Chapter 46 In the same residence, a lone man and a lone woman, truly...
"You," she said helplessly again, "I just can't do anything with you."
"Then remember to take good care of your safety. Make sure you have enough bodyguards and be extra careful around you. Don't let anyone plot against you. If anything really happens to you because of me, I will feel very guilty. Ah Bao, don't make me worry or feel guilty, okay?" Bai Xuerou said gently.
Ling Xun's heart was brimming with emotion, and as he gazed at Bai Xue Rou, the words he had kept hidden in his heart almost burst forth.
But reason stopped him.
The worries his sister-in-law expressed were not the kind of worries he was thinking of.
It's not the kind of longing that exists between lovers.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. It only takes half an hour to ride a fast horse, and the Zhenbei military camp isn't far either. Nothing will happen," Ling Xun said, his voice slightly hoarse.
Bai Xuerou shook her head slightly and said, "If they really dared to assassinate you, they would be fully prepared. How could they let you wait for the Zhenbei Army's reinforcements?"
Ling Xun smiled and said, "I will be extremely careful."
Bai Xuerou sighed. This wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she knew Ling Xun was right. He couldn't stay in a safe place forever just to avoid assassination attempts.
Besides, assassinations are something that anyone with the will can find a way to do, so what is there to be safe about?
After much back and forth, Bai Xuerou finally gave up on trying to persuade him.
“Abao, I just hope you’re safe and sound,” she said.
"Many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now, it's just the two of us together."
Ling Xun came to her side when he was eleven years old, and he is seventeen this year. Six years is not a long time, but it is by no means short either.
The night was quiet and still. Listening to Bai Xuerou's gentle, slightly sighing voice, Ling Xun's mind gradually calmed down.
“There’s still a long time ahead, and my sister-in-law and I will be together for a long time,” he said.
He wanted to spend his whole life with his sister-in-law.
Bai Xuerou smiled.
The two talked about what they had experienced during the past few days apart, and strolled slowly in the courtyard. Fireflies danced among the grass and trees along the path, and everything was so peaceful and serene.
As they talked, they began to mention Fu Wei, whom Bai Xuerou had met that day—
To be precise, this was the result of Ling Xun's guidance. He came over because he heard about Fu Wei's situation.
He knew that his sister-in-law treated Fu Wei the same way she treated Yu Kai, and wouldn't pay much attention to him, but she was always easily swayed by his soft heart. With Fu Wei pursuing her so passionately, she might just soften her heart.
"There's not much to say about him. I'm more curious about why the Fu family didn't stop him," Bai Xuerou said calmly.
Since the Zhenbei Army moved to Chang'an, Bai Xuerou followed. In the nearly two years that followed, undercurrents were surging in Chang'an. The Lang family, the Duke of Qing's mansion, and other aristocratic families such as Yu and Chen all behaved politely and were easy to get along with.
But is that really the case?
Bai Xuerou never underestimated these families.
She may not have read many historical classics, but in her previous life, with the information explosion, Bai Xuerou passively absorbed a lot of information, even if it wasn't intentional, so she was definitely not ignorant.
If the Fu family tacitly agrees, she feels there's a problem; if the Fu family disagrees, she'll also think it's a deliberate act. She can't distinguish between truth and falsehood, but she can prevent these problems from arising in the first place.
That means not giving these people a chance to get close.
Anyway, there are so many young men in the world, why should she bother with them?
"The Fu family's intentions," Ling Xun said with a hint of sarcasm. "Fu Wei's second wife's son doesn't need another grandson. If he gets close to his sister-in-law and gains something, everyone will be happy."
"I think so too. Whatever, I'll just ignore what these families are thinking," Bai Xuerou said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Ling Xun thought of Yu Kai and Fu Wei.
My sister-in-law has always done it that way.
"Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law," Ling Xun sighed, feeling a sense of relief and relaxation in his heart.
But he was not at ease.
Feelings are never something we can control, just like him.
vice versa.
Who knows if my sister-in-law will be moved by someone?
Just thinking about this possibility made Ling Xun very worried and he couldn't put his mind at ease.
Bai Xuerou chuckled, "What's so hard about me? They're the ones who have to fawn over me."
“How could it not be tiring? My sister-in-law should be happy and carefree, but she has to worry so much about family matters,” Ling Xun said earnestly.
Hearing his matter-of-fact words, Bai Xuerou was stunned and stopped to look at him.
Ling Xun looked back and asked, "What's wrong, sister-in-law?"
Bai Xuerou simply looked at him, her heart filled with many emotions.
People are all different. Some people take it for granted that she has to worry about and work hard for her family, while others always feel that she is working too hard and that she is being wronged.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking that Your Highness is so considerate. I hope you can be the same way when you get along with your wife in the future." Bai Xuerou smiled. "I always want to see you and your husband be harmonious and loving. Don't be like your brother and me."
For a couple to have a harmonious relationship, the most important thing is not how gentle, considerate, and understanding they are, but that they can think about each other's difficulties, hardships, and grievances.
Instead of taking everything for granted and failing to see the other person's efforts, the relationship will eventually come to an end.
"Does my sister-in-law think I'm doing well?"
"certainly."
Then Bai Xuerou saw Ling Xun smile at her, and his stunning appearance made her momentarily dizzy.
Fortunately, Ling Xun was usually quiet and reserved and didn't smile much, she suddenly realized. Otherwise, his suitors would probably have disappeared in droves.
“I’m used to getting along with my sister-in-law, so I can be considerate in everything, but I might not be so with other people,” Ling Xun said at the end.
Bai Xuerou felt there was a deeper meaning in those words, but Ling Xun seemed to have just said it casually, so she didn't think much of it.
"We'll get to know each other better as time goes on. We weren't used to each other from the start either."
But he didn't want to get used to it.
Ling Xun thought for a moment, then smiled slightly and subtly changed the subject.
They talked for a long time, until they had said enough, and then they went to rest separately.
The next day, Bai Xuerou got up early and had breakfast with Ling Xun, feeling a little sleepy.
Ling Xun had to rush back to Chang'an, so she naturally had to get up to see him off; otherwise, Bai Xuerou would have slept for an extra half hour.
Ling Xun felt reluctant to part, but since they were about to separate and he wanted to spend more time with Bai Xue Rou, he didn't say anything. Only when he was about to leave did he say, "Sister-in-law, go back and get some more sleep. I'll come to see you again in a few days."
Bai Xuerou hummed in agreement, told him to be careful on the road, and then smiled as she watched him pull the reins and lead his guards away at breakneck speed.
She didn't really like sudden interruptions; they would annoy her. But Ling Xun was different. Their time together was always pleasant. So, just hearing that he had appeared brought her a sense of comfort from the memories.
She slept for a while after returning home, but the extra sleep was never as good as a full night's sleep, so Bai Xuerou was still a little tired when she went to play mahjong.
Fu Wei is still here today, and there is also Yu Kai. He came with his sister-in-law, ostensibly to pay respects to the Princess, but everyone here knows who Fu Wei is.
Bai Xuerou was not surprised by the appearance of the two.
This has been a frequent occurrence over the past six months; whenever she goes out, she encounters the two of them two out of three times.
The two didn't disturb her too much, but couldn't help staring at Bai Xuerou one glance after another.
Bai Xuerou remained unmoved, not even glancing at him, and simply continued playing her cards.
"Why do you look so tired? Did you stay up late reading stories again last night?" Princess Yucheng asked with a smile, as she knew Bai Xuerou quite well.
She now has money and free time, no one above her to control her, and her children are doing well. She lives a more comfortable life than she does. In fact, you could say there are very few people in the world who live a more comfortable life than her.
Her biggest daily annoyance was finding ways to amuse herself, such as playing mahjong, reading storybooks, and listening to music. It is said that because she liked these things, the Prince of Zhenbei specially ordered a group of people to be found and kept in the Prince's mansion.
Bai Xuerou rested her chin on her hand, picked up a card and played it, saying, "No, the prince came to see me last night, and I got him up a little earlier this morning."
Upon hearing this, while others might not react in any particular way, Yu Kai's heart stirred, sensing a special intimacy in this seemingly ordinary sentence.
There was even some ambiguity.
If you didn't know their relationship, you wouldn't think they were uncle and sister-in-law upon hearing this; you would think they were husband and wife.
Yu Kai felt that his idea was somewhat absurd. Everyone knew that Prince Ling Xun of Zhenbei had always been exceptionally respectful and loving towards his sister-in-law Bai Xuerou because of the care he had given her in her early years.
How could the thing he imagined have happened?
But what if?
Yu Kai seemed to be deep in thought.
"You're truly blessed to have such a good relationship with the Prince; he always makes time to visit you. Last night, a troop of black-clad cavalry arrived at breakneck speed, making quite a commotion; it even alerted me," Princess Yucheng sighed.
Bai Xuerou smiled and said, "Among all of you here, who isn't blessed?"
They all smiled.
“Even if there is good fortune, you have the most,” Fu Erniangzi laughed. She was a cheerful person with a clear voice. “Who can compare to you?”
Fu Erniangzi was somewhat jealous of Bai Xuerou, she could sense it, but the other party was just a bit blunt in her speech, and there wasn't much malice in it.
Bai Xuerou didn't say anything, just smiled slightly, "There's nothing I can do about it, I didn't expect that either."
At the time, she was just trying to survive. Although she had some hope, everything was completely out of her control afterward.
Ling Xun's success exceeded her expectations. She didn't have to do anything; he had already reached this point. All she did from beginning to end was send Ling Zheng on his way.
But Bai Xuerou believed that even without her, Ling Xun would be able to suppress Ling Zheng in a few years.
Everyone believed this.
Someone like Ling Xun is one in a thousand years; in the end, it can only be said that Bai Xuerou was lucky.
Playing mahjong all day long, until the afternoon, Princess Yucheng originally wanted to make another appointment for tomorrow, but Bai Xuerou said she wanted to rest for a day, as she was feeling dizzy and lightheaded after playing for several days in a row.
Princess Yucheng agreed. Actually, she was also a little tired of it, but mahjong is something that gets more and more addictive the longer you play, so she couldn't resist.
After the market closed, Bai Xuerou led her people away, and Gao Shi and the others followed her. Princess Yucheng saw them off.
Surrounded by servants, it was a large group of people.
After leaving the princess's residence, everyone boarded their carriages. Bai Xuerou was about to get into the carriage with her maid's help when Fu Wei chased after her.
"Madam Bai," Fu Wei called out.
Bai Xuerou stopped, looking at the young man striding closer behind her. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly raised, but she did not speak.
Seeing her faint smile, Fu Wei felt a little uneasy, knowing that it was too presumptuous of her to call out to her so abruptly.
"Madam Bai, please forgive my intrusion." He apologized, his tall figure bowing his head, looking dejected and somewhat downcast.
Bai Xuerou wasn't a strict person, but her gentleness wasn't always unrestrained. Seeing this, she simply asked softly, "Is something the matter?"
“I was wandering around when I discovered a waterfall pool nearby. It’s shaded by trees and has fish swimming in it. It’s quite charming. Would you like to go and see it, madam?” he asked.
"No need, thank you for your kindness, Young Master Fu." Bai Xuerou smiled slightly and turned to leave.
"Madam." Fu Wei couldn't help but call out, wanting to follow, but was stopped by the guards. He didn't care at all, only looking at Bai Xuerou's back. But from beginning to end, she didn't even turn around to look at him.
They were clearly unmoved.
"Young Master Fu, please don't follow us any further. Madam doesn't like to be disturbed." The guard instructed, and seeing that Fu Wei didn't try to force his way in, he turned and followed Bai Xuerou.
Fu Wei stared longingly at Bai Xue Rou's retreating figure until she left, without turning back, and immediately felt dejected.
Inside the carriage, Bai Xuerou was thinking about someone else.
Yu Kai is acting strangely today.
Such a scion of a prestigious family, whether asking for favors or pursuing someone, can never let go of his pride. Therefore, Yu Kai never pestered her like Fu Wei did. Instead, he always used a more subtle approach, smiling at her, striking up conversations at just the right moment, and showing his consideration without making a sound.
But Yu Kai was unusually silent today.
Have you given up?
"That's fine," Bai Xuerou thought lazily, not taking it to heart.
Meanwhile, in the carriage on the other side, Yu Kai was recalling the various details between Ling Xun and Bai Xuerou.
The more I recall, the clearer the guess in my mind becomes.
In the same mansion, can a man and a woman, living alone, truly remain innocent and pure?
Furthermore, there was Ling Zheng's death.
Yu Kai suddenly felt a surge of excitement.
If what he suspected was true, Bai Xuerou was definitely not just outwardly gentle and kind, but also upright and virtuous.
The thought that he had actually fallen for such a woman filled Yu Kai with disgust and anger. The bright, moon-like smile that always graced his face faded, replaced by a coldness tinged with loathing.
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