feelings yet, so it doesn't count."
"I only agreed to help. As for Li Yu's attitude, what does it have to do with me?" With a long arm, Hongli pulled the cunning girl into his arms, narrowing his eyes in a warning.
"Su Yushan, do you know what the consequences are for crossing the river and then destroying the bridge?"
"So what?" Su Yushan wasn't afraid of him at all, raising her chin fearlessly. "You think you can hit me?"
No matter how cunning she was, she could never escape his grasp. "I can't bear to hit you, but I have the ability to make you cry, to make you cry and beg for forgiveness!"
As he spoke, Hongli picked her up and carried her into the tent, determined to punish this unruly cat.
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