Chapter 2 Saying a Few Words Through the Window
Can we exchange a few words through the window?
Chi Yangqing pursed her lips slightly; even through the window, she was still reluctant to see him.
Putting aside this faithless and treacherous man, just thinking about her own boastful words terrified her.
She wanted to refuse, but thought, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? He's an outsider, and it would be terrible if others found out."
Liu Ye'er winked and said, "Don't worry, Miss. Apart from Madam, Sister Qingzhu, and me, no one will know about this, and it won't spread. Besides, don't you want to see His Highness?"
Of course she didn't want to!
Chi Yangqing blushed slightly. She couldn't quite describe her attitude towards Li Shangxuan when she was seventeen. It seemed to be no different from later on. In short, she didn't dislike him.
She wanted to say something more, but before she could, Liu Ye'er heard Qingzhu calling from outside and ran out like a gust of wind.
If her mother saw this, she would definitely say that Liu Ye'er was not proper.
When Chi Yangqing was still at home, her mother would always criticize Liu Ye'er, feeling that she didn't have the demeanor of a first-class maid and how could she manage the affairs of the household?
Looking at her now, Chi Yangqing couldn't help but feel the tolerance of an elder; it was good that Liu Ye'er remained so lively.
People who have suffered can't be lively anymore. Just like her, who was trapped in the palace, she was never as happy as she was before.
If only Liu Ye'er's liveliness wasn't due to Li Shangxuan's arrival.
She went out to greet Qingzhu, then ran back into the house to open the window. Chi Yangqing glared at her, and she figured that her mistress was probably shy, so she restrained herself and only opened the window a crack.
Li Shangxuan would never do something like fully opening the window, nor would he peek through the crack. So the two of them ended up talking through the window, unable to even see each other's faces.
Chi Yangqing was still panicking, and Li Shangxuan outside hadn't said a word, which made her even more flustered.
While thinking about it, she couldn't help but think that she didn't want to live this life of serving a king like walking on thin ice anymore. Tomorrow, no, tonight, she would ask her mother to find her a husband as soon as possible. Anyway, she didn't have any official marriage agreement with Li Shangxuan, so he would never do something like forcibly taking a subject's wife.
The windows were covered with paper, so once closed, only a blurry silhouette could be seen.
She had been standing before his coffin before falling asleep, and upon waking, she saw him again. Chi Yangqing was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, the hem of her dress crumpled in her hand. Li Shangxuan remained silent, adding to her unease.
After an unknown amount of time, the figure outside stirred slightly and finally made a sound, "Ah Xun."
Chi Yangqing immediately perked up, as if she were just going through the motions, and replied, "Yes, sir."
Li Shangxuan chuckled lightly, which made Chi Yangqing blush. She thought to herself, "He really doesn't follow the rules. Is it okay for him to call me by my nickname?"
But she could only complain in her heart. Even though Li Shangxuan was not the decisive emperor he would become, he was still the crown prince and could still keep her firmly in the lead. What could she say?
Li Shangxuan said, "You've been sick for so long. The head of the Imperial Medical Academy is highly skilled. Have you asked him to come and see you?"
Chi Yangqing's voice was muffled, which fit the little lie she told, "Your Highness is overthinking it. It's just a minor illness. There's no need to call the head physician. Just rest at home for a couple of days and you'll be fine."
Li Shangxuan said, "A minor illness can become a major illness if left untreated. You have always been weak, so you should be even more careful."
She's not weak at all!
He's never been sick much since he was a child, so how come he's always been described as weak?
Chi Yangqing pouted in dissatisfaction and said nothing more.
A familiar male voice could be heard from outside, but the person must have been standing quite far away, as the voice was muffled and could only be heard by looking very closely.
Chi Yangqing strained her ears, but only vaguely heard the words "too late," "Empress," and "go back."
She was overjoyed and breathed a sigh of relief; he was finally going back.
Li Shangxuan hummed in agreement and said goodbye, "I'm leaving now. Take good care of yourself at home and don't push yourself too hard."
Chi Yangqing hurriedly said, "I know, Your Highness, please go quickly, don't delay important matters."
Li Shangxuan was standing in the courtyard. Madam Chi loved tending to flowers and plants. It was springtime, and some flowers were already peeking out, unable to resist the temptation. The air was filled with their rich fragrance.
When the wind blows, the fragrance of the flowers becomes even stronger.
He had already decided to leave, but he hesitated to take a step. He remained rooted to the spot, watching her shadow on the window for a while, wondering why she wouldn't open the window so they could see each other.
He spent more than two months investigating a cheating case in the imperial examinations in Jiangnan. She caught a cold as soon as she returned. In total, they hadn't seen each other for three months.
He may have unconventional thoughts, but he won't actually do them.
Although the window was already slightly ajar, he could only hope that a gust of wind would blow the obstruction away, and he wouldn't even push it open, for fear of offending her.
After standing there for a while, the guard beside him began to urge, "Your Highness, you should go back first. It's not good to keep Her Majesty the Empress waiting."
Looking at the faint silhouette on the window, Li Shangxuan couldn't help but sigh. After sighing, he couldn't help but smile, thinking that there was plenty of time in the future.
"Let's go."
Once there was no more noise outside, Chi Yangqing reached out and opened the window, carefully peeking out to check the situation outside. Finding no trace of Li Shangxuan, she was relieved.
Liu Ye'er pouted and complained, "Miss didn't open the window just now, but now that everyone's left, she's opened it."
Chi Yangqing said, "You were in the wrong to begin with. How could you agree to let him into my courtyard? If others find out, what will become of my reputation?"
Liu Ye'er said, "What's the big deal? Once you marry into the Eastern Palace and become the Crown Princess, who will dare to gossip?"
Chi Yangqing said, "Stop talking nonsense. It's not even close to happening yet, how come it's become a sure thing in your mouth?"
Liu Ye'er snorted, "If the master and madam both say so, how could it be false?"
Chi Yangqing remained silent for a moment before saying, "That's not necessarily true."
Liu Ye'er: "But His Highness the Crown Prince came over immediately after hearing that you had recovered. It's clear that he cares about you, Miss."
Chi Yangqing blushed and scolded, "Whether he cares about me or not, you're not a mind reader, how would you know?"
She paused for a moment, then added, "Besides, even if he has feelings for me, am I supposed to marry him? There's no such thing as a free lunch."
Liu Ye'er stopped talking and watched as a faint blush rose on her fair face, realizing that her mistress was shy.
It is said that marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers, and proper daughters should not get involved in such matters. Liu Ye'er thought she had figured out the truth of the matter and became smug.
Chi Yangqing asked, "When can I buy my wontons?"
Liu Ye'er hurriedly replied, "Xiao Tao just came back and said that Aunt Wang's wonton stall hasn't been set up yet, so it will probably have to wait until dinner time."
Chi Yangqing vaguely remembered that the emperor did indeed issue another decree this year, extending the curfew much further than before, which led to the formation of night markets in the East and West markets.
She was a little disappointed, "It's going to be so late."
Liu Ye'er quickly offered suggestions, "Miss hasn't eaten lunch, and only had a little bit of plain porridge this morning. How can she possibly keep up? Should I go find Aunt Liu in the kitchen and ask her to prepare some food?"
Chi Yangqing said, "No need, I don't have much of an appetite either."
Liu Ye sighed.
Chi Yangqing then asked, "Is Mother still in the manor and hasn't gone out yet?"
Liu Ye'er said, "Madam just met with the Crown Prince, so why would she need to go out?"
Chi Yangqing then said, "That's perfect. I'm just sitting here all alone with nothing to do. I'll go talk to my mother for a while."
Liu Ye'er was quite surprised. Since the lady got older, she talked more than before and often scolded people. As a result, the young lady didn't like to get close to the lady. Today was really strange.
She wanted to say something more about taking care of herself, but Chi Yangqing had already left the room, her previous sickly appearance completely gone. She hurriedly chased after her and called out, "Slow down, slow down, be careful not to fall."
***
Madam Chi loved tending to flowers and plants. Her courtyard was filled with countless rare and exotic plants. Even though it was early spring, the air was filled with fragrance as soon as you entered the courtyard.
Chi Yangqing didn't ask anyone to announce her arrival and went straight into the main room.
After she became empress, her mother never scolded her again.
I went inside after lifting the curtain, and to my surprise, not only was Madam Chi there, but also the most gossipy Third Madam.
My father was the second oldest son, only two years older than my third uncle, and my third wife was also close in age to my mother.
Unlike her mother, who was very conventional, this third aunt loved socializing and had been enjoying matchmaking in recent years.
Upon seeing her, Chi Yangqing's heart stirred, and she wanted to ask her if she had any good young men in her possession, but she couldn't bring herself to ask.
The third wife's own daughter, Chu Ying, was the same age as her. If there were a good candidate, she would never overlook her own daughter and leave the place to her.
Seeing her rush in so carelessly, Madam Chi's expression changed slightly. Considering that her sister-in-law was still there, she didn't scold her too much, only saying, "You're so old, yet you still have such no manners. What kind of behavior is this!"
The third wife was already quite old, but she still dressed up beautifully and always had a pair of smiling eyes, making her seem very approachable.
"We're all family, why bother with rules?"
She pulled Chi Yangqing to sit down next to her, stroking her face and saying, "Look at you, you've lost so much weight after just one illness. I recently got a new chef who makes really nourishing dishes. Come to my place with your third aunt tonight for dinner."
Chi Yangqing knew that she wasn't very favored by her mother, and she was a little overwhelmed by her aunt's enthusiasm. She forced herself not to dodge her aunt's hand and just smiled and said, "I'm not fully recovered from my illness yet, so I won't bother you, lest I infect you."
The third wife didn't take offense and still smiled, "What's the big deal? Your third aunt is in good health and doesn't get sick so easily."
The second wife spoke up, "Sister-in-law, please don't joke. If she doesn't want to go, then she shouldn't go. It'll save you the trouble. By the way, is what you just said true? Did the Prince of Ning really ask you to inquire about Yue'er?"
After hearing what the two said, the Third Madam did not rush to answer. Instead, she glanced at Chi Yangqing beside her. A seventeen-year-old girl should not be involved in such a scene, but she kept her head down and her eyes kept glancing up, clearly wanting to hear.
Well, the Third Madam's family is the Marquis of Yongwu. A girl who grew up on horseback doesn't care much about such things. In fact, she made the decision about her marriage herself.
Now that Yang Qing has a bright future, she is willing to do her a favor and be a close aunt.
The third wife sat up straight, still smiling. "How could that be false? I'm not exaggerating, but your daughters, Second Sister-in-law, are all so beautiful, each one more beautiful than the last. They're all like celestial maidens. Even my sisters-in-law from my own family like them very much, it's just a pity that none of them are suitable."
When Yangqing heard her third aunt say these words, she knew something was wrong. Looking at her mother's expression, she saw that it had indeed changed a little, but she suppressed her anger because she didn't want to lash out.
The Third Madam's words were flattering, but the Second Madam interpreted them quite differently.
The second wife gave birth to four daughters in total, and Yangqing was unfortunately the last one.
Although it's not that she can't have more children, people around her have advised her that childbirth is extremely taxing on a woman's body, and the second wife is already old. If she were to have another child, things might go wrong. Anyway, even if the son doesn't take her surname, why would it be worth risking her life?
After hearing this many times, the second wife also came to terms with it and immediately arranged for her husband to take a concubine. However, perhaps it was truly fate, as this concubine became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter.
Second Master Chi was quite easygoing, which infuriated Second Madam. She went from deeply resenting her own lack of offspring to hating Second Master Chi for being useless, unable to even produce a son.
In recent years, the couple's relationship has remained lukewarm, and the phrase "treating each other with the utmost respect" perfectly describes their relationship.
The second wife forced a smile and said, "Sister-in-law, you really know how to joke."
The Third Madam said, "I'm not joking at all. I'm speaking from the heart. Yue'er is virtuous and gentle. Who wouldn't be happy to see her? If you're willing, I'll make the arrangements for you. It's springtime, and there are many banquets. Our two families can bring our children to meet. If it works out, that would be great. If it doesn't, no one else will know, and we won't lose face."
The second wife said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Third Sister-in-law."
Yang Qing hurriedly asked, "Third Aunt, can I come along too?"
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