Shang Shaoyan was pleased, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face, but he still refused: "You should take care of your own affairs. If I'm not mistaken, you'll probably be returning to Northern Zhou soon."
According to what Shang Shaoyan knew, the third prince of Northern Zhou—Qiao Xiuyu's elder brother—was already locked in a fierce battle with several other contenders for the crown prince position, and the conflict had reached a fever pitch. It seemed that Qiao Xiuyu would have to return soon.
Qiao Xiuyu sighed: "That's true..."
Shang Shaoyan chuckled and tapped his forehead: "Why are you sighing? It's not like it's goodbye forever, why are you so gloomy?"
"I feel sad just thinking about being separated from you for so long." Qiao Xiuyu said, hesitatingly grasping Shang Shaoyan's fingertips. Seeing that the latter did not refuse, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "An'an, I really like you."
Shang Shaoyan was about to grasp Qiao Xiuyu's hand when she heard this, but she paused and felt a little helpless. It wasn't that she didn't like Qiao Xiuyu, but this was ancient times, unlike the 21st century, where you could talk and sleep with anyone you wanted, and break up or divorce if you weren't compatible. These days, such things don't work.
Furthermore… Shang Shaoyan thought calmly that Qiao Xiuyu had a special identity as a prince of Northern Zhou. If she were to be with him, she would become a prince's consort, imprisoned in the deep palace, which was not what she wanted.
She didn't want to be anyone's wife; she just wanted to be herself.
Therefore, until she reaches a high enough position, Shang Shaoyan cannot reciprocate Qiao Xiuyu's feelings.
But she still couldn't bear it. She raised her hand to stroke Qiao Xiuyu's delicate eyebrows and sighed with a smile, "It's not that I don't like you, it's just that I have things to do. I'm not willing to get married at this age, let alone have to go back to Northern Zhou with you and die in the deep palace... I originally wanted to ask you to wait for me for two years, but I also know that it's not fair to you. I can't delay you for my own sake."
The look in her eyes was incredibly serious, and Qiao Xiuyu looked at her and found a trace of guilt in her eyes.
Qiao Xiuyu smiled, then sat down and squeezed onto a swing with Shang Shaoyan. It was a little crowded, and their body heat and breaths mingled, but Shang Shaoyan didn't mind.
After a moment of consideration, Qiao Xiuyu slowly said, "Actually, I didn't have a good life before. I was often bullied."
Shang Shaoyan tilted his head and looked at him with some doubt—Qiao Xiuyu was the legitimate prince, so the people in the palace should not dare to neglect him.
Qiao Xiuyu understood the doubt in Shang Shaoyan's eyes and explained with a smile: "My mother gave birth to me in a temple. At that time, my father had not yet ascended the throne. I was thrown into the river by an uncle in the chaos. Fortunately, a scholarly family adopted me and raised me."
He paused, then said, “It’s not like I haven’t had happy days… When I was five, the wife of that family got pregnant and gave birth to a boy. It should have been a time of great joy, but then an old Taoist priest appeared out of nowhere and said that my fate was incompatible with that child’s. He said that if the old Taoist priest took me away, the child might have a chance to live. Although they loved me, they cared more about their own child, so it was understandable that they sent me away.”
Shang Shaoyan felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this and silently took Qiao Xiuyu's hand.
Qiao Xiuyu continued, "After the old Taoist priest took me away, I learned that it was my royal uncle who had discovered my existence and wanted to eliminate me completely. I tried every means to escape from them, but found myself with nowhere to go..."
Seeing that Shang Shaoyan's eyes were already a little red, Qiao Xiuyu quickly said, "Ah, actually it's nothing serious. My father and mother found me and took me back two years later. I've been doing very well since I was eight years old."
Shang Shaoyan wanted to ask a few more questions, but she remained silent.
She dared not get involved in Qiao Xiuyu's past, otherwise it would be even harder to extricate herself.
Qiao Xiuyu smiled, not minding Shang Shaoyan's silence: "In short, I have cherished everything in the world since I was a child, even if they are not mine; but because of those bad memories, it is hard for me to cherish a person. An'an, what I want to say is... you are one of the few people I cherish. I don't want to make things difficult for you. You don't need to feel guilty towards me, nor do you need to feel that you will hold me back."
He smiled, then gently tucked Shang Shaoyan's hair behind her ear, his voice incredibly tender: "I've always known I'm not a very smart person, but perhaps my greatest strength is my patience. I'm willing to wait for you, An'an. Your appearance was unexpected, and I believe I'm also an accident in your life. But that's precisely the greatest joy of being alive."
He paused, then joked, "Unless you don't want me anymore, I will never bother you."
Upon hearing these words, Shang Shaoyan felt a sharp pain in his heart.
How could Qiao Xiuyu not be intelligent? He was clearly the most insightful and purest person in the world; he truly knew what "love" meant.
Although he couldn't say he loved her, he was so sincere and so passionate about humanity.
Shang Shaoyan composed himself, then leaned on Qiao Xiuyu's shoulder and said with utmost seriousness, "Don't worry, I won't abandon you."
He repeated, as if making a promise, "I will never abandon you."
...
On the day Shang Shaoyan set off, the sun was shining in Shengjing, which was a rare occurrence. Although the weather was still cold, spring was not far away, so Shang Shaoyan did not bring many heavy clothes. Apart from a few books that Shang Yunlan had copied from the library and some gold and silver valuables, he did not bring much else in his luggage.
Bai Lu and Bai Feng accompanied Shang Shaoyan to Shu Prefecture. When Li Mama saw them off, she looked worried and said, "Princess, Shu Prefecture is a remote and mountainous place. I've heard that the people there are fierce and tough. You must be careful, given your delicate appearance."
Shang Yunlan, who was listening from the side, was speechless.
LOL, no matter how powerful someone is, Shang Shaoyan can take on a hundred people single-handedly.
Shang Shaoyan secretly glared at Shang Yunlan, then nodded obediently to Granny Li.
Granny Li checked the luggage again, then sighed, "Why did the county princess bring so little? Is it enough?"
Shang Shaoyan smiled and said, "It's enough, it's enough. If we really need anything, we can buy it on the way."
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