Chapter 38 Unexpectedly, the iron tree never blooms...
Qi Yuansi winked at her: I'll keep an eye on things for you, you can go ahead without worry.
“Let’s go for a walk over there.” She pointed to the opposite direction of the riverbank, up the hillside.
"Alright." It seems that Yu Tan's desire to learn horseback riding was just a casual remark, but now she has changed her mind.
Chu Minglang casually handed the reins to the stable boy beside him, took a pale yellow cloak, and walked beside Yu Tan.
Yu Tan's glances towards the riverbank, whether intentional or not, ultimately did not escape his notice.
Yu Tan was indeed too dependent on Yu He'an, and it was too hard to change her youthful habits. Chu Minglang pursed his lips, looked into the distance, and his gaze fell on the two people walking side by side on the riverbank.
They were a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
Princess Chang Le has feelings for Yu He'an, and Yu He'an will certainly not refuse this marriage.
He had overheard some rumors while attending the Spring Banquet that Yu He'an's ranking in this imperial examination would be quite high, possibly even in the top three, indicating a bright future for his career.
He felt a surge of resentment. Why was the Yuhe An family so prosperous and successful in the imperial examinations?
But he had to single-handedly save the Chu family from its decline.
If Yu He'an and Princess Chang Le were to marry, his career would undoubtedly reach new heights, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he would rise to the highest ranks of officialdom.
He touched the sachet at his waist; he was determined to win this marriage.
The two walked to the left for about fifteen minutes, and the spring breeze that had stopped began to blow wildly again.
"Minglang, let's go back to the camp," Yu Tan said, covering her disheveled hair as the wind blew so hard she couldn't open her eyes.
His tall frame blocked most of the gale, and a pair of hands reached behind her, wrapping around her back, while a warm cloak was draped over her shoulders.
The movements were light and slow, yet they were as practiced as if they had been done countless times.
She smelled that floral fragrance again, so strong it was almost cloying, as if trying to mask some other scent.
Warm fingertips glided across her neck, not lingering for long. Before she could feel any discomfort, her fingers moved to her front and tied the two thin drawstrings of her cloak into a pretty knot.
Chu Minglang smiled and said softly, "Yaoyao, it's windy, be careful of catching a cold."
It felt as if a small insect was crawling around where Chu Minglang had touched her, moving down her collar, across her back, and down to her calves, causing a sudden sharp pain.
"Ah..." She reached out but couldn't reach it; the insects burrowed into her flesh.
Even the places where she had been crawled on felt unbearably itchy, and she couldn't help but scratch her neck.
Chu Minglang grasped her fingertips, and the moment he held them, the itching all over her body seemed to be soothed.
"I think I've been bitten by a bug." She tilted her head, looking utterly helpless.
Her long, fair neck, with wisps of hair ruffled by the breeze, was openly exposed to his view, bearing large red marks from being scratched.
Chu Minglang's breath hitched, wondering if it was due to the love potion.
At this moment, Yu Tan moved him more than ever before.
As if possessed, his hand was about to touch that fragile spot.
"Minglang, quickly take a look for me, are there any bugs?" Yu Tan interrupted.
"Didn't you see it? Did it sting you and run away?" Chu Minglang withdrew his hand.
The way Chu Minglang examined the bite mark on Yu Tan's neck was far more ambiguous than they had imagined.
From a distance, it looked as if Chu Minglang couldn't control himself, held Yu Tan in his arms, and passionately kissed her delicate neck, lingering for a while before leaving.
“He’an’s snapped out of it.” Chu Yunze tapped his fan, making a slight sound. “No wonder he rejected Princess Chang Le’s proposal; it turns out he already had someone he loved…”
“That’s my sister.” Yu He’an turned around, reverting to her usual indifferent demeanor.
It was as if he had been taking advantage of the fact that no one was around to stare at him so brazenly, his eyes filled with resentment and jealousy, almost sparks flying, as if he wished he could immediately appear on the hillside and push that young man away instead of him.
"Oh...so it's my younger sister..." Chu Yunze pressed his fan against his forehead, suddenly realizing, "Younger sister? The younger sister of the Marquis of Yongchang's family? Also surnamed Yu...?"
Yu He'an did not answer, and calmly shifted his gaze.
It was accepted by default.
"You beast..."
Good heavens, even though Yu He'an is a model of virtue in the family, pure of heart and abstinent of desires, and has been self-disciplined for eighteen years, he had suspected that Yu He'an was impotent.
Unexpectedly, the iron tree that never blooms has blossomed, and it is his own sister who has blossomed.
Half an hour later, Chu Yunce came to his senses. Being in the royal family, what secrets hadn't he seen?
“Find a man in Bianjing who’s easy to manipulate, and your sister can marry him… You can still… have secret affairs. As long as you pay enough money, it won’t look too bad on your face.” Chu Yunze coughed twice, fanning his chin, and looked up at Yu He’an’s gloomy face. “So you’re just infatuated? Suffering from unrequited love?”
Yu He'an said helplessly, "I thought Lingnan might be a quiet place, and she would definitely be happy there..."
“This kid is much more diligent than I am in visiting my brother’s residence. Lingnan is not peaceful either.” Chu Yunze put the reins in his hand. “Just don’t regret what you’ve done.”
*
Yu Tan sat on a flat little stone; she had tried three times already.
She reached out and pushed Chu Minglang, telling him to move away, and that itchy feeling welled up from her bones again.
That's so strange.
"Minglang, do you have any insect repellent sachet on you?"
Chu Minglang was tossed around by Yu Tan several times, but he wasn't annoyed. "The place where I was stung by the insects is still uncomfortable."
She nodded: "It's strange, it gets better when you're close..."
Chu Minglang laughed even more heartily, it seemed the love potion was working, and Yu Tan unconsciously wanted to get closer to him.
He did feel uncomfortable for the first few days. He took off the sachet from his waist, which was the one that had contained the love potion. Wearing it on his body could significantly reduce the itching.
"This is a sachet that repels insects, unique to Lingnan. It's very effective. Would you like to try it?" Chu Minglang held up the sachet and waved it in front of her. It was a blue sachet without any embroidery.
She hesitated for a moment, but unable to resist the itch that was creeping into her bones, she stood up, reached out and took the sachet, and looked it over from side to side.
There's nothing particularly special about it, but the moment I touched it, the itching really stopped, and all my anxiety was soothed.
She looked up to thank him and saw Chu Minglang looking at her with a smile in his eyes.
A young man dressed in a black robe ran over, interrupting the moment of romance.
The young man was petite, even shorter than her, and his hair was tied in a small bun, neither in a topknot nor wearing a hair crown like a man.
As he walked to Chu Minglang's side, she heard a very faint chirping sound, like the sound of a mate finally reuniting. Her brows furrowed deeply.
The young man wore silver jewelry on his wrists, his face was pale, his eyes were dark, and he wore a small bamboo basket at his waist.
"Young Master Chu, a letter has arrived from the old lady of Lingnan." The young man lowered his voice, which sounded somewhat androgynous, perhaps because of his young age.
When Chu Minglang saw the young man, her expression changed, and her brows furrowed deeply, as if she were disgusted or annoyed that she had disturbed her.
The young master was not rude in the slightest; in fact, he treated Chu Minglang with utmost respect.
When she turned to look at Chu Minglang again, the disdain on her face had completely disappeared. As if sensing that she was looking at him, the corners of her mouth turned up, and she returned to her usual gentle Chu Minglang.
She said guiltily, "Yaoyao, something seems to have happened in Lingnan. I have to go back and deal with it. I might not be able to stay with you for a while."
"Business is important, you should go back first." Her itching was relieved, and she saw that Chu Minglang had a grateful look on his face.
As she watched the two leave, her gaze kept being drawn to the young man in black, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
I'll ask next time we meet.
She held the sachet in her hand, its rich floral fragrance filling the air. Lost in her play, she didn't hear the sound of horses' hooves approaching and stopping behind her.
"Minglang, is there anything else? Why are you back again?" Her tone was soft and sweet, sounding almost like she was pleading.
She tucked the sachet into her sleeve, and when she looked up, she saw Yu He'an dressed in hunting clothes, her jawline taut, her eyebrows and eyes like they were covered in frost, her eyelashes drooping to hide the emotions in her eyes, and her lips pressed tightly together.
"Didn't you want to learn from Ma?" His tone was cold and harsh, as if someone had stolen his wife and he was going to be a widower for life.
"How come it's you? Brother." She quickly hid the sachet in her sleeve and put her hands behind her back so that Yu He'an wouldn't see it.
"What are you hiding?" Yu He'an's expression grew even colder, but he reached out his hand.
She stubbornly refused to hand it over, but once she did, she felt itchy all over.
It's so painful.
The other people's cloaks wrapped Yu Tan tightly, and even from a distance, you could smell her cloying floral fragrance, the scent that Chu Minglang occasionally carried.
I don't know why a young man like him would use such a cloying fragrance.
From his position, even the part of his neck wrapped under his collar was visible, with striking red marks on his fair skin.
Was it left by vigorously rubbing with your hands, or by passionately sucking with your lips?
It covered a large area, even extending down to the neck, or even lower...
He tightened his grip on the reins, the knot digging into his palm, causing only a tingling sensation but no pain to stop his delusions.
What was previously ignored and deliberately buried deep in his heart crawled out like countless shadows, enveloping him and dragging him into the abyss.
He asked himself again and again, could he really tolerate Yu Tan and Chu Minglang getting close?
The original intention of marrying her off to Lingnan was to keep her away from the power struggles in Bianjing.
With the emperor seriously ill, the court is bound to be turbulent in the coming years, and even the marquis's residence cannot be guaranteed to be safe amidst such storms.
However, if Chu Minglang takes a stand, Lingnan will not be a peaceful place.
Even if she were to marry peacefully in Lingnan and return to Bianjing once a year to visit her family, there would be so many people she would have to see, and she could count on one hand the number of times she would call him "brother".
Is he really willing to accept this?
I'm not reconciled.
Reluctantly.
They were not siblings to begin with.
Why can't it be him?
Only he can protect Yu Tan.
His hand moved even closer, almost touching her waist.
If she doesn't hand over the sachet soon, Yu He'an might just snatch it from her.
“Brother…” She took a few steps back.
Yu He'an rode his horse closer, bent down and reached out to grab her. His strong arm wrapped around her waist, his taut muscles like stones pressing against the soft flesh of her waist.
She was like a sapling uprooted, forcibly pulled onto the horse by him, her hands gripping his waist, and he straddled her with his legs spread apart.
At this moment, Yu He'an made her feel very dangerous; she felt like a bird that had been restrained.
"Brother..."
"Aren't you supposed to learn to ride a horse?"
The hot breath sprayed out landed right on the red marks on the side of my neck, and an itching sensation even more unbearable than before arose.
She instinctively tried to break free, but her back pressed against a solid chest. She could even feel the vibrations in his chest as he spoke, and his arms wrapped around her waist.
He wrapped his hands around hers, holding them to the reins. The more she struggled, the tighter his grip became, and she was enveloped in his warm embrace.
Is this how horseback riding is normally taught?
Before she could even process what was happening, Yu He'an loosened his grip on the reins with one hand and pulled on the ties of her cloak with the other.
Her hands were held down by Yu He'an with one hand, and she couldn't break free at all.
Author's Note: Thank you, Xiaomi Cat, for the nutrient solution [lop-eared rabbit head].
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