Yan Xuening's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Li Langxuan with some emotion.
Li Langxuan was completely unaware, and continued, "...But A Ning is not allowed to keep male concubines, or I will get jealous."
Yan Xuening burst out laughing: "Of course not. There are very few men as fond of handsome men as my cousin's lover. I have Mr. Li, and that's enough for me."
She paused, noticing Li Langxuan's somewhat downcast expression, and added, "Speaking of which, what exactly does Young Master Li like about me? I have no talent, a bad temper, and my looks are only average to above average, not to mention my family background..."
Li Langxuan slowly took a sip of tea, then smiled: "A'ning, do you know... the first time I saw you, I thought you were absolutely adorable."
Yan Xuening recalled that at the plum blossom viewing banquet, after being harassed by the ladies, she put her hands on her hips and started to speak sarcastically: "Oh right, right, I can't write poetry or speak well, unlike you all, you are all talented and speak very eloquently."
Yan Xuening, recalling this incident, was speechless.
She gave an awkward laugh and glanced at Li Langxuan: "I wasn't cute at all that day."
Li Langxuan smiled gently: "A Ning is mistaken. That wasn't our first meeting."
Yan Xuening stared wide-eyed in surprise: "Wasn't that our first meeting? But I don't remember us meeting before."
Li Langxuan pursed his lips, as if recalling something: "Do you still remember the grand Buddha's Birthday celebration at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou when you were ten years old?"
Yan Xuening thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Of course I remember. That year, my father took a concubine and doted on her. My mother was always dealing with her at home, so I went to the grand event with my wet nurse."
Li Langxuan smiled and said, "It was that time. I was twelve years old then, and my elder sister had just married His Majesty, who was then the Third Prince. I specially traveled from Shengjing to Lingyin Temple to draw a fortune stick for my elder sister..."
...
That year, Li Langxuan's eyes were still bright and affectionate. He knelt on the ground devoutly, shaking the divination sticks.
But they drew a very bad lot.
Li Langxuan's expression was not good as he listened to the abbot interpret the divination: "...If you are asking for this divination for someone else, then that person will not have a smooth life in the second half of their life. Although their destiny is noble, they are in danger of being usurped and having no descendants."
Li Langxuan clenched his fists.
He knew that the Third Prince was not a good match. Everyone else said that the Third Prince was gentle, reasonable, and kind, but he knew that he was a hypocrite and an ambitious man.
The way he looked at his elder sister showed no love; he was only after the connections of the General of the Cavalry.
Li Langxuan closed his eyes, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts, and the turbulent undercurrent in his eyes was about to burst forth.
Just then, a clear and sweet female voice came from the side: "Master, what does 'cuckoo occupying magpie's nest' mean?"
Li Langxuan was stunned, and the abbot was also stunned, seemingly not expecting that their conversation would be overheard by others.
Li Langxuan turned around at the sound and saw a cute and charming young woman leaning against the window. She had her hair in two buns and was wearing a pale yellow dress. She was tilting her head and staring at him with her clear almond-shaped eyes, which were filled with a smile.
The sun was shining brightly, early summer was lovely, and the young woman smiled, her eyes crinkling: "What does 'cuckoo taking over someone else's nest' mean?"
The abbot looked at Li Langxuan with a questioning look in his eyes.
Li Langxuan's mood improved for no apparent reason. He sat by the window and looked at the young woman: "It's like a cuckoo taking over someone else's nest, which means a bad person steals someone else's place."
The young lady thought for a moment and then suddenly realized: "I understand! It's like Aunt Ding taking over Mother's place!"
Li Langxuan couldn't help but chuckle and patted the young woman's head: "Which family's daughter are you?"
The young woman blinked: "My name is Yan Xuening, and I'm the daughter of the prefect of Hangzhou. Where's my older brother?"
Li Langxuan then said, "My parents have both passed away. My surname is Li, so you can just call me Young Master Li."
He paused for a moment, then said, "From now on, you must not tell your husband your maiden name; it is against etiquette."
Yan Xuening obediently said "Oh," and then asked, "Is Young Master Li unhappy?"
Li Langxuan smiled and nodded: "Some."
Yan Xuening's eyes darted around, and she suddenly leaned closer to Li Langxuan, whispering, "Don't believe those fortune slips. My nanny said that things are possible with human effort, so don't be too sad."
Abbot: "..."
The abbot was amused by Yan Xuening, recited "Amitabha" once, and said, "This wise teacher is quite insightful. This young man need not worry too much. It is up to people to handle things."
...
Li Langxuan took a sip of tea and said slowly, "I remembered you back then, but you probably don't have any impression of me."
Yan Xuening blushed and said, "I... I remember. That day I told my nanny that I had met a very handsome older brother and I wanted to marry him. My nanny told me not to talk nonsense in the future."
As she said this, she couldn't help but laugh: "Who would have thought that I would really be marrying my older brother?"
Yan Xuening suddenly felt inexplicably sad—she didn't actually remember what Li Langxuan looked like back then, but she could still remember his beautiful eyes.
She looked up at Li Langxuan's eyes, which were covered by white silk, and her heart trembled. She couldn't help but hold Li Langxuan's hand and whispered, "Just now my cousin said that I must not get close to you, but now I just want to hold your hand and make you happy."
...
On the other side, Shang Shaoyan was looking at Shang Yunlan lying on the bed with a half-smile, while the royal physician was taking her pulse.
After a long pause, the physician hesitated before speaking: "The Duke shows no signs of a relapse..."
After seeing off the physician, Shang Shaoyan raised an eyebrow at Shang Yunlan and said, "You're quite the expert at staging accidents."
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