Chapter 81 Ignoring People Again
It had become a daily routine for the palace maids to go to the front and inquire about what Li Shangxuan had done and who he had met. Of course, this was all kept from Zhuo Sigui; she definitely couldn't know. Rong Shan, having received Li Shangxuan's instructions, cooperated very well and told him everything each time.
Several days passed, and Yang Qing still couldn't find anything wrong. After the New Year, the Ning Prince's Mansion finally collapsed completely, which also implicated many local forces. It was said that the rebellion had been planned for decades.
It seems that the rebellion in her previous life was indeed related to the Prince Ning's mansion. Li Shangxuan really got a great deal out of it. A major upheaval was resolved just like that. Yang Qing really felt like a lucky star.
When the grass grows and the orioles fly, it is the wedding day of Rongyue and Sijiamu. Every time Yangqing sees the Second Madam, she can't stop smiling. Perhaps it's because she is in a good mood. She is no longer the serious person she used to be. She smiles at everyone she meets. Spring comes and autumn goes, and she looks much younger.
Chu Ying was still very unruly. Even though the Third Madam had instructed her many times before, she was still the same. She kept grinning at Yang Qing, "Ever since Sister Rongyue's marriage was settled, Second Aunt has been smiling from ear to ear every day. My mother is very envious of her. She said that she wished she had even half of what you and Sister Rongyue have achieved."
Yang Qing laughed and said, "Getting married is nothing special. Have you prepared your dowry yet? I'm worried about it. If it's too expensive, it will seem too ostentatious. If it's simple, people will think I'm being disrespectful."
Chu Ying simply said, "Who cares what others say? If you have something good, then give it to me. Who doesn't like nice things? When I get married, you must give me a very generous gift, so that all this time I've spent playing with you won't have been in vain."
Yang Qing thought to herself, "Although Chu Ying is her older sister by age, she has never played with her. She's the one who drags her down with her when she gets into trouble."
She gave a soft hum and stopped talking. Just as she was about to leave, she ran into Si Jiamu. They must have come to discuss the marriage.
In a little over ten days, it will be Rongyue and Sijiamu's wedding. It has been several years since her older sisters got married. The last happy event in the family was her brother's wedding, which was three years ago. Apart from celebrating her grandmother's birthday, the family has not been this lively in a long time.
Yang Qing also found it lively. Even if it was lively in the palace, one still had to observe etiquette. Once there were too many rules, it would feel a bit sinister.
She hates the way a group of people sit together and act all hypocritical, having to put on airs and pretend to be dignified and reserved.
Every time a palace banquet ended, Yangqing's neck felt like it was about to break.
It's better to be at home, or rather, it's better to be in front of people like Chu Ying, where I don't have to put on airs or pretend.
Unfortunately, she still had to meet guests. When she saw Miss Zhou Zhiyu, her face changed even more, and she unconsciously frowned.
Her third aunt noticed her unusual behavior and immediately patted the back of her hand gently.
Yang Qing realized what was happening and quickly composed herself. At the same time, she noticed that Miss Zhou was also looking at her.
Lord Zhou has rendered great service in the case of Prince Ning's rebellion and is now a highly sought-after figure in the capital. As his only daughter, Zhou Zhiyu has naturally attracted a lot of attention, especially since she is new to the area. People are naturally curious about new people and things. Several lively girls have already taken the initiative to pester her, asking her to tell them about the local customs and culture of Yunzhou, and others have also shown interest to varying degrees.
If it weren't for what happened in her past life, Yang Qing probably wouldn't have paid much attention to Zhou Zhiyu.
She didn't have a good impression of Yunzhou, and Zhou Zhiyu was too quiet and reserved.
Although Yang Qing felt that someone as noisy and lively as Ming Luoqi was too much, she herself actually loved to have fun and couldn't get along with girls who were too quiet.
Rongyue is usually quiet, but Zhou Zhiyu is quite different from Rongyue. Rongyue is aloof and proud, but Zhou Zhiyu gives people a very bland feeling, like water, colorless and tasteless, and not very interesting.
Yang Qing quickly averted her gaze, but Zhou Zhiyu was incredibly perceptive and caught her gaze in that instant.
She immediately felt embarrassed, as if she had been caught red-handed as a thief.
Amidst the festive red hues, Yang Qing blushed without realizing it, not out of shyness, but out of embarrassment.
But Zhou Zhiyu walked towards her anyway, which made Yang Qing even more flustered.
What is Zhou Zhiyu trying to do? Is she going to question her about why she was spying on her?
Lost in thought, she arrived before him, a faint smile on her face, and bowed, saying, "This humble woman greets the Crown Princess."
Feeling guilty, Yang Qing stammered, "Miss Zhou, is there something you need?"
Zhou Zhiyu nodded and said, "This humble woman does indeed have something to discuss. I wonder if the Crown Princess would be so kind as to find a quiet place to speak for a few minutes?"
Yang Qing was slightly taken aback, and looked up to see her calm and composed expression.
In her past life, when she met Zhou Zhiyu, they were both twenty-seven years old, and now they are both in their early twenties.
Between a person's twentieth and twenty-seventh years, spanning seven years and over two thousand days and nights, will that person's expression and demeanor remain unchanged?
It shouldn't be, but the Zhou Zhiyu standing in front of her now seems to be no different from the Crown Prince's birth mother, Consort Zhou, who stood in front of her in her previous life.
Yang Qing was taken aback, then nodded in agreement.
Even if she hadn't discovered this, she had long wanted to meet Zhou Zhiyu, but she just hadn't found a suitable reason.
In the side room, the festive sounds of gongs and drums outside could still be clearly heard. Xiaoman stood guard outside the door, and Yangqing instructed her not to let anyone in. So only she and Zhou Zhiyu were left in the room.
Yang Qing cleared her throat, feigning bravado, and was about to ask a question when Zhou Zhiyu suddenly knelt down, startling her. She quickly stood up to help her up, "Miss Zhou, what are you doing?"
When Zhou Zhiyu looked up, her beautifully shaped eyes were no longer calm, but were covered with a layer of watery light. "In the seventh year of Taiping, the emperor died and established his young son as emperor. He entrusted Empress Chi with the care of the young emperor and appointed six ministers to assist him."
Her words were clear and distinct, and the sound of firecrackers couldn't drown them out. Yang Qing felt as if firecrackers were exploding in her own head.
Her hand was still supporting Zhou Zhiyu, and she couldn't help but tremble slightly. "How did you know?"
Zhou Zhiyu did not get up with her, but remained kneeling on the ground. "This humble woman has a request that I ask the Crown Princess for help."
Yang Qing pursed her lips and remained silent; she hadn't yet fully processed what Zhou Zhiyu had just said.
Zhou Zhiyu hurriedly added, "If Your Majesty wishes to know about my past life, I will certainly tell you everything I know."
*****
Li Shangxuan found it very strange. Yang Qing was a person with a big temper but a constant little temper, and she was also very petty. Every time he said something wrong, she would hold a grudge for two or three days.
Last night, he had said something inappropriate while having fun, which upset her. Li Shangxuan was prepared for her to ignore him, but her reaction was different from what he expected. Instead of being cold, she was very attentive. She immediately put her arm around his and asked him if he was tired today. She had personally made red date and white fungus soup and was keeping it warm on the stove, just waiting for him to come.
Li Shangxuan was quite flattered. He drank the soup she fed him, then took her hand and casually kneaded and played with it. Surprisingly, he didn't get angry at all.
He couldn't help but wonder, so he pulled her into his arms and pinched her cheek. "Why are you being so gentle and considerate today?"
Yang Qing's expression changed again: "What do you mean by being gentle and considerate today? Am I not gentle and considerate on other days?"
Li Shangxuan didn't speak, he just smiled.
Yang Qing wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice soft, "Your Highness, I have a favor to ask. Please do it for me, okay?"
Li Shangxuan smiled helplessly: "I knew it would be like this. Tell me what it is first, and I'll see if I can get it done."
Yang Qing didn't mince words: "Do you still remember Zhou Zhiyu? Today she asked me for a favor. She said that she and a guard in her household were childhood sweethearts and had already pledged their lives to each other, but unfortunately, her father, Lord Zhou, wanted to marry her off to another young master. I thought, it's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage. Your Highness, you are the wisest, could you help Miss Zhou with this favor?"
Li Shangxuan frowned: "When did you become so familiar with her?"
Seeing his expression, Yang Qing knew this matter wouldn't be easy and would probably require a lot of persuasion. So she quickly resorted to her charming and coquettish manner, "As the saying goes, it's easy to find priceless treasures, but hard to find a true lover. Miss Zhou has a lover but can't stay with him forever. How pitiful! I know you're the wisest person, so please help her this once."
Li Shangxuan gave her a strange look: "Putting aside why you suddenly spoke up for her, let's just talk about the matter at hand. As far as I know, the Zhao and Zhou families have already arranged a marriage, and the formalities of marriage are almost over. I can't just suddenly say that your two families can't get married, can I?"
Yang Qing thought about it and realized it made sense. Her eyebrows drooped, and she looked dejected. She tried to get out of his arms, but he held her waist and wouldn't let her. She could only continue to sit in his arms and said with dissatisfaction, "Didn't you say before that even if I became a nun, I couldn't escape your grasp? How come it's so hard to get you to say a word this time? It's clear that what you said before was all a lie to deceive me."
Li Shangxuan: "...I'm not going to marry her, so why should I get involved in this mess?"
Yang Qing said, "Hmph, you still have the nerve to say that? I knew it all along. You were lying to me about those things from my past life. You didn't remember anything at all. You just made it all up!"
Li Shangxuan, enraged and embarrassed, tried to bite her finger, but Yang Qing quickly softened and surrendered, "Hey, don't always do this. I'm talking to you nicely, how can you touch me like that?"
Li Shangxuan held her finger tightly in his mouth, speaking indistinctly, "Is this what you call talking to me properly?"
Yang Qing said, "Of course, let go first, and I'll talk to you properly."
Li Shangxuan then released her, and Yang Qing immediately changed her expression, saying with disgust, "It's all saliva, it's filthy."
She rubbed it against his clothes.
Li Shangxuan sneered: "You eat so much every day, and now you're complaining?"
Yang Qing retorted angrily, "You're being indecent again!"
Li Shangxuan could only lower his back and coax her: "Alright, alright, it's all my fault. Your Highness, please don't hold a grudge against me. What important thing do you want to tell me? Tell me quickly."
Yang Qing's expression softened, but before she could actually start talking, she scolded him without even asking what happened, "I'm not like you, spouting nonsense and lying to people. You'd better listen carefully, everything I'm saying is the truth!"
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