Chapter 49 Don't tell him
But being surprised is one thing, but it doesn't mean he'll agree.
Huo Lu decided to play dumb: "Miss Xu, please don't joke with me. You are a daughter of a Duke, while I am of commoner origin. How can I be worthy of you? Even if I were to propose marriage, your family would not agree."
Xu Yanran said urgently, "Whether they agree or not, I agree."
She seemed to have made a huge decision, or perhaps she hadn't thought it through, "As long as you take me away, I'm willing to go to the ends of the earth."
To the ends of the earth?
Huo Lu never thought about going to the ends of the earth. He has a bright future ahead of him. Although the crisis of marrying the princess has not been completely resolved, his future is still very promising.
For Xu Yanran, a seemingly frail woman, to so openly express her feelings to him stirred a moment of emotion within him.
But even this slight stirring of emotion wasn't enough to make him abandon everything and go to the ends of the earth.
So, his expression turned serious, no longer so gentle. "Miss Xu, such words are not something a young lady like you can say so easily. I'll pretend today's events never happened. You should go home quickly; if others see this, it will damage your reputation."
After his blunt rejection, he stopped looking at her tearful face, turned around, and pushed open the door to leave.
Xu Yanran slumped weakly into a chair, tears streaming down her face.
In order to look radiant when going out to meet guests, I applied a layer of white powder to my face today. Now that it has been washed away by tears, it looks somewhat comical.
But she couldn't care less about that now. The bubble of love was easily popped, leaving not even a trace. How could it possibly support her to escape her cage?
********
After finishing his pleasantries, Li Shangxuan didn't see Huo Lu and assumed he was intentionally avoiding Sheng Ping. He didn't think to ask anything. But Yang Jiarong was a man of appearances; beneath his gentle exterior lay a heart that loved watching the excitement.
Even if Li Shangxuan didn't ask, he would still take the initiative to explain, "Xiaoman came over just now and called Huo Lu away."
He then added, "Perhaps Miss Chi has something to discuss with him."
Then, he composed himself and looked forward to the show. Li Shangxuan did not disappoint him and, sure enough, changed his expression after a few words.
Xiaoman was still a little confused when Li Shangxuan found her and questioned her. "It was Miss who told me to go find Lord Huo."
She still remembered who her master was, and pointed, "Lord Huo is in that room. If you want to find him, just go there."
Seeing Li Shangxuan's horribly dark face, she quickly added, "Or should I go and call him out?"
Li Shangxuan remained silent, feeling as if a fire was burning inside him.
He knew perfectly well that Yang Qing couldn't possibly do anything in this situation, but why would she need to find a secluded and deserted place to say something that couldn't be said in front of others?
He hesitated for a moment and decided not to disturb them, but before he could take a step, Yang Qing called out to him.
What did you want to say to Xiaoman?
Because it was Madam Chi's birthday, she was dressed very formally today, and the pearl hairpins on her head were dazzling, making her look even more charming.
The expression on his face wasn't very cute; it was one of deep wariness and suspicion.
Li Shangxuan glanced at Xiaoman. Wasn't Yangqing here?
Xiaoman was very confused. She felt that His Highness the Crown Prince seemed to have something to ask her, but he didn't say it. He just looked at her like that. How could she know what he meant?
She wasn't a mind reader who could effortlessly guess what he was thinking.
Li Shangxuan said, "Can't I even exchange a few words with her?"
Chi Yangqing sneered, "Little traitor and surveillance maniac, what good can come of you two getting together?"
In public, Li Shangxuan restrained himself from pinching her face, saying, "You're so arrogant now. When I'm going to teach you a lesson, don't come crying and begging for mercy."
Yang Qing blushed. If he hadn't hurt her, she wouldn't have begged for mercy. In the end, it was all because he was such a bad person.
Not wanting to talk to him, she turned to leave, but then hesitated, thinking of Xu Yanran who was there.
Li Shangxuan received countless greetings in just a few short steps from the hall.
Even now, almost everyone present still gives him a little bit of attention.
But even under that gaze, he still reached out to take Yang Qing's hand. As soon as his fingertips touched hers, she tried to pull away. Li Shangxuan found it amusing. "What's there to be shy about? With our relationship now, isn't holding hands perfectly normal?"
Yang Qing muttered under her breath, "Shameless! What do you mean by shy? I clearly didn't want to hold your hand."
Despite saying that, she didn't struggle anymore, only flinching slightly when he pinched her.
Li Shangxuan took in her subtle movements and couldn't help but laugh. "The Imperial Observatory has already calculated the auspicious date. Next autumn, there will be a once-in-a-century auspicious day."
Yang Qing was taken aback. Wasn't there a rumor circulating before that Li Shangxuan was destined not to marry early?
In their previous life, they were still a few years away from getting married. How come they got married so much earlier in this life?
"So early?"
Li Shangxuan: "It's still early? I wish we could get married right now."
Yang Qing didn't say anything more, but she snorted.
He wanted to marry her, but she wasn't willing.
She's in the prime of her life, beautiful, and has a great personality. Although there aren't many men who like her right now, Yang Qing believes that once they get to know her, they will definitely like her. She's not going to cling to Li Shangxuan.
When Huo Lu opened the door with a strange expression, Chi Yangqing shook off his hand and went to greet him, "General, how did your talks go?"
Huo Lu glanced at Li Shangxuan beside him, his face showing difficulty. "Miss Chi, you... please don't ask me for these kinds of things in the future. I believe that marriage is predestined and I don't need anyone to introduce me to anyone."
Like Xu Yanran, Yang Qing hadn't held out much hope, and simply nodded, saying, "I understand. I was impetuous this time, and I won't do it again."
Huo Lu quickly explained, "I didn't mean to blame you, it's just that what you did was inappropriate."
Yang Qing said, "I understand."
Li Shangxuan moved closer, but remained proper and didn't try to hold her hand. He simply smiled and asked, "What kind of riddle are you two playing?"
Yang Qing ignored him and turned to leave, but he grabbed her shawl and wouldn't let go. She glared at him, but he still had the nerve to smile. She could only say, "Let go, I have something to do to find Pianran."
Li Shangxuan then let go and snorted, "When two people are glued together all the time, how can they have so much to say..."
Yang Qing was too lazy to refute him; she and Xu Pianran hadn't gotten together in a long time.
Find Xu Pianran in the crowd and tell her that Huo Lu's matter still hadn't worked out. Tell her to go and comfort Xu Yanran, and make sure no one notices that something is wrong with her expression.
Xu Pianran left.
She wanted to find Rongyue. Although Mingmiao and Mingluoqi were not present today, Rongyue did not need to go all out to prepare for the battle. However, she was usually very popular, and there was a large group of girls crowding around her at the moment.
Yang Qing hesitated. If she went over, and Li Shangxuan had tried to take her hand earlier, these people would definitely tease her again.
Although she wasn't very thin-skinned, she couldn't stand so many people saying things to her.
As they were leaving via a shortcut, they unexpectedly bumped into Princess Shengping and Si Jiamu again. The two were under a tree, followed by a large group of servants.
Yang Qing had no choice but to bite the bullet and greet Princess Shengping.
Although the other party was usually arrogant, he seemed to really want to get along with her. It was just a pity that as a princess, she could only be flattered and she looked clumsy when she tried to flatter someone.
Princess Shengping gave up quickly. After Yang Qing seized the opportunity to say goodbye, she noticed that Si Jiamu's expression was very strange. It was as if he was looking at her, or as if he was looking through the crowd at Rong Yue, who was surrounded by people.
Although Yang Qing always tries to emulate Chu Ying in her daily behavior, she is actually quite perceptive when it comes to feelings.
Just like at this moment, she keenly noticed Si Jiamu's subtle change. It must be the kind of affection between a man and a woman, but there were definitely ripples between him and Rongyue.
I just don't know where these ripples came from.
Another thing is that sometimes it's not there when it should be, and sometimes it is when it shouldn't be, which leaves Yang Qing speechless.
Things are different now. Rongyue not only doesn't want to marry Si Jiamu anymore, she even hates him.
Not to mention, Scamander also has Princess Shengping by his side. Competing with a princess is never a good thing.
Even though she had walked quite a distance, she couldn't help but look back at Si Jiamu, wondering what he was thinking.
She was lost in thought when Chu Ying suddenly appeared with Lian Tang, startling her.
Patting his chest with lingering fear, he said, "Are you trying to kill someone?
Chu Ying said smugly, "I didn't do it on purpose. You were just too engrossed in looking at her."
She put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly: "You should try to please me and Lian Tang now, otherwise we'll go and complain to the Crown Prince."
Yang Qing said, "What are you going to complain about? Do you think I'm afraid of him?"
Chu Ying then pretended to leave, turning back with a smile, "Alright, you said it yourself. I gave you a chance, so don't blame me for siding with outsiders. I'll go tell the Crown Prince right now that you saw Si Jiamu just now, he could barely walk..."
Yang Qing knew it was unlikely, but the person in front of her was Chu Ying. What was she incapable of doing?
If Li Shangxuan were to be told, the walls of the Chi residence would likely be breached again.
She was always flexible and adaptable, so she quickly grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving, saying, "Don't go."
Seeing that she was scared, Chu Ying became even more smug. "Is this how you ask for help? Lian Tang, let's go. Maybe after we finish complaining, His Highness the Crown Prince will reward us."
Lian Tang just looked at the two of them and smiled without saying a word.
Yang Qing lowered her voice and pleaded, "Don't tell him. I was just... oh dear... thinking about something, not staring at someone."
Chu Ying chuckled and said, "Come on, it's not a bad thing that a handsome gentleman is sought after by a virtuous lady. You're lying, which makes me look down on you."
Yang Qing was furious with her. She stomped her feet twice and said, "I think you're just putting yourself in his shoes. You like him, but you insist on using me as an excuse!"
Chu Ying snorted, "Right and wrong are clear to everyone. I don't like him at all. It's no use trying to smear me. Lian Tang and I will give you one last chance. We heard that a new restaurant has opened in the West Market. If you treat us to a meal, we'll let you off this time."
Yang Qing quickly agreed: "Okay, then let's just leave it at that and don't bring it up again."
Chu Ying left happily, and Lian Tang turned to Yang Qing and said, "Mother wants to see you. She's in the East Hall. Sister, go quickly."
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