Chapter 55 Brother, this is the person I like...
Yu Tan lowered her head and drooped her eyelashes, staring blankly at the blue bricks on the ground. The blazing sun shone into the courtyard, spreading the heat and making the atmosphere tense and unbearable.
Granny Liu stood to the side, holding a small round fan to fan Old Madam Song and ward off the summer heat.
Along with the gentle breeze came the heartfelt phrase, "Yaoyao."
An aged hand grasped hers, its knuckles abruptly raised, the skin loosely covering the finger bones, wrinkles left by the erosion of time, unable to withstand any further erosion.
Holding her hand is like taking her to walk when she was a child.
She was often sick as a child, and raising her was not easy. Even with a nanny around, Old Madam Song often stayed by her bedside.
She started walking later than others, which worried Old Madam Song greatly. She took her hand and walked her through every corner of Hexiang Courtyard. When she was five years old, Old Madam Song still took her hand. At that time, she was a decisive and efficient woman, not the hesitant and indecisive woman she is now.
Overthinking leads to hesitation, and excessive worry leads to illness.
Who could accept their granddaughter, whom they raised, being with their grandson?
She was so nervous that her palms were sweaty, and the little courage she thought she had long since vanished, her taut back hunching over.
When Madam Song learned that her visit to Fengxu Courtyard was not for pleasure, the shackles that had been choking her were finally loosened, and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Everything is already better than she expected, as long as it doesn't break down...
People are always greedy, and she has already paid the price for her greed once; she always has to give up something.
“Grandmother, why would you ask that?” She tilted her head back with a smile, just like before when she was being coquettish and playful. “My brother and I only have brotherly and sisterly feelings for each other. These days, my brother has just been taking care of me.”
The tense hands relaxed, the surrounding atmosphere became more relaxed, and the heat was dissipated by the fan.
Madam Song's eyes gleamed with relief as she smiled and said, "Good, good, good child, Yao Yao, I misunderstood you. Old people are always confused."
She pressed her knee against Old Madam Song's: "Grandmother."
Old Madam Song took her hand again, looked at her lovingly, and said earnestly, "You're not young anymore, it's time to settle your marriage."
She grasped Old Madam Song's hand in return and nodded in agreement, "Grandmother, this time I want to choose for myself."
She didn't want to get involved with Chu Minglang, who had used a love potion on her, nor did she want any entanglement with Jiang Tingfeng, who was separated by a sea of hatred.
She should live a more comfortable and carefree life from now on.
Rather than getting married, she prefers to travel alone, to continue doing business in Huizhou, or to other places. In her youth, she was confined to a small house due to illness, but now she has developed the idea of going out and exploring, thinking that things won't be too bad for her in the future.
She understood that a marriage was needed to silence the rumors and put Madam Song at ease.
Madam Song smiled and patted her hand, agreeing, "Alright, alright, whatever you say."
*
Quzhou, Jiufeng Mountain, late at night.
A group of several hundred elite soldiers rode through the deep mountains under the stars and moon. Yu He'an, riding his horse, held the reins in one hand and rubbed his temples.
Originally planned to return in a month and a half, it was delayed to two and a half months.
Once the testimonies from witnesses and relevant evidence in Xie Ling and Zhao Ziyin's case are collected, they can be submitted to the Dali Temple after returning to Bianjing, and the case will be overturned soon.
After arriving in Quzhou, he sent a letter back to Bianjing, and then another, but received no reply.
"You heartless little brat." He really didn't reply to him at all. Yu He'an laughed and cursed, but at least after finishing the last thing, he could rush back to Bianjing.
With Quzhou robbed, the eldest prince of Bianjing wouldn't take any action, and it's unknown how Yu Tan is doing in Bianjing.
Iron ore was discovered in Jiufeng Mountain, but the Crown Prince kept it a secret. Instead, he sent several advisors to the site, revealing his true intentions: this was the last thing he wanted to eliminate.
"There." The garrison commander pointed to the distance, and he looked in that direction.
A few sparks appeared in the desolate mountains. As they drew closer, the group abandoned their horses and hurried forward.
The people who worked quarrying and smelting iron ore were mostly villagers who were forcibly abducted and surrounded by a group of soldiers in short uniforms.
Hundreds of elite soldiers descended from the sky, catching them off guard and surrounding them.
Chu Minglang bypassed the guards and ran outside, but before he had run a hundred meters, a stone hit his right knee and he fell to the ground.
He rolled down in a panic, fell among the rocks, hit his head on a large rock, and passed out.
When Chu Minglang woke up again, he was lying in the wooden hut where the ironworkers rested. The straw used for resting was scattered all over the ground, messy and smelly.
My forehead throbbed with pain, and then a bucket of cold water was poured over my face.
His tall, upright figure made the whole room feel cramped.
"Chu Minglang, unauthorized iron ore mining is a capital offense." A voice rang out, like a vengeful ghost.
Chu Minglang shuddered in fright, wiped the water off her face, and only then did she see who it was. It was as if she had seen a new life.
If Yu He'an keeps this a secret, or removes his name from the list, there is still a chance for things to turn around.
Chu Minglang wiped his face and quickly protested, "Brother He'an, I didn't do this. I had no idea about it."
"Those people just now all pointed the finger at you." Yu He'an looked down at him, his expression indifferent as ever, casting a large shadow, like a demon crawling out of hell.
Those people were all advisors to the First Prince, but their backgrounds were inferior to his. When something went wrong, they actually wanted to drag him out to take the blame.
"That's not how it is, Brother He'an, how could I dare... to do all this?"
"Oh?" Yu He'an feigned ignorance. "Then who do you work for?"
Chu Minglang was stumped. If he really implicated the eldest prince, then he would be truly at his wit's end.
“Brother He’an, our families have been friends for generations. Yu Tan and I are deeply in love, and she cannot live without me. Just pretend you didn’t see me, and all of this…”
He was kicked hard, which sent him staggering back several meters until his back hit the wall. He was in excruciating pain in his chest and clutched his chest, not understanding what was happening.
"Chu Minglang, what audacity! Yu Tan still can't forget you?" Yu He'an squatted down beside him. "Dare to tell me why?"
“It is a mutual affection, I have long been fond of Yu Tan, and so has Yu Tan.”
There was only an oil lamp in the room, its faint candlelight flickering in the mountain breeze. He couldn't see Yu He'an's expression clearly; in the dim light, only fear remained.
"Then what about the woman from Lingnan you bring with you? Is it also a case of mutual affection?" Yu He'an took a step closer, his gleaming blade flashing past.
Chu Minglang's heart stirred. So that's why Yu He'an was so angry. But Yu Tan was no longer the lady of the Marquis's mansion. He was still willing to keep his promise and ask his grandmother to take Yu Tan as a concubine, which was already a good thing.
"I will take care of all of this." Chu Minglang swallowed, hoping that Yu He'an would spare him for Yu Tan's sake. The love potion should be acting up now, and Yu Tan should be completely devoted to him. "Brother He'an, didn't Yu Tan mention to you that we are truly in love?"
“Mutual affection.” Yu He’an toyed with the dagger. “Then I will untie your mutual affection.”
The gleaming blade drew closer and closer to him, the edge slicing into his flesh. "Yu He'an, you can't kill me. My father is a prince, and our two families have been friends for many years."
Yu He'an angrily said, "We've been family friends for many years, and you still resort to witchcraft."
Chu Minglang was shocked: "You knew all along?"
The blade drew closer, truly intent on killing him.
Chu Minglang finally understood Yu He'an's intention: besides the two people who were poisoned falling in love, there was another way to cure the love curse.
One person first forces out the Gu worm, applies the medicine, then kills the other person, and can no longer control the situation.
"Yu He'an, you can't kill me. There are other ways to cure this curse." Chu Minglang stepped back, his back already against the wall. The blade slowly cut through his flesh. As long as he lived, his father would definitely find a way to save him. "If you kill me, how will you explain to the court? I am an important witness."
"You were just saying you knew nothing about it, how come you're a witness now?" Yu He'an sneered. The Gu worms, attracted by the rich floral fragrance, fell to the ground and were crushed into blood by the boots.
"It was your malicious intent to harm Yu Tan, to plant a love potion in her in an attempt to control her for life, to encounter a snake while riding a horse... all of these things deserve to be punished with death."
With nowhere to retreat, Chu Minglang fought back but was kicked even harder in the ribs. The blade pierced his flesh, and excruciating pain spread throughout his body. In his last moments, he heard something.
"When Chu Minglang was arrested, he was so frightened that he fell into molten iron and committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
*
After handling all matters related to the iron mine, all that's left is to wrap things up before heading back to Bianjing.
The night was deep, a single flickering firelight illuminated the desk, and piles of case files lay on it.
A red ribbon was wrapped around his slender fingers, with a lone crane embroidered at both ends. He still remembered how Yu Tan tied his hair up when she gave him the hair crown.
Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and sparkling, her lips were upturned, and she had shallow dimples on her cheeks.
She wanted him to praise her skillful hands and the nice style of the hair crown she chose, but he was only thinking about teasing her.
He could get back tomorrow. He took a short rest at his desk. After more than two months of travel, he relaxed for a moment, but fatigue overwhelmed him, and he drifted off to sleep.
As the white mist dissipated, the entire peach blossom grove floated in a pale pink haze. A gentle breeze blew, and the peach blossoms rippled like waves, with pink petals falling one after another.
Under the tree, a young girl in a pale yellow dress reached out to catch the petals, tiptoeing to reach the most vibrant peach blossoms on the branches.
He reached out his hand to take it.
Yu Tan stepped past him and handed it aside. He turned around and looked at it.
The young man in blue took the peach blossoms and gently brushed the petals from Yu Tan's hair. Yu Tan leaned shyly against the young man's chest. When she looked up and saw his presence, she quickly broke free from his embrace, took his hand, walked to his side, and greeted him with a smile.
"Brother, this is the person I love, and I want to marry him."
The young man in blue robes had his face shrouded in a cloud of white mist, so he couldn't make out who he was.
He grabbed Yu Tan's wrist and forcibly pulled her towards him.
The person clearly belongs to him, and so does that peach blossom.
The peach blossoms that were in full bloom were falling off one by one, leaving only the bare branches.
Before I could even hold her in my arms, the dream ended.
Yu He'an rubbed his temples, recalling the ambiguous dream and the unanswered letter.
"My lord, you must be tired, so please rest." Changming said, holding a lamp beside him.
"I'll leave everything to you; I'm heading back to Bianjing now."
Yu He'an left those nonsensical words behind and ventured alone into the deep night.
“My lord, even if you’re in a hurry, wait until dawn before you set off. The journey is long, there’s no need to rush.”
*
In the past two months, Lanfang Courtyard has been particularly lively, with all the betrothal gifts being carried into the courtyard.
The maids and the old women were busy, busily tearing red silk ribbons and pasting red double happiness symbols on the windowsill.
The choice of the groom was unexpected by everyone.
Her wife didn't choose, nor did the Chu family of Lingnan, who had long been interested, choose Jiang Tingfeng, her playmate and rising star from Yuyang.
They chose a poor, uneducated scholar they had only known for a little over a month, and the dowry they scraped together was only eighteen taels of silver.
He also has his merits: he is upright, gentle and considerate. When he sees Yu Tan, he blushes and then bows. After learning from some source that Yu Tan dislikes being close to people, he automatically keeps a distance of five meters when they meet. The maids of Lanfang Courtyard laughed at him several times, but he was not annoyed.
Two people who are completely mismatched.
Yu Tan leaned against the chaise lounge reading a storybook, while Lan Xin poured tea for her.
"My lady, marriage can't be rushed. Why don't you choose again?"
"Isn't he good? I think he's quite good." Yu Tan didn't even look up, showing no annoyance in the plot, and respected her as well.
After learning that she wanted to marry him, he even found a job as an accountant after school, determined not to let her suffer in the slightest.
She wanted this marriage certificate to quell the rumors, and she would sponsor his academic studies, so they would be even.
Knowing that she had no intention of doing so, he agreed.
"My wife, you're getting married soon."
Yu Tan's gaze fell on the bright red wedding dress on the clothes rack. It was embroidered with phoenixes in gold thread, and the wedding dress was dazzling. Even the veil was embroidered by the best embroiderers in Bianjing. The dowry was also very generous.
"I'm getting married," she murmured softly.
I don't know if I'm speaking to myself, to Lanxin, or to someone else.
Author's Note: Thank you Yuyan Youzi Mi Mao. AQ Giraffe's nutrient solution. [Lop-eared Rabbit Head]
I've been very busy lately and updates are mostly done in the early hours of the morning, so don't wait for me. I'll take a break if I don't update, and I won't leave you hanging.
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