Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Years of love finally come to nothing
The lights were just coming on, the full moon was high in the sky, and a plain carriage was parked in front of the Fengyu Bridge southwest of Guanghua Tower.
The evening breeze blew up the car curtains, and a little warm wind came in through the gaps, lifting the loose hair on Nanxu's forehead.
She sat at the innermost part of the carriage with her head down, looking listless.
The curtain of the carriage was pulled open, and the moonlight poured in, casting a soft glow on the girl who came in.
"Girl, someone is coming."
Nan Xu said "hmm" but didn't look up, so no one could see her expression.
Yuxiang wanted to say something but was stopped by Yuming who was sitting next to her. Yuming shook her head and told her not to say anything.
What needs to be said has been said long ago. The girl knows what is going on, but she just can't get over it in her heart. It won't be too late to tell her after she meets the person later.
Hearing the footsteps getting closer, Nan Xu clenched her fists.
It turns out that one day, she would also be afraid of seeing Li Zhan.
A few days ago, her aunt, Concubine Yu'an, summoned her and her mother into the palace on the grounds of poor health.
The concubine in the Cining Palace had a rosy complexion and did not look sick. She then realized that her illness was fake and that she was really summoned to the palace to talk.
The Concubine Dowager took her hand and talked about marriage. She thought that the Concubine Dowager was going to help her and issue an order to grant the marriage, but she didn't expect that she was here to persuade her not to have any more contact with Li Zhan, just because the new emperor's sister, Princess Jingyi, had a crush on Li Zhan.
The Yong'an Marquisate and the Li family are old friends. She and Li Zhan have known each other since childhood, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are childhood sweethearts. Although they are not engaged, the two families have long tacitly approved of their interactions. Even she herself is very sure about marrying Li Zhan in the future.
Who could have imagined that at the last moment, she would be chosen by the royal family to marry a princess? Ultimately, this was due to the awkward position of the Yong'an Marquisate in Kyoto.
The new emperor had been on the throne for only half a year, but as soon as he ascended the throne, he used his iron fist to suppress the court, win over the clans, promote the poor, and suppress the old aristocracy.
The first to bear the brunt is the Yong'an Hou Nan family. After all, they are the Yi Wang's in-laws, who can be at ease!
Although the emperor was the adopted son of Concubine Yu'an, he was still wary of Concubine Yu'an, who had the Winged King as her biological son.
When Prince Yi first petitioned the emperor to take the Concubine Dowager to Shu to spend his remaining years after his enfeoffment, the emperor rejected the request on the grounds that he wanted to serve the Concubine Dowager personally. This separation of flesh and blood was only intended to restrain Prince Yi who was far away in Shu.
Now that Li Zhan wants to marry the empress, how could Nan Xu be willing to do so? Naturally, she wanted to know clearly. If this was the emperor's method, Li Zhan might have had no choice but to agree.
"Nanxu."
Someone called softly.
The man's voice was gentle, like the evening breeze on a summer night, neither fast nor slow, touching people's hearts.
Nan Xu used to like to pester Li Zhan and listen to him call Ah Xu over and over again, with each word carefully rolled over the tip of his tongue, merging into the beautiful and pleasant sound of the word Ah Xu.
Now it just sounds very harsh.
Nan Xu signaled Yuxiang to lift the curtain and helped Yuming get out of the carriage.
Outside the car, Li Zhan had his back to Guanghua Tower, and the layers of brilliant flames reflected his elegant figure, like the moon in the sky or a banished immortal in the fairy palace.
Nan Xu was in a daze for a moment before taking the box from Yuxiang and turned to walk towards Fengyu Bridge.
There was a large shade of trees by the bridge, and the servants of the two mansions stood not far away, so they could keep an eye on the two of them and guard against outsiders coming this way.
She is in front and he is behind.
When they stood still, she and he were still five steps apart.
Nan Xu moved to get closer, but Li Zhan retreated. Bitterness filled her heart, and her faint fantasy was crumbling.
"Mr. Li." she called him.
Li Zhan did not react at all to the change of address. The two of them sat facing each other in silence on the dimly lit wind and rain bridge.
They didn't get along like this before.
She and he would be very close, so close that they could hear each other's heartbeats and feel the entanglement of their breathing, but not like now, where she hardly recognized the person in front of her.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
The silence made people feel uneasy, and Nan Xu asked in a trembling voice.
Li Zhan froze for a moment, his heart was in turmoil and he spoke with restraint and repression.
"No."
The voice didn't change, but Nan Xu could hear the indifference.
She was a little frustrated. "Did I do something wrong, or... because of Princess Jingyi's noble status, you can't shirk your responsibility."
There must be a reason. Nan Xu didn't believe that more than ten years of affection could not compare to the princess's short-lived favor.
Li Zhan did not answer, and there was another long silence. The sound of stringed instruments from Guanghua Tower gradually came, disturbing the tranquility.
Nan Xu looked up at him, trying to see the emotion in his eyes, but they were empty and dead silent.
She bit her lip, her strong self-esteem giving her great courage, "Li Zhan, whether it is true or not, just give me a straight answer!"
Why is she keeping her hanging? Li Zhan is not the only young man in Kyoto. If he really has no intention of pursuing her, would she still pursue him relentlessly?
The girls from the Yong'an Marquis Mansion are not that lowly!
The young lady looked at him stubbornly, the glitter in her eyes like dazzling pearls in the dim light, hanging in the heart of the person, neither going up nor down.
Li Zhan looked at her intently, and after a long while, he spoke word by word, "I'm sorry for delaying you for so many years. Princess Jingyi and I are in love with each other..."
Nan Xu looked at his lips opening and closing, and there was a buzzing sound in her ears.
Are you in love with each other?
It seems that nothing is impossible. People's hearts are fickle. When she was a child, she liked to eat the sweet and delicious lotus cake. When she grew up, she liked the fresh and salty mung bean cake. Until now, she only eats the crabapple chestnut powder cake from Wu Yufang.
But these are things, if you don't like them, you don't like them. Are human emotions also like this? Promises are like spilled water, lost wherever they are said. She took them seriously, but he had already forgotten them completely.
Nan Xu felt wronged, tears welled up in her eyes but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
She laughed bitterly and handed the box over. "I'll return the token of our love to you, and give me back my jade pendant. From now on, Master Li and I will go our separate ways. You can be your consort, and I'll marry my ideal husband. We'll have nothing to do with each other."
*
On the way back, Nan Xu stared blankly at the bustling street market outside the car window.
She held the jade pendant tightly in her hand, as if holding it could take back the sincerity she had given.
When they finally parted, Li Zhan didn't say a single soft word, as if the gentle man he had been in front of her for the past ten years had disappeared overnight.
And she was still immersed in those beautiful fantasies, unable to extricate herself.
Yuxiang couldn't bear to see his daughter so depressed, so he told jokes in various ways, but Nanxu was so lost in her own world that she seemed oblivious.
She was like a soulless puppet, slumped in a corner of the carriage.
Yu Ming looked a little distressed and interrupted Yu Xiang's joke, saying, "Miss, it's fate."
"You taught me that if you lose something in one place, you may gain something in another. The man you want to marry must be someone who truly loves and cares for you. Young Master Li is so unfaithful and unrighteous that he is not a good match for you. It may be a good thing for you to leave him."
She has never had a man she loves, and she doesn't know what it feels like to lose someone. She has witnessed the love between Nan Xu and Li Zhan for more than ten years, and now that their love has faded away, she can only offer some rational words of comfort.
At this point, someone has to be cruel enough to reveal the cruelest truth to Nan Xu.
The wheels of the carriage rolled over the bluestone slabs rhythmically, like a whisper beside the ear. Nan Xu looked up, his eyes wandering.
"Yeah?"
Seeing her speak, Yuming and Yuxiang nodded vigorously.
Nanxu burst into laughter through tears.
She claimed to be a smart person, but she was blinded by one thing and trapped herself.
The two maids understood the truth, but she turned a deaf ear to it and curled herself up, thinking that by not hearing or seeing, she would not be hurt.
But the damage has already happened, so we must always look forward.
Li Zhan is not her good man, so why should she linger on him?
"Put it away." She handed the jade pendant to Yu Ming.
It only took her the blink of an eye to sort out her state of mind. She might still be feeling unwilling and angry, but the huge rock named Li Zhan weighing on her heart needed her to peel it off bit by bit until it no longer caused any ups and downs in her heart.
With nothing in her hand, she turned around and looked outside. There were a few old men selling candied haws on the street. A colorful paper windmill was stuck on the top of the haystack where the candied haws were.
Several little kids clapped their hands and followed the old man, staring at the windmill intently.
Nan Xu's mind moved slightly, and she called Yuxiang to her ear and whispered a few words.
Yuxiang's eyes lit up and he nodded hurriedly. He got off the carriage with his purse and came in a few moments later holding a colorful paper windmill.
Once you get into the carriage, the windmill stops turning.
Nan Xu tried to tease it with her hand, but the windmill outside did not turn vigorously. It was like a trapped person, lifeless.
"Give me the veil."
She dressed herself, leaned out half of her body, and held up the colorful paper windmill.
As the carriage moved forward, the night wind blew against her face, the windmill whirred, and her mood suddenly brightened.
It was as if she was reborn at this moment!
People on the street were attracted by her, but they couldn't see her face clearly because of the veil. Nan Xu felt a kind of vengeful pleasure in her heart, and she laughed out loud.
Yuming and Yuxiang were startled by her bold action. When they came to their senses, they hurriedly held her tightly to prevent her from falling accidentally.
If it can help me untie the knot in my heart, what’s the harm in being unrestrained for once?
Turning the corner, a carriage came towards them. Nan Xu didn't notice and the windmill in her hand almost hit the face of a man who was looking out of the window.
Nan Xu shrank back into the car like a frightened deer.
*
A colorful paper windmill suddenly appeared in front of Duan Wenpei.
Before he could react, his follower Liu Hui chuckled, "Which girl is so happy?"
The girls in Kyoto strictly abide by the rules of being a woman, and their words and actions are regulated. It is rare for them to act so recklessly.
He stole a glance at his uncle, and seeing him turn his head away calmly, he couldn't help but feel suspicious. His uncle was just too cold-hearted, always turning a blind eye to these beautiful women.
There were many people in the court who wanted to be his matchmaker, but he refused them all. Over time, rumors spread outside, saying that he had a hidden illness or that he was not interested in women.
God have mercy on him, his uncle just didn't like those delicate and frivolous women among the noble families, so he didn't spread the story like that.
Later on, fewer and fewer people came to propose marriage, and his uncle was still single several years after his coming-of-age ceremony.
Liu Hui couldn't help but look at his master who was sitting beside him, and his calm eyes happened to meet his.
"Are you sure that Marquis Yong'an understands what His Majesty means?"
Marquis Yong'an invited him to a gathering tonight to discuss the matter of his second son, Nan Yiling, who was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice.
The former Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice died suddenly at home. His Majesty asked him to temporarily take over the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. The new official had three things to do after taking office. His Majesty instructed that the first person to be dealt with was Nan Yiling, the second son of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion who was a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue.
These actions were all excuses, and the real intention behind them was that the emperor wanted to take back the iron certificate of immunity from death that Emperor Taizu had bestowed upon the Nan family.
A few days ago, Marquis Yong'an had been wanting to see him, but he avoided him, waiting for the earl to understand the deeper meaning of his words so that he wouldn't have to waste any more words.
Talking about business, Liu Hui smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. Our people saw Yong'an Hou carrying something out of the palace, so it must be an iron certificate without a doubt."
The author has something to say:
----------------------
[Reading Guide]
1. HE, double virginity, marriage first, love later
2. The male protagonist has never loved a woman and has lacked love since childhood, so he needs time to get along with her.
3. The relationship enters the later stage, the male protagonist has some love brain, the kind of family inheritance
4. The heroine is a little sober
The link to the pre-collected article is below. If you are interested, you can click in and take a look.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
